Blog
Arno Froese on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture
J.D. Farag on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture
Amir Tsarfati on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture
Website: BeholdIsrael.org
Amazon Book: ‘The Last Hour: An Israeli Insider Looks at the End Times’
YouTube: www.youtube.com/BeholdIsrael
Facebook: www.facebook.com/beholdisrael
Twitter: twitter.com/BeholdIsrael
App: Behold Israel
15 Signs of Jesus Christ’s Imminent Return
Jan Markell, of Olive Tree Ministries, discusses 15 signs of Jesus Christ’s imminent return as reflected in the current world events and individuals that fulfill Word of God.
- Calls for Peace and Security
- Business as Usual Around the World
- Mocking and Scoffing
- Rise of Wickedness
- Soaring Strong Delusion
- Surge in Mark of the Beast technology.
- Third Temple Talk
- Mideast Alignment and Activity
- Longing for a Leader
- Rome is Mystery Babylon
- A World Without Borders
- Counterfeit Christianity
- Escalating Birth Pains
- Doctrines of Demons
- Convergence of Signs
Rapture Trends
Ever wonder what the most popular web searches are for any given day or what has been trending?
Google Trends is a site that will give you an idea of how popular a particular search has been.
As an example, click here for a 12-month view of what the trend line for searches on ‘Rapture’ looks like.
As of the date of this post, Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia are the top countries for which searches on the Rapture have originated. Makes one wonder what is happening there.
It’s also clear that interest in the subject spiked sharply right around the date of the September 23, 2017 Revelation 12 Sign.
Some of the most common questions searched are:
- When will the world end?
- When is the rapture?
- Can you be saved after the rapture?
- Scripture on the rapture?
- What happens after the rapture?
- Where is the rapture mentioned in the Bible?
The Venus and Jupiter Conjunction of November 12-13, 2017
As the story goes, about 2020 years ago on Sept. 11, 3 B.C., wise men in the East noticed an unusually bright star in the western sky. We now know with a very high degree of certainty that the celestial object they saw was a conjunction of the planets Venus and Jupiter, which separately are the two brightest objects that can be seen in the evening sky. When the orbits of the two planets came together, one on top of the other like a figure eight, they would have formed the brightest celestial object ever seen by man. A conjunction involving Venus and Jupiter is not rare, it happens every year…often times during the day. What is rare is being able to see it. For the first time since the birth of Christ, a conjunction between Venus and Jupiter will be visible on November 12-13, 2017 on the Eastern horizon just before the sun rises. As the earth turns and the sun begins to rise, the incredibly bright 'star' will begin to fade into the daylight.Why do I mention this? I mention it because unlike some, I believe that Biblical astronomy is worthy of study, as it relates to signs of Jesus coming and signs which involve the 'Sun, Moon and Stars' as mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 21:25. The upcoming conjunction of Venus and Jupiter is the last astronomical event this year involving a string of highly unusual events which began 3 1/2 years ago.
- First, there were a series of four blood moons which fell exactly on the Jewish Feast Days of Passover and Feast of Tabernacles (Succot) for two consecutive years.
- Then there was the Great Eclipse of 2017 which cut a swath of darkness across America from the northwest to the southeast.
- Then there was the retrograde event of Jupiter for 9 months, 2 weeks and 6 days within the womb of the constellation Virgo, exiting on September 9-10.
- Then there was the Revelation 12 Sign, an alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Stars which matched a literal reading of verses from Revelation 12:1-5.
- Then there was the predawn conjunction of Venus and Mars, to which I can attest, appeared to be a much brighter star than usual.
- And next is the predawn conjunction of Venus and Jupiter.
