“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28. NKJV
I am on vacation this weekend but wanted to share a very good article with you from Pete Garcia of rev310.net. Now more than ever I believe we are living in the time Jesus was referring to in this passage where He warns us to lift our heads and be looking up.
https://www.rev310.net/post/prophetic-synchronicity
Keep watching.
"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. "So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors! "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. "It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— "lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"
Mark 13:28-37 NKJV
I find it surprising when so many ask me why I choose to study and teach on prophecy when there are so many portions of scripture like this one from Mark that make it clear what Jesus expects from us. I try to explain to those who ask the question that this is not merely a suggestion from God, but a command repeated over and over again. As such, I try to get the point across that if God commands us to watch, it is because He intends to show us signs that we will recognize as harbingers of the end of this age. One of the points I have often contemplated concerning this passage is if it is possible God is giving us a clue as to when the rapture would occur when He chooses to use the season of summer as an illustrative tool.
“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
If you recall, we talked of this verse last week, and the possibility it gives us a clue as to the season of the rapture. Today I would like to share another one for you to consider.
"The harvest is
past, The summer is ended, And we are not saved!"
Jeremiah 8:20 NKJV
Both of these passages are laments of the nation of Israel regarding their prophetic future. I believe for many reasons that the summer season is the most dangerous time for the Jewish people, both in the past historically and as well as in the future prophetically.
The term “dog days of summer” is familiar to most, yet many are probably not aware of what it means or of its origin. Actually, the answer to that question is hazy and debatable, while some believe it may date back as far as the Roman Empire. As to what it might mean, let me make a suggestion based solely on my own observations and educational experiences. Like many people, at one time I had a dog who was as friendly as the day was long. I also, though, live in a part of the country which experiences summers which tend to occasionally receive triple digit heat late in the season. Just like people, I used to notice my dog got a little testy during these days of excessive heat, exhibiting a marked lack of patience and a tendency to growl and lash out when disturbed.
As I considered that, I also was reminded of something I realized back in the day when I was a history major in college. Do you know the vast majority of conflicts in the history of the world have started during the summer months? What is my point? I can’t help but wonder if the conflict that God reveals in His Word concerning the future of Israel and the world, taken along with His command to watch with a reference to the season of summer, should be a major clue to those of us who choose to obey the command to watch? Could it be that summer is the season that all the events we are told to watch for will converge and produce the conflict we are told so much about?
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to [those who are] bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
Isaiah 61:1-2 NKJV
While many are familiar with the seven Feasts of Israel, which were celebrations appointed by God and revealed to Moses during the Exodus, not as many are familiar with the Fasts of Mourning which are days which commemorate a tragic event or events that have occurred in Israel's history. While these days of remembrance were not instituted by God, He does mention them when He reveals to the prophet Zechariah that the time will come when they will be turned into days of celebration after the tribulation ends and the Messiah begins His reign on the earth.
"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth [month], The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.'
Zechariah 8:19 NKJV
The seventeenth of Tammuz, which is the first fast day, or the fast of the fourth month referred to by Zechariah in the passage above, is going to arrive next month. This day begins a period of three weeks of national mourning in Israel that lead up to Tisha B' Av, or the ninth of Av which is the fast of the fifth month. When discussing this first fast day in his book “Armageddon: Appointment With Destiny”, the late Grant Jeffrey says that the events which have occurred on the seventeenth of Tammuz serve to show the nation of Israel that God's favor had been withdrawn from them because of their sin as a nation. It also served as a sign that God's judgment was soon to follow, which throughout history has certainly occurred on the ninth of Av.
I have always believed that if God goes to the trouble of telling us a specific day or time that something has happened, there is probably a very good reason for it. The first passage we looked at this morning comes from the book of Isaiah, and is noteworthy because it was also quoted by Jesus during His ministry here on earth. If you look in the fourth chapter of Luke you find this account;
“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:”
Luke 4:16-17 NKJV
Jesus then reads the passage from Isaiah 61 but does an interesting thing; He stops reading in the middle of verse two where it begins to talk about the day of vengeance. Then Jesus explains to the people;
“And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Luke 4:21 NKJV
Almost every commentator I have read agrees that this is because the day of vengeance that Jesus does not talk about is the future tribulation period that will come upon Israel because of their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. It is during this time of tribulation that the rest of verse two comes into play because what it describes is that period of time which the passage from Isaiah calls “the day of vengeance of our God“. If you are at all familiar with the events described in the book of Revelation concerning this coming time of judgment you might think that there will be plenty of reasons to mourn, yet the Bible makes it clear that God intends for the world and the nation of Israel to know the real reason to mourn;
"Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:30 NKJV
"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for [his] only [son], and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Zechariah 12:10 NKJV
We as believers understand that the next time Jesus returns will be the rapture when He comes in the clouds to take His bride the Church, made up of all who believe in Him, back to Heaven. Now if this were to occur in the month of Av, you would think that this would be a cause for celebration and not a time to mourn, yet the thought that immediately crossed my mind when I read this was one which applies to everyone and not just Israel. You see, while it will be a time of celebration for those who go, don't you think it will be a reason to mourn for those who don't? Of all the events which have occurred throughout history during the three weeks of mourning in Israel, they would all pale in comparison to being left behind when the rapture happens.
