Messiah’s Final Days on Earth During His First Advent

Do you know how long Jesus remained on earth between his resurrection and his ascension back to heaven?

“To these (Jesus’s apostles) He also presented Himself alive after his suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3, NASB, parenthesis mine).

Then we read: “So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, ‘Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?’” (Acts 1:6, italics for emphasis).

During these wonderful forty days, Jesus proved to his disciples and to hundreds of others that he had, indeed, risen from the dead. He also instructed them about the coming Kingdom of God on earth. In fact, it was the subject uppermost on the apostles’ minds and hearts, as clearly indicated by their repeated question cited in the above verse.

This opening scene in the book of Acts was Jesus’s last day on earth; however, the apostles didn’t know that. It’s evident (has the time come) that they assumed Jesus would begin doing whatever would be done to establish his glorious kingdom while he was still with them. They ardently wanted to know when this restoration would begin.

Some who know the Scriptures—at least the New Testament—will recall Jesus’ answer.

“He replied, ‘The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 1:7-8). Those were Messiah’s final words before he departed to heaven.

Many Christians, even astute Bible scholars, have misunderstood the Lord’s reply to mean that we can’t know the seasons or times of his return. However, Jesus was referring specifically to the disciples’ inquiry as to when he would liberate the Jews from Roman oppression and reestablish Israel as a sovereign kingdom. In fact, the Lord did answer another separate and distinct question from the disciples concerning his return, as found in Matthew Chapters 24-25. See Eye of Prophecy article, Messiah’s Return & The Rapture (Same or Separate Events?) Posted 12-3-16.

The last thing the disciples were told as Jesus ascended to heaven concerned his return.

“After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!’” (Acts 1:9-11).

The New Covenant Rejected

Why was it not yet time for them to know when the Kingdom of God through and in Israel would be established on the earth, as the Old Testaments prophets had written about frequently?

For two main reasons. (1) The Gospel of Jesus Christ must first be spread over the entire earth. With a qualifying observation that it very well could have been done (and was done in most of the then known world) in the 1^st century lifetime of some of the disciples, or anytime thereafter. “…The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it” (Colossians 1:23).

(2) By the time the Apostle Paul penned those words, his ministry had been switched from proclaiming the Gospel to the Jews first (as he stated in Romans 1:16) to the Gentiles. Why? Although thousands of Jews had accepted Jesus as the Messiah and their personal Savior, Israel as a nation (particularly the religious leaders) had rejected God’s salvation through grace by faith alone in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus—even after Jesus arose from the dead! They had refused the clear evidence that the New Covenant, announced by Jeremiah, had arrived; implemented by God to supersede the repeated animal sacrifices for sin mandated by the Mosaic Covenant. Those sacrifices were but shadow types of the once-for-all substitutionary sacrifice of God’s Son.

Consequently, Israel would continue under God’s “seven times over” punishment as prophetically detailed in Leviticus Chapter 26. (See Eye of Prophecy articles, Seven Times Seven, to the 4^th power, I, II, III; posted 1-25, 2-1, & 2-8-14). The fourth phase of that discipline was the worst of all—conquest by and exile to foreign nations, as so dreadfully experienced during the Babylonian Captivity. But it didn’t end there. Jesus knew what the awful results would be when (not if, as it was a foregone conclusion) his own people would reject him … their very Messiah. His disciples even heard what Jesus said would happen when he with great compassion and sorrow for his own people spoke these poignant words:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:37-39, NASB).

Soon afterwards, Jesus is even more explicit on what will happen to Jerusalem and the Temple.

It would be less than forty years when Jesus’s prophecy came to pass; but it was not even for the disciples to know when or for how long the house of Israel would be demolished and desolate.

The nation of Israel as a whole had forfeited their prophetic privilege of discerning when Israel would once again return to the glory days of King David and King Solomon. For they had already denied the only one who could restore Israel’s glory … their very Messiah. Although this would be temporary, it was not for Israel (including the disciples and other believers) to know just how long it would be. In the interim, God’s majestic plan of salvation would be extended to the Gentiles.

“Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it” (Romans 11:11-12).

Although the apostles and many Christians knew something terrible would befall Jerusalem and the Temple, it was not for them to know when it would happen or when Israel would be restored as a sovereign nation. Paul didn’t even know that. Both he and Peter were murdered by Nero before the Roman General Titus and his legions destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and brutally began the massive Diaspora exile of the Jews to the four corners of the earth in 70 AD.

At the time most Jews and Christians (including Messianic Jews) didn’t fully realize that the ingathering return of Jews to Israel spoken of many times by the prophets would apply to yet another (one more) exile … this one far more extensive than the first exile (Assyria and then Babylon). What they didn’t know is that the period of the Gentiles (continuing Gentile domination of Israel but also Gentiles coming to faith in Christ) would last so long … another 2,000 years. That was entirely part of God’s prerogative, plan, and providence.

Please understand: Although the Lord has supernaturally and sovereignly secured the return of his people to Israel in our generation, he could have done this in any previous generation in a relatively short period of time. In fact, just three years after World War II and the horrible Holocaust, Israel was reborn as a Sovereign State, which, as we will see, makes our generation the final one. That’s why the disciples and all believers at that time didn’t need to know when this would happen. The Lord wanted believers to concentrate on preaching the Gospel to the Jews, then to the Gentiles. So that both (but especially the Jews when it came to restoration of Israel) would realize that unless they got their priorities straight, and (first and foremost) placed their trust for redemption in Israel’s Messiah, they would not be part of the glorious Kingdom of God on earth headquartered in Jerusalem.

