RAPTURE 2011!!
Matthew 24:1-3
1And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. 2And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. 3And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying; tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Three questions
a. When shall these things be?
b. What shall be the sign of thy coming?
c. And of the end of the world?
a. When shall these things be?
“There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.” As an eventuality of gold between the temple stones, this was literally fulfilled in 70 A.D.
b. What shall be the sign of thy coming?
See as follows.
c. And of the end of the world?
Whereby the three questions and their respective answers are chronological in nature, and “Thy coming” of question “b” has not yet occurred, let us defer to question “b.”
Question "b:" What shall be the sign of thy coming?
There are ultimately two issues here: “The sign of thy coming;” and “Thy coming” itself. I will address “Thy coming” itself, first.
“Thy Coming” Itself
Moreover, there are two such comings! One, generally known as the Rapture, is associated with 1 Thessalonians 4:17 - "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." The expression, “Caught up,” originates from a Greek word – Harpazo (har-pad'-zo) by definition: Catch away, take. Whereas, the Latin term for Harpazo is Raptus, from which is derived our English word, Rapture.
Another coming will follow the Rapture by approximately seven years,1 ending what is called the Tribulation period. For, through the Rapture God will spare Believers from enduring the Tribulation. Two exemplary references are:
“The righteous is taken away from the evil to come.” (Isaiah 57:1);
“I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10).
"The Sign of Thy Coming"
Since, of the two comings, the Rapture is most pending, we should concentrate on “The sign of" the Rapture...
Matthew 24:33: When ye shall see all these things, know that it (the Rapture) is near, even at the doors.
Instances of, “All these things,” from Mathew 24:
• Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences (plagues) and earthquakes, in divers (many, various) places. (vs.7).
• Many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. (vs. 11).
• Because iniquity (wickedness) shall abound, the love of many shall wax (grow) cold. (vs. 12).
Paraphrasing Matthew 24:33, in response to these verses: “Now that we have seen all these things, know that it (the Rapture) is near, even at the doors!”
Matthew 24:34 repeats the words, “All these things,” in a more inclusive and comprehensive manner, relative to its general context: “Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things are fulfilled.” In other words: “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass, until everything I mentioned (inclusive of the Rapture) has been fulfilled.”
Though, what did Jesus mean by, “This generation?”
...Matthew 24:32: "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves"...
The fig tree typifies Israel (Jeremiah 24:1-10, Hosea 9:10, Joel 1:7. Even as a fig tree is also the country’s national symbol). “When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves,” indicates the new – 1948 – birth and growth of Israel (that had not been a sovereign nation since 586 B.C!). Therefore, to again restate Matthew 24:34: “Truly I say to you, the generation of re-established Israel will not pass, until everything I mentioned (inclusive of the Rapture) has been fulfilled.”
A key question then becomes: How long is a – Biblical – generation?
Scripturally, one generation is about 51.68 years in length. Such is understood by dividing the number of respective years by the number of generations in Matthew 1 and Luke 3:
Mathew 1
Based on 2,160 years from Abraham to Christ: 2,160 divided by the 42 generations of Matthew 1 = 51.42 years;
Luke 3
Premised upon 4,000 years between Adam and Jesus: 4000 divided by the 77 generations of Luke 3 = 51.94 years.
Hence: 51.42 + 51.94 ÷ 2 (or, averaged) = 51.68 years.
A common mistake however at this point would be to add 51.68 years to May 14, 1948 (when Israel was re-established); that would equate to about the year 2000. But, according to the PARAMOUNT PROPHECY OF DANIEL 9:24 (- 27): “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy HOLY CITY...” “And upon thy HOLY CITY” indicates - more precisely - that the "CLOCK DID NOT START TICKING” until June, 1967 (the Six Day War) when the Jews RECAPTURED JERUSALEM! So, to recalculate: June 10, 1967 + 51.68 = January 28, 2019.
Next
Subtract 7 years for the Tribulation (as the Rapture takes place before the Tribulation) = January 28, 2012. These numbers are approximate...but not by much!
Last But Not Least
I also believe (rooted in substantial findings 2) that the Rapture will occur during Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish Feast of Trumpets). Upcoming, Rosh Hashanah is SEPTEMBER 28-30, 2011!! 3
Conclusion
“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged (weighed down) with surfeiting (overindulgence) and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” (Luke 21:34).
..."What steps should people be following now to prepare?"
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