The title got your attention, right? Up front I
want to say that I understand that it's
impossible to calculate the exact day and hour
of the Rapture. Jesus himself said (in Matthew
24:36) about the End Times: "But of that day and
hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of
heaven, but my Father only."
However there are some important considerations
when speculating about when the End Times, also
known as the Tribulation or Great Tribulation,
may arrive. Christ admonished his disciples to
watch for his second coming at least twice (once
in Matthew 24:42 "Watch therefore: for ye know
not what hour your Lord doth come." And in
Matthew 25:13 "Watch therefore, for ye know
neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of
man cometh.")
Doing so may also be important for all
Christians; In Revelation 3: 3, Jesus warned the
church at Sardis, "...If therefore thou shalt
not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and
thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon
thee." Christians are to hold fast to their
salvation and to watch, less they be unready for
the return of the Lord.
Not knowing the hour of His return and watching
for it may seem like an impossible task. However
once the Tribulation events start, it becomes
possible to determine when our Messiah actually
returns to rule the Earth by simply calculating
the time frame outlined in Daniel and the other
prophets regarding the construction of the new
Temple in Jerusalem and the start of the reign
of the Antichrist.
While we don't have the space to go into detail
about this in this article, studying the times
set in Daniel and the other prophets as well as
the book of Revelation suggests that it should
be possible to calculate this date with some
precision, using the 360-day Hebrew calendar,
once the Antichrist sets up his image in the new
Temple in Jerusalem. Once the ball is set into
motion, the ability to calculate the time and
hour of various events will become possible for
those aware of Biblical prophecies.
What is it that we don't know the day or the
hour of then?
It would seem what is unknown is the beginning
of the Great Tribulation itself, an event which
many feel will be initiated by the Rapture of
the Church (the Rapture being the time when the
dead in Christ are raised and go -- along with
the living Christians -- to Heaven so they will
be spared going through the Great Tribulation).
So, while it may not be possible to calculate
the "day and the hour" of the occurrence of the
Rapture, it appears that a person might be able
to calculate the season in which it occurs with
some accuracy. Jesus appears to expect that
those living near the beginning of the
Tribulation will be able to understand what is
about to happen.
After Jesus had told his disciples about what
the End of the Age would be like, he added, "And
when these things begin to come to pass, then
look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth near." (Luke 21:28). This
suggests that those approaching the End Times
spoken of throughout the Bible would be aware of
the season, while not actually knowing the day
and the hour. While Biblical prophecy is
designed to display the power and majesty of
God, it seems logical that it also serves the
purpose of preparing God's people for what lies
ahead of them.
In Luke 12:37-38, he said, "Blessed are those
servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall
find watching: verily I say unto you, that he
shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to
meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if
he shall come in the second watch, or come in
the third watch, and find them so, blessed are
those servants." This suggests that those who
are watching for his return will be rewarded for
their vigilance.
MULTIPLE JIGSAW PROBLEM SOLVING
To find this season of the Rapture, it is
necessary to exploit a "Multiple Jigsaw Puzzle"
system. What?
Well, that's perhaps the best way to describe
it. Imagine that you have a jigsaw puzzle with
three- fourths of the pieces missing. You
assemble it, but the picture is far from
complete. This is somewhat of the picture you
get from any one of the books of the prophets in
the Old Testament or even from the book of
Revelation when it comes to the End Times and
especially in the case of the Rapture (which is
only hinted at, with the word "rapture" not even
appearing in the Bible). With all the parts
missing in the puzzle, it's impossible to get a
complete picture even after all the parts you
have are assembled. You have an idea of what the
picture is, but not all the details.
Suppose that instead of just one copy of the
puzzle, you had four or five jigsaw puzzles, all
of the same scene. They all have parts missing,
but some have parts that the others do not have.
Suddenly you're presented with the possibility
of taking the complete portions of one puzzle
and placing it together with the others to
create one entire picture. With careful
comparison of parts that are common to all the
puzzles, you can slowly piece together one
complete picture.
This same idea can be applied to the prophecies
of the End Times. By carefully comparing the
pieces from each passage in the Bible to
determine which have common parts, it's possible
to then figure which are talking about a common
event. Then these can be used as anchor points
to assemble a complete picture of what appears
in one part of the "puzzle" but not the others.
Little by little, the prophesy puzzle can be
produced to create an idea of when the Rapture
is likely to occur.
Here's what can be discovered using this
technique.
