Here is my
Statement!
By Pastor F. M. Riley
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready
always to give an answer to every
man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Having a good conscience; that, whereas
they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely
accuse your good conversation [manner
of life] in Christ,” 1 Peter 3:15-16.
“Knowing that He which raised up the Lord
Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus, and shall present us with
you,” 2 Corinthians 4:14.
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye
know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 15:57-58
Introduction
The Lord didn’t come on June 8th
or the 15th, projected dates for Pentecost. Nor did He come on June 20th or 21st;
the Summer Solstice, as some speculated that He might. Now that Pentecost is obviously past, I have
been asked by a number of readers to make a statement. What follows these introductory remarks is my
statement.
I might as well warn our readers now that
my statement will not satisfy many today who claim to be “Christians.” But I am not writing it to please anyone
except my Lord. I have prayed much
over making this statement, and am still praying for the Lord’s guidance even
as I write. So if any reader, saved or
unsaved, has a problem with this statement, just take it up with the Lord.
My Statement…..
I.
I am deeply disappointed
that the Lord did not come on Pentecost.
I am not the least bit ashamed to say that I long for His coming, for as
I have studied His Word and watched the world scene unfold over all these years
I know that each new year only brings more sin, wickedness, rebellion, sorrow,
heartache, grief, and death to humanity, Romans 6:23. This will never
change, but will only grow steadily worse [2 Timothy 3:13] until
our Lord comes to put down sin and establish His kingdom of righteousness
and peace upon the earth. May God hasten
the day!
After June 15th I received an email
from a fellow believer stating that he was not disappointed whatsoever that the
Lord hadn’t come on Pentecost. I was
appalled by this statement coming from a believer. It appears to me that some believers “love”
their particular “theory” more than they “love His appearing,” 2 Timothy 4:8.
Folks, I’m not in a contest. This isn’t
some sort of game that God’s people are playing. I
don’t care whose “date” is right and whose is wrong. I find no special reward given or honor
bestowed upon the person who determines the correct date that the Lord is
coming. I just long for our Lord to
come. I wish the Lord had come ten years
ago, twenty years ago, or even earlier.
Are God’s people today really looking at the big picture, or are we just
living in our own little world?
It is 106 days from June 15th to
Rosh Ha-Shanah on September 29th.
In this sin sick country alone 5,000 innocent unborn babies are “aborted”
every day. That means that between June
15th and September 29th, 530,000 [over ½ million] more
unborn babies will be callously murdered in this country. That is the abortions that are reported. God only knows how many go unreported.
I listened in horror last week as the news
media reported a grown man beating, kicking, and stomping to death a little
weak, helpless, 1 to 2 year old child. No,
I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried tears of deep sorrow for that little
child, and for all of the little children living today. I couldn’t help but
wonder how many more little children will be slapped, stomped, beaten, burned, choked,
drowned, kidnapped, sexually abused, and murdered during the next 106
days. Do those who claim to be “God’s people” no
longer care? God have mercy on us!
Then there is the news report of 17 high
school girls getting pregnant in just one high school. Now the media is reporting with great relief that
it was not a “pact.” So is that supposed to make it okay? Who cares whether it was a pact or not? What in the name of human decency are 17
unmarried teenage girls doing getting pregnant anyway? How many more teenage girls will lose their
virginity over the next 106 days? Will
one of them be your daughter, or your sister, or your granddaughter, or your
neice? In fact, how many more young boys
will defile someone’s daughter, and be defiled themselves over these next 106
days?
As I write the authorities are trying to
recover the bodies of nearly 900 people who drowned when their boat overturned
in a typhoon in the Philippines. Do our readers realize, or even care, that
there are many dedicated Christian people living in the Philippines? How many of them were on that boat?
How many more homes will go up in flames in
the terrible fires in the drought stricken western United States? How many more people will lose their homes in
the floods in the Midwest and elsewhere? How many more will die in tornadoes,
windstorms, hail storms, floods, and earthquakes occurring all over the world? Folks,
these are not just news events and statistics I am speaking about. These are human beings! Flesh and blood people! Some of them are your brothers and sisters in
Christ. Have we who claim to be “God’s
people” come to the place where it is now okay to just ignore Genesis
4:9-10? You might also want to read 1 John 3:11-12 again.
