Well, we are finally here. This is day 1 of the Feast of Trumpets 2024. The Lord God has placed punctuation marks on this time of remembrance with both an annular (wedding ring) eclipse as well as a comet that comes by once every 80,000 years...To say that the Lord is emphasizing this time is a grand understatement. What does this mean for us? It means we need to be ready. The Lord has not told this servant nor anyone else if He will show up in the clouds and call us out of here, or if He wants us to engage in phase 2 of this earthly operation that is coming up soon.
For now, today through Friday we need to give our full attention to this:
1 Thess 4
16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
People can argue all they want that the word "rapture" is not in the Bible. But 1 Thess 4, IS in the Bible-that presents a brickwall in the face of their argument. The enemy hates the escape from all rapture which is why those who serve him turn blue in the face with veins popping out of their neck as the venomous seething hatred of the Lord's rescue plan is explained to mankind. In the end, it doesn't matter what other people believe, what does your faith say about the escape? For this servant the issue is settled. We are to be watching for the unexpected return of the Lord every day-that settles all the rapture timing questions and the debate in one fell swoop and as a bonus-reading the Word of God at face value with no spiritualization and no 1,000 word doctoral dissertations needed we see that is precisely what the Lord God commanded us to do:
Mark 13
32But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 34For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 35Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: 36Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 37And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
3 times in one paragraph we have been commanded to watch. Maybe we should be watching? This does not take a doctoral dissertation, a book or a 3 hour podcast to figure out. Do what He told us to do and everything figures itself out. Watch today, watch tomorrow, and continue watching until He comes down to the clouds or you "graduate" out of this world and you cannot possibly miss it. Problem solved.
There are arguments too numerous to count that support the idea of a pre-tribulation rapture. For example, nobody-not one soul that has died in Christ has ever gone through the tribulation. Somehow they didn't "need" to go through that demonic hell on earth in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven but coincidentally the apologists for todays Church entering that tribulation tell us we "need" to go through the tribulation. Really? Why does todays Church "need" it but the Church through ages past didn't? How about the Church not mentioned after Rev 3 in the Bible? Thats inconvenient...How about Rev 3:10
Rev 3:10
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
How about Luke 21:36
36Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
But, they argue, "there are believers in the tribulation." Who could they be? How about all of todays believers who argue with us purple faced with veins popping out the side of their neck that they need to play hide and seek with anti-Christ through the tribulation. These people are literally arguing themselves into the tribulation. As they believe, so they receive:
Matt 8:13
And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
So, all the people arguing with us why they must be here for the tribulation are likely to be here for the tribulation. As they believe, so they receive. This explains who the believers are on the earth during the tribulation and it does not conflict with the believing Church who is looking for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ every day. It all fits without being forced.
Those people who believe they will be here through the tribulation are probably right...Those believers who hold to the promise of meeting the Lord in the clouds before the start of the tribulation are probably right...They are not mutually exclusive, it all works out like a hand in an old well worn glove.
Today, we are watching for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds to call us up. We are ready to go. We are also ready to stay on this earth should the Lord tarry to carry out the mission He has for each and every one of us if He decides to tarry. We are ready to stay and ready to go. Those who told us we would "lose our faith" if the Lord did not show up one year or another have been proven to be extremely foolish as we have been through the process year in and year out for decades now with our faith growing stronger in the eventual return of the Lord for us in the clouds.
It doesnt matter what other people believe, what do you believe? It doesnt matter what other people say, what does your faith say?
We need to be watching and ready. This servant cannot remember a previous Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah with a single sign in the sky let alone 2 in the same year. The Lord God is stomping His foot and pointing to this Feast of Trumpets in this year 2024 as a significant event and/or time marker and we who believe are taking notes.
We have today 10/2 through Friday 10/4 to watch and see what the Lord has decided. If we are still here on 10/5 we press onward and upward into our calling to be the very best version of ourselves for the purpose of accomplishing all that the Lord would have us do (with excellence) in this season. Either way, this will not be boring.
Keep the faith.
Glory to God
grace and peace
