All Doves:
I continue where I left off with the many examples of, the not so obvious, "Word-Pictures", or "Object lessons" in the Biblical text that present the Pre-Tribulation Rapture theme. The subtlety of God's Word-Pictures is disarming for most liberals that especially want to see the surface text alone to contain the Word of God. I repeat my remarks about the importance of Proverbs 25:2. "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but he honor of kings to search out a matter." Theological education during the twentieth century underwent a major transformation, most of which today does not even faintly resemble Biblical studies prior to 1920 and certainly has all been eliminated in the period post 1960 period. An excellent example is that of so-called revival or camp meetings. Prior to the turn of the last century, such meetings lasted for weeks on end. By the mid-1900's, such meetings were limited to two weeks, and gradually declined to one week. By the time of the 1990's, if a church held a revival or camp meeting, it had shrunk down to three days, and then a weekend. In 1965, I was pastor of a 3-point Methodist circuit, and had began a small missionary effort church of dirt poor farming folks, most of which did not have cars. We had a two-week revival service at the main church on the circuit, and hosted a guest speaker from Erie, PA. Each evening a different family would feed the guest speaker and we provided a guest room and study for the evangelist at our parsonage. I watch the local paper today, and even the Baptist churches have short revival services of no more than two days. Its just the signs of the times in which we live, but it is, no less, a sad commentary on the state of the church today.
(15.)
At the Day of the Lord He will call his people up to a gate into a strong city and to enter their prepared rooms to the safety.
Isaiah 26:1 - "In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security."
Isaiah 26:2 - "Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, The one that remains faithful."
Isaiah 26:20 - "Come, my people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while until indignation runs its course." The use of the term "indignation" or anger is a reference to the wrath of God that will be delivered to an unbelieving world and a disobedient Israel. Almost all of the references to "indignation" are exclusively referring to the anger of God. With what is taking place in the world currently, this cannot continue much longer before God will say "that's it, enough" and start Daniel's 70th week of a seven year Tribulation. I saw a report where Greece will begin to receive initial shipments of an order for 12,000 rounds of 120mm tank ammunition for its fleet of 330 German Leopard II army tanks. One has to wonder, for a country as small as Greece, why the need for 330 German Leopard II army tanks. The German Leopard is the equal of American Abrams tank. A recent Internet news report stated that currently there is war taking place in 38 countries
(16.)
On the Day of the Lord God's people will be called to worship the LORD in a holy mountain... to be kept safe.
Isaiah 27:13 - "It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
(17.)
God's Word tells us if we seek righteousness and humility we can be hidden from the terrible day of the Lord.
Zephaniah 2:3 - "Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordiances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the LORD's anger."
(18.)
God promises to send Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.
Malachi 4:5 - "I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD"
(19.)
When Jesus was born and being sought to be killed, God called them to "get up" and go to a safe place.
Matthew 2:13 - "Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord "appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."
(20.)
As Jesus was "passing by", he called Mathew and said "follow me".
Matthew 9:9 - "AS Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector's booth; and He "said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him."
(21.)
Jesus sent his "disciples ahead to the other side (a safe place), sent others away, and stayed behind himself.
Matthew 14:22 - "Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away."
Mark 6:45 - "Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away."
With the examples so far we are presented with a running pattern, while not explicit, but a pattern no less, on behalf of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, there will be some that would question or want to split hairs over their meaning. I am not trying to prove a doctrine, not at all, in citing this series of examples that provide comfort to the reader.
It is my personal view the doctrine of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is better framed on the Biblical Theme of the Bride, and the Feast of Rosh HaShanah. In the examples so far I am simply highlighting an incredible theme that is interwoven throughout the Bible, from beginning to end, so much so, that the entire Old Testament could fairly be described or categorized as one deliverance story after another. These nuggets or tidbits in the form of stories, personal events, act as a forerunner, or a foretaste of better things yet to come. Interestingly, they culminate in and with Jesus Christ. We also see a picture of Jesus Christ as a continuation of the great theme; as Jesus delivers sight to the blind, health to the sick, freedom to the prisoner, food for the hungry, hope to the hopeless, and forgiveness to the sinful. Jesus is often named "Deliverer", and rightly so. Deliverance, rescue, salvation are all similar or related meanings to this one theme.
God is obviously still in the deliverance business. Some readers of the Old Testament have the impression that they will not encounter grace in the Old Testament, but that is an erroneous impression, and actually grace is revealed in every book of the Bible.
Its been more than a decade since the World Trade Center Towers were brought down. I remember a story that aired on 'The 700 Club', about a bank employee for Fuji Bank, Stanley Primnath, he worked on the 81st floor of the South Tower. He said he was on the phone with a fellow employee in the Chicago office and how he turned to look out the window to gaze on the Statute of Liberty. The person on the end of the line asked him if he was alright? He turned as he was saying "I'm fine" to see the surreal sight of a low-flying commercial jet heading straight for his tower. He instantly dropped the phone and dropped to the floor. Hiding under his desk he began praying to God, "Lord, help me" he prayed desperately as the aircraft smashed into the tower. In the brief seconds following, he heard a voice, and saw a light. "I'm hear to help you." He thought, "This is my guardian angel!" "The Lord sent somebody to help me." Stanley's guardian angel was Brian Clark, a Christian, who was in the office 3 floors below. The two miraculously climbed out of the rubble to safety.
Stanley Primnath today works for the Royal Bank of Scotland, in Stamford, CT, and is a licensed minister at a congregation in Queens, NY. Stanley stated, "My Lord has some unfinished tasks for me." "I took the tattered clothes I was wearing that day, put them in a box, and wrote DELIVERANCE all over it. I told my wife, if I ever grow spiritually cold, I want you to bring this box to me, open it up, and show me what the Lord brought me from."
We need to be able to ask the question, "Could God, who does not change, who sets patterns in His Word so that we will understand and ensure long before we were born, that there would be a church for His people at the end of time and that someone would be prepared by Him to get the doctrines that they would need to understand at the end of time". We know very well he could and did.
Christ Jesus is our Blessed Hope,
Be alert, watching, and working,
Pastor Bob