Once they understood that the second coming of Messiah Jesus was for the greater purpose of rescuing and restoring Israel (with the Rapture designed only to remove believers from the earth to spare them from the Great Tribulation), then they would realize that the return of Jews from exile to Israel would be one of the most important signs of Jesus’s imminent return. Then they would better grasp the following prophecy about Israel’s restoration as a nation through which the Kingdom of God would be established.

“Before the birth pains even begin (analogous in time, form, and substance to the birth pains mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24 and others in Scripture), Jerusalem gives birth to a son. Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? By the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born” (Isaiah 66:7-8, prophesied some 2,700 years before Israel’s rebirth, parenthesis mine).

The Valley of Dry Bones

Have you heard of or actually read the renowned Dry Bones prophecy found in Ezekiel Chapter 37? Although it is only one of hundreds of Old Testament passages concerning the final return of Jews to Israel (from their 2^nd great exile), it is probably the most well-known.

Except for the following verse in the photographic depiction of the Dry Bones prophecy, time/space doesn’t permit full quotation of the scattered bones to living people. We’ll pick it up later in the chapter when the Lord plainly explains to Ezekiel the meaning of this marvelous metaphor.

“Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel’ … This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel’” (Ezekiel 37:11-12).

In verses 15 through 20, Ezekiel is told that Israel (ten northern tribes) and Judah (two southern tribes) would both be returned to the Promised Land.

“…I will gather the people of Israel from among the nations. I will bring them home to their own land from the places where they have been scattered. I will unify them into one nation on the mountains of Israel. One king will rule them all; no longer will they be divided into two nations or into two kingdoms” (Verses 21-22).

There is no doubt, whatsoever, that Jews from all twelve tribes are among the 6.5 million Jews currently living in Israel. There’s no way that only the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin are represented by so many Israelis. Only a handful know their tribal ancestry, but God knows from which tribe every single one of them has descended, including the approximately 8 million Jews still living in foreign lands.

Several times this passage in Ezekiel refers to “they” and “them.” With the unmistakable meaning and application that they are the very ones brought “home to their own land,” some of whom will be alive when “one king (Messiah Jesus) will rule them all.”

We need to fully understand: The unfolding of Ezekiel’s Dry Bones prophecy has taken place ONLY in our generation, with the time-lapse definition of generation to be explained in a moment.

Let’s read on:

“They will live in the land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren after them will live there forever, generation after generation … I will give them their land and increase their numbers…” (Ezekiel 37:25-26).

Do you see semantically what’s going on here?

Who are “they?” Answer: The remnant of Jews who will be returned to the land of Israel. And Israel wouldn’t be Israel until she once again became a Sovereign Nation (1948); the reality of which began with and was prepared by the Balfour Declaration of 1917—declaring the Jewish right of return to Israel. The Lord makes this even clearer by then referring to their (they or them of the passage) children and grandchildren. Then even more so by saying this would continue from generation to generation.

From which generation does this perpetual generational cycle begin? Answer: From the generation that returns to the Promised Land in which Israel is “born in a single day (Isaiah 66:8).

Ezekiel’s prophecy is time-dedicated and generational-specific to those Jews who return to and are born-in Israel in the last days (same) generation referred to by Jesus … the one which will see his return. Right now as you are reading this article, most Jews in Israel (and the world over) are first, second, and third generations since Israel was reborn in 1948. Those are the, “they,” the “children,” and the “grandchildren” distinctively identified in this passage.

In fact, this 2^nd exodus of Jews to the Promised Land (in our generation) has been greater even than the original Exodus—in terms of the number of Jews and the number of countries from which they have returned to Israel. Just as the Lord said it would, as follows:

“In that day, says the Lord, when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ Then they will live in their own land” (Jeremiah 23:7-8).

Generation Length of Time in Scripture

Here is an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, The Omega Generation (posted 2-15-14) beginning with the two time-parameters of a generation found in Scripture. In italics:

One Hundred Years: “Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years … After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction’” (Genesis 15: 13-15).

This is a phenomenal prophecy given to Abraham even before Isaac was born, in which God not only talks about the (many) descendants of Abraham; but hundreds of years before the fact announces that they (the Israelites) would be slaves in a foreign land (Egypt), only to return to the Promised Land of Israel. Moreover, God equates a generation to 100 years … 400 hundred years equals four generations. Think about it for a moment. Although unusual (perhaps even rare), there are people the world over who live to be one hundred … some even a few years more. Yet, 100 years of age is pretty much the maximum scope of any given lifetime or generation.

Seventy Years: “Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty” (Psalms 90:10).

This insight as to the customary lifespan of a human being was given to Moses, who is the author of Psalms 90, the only Psalm credited to Moses. Again, think about it. By and large, the normal or average lifespan of most people the world over is between 70 and 80 years of age. By seventy, virtually no more children are conceived and birthed by a woman. For all practical purposes, a person who reaches 70 years of age (perhaps a few more years) has lived a generational life-time. They have children and grandchildren who are the progeny of the next generation. King David, himself, died at exactly 70 years of age.

If Jesus is referring specifically to the last generation, and I believe the text/context is crystal clear that he is; then this generation must have a designated start-up date or dates. Without an actual event (which can be identified by a specific calendar year) to begin the generation, the 70-year or 100-year generational time frame is much too vague … meaning there’s too much overlap or ambiguity as to the actual decades involved. If you were explaining your generation to someone, what would be your reference point? How would you describe it? Wouldn’t you say, “In my generation….” Essentially, then, your reference or starting point is the date of your birth!

