How do we know the Time of the Rapture is near?

How do we know the Time of the Rapture is near?
http://members.tripod.com/~LCrBourne/near.html
This information has been covered in a myriad of other books, which I will list at the end of this article. But for those of you who know nothing about Biblical Prophecy, this will be a brief overview.

*** Ask anyone who has ever given birth and they’ll tell you, "When the water breaks, the show is about to start!" This past summer the water broke, friends. A spring of natural water has broken through on the Temple mount! Of course, the Arabs have tried to close it off and pump it away, claiming it’s a "subversive plot to undermine the foundations of the Dome of the Rock." And, incredibly, many Jewish leaders have decried the water as "a Muslim ploy to damage the foundations of the Temple Mount in an attempt to prevent construction of the Third Temple." Doesn’t anyone over there read their Torah? Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22 both describe a river of water springing forth from the Temple Mount in the last days, which starts out as a trickle of water ankle deep (how things stand at the moment) and then comes up to the knees, and then up to the hips and eventually chest high - finally becoming a river that cannot be crossed on foot at the time of the Millennial Kingdom! This trickle will get stronger and stronger until it becomes a waterway flowing to the Dead Sea, which will no longer be dead due to the amount of fresh water flowing into it. The fact that this water has appeared ought to cause people to stop and drop to their knees - the last days are now upon us, there is no more doubt at all. The Rapture could occur at any time. ***

1. The Lesson of the Fig Tree

In his Mount of Olives talk with the disciples, Jesus told them to watch for the sign of the fig tree. In the Old Testament, the symbol of the fig tree was used to represent the nation of Israel at peace in her land. Jesus had warned them that the Temple and Jerusalem was going to be destroyed soon, and they knew this also from the Books of Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and many minor prophets that Israel would be scattered in the Diaspora as a punishment for her rejection of the first appearance of the Messiah. So Jesus told them that when they saw the fig tree put out her leaves, that generation would not pass until these things come to pass.

Now, Israel’s Diaspora finally ended in May of 1948, and some amazing mathematical work (see Jeffrey Grant’s work) shows that this occurred exactly when Moses said it would - to the day. Another very significant event was the Six Day war in 1967 in which Israel FINALLY had possession of the Temple Mount again - the first since it’s destruction. So the question now becomes "How long is a generation?" Nobody knows for sure. But if we take someone born in 1967 or 1948 and figure most people live about 70 or 80 years, we know we’re definitely in the neighborhood of the end times. No matter how you slice it, there’s just not that much time left. Either way you count, though, one fact becomes apparent. The return of Christ will be WITHIN THE LIFETIME OF MOST PEOPLE READING THIS ARTICLE.

2. The Words of Micah

The prophet Micah, not a well known fellow, made an interesting comment. He told the Nation of Israel that for two days the Lord will revive us, and on the third day we will rise. Well, what day? The apostle Peter gives us a clue - a day with the Lord is as a Thousand Years. Hmmmm. A day is a thousand years. We can read the commentaries of the Jewish scholars that tell us they believe God created the world to run for 7000 years - a prophetic week, if you will. From the creation of Adam to the Birth of Christ was about 4000 years - or four days, if you will. (see also the article on dispensationalism listed on the webpage). So the Time of Revival would be from the time of Christ until the end of the Church age, about 2000 years or 2 days.. Being "Raised" then is a reference to the Resurrection of the Old Testament Saints in the Millennial Kingdom (Christ’s 1000 year reign on the earth - or one day). The problem with this information is that we can’t be sure exactly when the revival started. Was it at the birth of Jesus? When he started his ministry? Or when he was crucified and the church was born? That gives us a 30 year margin of error!

But we do know within a few years when Christ was born. And we know - thanks to the writings of the Rabbis - that Jesus was crucified in the year 30 AD. We know this because we are told that for 40 years before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, the strap did not turn white at Yom Kippur. Why not? Because the blood of animals was no longer sufficient for forgiveness of sins after Christ became the Lamb of God! From the time of the Crucifixion until the Temple was destroyed, believing in Christ as the substitute sacrifice was required - hence God’s refusal to indicate forgiveness at the Yom Kippur animal sacrifices. This tells us the date of the crucifixion, and gives us an approximate idea of when Christ was born. So if we count from his birth, the end of the Church age could be any time now. And if we count from his ministry and crucifixion, it will be around 2030 - which is, I believe, IN THE LIFETIME OF MOST PEOPLE READING THIS ARTICLE.

3. The Roman Empire

Another sign we would need to see would be the revival of the Roman Empire. We know this because the Prophet Daniel told us the same empire that destroyed the Temple after the crucifixion of Jesus would produce the leader who would go on to declare himself ruler of the world and become the AntiChrist. Right before our very eyes, Europe is pulling itself back together to form the European Union - and now have a common currency, a common trade block, a senate and elected leaders, and soon will have a common military force. These things are not hidden in any way - they are documented fully in the evening news! The Roman Empire is pulling itself together and will be fully functional within the next 5 or 10 years. CERTAINLY WITHIN THE LIFETIME OF MOST PEOPLE READING THIS ARTICLE.

