Greetings everybody.

Well, no rapture at Rosh Hashanah ~ and while some people are really “bummed out” over it, I just keep on looking ANYWAY!! For surely our redemption draws nigh.

No, I told you right upfront that I am not one who believes the rapture MUST occur at Rosh Hashanah ~ surely that would mean we’d have to wait until fall, 2006.

But here’s what happened with the ones who INSISTED it had to be at Rosh Hashanah (generalizing here, but speaking for many I know)

They still insist it MUST happen at R.H. and stop watching all the rest of the time – feeling terribly discouraged that they must wait a whole ‘nother year.
Others come out with reasons why now the “correct date” is at Yom Kippur; Feast of Tabernacles, Hanukkah, or Pentecost of next year.
Some, still disappointed over Rosh Hashanah, are now quick to toss “cold water” on all these other possibilities – as they realize all the Jewish SPRING feasts have been fulfilled, and God does things in order, so therefore, they summarize He MUST come at Rosh Hashanah.

Ooooh ~ scary to me, for that is getting a bit too close to saying in our hearts that the Lord DELAYS His coming. {check out Luke 12} That is NOT something we want to be doing right now!

Well, Jesus did not come at Rosh Hashanah, but does that not mean that He is not coming SOON!!? Prophecy, this year alone, is being fulfilled at an exponential speed!

I will be quite honest. I’ve many times thought He would come at Pentecost, Passover, or Rosh Hashanah or even summer. I will tell you now that I flat out do not know when He is coming. And yet, we are COMMANDED to know the general time frame (the season) of His coming; so I keep watch every day - -knowing that this COULD be the day!

No, it’s not “hard work” to watch every single day. It’s something that comes second nature to you. You watch WHILE you wait; and while you work.

While I can’t promise, and NO ONE can, I still have not given up hope & expectation that Jesus may come this very year!! ~ or this very month for that matter!

When I said that I personally think He could come before the end of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) that is because I’ve done some studying & came to realize – though I have not yet confirmed it – that the exact number of time between tabernacles of ’05 thru’ 2012 is 2550 days – and this, I understand, to be the exact number of days of the tribulation. The first half of the tribulation will be 1260 days, but Daniel 12 speaks of the second half being 1290.

So if, if, IF the rapture is to happen this year, and if the tribulation is destined to fit in that specific 7 years of time (360 day years), then it would only make sense that it would likely happen before Feast of Tabernacles begins.

But again, if it does not happen on my time clock, then I go on watching anyway. I do not give place to discouragement to set in, because I know that I know that I KNOW Jesus **IS** coming soon!!

You know, the Bible does not contradict itself, but rather supports itself. So when we run across various Scriptures, we should rightly divide the Word & ask for the direction of the Holy Spirit to guide us to understand. For instance, Hebrews 10:37 promises that He who is coming will come and will NOT tarry. {For this very reason, it’s a pet peeve of mine when people always refer to Jesus as “tarrying”}

On the other hand, we’ve got the parable in Matthew 25 that hints of how The Groom could be fashionably late. In fact, in North America, if we went to a 7 pm wedding, and the groom wasn’t there – we’d start really feeling for the bride for being stood up. After a while, seeing her thru’ both anger and embarrassment, we’d finally decide to leave. Is there any doubt that most of us would not wait around the wedding hall clear till midnight? And yet, in the parable of Matt. 25 that’s when the Groom does come. At midnight ~ when people are sleeping, and some who ONCE had their lamps lit, have now let them go out and have no oil to REFILL them. They are not ready. They KNEW He was coming “eventually” but they thought they had all the time in the world to get ready.

Further, Jesus asks will He find any faith when He comes. I wonder if this could even include those DILIGENT “watchers”, who have run out of patience in waiting for Him to come? Dangerous territory, folks!

I trust, as you have time, you will do a search in the Bible – go to my favorite: www.Biblegateway.com and see how often we are told to wait for His coming with PATIENCE!!

Even so, it WILL be soon. Perhaps there's a "balance" between imminent expectation and patience to endure.

I STILL believe with these other Scriptures I have previously pointed out, particularly Zechariah 2 about the desertion of Gaza ~ that this points to a SOON rapture, very possibly in 2005!

We’re about to the END of the church age. You & I were born for such a time as this. It’s an exciting, challenging time. We have much to contend with; many challenges that come our way. But it is NOT a time to be discouraged!! We should make the very most of what time we have left. May I encourage each of us today to do something for the cause of Christ – edify another believer; leave a tract for a waitress (the tract speaks LOUDER when there’s a BIG TIP with it!), sit at the feet of Jesus & just enjoy His presence – this is actually more important to Him than anything we could “do” for Him; and get in His Word & read, read, read. Study it, let it soak in; HIDE IT in our hearts that we might not sin against Him. Endure patiently!

We are SOOOO close now – do not give up, when we are this close to the finish line!

MARANATHA!