PEACE AND SAFETY
First puzzle piece: The Rapture occurs when
leaders of Israel as well as the "man on the
street" will be operating under the assumption
that "peace and safety" has come to the region.
This is supported by 1 Thessalonians 5:3 "For
when they shall say peace and safety then sudden
destruction shall come upon them as birth pains
upon a woman with child and they shall not
escape."
The association of birth pains with the time of
the Tribulation is clear from what Jesus told
his disciples. When Jesus' disciples asked what
would signal His return, He gave them several
signs to watch for. He also taught that the time
immediately before His coming would be known as
the "beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8); a
literal translation of "beginning of sorrows"
into English would be the "onset of labor
pains." Jesus was saying the signs of His coming
would start out as mild pangs spaced widely
apart like human labor and then gradually become
closer together and more intense, like the birth
process, until this period of suffering and
judgment would culminate in the coming of the
Messiah.
It's logical that Paul would have been fully
aware of this allusion that Christ had given His
disciples. Therefore, it seems likely that these
two passages are talking about the onset of the
same event: The Great Tribulation. Therefore,
people believing they are about to enjoy peace
and safety is most likely one of the signs of
the Great Tribulation.
If this is true, then the Rapture might be
rapidly approaching since the term "peace and
safety" was being bandied about by the Israelis
and the press during the recent peace
negotiations between the PLO and Israel.
Likewise Benjamin Netanyahu, when addressing the
Kenesset in the summer of 1996, made it clear
that he was interested in making peace with
Israel's former enemies only if the cessation of
hostilities arrived with Israel's security
interests intact.
GOG AND MAGOG
Another puzzle piece shows that another event
preceding the Great Tribulation is the Battle of
Gog and Magog. This event is outlined in Ezekial
38:18- 22:
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time
when Gog shall come against the land of Israel,
saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up
in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my
wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there
shall be a great shaking in the land of
Israel;
20 So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls
of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and
all creeping things that creep upon the earth,
and all the men that are upon the face of the
earth, shall shake at my presence, and the
mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep
places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to
the ground.
21 And I will call for a sword against him
throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD:
every man's sword shall be against his
brother.
22 And I will plead against him with pestilence
and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and
upon his bands, and upon the many people that
are with him, an overflowing rain, and great
hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify
myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many
nations, and they shall know that I am the
LORD.
There are several important puzzle pieces in
this passage that give us a fuller picture of
the Great Tribulation. First, there's reference
to a great earthquake or "shaking" at the
presence of the Lord with mountains being thrown
down, etc., and a raining of pestilence on the
Earth. This same picture appears in Matthew 24,
where Christ told his disciples, "For nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows..." Thus
it appears that these two stories are one and
the same, marking the beginning of the Great
Tribulation.
Now another piece of the puzzle becomes
apparent: Ezekial 38:18 tells us that this is
also the same time when Gog comes against the
land of Israel. Thus it appears that this war
marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
(It is important to note that this war is quite
different from the Battle of Armageddon, though
the two events mirror each other, with one
occurring at the beginning of the Great
Tribulation, and the other marking its
end.)
WHO ARE GOG AND MAGOG?
Gog and Magog appear a number of times in the
Bible. In addition to the above passage, these
two are mentioned in Ezekiel 39:1, Ezekiel
39:11, and Revelation 20:8. However their first
appearance in the Bible is as actual, living
historical individuals.
The first appearance of these two figures is in
Genesis 10: 2-3. Here we find the descendants of
Noah's sons listed. The children of Japheth are
Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Mesech, and
Tiras. The Sons of Gomer are Ashkenas, Riphoth,
and Togarmah. According to Hebrew tradition (as
well as hints in the Bible starting with verse 5
of this chapter), it is assumed that these are
the ancestors of those who comprise the Gentile
nations including the Chinese, Tartars, Greeks,
Persians, Germans, Muscovites, and other
Sclavonian races. When Ezekiel writes of Gog and
Magog, the offspring of these two individuals
are most likely the nations or powers that he's
referring to.
Some manuscripts/translations of the Bible also
list "Rosh" as a leader within this group of
countries. It is interesting to note that the
first Czar of Great Muscovie was called Rosh,
and that it was from this leader that Russia
derived its name. Past historians divided Russia
into three independent States. One was the main
Russian state, also known as "Muscovie",
"Muscovy" or the Eastern and Southern Russia
states, and "Tobolsk" or Northern Russia.
