Hello my brother Ron and all my beloved brothers and sisters.

Ron, I want you to know that you were on my heart all weekend -- even before January 28th had passed by.  My prayer for you is one of encouragement and strength.  I believe our Lord wants nothing but to comfort you in His arms right now.  You are my brother, and I am praying for you as I know many others are as well.

And now to everyone, I must say that I felt all along in my heart that January 28th or any other day that man has attempted to calculate will not be the day that our blessed Lord comes to get us.  I don't have numbers or math or visions or dreams to support this; it's just in my spirit, and I believe it is supported by the Word of God.  I do believe, however, that we will know the season of our Lord's return, and we all know this in our hearts now; we KNOW our redemption is near!  His word surely confirms this with us, and that is key.  This reminds me of one day when I asked the Lord in prayer, "Lord, will we know when you return to get us?"  In my spirit, I heard the words, "My Spirit testifies to you that you belong to me; don't you think it will testify of my return for you?"  I believe He is telling us all now in some form, "I am coming soon!"  That much we do know!

The purpose of this post is to encourage you all, and we can be encouraged!  The Lord has taken me on a journey back into the beautiful garden of grace over the last couple of months, and I would like to share this with all of you now.  It is truly refreshing, reassuring, and rejuvenating!  We all know that our Lord's grace is completely sufficient for us -- for all things, in all things.  Are we truly at that place where His grace is enough -- or do we find it necessary to work, seek, and struggle for more?  Are we more pleasing to Him when we bask in His grace and live every day faithfully trusting in Him, obeying His commands, and watching for His return -- or when we exhaust ourselves seeking and searching for His sovereign wisdom -- wisdom that is meant for Him and Him alone?  Is is possible that our Lord simply wants us to "Be still and know that I am God"?

There have been many over the last few years in particular who have done some amazing studies on the return of the Lord.  These studies included dates, and the dates have come and gone.  I have learned so much through these studies; I am actually very grateful for them!  But, as we know, these dates were the finite calculations of man; the created one.  And as a result, we all remain here, waiting....  Isn't this what we are supposed to do?  Watch and wait -- all the time loving our Lord, loving our brethren, and sharing the Blessed Hope with the lost?  That is our calling.

Maybe the Lord is gently and graciously reminding us that HE is still God!  He is our sovereign, omniscient, omnipresent God, and He will share His glory with no man!  The rapture is His glory and not ours.  Let us rest trusting Him that He knows when is best.  Let us love Him by waiting upon Him doing His work as we wait.  Let us live and experience the blessings He gave to us now for our time here on this earth -- the fruit of His Word and wonderful Spirit.  Shouldn't this be enough while we wait??

And as a final note...  I believe that our knowing the exact date of the return of Jesus pales in comparison to the glory of a saved soul.  I believe we should return back to the Great Commission and leave the other details up to our faithful and trustworthy God.  I love all of you, and I pray that your hearts are strong and firm right now.  We all may have different ideas and thoughts about what we are to know about our Lord's return, but nonetheless, we are family, and we will all be together with HIM some day very soon!!  I ask you to pray with fervor for our brother Ron (and Mathman too) and to continue to look up -- just not forgetting what lies below -- our work, until He comes for us.

Your sister in Christ,
Stacy