I
ask our readers, have those who claim to be “Christians” become so callous, their
hearts and minds so seared over with the sin and wickedness that is all about
us today, that they just don’t care anymore as long as it doesn’t effect them? Have we even lost the capacity to love and care? Have we no tears left for the sorrowing and
suffering? Read Matthew 24:12 and 2
Peter 2:7-8. Is this what we
“Christians” have come to? God have
mercy!
Yes, I want the Lord to come. I am not ashamed of having such a fervent
desire burning in my soul. I say with
the Psalmist, “…..I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness,” Psalm
17:15. And, “As the hart panteth after the
water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living
God: when shall I come and appear before God?” Psalm 42:1-2.
Folks, I’m not the least bit ashamed of
being among those who continue to watch, pray, study, witness, and warn. That is what true believers have been doing since the Lord ascended back
into Heaven some 2,000 years ago, and that is what true believers will continue to do until our Lord
comes. May God hasten the day! Praise the Lord!
II.
I am sorely grieved. When
I wrote and posted my So Simple study,
I knew that I
would receive some negative
emails and letters from a few people who appear to think that they are serving
the Lord [Sic!] by spewing out hatred and scorn upon anyone who would dare
to “set a date” for the Lord’s coming. I
anticipated this response from some who call themselves “Christians,” so it
didn’t come as a surprise when I received such emails following June 8th
and 15th.
Folks, I can read as well as the average
person [and better than some], so I
can assure our readers that I have read Matthew 24:36, 24:42, 24:44, 25:13, Mark
13:32, 13:33, and 13:35 many times. So now I
have a few questions that I would like to ask of these “children of God” [?]
who hate “date setters” so much.
1. Which of these
Scriptures [or any other Scriptures] says
that the time [or date] of the Lord’s coming could never be known? Book, chapter, and verse, please?
2. What Scriptural
reason is there for not accepting the Lord’s statement to His disciples in Matthew
13:11, Mark 4:11, and Luke 8:10 at face value for what the
Lord actually said? Book, chapter, and
verse, please?
3. Where is the Scripture
in God’s Word that forbids true believers from searching for the “date”
of the Lord’s coming? Book, chapter, and
verse, please?
4. What Scriptural
reason is there for not believing that Proverbs 25:2 and Amos
3:7 mean what they literally say? Book,
chapter, and verse, please?
5. What Scriptural
reason is there for not believing that 1 Thessalonians 5:4 means what it literally
says? Book, chapter, and verse,
please?
6. Where in the Scriptures
is anyone claiming to be a “Christian” given the right to “hate” a fellow
believer for attempting to search out a “date” for the Lord’s coming? Book, chapter, and verse, please?
7. Where in the Scriptures
is anyone claiming to be a “Christian” given the right to “hate” a fellow
believer for any reason? Book, chapter,
and verse, please?
8. What Scriptural reason do those who
hate “date setters” have for not believing that John 13:34-35, 1 John 3:18, and
4:20
applies to them? Book,
chapter, and verse, please?
9. In the light of the
above Scriptures, what Scriptural reason justifies the hypocrisy of those
who “speak love” and “practice hate?”
Book, chapter, and verse, please?
10. Where do the Scriptures
say that a true believer who
searches out “a date” is sinning?
Book, chapter, and verse, please?
Folks, I have received some of the vilest and
most hate filled emails that I have ever received from people who call
themselves “Christians.” Some of these
emails contained language that was so vile that I won’t even repeat it. Yes, I have been labeled a “false prophet,” a
“false teacher,” a “liar,” the usual labels spouted by scoffers, but other language
used was so vile that it is not fit to print in this statement. And these poor people actually believe that
they are “Christians,” and, that they are “serving God” by spewing out such
venomous hatred upon a fellow believer?
Sic!