Using our first example of four generations of Israel’s enslavement in Egypt, God gave Abraham the point-in-time commencement of this 400 hundred years (four generations) captivity, i.e. from the time that the Jews no longer enjoyed freedom in Egypt, which was not too long after Joseph died. Another example is the 70-year Babylonian captivity, which just happened to be the exact length of the 2nd measurement of time for a generation … 70 years. Historically, we know the beginning (586 BC) and end date (516 BC) of this time-designated punishment of Israel.

Is it, then, possible to select or identify events/dates in Israel’s contemporary history that correspond to the Biblical definition of a generation … that is one hundred years and/or seventy years? The answer is a resounding, YES.

Now, we’ll take another look at those events.

Three Monumental Milestones That Mark the Final Generation

(1)Balfour Declaration of 1917

The more I study and write about this pioneering event in modern Jewish history, the more convinced I am of its stunning significance and relevance to the beginning of the final (100-year) generation identified by Messiah Jesus. Ours is the generation of which Jesus told his disciples in the first century and for centuries thereafter that it was not for them to know the “dates and times” (Acts 1:7) … meaning the beginning of Israel’s final restoration. But Jesus did answer their question on the Mount of Olives: “What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3). He gave them many signs, as did the prophets of the Old Testament and (to a lesser extent) the writers of the New Testament.

See Eye of Prophecy articles, The Balfour Declaration … Beginning of the Omega Generation, Part I & II. Published 5-13-17 and 5-20-17.

Thus, the sequential connection is as follows: Once Israel’s restoration begins to take place, then we should also see other signs that the imminent return of Christ is as imminent as it ever will be or could be. That is exactly what has taken place throughout the last one hundred years or so, especially in the past seventy years.

Also refer to articles: Look Up, Redemption is Near, I & II. Posted 7-11 & 7-18-15. Which detail twelve flashpoint events in the 20^th & 21^st centuries, six applying to Israel (including those in this week’s article) and six to the rest of the world.

The Balfour Declaration of 100 hundred years ago bears an amazing correlation with and resemblance to the 100-year time-span of a generation as given by God to Abraham. Not long after the end of the fourth (of a total of four) generation of captivity in Egypt, the Israelites were birthed as a nation—beginning when the Law of Moses was given and the twelve tribes were integrated under God himself; finally unified nationally when they entered Canaan (the Promised Land that would become Israel) under Joshua. Same thing happened and in the approximate time-frame between the Balfour Declaration and the rebirth of Israel as a sovereign nation.

This past November 2^nd, Israel’s Knesset—as did officials in Great Britain—celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. The featured speaker was Lord Nathanial Jacob Rothschild, who is the 4^th Baron Rothschild. It was the 2^nd Baron, Walter Rothschild, to whom Lord Balfour’s declaration was specifically addressed in 1917.

Said, Nathanial Jacob Rothschild: “A decade after the Declaration, Lord Balfour himself said it was important not only for the Jewish people, but also for the history of the entire world. This is not merely a historic document, but a vision of a society that will be governed by Jewish values and will care for non-Jewish populations as well.”

Here is an excerpt from the online United with Israel news source, published 11-9-17:

“British Ambassador to Israel David Quarrey read aloud a message on behalf of British Prime Minister Theresa May… Lord Balfour, the message said, had a vision of returning the persecuted Jewish nation to a safe haven. Britain … is proud of its part in the pioneering work for the establishment of the State of Israel. Britain is proud of the State of Israel, for what it stands for as an open and democratic country in the Middle East, said the message from May.”

Said Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, with, however, a sober reminder of what didn’t happen soon enough after the Balfour Declaration: “…the Balfour Declaration laid the international foundation and the support for Zionism in Europe and America and in other parts of the world, and by doing so it contributed greatly to the resurrection enterprise of our people. To our regret, a short while later Britain withdrew from what was promised in the Balfour Declaration, and this was a major tragedy. The fact that we were not sovereign until 1948 prevented the rescue of millions of Jews, who were annihilated in the Holocaust. The tragedy of the Balfour Declaration is that it took 30 years to implement it.”

Benjamin concluded by saying: “When I saw the Palestinian leadership refer to the Balfour Declaration as a crime and call on the British Government to apologize for it—they are not moving forward, they are going 100 years backwards. This is the root of the conflict, the 100-year old refusal to recognize Zionism and the State of Israel within any borders.”

I’d like to add and embrace as my own the vital vision of the prophet Isaiah. His passionate words are in the unmistakable context (like many other prophetic passages) that Israel’s restoration goes hand in hand with their (our) Jewish Messiah; who came first as Redeemer (Lamb of God), and who will return as King of all kings (Lion of Judah) at the end of the generation, when all these things will take place.

“Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory…” (Isaiah 62:1-2, italics for emphasis).

Who or what is Israel’s righteousness and salvation? The prophet Jeremiah answers that question.

“For the time is coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this will be his name: ‘The Lord is our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety” (Jeremiah 23:5-6).

For you see, none of us—neither Jew nor Gentile—has any innate righteousness of our own. Nor can we work or give enough to acquire it. It is the Lord himself who is our righteousness and who imputes right-standing with God to and in us.

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty of our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right (righteousness) with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood….” (Romans 3:23-25, parenthesis mine).

(2) UN Resolution (1947) That Led to the Rebirth of Israel (1948)

Soon, on the 29^th of November, Israel will celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the United Nations Resolution that paved the way for Israel to become a sovereign state. Less than six months later that is exactly what happened with the miraculous rebirth of Israel on May 14, 1948.

That was the beginning of the 70-year generation (a generation within the 100-year generation) that I’m equally convinced is this same final generation, and will in all likelihood culminate in the Day of the Lord—beginning with the Rapture. Actually, using the Jewish calendar of 30 days, both generational time frames extend through May, 2019. Am I saying the Rapture will absolutely take place by then? No, I’m not saying that. However, if not, I’m confident it won’t be long afterward.

