Window of Opportunity

 

“Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.”   “For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”         Genesis 7:1,4  NKJV

A subject which has moved to the forefront the past few years when discussing the rapture of the church, if you hold to the pre-tribulation rapture position, concerns the possibility that there may be a “gap” of time between the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation. While many people believe there is no gap, and that the tribulation begins right after the rapture takes place, many prominent biblical scholars feel there may be some time between the two events. While some might feel there is insufficient evidence to know the answer to that precisely, I believe it's possible there are clues to be found in scripture.

The verses above are from the story of Noah and the circumstances surrounding the command of God to enter the ark. We see there was a period of seven days that separated his entering the ark and the door being shut, and the beginning of the rain that fell for forty days and forty nights. If we consider the possibility that the entering of the ark and the closing of the door might also be a picture of the rapture of the church, could it be that this is a clue that there will be a gap of time between the rapture and the beginning of Daniel’s seventieth week known as the tribulation?

Another possible clue might be found by examining some of the specific circumstances the Bible tells us will occur during the tribulation, and consider if the rapture might well be the event that produces the environment needed to force the world to make the moves we are told will occur. If you remember what we discussed last week, the question we are left with is will the Church be here to see these events?  While I would like to give you a definitive answer, the truth is that all I can do is give you an opinion as scripture makes it plain that the rapture is an imminent event which could occur at any time.

“For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,”  Matthew 24:38 NKJV

We can see that according to this verse, life on earth changed on the day Noah entered the ark. I don't believe anyone would care to argue that life on this earth will change dramatically immediately after the rapture. One of the biggest questions one might have is how will the governments of the world react to this event, especially in the area of enforcing peace in what will most assuredly be chaos?  It does not seem at all farfetched to think that Israel’s enemies would choose to attack while the world is distracted by the unexplainable disappearance of so many people in the blink of an eye, not to mention the removal of the restrainer of evil revealed in 2 Thessalonians 2:7.

When the Bible talks about government during the tribulation period, it tells us a couple of things. In Daniel 7 we see described a time when the world will be divided into 10 "kingdoms". The word for kingdom used here is "malkuw" which can be translated "realm" (of territory). So in essence Daniel is saying that during the tribulation the world will be divided into ten distinct regions or territories. In Revelation 13 we are told that during the tribulation, the coming world leader will amass so much power that all the nations (the ten territories) will give their allegiance to him, thus establishing a one world government. Looking at both of these prophecies makes one seriously question the possibility the entire world could even talk about a one world government, much less agree to it if the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation were simultaneous.

Another point to consider is that we are also told by Daniel that the tribulation begins with the enforcement of a peace treaty between Israel and its enemies.  That would certainly seem to indicate that a serious conflict had occurred which necessitated this peace agreement.  Most scholars agree that the Gog Magog War of Ezekiel 38,39 is this conflict, yet myself and others also feel that the events of Isaiah 17 are the excuse which the coalition of nations of Ezekiel use to justify their attempt to invade Israel.  Their defeat by God gives the antichrist the opportunity to enforce the covenant spoken of by Daniel.

These are just a few of the arguments we can make for a gap between the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation, but returning to the question of will the Church be here to see it, I believe the most likely scenario has the rapture occurring before these conflicts.  The simultaneous removal of the Church and the Holy Spirit, acting as the restrainer of evil in this world, in essence becomes the seminal event which produces the conditions which prompt the major conflicts of Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38,39 to take place.  Only time will tell us if this is, in fact, what will happen.

As you might imagine, many have questioned the events of this past week with the missile that was fired from Damascus somehow making it all the way to the vicinity of Dimona without being intercepted.  Surprising no one, the theme of the week was denial by everyone.  Syria said it was an errant missile, Israel said Dimona was certainly not the intended target, etc, etc. The point everyone seems to forget is that despite being the most heavily defended airspace in the world, the missile was able to fly all the way to the Negev, some 300 km, without being intercepted.

“The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid.”  Isaiah 17:2  NKJV

Isaiah tells us clearly that the attack by Israel’s enemies is successful.  As I see it, the events of this past week opened a window of opportunity for what we are told will happen to actually occur.  I am confident in saying that while in Israel they are deciding who will be blamed for this failure and how they might fix whatever went wrong, in Iran they are ecstatic over the knowledge that the possibility of a successful attack is much higher than they previously thought.  Yet along with that knowledge, I am sure Iran knows that the longer they wait, the window for success will surely close.

If my speculation today is correct, the obvious conclusion is that while the possibility of the events of Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38,39 seem to be clearly on the immediate horizon, so too is the rapture of the Church.   The next few weeks appear to hold the potential to be very exciting times indeed for those who study prophecy.

If you are reading this today and have never made the choice to accept the free gift of salvation made possible by the sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, I want to encourage you to do it today.  Simply pray a prayer like this;

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins.  I want to turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen." 

 If you make that choice, you have God’s promise that you will be delivered from this world in the rapture of all true believers, just as Noah and his family were when they entered the ark as God instructed them to do.

