Dear friends:
That subject, "Rapture date revealed?" was sure to get your
attention! Some are already preparing the favorite Scripture verses to hurl
against me. Others may be praying for my sanity. And some may be sending in
their "unsubscribe" notice! (Whatever!)
But before you do any of that, I
suggest you read my brief essay, "Can We Know?" at http://www.choicesforliving.com/docs/CanWeKnow.htm. It may
change your mind by revealing what God really says on the subject.
Of
course, we already know that man cannot set dates for the rapture or anything
else. Only God can set dates. But -- we can search it out!
- "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to
search out a matter" (Proverbs 25:2).
And Jesus "hath made us
kings and priests unto God and his Father" (Rev 1:6). As kings, we have the
honour to search out the hidden things of God. It is part of seeking, which I
know pleases God.
All the foregoing was just to introduce you to one of
the most devoted seekers I know. That is Pastor F.M. Riley. Pastor Riley has
over 50 years in the ministry, has a few gray hairs, is a Bible scholar (he
would probably prefer the word "student"), and has written many Bible studies on
many subjects. One of his favorite subjects is Bible prophecy, on which he is
prolific
Yesterday, Pastor Riley stunningly announced the astonishing
news that God has revealed to him the rapture date in 2008!
If you
are still persuaded that God would never do such a thing, even after reading my
essay, then you might as well stop reading right here and hit your delete
button. (But then you would never know what Pastor Riley says.)
But if
you think it is possible, Pastor Riley at least deserves to be heard. That is
the purpose of this message. Let's hear what he says, then you can make up your
own mind.
Because he is a dear, seeking, zealous saint, I am pasting his
article below. If you had rather read if right off a Web site, you can find it
at http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/may2008/fmriley510.htm
Some
are frantically saying to themselves, "What is the date? When is it? When is
it?" It's in the article. Like a good king, you will have to "search it out"!
Have
fun.
Jim
___________________________________________________________________
So Simple!…..
By
Pastor F. M. Riley
“But ye, brethren, are not in
darkness, that that day should overtake you as a
thief.”
I Thessalonians 5:4
Introduction
When is the resurrection
and rapture of New Testament believers going to occur? This is the question
that God’s people [true believers] have been asking ever since the Lord
ascended back to the Father some 2,000 years ago. But since the 40th year of
the modern existence of Israel as a nation [1988], this question has
become one of paramount importance to God’s people. In these past 20 years this
question has been discussed and debated from every conceivable viewpoint.
Folks, the answer to this question, and all other questions dealing with
spiritual truth, are to be found only in the inspired Word of God,
Amos 3:7. My opinion, idea, or theory, or that of “Bro. Bigshot,”
or “Dr. Know It All,” doesn’t amount to the proverbial “hill of beans” when it
comes to spiritual truth. Almighty God has spoken to His people through His
Word, and that settles the matter. The answer to spiritual questions are
found in God’s spiritual book; the Divinely Inspired Word of God.
Period!
In this study I want to share with God’s people a revelation
from the Scriptures that the Lord has shown me about the time of His
coming, trusting that the Lord will use this study to encourage the hearts and
minds of every reader who has “seeing eyes and hearing ears,” Matthew
13:16.
The Background
Nearly two years ago the
Lord showed me in His Word that His return to resurrect and rapture His
New Testament saints to glory would occur in 2008. I have written
several Bible studies setting forth the Scriptural reasons why 2008 is
the year of the Lord’s return to resurrect and rapture New Testament believers
to glory, giving book, chapter, and verse, for every point made. These studies
are available to any reader who will write and request them.
Folks, I
haven’t been looking for an actual “day” for the Lord’s return for over ten
years. I dropped out of that search years ago because of all the conflicting
dates that have been set by so many, and all the controversy that has
accompanied such searching. Some of the controversy between “brethren” has been
shameful, and not at all Christ honoring. I have been perfectly content to
know the year the Lord is coming. I haven’t felt any need whatsoever to
know the “date.” Throughout this year I have just been patiently waiting on
Him, Hebrews 10:35-37, for I have absolute assurance that the Lord
is coming for His people in 2008.
