A TIMED PROPHECY FOR THE SPRING?
 
 
  First of all before I go into my premise as to why I believe more than likely the rapture of the Church will take place this spring I would just like to say I am sorry for all the hardships and sadness you may be going through with anything that is taking place in your lives.A lot has happened in our world. I believe the age of grace and mercy is coming to a close.
 
  I also believe that the Lord spoke to my heart about my own age and how in particular it relates to my life. For approximately a year and a half or maybe two years it was there inside of me when the Lord first quickened it to my heart;however,I just did not dig deep enough nor did I have enough knowledge to rightly appropriate what God implanted inside my heart. The only thing I can say on that is prophecy is progressive so maybe it was not meant for me to know at that time. I personally don't even think I could write something like this without the Holy Spirit putting some kind of sense into my spirit as to where this thing might be going.
 
 I was reading one article that consisted of several parts regarding a dissertation that Jesus is more than likely coming in the spring of 2005 for the great air lift or rapture of the church.The paper was so deep that I had to come to the conclusion that it was pondered with at least thirty years of research. I don't have thirty or so years of research for you but I can give you another perspective as to why I believe Jesus is more than likely coming this Spring for his Bride.  None of the articles, sermons or TV specials on the end times are proof positive that Jesus is just about to come. One precept upon another precept, one clue upon another clue to put their subject on the table as it were not to prove their dogma but to insinuate their math, theory, or argument.The next step is that the Holy Spirit usually shows an earnest soul truth and comfort in a slow way as to the validity of the Lord's soon return.  I suppose that's where "he who has an ear let him hear" comes in.
 
I have shared with some of my family members, what I am going to convey to you in this article about a year ago. I received some blank looks, disbelief and just a general lack of understanding.  I was a little unsure myself with the subject.  It was just one of those things.  I would ask myself " Am I just seeing things?"  So, whether I am right or wrong, I can definitely tell you this---I have reflected many hours on this.
 
To get straight to the point, I believe my age is a mini-prophecy for the approximate time for the Rapture of the Church.  I will have lived my full forty years at the end of March.  Now before you come to all kinds of conclusions such as "the man has got to be on some kind of ego trip to say something like this", all I ask is that you just hear me out.  By the way, I'm going to explain why what I am saying is just the opposite of pride.  If anything, I'm just plain humbled, if it is true.
 
There are at least one hundred end time prophecy reasons why we are close to the Rapture and that is an understatement.  However, I am talking about this from the backdrop of my own life.  As stated already, I will have lived my full forty years at the end of the month of March.  Resurrection Sunday is my birthday.
 
I remember within the past two years I would get very excited at certain points that the Rapture could occur.  I would go through the motions and get very enthralled but way back in my spirit I would always have some doubt.  I would always come back to this thing about my age.  I just did not know how to rightly divide this possible truth.
 
I turned forty years old last spring.  If what I'm saying has any truth to it I could not have been Raptured last spring because I did not live my full forty years.  God always lets the full prophetic cycle to be completed.I did not know that until I looked into the subject.This only makes sense.  When God does something He always completes it.It is rare for God to show me something specific regarding the subject of end time Bible prophecy because the principles are so difficult.I looked into the meaning of the number forty and of course I wanted to see if it related to my life.  This is basically what the number forty means.It speaks of testing and probation and then either figuratively or literally the Kingdom of God follows.Most people know at least some of the examples of forty days or years of testing and probation, but what most people tend to miss is the continuation meaning of the number-the Kingdom of God.
 
I suppose there could be a dual meaning to the number but to me the number is advancing into a more completed picture.  After the Resurrection, Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God for forty days.  It is found in Acts 1:3.  "To whom also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of the FORTY DAYS and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God."  Why would Jesus talk about the Kingdom of God for forty days?  Maybe I'm missing something but Jesus does not sound like He is focusing in on testing and probation.  He just went through a horrible Crucifixion and rose from the dead.  Now He desires to talk about the Kingdom of God for forty days.  To speak about the main theme of trials and tribulations would be inconsistent to where Jesus Christ was at that time.  He may have spoken about probation and testing but understand Jesus raising from the dead is victory over death and now He is talking about the Kingdom of God for forty days. The meaning of the number forty starts with testing and probation but continues into a more advanced meaning--release and sometimes jubilation. The ancient Hebrews saw that the end of forty years was equated with spiritual maturity. This being the case, by the time Jesus finished His sermons, at the end of the fortieth day, it is clear that the more advanced meaning--the continuing second part of the number forty started to blossom into a new level.  If God were to stop at testing and probation, there would be no full purpose.  Remember Jesus Christ gets the glory.  If the meaning were to stop at testing and probation, man would give himself the glory or just stay in frustration and despair ( whatever the case may be).  The meaning of the trial must blossom into something bigger.
 