But I have no hate for any of these
people. Rather, I grieve for them. I feel sorry for them. I have nothing but pity for such pathetic, self-deceived
souls whose hearts and minds are filled with such vile hatred. They are
standing on the very precipice of eternal destruction, and are not even aware
of what they are facing. All they can do is foam out hatred for those who are
trying to sound a warning. What a sad state of apostasy “professing
Christianity” has come to, 2 Timothy 3:1-5. My sincere prayer before God is that
these hate filled pretenders will find a place of true repentance, and come to
a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ before it is too late. May God have mercy!
III.
I haven’t changed my mind
about Pentecost. I still believe I had a “visitation” from
the Lord, just as I stated in my So Simple study. I did not have a vision, a dream, hear
an audible voice, see some ghostly apparition, or any such manifestation. Rather,
just as I stated, I had a strong sense
of the presence of the Lord with me, and a deep compulsion to restudy the
Jewish holy days.
I
have been told by one brother that my visitation and compulsion came from
Satan. Amazing! For 6,000 years Satan has worked overtime
trying to turn humanity away from God’s Word, and has done everything he can to
discourage them from studying it. But now, according to this brother, Satan
is encouraging and compelling God’s people to study the Word. Truly, an amazing deduction! Sic!
When I restudied the Jewish holy
days, it became obvious to me that only two of those holy days have
anything at all to do with the resurrection and rapture of God’s people. Those two holy days, as previously stated,
are “firstfruits”
and “Pentecost.” I still
stand by that statement!
After carefully restudying the Jewish holy
days, including the writings of numerous brothers and and sisters in Christ,
and even some Jewish Rabbis, I am not convinced and do not believe that Rosh
Ha-Shanah has anything to do with the resurrection and rapture of New Testament
believers. Rather, I am more than ever
convinced that it is an observance given for the Jewish people. If time proves me wrong, then I’ll just
praise the Lord for revealing my error.
But at this point I remain unconvinced.
Since Pentecost has now come and gone, it
appears to me that this leaves only two options: [1] either Pentecost was an
“alarm” to awaken God’s people [Matthew 25:6], and the resurrection
and rapture is yet to occur this summer, or, [2] the resurrection and rapture will occur next
Spring at Pentecost [2009]. Let’s briefly
examine these two options.
[1] If
my attention was directed to Pentecost only as an “alarm” that the Lord’s
coming is right at the door, then it is still possible for the resurrection
and rapture to occur before this summer is over. Is there any Scriptural evidence that
such a scenario could happen? I’ll let our readers decide…..
In Jeremiah 8:20 [note the context] there is recorded a prophetically significant
lament from the Jewish people, as they cry out, “The harvest is past, the
summer is ended, and we are not saved.” This appears to be the cry of
unbelieving Jews who realize that the resurrection and rapture has occurred and
they were left behind. Are there any
examples in the Scriptures of such a scenario?
There sure are! Read Matthew
25:10-12 and Luke 13:22-27.
Since the harvest in the Scriptures deals
with both the end of this age [Matthew 13:39] and the resurrection
and rapture of God’s people [1 Corinthians 15:35-38; 15:42-44],
and since the grain harvest is completed during the summer in Israel [the month of Av], it is most certainly
possible that the resurrection and rapture will yet occur before this summer is
over. I still haven’t changed my mind
that 2008 is the year indicated in the Scriptures for the resurrection and
rapture of New Testament believers.
Therefore, this summer could be very prophetically significant.
Are our readers also aware that this year [2008] the month of August on our Gentile
calendar and the month of Av on the Jewish calendar, are in perfect or near
perfect correlation with each
other?
By this I mean that the new moon falls on
August 1st. I am told that
after sighting the first faint sliver of the new moon in the sky, the Jews begin
the new month on the day following the sighting. If that is the case, then the first day of Av
falls on August 2nd this year.
There would then be seven more days until the 9th of Av on Sunday,
August 10th.
