Is Spring the Season of the Rapture?

"For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!"  Song of Solomon 2:11-13  NKJV

 

Years ago I wrote this post concerning the spring season and the possibility we could anticipate our rapture during these months.  Spring has always been my favorite season, just  as it is with so many others as well.  It surely has something to do with seeing everything come back to life after a hard winter, and watching birds return and trees put forth their leaves, and my favorite, watching all the flowers come back up and bloom.   Many would agree what we as a world have been going through this past year could accurately be described as a "winter" of discontent.  So much has happened that many complain we are seeing new signs on an almost daily basis which point to the end of this age which the Bible tells so much about.  If you believe, as I do, that what we are seeing today are signs that we are approaching the possible time of our departure, it simply seemed a good idea to look at Solomon's thoughts from his book Song of Solomon. 

 

Did you look forward to your wedding?  Did you possibly get a little more impatient the closer you got to the actual date?  I think most of us have either participated in our own, or observed someone else in this position and understand the impatience and anticipation someone approaching their wedding day experiences.  This though, raises a question in my mind which I would like you to consider as well.  Since the Church is described as the bride of Christ, and the Word also tells us He is coming to take His bride home at a future date, do you think Jesus is experiencing those same feelings of anticipation and impatience that we do?

 

When is the last time you heard a sermon taught on the Songs of Solomon?  To be completely honest, I don't recall personally ever having heard one.  Which truthfully seems to be a shame because if you believe that all scripture is inspired by God, and all scripture is profitable for instruction, you are then left with the question as to why this book was included in the scripture and what is its message?  As Solomon wrote this song to a Shulamite woman who he had fallen in love with, it is in essence his love song to her as he is courting her with the intent of making her his bride.  You don't need to read very far at all to understand the depth of his love for her, and the anticipation he has for the day she will become his own.

 

Seen in this light, it appears to me that this song can easily be considered to be what Jesus is feeling as He looks forward to His wedding to His bride, the Church.  Although the Jews have always looked at this book as signifying God's love for the nation of Israel, and it easily could be, I can also certainly see Jesus' love for the Church and His anticipation for the coming wedding in it as well.  One of the many interesting things I found while reading this book was this description of his intended which Solomon gives us in chapter 4.

 

"You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you."  Song of Solomon 4:7  NKJV

 

The fact that he sees no spot in her immediately brought to mind the description of the Church Paul gives us in the book of Ephesians.

 

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."   Ephesians 5:25-27  NKJV

 

For many reasons, I can read this book and picture Jesus writing these words in anticipation of His future wedding with the Church.  Yet as long as we are going to talk about a future wedding, it would also seem appropriate to consider the possible timing of it, and see if Solomon gives us any clue as to when that might take place.  Notice his description in the passage from the second chapter, and everything that he says there.  It is obvious that Solomon is talking about the season of Spring, and all of the things that occur in Israel during that particular time.

 

"For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone."

 

Solomon tells us that the winter is past, as well as the early rains which normally fall in March and April.  It is these early rains which help start the growing season in Israel.

 

"The flowers appear on the earth;"

 

One of the things I, and many others appreciate most about spring is watching all of the flowers reappear after hiding under the snow for the winter.

 

"the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land"

 

Did you know that the turtledove is a migratory bird?  It normally leaves in the fall and returns to Israel in the spring. 

 

"The fig tree puts forth her green figs"

 

The fig tree normally produces its first crop in the spring, usually harvested in early June. 

 

"And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell"

 

The grapes are on the vine ripening in preparation for the coming harvest which normally occurs in July. 

 

The late Ray Stedman had this to say about this passage from Song of Solomon;

 

“There is the springtime of life. But it doesn't lie in the past. It lies in the future. One day this whole world will experience a springtime like that. The Lord Jesus Christ, returning at last to claim his waiting bride, will greet her in words very much like those. The springtime will come, the time of singing, the time when earth shall blossom again and the curse will be lifted and the flowers will appear on the earth. This is a picture of what can take place in the heart of one who falls in love with Jesus Christ and enters into springtime. The cold winter of loneliness, misery, and selfishness is past and the time of singing has come”. 