Do you think that the average person that is going through their wilderness experience is feeling release, joy, jubilation and all of those other good things?  No way!  They are sweating it out, hopefully in the fruit of the Spirit but they are trying to survive as it were.
Solomon says that there is a time and season for everything.  The question regarding this article is..did God relate this particular principle to my age and the Rapture of the Church?  I have to laugh.  Prophecy is progressive.  When I first sensed this in my spirit, I did not know that God completes a full prophetic cycle and I was unaware that there was a second part to the meaning of the number forty.
When I looked into the subject, I only found this fact out a couple of months ago.  For awhile I also had this feeling that the Rapture of the Church would take place in the spring time relative to Israel's seasonal time.  Remember from the divine point of view, prophecy revolves around the Person of Jesus Christ but from an earthly point of view, God's prophetic time line revolves around Israel. However, this is a whole different subject but the only season out the four seasons ( fall, winter, spring and summer) that represents Resurrection and Rapture is the spring.  None of the other three seasons fits the category.  The fall seems to have the right name.  It, in my opinion, denotes the fall of man.  For winter, did you ever hear of the old saying " the dead of winter.?  For summer, "the dog days of summer."  When it comes to Resurrection and Rapture, these three seasons do not seem to fit.
It's all right if you disagree.
 
I feel a sense of depletion in my life.  I believe I am at the end of my forty year wilderness journey.  For you to understand this, you would have had to have seen the first episode of my life and all the other succeeding programs as to where I am now.  This is extremely difficult to portray but all I will say is there is some kind of sense indicating forty years for my life.  If my feeling is wrong about my age and my life, then I do believe God is trying to tell me other things regarding my forty years of living; however, I am not leaning that way.  It is hard to fathom intuition and sense.  Who can explain the things from above?  As long as I can give God the glory, that is all I care about.  God's prophetic program centers around His Son, Jesus Christ.  It does not revolve around me.  I can barely wake up in the morning.  Glory be to God forever and ever.
 
It is not just me.  I am hearing many people that know about Bible prophecy in recent months talk about the number forty. I don't always agree with their application but that's not the point.  The last major earthquake before the 2004 Tsunami was approximately forty years ago, along the Alaskan coastline.  By the way, this happened on the very day that I was born. I'm glad I was not born in Alaska.  Many prophecy scholars have taught in some cases, forty years is counted as a generation.  The number forty has great prophetic significance.  It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that the Church Age's time of testing and probation is coming to a close. The Rapture of the Church is very close.  The seven year Tribulation will shortly follow.
 
Prophetically, if I am at the end of my forty year wilderness journey, then the Kingdom of God will follow.  The number forty always ends in revival and renewal.  Also extended rule always takes place.  Every time forty full days or years took place there was always some kind of freedom that occurred.  For example, Jesus was able to eat after being tempted of the Devil for forty days but He went through many hunger pains during those forty days. Relief took place after the forty days.
 
I would often ask Jesus--"Lord are you trying to tell me that I will live for forty years and at the beginning of my forty first birthday, take me up to Heaven in the Rapture?"  I don't feel God ever gave me a direct answer; however, I do get the impression that He smiled.  I believe that Jesus delights in His children.  There is enough verification in my spirit to reflect and write about this but not enough to be dogmatic. Some people out there might be saying this is subjective, you are relating this to your life and it cannot be proved.  You are right ; however, I still thought it right to share with you what I believe God has quickened in my spirit.  If this is true, it is humbling because I see how much I have failed God.  I could just hear the Triune Godhead in eternity past.  Jesus turns to the Father and says "he loves you Father but he has much flesh in him."  I can surmise what they decided.  I believe they chose to put me in the wilderness for forty FULL years and sometime right at the beginning of the forty first year take me out of the desert into the Kingdom of God (Heaven).  Let's bring this down on a human level.  What if this was your life and you tried to explain this to someone else?  "Yea God decided to put me in the wilderness desert for forty years."---Person Two " Oh yeah, so what did you do to deserve that?"  Do you see where I'm going with this?  This is not pride. If anything, I am a little uneasy because God had to put me into the valley to teach me lessons about the Kingdom of Heaven.  This is probably my wilderness experience which I believe is coming to a close.
 
Of course I'm not exactly sure I'm right on this because this is a combination of intuition, faith and math.  I would never want to come across as dogma or doctrine.  I am not.  I would like to make one further point.  As stated before, my birthday just happens to be on Resurrection Sunday this year.  After Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He spoke for forty days of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.  Then in verse nine of Acts chapter one, it says " And when He had spoken these things,while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight."  Jesus was Raptured into the Third Heaven after He resurrected from the dead (my birthday is on Resurrection Day) and after He spoke for forty days about the Kingdom of God (on Resurrection Day I will have lived a full forty years).  Is the Holy Spirit trying to tell me that I am just about to be Raptured?  If He is-- HALLELUJAH!!!  The only word spoken in every language.  That's what we are going to be saying when we will be a part of the great "Airlift" (Blessed Hope.)  Are you ready?  If you have not accepted the Lord into your heart, I don't think you are going to want to miss this event if you know what I mean.
 
Come on board and experience God's love for all eternity.  That is when Jesus Christ Himself will explain to us our personal wilderness experiences and then we will not only know the "whats" but also the "whys."
 
See You Soon
Bob D.