Doves,
The prophetic verses of the bible from Zechariah 14 infers that during the 7 year period or last week of a 70 week era /span (as per Daniel) that God the Father will personally intervene on Israel's behalf when Israel is attacked and is nearly annihilated.
After this intervention by the Father scripture indicates that He (the Father) moves His kingdom from heaven to earth for approximately 3.5 years. When He does re-establish His kingdom here on earth He modifies / Terra-forms / revamps the existing surface of the earth there in the Middle East to meet His needs.
This revamping of the earth is described in Zechariah 14 and Isaiah 25 and from those descriptions in those areas of scripture it appears to me that this new modified land mass will be large and rectangular in shape and extend from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Euphrates River in the east. A distance of hundreds of miles.
A reference in Isaiah 25 refers to this new revamped land mass as “a mountain” suggesting that it will be enclosed and impenetrable.
Also Daniel 12 suggests that Michael the arc angel will be tasked along with the angelic realm to provide security for this new ark-like enclosure.
When I pondered on and considered all of this it struck me that what I was envisioning from what scripture references with this rectangular secured huge land mass enclosure was and will be a full scale representation / version of the original ark of the covenant.
It certainly appears to me that just as the spirit of the Father was housed in the ark of the covenant in the time of Moses........ the Father, in all His glory, will take up residence within this new ark-like enclosure which will encompass hundreds of square miles when He relocates His kingdom from heaven to earth during the tribulation period. And that the original ark of the covenant will have just been a pattern, a miniature version of what will come during the tribulation period.
And as I have expressed in my prior posts the “elect” of God (Matthew 24:31) will be housed within the security of this ark-like enclosure along with the Father. They, the elect, will include the then living remnant Jews who will be forced to re-establish the original blood covenant with the Father there in this enclosure due to their failure to accept Jesus when He was here 2000 years ago. Also present in the extreme eastern end of this enclosure (at the Euphrates River) will be the whole resurrected house of Jacob, hundreds of millions of them. Out of this mass, the Father constitutes His end time army of 200 million horsemen (Ezekiel 37:10, Revelation 9:16, Joel 2:11) who will have the spirit of the Father put in them (Ezekiel 37:14)............ And as per Jeremiah 49:38 God the Father will then set up His throne in Elam which is a land mass by the Euphrates River or the eastern end of this vast ark-like enclosure.
And last but not least the dead and the alive in Christ will also be gathered to this ark-like enclosure by Jesus and the angels but just for a temporary stay (Matthew 24:30-31). Jesus's church will be gathered there to be born again. Born again there in the living waters of the new river which the Father created in the Terra-forming process (Zechariah 14:8 and Isaiah 12)
Once Jesus's church has been born again (John 3:4-8) in the living waters of the new river and transformed from mortal to immortal by bathing in the blood and Spirit of Jesus which is contained within this river which will emanate from Jerusalem (I believe the very spot) where He was crucified and where He deposited those most precious of commodities on the ground.......then the church after they have been transformed will rise to meet Jesus in the clouds above this enclosure / security zone when He beacons them.
This location within the enclosure is where the so called “rapture” happens. We are gathered as scripture clearly states in Matthew 24 before we are born again enabling us to be transformed and then taken up to meet Jesus above in the clouds. Jesus never touches down within this ark-like structure until the 7 years are over. He will just beacon us from the clouds above and then relocate us to a secure place for the remainder of the 7 years or approximately 3.5 years.
Jesus (I believe) doesn't touch down (so to speak) within this enclosure because He is shunning the Jews that are there within this enclosure who rejected Him and where responsible for His crucifixion and death.
We have all seen pictures of the ark of the covenant with it's rectangular boxlike shape and the angels on top hooding it with their wings as if they were protecting it.
This will all play out in reality on a full scale basis during the tribulation period that is to come. A huge box shaped enclosure guarded by angels. And no one without the right clothing / credentials (wedding feast parable) will be allowed into this ark-like enclosure or they will be cast out by the master's servants / the Father's angels.
Also remember the parable about Lazarus. After Lazarus had been dead for four days and entombed Jesus cried to Lazarus with a loud voice to come forth. And Lazarus who was dead became conscious again.
This is exactly what is going to happen within this ark-like enclosure. When God the Father comes to earth in the tribulation and establishes His kingdom here He as per 1Thessalonians 4:14 brings with Him the dead in Christ who have been asleep.
After four days of these dead in Christ being within this ark-like structure Jesus will shout at them from above restoring their consciousness so that they can join the alive in Christ in being reborn in the living waters of the new river.
Isn't that what it says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 …...that the Lord Himself (Jesus) will descend from heaven (the sky above) with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise, be brought back to consciousness first, as Lazarus was.
And then after the now conscious dead in Christ and the alive in Christ are reborn in the living waters of the new river, they, both groups, will enjoy the wedding supper of the Lamb. A huge wedding party thrown by the Father for the bride of His son.
Then after this huge celebration is over, the bride will be caught up to to meet Jesus in the clouds above.......above this new ark-like compound. This whole scenario is foreshadowed and scripted in the Book of Joshua.
And all these “Christian” happenings within this enclosure will all be witnessed by the living Jewish remnant that have also been gathered there.......just the same (foreshadowed) as was the story of Lazarus where the Jews of that time witnessed what happened within the whole Lazarus story-line. Read John 11
Also consider what the Father will do........ He will confirm an agreement, a pledge, a covenant that His son Jesus proclaimed while Jesus was here on earth. Jesus said that the gospel of the kingdom would be preached to all the earth.....the Father will confirm that covenant, that pledge by sending the two end time witnesses to preach that gospel.
When that 1260 day ministry (or the first half of the 7 years) is over everyone on earth will have had the opportunity to accept or reject that gospel message. Then, those of us dead or alive who have accepted that gospel message will be gathered by Jesus and the angels as Matthew 24 states to be taken to the security of the newly established ark-like structure that God the Father will have just then created.
And as I stated above, after only being in this enclosure for a short time we are born again, enjoy a wedding feast and are then taken up, raptured up to meet Jesus in the clouds.
Isaiah 25:6 even tells us what's on the menu for the wedding feast.
Also keep in mind that everything outside of this new security zone, ark-like structure will be enemy territory. Exterior to this structure (worldwide) will be controlled by the Antichrist and Satan. And will be occupied by those who rejected the gospel of the kingdom that had been preached for 1260 days by the two witnesses.
I am sorry if I keep deflating (by using appropriate scripture) the rapture balloon that we all have been force fed all these years of an imminent any moment catching away. That's not what scripture says. It basically says that we who are alive will all be given the same opportunity to accept or reject the gospel of the kingdom preached to the whole world by the two witnesses. When this ministry is over the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky above (Matthew 24:30) or as Isaiah 18 states.....To all the inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth: when he (God) lifts a banner (the sign of the Son of Man) on the mountains (above in the sky) you will see it.
When this sign happens......look up for your redemption draws near.......meaning that Jesus and the angels will soon then gather all the elect to the safety and security of the ark-like structure that God the Father has just created / transformed for those elect.
Blessings Doves..........John B
PS....If you are in a hurry for the rapture you should first be in a hurry for the two witnesses to show up. Then in the neighborhood of 1260 days later look for the sign of the Son of Man to appear in the sky. Your guardian angel should be knocking on your door shortly there after on a very special day created and known only to the Father for what I believe are security / safety reasons. Special day.....Matthew 24:36 or Zechariah 14:6-7