My Visitation
But it is now obvious
to me that the Lord had other plans for me. This past Saturday evening, April
26th, I suddenly had a strong compulsion to once again examine the Jewish Holy
Days set forth in Leviticus 23. As I read over that chapter
again, a simple truth that I had overlooked during all these years of Bible
study just jumped off the page at me. I now know that my compulsion came from
the Lord and that He wanted me to see this truth, for I certainly wasn’t
looking for it. Saturday evening, April 26th, the Lord showed me
when He is coming this year to resurrect and rapture His New
Testament saints to glory.
When the Lord revealed this
truth to me, I was shaken and astounded. It is so simple and so plain in
God’s Word that I wondered how I could have missed it all these years? I
literally shook and trembled and cried and praised the Lord! The presence of
the Lord was in the room with me so strongly that I trembled at His presence. I
knew that I had experienced a “visitation” from the Lord, and that He had given
to me a truth that He wanted me to know, and that He had given it to me at
the exact time He wanted me to know it.
What an awesome God we
serve. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
But along with this revelation
came a deep burden also, for I know that the Lord gave me this truth to be
shared with His people. I also know that many of those who read this will only
mock and ridicule and find fault with it. Folks, I am sick to my stomach of the
mockers and scoffers today [Laodiceans] who piously claim to be
“Christians,” yet who won’t even lift a finger to seriously study the prophecies
of God’s Word. Nevertheless, this truth must be shared with God’s people, and
put forth as a final warning to the lost.
On a Jewish Festival
I first want to
take my readers to Habakkuk 2:2-4. The context of this passage is
clearly dealing with the coming of the Lord. Read it for yourself and compare
the transliteration of the very same passage in Hebrews 10:35-39,
noticing especially verses 37-38.
For the
enlightenment and benefit of our readers, a literal word for word rendering of
Habakkuk 2:2-3 follows exactly as it is worded in the Hebrew text
of the Bible, 2 And answered me Jehovah and said, Write the vision, and
engrave it on the tablets, so that he may run who is reading it. 3
For still the vision is for the appointed festival, but it pants to the
end, and does not lie. Though it hesitates, wait for it; for surely it will
come; it will not tarry.
Please compare this literal
rendering with the wording recorded in the King James Bible. Notice the words
“appointed time” in the KJV. These words are translated from the
Hebrew word, “mowadah.” This Hebrew word literally means
“appointed festival.” See Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, page
457, Strong’s No. 4150.
For any reader willing to deal honestly with
God’s Word, this should settle the question of whether or not the Lord is coming
on a Jewish Holy Day. This verse explicitly states that the vision of the Lord’s
coming is to be fulfilled on “the appointed festival.” In view of
this explicit statement, we need not expect the Lord to come at any other time
than on a Jewish Festival, for the Lord never violates His own Word.
Notice also that this verse explicitly states that the vision
“does not lie.” In other words, at the time when the
vision “speaks” to God’s people again, it will be fulfilled by the
coming of the Lord without fail on the “appointed
festival.” The vision will “not lie.” Folks, the vision
is speaking again. The Lord has now revealed when He is coming for His
people, and His coming will occur on the “appointed festival”
without fail. Glory to God! Praise the Lord!
I want to point out that all of the Jewish Holy Days given to
Israel are prophetic. Who says so? The inspired Word of God says so! In
Colossians 2:16-17 the Scripture explicitly states, “Let no
man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of
the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of
things to come; but the body is of Christ.” This passage in
God’s Word explicitly states that the holy days of the Jews are prophetic. No
true believer then should argue the point. It is settled by the inspired Word
of God. Period!
But since this passage in Habakkuk 2:3
explicitly states that the vision will be fulfilled on the
“appointed festival,” then the question arises, “What Jewish
Festival?”