Jesus said that no one knows the “day or hour” of the Rapture—the first phase of his glorious return. But we can and should recognize the signs of the end-times … which take place (are taking place) within the Omega generation.

As we read earlier in the astonishing passage of Isaiah Chapter 66, Israel’s actual birth pains began AFTER she was reborn. Through four major wars and countless terrorist’s attacks and seemingly never-ending threats against her very survival, modern-day Israel is going through the same kind of existential struggle experienced before, during, and after her 70-year Babylonian Captivity. The Babylonian exile was a smaller, but still terrible, parallel prototype of the Holocaust horror that led directly to the State of Israel and the miraculous mass return of the Jews to Israel. With one huge difference (the reason for which is that Israel is now back to stay forever): after 1948, Israel was able to defend herself because God is with her, not against her.

(Helicopters, Fighter Jets, Tanks, State of the Art Weaponry, and Superbly Trained & Skilled Soldiers … Israel is Ranked 6th in the World’s Military Powers, Behind the United States, Russia, China, France, and United Kingdom)

Still, the return of Jews from Babylon to Israel is akin to what has transpired since Israel’s statehood of 1948. It wasn’t until then that large numbers of Jews began to return to their ancient homeland and many more born in Israel thereafter. In fact, the population of the Jews in Israel has increased tenfold in the last 70 years.

(3) The Amazing Liberation & Reunification of Jerusalem (Six-Day War of 1967)

We must include the all-important Jubilee period of 50 years duration. (See Eye of Prophecy article, Jubilee and Messiah … They Go Together! Posted 1-23-16).

I am fully persuaded that Israel’s Jubilee was reinstated unilaterally by the Lord himself in 1967—Israel’s stupendous victory in which the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula, Judea Samaria, the Gaza Strip, and especially Jerusalem and Temple Mount were all returned to Jewish sovereignty. The whole idea and purpose of a Jubilee year was for many to freely (freedom) return to their dispossessed land, which they originally owned and occupied. That is exactly what happened on a historical scale in the Six-Day War, especially the reunion of Jerusalem with the rest of Israel. Unfortunately, the Gaza, the Sinai, large parts of Judea/Samaria (called by some, the West Bank) and Temple Mount were subsequently relinquished back to Arab control. But all that will change one day soon.

This past summer, Israel celebrated the 50^th anniversary of Jerusalem’s liberation. Do you see how precisely that tracks with the 100-year and 70-year generation of the 20^th and 21^st centuries? In fact, a case could be made that the Balfour Declaration was actually when the Lord revived the Jubilee, as that took place 50 years before the Six Day War.

Another incredible phenomenon begin to take place in 1967. A few, then many Messianic ministries sprang up in America but also the world over. Many thousands of Jews have accepted Jesus as their Messiah and Savior as a result … a Jubilee-like redemption for all their sins and freedom from the penalty thereof.

What better connection or more logical deduction could we make than the next Jubilee will see the magnificent inception of the Day of the Lord, which commences with the Rapture!

Things to Ponder

Let’s take a thumbnail look at Israel’s 2017 population, placed in the context of the 100-year generation that began in 1917 (Balfour Declaration); the 70-year generation that commenced in 1947 (UN Resolution or Israeli Statehood in 1948—either one will work); and the 50-year Jubilee of the Six-Day War of 1967.

Of the almost 6.5 million Jews in Israel, 10.3% are 65 and older, which would be approximately 669,500 Jews in Israel over 65. It’s likely these figures are similar with Jews all over the world, not living in Israel. However, life expectancy in Israel has increased ten years since 1970, to the average of 81.2 years for Israeli men and 84.5 years for Israeli woman.

(You may want to click onto the following link for more of Israel’s population details, however the following statistics will suffice for purpose of this article. The 8.3 million in population shown on the chart includes about 1.8 million Israeli Arabs).

https://www.populationpyramid.net/israel/2017/

If you click to the above link, and hover over the individual bars online you’ll find that there are 622 men and 895 women in Israel who are still alive at the age of 100 or more. For age bracket 95-99, there are 3,622 men and 5,963 women. For age group 70-74: 106,374 men and 122,671 women. For ages 50-54: 194,684 men and 202,742 woman.

Now let’s see the remarkable relevance of these statistics to the remnant of Israel (“they” and “their children and grandchildren” of the Ezekiel prophecy detailed earlier in today’s article).

Using a nuclear fusion term, the “critical mass” of the Jewish remnant ingathering back to Israel was certainly the fusion point of Israel’s national rebirth in 1947-48. The combined number of Jewish men and woman currently living in Israel beginning with the age group of 70-74 (approximately 229,000) would be “they” of the Ezekiel prophecy.

“Their children” (Ezekiel 37:25) would be those in the age bracket of 50-55 (or thereabouts) which total another 397,000 or so. And “their grandchildren” (also verse 25) would be hundreds of thousands more. These age groups represent and are part of the 70-year component of the last (what I’ve termed the Omega) generation spoken of by Jesus.

But it also goes back to the preparatory phase of the return of the Jews to Israel that started very slowly, but surely, in 1917. I’m convinced that a few of these Jews will also be alive to witness the Rapture—whether taken as and with other believers in Messiah, or left behind to experience the terrible Tribulation, but hopefully to choose Messiah at that time. Currently there are about 1,500 Jews who are 100+ years old in Israel. They, too, could be considered first generation of returning Jews in 1917; with their children those in the 70-year generation and their grandchildren those in the Jubilee time-frame. With all three groups part of the 100-year final generation (countdown).