 

Keep watching.

 

For further information on the Gap Theory, I encourage you to read the following series by Pete Garcia.

 

https://www.rev310.net/post/tying-it-all-together-part-i

https://www.rev310.net/post/tying-it-all-together-part-ii-into-the-gap

https://www.rev310.net/post/tying-it-all-together-part-iii-in-the-midst

Strange Coincidence?

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/israel-awaits-details-of-explosions-sirens-after-possible-missile-attack-665965

Reciprocity

 

The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid.   Isaiah 17:1-2  NKJV

The news this past week of the attack upon Iran’s nuclear facility at Natanz, and the alleged involvement of Israel, has produced the expected speculation of how Iran will respond.  My thoughts on that subject are well known, especially if you have followed my writing for any length of time.  When it comes to past conflicts throughout history, it becomes evident that one tool seems to stand out as the one employed by many nations in their relations with others and it is called the principle of reciprocity, or simply put, responding in a similar or like manner.  If you apply that principle to the situation which exists between Iran and Israel right now, what would Iran choose to do?

That too, was a question I considered at length when I first began my studies of the Isaiah prophecy and the conclusion I came to was the result of searching for the location of the “cities of Aroer” mentioned in the passage above.  Although some might disagree, I believe it is a very strong possibility that, as you can see from the two maps above, what Isaiah may be telling us is that Israel responds to an attack by Syria, or Iran's proxies based there, on the nuclear research facility at Dimona.  While this is certainly speculation on my part, considering Israel's enemies have demonstrated the range of their missiles with the targeting of Beersheba in the past, I personally find it hard to believe it is coincidence that the location of Aroer and Dimona appear to be one in the same.

The area mentioned in the Isaiah 17 prophecy is described as "the cities of Aroer".  Unlike Damascus, Aroer no longer exists, so we are left to try to identify its location by studying past references, and looking for archeological evidence that might support a conclusion as to its whereabouts. Aroer is mentioned three times in the Bible, and all occur in the Old Testament.  Unfortunately for us, however, each describes a different location, so we are left to examine what the Bible says about each and see if we can decide which location Isaiah is attempting to describe.  The first mention of Aroer is found in the book of Deuteronomy where it says;

“From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the LORD our God delivered all to us.”   Deuteronomy 2:36  NKJV

This site has been identified as being on the northern bank of the Arnon ravine located in the modern country of Jordan, just east of the Dead Sea.  The second mention of Aroer we find is in the book of Joshua, where Moses is allotting land to the twelve tribes and describing their boundaries.  In this verse he describes;

“Their territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as Aroer, which is before Rabbah,”   Joshua 13:25 NKJV

Joshua describes Aroer as being "before Rabbah".  This city or any ruins of it have never been located, but by the description we know it would need to be situated be some twenty miles or so north of Jerusalem.  The final time Aroer is mentioned before Isaiah’s prophecy is in the book of Samuel, where we find it listed among a group of cities that David is sharing spoil with from his defeat of the Amalekites.  We find when we read that;

“those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa,”    1 Samuel 30:28  NKJV

This location has been identified as being in the Negev, twelve miles southeast of Beer-sheba.  We also see from reading this passage that it was one of many cities located in the same area which helped and supported David in his battle with the Amalekites.  Ruins of this city have been found, and you can even locate it on a map if your Bible has maps in the back.  Simply look for a map of Israel in the time of David, and you should be able to see Aroer located in the south of Israel, southwest of Beersheba. So we have three different locations to choose from, and no help from the Isaiah passage to identify which one he is referring to.  Is it possible to find a way to know for sure exactly which one of these locations is the one that Isaiah describes as being "forsaken"?

First of all, I think it may be logical to assume that Isaiah is referring to the location southeast of Beersheba for several reasons.  The first is that if you compare the dates that these three books were written, you find that the Samuel passage was written closest to the time of Isaiah, as opposed to the others which were written much earlier in Israel’s history.   Also, if you look closely at these three locations, you see one of them is in Jordan, not Israel.  Since Isaiah is describing a conflict between Syria and Israel, I think we can dismiss the Jordan location as a possibility. 

So we are left to choose between two locations, one which has never been positively located, and one which not only has been located, but may have some military significance as well.  If we look at a map of Israel during the time of the twelve tribes, we can easily see where Aroer is located.  Now compare that map with a map of Israel today and you may be surprised to find that a very significant complex has been constructed in the same approximate location of ancient Aroer, and that is the nuclear research facility known as Dimona.  Since Isaiah is describing a future conflict between Israel and Syria, obviously there must be a good reason that Israel chooses to completely destroy Damascus.  Is it possible that it is in response to an attack of some sort on Dimona?  

“The cities of Aroer are forsaken;”

The word "forsaken" in the Hebrew is "azab" which means "to depart, abandon, loose, relinquish, leave."  The first thing that crossed my mind when I read this was not what it does say, but what it doesn't say.  It doesn't say that Aroer is destroyed; only abandoned.  It also says “cities” which gives the impression of a very large area being affected. Does this scenario seem so farfetched considering a missile attack on Dimona might well produce a release of radiation which will require the evacuation of the surrounding countryside leaving nothing but animals to wander there?  As the world already has seen, we only need to look at the event which happened at Chernobyl in 1986 to see how this exact situation could occur.