Obviously it's easy to draw parallels with Rosh
being modern-day Russia; Meshech, Muscovy; and
Tubal, Tobolsky.
Now we can make another connection when reading
Ezekiel 38:2-3: "Son of man, set thy face
against Gog the land of Magog...and prophesy of
him...Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the
chief prince of Mesech and Tubal."
To make it even clearer, Ezekiel 38: 14-15 gives
the direction that the Gog and Magog empire are
from Israel, "Therefore, son of man, prophesy
and say unto Gog... And thou shalt come out of
thy place from the northern parts."
Reading these passages with the knowledge of
geography and Russian history, Russia becomes
the prime candidate in the Gog and Magog
sweepstakes.
WHAT COUNTRIES ARE ALIGNED WITH GOG AND
MAGOG?
Ezekiel 38:5 lists the allies of Gog and Magog
as being, "Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya." This is
a surprise considering that most analysts of the
Middle East feel Syria, Jordan, and Egypt are
the biggest threats to Israel today. However the
portrait presented by the Bible makes perfect
sense if we remember the puzzle piece that talks
of "peace and safety." This suggests a peace
treaty of some sort is in place between Israel
and its closest neighbors. This may be why these
countries are missing in the invasion. (Again,
the current treaty being proposed for peace in
the Middle East suggests this prophecy may be
very close to being fulfilled.)
The Bible tells us that Gog and Magog's effort
to destroy Israel will collapse before the fury
of the Lord. This destruction will apparently be
compounded by confusion or a civil war within
the ranks of Gog and Magog, with brother slaying
brother. In the aftermath of the slaughter,
Israel will spend seven months decontaminating
the countryside of all the dead invaders'
bodies, as noted in Ezekiel 39:11-12:
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I
will give unto Gog a place there of graves in
Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east
of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the
passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and
all his multitude: and they shall call it The
valley of Hamongog.
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be
burying of them, that they may cleanse the
land.
Another key puzzle piece is in the disposal of
the military equipment left behind by the
defeated Gog and Magog armies. Israel burns the
trash for a period of seven years, according to
Ezekiel 39:9-10:
9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel
shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn
the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers,
the bows and the arrows, and the hand staves,
and the spears, and they shall burn them with
fire seven years:
10 So that they shall take no wood out of the
field, neither cut down any out of the forests;
for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and
they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and
rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord
God.
This time frame of a seven years' cleanup may
reflect Daniel's Seventieth Week. If so, then
this war signals the beginning of the 7-year
Tribulation. If this is true, then the Rapture
most likely occurs sometime before the battle of
Gog and Magog (perhaps even causing Gog and
Magog to launch their attack under the
assumption that this is the best time for
it).
The Desire of the Nations
Turning to Haggai 2:6-7, we find another bit of
our missing puzzle.
6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it
is a little while, and I will shake the heavens,
and the earth, and the sea, and the dry
land;
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire
of all nations shall come: and I will fill this
house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
This passage links the "shaking" or great
earthquake to the coming of the "desire of all
nations", a phrase that must mean the return of
the Lord as the Messiah or Prince of Peace.
(This being the desire of all godly people in
the nations, though obviously not the desire of
the wicked on the earth at the time of His
return.) This conclusion is reinforced with the
idea that His house will be filled with glory,
surely an indication of both a divine reign as
well as an allusion to the House of David from
which the Messiah's royal lineage comes.
PUTTING A DATE ON THE EVENT
Now a key piece to the puzzle that will give us
a fuller picture of these End Time events.
Haggai 2:18- 22 gives an exact season and day
for this event.
18 Consider now from this day and upward, from
the four and twentieth day of the ninth month,
even from the day that the foundation of the
Lord's temple was laid, consider it.
19 Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the
vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and
the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from
this day will I bless you.
20 And again the word of the LORD came unto
Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the
month, saying,
21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah,
saying, I will shake the heavens and the
earth;
22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms,
and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms
of the heathen; and I will overthrow the
chariots, and those that ride in them; and the
horses and their riders shall come down, every
one by the sword of his brother.
This passage contains an obvious allusion to the
Tribulation with earthquakes (shaking the earth)
and may also be linked to Revelation references
to stars falling from the sky (shaking the
heavens). The reference of brother being slain
by the sword of brother is another link to the
parallel passage in Ezekiel; and the Lord
destroys the kingdoms, suggesting his
destruction of Gog and Magog. Additionally,
there is the picture of brother fighting
brother, again suggesting that infighting or
confusion that will put the nail into the coffin
of Gog and Magog's invasion.