These three pivotal epic events in Israel’s modern-day history are legitimate benchmarks with which to identify the last generation that will witness the Day of the Lord. Both the generation cited by Jesus and the generations identified by Ezekiel (and other prophets) are one and the same literal generational age-groups in the last days.

Here’s what the Lord said shortly after Ezekiel identifies they and them, and their children and grandchildren:

“I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Ezekiel 37:27).

That is a time-capsule prophecy dedicated and applied to the last generation (100-year, 70-year, and 50-year Jubilee).

We are that generation!

“Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it? Asks the Lord. No! I would never keep this nation from being born, says your God” (Isaiah 66:9).

“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree (which represents Israel). When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:32-34, parenthesis mine).

The productive life span of many fig trees is 50 to 100 years! Except the Sycamore Fig which can live to be 1,000 years. But that’s a whole different analogy—to the Millennium!

Faith, Love, and A Glorious Hope

The Bible is packed with powerful prophecies, profound principles, and precious promises. From beginning to end we marvel at the majestic Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—as Creator and Redeemer of the human race. From Genesis through Revelation we are amazed at the absolute attributes of our Great God and Savior, including, but certainly not limited to, his omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence.

Through Scripture we learn the real meaning of such things as truth, righteousness, justice, unconditional love, and peace, because we see them from God’s viewpoint. More than that: with an open mind and heart we understand that God is Truth, Righteousness, Justice, Love, and Peace. These divine concepts are available and attainable to the human race only through God’s Son, Messiah Jesus, who is the perfect embodied expression of God.

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:15-16).

Because God created us in his image, he has graciously given us the capacity for kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, and consideration for others. God also gave us free will to choose right from wrong, good from evil. Because Adam and Eve chose wrongly, we now have a fallen twisted nature to be and do the exact opposite of what is good and right. Hence, the purest expression of these aforementioned positive qualities and others like them are possible only when Christ through the Holy Spirit is living in us and through us (Galatians 6 & Ephesians 5).

There are:

“Three things (that) will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13:13).

Love

“God is Love” (I John 4:8 & 16).

This love was expressed unconditionally through God’s grace, the greatest gift of all time: the sacrificial death of God’s Son on the cross for forgiveness of sin and pardon from the penalty of that sin—eternal separation from God. We are mercifully delivered from eternal judgment, and graciously given everlasting life (John 3:16).

Without God’s love and his initiative to express that love for us, there’s no way that any human being can possess and convey the same kind of unconditional agape love to others as described in the 13^th Chapter of I Corinthians. We love God and others, because he first loved us (I John 4).

Although salvation and eternal life is given to us for all time (never to be taken away) the moment we believe and receive Christ Jesus as personal Savior, it takes a lifetime of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ to better understand and express that kind of love to others. (II Peter 3:18).

Faith:

From the very beginning, all Adam and Eve had to do to live forever in paradise was to believe (have faith and trust in) what God had done for them and what he had said would come to pass if they didn’t obey him. Obedience to God is a direct result of trusting him and in him. Tragically (for our original parents and the human race), they failed this simple test of trust. Long before the Law of Moses was given, we find that trusting and obeying the Lord was all that was required of Abraham. This faith resulted in the most splendid thing that a human being could ever have or hope for: a right standing (righteousness) with God (Genesis 15:6).

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works…” (Ephesians 2:8-10, King James Version).

None of our works or deeds is really good in God’s eyes, until and unless we have been created (born-again) in Christ Jesus by placing our trust in God’s gift of grace—manifested through the death, burial, and resurrection of His matchless Son.

Hope

God’s Biblical plan of Salvation gives us something else that the Apostle Paul said would last forever: hope. This hope looks longingly for the culmination of so great a salvation—resurrection from the dead and transformation of those still alive when Christ returns, to a brand new body equipped to live forever in heaven. That is the main featured focus of today’s article; born-again believers enduring expectant hope for the Day of the Lord to begin.

Because of the remarkable 2,000-year influence of the Christian faith on this earth, many unbelievers have heard or know something about, The Second Coming. Virtually all true believers know of this phenomenal prophetic promise; however, even some Christians are confused about the Rapture and the Return of Messiah to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

Are they one and the same, or are they two distinct events? If they are separate events, will they happen at virtually the same time at the Second Coming of Christ Jesus?

There are two ways to approach this subject: (1) Provide Scriptural evidence first, then reach the conclusion based on that verification. (2) Answer the questions up-front, then examine the Biblical evidence to confirm the premise.

There would be more suspense in the buildup afforded by option one, but I will choose number two for the following reasons: (A) Although this is the first Eye of Prophecy article devoted entirely to the subject of contrasting or equating the Rapture to the Second Coming of Christ to the earth, several prior articles have made reference to the Rapture and the Return of Christ in the context of the main theme of those articles.

(B) Some Christians who have studied Biblical prophecy to some extent or another, understand these two events and know the correct answer to the questions, including at least a familiarity with the sequence of events that comprise what the Bible calls as a whole, The Day of the Lord.

Premise: The Rapture and the physical Return of Christ to the earth are, indeed, two distinct happenings that will take place at conspicuously separate times. Yet it’s also important to grasp the Biblical evidence to support that conclusion.

Different Degree of Emphasis in Scripture

Here, I’m referring to the sheer quantity of Biblical prophecies, both Old and New Testament, on the First and Second Coming of Messiah compared to the relatively few passages about the Rapture. That doesn’t mean that the Rapture is of less importance; only that the Rapture is just one part of what the Bible calls, The Day of the Lord, and what Bible scholars and teachers label, The Second Advent of Messiah.