 

All things considered, I think it is safe to say that Solomon was anticipating a spring wedding just like many others have.  Spring has certainly proven over time to be the season of choice when it comes to weddings, and the wedding stories in the Bible are no exception.  Many believe the Church is rapidly approaching its own wedding in Heaven, and a close look at the state of this world certainly seems to support that belief.  One day, very soon it would appear, the Church will hear the groom call out for it to "come away" just as Solomon wrote in this passage.  It is my prayer that you have made the decision to accept the gift of eternal life offered by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sin, and that you are part of the body, the bride of Christ which will live with Him forever in the place He is preparing for us.

 

Keep watching.

Not If, But When

“For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon An assembly of great nations from the north country, And they shall array themselves against her; From there she shall be captured. Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior; None shall return in vain.”   Jeremiah 50:9  NKJV

 

Since the beginning of the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, speculation has run rampant about the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons.  To be sure, these questions are legitimate, especially considering the rhetoric coming from Russia itself and their threats to use them if they feel they are justified in doing so.  While the world waits to see what tomorrow brings, many believers have asked if the Bible has anything to say about the possibility of these types of weapons being used in regards to end time prophecy.  After much study, and speaking on this subject for many years, my conclusion on the use of these types of weapons is that it is not a question of if, but when.

 

While this may come as a surprise to some, what I will attempt to do today is simply share just a few of many passages in the Bible which I believe will shed some light on what the future holds.  The first question that I had when I started my study was simply how in the world would a prophet from the Old Testament describe the weaponry and technology from the twenty first century?  The truth is, he could only describe what he saw based on what he knew from the times he was living in.  If you keep that in mind, much of what we read can begin to make sense when applied to our current situation.

 

A perfect example of this is the passage above from the prophet Jeremiah.  Here we find a prophecy of the end times when Babylon will be judged and Israel restored.  The tools God uses to judge Babylon consist of an “assembly of great nations from the north”.  Since the setting is the end times, it seems logical we can assume Russia might be a large part of this alliance.  What is interesting here though, is that we are given a strange description of the weapons used rather than the men who use them. The following is an excerpt from some notes I have from Chuck Missler teaching on this passage many years ago.

 

“Smart weapons” are implied in Jeremiah 50:9, where: … their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.   The word “arrow” is chets, which can mean a dart, arrow, or javelin; or, “any missile fired from an engine of war.” In the Septuagint, the Greek boli.j can mean anything thrown: a missile, such as an arrow or javelin. Notice, however, that the adjective clause “as of a mighty expert man” is a descriptor of the arrow, not the shooter of the arrow. The key Hebrew word is  sakal, which means prudent, wise, circumspect; with insight and comprehension. It is the arrow itself that has the intelligence! This, indeed, is further emphasized in the final clause: “...none shall return in vain.” They can’t miss! Sounds like “smart weapons”-guided missiles or smart bombs. And this was written over two thousand years ago!

 

While this description of the delivery method is certainly intriguing, our question today is about the payload and if it could possibly be nuclear.  An interesting passage whose meaning has been debated for years is found in the book of Ezekiel and his prophecy of the coming conflict with the nation of Israel. Many believe, and I tend to agree, that what Ezekiel is trying to convey is a nuclear exchange between Magog and an unnamed country.

 

“And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.“   Ezekiel 39:6 NKJV

 

The term “send fire” in the Hebrew is “shaw-lakh’ aysh” and is used to describe judgment, and in the context of this verse it obviously comes from God.  Yet the first interesting thing about this passage is that it makes clear that the fire falls on two nations, not just Magog.  The debate has, for the most part, always surrounded the possible identification of the unnamed country being the United States considering that this conflict occurs in the end times, and that by using the term coastlands Ezekiel is describing a country unknown at that time and located at the farthest reaches of the world.

 

The most interesting part of this passage, however, comes next.

