NO MATTER WHAT THE DATE
UNDER QUESTION – I INCLUDE A POEM I WROTE 50 YEARS AGO – NOT KNOWING WHAT I
KNOW NOW.- YES IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE NOT TO DISTANT FUTURE & WE WERE
ALL BORN FOR THIS HOUR – PRAISE JESUS NAME.
FROM BRIAN BARKER
---------------------------------------------.
TIS COMING TIS COMING
IT WILL BLOOM IN THE DARK
THE GAYEST YOUNG PUP
NEVER MORE SHALL BARK
THE BIRDS OF THE AIR
THE BEASTS OF THE SAND
SHALL NOT LIVE LONG
FOR THEIR LIFES ON A
STRAND
GOD HAS GIVEN GOD WILL
TAKE
MANY MEN SHALL SLEEP
BUT ONLY A FEW WILL
AWAKE.
----------------------------------------------
WILL YOU BE ONE OF THEM
Rick
Hedrick (16
Apr 2008)
"To be here, or not to be here....(to
all Doves)"
Like most of us, I am very much hoping for
the Lord to come for His bride this Spring. Many
things, as we all have discovered, point to this being the case. I don't
know who all is familiar with Shelby Corbitt, but she
had my wife and I pretty convinced that the Rapture would happen before the end
of last year. Her vision, along with that alleged instance of the little
girl who suddenly appeared to some girls in a Wal-Mart in Jan. 07and told them
that there would not be another Christmas celebrated on earth before Jesus
returns....those two things, and of course the happenings in the world and the
40 years since June 7th, 1967, all pointed strongly, I felt, to a latter 2007
Rapture. It didn't happen, needless to say.
Now my wife and I have discovered Five
Doves, and have been reading people's calculations that point to a Spring '08 Rapture....and some to a Fall '08 Rapture.
There have been some pretty convincing reasons given as to the likelihood of
the Rapture happening this Spring. And I will
admit that my wife and I are even more strongly convinced now of a Spring '08 Rapture than we were of a late '07 Rapture.
And one of the reasons for this is, of course, the fact that we knew it was very close then....so how much closer must it be now!! And the possible dates
for Spring '08 presented by some have given us
"milestones" to focus on, just as Shelby Corbitt's "before the end of '07" calculation did. Incidently,
I do not discredit her vision just because the Rapture didn't happen before the
end of '07. I believe that she simply miscalculated something in her interpretation
of the vision. Her vision can still be correct with a Spring '08 Rapture, which would only require a simple recalculation of the timing
issues.
We have some possible dates coming up very
quickly.....Apr. 20 and 26 seem to be the most highly favored, which are
coming upon us in a matter of days. Then there is Pentecost, and some
less specific possibilities like "between now and the first day of
summer." So then every day between today and June 21st is a
milestone for us Rapture Watchers. And it almost seems to good to believe!! That which we all have been imagining
and anticipating for 2000 years could very well happen in just a couple of
days!! Doesn't seem possible, does it?? I have even heard some of
us say that they are absolutely convinced that we will be leaving this Spring. Wow!! That's extremely trusting of
human calculations assumed to be verified by Scripture!! And I admit that
even these people's personal certainty gives me something extra to boost my
hopes.
But one thing about me and my
wife.....even though we are strongly hoping for and convinced of the
probability of the Rapture happening this Spring, we
know that as of this moment nothing has been done to establish its
certainty. Of all the "pointers" to a spring '08 Rapture, the
strongest one we feel is the 40 years since the Jews took
Jerusalem
. This is a very strong pointer. But even this has a possibility of being an incorrect
pointer.
So, what if we are still here after the
20th? Well, then there will be the 26th. A lot of
focusing on this date!! But what if we are still here on the 28th?
Well, some will be quite disappointed, but most will call in the reinforcement
hopes that will focus on Pentecost.....and maybe any day before
Pentecost. Yes, it will be a seemingly long wait after the disappointment
of the 26th until June 8th. But our fervent hopes of a Spring '08 Rapture will be getting pretty darn
fervent in the days prior to Pentecost, if we are
still here, of course. Some of us will toss all caution to the
wind and pretty much demand that it happen on Pentecost Sunday!! Who
wants to have to wait till "whenever" for the Rapture after such
certainty of its happening this Spring??
If we are still here, Pentecost will
finally arrive. How many will lose sleep the night before? How many
will be so disappointed that it didn't happen on the 26th that they will have
given up hope and not want to have to even go through Pentecost Sunday for fear
that their last glimmer of hope will be extinguished by the discovery of
Christians still on Earth the day after Pentecost '08?
In the midst of all our hopes and
excitement of a possible....probable?.....Rapture this
Spring, we must stop and consider on what our faith is based? Is our
faith in our estimates and calculations and pointers? Or is our
faith in God and His knowing when the time is right? As convincing as our
pointers are, we must admit that as of now, only God knows for sure when the
Rapture will be. Maybe we are all wrong and it won't be till '09.
Sure, we will all be disappointed, but its something
we must all consider as a possibility. And if we find ourselves still
here after Pentecost Sunday, we musn't give up and
face the Summer with sadness. Because as we all
know, after Pentecost Sunday, each day is going to be a milestone to focus
on!! Some of us will calculate new dates, some will just take one day at
a time realizing that as each day passes we are that much closer, and some will
brush the Summer aside because they believed it would
happen on Rosh Hashannah all along.
Doves, we are going through the upcoming
days together. If we are still here past each date milestone, we are
still here together!! If we are still here in May, we will be looking
hopefully at Pentecost together!! I we are still here in November, we
will be scratching our heads in bewilderment together!! My point is that
we need to be prepared just in case our hoped-for dates come and go.
Jesus would not want us to lose any of our joy and excitement
and anticipation if we have to be here this Summer. Even those who were absolutely confident in their
calculations. We will just need to pass around the humble pie and
find out where we miscalculated, thats all!! And we all feel that we will be leaving very soon
anyhow!! So what do we have to be disappointed about, really? I
want Him to come tomorrow!! I want Him to come the 26th!! I want Him to come on the 4th of July!! I just want Him
to come!! And I will be satisfied whatever day it
is. But of course, the sooner the better, right??!! And
wouldn't everyone agree that the feeling of anticipation is a wonderful feeling
in and of itself?? Even if Pentecost comes and goes, we still have our
joy in knowing that our Lord is making His final preparations, we still have
each other and Five Doves, and we still have our anticipation of that which
"eye has not see, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man
the things which God has prepared for those who love Him!!!" (I Cor. 2:9)