Reminds me of the movie and TV series “Get Smart” where Maxwell Smart’s favorite catch phrase was “Missed it by THAT much!!”. While March 29th has come and gone, I’ll still be overjoyed if the Rapture turns out to be April 8th as several on Five Doves have posted. Missed it by THAT much!!
Jean Stepnoski counts 11 days from March 29th to April 8th. Two Ninevah Eclipse One Year Anniversaries. 11 days noteworthy? I’d agree with Jean and say no. But 10 days? Definitely! If one counts exclusively instead of inclusively, I count 10 days from March 29th and April 8th. But then if we carry the analogy forward of transposing the Fall Feasts to the Spring, then counting from the Feast of Trumpets to Yom Kippur is counted inclusively as 10 days. Which would place us also at anticipating April 7th.
Back to the 10 days. Revelation records the Church of Smyrna to suffer tribulation ten days. Literally, Smyrna suffered tribulation 10 days when only the Christian Armenian and Greek sections of the city were burned starting 9/13/1922 and ending 9/22/1922.
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Revelation 2:10
The Christians who were faithful unto death will rise first while we who remain will meet our Lord and Savior in the air. Just before this occurs the world could experience tribulation ten days. And it has indeed been rocked these now 7 days (4/5/2025 as I write this) from higher oil supplies and higher tariffs meant to punish free trade cheaters in OPEC countries and countries around the world. But then the world has become addicted to cheap baubles and opioids from China. Which we are told is by design by China in retaliation for them losing the Opium Wars. Opium Wars - Wikipedia. As recorded, “China was compelled to sign the unequal treaties to grant favourable tariffs, trade concessions, reparations and territory to Western powers.”
I also thought found it interesting if the Church of Smyrna represents the Bride of Christ that this Church made up 1/7th of the 7 churches or around 15%. Likewise, several including Alan Clark have posted UFOs and the Christian Worldview which Argument #1 states, “There are at least two groups of people in every church: talk-the-talk Christians and walk-the-walk Christians. In some regions of America, notably the Bible belt, the average church will have 85% talk-the-talk Christians and 15% walk-the-walk Christians. They're not easy to differentiate by casual observation, but time and adversity will always separate the sheep from the goats.”
While I’m off the subject, I was going to make a shoutout to John and Chris in 17919 which covers both the numbers 17919 and 1791. Trying to figure out this enigma I did notice 17919 and 1791 were related as both being able to be related as arithmetic operations composed completely of 9’s, (not counting the zero’s as place holders).
17919 = 9900 + 99 * 9 * 9
1791 = 900 + 99 * 9
I have no clue what it means unless one delves into the meanings of the numbers 9 (fruit of the Spirit) and 99 (seal). But back to the main part of Chance’s post regarding
John wrote, “Things are moving so fast we need to fine-tune, discard or rethink our theology constantly.”
And your:
And how many other 'set in stone beliefs' need to be re-examined, re-looked at, re-studied?
Wow! Where to begin. For example, the set in stone adding together of Daniel’s 62 weeks and 7 weeks to arrive exactly at 32 AD for anointing Jesus as Christ the Prince at His triumphal entry on a donkey into Jerusalem according to Sir Robert Anderson in “The Coming Prince”. For the record, Sir Isaac Newton vehemently disagreed with adding these two groups of weeks together.
This disagreement by Sir Isaac Newton, which I believe Jim Bramlett had brought this up prior, was part of the basis of a 2003 post I made to Five Doves followed up by a more in-depth book in 2004. Counting from the commandment by Mosh Dayan on June 7, 1967 to restore Jerusalem to the reborn Israel a total of 7 weeks (49 years) of 360-days, one arrives at September 23, 2015. Assuming it would be Jesus Christ who would be anointed as Prince over this Earth for 1,000 years on that date I had counted backward 10 years to 2005 for the anticipated Rapture. When that failed to materialize, I had counted backward 1 week (7 years) of 360-days arriving at October 29, 2008. Or, put another way, counting 6 weeks (42 years) of 360-days from June 7, 1967 one arrives at October 29, 2008. John recently also highlighted this same October 29, 2008 date in a recent post I assume everyone has seen.
