Greetings
John & Doves! And “Happy New Year”!
…. As they ENTER into the HARVEST…..
I
could be wrong about this ~ all of us could, as we speculate on the timing of
the rapture. We have been before; we
likely may be again. But this we KNOW
FOR SURE: we know that we know that we
KNOW that it’s a FACT that Jesus is coming & He IS coming SOON!!!
Our
Blessed Hope is not some namby-pamby,
weellll, “shucks” ~ I hope, I hope, I HOPE Jesus may come eventually. NOPE – NO sirree, Bob!! Our BLESSED HOPE is built on a FOR SURE
THING!!!
Here’s
a FABULOUS TV clip from Ha’aretz (in Israel) about how happy the harvesters are
– as they now enter into the GRAPE HARVEST season. http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:EmlQDaaYUVsJ:www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/903628.html+grape+harvest+Israel&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us
The
grape harvest generally commences in the summer; but I’ve read it depends on
the sweetness of the grape & they can be harvested, in some cases, clear up
till Nov. But the date of this TV clip
is Sept. 13th & it says they are just NOW
ENTERING the grape harvest season in Israel. Please enjoy the clip – it’s not very long
at all.
BTW, the clip does comment about how most
Israelis are concerned about the shake up with SYRIA that’s going on – WHILE
these grape harvesters tend to their grapes!! BUT… think about it!! Isn’t that
how we’re TOLD things would be at the end of the age? Like in Noah’s day, people carrying on with life AS NORMAL,
clear up to the end – while at the same time, being concerned of wars &
rumors of wars.
I
know, here at Doves, we have tossed around the possibilities ~ would Jesus come
at “barley harvest”, “wheat harvest”, in the summer, at Pentecost, at Rosh
Hashanah (hey, I’m like many of you – I yearn, yearn, yearn for heaven, and
nearly go bi-polar at Rosh Hashanah as I view & examine all the possibilities
of why that may be the very time Jesus will come….. I try to not get TOO
excited or filled with anticipation, but yet, I do anyway, and then it turns
out to not be the time, and yes, I’ll confess, I then feel deflated &
disappointed…..
and
alas (you didn’t hear me say this!) ~ but then I start questioning
everything: well, are we right about
the rapture being pre-trib…. And yada, yada, yada…..) So, I turn to the Bible (our only source of truth!) and read Scripture after Scripture after
Scripture. I read the New Testament; I
read the Old Testament. Sometimes I
get sidetracked & start focusing other subjects: tithing or something….. but I digress. Finally, a few days later, I come away refreshed from the Word
once again…. YES, we are right about the pre-trib rapture!! Not just because we desire it to be so, but
because the Bible talks about it…. Period, end of story.
But even tho’ RH comes & goes, we keep watching – so as not to be
snoring when He sneaks upon us. Um, Who
wants a “snoring” bride? “chuckle” ~
that hardly seems inviting.
Okay, bear with me: I’ve got
lots of subjects to cover here & I’m going to leave you as dizzy as the
spin cycle on a washing machine if you cannot keep up with the way my head
bounces around. :)
Although we can look at “clues” all day long (we’ve always been wrong
up till now) but yet, it doesn’t hurt to seek the Word (in fact, it’s good for
us!) and to long to be with Him.
Maybe when He said He WILL come like a thief in the night – we can
compare to: when a burglar is going to
come…. He does not call you up & say, “I’m coming over to your house
tonight”, but nope, rather he breaks in when he thinks you’re least expecting
him!!
Thank the Lord that we’ve not had a break-in yet (and I pray we never
do before we’re outta’ here) but twice my neighbor and I experienced
near-breakins. Guess what time they
occurred? 9 in the morning! ~ both of them! We could have sat awake, shotguns in lap, expecting burglars to
show up just any time ~ and then, since they had not come by 8 a.m. figured whew ~ they’re NOT coming. But then at 9 a.m…… well!!
When people are burglarized, the burglars take their GEMS, their MONEY,
anything they find VALUABLE…… but generally, they leave behind much more than
they take….. you know, things like – super heavy furniture, the stock of canned
groceries, etc. Also like when Jesus
comes as a thief – He will leave behind MANY MORE than He will take. And thus, it will seem to the left behind
crowd that Jesus was like a burglar, a thief, Who came in, took their children
and loved ones, and LEFT!!!
Here is a calendar of the “harvest dates” in Israel ~ kind of
interesting!
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sbs777/saccal/calbook/part2-4.html
And here is another very, very interesting chart:
http://www.wcg.org/lit/law/festivals/harvest.htm NOTE: that I do not at all go along with
the beliefs of the WW Church of God!! But yet, I find some interesting prophecy reads from them online.
One such comment from this site:
The autumn
festivals came after the summer harvest, a less-important harvest. But the fall
festivals were associated with greater rejoicing (Deuteronomy 16:13-15). Why
the theme of rejoicing? The conclusion of a wine harvest is an appropriate time
for festivities. But another reason may be that Tabernacles celebrated both the spring harvest and the summer harvest. Note the mention of both
grain and grapes in verse 13: "Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for
seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your
winepress."
Right & for the next few weeks: Olives, grapes, & figs are the biggest fruit harvests in Israel.
Why is this important?
