Peace in Israel
I think there will be peace in Israel before the rapture of the church. I would like to point out scriptures that I believe point to peace. The first one is in Matt 24:6 and ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet… All these are the beginning of sorrows. I believe this is where we are at right now. If there are no wars or rumors of wars then there must be peace. Next I would like to point out Matt 24:37-41 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. It will be business as usual. Then shall two be in the fields; the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women grinding at the mill; one will be taken and the other left. Now I want to refer you to 1 Thess 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. This also indicates that right before the rapture that they will be saying “peace and safety”, and aligns with other scriptures talking about the rapture. I also want to point out that this is referring to labor pain and most likely the last labor pain! I also consider the one hour of testing in Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation (testing), which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth, to be the last birth pain. I want to be very clear about this one hour of testing, it is NOT the seven year tribulation. It is talking to the church and the church is not here for the tribulation, and it is hard to cram seven years into one hour!
I want to explain how I understand that this is the last birth pain. In Matt 28:2 is the account of Jesus’s resurrection. And behold there was a GREAT earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection with a great earthquake, how much more of an earthquake will happen at the resurrection of the dead in Christ. This would be a world wide earthquake of lets say one hour? There is no way to prove that the one hour of testing is the great earthquake during the resurrection of the dead in Christ. Yet in 1 thess 5:3 then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. This is talking about this sudden destruction as it relates to a coming child. It would seem to fit nicely.
Jesus is supposed to fulfill all of the Jewish feasts, but did he fulfill the feast of Shavuot/Pentecost? We know the church was born on this feast day, but did Jesus fulfill this feast? He was in heaven with the Father. Could it be that the end of the church age will happen on Shavuot/Pentecost when Jesus comes for us and fulfills this feast day? Here is another thought, does the rapture of the church start the last seven year period? I know that the antichrist cannot be revealed until the church is taken out of the way. I know it is after the Jewish new year and the rapture has not happened. I am thinking if this was so, the antichrist’s days could have started, and his revealing could be at sometime after when the church is removed. Maybe Shavuot/Pentecost? We will see, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
David Blackman,