To be as Biblically literate as possible concerning end-times prophecy, it’s of paramount importance to comprehend that the return of Christ encompasses a sequence of five events or phases. Beginning with the Rapture, then the Great Tribulation, then the Return of Messiah to the earth, then the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth to establish the Kingdom of God, and finally the perpetual existence of this Kingdom that includes among other amazing things: the New Jerusalem and a new heaven and earth (extreme makeover). Thus, when Jesus spoke of his return (as did the apostles Paul and Peter and John), we need to distinguish between references to the Rapture and the physical return of Messiah Jesus to the earth.

The Rapture

Found only in the New Testament, there are three definitive expositions of the Rapture: Matthew 24-25, I Thessalonians 4, and I Corinthians 15. There are also two Biblical incidents that provide prototype parallels of the Rapture in the form of a mysterious catching up of two men before disaster strikes the earth. One is Enoch in the Old Testament (Genesis 5:21-24) who was suddenly and mysteriously taken (alive) from the earth to be spared from God’s first world-wide judgment of mankind … the Great Flood. Then, the author of Revelation, John, was suddenly caught up to heaven to witness the second and final judgment of God on the earth … The Great Tribulation.

“Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this’” (Revelation 4:1).

Come up here. I’m convinced that these same words Jesus spoke to John will be the shout heard around the world along with a series of trumpet blasts to herald the Rapture.

As a reminder, the word Rapture is not found in Scripture. Nonetheless, it is an accurate term that vividly conveys and portrays what actually takes place. The Greek word used in the Rapture passage of I Thessalonians Chapter 4 is harpazo, which means to suddenly seize or catch up (to heaven). Please refer to the very first Eye of Prophecy article, What is the Rapture? (Posted 7-26-13). Followed by four more articles on the Why, When, Who, and How of the Rapture (8-3 through 8-24-13).

The Second Coming of Messiah

In the Old Testament the (second) coming of Messiah is referred to as the day of the Lord or the end times or the last days. However, there are other passages that don’t use a catchphrase, as such. Rather, they simply describe what takes place when God, through his Messiah, brings all things together to accomplish his purpose for mankind at the end of time. Meaning that time itself won’t end … only God’s specific plan for that particular time or times. Furthermore, both Messianic and non-Messianic references to the last days found in the Old Testament are specifically written about Israel—her physical and spiritual restoration. And, of course, there are many prophecies pertaining to Messiah’s first arrival to bring salvation to all—Jew and Gentile alike.

Different Purposes

Perhaps the biggest distinction between the Rapture and the Return of Messiah to the earth is found in the respective purpose they serve. Rapture is exclusively for the Church, the body of Christ, consisting of all Jews and Gentiles who have placed their faith in our Jewish Messiah, Jesus. The Second Coming of Christ to the earth is for the preliminary purpose of rescuing Israel from total destruction and the Jews from annihilation at the hands of the Antichrist. In doing so, Jesus will destroy the armies of Antichrist; thereby, completing the wrath of God on a very wicked world.

The Rapture of Believers

The primary purpose of the Rapture is to preemptively save believers from the Great Tribulation, with a secondary reason of dramatically and traumatically getting the attention of those left behind. To demonstrate that they have one last chance to receive God’s pardon through His chosen Messiah.

Messiah Jesus was the first to introduce the specific event of the Rapture, and he did so in the broader context of his astounding Mount of Olives message found in Matthew Chapters 24 and 25, with a more condensed account in Mark Chapter 13 and Luke Chapter 21. In those riveting portions of Scripture, Jesus covers the entire episode of his Second Coming—the Rapture, the Tribulation, and his glorious return to the earth—although not necessarily in sequence. Here is his dramatic descriptive allusion to the Rapture, which will trigger the ominous apocalyptic events of the Tribulation culminating in his actual return to the earth:

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So, you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:37-42).

Those “taken” in the Rapture are believers in Christ; just as Noah and his family were removed and relocated in the ark, and Lot and his family taken (literally grabbed by the angels) out of Sodom. Those who experienced God’s judgment were not taken out of harm’s way; they were the ones left behind to die on the earth. Likewise, those left behind at the Rapture are unbelievers who will go through the terrible Tribulation.

(Some Will Be Taken, Many Left Behind)

It’s important to grasp the fact that when Jesus spoke of his Second Coming, he incorporated the Rapture, Tribulation, and physical return to earth—as three phases of a continuous comprehensive series of events. He distinguishes between these three stages by explaining what will happen. It’s then up to us to separate and match his descriptions to these three phases of his Second Coming. We do that by comparing them with all other Biblical end times prophecies, or at least enough passages to know which one he is describing … Rapture (to include global birth pains leading up to the Rapture) Tribulation, or his Return.

The purpose of believers “taken” from the earth is presented by the Apostle Paul after he discloses the astonishing sequence of the Rapture itself in I Thessalonians 4:15-18.

“For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever” (I Thessalonians 5:9-10).

The very fact that we are spared from God’s anger (which isn’t released globally until the Great Tribulation) means that the Rapture must take place before the Tribulation which will last for seven years. Therefore, the Rapture is a uniquely different occurrence from the physical return of Messiah Jesus to the earth, near the end of the Tribulation.

When Paul uses the phrase, “when he returns” he, like Christ before him, is referring specifically to the first three of the five phases of the Day of the Lord, i.e. the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Messiah Jesus. The remaining two phases are the Millennium and what some Bible scholars refer to simply as Eternity ushered in by the final defeat of Satan and those who subsequently oppose Messiah at the end of the Millennium. These final two epic ages are described in such passages as Revelation Chapters 20-22 and Isaiah Chapter 11.