The Three Festivals
Folks,
while there were seven Jewish Holy Days given to Israel by the Lord in
Leviticus 23, only three of them were “festivals.” This is
clearly stated in Exodus 23:14-17, 34:23, Deuteronomy 16:16,
and 2 Chronicles 8:13, where all three of the festivals
are explicitly named. These three mandatory festivals were “the feast of
unleavened bread,” which began the day following Passover [Exodus
12:1-27; Leviticus 23:5-14…8 days], “the feast of harvest”
[or weeks], which is known today as Pentecost [Leviticus
23:15-21…1 day], and “the feast of ingathering,” which is
also called the Feast of Tabernacles [Leviticus 23:34-43…8 days].
It is then on one of these three mandatory Jewish festivals that the Lord
Jesus Christ is coming back to resurrect and rapture His people to glory. But
which one?
Only Two
As the Lord moved me last
Saturday night to restudy Leviticus 23, I suddenly realized that
only two of the three mandatory Jewish Festivals foreshadow the
resurrection and rapture of God’s people. Wow! Amazing! This is so
simple I have stumbled right over it for years.
The first Jewish
Festival having anything to do with the resurrection and rapture of God’s people
is “the feast of unleavened bread,” during the course of which a
“wave offering” of the “firstfruits” of the barley
harvest is presented to the Lord. This feast marks the beginning
of the barley harvest in the land of Israel.
The only other Jewish
Festival having anything to do with the resurrection and rapture of God’s people
is “the feast of harvest” on which a second
“wave offering” was presented to the Lord. Today this Jewish
Festival is known as “Pentecost.” The Jewish Festival of Pentecost marks
the ending of the barley harvest in the land of Israel. Only
these two Jewish Festivals foreshadow the resurrection and rapture of God’s
people. But don’t take my word for it. Let’s demonstrate this truth from God’s
Word.
The Festival of Unleavened Bread
The
instructions for observing this festival are given in Exodus 12:14-20
and Leviticus 23:6-14, with specific instructions being
given in Leviticus 23:9-14 for the “firstfruits”
offering. This observance is also mentioned in several
other related passages. What I especially want our readers to notice in the
course of this festival is the observance of the “firstfruits”
offering.
The “firstfruits” offering was a
“sheaf” [omer] of barley, the first grain ripe in
Israel in the Spring of the year. There was always some of this grain ripe by
Passover. This first ripe barley was gathered in from the field, and the grain
was beaten out of the husks until there was an “omer” of barley. The “omer”
full of the first ripe barley was then brought to the priest officiating in the
Tabernacle [later in the Temple].
The Scriptures tell us that
“on the morrow after the sabbath” following Passover, the
priest would take this “omer” of barley into the Tabernacle, and standing before
the veil which separated the holy place from the “holiest of all,”
would lift up the “omer” of barley towards Heaven as high as he could
reach, and would “wave the sheaf” [omer] vigorously back
and forth before the veil “to be accepted for you, 23:11.
The Lord Himself called it a “wave offering” in
Leviticus 23:15. Glory to God!
Please dear readers, in
this study I am only presenting those facts about the “wave offering”
of the “firstfruits” which are necessary to give our
readers an understanding of what the offering foreshadowed. You can study all
the details for yourself.
The Fulfillment of Firstfruits
If you
are a true Bible believer then you know that just as the Israelites sacrificed a
lamb on that first Passover [and each Passover thereafter], so 1,517
years later the Lord Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world,” John 1:29, was sacrificed on Passover in 30 A.D.
Three days and three nights after Christ was crucified,
just as the 17th day of Abib ended and the 18th day began, “on the morrow
after the sabbath” following the Passover, the Lord Jesus Christ came
forth from the tomb, triumphant over death, hell, and the grave, Matthew
28:1; Mark 16:1-6; Luke 24:1-7; John 20. Glory to God! Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord!
Now here is where the events really get interesting.
For on that same first day of the week, “the morrow after the
sabbath,” the Scriptures state, “many bodies of the saints which
slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went
into the holy city, and appeared unto many,” Matthew 28:52-53. Folks,
these were the “firstfruits” [plural] of the
resurrection, which included Christ Himself, 1 Corinthians 15:20,
all of which were foreshadowed by the “omer” of barley.
Glory to God! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! But let’s put it all
together.
