The Rapture

Halloween, All Saints Day, and the Rapture

October 30, 2021 By Trumpeter 1 Comment

What If?

My heart is heavy. Perhaps you sense it too. It’s the darkest hour, the darkness is pressing in from every direction… but the sun will soon shine, bright and glorious.

Read this either silently to yourself or out loud…

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

This is most likely the second most commonly spoken prayer in history, second only to the many short variations of “God Save Me!”, “God Help Me!”, “Oh God!”

I see that great destruction is rapidly approaching, along with fear, panic, confusion, hopelessness, deep despair, and death. Resist! Do not give in to these states of mind that can leave as quickly as they came… know that our Blessed Hope has never been closer.

Jesus/Yeshua is coming to save those of us who “Call on His Name”, to take us to be with him in Paradise forever.

The seed of thought which moved me to start writing this post is rooted in being reminded that Halloween is almost here. We’re told, “its all just for fun”, that is, everything related to the celebration of things that are ugly, evil, dark, demonic, and related to death. Witches, Monsters, and Skeletons.

Hallow! Words have deeper meaning that we almost take for granted in day-to-day speech. This morning I feel drawn to the word “Hallow” which as a verb means to “honor as holy” or as a noun means “a saint or holy person”. Hallow is the root word of “Halloween” and is said to have derived from an ancient holiday (aka Holy Day) known as “All Saints Eve“. Do you see the word connection now? Hallow-een = Saints’ Eve

What if?

What if there is a true, deeper meaning to this day that like so many things, has been corrupted over time by the Father of Lies…Satan, the Devil?

Please don’t begrudge me for thinking out loud…

Who is Jesus/Yeshua going to save in the Rapture? All the Saints, that’s who. The Saints are those who believe and trust that Jesus/Yeshua is the Son of God, our Redeemer, who promised some 2,000 years ago to come back to Save those who belong to him from the wrath and judgement that this evil, fallen world is about to be subjected to before all things are set right by the King of Kings.

What if Halloween or All Saints Day is like a road sign, warning everyone that the End of the Road is quickly approaching?

Now read the Lord’s prayer again but think of it in context of Jesus/Yeshua coming back to save the Saints.

“Our Father, (Father God tells his son when the time is right to go and collect his bride who his son is betrothed or engaged to).
who art in heaven, (where Jesus/Yeshua sits at the right hand of the Father, and where Jesus/Yeshua has been building ‘mansions with many rooms’ for the Saints aka the Bride of Christ)
hallowed be thy name; (Holy is His Name.)
thy kingdom come; (the kingdom of the King of Kings)
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (He will rule supreme here on Earth from His throne in Jerusalem)
Give us this day our daily bread; (please take care of our physical needs, as a loving father or mother does for their children)
and forgive us our trespasses (we need His mercy and grace)
as we forgive those who trespass against us; (being created in His image, we should strive to love others as He loves us)
and lead us not into temptation, (the Devil’s tricks and our own proclivity to satisfy our many fleshly desires)
but deliver us from evil.” (Jesus/Yeshua… MARANATHA!)

Look Up! Our Redemption Draws Near!

Come Quick! Save Us!

Are you saved? If you’re not, you can be right now. It’s as simple as ABC.

A: ADMIT THAT YOU’RE A SINNER

B: BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOUR SINS, WAS BURIED, AND THAT GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD.

C: CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD.

You can call Him Jesus,

You can call Him God,

You can call Him Yeshua, which is his Hebrew name and literally means “Salvation”.

TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that none can boast.

EPHESIANS 2:8-9

What next? Be filled with the joy from the Holy Spirit in knowing that God Loves you and is coming for you soon. Read his Word in the New Testament and talk (pray) to him… He’s your Creator, he hears you, and he’s been waiting for you.

End Times Markers in 2020

February 29, 2020 By Trumpeter Leave a Comment

Coronavirus is One of the Signs of Things to Come

If you’re not new to Biblical prophecy you already have an acute understanding of how many prophetically related events have been converging on a global scale these last several years. The accelerated increase in these prophetic events has even been labeled as ‘The Convergence” by those who have been faithfully watching and who are in the know.

In retrospect, it would seem that many of these events are foreshadowing larger-scale versions of the same events that will happen during the Tribulation, sort of like ‘sneak previews’. These relatively smaller-scale events reflect God’s mercy, as they can be considered examples of God telling all of us, “this is your last warning”. People would be wise to heed these last warnings and acknowledge the Creator of the Universe for who he says he is, and believe that the plans he has laid out for us in the Bible will be carried out.