In fact, before Paul illustrates the actual catching up of believers (Rapture), he cites the reason that the Lord Jesus so graciously and generously revealed this astonishing prophetic hope for believers. This is the part of the Rapture passage in I Thessalonians 4 that isn’t often quoted or is overlooked in favor of the more well-known portion of this passage.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord. We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died” (I Thessalonians 4:13-15).

First and foremost the Lord is telling us through Paul that the resurrection of dead believers in Christ will not only take place at the Rapture; it is the Rapture itself! So also will believers still alive when the Rapture occurs be given new resurrected bodies. In effect, this, too, is a resurrection from the dead … a deliverance from our decaying, dying bodies. This remarkable transformation is vividly portrayed in I Corinthians Chapter 15.

Return of Messiah to the Earth

We’re still in the category of Different Purposes between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ to the earth, with the aforementioned purpose of the Rapture to spare believers from the wrath of God and the madness of Satan and Antichrist during the Great Tribulation.

There are several passages in both the Old Testament and New Testament that clearly convey the fact of and purpose for Messiah Jesus’s physical return to the earth. None more so than the following:

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war … and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty … On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords” (Revelation 19:11-16).

That is exactly what Paul said earlier in I Thessalonians: “…we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.” And, of course, believers who are still alive at the Rapture also will accompany Christ upon his glorious return to the earth.

But first, both the dead and living in Christ must be taken up to heaven in order for the, “armies of heaven dressed in … pure white linen to follow him on white horses.”

Different Time/Different Places

The Rapture

“We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words” (I Thessalonians 4:15-18).

At the Rapture, born-again Christians will “be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” We will go up. We will not meet him on the earth or descend with him back to earth at the Rapture; nor is there any mention of Messiah Jesus actually coming to or stepping foot on earth during this first phase of his return.

Moreover, the Rapture will occur over a short span of time to include “the blink of an eye” transfiguration of our bodies (both dead and living).

“But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies” (I Corinthians 15:51-53).

Please read Eye of Prophecy Article, How the Rapture (posted 8-24-13) showing that the entire progression of the Rapture (described in I Thessalonians 4) will take place in real time over several minutes, not in the blink of an eye. The only thing that takes place in a nanosecond (blink of an eye) is the actual transfiguration of our bodies, which is the last thing that happens during the Rapture sequence before believers are caught up to meet the Lord in the sky.

There will be no immediate warning that the Rapture is about happen. It is the Rapture phase of the Second Coming of Christ that will come abruptly as, “a thief in the night.” Which is why no one knows the day or hour when it will take place; and why it will stun an unsuspecting, unprepared, unbelieving world like nothing before in human history since the Great Flood.

Conversely, there will be many warning signs before Christ returns to the earth, including all of the Tribulation events. Plus, the fact that his physical return will take place seven years after the Tribulation begins—maybe to the day, or maybe a few days before the Tribulation ends. Many of the redeemed saints and even some die-hard unbelievers during the Tribulation will accurately predict the day of Jesus’s actual return to the earth.

The Return of Christ to the Earth

Here is Messiah Jesus’s description of his post-Tribulation return to earth:

“And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30, italics for emphasis).

Zechariah 14:3-4 tells us that Messiah will step foot on the Mount of Olives which is one of the most well-known Old Testament prophecies that Christ will actually descend (return) to the earth. This magnificent reappearance as the Lion from the Tribe of Judah, as King of all kings (contrasted to Messiah’s first appearance as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world) will begin when the Son of Man is seen coming “on the clouds.” From there, he will descend to the earth along with all of the (previously) raptured believers.

(Pictorial Depiction of Messiah’s Two Advents)

There is not only a grammatical difference between in the clouds/air and on the clouds (of heaven); there is also a positional and purposeful variation. On the clouds of heaven represents a position of authority and power with the originating purpose of dispensing justice on the earth. In the clouds of the air is where we will be gathered as brothers and sisters in Christ to first meet our wonderful Lord and Savior.

With regard to the timing of these spectacular first and third phases of the Lord’s return (Tribulation is the 2^nd phase) we have already established the fact that believers are not destined to experience the wrath of God (I Thessalonians 5). By default, then, the Rapture must take place before the seven-year Tribulation begins. Scripture is equally clear that Messiah Jesus will not return to the earth until the end of the Tribulation. Thus, the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ to the earth itself cannot possibly be the same event. Nor, as two separate events, will they take place at the same time (back to back). The Rapture and the return of Messiah to the earth are separated by seven years of unprecedented terror on planet Earth.

The respective timing of the Rapture and Jesus’s physical return to the earth is further reinforced by the marvelous wedding feast of the Lamb that raptured born again believers in Christ will celebrate as the “bride of Christ” with the bridegroom. Some say this will last for the entire duration of the seven-year Tribulation. Because it is not mentioned until the Tribulation is about over, I personally believe it will take place over a period of several days. Most likely seven days, as this was the traditional duration of Jewish wedding celebrations in Israel.

Listen to the stirring words of John recording another marvelous vision late in the book of Revelation after all of the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments of God have taken place.

“Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: ‘Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear. For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people” (Revelation 19:6-8).

This is the same “white linen” worn while we descend with our Great God and Savior, Messiah Jesus as he “strikes down the nations” (Revelation 19:15).

The Rapture and the Return of Messiah Are not “Yo-Yo” Events

Although the Biblical evidence is conclusive, we can also rely on the common sense of it all. Or in reverse, the nonsensical notion of being caught up to meet the Lord in the clouds/air, only to immediately go back down to the earth with the Lord to dispense the final wrath of the Lamb at the final battle of Armageddon.

