Dear friends:

Jesus commanded us to "watch."  In the modern vernacular, I suspect He would way, "Watch, and connect dots."

This message is for you "watchers" out there, and maybe some who are not watchers but should be. 

The below is not a prediction and I am not a prophet, but I watch and try to connect dots when they come along, and also share what others may be sensing.  The below three all point to the same time period.  If they are wrong, no problem.  We will just keep watching for more dots.

1.  In a Five Doves Web site post by "Lauren" on March 6, 2008, he said:

"I believe the 'Day of the Lord' could take all unaware over the March 19-23, Maundy Thursday, Fast of Esther, Purim, Good Friday, Sabbath and Easter Sunday long weekend."  (The post at http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/mar2008/lauren36.htm. Purim is March 21, 2008 and Easter is March 23.  This is just a summary statement I extracted.  Lauren has actually done some in-depth studies from the Scriptures and historical documents.)

2.  The other day I received an e-mail news alert from the Jerusalem Connection which also points to that time period:

You may recall that on February 12th a top terrorist commander named Imad Mughnieh, was killed in a car bombing in Syria. This has caused an uproar among Muslims. The Hizbullah overlords are accusing Israel of this bombing but Israel strongly denies any involvement. As a result, there are serious reports that as soon as the 40 days of mourning for Mughnieh are over, the Hizbullah will attack Israel. This 40-day period ends around the 22nd or 23rd of this month.

3.  For his own mathematical reasons, retired dentist, Bible scholar, and indefatigable watchman Dr. Glen Swanson believes there is a strong possibility for the rapture on Easter, March 23, 2008. I spoke on the telephone with him for over an hour yesterday, listening to his reasons.  Dr. Swanson has amazing, savant-like insights on calendars, dating and day intervals from Adam to the present and, frankly, is way over my head. Usually, I cannot follow him.  Unfortunately, he has no Web site or computer and is not online.  However, he has said that if anyone would like to speak with him on the telephone, to feel free to call him at 951-990-3126.  He is in California so allow for the time zone difference.  Dr. Swanson is very gracious and loves to share on this subject.

NOTE.  Whenever I say something in a message about the rapture, I usually get 2-3 critical responses saying there is no such thing as a pre-trib rapture and that I need to stock up on supplies and be prepared for judgment and needed sanctification (as though the blood of Christ is not powerful enough).  For various reasons, I do not engage in e-mail debates, but for those of that persuasion I would like to say that you may actually be correct -- for yourself, that is!  There is biblical evidence that the rapture, or first rapture, will be relatively small and only for those who are looking for Him and love His appearing ( 2 Timothy 4:8).  It is also a biblical principle that we receive what we believe for, such as salvation and the forgiveness of our sins.  Therefore, the popular statement of unbelief, "I don't believe in the rapture but I hope it is true" may be futile and not work when the rapture actually happens.  You may find yourself left behind and receiving what you believed for!  No joke.  This is serious.

See my essay, "Christian: In Case You Miss the Rapture" at http://choicesforliving.com/spirit/part3/rapture.htm. This is sobering.

The following are a few resources about the rapture and are available for study:

http://www.raptureme.com/ttcol.html Collection of 16 essays.
http://www.raptureready.com/rap61.html Defending the Pre-trib Rapture.
http://members.aol.com/RSy2717/pretrib.html 50 Evidences of the Pre-trib rapture.
http://home.netcom.com/~horse/pretrib.html The Pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church.
http://www.tbaptist.com/aab/pretribcoming.htm The Imminent Pre-trib Coming of Christ.
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/mar2003/donnac328-1.htm Awesome Challenge for Post-tribbers
http://www.his-forever.com/sharing_rapture.htm
http://www.his-forever.com/rapture_taught_in_early_church.htm Pre-trib rapture taught in early church
http://rapturealert.com/sixteenproofs.html
http://www.essentialchristianity.com/pages.asp?pageid=21918 The History of the Pre-trib Rapture
http://watch-unto-prayer.org/rapture.html
http://www.abbasway.org/messages/018e.htm
http://kentcrockett.com/biblestudies/rapture.htm

"Watch!"

Jim