A few examples of ‘sneak previews’ include:

The sun has turned black as sackcloth which suggests solar eclipses.
The moon has turned blood red which suggests lunar eclipses.
Pestilence inludes Coronavirus (Covid-19), SARs, MERs, Ebola, and even Influenza.
Plagues include the swarms of billions of locusts devouring crops in Africa, the Middle East, and now Asia.
Christians are being beheaded for testimony that Jesus / Yeshua, is the Son of God, God in the Flesh, and Savior of Mankind.
The astronomical alignment of September 23, 2017, could not have been more closely aligned with the description of the pregnant woman who gives birth to a male child in Revelation 12.
Licentiousness is prolific. Pornography is free, dating apps like Tinder are being used for extra-marital flings, and human trafficking of women and even children for the sex trade is everywhere.
Abortions are being celebrated and laws are passed that allow a child to be aborted (murdered) up until the point of birth.
Witchcraft is flourishing.
Homosexuality has been relentlessly promoted as normal and acceptable to the point that our country now has an unabashed homosexual running for president.
The promotion of Transgenderism has crossed the line of just being ridiculous to being completely insane.
Every major ecclesiastical denomination has experienced a split over issues that either involves women clergy and/or homosexual clergy.
The stream of deception and fake news being reported by major media outlets is relentless. People are believing lies without question.
The legalization of all kinds of drugs for recreational use is being voter-approved across the country.
Major earthquakes have been rocking various places throughout the world.
Multiple volcanoes are now actively erupting.
The U.S. government has acknowledged that there really is something to all of the reports of UFOs and alien encounters over the last several decades.
Turkey, Russia, and Iran have formed an alliance for the first time in history.
Large asteroids have zipped through space barely missing our little spec of a planet.

Even today, 8 weeks into the Coronavirus pandemic, there are mixed opinions. Some say it’s not that bad, that more people die from Influenza A. Others say this is just the beginning, that it’s going to get a whole lot worse. I don’t know exactly how this is going to play out, but based on the charted data I’ve seen, my opinion is that the situation is going to get worse before it gets better.

One possible interpretation of Revelation 6:7-8 is that the “beasts of the earth” may refer to lethal viruses, not wild animals like tigers, lions, and bears. The word in Greek is ‘therion’, which can mean a little beast or a little animal, like a bee, or savage, a wild animal or wild beast. Of course, two thousand years ago science had not advanced enough for John the Revelator to have any idea what viruses were…but he knew what plague was.

No doubt, our Blessed Hope which is the Rapture is nearer than ever. Keep looking up, for your redemption draws near. Maranatha!

Harpazo Horizon or Last Minute Change of Plans?

September 13, 2019 By Trumpeter Leave a Comment

A brief summary of today’s status on The Convergence

Prominent ‘Christians’ are renouncing their faith, defending the ‘ways of the world’, proclaiming homosexuality to not be a sin, and even committing suicide on September 10th, National Suicide Prevention Day.
Churches continue to split along lines separating traditional, literal Biblical beliefs from progressive, tolerant and inclusive beliefs.
Under the guise of teaching tolerance children in elementary schools are being indoctrinated with the normalization of perversions and multiple gender fluidity nonsense.
The chessboard of the Middle East does appear to be set up for two as of yet unfulfilled prophecies; Isaiah 18 and Ezekiel 38.
Damascus Syria is mostly in ruins. It wouldn’t take much more than a spark to “utterly destroy” the oldest existing city in the world.
Iran (Persia) continues to provide for Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon, the terrorist military arm responsible for firing rockets into Israel in the north.
Iran is now enriching weapons-grade uranium at an accelerated pace and continues to proclaim the impending destruction of Israel.
Israel has escalated its aerial bombardment of Iranian military installations in Syria and Iraq where rockets and guided missiles are being imported and manufactured.
Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel from Gaza in the south.
ISIS is still being dealt with in Iraq.
An unprecedented 2nd attempt at a successful election for Prime Minister of Israel is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 17th
Netanyahu has promised to annex the West Bank if elected despite warnings not to from the UN, the EU, and President Putin of Russia.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stated that the details of the ‘Deal of the Century’ Middle East Peace Plan will be revealed right after the Israeli elections.

It’s Time to Rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem

And the most eyebrow-raising news of late is that both of the leading candidates for Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, are now proclaiming that it is time to rebuild the Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

In recent decades, there have been a number of false starts where it appeared that at certain points in time global events were foreshadowing the imminent return of Jesus/Yeshua
to take his bride away from this sin-plagued planet which has already been sentenced and is awaiting judgment. Then at the last minute, there would seemingly be a change of plans, postponing the major event until another time in the not too distant future.

We appear to be at one of these points in time once again. Will there be a last-minute change of plans? Or will the convergence of events continue to focus on the major event, our Blessed Hope?

One of the ‘moedim’ or ‘appointed times’ from Leviticus 23 is the Feast of Trumpets, aka Rosh Hashanah, which will occur between Sept. 30th and Oct. 1, 2019

What if? What if this is it?