There are two very interesting, polar opposite theories about the Venus/Jupiter conjunction: 1) In Revelation 22:16 Jesus Himself allegorically states, "I am the bright morning star" which is another name for the planet Venus. Why would He say that? It is theorized that the Venus/Jupiter conjunction is symbolic of Jesus as the Head of the Church, coming together with Jupiter as the Body of Christ, for the first time in 2,000 years. We have already read about the symbolism of Jupiter as the Body of Christ, or the male child in Revelation 12 who is raptured to the throne of God. Jupiter symbolically representing the actual body of Christ as well, as portrayed in Isaiah 53, with stripes and with a bloody red spot where He was pierced on the side. When they are seen for the first time in 2,000 years coming together, Venus will set on top of Jupiter, symbolizing the head on top of the body. 2) Another theory is that Venus represents Satan who is also characterized in the Bible as the 'morning star' in Isaiah 14:12: "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!" (NIV). The KJV and NKJV both translate "morning star" as "Lucifer, son of the morning." The theory states that the church (Jupiter) after having been born from Israel (Virgo) is chased by Satan (Venus) before being 'caught up' to the throne of God (raptured). Two other similar words used in the Bible used to describe Jesus and Satan are 'lion' and 'ruler': Jesus as King is the Lion of Judah, while Satan is the lion who seeks to devour and destroy.Jesus is King of the Universe (Melech ha'Olam), while Satan is referred to as the Prince of the power of the air, Prince of Darkness (Eph.6:12), or the ruler of THIS world (2 Corinthians 4:4) but with limited authority. Between the two theories, I'd be more inclined towards the first one, since Jesus is also described as the Groom who goes to retrieve His bride, the Church, to take her away to the Father's house. Just as the Bethlehem Star did not signify a specific date to the wise men, but an event, it might just be that the series of unusual astronomical events these last few years should be viewed the same way, as portents of an upcoming event, not of a specific day. What if? Eph 5:23 – Christ IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH: AND HE IS THE SAVIOUR OF THE BODY. Col 1:18 – And he is THE HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Rev 22:16 – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR. Rev 2:18-29 – But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations – 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' So it would seem that Rev. 2 does refer to the male child described in Revelation 12, who is given the same rod of iron and who is also given the 'morning star'. Could this be a portrayal of the Church (male child/Jupiter) coming together with Jesus (Venus/morning star), or it could be said Jesus is going to give Jupiter the morning star (Venus). A few mathematical date related oddities which relate to November 12/13 are:
- 777 days from the last Blood Moon on Sept. 28, 2015
-
444 days from a Jupiter/Venus conjunction on Aug. 27, 2016,
- which itself was 333 days after the last blood moon of September 28, 2015.
- 50 days after the Revelation 12 Sign of September 23, 2017.
So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. – Hebrews 9:28
What’s the Big Deal about September 23rd 2017?
A summary of what I find to be most interesting about the latest “Jesus is Coming Back Soon” movement. I can’t help it, I’m fascinated by this stuff.
It’s challenging to accurately define this phenomenon of excitement and controversy which surrounds an upcoming astronomical alignment that involves the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Is it a movement? I don’t like that choice of word, but I’m unable to think of a better word to describe it.
Here is a bullet list of what makes this so different from the list of other failed predictions of when Jesus would be returning.
1. There is no one church promoting the idea that the upcoming astronomical alignment on 9/23/2017 matches a literal reading of Revelation 12:1-2
2. The alignment does happen on Feast of Trumpets, which is the ‘appointed time’ or ‘holy feast day’ most commonly associated with the Rapture of the Church. Jesus is a Jew. The Jews observe the beginning of the new day at Sunset, not Sunrise. Feast of Trumpets is celebrated for two days. From sunset 9/21 to sunset 9/23 equals two days. The alignment is happening all day on 9/23.
3. There is no single charismatic teacher or leader or 'prophet' who is responsible for the narrative surrounding the Revelation 12 Sign which has developed over the course of the last three or four years.
4. Unlike all other ‘predictions’, this was not derived by someone’s unique method of calculation using Biblical dates and date spans.
5. The alignment of the Sun, Moon and Stars on this date has been pre-determined since Creation.
6. The ability for the everyday people like you and me to even know that this alignment would be happening on this date has only been around for a little more than 10 years, due in large part to the Internet developing into a global distribution channel for not just ideas and information, but for amazing tools like the Stellarium astronomy software. Knowledge has increased.
7. Despite what some critics say, this has nothing to do with Astrology which is fortune telling, it’s more accurately defined as Biblical Astronomy which is supported by over a hundred verses from the Bible, but most people don’t read the Bible often enough to know that, and it is a rather thick book so it takes a determined effort to pull information on a specific topic. Thanks again to tools on the Internet like BlueLetterBible.org it’s much easier than it used to be. Knowledge has increased.
8. The topic is incredibly divisive. For many people, it is too difficult a thing to objectively investigate the claims and not allow their emotions to influence their opinions. This only peaks my curiosity in the matter that much more.
9. Despite what some critics say, there hasn’t been an astronomical alignment as similar to this one since August 5th, -3915 B.C. … that’s almost 6,000 years ago, so yes, you could say it’s pretty rare.