But if Av begins on the same day the new
moon is sighted, then Av 1 would fall on August 1st, Av 2 on August
2nd, Av 3 on August 3rd, and so forth. Perhaps some reader can provide
documented evidence of the rule followed by the Jews to determine the first day
of each month after the sighting of the new moon? This appears to me to be very important this
year. Why? Because…..
There is to be a total solar eclipse on the
1st day of Av this year. This
solar eclipse could fulfill the prophecy of Peter in Acts 2:20 to the
letter. If this solar eclipse occurs on
August 1st, and Av 1 is the same day, then it would be nine days
until the 9th day of Av on August 9th. I am sure that most of our readers are aware
of the significance of the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar and in
the history of the Jews. The Jews commonly
refer to the 9th of Av as “destruction day.” If the 9th of Av falls on the 9th
of August, that would constitute a double nine for that day. Twice 9 is 18 which is composed of three
sixes, or 666. What a perfect day for the Tribulation to
begin.
In either case, whether Av 1 falls on
August 1st or August 2nd, it would still exactly
correlate with the warning the Lord gave to Noah in Genesis 7:4;10. Coincidence…??
Another interesting thing is that this year
there is to be three eights lined up on August 8th. The 8th month, the 8th
day of the month, and the 8th year of the century = 888. This is the Bible number setting forth the
gematria [numerical value] of
JESUS. Is this an indication that the
Lord Jesus Christ may come for His people on August 8th, and
then the Tribulation begin on the 9th of Av? I don’t know!
But I don’t think this line up of eights in the month of August is just
coincidence, especially if August 8th on our calendar is actually Av 8 on the Jewish calendar.
Whatever is indicated by this correlation,
or near correlation, of August and Av this year, it appears to me that the
first ten days in August could be highly significant in the light of Bible
prophecy, and therefore is a time for God’s people to be seriously “watching”
and praying.
[2]
On the other hand, if my attention was directed to Pentecost as the
actual time of the resurrection and rapture of God’s people, then it is obvious
that this event will not occur until Pentecost of 2009. But is there
any evidence that might suggest that the resurrection and rapture will not
occur until 2009? There possibly could
be! Again, I will let our readers decide
for themselves…..
In my Bible study entitled, Why?
Here is why!, I pointed out that a “generation” as defined by the
Word of God is customarily 40 years in length, and that humanity is now living
in the “last generation” of this dispensation.
This final generation apparently began on June 7, 1967 when the
entire city of Jerusalem
was returned to the control of the Jewish people. This correlates with the “fig tree…..putting forth
leaves,” Matthew 24:32. That
forty year generation should then have ended on June 6, 2007, using the Gentile
calendar year of 365.2422 days to the year.
If we use prophetic time of 360 days to the year, it would have ended
even sooner.
After I posted my study, some folks introduced
the Law of whipping into the discussion [Deuteronomy 25:1-3], insisting that Israel is still
living in the 40th year of this generation, and that the 41st
year does not begin until June 7, 2008.
Folks, time has revealed that this premise is not valid if
we use June 7, 1967 as the starting date.
In this study I want to illustrate for our readers exactly how many
years have been involved since June 7, 1967.
June 7, 1967___68___69___70 3 Years
70___71___72___73___74___75___76___77___78___79___80 10 “
80___81___82___83___84___85___86___87___88___89___90 10 “
90___91___92___93___94___95___96___97___98___99___00 10 “
00___01___02___03___04___05___06___07___08
8 “
___
41
Years
This makes it very clear that 41 years were
fulfilled on June 6, 2008, using the Gentile calendar of 365.2422 days to the
year. Count the spaces for
yourself. The Law of whipping then does
not apply in this discussion.
Rather, the actual count of the number of
years involved suggests to me that one more year is, or could be, needed
to fulfill this final “generation.” One
more year would make a total of 42 years.
Significantly, forty-two is the Bible number for “the coming of Christ.” Wow! Compare this with Matthew 1:17.
