Is
anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, in
the spring, and Sarah shall have a son."
Genesis 18:14 RSV
Do
you have a favorite season? I somehow
manage to enjoy all of them for one reason or another, but if I had to pick one
for my favorite, it would be the spring. Just now, I can see a little bit of snow left
on the mountain tops, my tulips blooming, and quail, songbirds, robins and
doves eating out of my feeder. I like to call spring the time of new
beginnings, because so much happens in so short of a time. I can watch buds
appearing on my apple tree, the robins have returned from wherever it is they
go in the winter, the ground is turning green, and of course, it’s about time
to start mowing the lawn again.
As
I have studied over the years, I have found that God ordained many events to
occur in the spring as well. It is especially interesting to see how many of
those events could be identified with the idea of a new beginning. In the
passage above, God has visited Abraham and Sarah and told them that Sarah was
to have a son. He also tells them that He will return to see them when that
happens, and even tells them that it will be in the spring! If you look closely
at the Hebrew you will find that in this particular case, the RSV translates it
best, because if you take the two words mowed
and chay together in the same phrase,
you understand spring is identified as the season this event will occur.
mow`ed : 1) appointed
place, appointed time, meeting
chay : 1) living, alive,
a) green (of vegetation), b) flowing, fresh (of water), c) lively, active (of
man), d) reviving (of the springtime)
Since
Abraham is told he would become the father of the nation of Israel, the birth
of Isaac began the fulfillment of that prophecy and as we see, it began in the
spring.
We
also find in the book of Exodus that the deliverance of the nation of Israel
from bondage in Egypt occurred in the spring. The first three feasts of Israel,
Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits all occur in the first month on the
Jewish calendar which normally begins around the end of March or the beginning
of April on our calendar, and is called Nisan or Abib.
And
Moses said to the people: "Remember this day in which you went out of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought
you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. "On this day you
are going out, in the month Abib. Exodus
13:3,4 NKJV
Of
course, of greater interest to us as believers is the fact that the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ occurred at the time of these three feasts as
well. If you recall, Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples, was then
arrested, crucified and rose again on
the third day which was the Feast of Firstfruits.
Now it
came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His
disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of
Man will be delivered up to be crucified." Matthew 26:1,2 NKJV
Now
after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene
and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great
earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled
back the stone from the door, and sat on it.
Matthew 28:1,2 NKJV
Now
you talk about the idea of spring being a time of new beginnings, how important
could the fact be that our deliverance occurred in the spring? Do you really
think so many events happening in the spring are just coincidence? If you still
think it may be, why not look at another event that is certainly significant to
all believers. Just fifty days after the resurrection, on the Feast of
Pentecost, something else rather important happened as well; the birth of the
Church.
When
the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts 2:1,2 NKJV
Do
you begin to see what I mean about the spring being the most interesting
season? The Bible is full of “new beginning” type events which occur in the
spring. Is it possible then that the rapture of the church could occur in the
spring season? If it did, it would certainly fit in with the idea of a new
beginning type event happening the same time as so many others have.
Why bring up the subject of the rapture of the
Church? Let’s return to the story of the
Exodus for a moment. The thought occurred to me that we are told of deliverance
along with a new beginning in the story of the children of Israel and their
escape from Egypt. Not only were they delivered out of bondage in the spring,
notice if you will when they entered the promised land.
And it
came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD had
come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet touched
the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and
overflowed all its banks as before. Now the people came up from the Jordan on
the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border
of Jericho. Joshua 4:18,19 NKJV
Here
we are again! Back to the first month, the spring, the time of new beginnings.
God delivered the children of Israel into the Promised Land on the tenth day of
the first month. Is it possible this is also a picture of when the church will
enter her “promised land”? Could spring be the season of the rapture? Although I believe our deliverance could occur
at any time, considering the fact that so many events have happened in the
spring certainly makes me wonder if we as believers should be especially
watchful in the spring. Which brings us
to this next passage which might be the most compelling argument of all.
Woe is me! For I am
like those who gather summer fruits, Like those who glean vintage grapes; There is no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires. The faithful man has perished
from the earth, And there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood;
Every man hunts his brother with a net. Micah 7:1-2 NKJV
This passage from the prophet Micah describes the period of
time we call the tribulation. Notice he
tells us that all the faithful have disappeared from the earth, every man is
against each other, and looking for upright faithful people is like looking for
the first grapes of the harvest and finding none. So when does the grape harvest begin in
Israel? The first ripe fruit is gathered
at the beginning of summer. My thought
is that if all the faithful are gone at the beginning of summer, they must have
disappeared in the spring.
Today
we find ourselves in the spring season, and many are looking at the condition
of the world around us and asking the question why are we still here? My
question to you today is this. Just how
close do you believe the rapture of the Church is on God’s calendar? If you believe like many others, it could be
right around the corner. That nearness, however, also prompts me to ask you
this question. If you have come to this point in your life and not made a
decision to accept the free gift of salvation offered to you by our Savior
Jesus Christ, don't you think it would be a good idea to do it now?
Keep
watching.