According to John 20:1-18, on that glorious
“first day of the week” when Christ arose, Mary Magdalene came
early to the tomb, “when it was yet dark,” and found the tomb
empty. She ran and told Peter and John and they came to the tomb and also found
it empty. Peter and John then left the tomb, but Mary remained at the tomb
weeping. The Lord then appeared to her, identifying Himself, and saying to her,
“Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My
brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and
to My God, and your God.” It is then obvious that at that
specific time on that resurrection morning, the Lord had not yet ascended to
the Father.
However, according to Matthew 28:1-10,
just a few hours [or a few minutes…??] later the Lord met
“Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” as they were going to tell the
other disciples what the angel had told them, “And they came and held Him
by the feet, and worshiped Him.” Folks, in that interval of time the
Lord had ascended into Heaven itself [Hebrews 9:24], where He
presented His blood to the Father, and also presented to the Father
“the firstfruits of them that slept,” all of which were
received and accepted by the Father, and then the Lord returned to earth to meet
the two Mary’s. Glory to God!
Folks, it certainly appears that Christ
and the “firstfruit” saints were standing before the Father’s
throne in Heaven that morning at the very same time that the Jewish
priest was standing in the Temple waving the “firstfruits”
barley offering before a veil that was standing wide
open [Mark 15:38], clearly signifying that the way into Heaven
itself was now open for all who will believe, Hebrews 10:19-20.
Remember that the Scriptures explicitly state that this offering was
“to be accepted for you.” Folks, it is the blood of our
risen Christ that makes the truly repentant believer “accepted”
by the Heavenly Father, Ephesians 1:3-7. Glory! Praise
the Lord! Hallelujah! Glory to God! “Let every thing that hath breath
praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:6.
Folks, there are two things here
I want you to notice. First, it is obvious that the “wave offering”
of the “firstfruits” of the “omer” of barley on “the
morrow after the sabbath” following Passover clearly foreshadowed the
resurrection of Christ and those “firstfruits” saints who came out
of their graves after His resurrection. Second, this observance marked
the beginning of the barley harvest.
Now let’s look at
the other Jewish Festival…..
The Festival of Harvest
This
Jewish Festival is known today as “Pentecost.” It is referred to in the
Scriptures as “the feast of harvest,” Exodus 23:16, and also as
“the feast of weeks,” Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10; 16:16; 2 Chronicles
8:13. It is the only other Jewish Festival during the course of
the Jewish year where a “wave offering” taken from the barley
harvest was presented to the Lord. Didn’t we just see that the “wave
offering” of the barley foreshadowed the resurrection and rapture of
Christ and the “firstfruits” of God’s people? Then what do you
think the second “wave offering” of barley foreshadows?
Well..??
The instructions for the observance of Pentecost are recorded in
Leviticus 23:15-21. The word “Pentecost” simply means
“fifty.” This is because the “wave offering” on
Pentecost came fifty days after the “firstfruits” wave offering on
“the morrow after the sabbath” following Passover. Both
“wave offerings” were regarded as “firstfruits” to
the Lord, Leviticus 23:17; 23:20. .
On this
“appointed festival” two loaves of barley bread were to be
brought “out of your habitations” [homes] to
the priest, Leviticus 23:17. The priest would take these two
loaves of barley bread into the Tabernacle [or Temple], and standing
before the veil would “wave” them before the Lord, just as he had
“waved” the “omer” of barley 50 days previously. What does this
foreshadow? Let’s see…..
The Waving of the Loaves
These two
barley loaves had been baked “with leaven,” Leviticus 23:17. This
is the only place in all of God’s Word where the Jewish people were explicitly
told to use “leaven.” In God’s Word “leaven” is a type of sin. It
never typifies anything but sin in God’s Word, Matthew 13:33; 1
Corinthians 5:6-8. Because leaven typifies sin, the Jews were explicitly
forbidden from using “leaven” in all of their offerings to the Lord, except
this one. Why this exception?
