Dear John, please post the following:
 
I was reading in Hebrews 12 and began to observe, what I thought to be, a reference to the rapture of the believers with the feast of Pentecost interwoven into the verses.
 
Verses 18 through 21 point to Pentecost.
 
"You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai when God gave them his laws.  For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice with a message so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.  They staggered back under God's command; 'If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.'  Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, 'I am terrified and trembling.'  NLT
 
The next verses then struck me as though the author is painting a picture of what it will be like for those who are raptured.
 
"No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to thousands of angels in joyful assembly.  You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children (as in firstfruits?), whose names are written in heaven.  You have come to God himself, who is the judge of all people.  And you have come to the spirits of the redeemed in heaven who have now been made perfect (see 11:39 and 40).  You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenent between God and people..."  NLT
 
I have had a theory that when the rapture occurs, all believers will hear the voice of God from heavenward to rise up and come away.  What will determine if someone goes or not will be if they refuse that call at that time.  One may ask, "How would anyone refuse such a call?"  My thinking is that if a believer walks in the light as God is in the light (embracing God's day by day revelation to their spirit and humbly trying to rest/walk in its reality by faith, manefesting love more and more), then they will not be ashamed at his coming.  If a believer rejects the light, then when the call takes place, they will hide from the light of His presence then as well.  Basically, at that moment, they will make a choice according to the condition of their heart that they have nurtured over time.  If they had come into the light and judge themselves, thinking in terms of I Cor 11:31 and 32, then they will not be judged by God by having to go through the tribulation with the rest of the world.
 
This theory seems to be echoed in Hebrews 12:25-29 NLT:
 
"See to it that you obey God, the one who is speaking to you.  For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, how terrible our danger if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven (refusing the upward call?)!  When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: 'Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.'  This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will be left.  Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshipping him with holy fear and awe.  For our God is a consuming fire (embrace his light now or do it later in the tribulation?)."
 
Seeing how the passage seems to tie the rapture (of a subgroup of believers) together with the feast of Pentecost, I went over some of the prior chapters.  I observed a number of verses that seemed also to reflect this thread of prophecy for the end times.
 
In chapter 10:35-39 NLT it says:
 
"Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens.  Remember the great reward it brings you!  Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will.  Then you will receive all that he has promised (including raptured at Pentecost?) 'For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.  And a righteous person will live by faith.  But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away (at the rapture upward call?).'  But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate (rejecting the upward call?).  We have faith that assures our salvation (including the rapture?).
 
The focus seems to be placing one's hope on the future promises of God, which then frees one up to walk by faith day by day in God's light.  For us today, I believe the ark we are suppose to build, so to speak, is a lifestyle of manefesting God's life and love.  Galatians 5:5-6 NLT expresses:
 
"But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive everything promised to us who are right with God through faith (this is the hope).  For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, it makes no difference to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised.  What is important is faith expressing itself in love (this is the lifestyle of one who will embrace the upward call?)."
 
With this in mind, I followed the train of thought in Hebrews as it went into chapter 11.  Notice verses 1 and 2:
 
"What is faith?  It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.  It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.  God gave his approval to people in the days of old because of their faith."
 
It seemed to me that as I was reading the testimonies of people who walked by faith and were therefore "approved of God", that this approval was for them to be regarded, among possibly other benefits, as firstfruits at the coming rapture.  Notice at the end of chapter 11, verses 39 and 40:
 
"All of these people we have mentioned received God's approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God promised (the rapture?).  For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them (we will go up together?), for they can't receive the prize (of the upward call like Paul pressed on to obtain?) at the end of the race until we finish the race."
 
Noice how this ties into 12:23-24 where the author appears to be writing as though the rapture has taken place:
 
"You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, who names are written in heaven.  You have come to God himself, who is the judge of all people.  And you have come to the spirits of the redeemed in heaven who have now (notice the tense) been made perfect (some of whom were listed in chapter 11?)."
 
Chapter 12 also mentions God's disciplining of his children.  I had always interpreted this as only applying to this earthlifetime that we are currently experiencing.  Now, I do think it applies to that but not exclusively.  It appears to me that what is happening in these Hebrews chapters is similar to what happens in other sections of scripture that point towards the end times.  The thread is interwoven.  It is also as if the writer goes back and forth from focusing on the present to seeing the future, and/or a particular verse(s) can point to the present and the future at the same time.  I feel I must handle this type of interpretation carefully because it is easy to read into the verses meanings that are not intended.  That is why I frequently use question marks as I present what I think the author may be referring to in a particular portion.
 
I started to wonder if the disciplining of God's children also included the idea of some being disciplined by being allowed to experience the tribulation and missing the first rapture.  Notice, for example, verses 14 through 17:
 
"Try to live in peace with everyone (love manefested?), and seek to live a clean and holy life (especially as the rapture may be coming very soon?), for those who are not holy will not see the Lord (missing the rapture?).  Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favor of God (including the rapture?).  Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison.  Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau.  He traded his birthright as the oldest son (note this is the firstborn position) for a single meal (done in just a moment - so easy to trade).  And afterwards, when he wanted his father's blessing (like a believer today who may want to be included in the rapture?) he was rejected.  It was too late for repentance (the rapture had come and gone?), even though he wept bitter tears (like the unwise servant who upon the return of his master did not invest what had been entrusted to him therefore he was cast into the darkness outside where there was weeping?)."
 
Jumping back in Hebrews, I also notice a possible parallel in chapter 10:23-25:
 
"Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have (like many of us?), for God can be trusted to keep His promise (keep your focus on Him).  Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near."
 
I think this applies to us today where we need to encourage each other to keep watching in anticipation, especially as so many dates have come and gone, and also to warn those whose focus tends to not be on Jesus' return.  The root of bitterness is such that even if you are not the source of it, another's bitterness can corrupt you how you live from your heart.  Forgiveness is so important, especially during these difficult times when so many are hurting others because of sin.
 
Please feel free to pass the above onto others.  I would also like read how others are seeing similar parallels in various sections.  It is what God seems to be indicating in the scriptures that I find most helpful at this season.
 
Take care . . . Doug Henney.
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Thanks, Doug. I believe the Rapture will happen on Pentecost.
John