Amidst the various intense local
conflicts and uncertainties on-going all over the world (eg in Nigeria:
Restructuring, IPOB, etc), one deafening background buzz is the possibilities
of a global cataclysm, a singularity-type event (i.e. something unprecedented,
not likely-to-be repeated) happening this very weekend.
Of course in the Jewish calendar,
it’s the beginning of a new year 5778 (Thursday-Friday). To many people, across several shades of
spirituality (Judaism, Bible Prophecy, as well as New Age - including Freemasons
and the likes), the general consensus is that the long-prophesied new age would
arrive sometime in 5777 after the landmark year 5776. Now that the year 5777 itself has expired, rather
than the expectation for a coming new age fading with it, it is only being extra-ordinarily
heightened, and now adjudged “overdue”.
The convergence of expectations
across these diverse strange bedfellows of spiritualities is hinged on various
premises. These range from the
possibility of the famed “planet Nibiru” (which exists only in the alternative
science world!) thumping onto planet earth in some form of catastrophic collision;
to that of President Trump deciding on a pre-emptive nuking of the ‘Rocket man’
of North Korea; or ultimately, to the blaring of the long-awaited Trump of God,
which presumably will signal the Rapture of the saints off the planet.
Our focus is on the Rapture, which
according to the Scriptures is an event BOUND to occur – any time from now, and
without any further warning. As will be
evident shortly, TODAY Friday 22nd September 2017 is an especially
appropriate and interesting day to examine the Rapture in relation with the
feasts the Lord instituted for Israel. There
are seven of these feasts, (celebrated as a cluster of three festivals) and
they are elaborately described in Leviticus 23:1-44. The first cluster comprised of three feasts which are celebrated
in the Spring season (around April), then there is one Feast for the summer,
and another cluster of three feasts come up during the Fall season (around September).
It is generally accepted that the
four feasts associated with Spring/Summer were fulfilled at Jesus first coming,
exactly at the periods when the feasts were physically being celebrated in
Israel. Thus the Lord was crucified at
the feast of Passover, buried at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and rose from
the dead during First fruits. Furthermore,
seven weeks after His resurrection, on the exact day of the feast of Pentecost
(“when the day of Pentecost was fully come…” Acts 2:1), He sent the Holy Spirit
on the disciples, marking the birth of the Church. It is interesting to note
that it was also on this day that Moses had brought the Torah from the
Mountain, thus in a way, marking also the birth of Israel. (http://endtimepilgrim.org/jewishfeasts.htm)
Most Bible scholars therefore believe
that the Fall feasts also would similarly be fulfilled in their exact times. Thus the trumpet to herald the arrival of the
Lord Jesus back to earth is expected to sound exactly on the Feast of the Trumpets,
which would then usher in the Day of Atonement, and ultimately heaven literally
coming to earth at the Feast of Tabernacles/Indwelling. These last 3 feasts are not expected to be
fulfilled in the same year though. In
fact, the final literal return of Jesus to earth (expected for a Feast of
Tabernacles) is not expected to happen until the final “week” (7 years)
appointed for the nation of Israel (see Daniel 9:27) has been fulfilled.
Here then is what the time-table is
expected to look like: The Trumpet sounds, heralding His coming, rousing the
dead in Christ (1 Cor. 15:52, 1 Thess. 4:16-17), closing the Church age (Rom.
11:25, 2 Thess. 2:7), and automatically kicking off the final week (7 years)
appointed for Israel (Dan. 9:27). Simultaneous with the sounding of the
Trumpet, the antichrist shoots into prominence with the exit of the Church
which had hitherto restrained his manifestation (2 Thess. 2:8), presumably aided
by the emergence of a series of truly catastrophic global events that would
need a man of extra charisma for their resolution. The solution to be proffered by the
antichrist to these global problems will be purely humanistic and would only
work for a while, about three and half years.
Things will eventually become very rough for the Jews who would still
want to honour the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For the next three-and-half
years, persecuted and threatened, the Jews are nevertheless taken care of by
the special Divine arrangement of Rev. 12:6, 13-14. This period eventually closes with the Lord
Jesus physically coming to rescue Israel and usher in the millennial reign of
the Kingdom (Zech. 14, 2 Thess. 2:8).
Now to some
hard facts on ground. Tomorrow Saturday September 23, the skies over Jerusalem
would witness a special configuration of stars, planets and other heavenly
bodies which very much will vividly resemble the vision described in
Revelations 12:1ff. Blaring of Trumpets, which started yesterday at Rosh
Hashanah will also continue as the nation of Israel marks
Shabbat Shuva (Shabbat
of Returning), the Shabbat between Rosh Hashana and the Day of Atonement. All
these events, which may not be out-of-the-ordinary on their own, assume
gargantuan importance when considered in the context of the many
special jubilees and associated momentous events, all
converging in Israel in the year 2017.