Notice that Haggai gives the exact day of the
month for this event (which, remember, comes
after the Rapture). In both verse 18 and 20 it
is noted that the 24th day will be key -- as if
God wants to be sure there's no mistake about
which day in the ninth month of the Jewish
calendar, Kislev (also known as Chisleu), this
will occur.
(The laying of the foundation for the Lord's
Temple suggests the building has commenced.
However this may only refer to the date of the
first Temple. Or it may be that the new Temple
will be built on the foundation stones of the
original.)
A SPECIAL DATE
This date is of interest because it occurs just
one day before a very special Jewish festival:
Hanukkah. Anywhere else, such timing would seem
rather an odd coincidence. With God, things are
different. As most Biblical scholars know,
there's no such thing as "an odd coincidence"
when it comes to Bible prophecy.
For those unfamiliar with Hanukkah (also spelled
"Chanukah"), it's a Jewish festival that occurs
in December (on the 25th day of the Hebrew month
Kislev). The festival marks the re-consecration
of the Temple of Jerusalem after its recapture
from the Syrian Greeks (c.165 BC).
The original celebration of Hanukkah took place
on the day after the Jews recaptured the temple
site. So even the event that Hanukkah
commemorates, actually took place on the 24th
day of Kislev.
Another key event in Jewish history also took
place on the day before Hanukkah. In 1917, the
Allied Expeditionary Force under General Allenby
to take control of Jerusalem following the
destruction of the Turkish Ottoman Empire at the
end of WWI. The day that Allenby and his force
entered Jerusalem was Dec. 9, 1917 -- the 24th
day of Kislev.
JESUS AND HANUKKAH
One might think that Jesus would have ignored
this festival since it wasn't ordained in the
Old Testament. In fact, he appears to have taken
part in it and had a very provocative response
when questioned during the event.
John 10:22-28: At that time the Feast of
Hanukkah (Dedication) took place at Jerusalem;
it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the
temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews
therefore gathered around Him, and were saying
to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense?
If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus
answered them, "I told you, and you do not
believe; the works that I do in My Father's
name, these bear witness of Me. But you do not
believe, because you are not of My sheep. My
sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they
follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and
they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch
them out of My hand."
This statement has an obvious meaning. However
one might speculate that the "hear my voice"
might also refer to the voice that brings the
dead to life at the first resurrection and
brings the living with them as they are
"snatched up" to heaven just before the Great
Tribulation begins. Interestingly, Christ refers
to holding sheep in his hand and that they can't
be snatched from his hand by anyone else.
Could this be a veiled reference to the Rapture?
In the English translation this seems like a
stretch. But a closer look makes the possibility
seem likely. In English translations, Jesus'
reply to the Jewish leaders at the Festival of
Hanukkah doesn't seem to hint at the Tribulation
prophecies. But in the original Greek, a very
important link appears, especially when this
verse is compared to what Paul wrote about the
Rapture.
Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, "For the
Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with
the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall
rise first; then we who are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so
shall we ever be with the Lord." This is the
reference to the rapture in the New
Testament.
The Greek word used for "caught up" in this
passage is harpuzo, which means to catch up,
pluck, snatch, pull, or take by force.
(Translated into Latin, this word becomes
raptiere; anglicized, the word "rapture" is
born.) So the word that means "Rapture" is
harpuzo.
And here's the connection: When Christ said,
"...no one shall snatch them out of My hand.",
his statement employs the same Greek word:
harpuzo. Arguably we should not make too much of
this, yet it seems like another of the "amazing
coincidences" that are actually part of God's
plan. The use of harpuzo in both instances
suggests a link.
If so, was Christ saying that the Rapture will
have taken place and that he will have already
snatched his believers from the Earth, making it
impossible to snatch them back again? This seems
like a viable conclusion and fits very nicely
with the links between the day before Hanukkah
and the prophecies about it.
MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE
There may be another hidden reference
to the Rapture in Christ's statement that his
sheep hear his voice. In Revelation 4:1-2
there's another piece to the puzzle that shows
the Rapture occurring before the
Tribulation.
John writes, "...I looked and behold, a door was
opened in heaven; and the first voice that I
heard was, as it were, a trumpet talking with
me; which said, 'Come up here and I will show
thee things which must be hereafter.' And
immediately I was in the Spirit and, behold, a
throne was set in heaven and one sat on the
throne."