10. The symbolism attributed to the elements of this alignment is rather amazing.
a. Virgo the Virgin is the first sign in the Mazzaroth (the Biblical equivalent of the zodiac); so Virgo is the Alef or the Alpha in the Mazzaroth. Jesus came into the world through Mary, the Blessed Virgin.
b. Leo is the last sign in the Mazzaroth; Leo is the Tav or the Omega in the Mazzaroth. Jesus will return to the world as the righteous, conquering Messiah, the Lion of Judah.
c. The planet Jupiter is known by many cultures as ‘The King Planet’.
d. The Hebrew name for the planet Jupiter is ‘Tzedek’ which means ‘Righteousness’
e. The physical appearance of Tzedeq or Jupiter matches Isaiah 53; stripes, a pierced side, and even a crown of thorns as represented by the aurora borealis electrical storm.
f. Beginning in November of 2016, Tzedeq or Jupiter went into retrograde within Virgo’s womb area for a period of a total of 9 months, 2 weeks and 6 days before beginning to exit from between her legs on 9/10/2017 . This period of time is equivalent to normal gestation for a human child. Retrograde is an astronomy term used to describe the apparent back and forth movement of a planet when it appears to not be continuing it’s path across the sky.
g. The brightest star in the constellation Leo is named Regulus, which means ‘The King Maker’, and was part of a conjunction on Sept. 11th, 3 B.C. involving Jupiter which would have made for the brightest object ever seen in the night skies. Bethlehem Star anybody?
h. Mercury is considered the ‘messenger’, and this month went into retrograde, circling around Regulus three times, as if announcing “The King is coming. The King is coming. The King is coming.”
i. Jesus described Himself as “The Bright Morning Star” in Revelation 22:16. The planet Venus is known as ‘the morning star’. On September 23, the day begins with Venus rising above the eastern horizon before sunrise in the constellation Leo, leading the way for the rest of the Revelation 12 Sign alignment until sunset, as the day changes from today to tomorrow. No one knows the day or the hour.
11. On the Jewish calendar, this is the year 5777. It is common practice to drop the first number as a form of shorthand, so it’s the year 777, which is considered to be God’s number, or perfection times 3. The Jewish new year happens on Rosh Hashanah, which coincides with Feast of Trumpets,
12. The Blood Moons. I won’t go into detail in this article…but a connection has been made between the interval of days between each Blood Moon and 09/23/2017 that defies all probabilities.
13. Incidental Date Spans : I won’t go into detail in this article …but after the discovery of the Revelation 12 Sign, date spans of 120, 100, 70, and 50 years exactly have been identified as being related to how a Biblical generation is defined, and Jubilee years.
14. A new corporate ‘born again’ theory …I won’t go into detail in this article, but a new view of what it means for the corporate Church (the body) to be ‘born again’ has developed which makes a lot of sense.
15. Take a look at how Isaiah 66 dovetails with the depiction of the woman giving birth in Revelation 12… how unusual that the woman gives birth BEFORE her labor pains (Tribulation). Who has ever heard of such a thing? This verse is being looked at in a new way, as a picture of the Church being born from Israel before the Tribulation begins. Focus on the word ‘goyim’ in the original Hebrew. Who are the goyim? Aren't they everybody but the Jews?
16. Hark the herald angels sing’ song > Note to self… revisit these lyrics in light of the Revelation 12 narrative, there appears to be something interesting here. "Glory to the newborn King! (Glory: Psalm 19)
In summary, here’s where I still stand on the Revelation 12 Sign:
Q: will September 23, 2017 be the ‘End of the World’ ?
A: No.
Q: Will the Church be Raptured on or around that day?
A: I really don’t know.
Q: Is this Revelation 12 stuff really worthy of so much attention?
A: Because of how different it is, I think it’s worth serious, objective consideration.
Q: Is it possible Sept. 23rd will come and go and nothing at all will happen?
A: Yes … but "What if… What if they are right this time?"
Because that day is coming and it's closer than it ever has been.
Searching for TRUTH : The Revelation 12 Sign
When searching for TRUTH, no matter what the topic is, one must remain objective and consider all possibilities without allowing one’s pre-existing prejudices, pre-conceptions and bias to potentially steer the investigation in the wrong direction leading to false conclusions. This approach applies equally to science, criminal investigations and even riddles.
It’s possible that you haven’t yet heard, or haven’t heard much about it, but hundreds of thousands of people already know that something very specific is going to happen next week which could affect you, me and everyone else on the planet. I say ‘could’ affect because I don’t know for sure, but as someone who is searching for truth I need to remain committed to objectivity and consider that the possibility exists. However, as I stated yesterday, just because a large group of people believe something to be true, it doesn’t make it true…it either is or it is not. In this case, the size of the group is relatively small, even if the number in the hundreds of thousands, but the arguments and reasoning behind their theory or interpretations are solid enough that they shouldn’t be simply laughed off or casually dismissed… to do so might be considered the folly of half-hearted truth seeker.