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the TRUMPET will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
(1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the TRUMPET call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

Indeed, Darkness appears to be closing in from all sides. But the darkness will flee from the Light!

Maranatha!

Isn’t Feast of Trumpets in the Fall?

September 16, 2018 By Trumpeter Leave a Comment

Yom Teruah 2018

Looking at the calendar for the Fall Feasts, Yom Teruah, which is Hebrew for Feast of Trumpets, fell on September 9th-11th in 2018. There’s only one problem… that date is still in Summer, not Fall. Fall doesn’t begin until September 22nd. So if Yom Teruah is supposed to coincide with the sighting of the crescent of the first new moon in the Fall then the date would have to be October 8th-9th, not September 9th-11th. Is it possible that the Jews made such a mistake when reinstituting their calendar?

What do we know for sure? From Exodus 12:2 we know that God told Moses and Aaron that Nissan is the first month when Passover would be recognized. We also know from Leviticus 23:23 that the Feast of Trumpets would be in Tishrei which is the seventh month. Simple, right? Not really.

Another possibility of how the calendar could be off is related to the Jewish leap year which adds a 13th month called Adar II or Adar Bet which occurs every 19 years to account for the difference between the Jewish 360-day lunar calendar and the Gregorian 365.25 day Solar calendar. This is the Jewish year 5779 which happens to be just such a leap year. Adar and Adar Bet roughy correspond to March and April. So can you now see how adding a thirteenth month can push dates on the calendar out thirty days?

To reiterate, while many of us believe that the Rapture of the Church will take place on Feast of Trumpets, and while many of the pre-tribulation indicators are flashing red, this is not an attempt to set a date and never has been. Someday soon there will be a trumpet blast and shout from above calling all true believers to ‘come up here’. Until then, we will continue watching, warning and waiting for our Blessed Hope. Maranatha!

What does Imminent Really Mean?

September 2, 2018 By Trumpeter 3 Comments

The Return of Christ is Imminent

What does that mean? Was the return of Christ imminent for the apostles right after the ascension? Such a statement just doesn’t sound right. If asked, many people will say they believe the return of Christ is imminent, which they’ll explain as meaning that He can return at any moment. But is this an accurate usage of the word based on its definition?

Imminent can mean ‘about to happen’, but the return of Christ wasn’t about to happen right after His ascension, so this definition cannot be rigidly applied.

Imminent can also mean impending, close (at hand), near, (fast) approaching, coming, forthcoming, on the way, in the offing, in the pipeline, on the horizon, in the air, just around the corner, expected, anticipated, brewing, looming, threatening, menacing, or overhanging.

In consideration of these synonyms, it appears that a better choice of definitions might be ‘fast approaching’, impending, on the way, or expected.

None of these definitions are constrained by the idea that an event can happen at ‘any moment’, but do suggest an event that is approaching on God’s timeline which will happen at a specific time of His choosing.

But no man knows the day or the hour!

While I agree with this statement in a general sense, I don’t think most people understand what it really means.

The popular retort to the topic of the timing of Jesus’ return refers to Matthew 24:36,

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”?

and Mark 13:32,

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

But what day or hour was Jesus talking about? Was He talking about the day when heaven and earth would pass away which is described in the verse immediately preceding Matthew 24:36? Or was He talking about the Rapture or even the Second Coming? It’s interesting to note that in the original texts there was no separation of paragraphs as there is between Matthew 24:35 and Matthew 24:36 in Bibles today. Can the context be changed by separating two sentences with a paragraph break where there shouldn’t be one? It would appear so. While I’m not suggesting that anyone should be dogmatic about this alternate interpretation that results by removing the paragraph break, I do think it is worthy of consideration.

But wait, there’s more…you’ve probably noticed that Mark 13:32 excludes the son from knowing ‘the day or the hour’. More than a few people struggle with this since Jesus is God in the flesh and God is all-knowing, so how could Jesus not know the day or the hour? One explanation is that Jesus was fully man and fully God and in his human nature wasn’t able to ‘know’. Another explanation that this verse is allegorical and symbolic of the traditional Jewish wedding betrothal and wedding. The son labors at constructing a room addition to his father’s house for his bride. It is the father who decides when the room is complete and satisfactory before he tells the son to go and fetch his bride.

Hence we read in John 14:2,

“In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

So in an allegorical sense, Jesus/Yeshua is the Groom, the Church is His Bride, and only the Father decides when it is time for the Son to bring His Bride home.

The Scientific critique of attempting to put the timing of Jesus’ return on the Calendar

Let’s assume for a moment that it is true that at the moment of Creation God set his own celestial clock into being. He ordained the balance of the Universe and the timing of the planetary orbits around the Sun. He established a method of measuring time by years and seasons based on the number of days required for the Earth to orbit the Sun with a day being the time required for the Earth to complete a revolution on its own axis.

