A Compelling Date to Watch

I was doing some research on Israel’s Anniversaries and came across something that may be of significance. Now, before I go any further, please understand that I am NOT predicting ANYTHING… I am merely pointing out an interesting bit of research that I think is significant enough to share for your consideration.

Okay, here goes…

We know that Israel’s Independence Day by the Hebrew calendar correlates to our Gregorian calendar of May 9th – May 10th. Well, I was wondering when the anniversary was for their 6 Day War… This took more time to research than you can imagine but the results are quite interesting in this year of 2011.

What I found was that Israel’s 6 Day War Anniversary for 2011 is on June 3rd – June 4th (as they consider a day from sunset the day before to sunset of the calendar day, just as the Bible states).

Well here is the interesting thing to consider… Ascension Day, when the Lord Jesus went to Heaven as the disciples looked on and were told by the angle that He would return in the same way) lands this year on June 2nd – June 3rd.

So, in a way… they could be considered the same day as Israel considers days being that IF it were the rapture day… I did say IF!

That could mean that the Church’s ascension COULD BE in the morning of June 3rd and the 6 Day War anniversary be the same Gregorian calendar day of June 3rd but after sunset.

Remember that I am NOT predicting ANYTHING… I am just pointing out an interesting fact that could or may not be anything at this point. I just wanted to share this with you for your consideration.

Another point to ponder is that some believe Ascension Day to also be the separation of the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. This may be significant to those who believe the Church is the first fruits of the barley harvest and the 144,000 being the wheat harvest.

Again, this is just for you to ponder and consider… I am NOT predicting ANYTHING.

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Possible Prophetic Implications for May 2011

I was doing a study of my own while I came across a video one of my good friends posted a few days ago that goes along with some of my findings in a very powerful way. I will first post the video and then my very quick study below that.

Here is my quick study:

In May we begin the 2nd month on the Hebrew calendar which is also the same month that Noah entered the ark, the month of Iyyar.

Genesis 7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Genesis 7:9-11 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

May 13th is the 10th day of the 2nd month which is from sunset May 12th to sunset May 13th. Seven days later is May 20th which is sunset May 19th to sunset May 20th.

It makes for a good watch date, especially since it is right before the May 15th day that the Muslims will be protesting in Israel that may cause the Damascus war.

An additional thought is that the planets that align for the Bethlehem star are May 11th to May 12th.

New Moon and Aviv Barley 2011

The barley was seen Aviv on March 31, 2011 in the Jordan Valley: Source

The New Moon was sighted today, April 4th in Israel, which means that April 4/5th is Nisan 1 – the first Biblical month of the Year. This officially puts Passover to begin at sunset Israel time, April 18th. Source

This means that the Lord’s Passover is Nisan 14th (April 18 sunset to April 19 sunset), Unleavened Bread begins on Nisan 15 (April 19 sunset to April 20 sunset) and continues for 7 days (including day 1). The Feast of First Fruits is on April 24 sunset to April 25 sunset and that then begins the Omer count to Pentecost which will be on June 12th. Leviticus 23

Exciting days ahead, keep looking UP!

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Current Insights with Hal Lindsey and Chuck Smith

Here is an interview with Hal Lindsey and Chuck Smith on His Channel regarding current issues and Bible prophecy. This video is very encouraging so I wanted to share it here with you. I have included links at the top of each video in case the video isn’t working or doesn’t show up.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Mark Biltz Responds To Criticism

With all of the controversy from the video I have posted, I would like to share an excerpt from Mark Biltz website:

For my previous posts please visit: Jewish Feasts of the Lord also Feasts of the Lord Part II and for the combined version… Jewish Feasts and Holy Days

Stipulating Eclipse Comments
By Pastor Mark Biltz

“[…] Remember when Messiah said the gates of hell will not prevail against the church! Gates
are a defensive piece of armory, not offensive! The church has been terrified of being
attacked by gates?! The truth here is that the gates are trying to keep people in captivity
and the church is supposed to storm the gates of hell and rescue the people held cap-
tive! The truth is that Satan and his minions are terrified of us! It’s time to storm them
and that’s my heart. Be Blessed!

I hope you enjoyed listening to the song above and now watch the video. May you
be inspired to join me as we Wake, Watch and go to Work! Pass this on to other
Warriors! We need to quit squabbling over the dating of the rapture and unite to the
Work! Keep this going, time is short, and the battle is near!”