 

“It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. “For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. “Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gain renown for it on the day that I am glorified,” says the Lord GOD. “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search. “The search party will pass through the land; and when anyone sees a man’s bone, he shall set up a marker by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog.”   Ezekiel 39:12-15  NKJV

 

I probably am not alone in thinking this may be one of the strangest passages in scripture.  I often wonder if Ezekiel also thought these words didn’t make a lot of sense to him when he wrote them, trying to describe something he couldn’t possibly understand.  Look carefully with me as I try to explain what I believe we are being told here.  The first, and most important fact to consider, is that these events have yet to take place.  That means we must think in terms of the world’s current technology to understand what is being described.  “Fire” falls on Magog and his allies as they attempt to invade the nation of Israel.  In verse 4 of chapter 39 Ezekiel tells us that “all” of the troops will fall implying none will survive the fire that falls, which obviously makes one wonder exactly what is this fire?

 

The next clue is the statement that the dead will be given their own special burial place rather than being buried where they fell.  This place will be so large as to “obstruct travelers” implying a detour around the valley.  It will take seven months just to gather the dead and bury them in this valley but even more interesting is what comes after.  Israel will employ a special force of men whose job is solely to search for remains.  Even stranger is the fact that when they find bones or remains they do not touch them but set a marker by them so that other specialized “buriers” can collect and bury them.

 

Many believe what Ezekiel is trying to describe here is the cleanup in the aftermath of a nuclear weapon being used on the battlefield.  While some might disagree, I think it is more than just coincidence that the procedures Ezekiel describes here are almost identical to the standard operation of collection and disposal of nuclear or biological contaminated remains on the battlefield as laid out by the US Army in their Operator’s Manual for Marking Set Contamination: Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC).

 

Still not convinced?  Consider then another prophecy given by another Old Testament prophet, Zechariah, and ask yourself just what he may be trying to describe.

 

“And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.”   Zechariah 14:12  NKJV

 

What must Zechariah thought when God gave him this vision and told him to write what he saw.  What possible explanation could he have had for watching people die in this manner?  The Hebrew word translated dissolve here is “maqaq” which literally means to melt.  In other words, Zechariah watched people melt away and dissolve while standing on their own two feet.  Again, considering that this prophecy is yet future, I can only come up with one possible explanation for what could cause this to happen. 

 

Returning to our question of does the Bible predict the use of nuclear weapons, I believe there is really no other explanation for the passages we looked at today.  One more thing to consider is this passage from Matthew where Jesus is talking to the disciples about the tribulation.

 

“And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”   Matthew 24:22  NKJV

 

Most scholars agree that what Jesus is referring to is that unless the tribulation was “shortened” to seven years, mankind would eventually kill itself off.  That scenario is not too farfetched if one considers the number of nuclear weapons which exist today and what the effect would be if enough of them were used.  Is it really possible nuclear weapons will be used at some future point in time?  My conclusion is not if, but when.

If you have never taken the step of making a decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and allow His forgiveness and sacrifice to grant you eternal life in Heaven with Him and to deliver you from this time that is coming I encourage you to do it today.  All you need to do is ask Him for forgiveness, believe that His Son Jesus Christ died for your sins, and invite Him to come into your life.  The result will be that you will join the rest of Christ’s bride, the Church, when Jesus returns in the air to take us home.

Keep watching.

The First Day of the Week

"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. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him." Matthew 28:1-9 NKJV

Rejoice indeed. Because of the resurrection, we all have the opportunity to share in His power over death. It is a gift, freely given to anyone who chooses to believe. Have you ever considered the fact that as a believer in Christ, you are immortal? Death has no hold over us for we have the promise of eternal life, and to prove it, Jesus rose from the dead to show us He alone has the power. 

"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 
John 11:25-26 NKJV

Do you believe?  This is the most important question that anyone will ever be asked.  If you can answer yes, your place in eternity in the presence of our Lord and Savior is guaranteed.   We can know this because God has promised us that all who believe will have eternal life.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 NKJV

"And it shall come to pass [That] whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved."  Acts 2:21 NKJV

"And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." Acts 16:30-31 NKJV

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9 NKJV

My prayer is that if you have never made the decision to believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for you, you would decide to do it today. Invite Jesus to come into your life and forgive your sins, and begin to experience the joy that comes from having a relationship with a living God, and the knowledge that He has promised us eternal life with Him in Heaven if we only believe.

Have you made the decision in your own life to know the power of His resurrection? If not, you can right now by praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered you by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

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

He lives!

