I was quite taken up by your arguments. To
say the least it did make sense. In fact, for a long time, I did lean towards
the Feast of the Trumpets, but last year the Lord gave me a whole lot of
rainbows and a couple of visions during Passover/Pentecost time. Actually
I have had no dream/vision re: end times, since I had in ’92,
the year I turned to the Lord.
I just want to share this
with you all. I had a vision on 6th June
“92. It was exactly a month after I converted from my Hindu faith.
It was on the 6th morning, and in fact
that evening the Jewish Pentecost (Shavuot) was beginning and the next day, 7th June happened to be both the Jewish as well as the Christian Pentecost.
I was not aware of all these until I checked up recently. On the 7th June, exactly a month after our conversion, as a family we were baptized.
The point, I want to draw
attention to, is the fact, since we reside in Australia, when the Northern
Hemisphere has its Spring, we have our Autumn. In my vision, I saw the three
of us, my Mum (at that time she was 70 yrs), my son (9 yrs) and myself were all wearing winter clothing. Actually as
soon as we approach the month of May we need woollen stuff. Though in
Brisbane, we go about without overcoats, but we do need warm clothing. We were wearing winter clothes. We need
winter kits starting from May to end of Aug. Our Spring starts in Sept.
It could means that the Lord could have been pointing to a Autumn rapture
for us, and a Spring Rapture for you and Israel. In the Song of Songs by Solomon, it does speak about
a Spring rapture.
Moreover, there must be a reason why the Jews read the Book of
Ruth on the Pentecost. Ruth being a gentile, portrays the Bride/Church
and Boaz is the Bridegroom/Lord. Further Enoch was before the Jewish race
came into being, hence technically he can be called a gentile. He walked
with God and was taken up on the Pentecost. The story is that he was born
on Pentecost, and raptured on Pentecost. This could point to the Church
being born on the day of Pentecost and being raptured on the day of Pentecost.
There is something else, the
Church is a ‘mystery’ Paul talks about. Even the OT saints or
prophets did not quite understand this concept of church. We sprouted like a
wild olive branch grafted into an olive tree, we never had roots like Israel
had or relationship with the Lord. Yet we were adopted for 2,000 yrs and
it stands to reason, like Enoch, we can be taken up on the Pentecost.
When the Lord was crucified
He died not only for the Jews but for all sinners, who would turn to Him in
faith – in fact He laid down His life for ALL GENTILES too. This He
fulfilled on the Jewish Passover. He was resurrected on the First Fruits,
which the Church calls the Resurrection Sunday. The Jews though they observe
the Passover and the First Fruits, yet they do not view it in the same essence
as the Christians do. Hence in a way, we too are inexorably intertwined
with the Jewish festivals. We cannot have our Bible without the Old
Testament, which was a shadow of the things to come. The New
Testament always goes back and quotes the OT. Hence in my humble opinion,
we are, whether we like it or not are the ‘grafted’ branch,
drawing sap from the rooted plant (Jews). Since the Lord took the trouble to
die on a Passover, to be resurrect on the First fruits, and for the Church
to be born on the Pentecost, does it not make sense that the Church has
to be raptured on a feast day?
Since the letter was “open
for discussion” I have just aired my view. Nevertheless we will
never know the day or the hour, for there are 2 Pentecosts. In fact, this
year the Pentecosts are separated by almost a month: the Christian one on the 9th May and the Jewish one on 11th June. I am also aware that our
Pentecost is not exactly correct, for the church wanted to distance itself from
the Jewish Passover and started their own way of choosing the Good
Friday.
Further, it is quite possible,
since the clock stopped ticking for the Jews on the 6th of
Nissan/Abib and the Lord may very well, allow the clock to start ticking on the
6th of Abib, as if these 2000 yrs has never existed for the
Jews. For the clock to start ticking the AC has to sign the Peace Treaty
on the 6th, and He may very well come riding on a white horse ( I
wonder?) into Jerusalem. The Lord was out rightly rejected when He came
riding on a lowly donkey, but the people would love it when the AC comes strutting
on a white stallion, and he may unleash the 7 year Trib by signing the Peace Treaty.
Actually according to Tim Cohen, in the book Antichrist a teacup, the Peace
Treaty has been thrashed out by Abbas and Sharon in one of the Nordic countries,
as far back as ’93, and what was signed in front of Clinton was not the
whole stuff it seems. The Annapolis is another way of warming the pot so that
when the Rapture takes place, they can push the Peace treaty without
delay. Hence it is quite possible that the Rapture could be a month before
the Jewish Passover- our Easter is in March and the Jewish Passover is in
April.
The point is we can speculate
and speculate, but until the Rapture takes place as Rick Hedric suggested no
one knows J. It is just that on the excuse of Rapture, every year
I get my house cleaned and give away clothes to the charity etc. I would like
to be the wise virgins. I know even my son sometimes gets a little
annoyed with my Spring/Autumn cleaning. He has even jokingly said “what
is the point in cleaning up, for when the rapture takes place, there is bound
to be earthquakes so as to bring out the dead from the grave, and as a result
the things are all going to be topsy turvy, so there is no need to be
house-proud Mum!”. That is one way, he gets out of cleaning his
room too thoroughly!!! J