But for me, in anticipating of October 29, 2008, I wrote a post that became by far the most reposted by others, titled, “When is the Rapture? The Answer is 42!”. On October 29, 2008 the most amazing event took place that shook me to the core. Instead of Jesus Christ coming in the Rapture, Obama took over a significant amount of the airways around the world for 30 minutes, preempting the start of the World Series people had tuned in to see, to convince Americans to vote for him as President in 6 days. I haven’t seen anything like it before or since. Memories of prophecy books I had read came back to me about the one who would present himself as the Prince of Peace around the world simultaneously through the magic of TV. I had heard that Sir Robert Anderson had chosen his title “The Coming Prince”, not as referring to Jesus Christ but to antichrist. I came to the sobering conclusion that I had witnessed this presentation to the World which also coincided with his election for the Nobel Peace prize before he had even taken office. An election he won the next year. The obvious conclusion was that Daniel’s 7 weeks would be fulfilled on September 23, 2015 with the anointing of this Prince by the only one greater in the kingdom of darkness, which would be the only one qualified to do the anointing, the antipope. With dread I watched this apparently come to pass exactly as foretold by Daniel with the antipope traveling to Washington DC to be with the Prince on this exact day. Shivers!
Chance – now regarding, let’s call it a ‘sacred cow’ if not the most ‘sacred cow’ in Protestantism, which you bring up, the ‘seven-year tribulation’. There are those I know that have admitted to me that they have read every book in the Bible EXCEPT Revelation. Even though this is the ONLY book that promises a blessing to those who read it. Regardless, they know beyond a shadow of a doubt, the book of Revelation is all about the ‘seven year tribulation’. No persuasion would ever convince them otherwise. And now you say you are entertaining a 3 ½ year tribulation instead?
Searching Revelation for the word “seven” one finds it occurs 54 times in 31 verses in 14 chapters. That, by anyone’s count, is a lot. Likewise, searching Revelation for the word “tribulation” one finds it occurs 5 times in 5 verses and 3 chapters, Revelation 1, 2, and 7. However, in none of these verses is also found the word “seven”. The only verse of the five that does mention a number is Revelation 2:10 as shown above. It also includes a time which is “days” as in “ten days”.
That doesn’t prove there will not be a seven-year tribulation. Far be it from me to even suggest such a thing. But God says He establishes everything with two or three witnesses and we are not talking about just a jot and a tittle here. We are talking about something that is now preached as the foundation of the book of Revelation in most Protestant churches. Not one mention. In contrast, the phrase “thousand years” regarding Christ’s millennial reign is mentioned 6 times. Something to think about.
Which brings me back to every jot and tittle of the living WORD OF GOD, Jesus Christ! My wife and I just finished watching the excellent first season of “House of David” on Amazon Prime Video. God takes what man may consider the most insignificant person, the jot and the tittle, and has him anointed as the next King of Israel. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. A small shepherd boy picks up a stone and kills a giant. With man a thing is impossible, but with God all things are possible. And in so doing, God gets the glory!
Which also brings me to how corrupt our Protestant churches have become without even realizing it. They have embraced New Age philosophies and what God calls abominations. Anything with the word “New” attached to it they embrace. Any new idea just like that of the serpent’s in the Garden of Eden.
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
They have removed not just the jot and tittle from the living WORD OF GOD, the holy and wholly inspired King James as well testified by Brandon Peterson’s work Truth is Christ, but whole words, phrases, and even verses. For that they will receive greater damnation, like the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees.
Matthew 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Mark 7:16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
I’m off my soapbox.
Chance – I will conclude by saying there are five more witnesses in Revelation to support your 3 ½ year (or its equivalent) tribulation than there are to support a 7 year tribulation. For everyone’s consideration.
Revelation 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Revelation 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Revelation 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Revelation 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Revelation 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
I pray again that this will be my last post because Jesus Christ our redeemer has come to take us home.
Shalom,
Ted Porter