There is a lot more that he said, but I would like for you to visit his site to see for yourself. The excerpt that I am sharing here is one that we should all be able to relate to in the Church. There should be no controversy with this. I found his words very insightful and inspiring and I hope that you will as well. Please do give it a read and if you have any questions about what he teaches, please ask him. Pastor Mark Biltz is the perfect source to find out what he, himself, means with what he states.

In this content that he has written, it also states his clarifications of what others may be misunderstanding about the controversial video interview he had with Prophecy In The News. For your researching desires, this is a great place to start.

This video has caused quite a stir amongst those in the church and those leering in for multiple reasons. For some, it has been an encouraging wake up call, for others, it has been an alarming siren that they just want to silence. It reminds me of the comparison of Jesus being the corner stone and a stumbling block.

If you have not seen the video, please check it out:

Part I      Part II    

The Feast of Pentecost and The Rapture of the Church

Could the rapture of the church happen on Pentecost?

This first part (regarding 2009) I have added to my “Rapture Theories” page, located in a tab above:

One point that I would like to point out first that I did not cover in my Pentecost Rapture post originally is that most Christians believe that Christ Jesus will need to fulfill all of the feasts of the Lord. We all know that He has already fulfilled the first 3 and have ideas on how He will fulfill the last ones in the fall… however, many believe that Pentecost has been fulfilled by Him and yet, that is NOT the case. Pentecost for the Church was done by the Holy Spirit, not Jesus. Therefore, Jesus still needs to fulfill it. This is where the Rapture (which is the next event on the prophetic time table) comes in.

Just a note… I have noticed that there is some confusion as to when Pentecost is this year (2009). Some are saying that it is on Friday, May 29, 2009. It is actually on Sunday, May 31, 2009 (though it begins at sundown on May 30th to sunset May 31st). You can see this in Leviticus 23: 15-16 . Pentecost is always the day after the Sabbath. The Sabbath is always on Saturday and the day after that is always a Sunday.

The following quote was added for 2008:

First of all, the true biblical holiday of Pentecost is NOT this weekend (May 17-18). Christians who are celebrating Pentecost on this weekend are basing their judgment on Easter, which they believe represents the Passover… this is not true. Easter was celebrated a month before Passover this year based on the Gregorian calendar not the Hebrew calendar. The true Passover was on April 20th not March 23rd. Therefore, Pentecost is actually June 8th. [*edit by author* Thanks to a wonderful reader, Donna, she pointed out that Pentecost in 2008 is actually June 15th. I went back to research this information and found that she is correct. I began my counting from the Sabbath between Passover and First Fruits, but I was suppose to count from the following Sabbath. This takes us to June 15, 2008, which is a Sunday. I deeply appologize for the inacuracy, but I gratefully thank Donna for the correction.]

Now here is where it may get a little confusing to some… If we base our dates and times according to Jerusalem, since that is how God did it, then this would cause us to begin our celebration on June 7th. According to the Bible, the beginning of a day is at sunset on the previous day. So, June 8th would actually begin at sunset on June 8th and go until sunset on June 8th. Well, if you live in CST in the United States (we are currently 8 hours behind Jerusalem) that would be around 10:00 am ‘ish our time. CLICK HERE to calculate the sunset times for these dates. CLICK HERE to see what time it will be in your area. You also need to keep in mind that the Biblical Sabbath is actually on Saturday not Sunday as the pagans celebrate.

Now that we have that covered, lets take a look at a few things about Pentecost and the rapture, taking place on Pentecost…

A Specific Time vs. A Specific Number of Believers

Regarding Romans 11:25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness inpart is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.”

Some base their belief that no one knows the day or the hour because you cannot know how many will be included into the church, therefore, you cannot determine when the rapture/resurrection will occur.

Okay, I agree that there is a definite number of those who will be saved by grace before the tribulation, however, I would not limit God to say that He couldn’t calculate this to fit perfectly with a specific date… The Lord God is one of perfect accuracy; the Bible says that God knows the day and the hour in which the rapture/resurrection will occur.

Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, My Father only.”

Now, we must keep the ‘lack of information’ towards man in the proper context here. In this chapter, Jesus is speaking to the Jewish people who will be here during the tribulation, not the Church. The point I am trying to make with this verse is that the Father already knows when it is all going to happen. For more clarification on my previous sentence, please read: Amos 3:7

The Bible also states that the festivals are a shadow of things to come, which means that they each have a prophetic fulfillment.

Colossians 2:16-17 “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come;…”

Some may say that these holy days are fulfilled “for the Jewish people…” Well, the Church began on Pentecost and it includes the Gentiles… not just the Jewish people. A good way to look at it is that Pentecost could be the parentheses around the Church age between Daniel’s 69th week and the 70th week.