If this is the scenario [?]
that is being worked out by our Lord, it would correlate perfectly with Psalm
109, which correlates with 2009. If our readers will carefully study this 109th
Psalm, they will find that the first nineteen verses give a detailed
description of Judas Iscariot, who
is, at the very least, a type
of the Antichrist. Some of God’s people
are even convinced that the Antichrist may be a reincarnation of Judas
Iscariot. It is a Scriptural truth that
the only two people in the entire Bible referred to as “the son of perdition” [John
17:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3] are Judas Iscariot and the Antichrist. This 109th Psalm clearly
suggests to me that the Antichrist is definitely coming on the world scene in 2009.
It may also suggest that 2009 is the year
when our Lord is returning to resurrect and rapture His people to glory. At this point, I just don’t know! I only present it to our readers as something
to study, meditate on, and pray about.
God’s Word, including the prophetic Word, is a progressive revelation, Isaiah 28:9-10; 1 Peter 2;1-3; Hebrews
5:13-14. All I am doing is studying God’s Word, just as the
Lord commanded all of His people to do, 2 Timothy 2:15. Think about it!
IV.
I am still watching! I know that we are living in the “time
frame” of our Lord’s coming, therefore I haven’t “thrown in the towel” and given
up. If others choose to do so, that is
up to them, and each person will bear the responsibility for their
choices, Revelation 22:12. I
choose to keep right on watching, praying, studying, witnessing, and warning
until the Lord comes.
Some have asked me how I can continue to
write and preach about the Lord’s coming after having been wrong on the
“date?” I’m glad they asked…..
First, dear readers, I am just a frail
human being subject to the errors and weaknesses of the flesh. I work with the knowledge
that I have at any given time. Are God’s
people supposed to “quit” because they don’t yet have “full knowledge” of
everything? The last time I read the
Bible it still said, “For now we see through a glass darkly….,” 1
Corinthians 13:12. Those believers
who are waiting until they “know everything” about God’s Word are never going
to do much of anything in the work of the Lord. It is only those who are trying who make
mistakes.
Second, I am not the least bit ashamed of
failing to accomplish all I set my heart to do in the service of my Lord. I got over that a long time ago. Man, by his very sin nature, is a failure
from the cradle to the grave. That is
exactly why we needed a Savior. The Lord
Himself said, “…..for without Me ye can do nothing,” John 15:5. Folks, if the Lord Jesus Christ was
willing to suffer the humiliation of the cross in order to save my sin sick
soul, then why should I be ashamed of suffering a little humiliation for Him? Those of my critics and accusers who are too
proud or too cowardly to risk being humiliated or shamed for the cause of
Christ, think entirely too much of themselves. 1 Peter 5:5-7 is still in the
Bible. I suggest you read it.
Third, it is the Lord who searches the
hearts and the reins, and knows what is in the heart of every person, Jeremiah
11:20; 17:10; Revelation 2:23. I
thank God for this truth. The Heavenly
Father knows that I love Him, I love my Savior, I love the Holy Spirit, I love
the inspired Word, I love God’s people, and I have a genuine love and concern
for lost souls. It was the Lord Himself who first loved me [1
John 4:10; 4:19]
and shed abroad His love in my
heart, Romans 5:5. Can I then do
any less than seriously study the Word
and seek to warn the wicked from his way? See Ezekiel 18:23; 18:32; 33:1-9; 33:11; and
Isaiah
58:1.
Folks, I’m not in this battle for
fun and games. I’m not in it for
prestige and power. I’m not in it for
popularity and the adulation of men. I’m
not in it for money and material gain.
I am
in this battle for my Lord and for truth and right. QUIT…??
Lay down my Sword and capitulate to the enemy? I will quit studying God’s precious
Word, and seeking to warn and win lost souls to Christ when they pry my
Bible from my cold dead fingers. Glory
to God! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
I love you, Lord Jesus!
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus,” Revelation
22:20.
IS THIS STATEMENT CLEAR ENOUGH FOR EVERY
READER TO UNDERSTAND?
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Pastor F. M. Riley
3900 Clark Lane Lot 178
Columbia, Missouri
65202
Email: fmrglbd5@yahoo.com or
fmrglbd5@aol.com
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