Now superpose all these with the increasing
unprecedented upheavals in the environment, socio-economic, scientific,
political, and spiritual sectors, at the global level, as extensively discussed
on several occasions by Church Arise!
Something need
to give, one way or the other!
The big question for us
Rapture-believing Christians (unfortunately MOST Christians in the world today do
not believe in a literal Rapture) is: would it be at these particular trumps, that
the Heavenly trump will also sound, leading to the rising of the dead in Christ
and us still alive and remaining being caught up in the skies?
Church Arise! says, “Why Not!”
To date, we have spoken against
date-setting movements. Primarily, because, according to our understanding, events
in Christianity, unlike those in Judaism, are not set in stones. They are to be
fulfilled entirely at times the Father has put in His own power (Acts
1:7). Indeed, the Church is not directly
captured in the Jewish Feasts and all our association of the Rapture with the
Feasts are only based on deductions. THEREFORE
WE BELIEVE THAT THE RAPTURE COULD VERY WELL HAPPEN AHEAD OF ANY PROJECTED DATE
(NO MATTER HOW REASONABLE THE DATE).
In the present circumstances however,
with only few hours to these buzz-dates, there is little danger of someone
casting off restraints because they believed they still had some years, months,
weeks, or even days before such expected dates for the Rapture. We therefore
heartily enjoin Christians to enthusiastically keep alive in their hearts, the
possibility of the Rapture occurring spontaneously anytime from NOW! This is exceedingly exciting indeed and it is
a great priviledge to be able to dare have this hope (Mat. 13:17!)
Of course there is also the big
danger, which has repeated itself countless of times in
the past, of people developing apathy or even hostility to the subject in
the event of a no-show at some previous expected date. In order words, what happens if the Rapture
does not happen this weekend? Perhaps it
will be a week after. Or we might even have to wait another year, or even
longer?
It will be foolish ruling out this
possibility! While there are abundant
evidences confirming that we are operating as it were in “injury time”,
nevertheless, there would remain some fundamental uncertainties in the
calculations. And unlike the famous
“Uncertainty Principle” of quantum mechanics, we can’t really be sure of the
magnitude of deviations we are dealing with.
Consider for instance that, even though the Lord Jesus was evidently sacrificed
at Passover as our Passover Lamb; that same year, He himself still partook of
the Passover meal with His disciples! He
would therefore have been seriously mistaken, anyone who seeing the Lord eat
the Passover jumped to the conclusion that He (the Lord) would not be
fulfilling the Passover that particular year. Bible scholars have addressed
this issue. A citation attributed to Josephus explaining that people from the Northern
Tribes eat their Passover earlier than those in Judea can be found here,
while a more rigorous discussion of the situation can be found here. Furthermore according to an article we posted
on our blog several weeks ago
the exact time of the Feast of Trumpet is NOT
predictable as it depends on the actual local weather condition over
Jerusalem. Other scholars also strongly argue that The Feast of Trumpets (Yom
Teruah) might actually be different
from Rosh Hashanah (see Shabbat-Shuvah,
NehemiahWalls)
The point being made here is that
tomorrow, September 23, is indeed as good as any day ever calculated for the
Rapture to occur; but we must also realize that our best calculations are
liable to some minor uncertainties. Even when we can’t be 100% sure of any
particular date, we can be 100% sure that the season is here. The day the Rapture would occur would dawn
like any other day. Like today.
As with other Kingdom-minded children
of God, our prayers at Church Arise! are that there would be no more delays in
the ushering in of God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. That His counsel finally overtake and prevail over the
current chaos and counsel of hell on our beloved planet. And that this will indeed happen this
weekend!
However, if any of this analysis would
require you having a drastic change in your schedules, it only confirms you
have not had your priorities right as a Christian, all along. The Lord’s instruction is that we occupy till
He comes. Thank God there is still room to make amends! Whether the Lord bids
us come up this weekend, or tarries a little longer, we must live in such a way
that no news or speculations need make us break our strides or schedules. We should endeavour to always put the Kingdom
first, at all times!
Do you have issues about your
salvation? Simply ask the Lord Jesus to
have mercy on you, and believe He is good and will honour His words not to
reject, under whatever circumstance, anyone who humbly asks for His mercy. (John
6:37., Rev 3:20, John 8:11)
Meanwhile, we are still here and
there is work to do. Hands to the
Plough. Eyes on the Master, OCCUPY!