Keep watching.

More Passover Thoughts

 

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”       Matthew 26:26-29  NKJV

 

In my post last week I briefly mentioned something which occurred during the Passion Week before Jesus was betrayed and crucified. I was always the child who asked “why” and this is a perfect example of doing that as I studied this passage many years ago. So today I thought I would elaborate concerning something often overlooked about the Passover dinner Jesus shared with His disciples.  Specifically, something Jesus said, and did, which differed from the norm of the Passover Seder that most people would not be aware of if not Jewish or knowledgeable about the rules regarding it.

 

First of all, in Israel this event is called the Pesach Seder.  Pesach is the Hebrew word for Passover, and Seder is derived from the Hebrew word for order.  The dinner is an intricate part of the Passover celebration in which the memory of the deliverance of the children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt is recalled.

 

‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. ‘Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. ‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.      Exodus 12:12-14  NKJV

 

In the traditional Seder, there are fifteen steps, or observances which each signify and relate to the deliverance on that first Passover in Egypt.  I am not going to examine all of these today but will encourage you to do that on your own to better understand why this is such an important event.  What I am going to discuss today is four of those fifteen steps which I will call the Four Cups of Wine.  This is because during the entire Seder, there are four instances where the participants drink a cup of wine in remembrance of the promises God made to them when they were still in bondage in Egypt.

 

“Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. ‘I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ‘And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’ ”             Exodus 6:6-8  NKJV

 

The four cups of wine are taken to recall the four promises made in this passage which are referred to as the “four I wills”.  The first cup is called the cup of Sanctification…”I will bring you out from under the the burdens of the Egyptians”.  The second is called the cup of Blessing…” I will rescue you from their bondage”.  The third is the cup of Redemtion…” I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”, and the fourth cup is the cup of Acceptance…”‘I will take you as My people, and I will be your God.”

 

In the passage from Matthew 26, according to many scholars it is believed that when Jesus said “Drink from it, all of you. “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” during the Seder with His disciples, He was referring to the 3^rd cup of the Passover, the Cup of Redemption.  Jesus was saying that by His shed blood we can be redeemed from our bondage to sin just as the Israelites were redeemed from their bondage in Egypt.  He then went on to say, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”    

 

Why?  In essence Jesus said He would not drink the Fourth Cup, the Cup of Acceptance, until He could do so with those who have chosen to believe in Him when we are together with Him in Heaven.  Since this will occur after the rapture of the Church, is Jesus somehow giving us a clue as to when the season of the rapture might happen?  Additionally, the fourteenth step in the order of the Seder is the recital of the Hallel, traditionally recited on festivals, followed by drinking the fourth cup of wine.  The Hallel is Psalms 113-118, with chapters 113-114 recited before the meal and chapters 115-118 recited now.  Take a closer look if you will at what we find in the last chapter;

 

Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD, Through which the righteous shall enter. I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.               Psalms 118:19-23  NKJV

 

According to the Mishnah, a collection of Jewish oral laws and traditions, Jesus is waiting for the marriage feast before He drinks from this cup.  (Mishnah, Pesahim 7:13)  Since we know that the marriage feast takes place after the rapture, is it possible that Jesus’ statement to His disciples about waiting to drink the Fourth Cup of Passover is actually His way of telling us that we will drink this cup with Him on a future Feast of Passover?

 

As I mentioned last week, many are focused on the next two weeks as it would appear we have arrived at the point in time where exactly two thousand years ago the events we will celebrate actually occurred. If we consider the fact that this was when Jesus was rejected as the Messiah ending the sixty-ninth week of Daniel, is it possible there might be an even better reason to be excited about what could occur in the next couple of weeks?  As Passover approaches, and in consideration of what Jesus said, I think it a distinct possibility it’s an especially appropriate time for us to be watching. 

 

If you have never made the decision to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for you by dying on the cross for your sins, there is no better time than right now to do so.  Simply pray to the Father and ask Him to forgive you for your sins and tell Him you believe that Jesus died for you.  Accept the gift of salvation He has offered you and you too will drink of the cup of acceptance along with Jesus on that future day when He will invite all of His believers to join Him in drinking the Fourth Cup of Passover.

 

Keep watching.