4. Ezekiel 38 and 39

These chapters of the old testament describe a political situation that is not hard to identify. A powerful nation directly north of the middle east, with a vast military might, allies herself with other middle eastern nations against Israel. This huge nation gives aid, money and armaments to the allies. Sound familiar? Sound like Russia arming the Arab nations maybe??? If you said yes, you win. And don’t think Russia is out of the running - they are desperate for cash now and have treaties with Iran and many Arab nations to aid them in the event of military conflicts. Oil counties rolling in money are the ideal market for Russia’s cash strapped military. This scenario for middle eastern politics was predicted thousands of years before the Russian Revolution brought communism and the cold war to the world. Now we must ask, "When will the Arabs attack Israel for the third and last time?" The Bible says when they are crying "peace, peace - destruction shall come upon them suddenly." With Palestine getting ready to declare itself a state and the EU poised to broker another "peace" agreement, and Arafat’s 7 year treaty with Israel expiring, this could very well be THE peace treaty we’ve been waiting for. Even if there is more delay, however, before a final agreement is reached, Russia as a nation is in big trouble and will not be able to hold out much longer.

5. CNN Live!

There are several places in scripture where God tells us the WHOLE WORLD watched and event. And until the last 10-20 years, nobody took these verses seriously. Now, however, we have to ask ourselves - how about CNN? How about the INTERNET? The technology is now available for the whole world to tune into important events, such as the signing of an important peace treaty, the deaths and resurrection of the two witnesses in Jerusalem, the abomination of desolation, and so on.

6. Microchips, anyone?

Another important development is the possibility for implementing the Number of the Beast verses described by Daniel and the apostle John. Before the last few years, it seemed silly to suggest there was any way a government could require a "mark" on the hand for buying and selling. People could have just ignored an ink stamp and sold to their friends and relatives anyway.. But can they override central computer verification? Alas, no. Now we know that chilling scenario is all too possible. While the cashless society isn’t quite here yet - the technology is. And it would only take a serious economic or monetary crisis to convince the government to try it.

7. Sulfur and Brimstone

And one thought, last but not least, that former generations did not know about is Nuclear Weapons. People used to wonder how in the world soldiers could be "consumed away on their feet," or how all the inhabitants of the world could suddenly get grievous sores, or why the sun would suddenly decide to scorch the earth, or how the atmosphere could be "rolled up like a scroll." These things have only become possible in the last 40 years - the atomic age. Now we CAN blow the ozone away and scorch the earth. Now we CAN spread radiation poisoning all over the globe. Now we CAN destroy 1/3 of the earth at once. This was not possible in ages past . What people used to think were just metaphors and examples we can see now are accurate descriptions of neutron bombs and radiation poisoning, chemical and biological warfare. It seems God meant what He said, after all. So much for allegories.

What are some things that have NOT happened yet?

Some things that need to be in place before the Rapture and the return of Christ have not apparently happened yet.

1. The Altar and the Temple

Jesus said that at the midpoint of the Tribulation, the antichrist would stop the daily sacrifices. In order for this to happen, the sacrifices will actually have to be occurring. This requires two important things. 1) a Red Heifer has to be found or bred to fulfill the Old Testament requirements for cleansing and dedicating an altar on the Temple mount, and 2) at least an altar, if not a whole temple, needs to be built.

*** According to the Temple Mount Faithful website and others, four such calves exist. According to scripture, they have to be three years old for the anointing and cleansing process to begin. These calves are one this year, meaning these ceremonies could take place in two years! That is a VERY short amount of time! CERTAINLY WITHIN THE LIFETIME OF MOST PEOPLE READING THIS WEBPAGE!!!***

2. A treaty between the former Roman Empire and Israel.

The EU hasn’t quite pulled itself together enough to make such a treaty, but that time is fast approaching. NATO could actually enforce the military requirements of such a protection treaty right now. The leader of the EU would have to sign this treaty - and signing such a treaty would reveal him to the world. The Bible says he cannot be revealed until…

3. The Restrainer is Taken Away.

Who is the Restrainer? To make a long story short, the restrainer has a big job - holds back the events of the Tribulation until the proper time, holds back the antichrist until the proper time, holds evil in check all over the world, and so on. The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit, who inhabits every church age believer and will be removed from the earth at the time of the Rapture to fall back to His much less intrusive Old Testament job. So until the Rapture occurs, it is not time for the Tribulation.

Conclusion

No one can say for certain when the Rapture will be. Yes, I have investigated Bible Codes, and the word "delayed" turns up with annoying frequency. Yes, I agree with the Messianic Jews who say the Feast of Trumpets represents the Rapture - but what year? We simply have no way of knowing. God meant for the evidence to be ambiguous and confusing because He wants it to be a surprise. Yet at the same time, He tells us that we are children of the light, and not in darkness. We should know the signs of the times. Jesus continually railed against the Pharisees and Teachers for failing to know them. While it is irresponsible to name a certain day, we in this generation should plan every week as if it were our last, because the time of the end is upon us. The time for teaching the truth to our friends and family is running out. Either they will learn and believe, or they will be left behind to face World War III. For those who claim all Bible prophecy is allegory and metaphors, I ask you this: Was Bethlehem an allegory? Was the crucifixion a metaphor? God says what He means and means what He says - all prophecy to date has been fulfilled according to the plain, obvious meanings of the words. Everything God told the prophets has come to pass literally in the real, observable world - kingdoms have come and gone, punishments have happened exactly as long as Moses said they would, and those nations that have blessed Abraham’s children, both old and new, have been blessed, and those that have cursed us have been cursed themselves. The third reich is no more. America, who was once God’s best friend, has turned away and even now is declining from the world stage. Do not doubt God’s word. Study, read, and investigate for yourself. The Lord God who made the Universe has a plan that He has revealed to us in His Word, and He has told us that His Word is Faithful and True. "For God so loved that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but will have everlasting life." I plan to spend the thousand years of the Millennial kingdom living in God’s glorious Sabbath Day rest. How about you?