The summer solstice, the beginning of summer, arrives this Monday/Tuesday. Considering all that is happening in the world right now, not to mention the fact that we have just entered the period of time where God has historically demonstrated His displeasure with His children’s disobedience, I would certainly conclude this is an especially important season to be watching. Will the summer of 2022 be the time of rekoning for the nation of Israel? Many believe that this will prove to be the case, and it would certainly appear that the passages we have looked at today point to the summer season with foreboding. As such, I think it seems even more important than ever for all of us to consider our eternal destiny and make sure we know we will accompany our Lord when He returns for His bride.
If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do it right now. Simply admit to God that you need His forgiveness because you are a sinner, be willing to turn away from your sins, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and invite Him to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit by praying a simple prayer like this;
Jesus I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”
John 1:12 NKJV
Keep watching.
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/3523774-israel-and-iran-five-minutes-to-armageddon/
“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
I believe the Bible makes it clear that the rapture of the Church could happen at any time. That does not mean, however, that there might not be a clue in the Word as to the season in which it might occur. For quite a few years I have felt that this passage from Micah suggests that at the time of the first ripe grape harvest in Israel, usually at the beginning of summer, all of the faithful men of the earth have suddenly disappeared by virtue of the rapture of the Church. Considering that the Holy Spirit was given to the Church to indwell her on the first Pentecost, the belief of many is that this feast day would seem to be a perfect time for the Spirit to also be taken.
There is a saying popular with many teachers of the Bible today which I find not only very true, but also extremely helpful in understanding both the Old and New Testaments. You are probably familiar with it but even so I will repeat it here; “the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed”. I am continually amazed as I study the scriptures to find how much of the New Testament is actually hidden in plain sight in the Old Testament, and this passage from Micah is a perfect example. One meaning of the Hebrew word translated “perished” in the NKJV means “to vanish”. From the teachings of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament, I am convinced that what Micah is describing is the rapture of the Church, and the state of the earth after all believers have been taken.
I should make the point here that I am a firm believer in the doctrine of imminency, yet I have often wondered just what this world would look like when the restrainer, the Holy Spirit, is removed from the earth at the rapture. I believe this passage from Micah tells us exactly what will happen. Most of us are familiar with the observation of the philosopher Edmund Burke when he said “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”. Well, what happens when, according to this passage, there are no faithful men? Every man is against his own brother, and evil is rampant on the earth. This certainly appears to be all that is necessary to create the “perfect storm” of evil. God simply removes His Church along with the Holy Spirit and there is nothing left to fight against Satan and his forces.
Since history has shown that Satan’s priority is the destruction of Israel, what do you think he tries to do first? Is it possible this passage from Micah refers to the rapture of the Church? I think it certainly may well do that, considering the description it gives as to what the world looks like with the absence of the faithful. Without the Holy Spirit present on earth in the body of the true Church, the evil that is presently being “restrained” will manifest itself in a fury this world has never seen, most assuredly in the direction of the nation of Israel. This evil, however, will not appear out of nowhere and I believe what we are witnessing today is somewhat like the filling up of a lake behind a dam until the point is reached where the dam will fail and a flood consume all that is before it.
Although some might disagree, there is considerable scholarship which supports the premise that the future tribulation period begins on the Jewish holiday of the Feast of Trumpets. Those who hold the pre-tribulational position of the rapture of the Church look to this day as the time of our deliverance, and this has been taught for many years. Yet although this would obviously be the point in time where the Church would by necessity have to be taken, there are many who have suggested over the years that there is no reason that there couldn’t be a period of time between the rapture and the beginning of the seven years of tribulation.
I believe a close study of the events that the Bible tells us lead up to the “peace” that the coming man of sin brokers between Israel and its enemies supports the idea that there are some very serious conflicts which take place first. The majority of scholars I have studied believe that the attempted invasion of Israel outlined in Ezekiel 38, 39 and the deliverance by the direct intervention of God is the event which allows this peace agreement, and the tribulation, to begin. Considering this, my question for years has been, “what is holding back Israel’s enemies right now”? If your answer is the restrainer, then it follows He has to be removed before this attack can go forward.
If we accept that there might be a period of time between the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation, it is reasonable to consider the possibility of a summer rapture when the most likely day for an attack of this nature is on Israel’s national day of mourning. That day is Tisha B’ Av, or the ninth of Av on the Jewish calendar. This day normally occurs in the middle of the summer and this year it will begin at sunset on the evening of August 6th. This day is unique in Israel as the day that many national tragedies have occurred throughout their history. It seems reasonable considering this history that an attack of the type revealed in prophecy which is still to come would most likely occur on this date.
While we might look at the world right now and consider much to be truly evil, it holds no candle to what it will look like when the Church, along with the Holy Spirit is removed at the rapture. The restrainer is right now holding back Satan’s full fury and the evil that he has planned for this world, but according to the Word of God it won’t last forever. The Church will be taken and be spared from having to endure the evil which will come upon mankind and the most important question which needs to be asked is are you part of the body of believers which make up the Church?
If not, you can do that right now and receive the guarantee that you will spend eternity with the Father in Heaven, and escape the evil which is to come. Simply pray a prayer like this; Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and 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.
Keep watching.