Isaiah 24:13 When it shall be thus in the midst
of the land among the people,
It shall be like the shaking of an olive
tree,
Like the gleaning of grapes when the
vintage is done.
This could symbolize how a burglar/thief comes & takes the most
valuable, but generally leaves something behind… or it could actually be
referring to the TIMING of the rapture, and then the trib getting underway.
Please read ALL of Is. 24 – as it very much sounds like how people (esp.
Israel) will feel during the time of the tribulation!
Now, Isaiah 17 (for WHEN Damascus will be obliviated)
5 It shall be as when the harvester
gathers the grain,
And reaps the heads with his arm;
It shall be as he who gathers heads of
grain
In the Valley of Rephaim.
6 Yet gleaning
grapes will be left in it,
Like the shaking of an olive tree,
Two or three olives at the top of the
uppermost bough,
Four or five in its most fruitful
branches,”
Says the LORD God of Israel.
GRAPES?? OLIVES?? Is this not the time for the HARVEST of
such?? AND of course, we know about
all the continual scuffles between Israel & Syria!!! Read here to see how SERIOUS it
sounds: http://www.jpost.com:80/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411419433&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer
One can only wonder how it could continue for another year – without
something BIG happening!?? Believe me,
I KNOW how EASY it is to just give it a wink & a nod, and continue on with
the earthly cares of life – making a living, worrying about the new boss,
trying to make ends meet, praying that none of the current candidates become
our next President ;) etc. etc. etc. AND pretty much just turning a deaf ear to the fact that Israel
and Syria MAY GET INTO THE BOXING RING…… as we figure nothing’s happened up
till now…. It’s almost as though the media’s crying wolf.
As prophecy watchers, we KNOW that’s not the case…. We KNOW that ALL
biblical prophecy WILL BE FULFILLED!! But
it’s just easy to get cynical when we’ve heard something so many times before.
I tend to think the rapture will happen just prior to Isaiah 17
fulfillment, or perhaps almost simultaneous. So, if this Scripture means Is. 17 could happen here just any day – would
that not also mean the rapture is at hand??!!
Micah 7 (IMO, this is talking about the time of the rapture! Many commentators perhaps did not see it –
remember the MYSTERY of the rapture was not REVEALED until Paul revealed it to
the NT saints, but IMO, the rapture (though people may not have understood
it) was discussed in the OT
Micah 7:1 Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer
fruits,
Like those who glean vintage grapes;
There is
no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul
desires.
2 The faithful man
has perished from the earth,
And there is no one upright among men. (NKJV)
NLT says it this way:
Micah 7: 1 How miserable I am!
I feel like the fruit
picker after the harvest
who can find nothing to eat.
Not a cluster of
grapes or a single early fig
can be found to satisfy my hunger.
2 The godly people have all disappeared;
not one honest person is left on the earth.
They are all murderers,
setting traps even for their own brothers.
[note, according to the charts above, fig harvest is normally Aug-
Sept.]
When googling info on grape harvest, this is of course, speaking of
grape harvest in Tuscany, but it would seem the entire month of September is
devoted to festivals centering around grape harvest! Look at that GORGEOUS picture of grapes!
http://www.tuscanjourney.org/events-in-tuscany/september:-the-grape-harvest-in-tuscany/
And yet, remember the TV clip from Ha’aretz says the Israelis are JUST
NOW ENTERING the grape harvest. I can
just SMELL those luscious grapes!! It’s
one of THEE best smells on planet earth!!
It is my earnest prayer to encourage each of us to stay the course,
work for the Kingdom and KEEP WATCHING for the Bridegroom!! I pray I am not combining symbolic
analogies with physical ones here, for that is not my intention.
I do find it somewhat interesting that when Jesus was speaking to His
disciples about the end of the age, the conversation took place on the Mount of Olives!! (I realize any such conversation could’ve
happened there, but I find it interesting ~ as thinking of “olive
harvest”) How ironic would that be? (Matt. 24 & Luke 13) Sitting on the
Mount of Olives & speaking of the timing of the end of the age. [olive harvest in Israel = Sept. Oct. &
Nov.]
If you love olives & grapes as I do – then if nothing else, this
entire report will make you HUNGRY!! :)
And I think I will go purchase some very sweet figs, too!
The main thing is to keep watching, keep watching, keep watching!! May we stand guard, may we keep ourselves
pure, 2 Corinthians 11:2 unspotted, James 1:27 unblemished, and may we be found watching!!
http://truthablaze.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=4;t=36;st=0;&#entry3
While I believe no one can say for sure ~ Jesus may come next year, or
He may yet come this year. Personally,
with all things certainly shaping up for the tribulation, I see no reason why
His imminent coming could not be this very year. Feast of Tabernacles? Yes, a real possibility ~ or before ~ or after, but soon, soon, VERY
SOON!!! Or it’s possible that, if the
peace treaty coming up in Nov. is destined to be “the one” to be concreted
& actually confirmed, then it’s possible that God may take us right up to
the ink drying on the agreement (just before this happens) & that we may be
outta’ here on just an ordinary day – without it being a feast day at all. Perhaps the unfulfilled fall feast days are
to fulfilled when Jesus comes BACK (2nd coming)
Do not snooze!! Do not give up
watching!! The Bible never-EVER tells
us to **STOP** watching!!
Even so, come quickly, Lord
Jesus!
Reva