I had promised to remove this article and I did. The essay suggested that the Revelation 12 sign (Sept. 23, 2017) was a warning that something significant, maybe the Rapture, would occur within 7 years, by the ending of September 2024. When nothing of significance happened, to my knowledge, I removed the article as promised. I guess we can be wrong as long as we do not claim that God told us or that the Bible says such. However, I may have been on to something without fully realizing it. Here is the edited article.
Another High Watch Date Scenario
It seems that so many in these days are speculating about the Rapture and the end times. What is remarkable is that there are many different types of things people are using to “calculate” the end of the things that the Bible speaks about. They are using astronomical tables, constellation charts, various calendars from ancient civilizations, prophecies, and calculators. What is amazing is that all these various methods of trying to understand the Bible in regards to last things, end up with nearly the same general dates, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2029, and 2030. While none of these dates (so far) have been correct, one thing is certain: Jesus is coming soon and there are a multitude of events in our days which seem to have some sort of significance. Jesus said to me in 1979, “...I am coming soon”. While I do not know when, I know we are near the last days, not just because we may want it to be true, but because God seems to be releasing indications that the time is near. I recently heard a brother say he was wrong to “guarantee” a certain rapture date as from God. He said he should have called it a High Watch Date.
God has reserved date, times, and seasons within His own power (Acts 1:7). Yet, I believe He wants us to diligently search the scriptures and try to gain some understanding of the things which He has “hidden” (in plain sight many times). So, with that as an introduction, please allow another possible way to see the revealed yet hidden scriptures.
Peter, the Apostle, tells us that a sign of the last days will be the appearance of mockers, particularly with regard to the coming of the Lord Jesus.
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, ...And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2Pet 3:3-4 )
They have heard this rapture stuff so much, they are sick of it. Say, old Pete was right on the money. These scoffers are not atheists. They are familiar with basic Biblical themes. They say, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. They are not talking about the Second Coming because that will be after unparalleled events will leave the planet in ruins. No one will say that just before the Second Coming of Christ. They say this while things are still relatively routine.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: (2Pet 3:5-6).
No cataclysmic event has ever happened to the earth since creation? Nothing odd or unusual has ever occurred on the planet since it was created? If Peter is referring to Noah's flood, we might find something interesting in Genesis 7.
God said to Noah, For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. (v, 4)
God gave Noah seven days notice that something tremendous was coming. When “days” are used prophetically, they can mean literal years. (Except where the scriptures laboriously make the point that it is to be understood as literal.) Do we have any warning from God that something is coming in seven years?
On September 23, 2024 The United Nations signed a measure that effectively tries to force its will upon Israel. Some nations did not agree to this pact but many (Dan 9:27) did. On the Feast of Trumpets October 2/3, 2024 ninety countries met to approve and enforce this document. An international alliance was formed to force the 2 state “solution” on Israel. Could the Revelation 12 sign have been a sign to indicate which treaty was the significant one? Because of the 2500 years since Daniel there may have needed to be an indication as to which move by the enemies of Israel was the actual 70th week start.
If we are in the “Tribulation Week” now, then the possibility of a Pre-Trib Rapture looks like it has passed. If we look at God's warning to Noah about judgment coming in 7 days, that seems to point to a Post-Trib Rapture. However, God did not say that the rain of judgment was coming in one week, He said 7 days. What's the difference? A week is a set of seven. No problem there. If the inclusive method of counting days was intended, there is a complication. We Westerns would call it 6 days. That would not seem to support the idea of a Post Tribulation Rapture.
In Mexico, if something is scheduled for next week, they would say hoy en ocho. North Americans would say in 7 days. Mexicans call it 8 days. This illustrates inclusive counting compared with exclusive counting that most Westerns use. This is for counting the days toward a future event. A week is a week but Hebraic 7 days is what many of us call 6 days. This suggests that The Appearing of the Lord could occur 6 years into the “Tribulation Week”. This would be after great persecution but before the judgment of God.
It will be real easy to know if this speculation is so. It will not be long.
In any case, there is a special reward given to all those who love His appearing (2Tim 4:8). I also suspect that there is something “special” in store for those who are mockers and scoffers. We should not be harsh critics of those who may come to a different conclusion than we may. Jesus wants us to watch for His appearing, no matter how one may interpret prophecies. He is watching for those who love His appearing.
June 8, 2024
Nov 27, 2024