I’m willing to talk about a topic that most people I know won’t even touch today. It’s the people who I don’t know personally who aren’t afraid to talk about it. The topic I'm referring to is:
Is Jesus coming back soon?
I can almost hear some of you laughing right now. Regardless, many people think so, perhaps more than ever. Some people don't care. Some people question whether He ever existed, or say that if He did, He was just a man, and a “good teacher”. The Bible, which is a collection of 66 different books penned by 40 different authors, quotes Jesus as saying that there would be signs in the sky involving the Sun, Moon and Stars which would herald His return in the Last Days (see Luke 21). As an example, let’s recall the story from over 2,000 years ago which tells of a bright star in the sky which the wise men in the east followed as a sign of the birth of a new king, the baby Jesus. With the aid of a free but rather amazing astronomy software package called Stellarium, we now know that this star was most likely the conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo on September 11, 3 B.C. This conjunction would have been the brightest object ever seen in they sky ever since.
It's interesting to note that the meaning of the star’s name 'Regulus' means 'The King Maker'. As it just so happens, on this upcoming September 23, 2017 there will be nine stars and three planets that are going to align in the sky, involving two particular constellations, late in the day just before sunset, as seen from Jerusalem. The alignment is unique, despite what some critics say, as it’s been 5,932 years since anything closely resembling this astronomical alignment has happened. The alignment is being called ‘The Revelation 12 Sign’, as it matches a literal reading of the first few verses of chapter twelve in the last book of the Bible. Revelation 12:1-6 reads as follows:
"Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days."
(Revelation 12:1-6)
For the last three years I’ve been fascinated by the developing story behind the upcoming Revelation 12 Sign and have found myself drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Hands down it’s the most divisive yet compelling theory behind the return of Jesus that I’ve ever encountered. And for the record, I've never been the least bit swayed by any of the previous predictions. The Revelation 12 Sign is so divisive that it causes some Christians and non-Christians alike to become quite defensive or angry if it is even mentioned as something that might be worthy of a closer look, or objective investigation. This only stokes the fire of my curiosity even more.
History is full of failed predictions of Jesus’ return. Perhaps it’s true that after each failure, people may become increasingly weary, skeptical or mocking towards any new predictions. Whether or not these reactions are preventable is a topic for another day.
For clarity, a distinction needs to be made between two completely separate prophesied events. First, many Christians believe there will be an unprecedented supernatural event at some point in the near future where millions of believers in Jesus disappear in an instant when Jesus calls from above for them to join Him. The event is known as the Blessed Hope or The Rapture, and has been the subject of a number of bestselling books and films these last few decades, a few of which are:
– The Left Behind Series by LaHaye and Jenkins, #1 New York Times Best Seller
– Left Behind: The Movie starring Kirk Cameron (2000)
– Left Behind: The End Begins starring Nicholas Cage (2014)
– In the Blink of an Eye: Starring David A.R. White and Eric Roberts (2009)
The Second event occurs after the Rapture and after a troubling period of seven years, at which point Jesus returns in what is commonly known as ‘The Second Coming’.
Some believe that the upcoming astronomical alignment on Sept. 23, 2017 will be a fulfillment of the ‘Great Sign’ described in Revelation 12. They also believe that a window of opportunity for the Rapture begins on the first day of the Jewish High Holy Day known as Feast of Trumpets, which is next September 21st and happens to coincide with the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah. A few believe that the window could even be extended up to Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement on September 30th. This all happens during the Jewish month of Tishrei which has the theme of Repentance, or turning back to God. The Jews call the time between Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) and the Day of Atonement ‘The Days of Awe’ or ‘The Ten Days of Repentance’. But what happens if there is no significant event between Sept. 21st and Sept. 30th? Disappointment? Confusion? Depression? Heightened resolve to keep trying to figure it out? Ridicule?
BUT WHAT IF…WHAT IF THIS TIME THEY ARE RIGHT?