All phases of the Second Coming of Christ will take place in real time and space (place), not virtual time or reality. Among other things, how is it possible for the wedding feast with our Savior to take place before we return with Christ at the final battle of Armageddon, if we’re caught up to heaven at the same time Christ is coming down to the earth? Revelation is crystal clear that believers will celebrate the wedding feast with Messiah BEFORE Jesus returns to do battle at Armageddon.

Believers will not meet Christ going (up) and coming (down) all at once. That makes no sense at all. That would be like an elevator full of employees going up to meet their boss with the unmistakable understanding that he is waiting for them in the Penthouse Suite having prepared a great Christmas party for them. Only for the boss to change his mind after they arrive, and then take the elevator back down with all of the guests to first “take care of business” below.

Praise and thanks to God … born again believers will sit out the tribulation! There will be seven years between our elevator rides!

Different Meaning/Different Results

In this category of explaining the differences between the Rapture and Messiah’s physical return to earth, we can actually combine the two events; but only with regard to and in the context of the different meaning and results between believers and unbelievers.

Believers

Neither believers nor unbelievers can know the day or hour of the Rapture. However, for the believer, the Rapture that initiates the sequence of events that we lump together with the phrase Second Coming of Messiah or Day of the Lord (synonymous in terms of meaning and results) is a source of great hope for the born-again Christian. That’s why Paul instructed the believers at the end of his first disclosure of the Rapture, “to encourage each other with these words.”

Giving and receiving encouragement is tantamount to maintaining consistent and persistent hope for the resurrection of the dead in Christ and those alive to be transfigured to our new heavenly bodies. It’s what keeps us going in and giving to the unsaved world the wonderful truth of so great a salvation granted to us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus—to all who believe and receive him as personal Savior.

It’s what motivates fellow believers in the Lord to, “…live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds” (Titus 2:12-14).

That wonderful day that Paul alludes to is none other than The Day of the Lord. Thus, for the believer, the Rapture then the physical return of Christ to conquer the forces of evil on this planet are equally wonderful. In that regard, they have the same meaning and results. The Rapture will spare us from the most terrible time and horrible happenings that ever has or ever will be experience by mankind. (See Eye of Prophecy article, Shocking Statistics of the Great Tribulation, posted 6-6-15).

And we will return with our Messiah to watch his stunning victory over, “the dragon (Satan), the beast (Nero), and the false prophet … all the rulers of the world … and their armies gathered for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty … to a place with the Hebrew name, Armageddon” (Revelation 16:13-16, my parenthesis, italics already in the text).

To that end, all believers will be prepared for the Rapture, preempted from the Tribulation, and participate in the glorious return of our Savior to set all things right in this wicked world we live in. We are prepared because we are IN CHRIST, now and forever.

For those saved by the atoning blood of Messiah Jesus, the Day of the Lord will be one of unspeakable joy … a great and glorious day. With the Rapture being, the first day of the rest of our lives.

It is everlasting life in a beautiful heaven with the angels, fellow believers, and most of all with our awesome God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Unbelievers

Not so for those who have chosen not to accept what Jesus has done for them, who have rejected the Way, Truth, and Life and the fact that everyone must come to God through Christ Jesus (John 14:6).

For them the Day of the Lord will mean going through the carnage of the Great Tribulation.

It will be:

“…the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be!” (Joel 1:15).

It will be a time of great dread, distress, debauchery, destruction, and death.

“For see, the day of the Lord is coming—the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be made desolate, and all the sinners destroyed with it. The heavens will be black above them; the stars will give no light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will provide no light. I, the Lord, will punish the world for evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the might of the mighty … For I will shake the heavens. The earth will move from its place when the Lord of Heaven’s Armies displays his wrath in the day of his fierce anger” (Isaiah 13:9-13).

Things to Ponder

Neither the first nor the second coming of Messiah to the earth has been a mystery. Hundreds of Old Testament prophecies tell of his first arrival … hundreds more of his return. But the Rapture of the Church (Messiah’s bride and body) was a mystery, not revealed until our Lord himself said some would be taken, others left (behind).

I can’t think of any greater hope for people all over the world than that of global peace and security, both individually and nationally. And I would dare say that the vast majority of people on this planet would, if seriously speaking their mind and sincerely sharing their heart, agree that the best (if not only) way to achieve peace is through one Man who can set aside all the cultural, racial, religious, national, and international differences that divide the human race.

That day will come and soon. When Messiah Jesus returns as the Prince of Peace, all religions will be eliminated (the Christian faith is not a religion, it is a relationship with a Person who is Truth and Life itself … the only redemptive way to a right standing with God our Creator); all earthly rulers and nations will acknowledge him as Lord; there will be peace on earth, good will toward all people.

“And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshipped” (Zechariah 14:9).

If you are alive when the Rapture occurs, but have not yet accepted Christ as your personal Savior, you will be given a second chance for as long as you stay alive during the Great Tribulation. But as God is my witness, you don’t want to wait until after the Rapture.

Although the decision of which messiah to follow will be the clearest choice ever made, it will be agonizingly difficult to choose the true Messiah Jesus over the false messiah (Nero). Most will opt for temporary security on earth over eternal life in heaven, because to choose everlasting life through Christ will mean instant poverty, persecution, and peril at the hands of Antichrist.

On the other hand, that would be the most short-sighted decision of all time, even as it is now before the Rapture will take place. For to reject the only hope of salvation and eternal life through the Son of God, Son of David, and Son of Man is to sentence one’s self to eternal separation from God.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

“Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2).