I was at the Prophecy Watcher’s conference this past weekend, and it was a truly amazing experience. Arriving a day early, I was pleasantly surprised when Pastor Tom Hughes and his family also arrived giving us ample amounts of time to talk and reflect on the state of the world. I was also pleased to meet and spend time with Dr. Tommy Ice, Don Mercer, Bob Maginnis, Bill Sallus, Olivier Melnick, Nathan Jones, Lee Brainard, Mondo Gonzales, Ken Johnson, Derek & Sharon Gilbert, and many more. I also got to meet so many wonderful people from all over the US and Canada. All of the presentations were amazing, informative, and very encouraging.
But it was during Mondo Gonzales’ briefing, Is the Rapture in the Olivet Discourse? that the title of this article came to mind. It got me thinking of all the earth-shattering, norm-breaking, and life-changing events which have been happening since 9/11. It was then I realized one of the most underrated major signs of the end of the age is the fact that we are running out of normal life.
. Just consider the fact that during the Seal Judgments alone, a quarter of the world’s population will die. The oceans will be turning to blood. The trees and vegetation will be burned up. An army of demonic locusts will be unleashed upon the earth. 100 lb. hailstones will be cast upon the earth. How anyone can think that is normal is beyond my comprehension. So, we should know without any doubt, that the ‘days of the Son of Man’ Christ is referring to, is not events inside the 70th Week, but those that precede it. For this, I refer back to the title by saying we are running out of normal.
I’m only 47 (soon to be 48) and I can definitively say that life before 9/11 was one way, and life after has been another. In fact, it has only ever gotten weirder, more confusing, and more stressful. Although I suppose this is a subjective statement, I can't help but wonder how much more can we as a human population endure before life is no longer normal. For instance, if you live in North Korea or Iran and life has always been miserable, then this push towards global totalitarianism probably seems just more of the same. But for much of the rest of the world, this Orwellian push is not. Even in places like China where there has always been a strong government over-watch of their citizenry, the recent brutal lockdowns in Wuhan, Shanghai, and Beijing, are extreme even for them.
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7 comments:
But the Rapture is not in the Olivet Discourse.
In the Olivet discourse Christ was speaking to His disciples, to the Jews.
He was not speaking to the Church, His body.
He speaks to the Church, His body, through Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles.
Paul is our Apostle in this age of Grace, He is Christ's appointed Apostle to the Church, His body (made up of all believing Jews and Gentiles). We follow his teachings and to Paul was given the Mystery of the Rapture. Only Paul teaches us of the catching away of the Body of Christ to heaven before the period of the prophesied 7 year Tribulation of the Jews and all unbelievers on the earth.
Thats an incorrect viw...John 14:1-3 is a picture of the wedding ceremony of that region at that time, and describes the rapture of the church. At the second coming Jesus will come to the earth and stay for 1000 years, he won't be taking the church to the place he has prepared for us either - that is clearly a rapture event, in the context of the wedding ceremony/process of that day..>Additionally Matthew 24: 37-41 is also a picture of the rapture. It cannot be the second coming - as at the end of the tribulation there will be total darkness and 100 lb hailstones falling - thats hardly a scenario in which two people will be in the field or two people grinding with a hand mill (in total darkness while dodging 100 lb hailstones...really? Come on...that would be impossible...Nor will life be described as "eating and drinking and giving into marriage....A marriage ceremony under those conditions at the end of the trib? Really>
Also - if you apply that logic of "jesus only talking to the Jews" - we don't apply that anywhere else in the bible...If so communion/Lords supper would be only for the Jews...Why does the church engage in that if Jesus was only directing that to the Jews, since his apostles were the only ones present...So the Church should automatically dismiss anything that Jesus said to the apostles? Really?
Hi Scott....I've been a regular here since about 2008, and love what you do, and appreciate you very much. Love Pete Garcia's stuff too. I must say, for most of my life, I was one who took your opinion on Matthew 24. There were always things that didnt make sense though. So I did a study, listened to many pastors and teachers, and finally got it. Matthew 24 is absolutely about Israel, and not the church.
