Hi to all the doves.  It's been a long while since I have written, but I have enjoyed the many articles for a long time.  Rapture watch is always special and to me very special in the spring.  One of the characteristics that Jesus notes of those that love Him is that they "watch".  They are vigilant.  Hang in there doves.  Every day brings us closer.  I hope that what I have written here will give some a peculiar insight, not only to what is going on in the world, but how God's feast might be played out in relation to the rapture.  I'm sure I do not have all the answers.  I don't believe any of us do, but I have had a great deal of fun in seeing pieces of the puzzle come together.

Second Passover was established in Numbers chapter 9, not by God's initiative as  the other feast, but at the inquiry of those defiled by the touching of the dead.  They went to Moses because they were temporarily separated from participation in the Abib/Nisan Passover until they were clean.  Moses told the people to "Stand Still" until he could get an answer from God.  I believe this is closely connected to the "Be still and know God" passages.  God then gave Moses an answer.  He created the Second Passover for those defiled by the touching of the dead, but then He added  "a man on a far journey".

A man on a far journey is surely the groom, Jesus, who has gone to receive Him a kingdom.  Those defiled by the touching of the dead is surely the bride.  She symbolicaly dies to this world in the act of baptism and begins a new spiritual life.  Further, she symbolicaly partakes of Christ's dead body and drinks of his blood which is given for the remission of sins.  This is done at all the Lord's Supper  celebrations.  Jesus established the Lord's Supper with His disciples (His new church of believers) at their last meal ( a Passover meal) before His death.  This was part of the New Testament covenant established at His death.

I would further suggest (at least my opinion) that the first Passover was too sacred for Jesus and the Father to share with any other, but the Second Passover appears to me to be shared with the bride.  She too suffers affliction and persecution in this world.

It is the only feast which is doubled.  Job 11:6 tells us that the "secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is."  This "double" clue is important and I believe played out in several related prohecies.  Also note the 11th chapter, vs 6.  11 is an important number in occultic circles, but God also uses it.  It is not only a number of rebellion, but it is obviously a number of division or separation and is closely related to the number 2 (also written Roman Numeral II).  Jesus tells us He did not come to bring peace but division.  He will separate the goats and sheep, the wheat and tares etc.  Vs 6 is the number of man and related to the 6000 years as was Noah's age at the flood (600 years).

Joseph, the Separation and the Bush are all connected.  Joseph was the 11th born of Jacob, but first of Rachel, and he died at age 110.  The fact that he lived separate from his brethren is well documented.  This separation comment is contained in several of his blessings and prophecies.  Genesis 48 gives some specific blessings given to Joseph.  The name Israel was given to him, i.e. his children.  He was given a "double" portion, both in blessing and in tribe space in the promised land.  Gen 48 tells us he will be both a great nation and a great group (multitude) of nations and a blessing to the world.  In Gen 49, Jacob gives his blessing to each of the 12 tribes.  Note vs one that this blessing applies to the "last days".   Joseph is a fruitful bough, whose bow abides in strength, his hands are made strong by God, his domain is to the everlasting hills and vs 26 notes again that he lived separate from his brethren.  Joseph received the great material blessing of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Judah received the sceptre and therefore the kingly bloodline of Christ.

I would note as well that in chapter 37, Joseph's multi-colored coat is mentioned 3 times, almost out of context.  This must be important.  I would contend that it represents his national make-up in the last days.  He is made up of peoples of all nations, kindreds, tongues etc.  Note both the pre-trib raptured bride in Rev 5 and the trib saints in Rev 7 are both made up of all peoples, kindreds, tongues etc.  There is surely a connection.  Note he was tempted to "lie" with the priest's wife, but refused and was sent to prison, i.e. he did not "lie" with the world.  During the famine, he managed to get all private property of the people into the hands of the Pharoah.  This has application to the tribulation and is hinted at in the blessing by Moses in Deut 33.

The Deut 33 passage concerning Joseph is also full of blessing, but some real neat hints are laid out in vs 16.  "---For the goodwill of him who dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren".   First off, let me say that Jesus appeared in the bush.  He did not dwell there.  The bush is a symbol of the world system.  It is a tare which came about with the thorns and briers when God cursed the ground at Adam's sin.  Job tells us vile creatures dwell in the bush.  Anyone who clears land can tell you that you will always find poisionus vines, briers, snakes, spiders, stinging bees etc along with the bushes.  God did not burn the bush when He appeared as a flame to Moses, but He promises that He will consume the bush along with the tares in the end time flame.  The wheat He will gather into the barn.  The "lived separate" is directly related to the believer, who is to come out of this world and be separate.
Further, Jesus told his disciples to take His word to the lost sheep of the tribes of Israel of which Joseph was head.  He would eventually be the center of carrying christianity to the world.