It should also be noted that the order "Come up
here" has a familiar ring to it. In John
11:43-44, Jesus gives a similar command
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a
loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth."
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand
and foot with grave clothes: and his face was
bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto
them, Loose him, and let him go.
Thus the Lords simple command that brought
Lazarus miraculously to life, is echoed in the
Revelation's "trumpet talking" and that not only
John but all the Christians on earth go into
heaven at this time, answering the command to,
"Come up here." That this order is likened to a
trumpet provides another piece to the puzzle.
This links Christ's spoken command to the sound
of the last trumpet, a point of importance to
those familiar with Jewish traditions (as
outlined below).
This also fits into the puzzle outlined above in
the Old Testament passages since it places the
Rapture of the Church into heaven ahead of the
plagues and destruction that follow during the
Tribulation, as outlined in the rest of the book
of Revelation.
THE LAST TRUMPET
There are links between the Jewish trumpet in
both battle as well as references to the same
trumpet in the Rapture. Paul wrote another short
passage that refers to the Rapture; First
Corinthians 15:51-52 "Behold, I show you a
mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall
sound and the dead shall be raised..."
The "last trumpet" to the Hebrews (and to early
Christians also) is a key phrase with meaning
beyond what most of us realize. This "last
trumpet" in this passage isn't the metallic
trumpet of the West; rather it's a ram's horn
known as the shofar. Blown during the religious
festival of Rosh HaShanah (also known as Yom
Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets), the shofar
marked the beginning of the Jewish New
Year.
The shofar is also linked by Jewish tradition to
the raising of the dead to life and for sounding
the alarm when battle is imminent. (As noted in
another article we've written, this is also one
reason that some scholars feel that Rosh
HaShanah might be the day that the Rapture
occurs.)
The important thing to note here is that the
shofar is linked by Jewish tradition to the
resurrection of the dead (which, according to
Paul, takes place for those who have died in
Christ at the time of the Rapture) and that the
shofar is also linked by Bible as an instrument
used to worn of battle and conflict.
THE TRUMPET
When one realizes that the shofar is linked both
to battle as well as resurrection, another
passage adds important chunks to our puzzle.
This passage links the "Day of the Lord" (or
Great Tribulation), the invasion of Israel by a
great army from the North, and the delivery of
Israel by God (the "fear not" in the last verse
of this passage).
Joel 2:1-32
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and
sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the
inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of
the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of
clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning
spread upon the mountains: a great people and a
strong; there hath not been ever the like,
neither shall be any more after it, even to the
years of many generations.
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them
a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of
Eden before them, and behind them a desolate
wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape
them.
4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of
horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of
mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a
flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a
strong people set in battle array.
6 Before their face the people shall be much
pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall
climb the wall like men of war; and they shall
march every one on his ways, and they shall not
break their ranks:
8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall
walk every one in his path: and when they fall
upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they
shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up
upon the houses; they shall enter in at the
windows like a thief.
10 The earth shall quake before them; the
heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon
shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw
their shining:
11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his
army: for his camp is very great: for he is
strong that executeth his word: for the day of
the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can
abide it?
12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye
even to me with all your heart, and with
fasting, and with weeping, and with
mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments,
and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is
gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of
great kindness, and repenteth him of the
evil.
14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and
leave a blessing behind him; even a meat
offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your
God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast,
call a solemn assembly:
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation,
assemble the elders, gather the children, and
those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom
go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of
her closet.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD,
weep between the porch and the altar, and let
them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not
thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen
should rule over them: wherefore should they say
among the people, Where is their God?
18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land,
and pity his people.
19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his
people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine,
and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith:
and I will no more make you a reproach among the
heathen:
20 But I will remove far off from you the
northern army, and will drive him into a land
barren and desolate, with his face toward the
east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost
sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill
savour shall come up, because he hath done great
things.
21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for
the LORD will do great things.
The above passage links the blowing of the
trumpet of God (and -- through our other links
-- the rapture) with the beginning of the Day of
the Lord (AKA the Great Tribulation). It also
ties into Gog and Magog in verse 20 as the
"northern army".
THE REVELATION TIE-IN
We now have enough puzzle pieces to flesh out
another Biblical passage.
Revelation 6:12-17
12 And I beheld when he had opened the
sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as
blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth,
even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs,
when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it
is rolled together; and every mountain and
island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great
men, and the rich men, and the chief captains,
and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every
free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the
rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on
us, and hide us from the face of him that
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the
Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and
who shall be able to stand?