Lets continue to look at God, as a God of specifics (this character trait is what allows us to put our trust in His Word and the accuracy of His Word). If we were to compare the rapture/resurrection of the Church to a nautical picture, as some may, based on Romans 11:25, then we must look at it from more of a military image rather than one of a random traveler. We are soldiers in Christ, which is why we are called to put on the full armor of God:

Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

A military ship, though sailors may get drunk on their leaves, will leave at precisely the right time and if you aren’t ready when the time comes… you would get left and charged with an AWOL. Kind of sounds like the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, don’t you think? Matthew 25

Pentecost Beginnings

Pentecost is celebrated on the 6th of Sivan, which is 50 days after the Passover Sabbath (First Fruits). This holy day is sandwiched between the three holy days in the spring (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits) and the three holy days in the fall (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot “Tabernacles”). Its true Hebrew name is Shavuot. We get the name Pentecost from the Greeks, which means 50 because of the 50 days we count from the Passover Sabbath.

Leviticus 23:10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest:

Leviticus 23:15-16 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete:

Pentecost Reference Names

The Feast of Weeks (because of the counting of weeks between Passover to Pentecost)
First Fruits of the Wheat Harvest (because this is when the wheat harvest is gathered)
Feast of Ingathering (because this is when the harvest is gathered unto the high priest)

Pentecost History

1. According to Jewish tradition based in the book of Enoch, Enoch was born and raptured to heaven on the holy day Pentecost. CLICK HERE for the book of Enoch. Genesis 5:21-24 Enoch is viewed as a type of the Church whereas, we too will be spared from the tribulation period as he was from the flood. Many scholars refer back to Jesus stating in Matthew 24:37 that His coming would be as in the days of Noah.

With this assumption, then the world (nations) would be destroyed (judged) by His wrath, a remnant of Israel (Noah) would be spared through His wrath and the Church (Enoch) would be removed before His wrath. I believe that the beginning of God’s wrath starts with the first seal in Revelation 6, but that is a topic to be covered later.

So, if this is the case and Enoch was raptured on his birthday… then the conclusion could be made that the Church might also be raptured on it’s birthday – Pentecost, for we are sealed for the day of redemption Ephesians 4:30.

2. The Torah was given to the Jewish people as a covenant between them and the Lord God on Mount Sinai. Exodus 19

3. The Holy Spirit filled the Church and sealed them for the day of redemption. Acts 2 and Ephesians 4:30

Pentecost Practices

Exodus 23:16 And the Feast of Harvest, the First Fruits of thy labors, which thou hast sown in the field: and the Feast of Ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labors out of the field.

Exodus 34:22 And thou shalt observe the Feast of Weeks, of the First Fruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at year’s end.

Leviticus 23:17 “Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord.”

We may assume that these two loaves of leavened bread, which are also called the “first fruits” to the Lord, are the Church (1=Jewish believers, 2=Gentile believers). We are called the First Fruits unto the Lord. The leaven represents sin and giving it in a wave offering is a way of sanctifying it before the Lord as He did with us through Christ the Messiah. A good point to make here as well, is that this is the ONLY feast where leaven is used and so it can be viewed that this is the only feast directly dealing with the Church.

James 1:18 “Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

The book of Ruth is read. The book of Ruth, has been compared to, the story of the Church, our relationship to Israel and the Lord by many scholars. I would like to quote Jack Kelly now on his take regarding this:

Naomi in the role of Israel, destitute and alone; Ruth as the Church, the gentile bride; Boaz as the Kinsman Redeemer (Messiah) and the story a prediction of the relationship between the three of them. On His way to redeeming Israel, the Kinsman Redeemer takes a gentile bride, saving both from destitution.

Pentecost Future

Exodus 19:13 “…when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.”

Acts 2:1 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”

Matthew 13:30 “Let both [wheat and tares] grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into My barn.”

Pentecost Summary

In summation, Pentecost is a very good possibility for the rapture/resurrection of the Church. One more idea I would like to share regarding whether we will be aware of it right before or not… If we use Enoch as an example, then according to the book of Enoch, he was told the day of his rapture that it was time to go. If memory serves me correctly, he was told a year before that he had a year left to get his house in order.

Anyway, Enoch is a “Lost Book of the Bible”, so its infallibility is in some question whether it has been preserved completely or not. The canonized Bible that we use today makes reference to the book (teachings) of Enoch, so researching it with discernment could prove beneficial. Jude 1:14-15

Either way, whether it happens on Pentecost or not, we will keep looking up… watching and preparing while sharing the Word of God with others until we cannot work in the harvest fields any longer because our Beloved has called us home.