I would have you note Deut 33:17 as well.  Joseph's character changes drastically here, that is after the separation.  He still has strength, but as the horns of a unicorn, an occultic symbol.  He pushes the peoples of the world together.  Actually, he has done that since WW2, but I believe this is a direct reference to the forming of the New World Order, a world government uniting the world in commerce, religion and eventually politically/militarily.  How this NWO accomplishes doing away with private property is seen in the famine and Pharoah story.

Let me continue with the bush ( a tare) connection.  Note Mark 12:26.  Jesus states "As touching the dead that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him---".  There is a connection to the bush and the rising of the dead in 1 Thes 4.  This bush is particularly connected to Joseph.  It is no accident that we have had two Bush presidents.  Again, "double is wisdom" and we have had two as the head of Ephraim.  The second is in his second term.  I personally have no doubt that the "separation", i.e. rapture that we have waited for will occur before Bush #2 is finished.

Joseph's most famous dream interpretation included a lot of 7's.  There were 7 and 7 cows, 7 and 7 ears of corn and 7 and 7 year periods.  There is a connection here to Hezekiah's celebration of the Second Passover in 2 Chron 30.  Here the feast of unleavened bread is 7 days, but because of the joy, they vote to extend it 7 more days.  It too is a 7 + 7 event as was Solomon's temple dedication feast at the feast of tabernacles (fall).  It is one of the two most joyous feast ever held in Jerusalem, however, it must be noted at the end of it, their prayers were heard all the way to heaven.  This is not mentioned in the Solomon feast.  One should also note here that in Lev 23 where God outlines His feasts that the spring feast are associated with first fruits, mentioned at the wave offering and at the 7th Omer (Penetecost).  Fruit is mentioned in the fall feasts, but not first fruits.  I believe the fall feasts are associated with the Second Coming, not the rapture (meeting in the air).

In fact, I believe all the first resurrection (first fruits) events are associated with these spring feasts.  These include Jesus and the old testament saints (friends of the groom at the wedding), the pre-trib rapture of the dead and living worthy (the bride) and the tribulation saints (invited to the wedding supper).  I believe there is a 3 and 1/2 year period between the rapture and the beginning of the trib which will begin in the fall.  The trib saints are resurrected with the two witnesses at the trib mid point.  Unfortunately, every indication in Revelation is that all these trib saints have been killed.

The specific marker that Jesus gave us was the spring growth of the Fig tree (nation state of Israel) found in Mat 24.  I do not believe the May 1948 establishment of Israel is the point here as that would be as a sprout just coming out of the ground.  Here, "the branch is yet tender" when it mentions a spring growth period just prior to summer.   The June 6-11, 1967 war fits this scenario.  This was just prior to summer solstace (summer was nigh) when Israel gained the Golan Heights, the Sinai, the West Bank and most importantly Jer-usa-lem.  She was 19 years old, a tender age, not yet an adult (age 20 according to Exodus).  It should be noted that this "peace agreement" is about giving up this very land.

My best guess for a rapture would be 40 years from that event as it was at that time the Israelites crossed into the promised land.  40 is given as God's law concerning the number of stripes you may give a person (Deut 25:2-3).  It is mentioned over and over as a time period of testing.  However, it must be noted that 39 stripes was a Hebrew tradition and I believe Paul received 39 stripes 3 times.  This year cannot be ruled out as neither can any date.  We must maintain constant vigilance, He is coming.  From the 40 year mark, if you then calculate 3 years (or 3 and 1/2) prior to the 7 year tribulation, then Jesus returns at the Jubile (50).  That makes most sense to me, but God ways are much higher than mine.  I believe all the clues are there, it is just a complicated puzzle/riddle, ha.

Now to talk about how this might play out.  When you lay out this feast (Hezekiah's 14 days) then you notice that it then covers all the way to the day after ascension day.  It begins with bringing the lamb into the home on the 10th day of Zif (Second month).  This is the same day Noah began loading the ark.  Killing the lamb occurs on the 14th and that evening (this Friday)  the passover is eaten after sunset (begins the Sabbath of the 4th Omer).  The 4th Omer is the midpoint of 7 Omers as was the killing of the lamb at the midpoint of the week.  Second Passover by calendar always falls on the same dates, just one month later, but always falls two weekdays later making the Sabbath Omers stick out, particulary when you then look at the 7 + 7 scenario.