When we realize that the great earthquake in
this passage most likely occurs in a close time
frame to the defeat of Gog and Magog by God's
hand, then we see that this is the start of the
Great Tribulation and, therefore, the Rapture
must have preceded this event. The key elements
that can be recognized in this passage are the
great earthquake and the raining down of plagues
upon the inhabitants of the earth.
Placing the Rapture before this even also
supports the idea that the voice (sounding like
a trumpet) that calls John up to heaven in
Chapter 4 of Revelation must indeed be the event
signaling the Rapture of the church.
Furthermore, this explains why the Church is
missing from the account of what's happening on
earth during much of the rest of Revelation's
narrative from Chapter 4 on. The Church isn't
mentioned after that point, because it is in
Heaven with Christ.
THE ANTICHRIST
Revelation Chapter 6 records the first
appearance of the Antichrist as the man on the
white horse. The white horse suggests a
charismatic leader who portrays himself as a
good man. In fact he is being accompanied by the
other horsemen who kill and destroy. Riding with
this first figure on a white horse is a similar
man on a pale horse; this fourth horseman is
Death.
This is an interesting parallel to Isahiah where
we learn of the "Covenant with Death and Hell"
(perhaps alluding to the idea that "Hell" is the
figure of the Antichrist and "Death" is the
fourth rider traveling with him).
Isahiah 28:15: Because ye have said, We have
made a covenant with death, and with hell are we
at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall
pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we
have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood
have we hid ourselves:
The timeline of these prophecies also rules out
the possibility that the destruction of Gog and
Magog is part of the Battle of Armageddon since
Christ returns much later in Revelation (Chapter
19).
CONCLUSION
There's an important picture that can be
assembled from all of the puzzle pieces in these
passages. First, the beginning of the Great
Tribulation may begin on the 24th day of the
ninth month of the Hebrew calendar. The catch is
in knowing which year this will occur in --
hence the "no man knows the day or hour" still
applies.
However that year may be very, very near, as
shown by the events mentioned which have either
already occurred or which might easily happen
with little or no major changes on the world
scene. For example in Ezekiel, God lays out the
events that lead up to the invasion by Gog and
Magog. This passage tells of the end of Jewish
exile and the creation of a Jewish state:
Ezekiel 36:24: For I will take you from among
the heathen, and gather you out of all
countries, and will bring you into your own
land.
This idea is repeated in Chapter 37:21-22
21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I will take the children of Israel from
among the heathen, whither they be gone, and
will gather them on every side, and bring them
into their own land.
22 And I will make them one nation upon the
mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king
to them all: and they shall be no more two
nations, neither shall they be divided into two
kingdoms any more at all.
These passages were written when Israel was a
divided nation. Now, after over 2,000 years
later, Israel is a single entity once again.
These conditions have now been met with the
creation of Israel in 1948 and the return of the
Jews to this homeland. This event has occurred
and the next chapter of Ezekiel is the invasion
by Gog and Magog.
On our assembled puzzle timeline then, the next
event is the Rapture. The stage is set for this
to occur.
How far ahead of the invasion the Rapture occurs
is unknown; but it would seem logical that it
will come a very short time before the invasion,
given the fact that such a momentous event as
the sudden vanishing of a large chunk of the
world's population will create the type of
confusion that Gog and Magog might try to use to
their advantage in attacking Israel. Or it may
be that the two events will very nearly coincide
so that the Rapture is missed during the noise
and confusion of the fighting, earthquakes, and
plagues.
Some have argued that the Jewish Temple must be
built before the Rapture occurs. However this
goes against the time-line of Ezekiel. Not until
we reach Chapters 40 - 47:12 are the details of
the rebuilding of Israel's Temple in Jerusalem
given. The Rapture and the invasion must surely
happen before the Temple is built, perhaps after
the Antichrist has established his power.
Given the fact that plans are currently being
made for the building of the new Temple in
Israel, with some of the instruments and
furnishings of the Temple being purchased and
constructed, this also suggests that the time of
these events may be very close.
The assembled puzzle shows that the picture is
almost to take place. This is undoubtedly the
most important point for both the believer and
unbeliever alike. Time is short and must be used
carefully, in prayer and witnessing so the world
can know about the saving grace of God's Son,
the Jewish Messiah and the Savior of all who
would make Him their Lord.
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