Click here for Part II

NEW: Please also see my recent post here: Pentecost 2010 and the Prophetic Beyond

Feasts of the Lord Part II

This video has captured the world over in the last week. It is a must see and I have posted both parts…

Prophecy In The News has posted Part II of their interview with Mark Biltz, which can be seen HERE. If you have not seen Part I, you can see that HERE. This video is the second part, which shows the corrolation between the solar and lunar eclipses falling on Jewish Feasts of the Lord. The significant point, is that they fall on 4 consecutive feasts one time for the next century and that falls in the years 2014-2015. This is also what is called a Sabatical Year. For more of an indepth background study, please go to this link.

The general idea is that according to Bible prophecy, the sun will be as sackcloth (darkened) and the moon will be as blood (reddened) right before the coming of the Lord (second coming). This is going to happen 7 years from now. The great tribulation lasts for 7 years, which begins with the confirmation of a covenant with Israel. At the moment, President Bush and others are fervently trying to bring this to pass, however, the one who actually confirms this covenant (of death according to the book of Daniel) will be the Anti-Christ.

For those of us who believe in a Pre-Tribulation rapture of the church, when the true believers in Christ will be raised up to heaven for the wedding supper of the Lamb, this means that it is coming this year… if all of this truly is part of the signs in the heavens that the Bible talks about. The excitement of the church is uncomprehensable, yet the horror of what is coming for those who do not believe in the Lord, Jesus… it is unimaginable.

Concerned

There are a lot of people who are looking at this war between Israel and all the other nations in the wrong way as well as other situations in life.  I am noticing many who are fellow believers getting ‘caught up’ with the cares and concerns of this life.  I do agree that we are to pray for the peace of Israel, knowing of course, that true peace will only come when our Lord and Savior, Jesus sets up His kingdom here on earth. 

 

First, we must all realize that ‘we’ cannot establish the Lord’s kingdom on earth, only the Lord Himself can and will accomplish this, but not until we go in the rapture of the church and the anti-christ reigns his false government on earth (probably convincing everyone that it is the true kingdom of God).

 

Secondly, we must realize that what all God has said (preordained) will happen – WILL HAPPEN, regardless of what control we think we may have.  God has allowed us as humans to influence His decisions in some ways, but not against HIS already written Word.

 

To know what is coming for Israel and all the other nations who are coming against her; all you have to do is to read books such as…

 

Isaiah

Ezekiel

Amos

Obadiah

Daniel

Revelation

 

These are just some to say a few.  What God has written in His Word, is going to happen and it is going to happen soon and quickly.  So, recognizing this fact and that we are to always pray according to the will of God, which is the Word of God, we should not waste our energies on praying against the things the Lord has already told us will and must first and soon take place before His return.

 

I think that a better place to focus our energies is to pray for the souls who are left, that they will accept the True Gospel and be saved before it is too late.  Also to pray for the safety and courage of those who are all around the world preaching the true gospel of Christ, even against persecution of those who are in the ‘church’.

 

The time is short and getting shorter by the minute.  Now is not the time to sit back and be complacent.  The day is soon coming to an end and none of us will be able to work anymore.  Now is the time to pick up yourself, stand firm in the truth of God’s Word and proclaim it boldly to all those we come into contact with – no matter the consequences.  Whether we want to recognize it or not, we will be held accountable for the blood of all those whom we choose, for whatever reason, to not share the truth with.  We cannot change their fate ourselves, but we can be a witness so they are left without excuse and you have then given God the glory by allowing Him to use you.

 

So, I encourage you to not use laziness or the lack of time as a crutch because your time may be shorter than you think and a crutch will not hold you up in the day of your judgment.  How horrible it will be for those to stand before the Lord, knowing His sacrifice for us, and not having done everything in our ability for Him while here on earth.  Have you ever taken an honest moment to think about how you will feel, what you will think, what it will be like, to truly stand before GOD the One who created ALL things and can end all things just with a thought?  You might just want to take that moment now and make sure you really are ready to meet Him face to face.  Do not assume it will be a light moment; this is God we are talking about, not a friend from down the street.  A holy fear is one of reverence – do you really have that?

 

Is Jesus your Savior AND your LORD? If not, ask Him to be. Ask Him to forgive you of all of your sins and to show you how to please Him. Read His Word and don’t follow men, follow only God through His Word, it is the only truth and the only way. Don’t hesitate, time is running out.