For most Christians, the belief that Jesus will eventually return is a given. However, there are three main diverging theories on the timing of the Rapture in relation to the Tribulation, which once again are those last seven years of hell on earth before The Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when He returns to set things right. To those Christians who subscribe to a Pre-Tribulation timing of the Rapture, it will probably be an ordinary day like any other. The sun might be shining, the sky might be blue. And then in an instant, in the blink an eye, a trumpet will blast from above and it’ll be over…all of the true believers in Jesus will have instantly disappeared, having been ‘caught up’ to Heaven by Jesus Himself. The Rapture event is thought to kick off the beginning of The Tribulation, aka The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, or Daniel’s 70th Week in which the earth which will be the object of God’s wrath as evil is allowed to dominate, but only for a short time. And what of those left behind? Most will die. Many will wish for death. It is described as being the most horrible time in the entire history of the planet.
The days leading up to Jesus’ return are described as being relatively normal, much like today, in the sense that people will be getting engaged and married and business will carry on as usual, but people will also be increasingly skeptical that Jesus will ever return, asking “Where is this coming He promised?”
Then there are all the other signs Jesus told His disciples to watch for which seem to match current events more so than ever. When asked what would be the sign of the Last Days Jesus told His disciples that there would be wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, disease, and great signs in the sky, signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring. (read both Matthew 24 and Luke 21 for yourself, don’t be afraid)
As of late the following events may be interpreted as fitting Jesus’ prophecy:
• North Korea literally makes multiple threats to nuke the United States of America 08/09/2017
• 8.1 quake rocks southern Mexico 09/07/2017
• Famine is still a persistent problem throughout Africa
• Disease: Ebola, AIDs, Black Plague, the increase of antibiotic resistant bacteria
• And last, but not least, Great Signs in the Sky
o The Russian Chelyabinsk meteorite of 02/13/2013
o The Blood Red Moons : both in 2014 and 2015
o The Jupiter story of 2016-2017
o The Total Solar Eclipse : 08/21/2017
o Largest Solar Flares in 12 years : 09/08/2017
o The Revelation 12 Sign astronomical alignment of 09/23/2017
• Hurricane Harvey devastates Houston 08/25/2017
• Hurricane Irma bears down on western Florida 09/10/2017
Yes, yes, yes, I know… there have always been wars and earthquakes and eclipses and hurricanes and such. But what is different this time is the apparent convergence or increased intensity and frequency of these events, which are all happening 70 years after the re-establishment of Israel as nation, which has always been viewed as the last key prerequisite to Jesus’ return.
Once again, I put forth the question,
“But what if…what if this time they are right?”
The most common response from dissenting Christians is “No man knows the day or the hour!” of Jesus' return, quoting Matthew 24:36.
How unusual though for Jesus to have given so many signs to watch for in advance of His return for His Church. In response, the Christian dissenters who reflexively respond, “No man knows the day or the hour!” will certainly also say, “You can know the season but not the day or the hour!” Perhaps. Then again, an objective investigation should consider the possibility that the verse about not knowing the day or hour may have been misunderstood. Perhaps, just as the prophet Daniel was instructed in Daniel 12:4, the meaning and understanding of the prophecies has been sealed UNTIL the Last Days, which certainly seem to be upon us now. This would logically imply that any purported understanding of the prophecies BEFORE the Last Days would have to be flawed to some degree, if not entirely incorrect.
So, the four BIG questions of the month are:
1. Are the prophecies being UNSEALED now?
2. Is the upcoming astronomical alignment on September 23rd actually the ‘Great Sign’ described in Revelation 12:1 ?
3. If not, what could the Great Sign in Rev. 12 possibly refer to?
4. If it is the ‘Great Sign’, does it relate to the Rapture?
Tell me, what do you think?
Comment below
and in my next post I’ll share some of the valid arguments both for and against the idea of how this upcoming astronomical alignment could be the ‘Great Sign’ of Revelation 12.
What Percentage of Israel is Christian?
Christians currently make up just 2% of Israel’s adult population.
Source: www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/05/10/5-facts-about-israeli-christians/ ( 2010 )
So this is rather significant when considering the Rapture…Israel will hardly be affected should 1% or 2% of it's population be caught up to heaven. Numbers wise, this would be somewhere around 80,000 to 150,000 people total.
In comparision, according to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 3% of the adult population of the United States identified themselves as Jewish, 70.6% of the adult population of the United States identified themselves as Christians, with 46.5% professing attendance at a variety of churches that could be considered Protestant, and 20.8% professing Roman Catholic beliefs.
Even if only 1/2 of those who identify as themselves as Christians are caught up to heaven, that would be 35% of the entire population of the United States, or over 100 million people. The country would essentially cease to exist and would instantly transform from a land of law and order to disorder, or chaos or anarchy.
Think about it.