God shut the door to the ark on the 17th of Zif.  God also shuts a door in the parable of the 10 virgins.  One should carefully study the parable of the 10 virgins in Mat 25 and note 1 Thes 4.  Compare this 7 + 7 celebration with these events.  There is no doubt in my  mind that the 10 virgins are believers, even believers within the 7 churches of Revelations.  These churches are not Jewish synagogues nor any other false religion, they were established by the disciples.  Some are worthy and some are not.  This "worthy" adjective should be studied carefully as it is mentioned often in the new testament.  It has to do with the sanctification process, not the freely given justification which saves.  Worthy is used to describe the reward of missing the tribulation (hour of trial) and serving in the kingdom.  It is associated with all three parts of the first resurrection as a reward of being kings and priest with Christ during his kingdom on this earth.  Back to the virgins.  Both the branch and Judah and the branch of Israel have been called whores several times in the old testament.  To become a virgin again takes divine healing.  Enough said.  The wise will figure this out.  There is a whole lot to this idea of a carnal christian vs the spiritual one, one who sups with Christ.

Just how does this play out.  Note in 1 Thes 4, that there is the mention of clouds (plural).  There is one for the resurrection of the dead which meets Jesus in the air first and another for the living which follow.  Jesus ascended in a cloud.  The pre-trib dead and living both go in separate clouds.  The two witnesses in Revelations ascend in a cloud.  Jesus returns in a cloud.  These are not vapor clouds.  These are witnesses or saints.  The changing occurs in an instant, but the departures are not at the same time.  The parable of the 10 virgins indicated both groups have time to talk to each other throughout the process until the wise depart.

The midnight cry is probably the resurrection of the dead in Christ.  Exodus chps 11 and 12 should be carefully studied.  There is a reverse image of what causes the cry as God continues to show He sets a difference between Israel and the world.  He is a God of the living, not the dead.   In Mat 25, the virgins get excited.  The unbelievers are listening to the TV about the UFO invasion, ha, and I might add eating it up.  The virgins know what is going on.  They trim their lamps to provide the best light.  That is, they all head to church confessing and repenting.  It will be crowded on that Sunday.  At some point, the unwise note that there is a difference between them and the wise.  The wise now have an immortal body.  The conversation continues and the wise tell the unwise to go to those that buy and sell and get them some more oil.   Honestly, I believe that is a somewhat sarcastic remark.  The problem with the unwise is that they were too absorbed in the affairs of this world, the pride of this life, money, position, power, works of their hands etc.  This made them lukewarm.  I believe this remark is aimed at that attitude.  The wise depart and the door to the wedding is shut.  The unwise cry out for God to open the door and there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  The unbelievers though are celebrating the departure.  I have a hunch this is all played out over this 14 day period (7 + 7).

For any who are left and there will be many, we need to note Luke 11 (again that division thing) vs 2-13.  Again at midnight, a man is on a far journey etc.  This passage is for those left behind.  The bride is behind the closed door and in bed with Jesus.  There is a man asking for bread.  Jesus tells him he will not let him in because he is not his friend.  His lack of obedience caused Jesus not to sup with him.  But Jesus tells him, because of you importunity (being cast into the fires of the tribulation) I will give you 3 loaves (# of the Holy Spirit).  He will not give him a snake, nor a stone etc and He explains in vs 13 that He is talking about the Holy Spirit.  Again, 10 days after ascension day, there will be a Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit even greater than that which the apostles received, complete with all the gifts.  There is going to be a great revival in the 3 years prior to the beginning of the tribulation.  This left behind group is also noted in Luke 13:24-30.  Many hot shot preachers appear to be left behind.  The parable of the King who made a marriage for his son in Mat 22 should be well noted.  It ends by saying many are called and few are chosen.  The chosen bride is the wise.  The trib saints are a multitude too great to number.  I personally stand real sober.  Paul knew that he was saved, but even he worried that he was "worthy" of this reward.  This is too deep a subject to cover here.

I pray all the doves read and understand, not what I have wrote, but what God says in His word.  It is serious as Jesus' death was serious.  In the meantime stay prepared, for we might be surprised at the day.

Love all ya'll, Steve