This past Friday night I was teaching one of my end time Bible prophecy courses.  After class a woman came up to me and wanted to tell me about two visions that she had had.
 
The first vision was in late July of 2001.  She saw a large city and the view in the vision was from directly above a number of large buildings.  In the middle of these large buildings was a destroyed area where apparently a building or buildings used to be.  She did not understand the vision at the time, but two months later when the TV images were shown above the World Trade Towers site she instantly realized that this was what she had seen in the vision!
 
When this woman came up to speak to me after class, she was quite visibly shaken.  I then asked her to tell me about the second vision that she had.  After the July of 2001 vision years went by and she experienced nothing further.  Until, that is, late July again, but this time just last month in 2007. She saw in this second vision a large area of destruction that was absolutely horrifying to her.  She kept telling me over and over that this was much worse than 9/11!  She was not shown any details as to location, but she does believe that whatever it is, it will happen soon.  And she related to me that she has had difficulty sleeping after having seen this vision.
 
I was most fascinated that both visions occurred in late July of their respective years, first 2001 and now 2007.
 
I would like to add a few of my own thoughts as a Bible prophecy teacher.  Whenever the Rapture occurs, life before the Rapture must be normal.  Matt. 24:37-39, and Luke 17:26-30 tell us that life MUST BE NORMAL (eating, drinking, building, buying, selling, planting) right before the Rapture, and these scriptures imply sudden destruction at the time of the Rapture in conjunction with the Rapture.  I Thess 5:2 & 3 also imply sudden destruction at the time of the Rapture.  Right now in the year 2007 we are very far advanced in these end times relative to Israel's return in 1948 (which began the end times).  Do not be at all fooled by the relative "quietness" in America and the world right now (with the exception, of course, of the everyday news coming out of Iraq and Afghanistan of the continual mayhem there).  This relative "quietness" must be happening--it is prophesied to be so!  Sadly late in these end times the church is by and large soundly asleep--and this was prophesied to occur too!  In Matt. 25:5 we are told that while the bridegroom was delaying (Jesus delaying His coming), they all (foolish and PRUDENT alike) got drowsy and began to sleep.  That is why late in these end times very few churches from the pulpit will ever talk about the nearness of the Lord's coming in the Rapture (with associated "sudden destruction").  Both the PRUDENT and the foolish are sleeping!  Many pastors are simply afraid to say anything about this from the pulpit, first because it sounds so "outrageous" (even though the scriptures tell us this is true), and  secondly many times pastors do not want to "offend" anyone these days (continued church growth, the need for money for building programs, etc.).  It is always refreshing to find the very few pastors who fear God more than they fear people.  Sadly there are not many pastors of this caliber.
 
I will be posting another article soon at FiveDoves about how far we are in these end times, and the reasons why the Lord's coming at the Rapture could be very imminent!  Meanwhile, stay joyful in the Lord, and keep looking UP!
 
Neil Lipken