What clicked was context. The entire time Jesus is speaking at the Olivet Discourse, it is one context, the inter advent, regarding Israel, and His second coming. This was before the Jews rejected His kingdom. After the rejection, He turned His focus from the Jews to the church. Yes, John 14:1-3 is the rapture, but that time He was speaking in a totally different context, in the upper room, to the church, specifically about the coming church age.
Just consider, when He speaks about "up to the day Noah entered the ark", and "the flood came and took them away", and says this is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man...the ones TAKEN were judged, and the ones left were saved. Getting taken is a BAD thing.
The way He described it was using parabolic properties as He did throughout His teaching. Parables have one single point, in this case, that they would not be prepared when judgement comes, hence He comes like a thief, as He again says in Revelation 16:15. The point wasnt what the people were doing, but the sudden 'taking away'.
If you are interested, believe me, its a REAL eye opener, and makes a lot of things make sense. Its worth the time to check it out. Questions I had for decades were answered.
Either way, I have no doubt we will see each other in the sky and day now! God Bless, and keep up the great work!
Maranatha!
Hi Mike
The funny thing is - it really doesn't matter in making a case for pre-trib rapture - there is vast evidence otherwise. In fact in my teachings I don't usually include this because it isn't needed.
Some say that Jesus never spoke about the rapture, so at least you see it in John 14.
And I think part of that above was 2 peter. Jesus stated it simply - he said it will be like the days of Noah, but we don't have to look for context. Jesus gave us the intended context which is basically normal life (eating, drinking, marriage ceremonies/process)...I keep things simple. If this is a reference to the second coming, I need to know how people are eating, drinking, giving in to marriage, working at the hand mill or in the field. How does that happen in total darkness and 100lb hailstones? I really need an answer to that - its simple, straightforward and doesn't require a lot of analysis. Its a simple matter.
Also when Peter was talking about being like the flood or S&G that was a reference to being removed before the trib,
The verb 'paralambano' which was used in the 'taking away' from the field and the mill (Matt 24:40-41) means to "take (to oneself) to take WITH or along with. It is the same verb used in a positive way in John 14:1-3 for Jesus taking up or receiving believers to Himself as in the rapture of the church.
The verb used for taking away the unsaved such as the judgement in the flood is 'airo'
Additionally, at the second coming, both the sheep and the goats will be gathered before Christ - in the same place.
The other arguments don't trump the above IMO
Scott....this is a real fun debate, too much to type on a blog comment forum! :)
I had your same arguments. Fortunately, its not relevant to our salvation, but still a great study. Although I dont agree with all of his views (specifically Ez 38-39), Dr. Andy Woods has a great YT video, Pastors Perspective #78 or 77, cant remember, that addresses those questions very nicely.
Check it out if you have time.
In Him, Always!
Mike
I agree, it is an interesting debate, I have my own theories in how this became mantra to some in our community - I think it has to do with some of the early arguments against the post or mid tribbers - but as you say its hard to form these debates in a comment section - and again, for me its all academic as i don't see this as pivotal to the pre-trib discussion anyway. Plus, I'm too busy watching this convergence of signs that is overwhelming in scope right now - its incredible and stunning how fast the Trib is approaching - but nice to hear from ya - we'll discuss when we are at the tree of life where we're all gathering :)
About the Lord's Supper, Paul does speak of the proper way of partaking in it in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. He says specifically in verse 23 that the Lord gave him instructions on it and Paul delivered that message to the Corinthian Church (and the Body of Christ at large since then).
Also warnings were given from Noah to the wicked regarding the judgment of God while he was building the Ark. The wicked chose to ignore the warnings and the sign of the Ark, and went about their business as usual. As Christ stated the same will be in the Tribulation period, until sudden destruction comes upon the wicked and those committed to judgment will be taken away to God's judgment (Matthew 24:39) while the righteous remain under God's protection vs 40-41 (in the Ark).
Rev 16:15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
Those taken away will be placed into God's judgment at Armageddon, facing the great wrath of Christ. Those remaining where the others were taken, remain to enter into the promised Kingdom.
I had the same questions as Mike, and the teaching of Prophecy (Israel) vs. Mystery (the Church) helped answer my questions. Something to think about!
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