This exception was made because,
just as the “omer” of barley typified the Lord and the “firstfruit”
saints, these loaves also typify God’s people. In what way? Folks,
true believers are now saints who were once sinners. The only people the
Lord saves are sinners. The Lord doesn’t save so-called “good people”
[Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23]. He only saves men and women,
boys and girls, who realize and confess that they are “dead in trespasses
and sins,” Ephesians 2:1; 2:8-9. Then, having believed His Word and
repented, the Holy Spirit comes into the repentant believer’s body and takes up
His abode, John 14:16-17. And, just as the fire in the Jewish
ovens baked the leaven out of those loaves of barley bread, so the
fire of God’s Holy Spirit [which was given on Pentecost] bakes the
SIN out of the life of the truly repentant believer. Glory! Glory to God!
Praise the Lord!
These two loaves of barley bread then served two
purposes.
First, they signified the end of the barley
harvest which had been harvested over the past 50 days. Note this well!
Second, just as the “waving” of the “omer” of barley
clearly foreshadowed the resurrection and rapture of the Lord Jesus Christ and
the saints who came out of their graves after His resurrection, so
the “waving” of these two barley loaves foreshadows the
resurrection and rapture of God’s people [true believers] saved during
this present Dispensation of Grace. Folks, the barley harvest is a type of
the Dispensation of Grace. Just as the two barley loaves “waved before
the Lord” at Pentecost signified the end of the barley
harvest, so they also foreshadowed the end of “the
fullness of the Gentiles” [Romans 11:25], and therefore
the resurrection and rapture of “the dead in Christ” and
“the living in Christ.” There are your two loaves!
See John 11:25-26 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Now let’s examine some additional proof in God’s Word of what I
am presenting, 1 Thessalonians 5:21.
Ruth…..The Gentile Bride
Any serious
Bible student knows that Ruth is a type of the Gentile bride of Christ, and that
Boaz is a type of Christ. The entire Book of Ruth is filled with
Scriptures teaching these truths. Study it for yourself.
When Ruth
[the Gentile] returned to the land of Israel with Naomi [the
Jewess] “….. they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of the barley
harvest,” Ruth 1:22. This gives us the time period involved in this
account. The real story of Ruth began on or near Passover and the observance of
“firstfruits.”
How and when does the story set forth in
the Book of Ruth end? It ends with Ruth’s espousal [and
subsequent marriage] to Boaz “in the threshing floor”
of Boaz, where Boaz “winnoweth barley,” Ruth 3:2. Folks,
that is exactly what the Lord is doing today. He is separating the barley from
the chaff [true believers from mere “religionists”] in preparation for
the marriage. Glory to God! Hallelujah!
After the espousal had been
made on or near the end of the barley harvest [Pentecost],
Boaz placed “six measures of barley” on the shoulders of
Ruth, and “she went into the city.” Could the six measures of
barley be a type of the saved during the 6000 years of human history? 2
Peter 3:8. Could her going “into the city” foreshadow our
entering into the New Jerusalem? Folks, Ruth is a type of the Gentile bride of
Christ; the Lord’s church, Acts 20:28; 2 Corinthians 11:2. Christ
is coming after His bride just as He promised [John 14:1-3], and
“they that are Christ’s” shall be “caught up…..to meet the
Lord in the air,” 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. When?
On Pentecost!
The Samaritan Woman
In John 4
the Lord met the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob [the well of
living water]. The Samaritan woman was looked down upon by the Jews, for
they considered her to be a “goyim;” a Gentile dog. The Lord
revealed Himself to this Gentile woman as the promised Messiah of Israel and the
great “I AM.” [Check the actual way John 4:26 is worded
in the Greek text].
The Samaritan woman then went into the city and
proclaimed, “Come, see a Man, which told me all things that ever I did: is
not this the Christ?” Folks, this is exactly what the Lord’s church has
been doing the past 2,000 years; inviting the lost world to come to Christ.
Some readers may object to using this adulterous woman as a type of the Lord’s
church. I suggest that before you become too “self-righteous and holy” you
ought to read Paul’s inspired statement to the church in 1
Corinthians 6:9-11. When a repentant sinner is “justified,”
they become as spiritually pure as if they had never known sin.