It has already been established in Leviticus 23 that God ordained seven special ‘Feasts’, known as ‘moedim’ in Hebrew. The word ‘moedim’ is more accurately translated as ‘appointed times’ since not all of these appointed times involved an actual ‘feast’. It’s not a matter of debate, we factually know from what is written in the Bible that the first four appointed times or appointments in God’s calendar were kept by Jesus/Yeshua to the very day. He was not late.

Jesus/Yeshua died on Passover, which is the first moed or appointed time. ( Lev. 23:4 )
Jesus/Yeshua’s sinless body was entombed on the Feast of Unleavened Bread which is the second moed. ( Lev. 23:6 )
Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits, which is the third moed. ( Lev. 23:9 )
The Holy Spirit came down from above on Pentecost or The Feast of Weeks, which is the fourth moed. ( Lev. 23:15 )The last three of the seven moed have not yet been correlated with any specific past events which involve Jesus/Yeshua which suggests that these appointments are still pending. If the pattern persists of Jesus/Yeshua not being late in keeping his first four appointments then it is reasonable to expect that he will not be late in keeping the last three appointments.
The Feast of Trumpets ( Lev. 23:23 )
The Day of Atonement ( Lev. 23:36 )
The Feast of Tabernacles ( Lev. 23:33 )

But what are the last three moed about? How can they be related to upcoming events involving Jesus? Why is there such a big gap in time between when the Holy Spirit came down and today? Questions like these are best answered by looking to Biblical Prophecy.

(more will be said on these three topics later)

The Feast of Trumpets is associated with the Rapture. ( 1 Thessalonians 4:16 )

The Day of Atonement is associated with repentance, redemption, and reconciliation. ( John 19:37 )

The Feast of Tabernacles is associated with God’s people dwelling with Him forever. (Psalm 27:4, John 14:2, )

The large gap in time between Pentecost and today is a dispensation. A dispensation is simply a smaller period of time which results from dividing a larger period of time. The names most commonly applied to this particular dispensation that we are currently in are The Age of Grace or the Church Age.

From a scientific point of view, there are 24 different time zones in the world. At any given moment the sun is setting in one part of the world while it is rising in another. For a small window of time each day, it is actually possible to have three different calendar days in effect based on the time zones and the International Date Line. Yes, it can simultaneously be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on planet Earth. So this is one scientific explanation for why it can not be possible to know the ‘day’ or the ‘hour’ of Christ’s return.

Regarding the Day of the Lord

In 2 Peter 3 we read that the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance…

what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God…

be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace…

I have to wonder if Paul’s description of the Lord not being slow in 2 Peter 3 might also be referring to His punctuality and established history of being right on time for His appointments? It would be easy to understand how one might think the Lord was slow when considering that the length of time for this dispensation or Age of Grace is nearly 2,000 years already, but as Paul also points out in 2 Peter 3:8,

With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

So 2,000 years is only two days to the Lord. Think about this. 4,000 years can be accounted for by adding the years from Adam to Jesus. 2,000 years can be accounted for by adding the years from Jesus to this day, making a total of 6,000 years which have come and gone. What comes after the sixth day? The seventh day of course. What did God proclaim the seventh day to be but the Day of Rest, or the Sabbath. How long is Jesus’ reign on Earth after His Second Coming? The answer, found in Revelation 20, is 1,000 years which would account for the seventh day. So by simply accounting for the summation of years based on Biblical history it’s easy to see that we are on the threshold of the seventh day right now. Jesus/Yeshua come quick.

Below are several other verses which relate to Jesus’ coming:

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

-Matthew 24:42-44

“The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.”

-Matthew 24:50

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

-Matthew 25:13

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

-Mark 13:32-37

“You must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

-Luke 12:40

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

-Philippians 3:20

“For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”

-1 Thessalonians 5:2

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

-Hebrews 10:24-25

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

-James 5:7-9

“The end of all things is at hand.”

-1 Peter 4:7

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and all the works done on it will be exposed.”

-2 Peter 3:10

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.”

-Revelation 1:3

“And behold, I am coming soon.”

-Revelation 22:7

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.”

-Revelation 22:12

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

-Revelation 22:20

Many have asked, “So what about date setters? Are people wrong to try and figure out when Jesus will return?”

If there is a Bible passage which forbids trying to figure out the timing of the Lord’s return I’d like to see it.

On the contrary, a crown of righteousness is promised to those who yearn for his appearing.

Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

-2 Timothy 4:8

and

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

-Titus 2:13

So what are the key takeaways from all of the verses above?

Be ready
Be watching
Be looking
Expect him
See the Day drawing near
Be patient