Only time will tell if this is what Isaiah is telling us, but what we do know is that God has prophesied that Damascus “will cease from being a city”  as a result of this attack by Israel's enemies. The rapid escalation of Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons combined with Israel’s vow to never allow them to possess them makes it appear as if this scenario is on the immediate horizon.  Blaming Israel for the attack on their nuclear facility at Natanz could certainly be seen as a step by Iran towards using reciprocity as justification for an attack on Israel’s facility at Dimona. Of course, it follows that the question I get most often is will we, the Church, be here to see it?  I will address that question next week.

 

If the thought of what is to come makes you uneasy, however, understand that God has provided a way of escape for those who choose to believe that He sent His Son to die for our sins.  If you have never accepted that gift, I encourage you to do that today.  Simply confess to Jesus you are a sinner in need of salvation, and ask Him to forgive you of your sins.  Tell Him you believe that He died for your sins and that He has the power to give you eternal life because you believe.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.         1 John 1:9  NKJV

Keep watching.

Why Wait?

 

"The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."   Acts 1:1-3  NKJV

Why?  If you have ever raised children, or interacted in any way with a child, you have probably heard the question ”why”?  I know I have heard it all too many times, and have spent a forgettable amount of time trying to answer that question to the satisfaction of my children.  Curiosity, however, is not only normal but necessary in learning the answers to the many questions we have as we grow.  As believers, I would suggest that asking the question why is one of the best ways to learn about the Word, and all that it contains which the Father has chosen to teach us. 

As an example, I want to share with you a few of my personal “why” questions concerning the time Jesus spent here on earth following His resurrection.  The first, and probably most obvious one is why did He stay here at all?  Throughout scripture we are told that His mission on earth was to sacrifice Himself for our sins by dying on the cross, and then resurrecting Himself as proof of His power over death.  As that was accomplished on the third day, the first Easter Sunday, why didn’t He just appear to Mary and Martha, the disciples, and then go home?

As I thought about that, it seemed obvious at first that there had to be a reason yet as I studied it became rather perplexing in that the Bible tells us nothing about what He did during that time.  There were no public teachings, no more miracles performed, and He never went back to the temple.  All we are told is that He appeared to 500 people once, James once, and His disciples on four different occasions eventually telling them to wait in Jerusalem for the arrival of the Holy Spirit.  It was then that He left this earth and ascended into Heaven.

“And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”  Acts 1:7-9  NKJV

The more I thought about this, the conclusion I came to was simply that if there was nothing more for Him to do, Jesus was waiting for something to happen.  Of course, the easy answer was the appearance of the Holy Spirit but as we know, that occurred fifty days after the resurrection and Jesus left after forty days so there had to be another reason.  It was then that I considered the importance of the forty day period of time, and if it was important.  As many understand, forty is a significant number in scripture, most often referring to judgment, and the fact that Jesus chose to stay for forty days seems to be too much for coincidence. 

My conclusion as to why Jesus waited forty days, and what He might have been waiting for, lays in something He said during His ministry.

“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”  Matthew 12:39-41  NKJV

Now many of you will recognize this prophecy from Jesus and understand He was talking about His time in the tomb being three days and three nights just as Jonah was in the fish.  While that is most certainly true, notice that He also goes on to say something else by telling His listeners that Israel would be judged by the men of Nineveh because they were willing to repent while Israel was not.  If we go back to the account of Jonah and read what occurred, I believe we can see an interesting correlation to what Jesus did after His resurrection.

“And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.”  “ Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.”  Jonah 3:3-5, 10  NKJV

Jonah’s message to the people of Nineveh was that they had forty days to repent of their sins or face judgment from God.  They listened and repented, earning a reprieve from God and were spared from His judgment.  Since Jesus brought this up before His death and resurrection, it makes sense to me that just like Nineveh, God allowed a period of forty days for Israel to repent and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for their sins.  Unlike Nineveh, however, they refused to repent thus putting into motion their future judgment which will occur during the seven years of the tribulation.

Just as God waited for Israel to repent, He is also waiting for the world to repent and accept the free gift of salvation He has offered by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.  The difference is that He has chosen to wait more than two thousand years for His Church, the bride of Christ, to grow to the size that it has.  Yet we are also told there will come a time when God will tell His Son to come and get us and take us home, ending the waiting period until He unleashes His judgment on this earth.  While Jesus’ sacrifice was first offered to the nation of Israel, after their rejection it has now been offered to all of us if we will only accept it. Everyone is afforded a choice as to where they will spend eternity.  If your desire is to spend that eternity in Heaven with our Father, Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans exactly how to do that.

 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”    Romans 10:9-10  NKJV

 

I pray you have, or will, make the choice to accept the gift of eternal life offered to us all as a result of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Keep watching.