Sure this woman had previously had five husbands and was living in open sin with
a man right then, but has it ever occurred to some of you that Ruth wasn’t a
“virgin” either. She also had been previously married. Yet she is a wonderful
type of the pure, virtuous Gentile bride of Christ. So is the Samaritan woman.
Glory to God! Praise the Lord!
Now notice that the Lord’s disciples came
on the scene and urged the Lord to eat. The Lord’s reply in John 4:34-36
is so enlightening.
“…..My meat
[food] is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to
finish His work.
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and
then cometh the harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and
look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
And he
that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal:
that both He that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice
together.”
Folks, Christ Himself is the “sower”
who began sowing the seed at the beginning of the
harvest season. He said so Himself in Matthew 13:37. He is also
the “reaper” who brings the harvest to an end. That is
exactly what He is stating in John 4:34. He is the One who will
“finish the work” that He began. Praise the Lord!
But
when is the work to be finished? Folks, it is exactly four months
between the Festival of Pentecost and the Festival of Tabernacles. Count it for
yourself. So it is obvious that the Lord met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s
well on the day of Pentecost. Folks, the Festival of Tabernacles is the
celebration of all the completed harvests [barley…wheat…grape] at
the end of the year. But there, on the day of Pentecost, the Lord
explicitly told His disciples, “DO NOT SAY…..There are yet four
months, and then cometh the harvest….” The Lord told His
disciples the harvest was ready right then and was being reaped that
day. What day? The day of Pentecost!
Folks, the Lord is
coming to resurrect and rapture His New Testament saints to glory at the end of
the barley harvest on the day of Pentecost. Glory! Praise the Lord!
Hallelujah!
Other Scriptural Proof
I would also
suggest that our readers carefully study the feeding of the five thousand as
recorded in Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, and
John 6:1-13. This event typifies the entire Dispensation of Grace
and the regathering of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Scriptures are quite
explicit that the feeding of the 5,000 was accomplished with “five
barley loaves, and two small fishes.” Glory!
Our readers
might want to just take your concordance and look up the word “barley”
everywhere it occurs in God’s Word, and study the context where it is used.
Such a study is very enlightening.
But what about…..
Rosh Ha-Shanah…??
“That is the day the trumpets are blown, and the rapture is clearly
associated with the blowing of a trumpet, so it must be the day the
rapture will occur. Right?”
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! If God’s people
would seriously get into God’s Word, they would find that the trumpets were
blown on every Jewish holy day. Read it for yourself. The inspired
instructions for making and using the trumpets are given in Numbers
10:1-10. Verse 10 explicitly states, “Also in the
day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the
beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your
burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings;
that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the Lord
your God.”
Folks, the trumpets were blown on every day of
significance to the Jewish people throughout their whole year. If all you
have to connect Rosh Ha-Shanah with the resurrection and rapture of God’s people
is the blowing of trumpets, then you have nothing.
Further, Rosh
Ha-Shanah is not one of the three Jewish Festivals. Habakkuk 2:3
explicitly states “For still the vision [of the Lord’s
coming for His people] is for the appointed festival…”
Folks, the Lord is not going to violate His own Word. The
resurrection and rapture of God’s people is going to occur on one of the three
Jewish Festival during the course of Israel’s year. Rosh Ha-Shanah is not a
festival!
Again, Rosh Ha-Shanah comes in the end of the year
just 15 days before the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles. Tabernacles comes
four months after Pentecost. The Lord explicitly told His
disciples, “DO NOT SAY, there are yet four months…” until the
harvest. Are you one of the Lord’s disciples? Are you listening to Him?
The Rosh Ha-Shanah theory just doesn’t stand up to the
testing of God’s Word. I might add that it makes no difference who is
teaching the theory. That won’t alter the truth of God’s Word one
iota. Almighty God is not a respecter of persons.
The Significance
Folks, the Day of
Pentecost this year falls June 8th, however it actually begins at
sundown on June 7th in Israel. What are the significance of
these dates?
On June 7, 1967 the Holy Temple Mount and the city of
Jerusalem were returned to their rightful owners during the Six Day War. That
is the “date” when the tender branch of the fig tree put forth leaves,
Matthew 24:32. The Lord Himself said, “So likewise ye, when
ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors,”
Matthew 24:33. June 7, 1967 is the “date” when the forty year
“generation” began, Matthew 24:34. Therefore
on June 7, 2007 the fortieth year arrived. However, Israel is
still in the 40th year until June 7, 2008. The 41st year
will begin on June 8, 2008. What day is that? It is the Day
of Pentecost. Is all of this just coincidence? Or is Almighty God trying
to tell His people WHEN He is coming?
I am also told
that Pentecost marks the 33rd counting of the “omer.” Thirty-three is
the Bible number for “promise.” Is this just another
coincidence? Some 2,000 years ago the Lord Jesus Christ promised
His disciples, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also,” John 14:3. Folks, the Lord always keeps His Word, and on
this coming Pentecost, June 7th – 8th, you will see that for
yourself. Glory! Praise the Lord!
“But ye, brethren, are not in
darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief,” 1 Thessalonians 5:4.
Do you believe this Scripture? Do you really believe this
Scripture? If you do, then you better get with God’s program. Our Lord is
coming!
Conclusion
Folks, this truth is
so simple that I now realize that the Lord has tried to show me this
truth previously, and I was so dense I stumbled right over it.
The
“feast of firstfruits” marked the beginning of the
barley harvest, and foreshadowed the resurrection and rapture of “Christ
[and] the firstfruits…,” 1 Corinthians 15:23.
The
“feast of harvest” [Pentecost] marked the
end of the barley harvest, and foreshadows the resurrection and rapture
of all New Testament believers. Glory!
Isn’t that simple? Such a simple
truth that God’s people have been stumbling right over it for centuries.
When I calmed down after the Lord showed me this truth, I went
to my calendar and began counting the days until Pentecost. From April
26th, the night the Lord revealed this truth to me, until Pentecost
was 42 days. Folks, when I saw this I shouted and cried some more.
“Forty-two” is the Bible number for “The Coming of Christ.”
Coincidence? You can’t convince me that it was.
Folks, on the date
I am sending this study to Five Doves [May 8th], there are only 29
days left to Pentecost. I really tried to get this study ready to post much
sooner, but I have had all kinds of interruptions. I really think Satan would
like to keep God’s people in the dark right to the very end. But today it is
ready! Guess what? “Twenty-nine” is the Bible number that means, “To
depart; to leave; to go out.” Just another coincidence?
I know that after all the Scriptural proof I have presented in this study
some of you readers still won’t believe it. Well, that is okay, because your
unbelief is Scriptural. The entire Book of Habakkuk is
“the vision” that the Lord gave to Habakkuk. In Habakkuk
1:5 the Lord said, “Behold ye [Jews] among
the heathen [Gentiles], and regard, and wonder marvelously:
for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not
believe, though it be told you.” So dear reader, if you are
one of the Lord’s disciples who do not believe what has been presented,
don’t feel too badly. You have a Scriptural right to be a “doubting Thomas” if
that is what you want. After all, “doubting Thomas” didn’t believe until he saw
the prints of the nails in the hands of the Lord Jesus [John
20:24-29], and most of the Messianic Jews today do not even believe
there is going to be a rapture. But it is going to happen in spite of all the
unbelief, and then you will believe.
Dear readers, you have
only 29 days left from the time I am concluding this study, until the
coming of our Lord to rapture His people to glory. You can use this time to do
those final things you think you need to do. Or, you can use this time
to study, pray, fast, witness, set your spiritual house in order, and seek to
draw closer to the Lord than you have ever been. The choice is yours!
May God give you the grace to make the right choice. And may God have mercy on
us all during the next 29 days.
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NOTICE: Please do feel
free to reproduce this study in any way you can, and share it with everyone you
can, in any way you can, as quickly as you can. This will be your final
opportunity to sound a warning, and win lost souls to Christ. May God bless
your efforts is my prayer. Pastor F. M. Riley fmrglbd5@yahoo.com
“He that
goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with
rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him,” Psalm 126:6.
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