Like some believers, I am eagerly waiting for the rapture to occur, unlike some other believers who are halfhearted in the hope Christ will snatch us out of here, and by that, I mean soon, or even at all.
In this generation we have two groups within the Body of Christ, these believers can be described as being associated with a particular camp, you may think of it like something similar to the Sanhedrin which was made up of two major parties, one being the Sadducees, and the other party being the Pharisees.
The Sadducees believed among other things that there is no resurrection, while the Pharisees believed among other things that there is a resurrection after death, two camps with two different ideas or opposing views about a certain subject within the body of the Sanhedrin.
Many in the Body of Christ don’t even know that they are part of a specific wing within the Church, they may think that this notion is ludicrous or absurd, but I can assure you that there are two camps within the modern-church in these last days.
One camp is the pro-rapture believers and the other camp is the anti-rapture believers.
Both groups are saved, I am not saying that one group is or that the other side is not, one camp cannot exclude the other camp from the kingdom of heaven, whatever camp you associate yourself with if you confess that Jesus is Lord, that he is God, and believe firmly that the Father raised Christ from the dead you are of his kingdom.
The anti-rapture wing’s spiritual party platform, using terms generally used in politics, is that the word of God does not speak about a rapture of the Church, they believe that Jesus is not going to spiritually lift his followers off the earth into heaven, but rather the Church will go through the Tribulation Period and lead the world to Christ, and then they will usher Jesus back to the earth with a world full of believer’s so that he can then set up his earthly kingdom and they will rule the nations with him; this is but one plan of action or spiritual ambition of the anti-rapture wing of the Body of Christ.
Another hope of the anti-rapture wing of the Body of Christ and the most common longing, is that Jesus is likely not going to come back to rapture the Church for many years, like twenty, fifty, or even a hundred years into the future, even though all the signs of the 2cd Coming, which follows the rapture, indicate that these two events will happen in this generation their deepest desire is that God will wait to send Jesus to rapture us after they live a long and fruitful life here in this world.
Many in the anti-rapture wing of the Church will agree with you if you declare that Christ could come today, but in their heart they would rather he wait until they accomplish their agenda and fulfill their personal aspirations and then die at a nice old age, their words actually reveal this yearning and they do not even know it, some in this group have confessed that their desire is to leave a bright legacy to the following generations not realizing that this is the last generation of the Church as it exists today, this longing reveals a disconnect from the rapture revelation.
The pro-rapture group manifests sincerity as they believe and pray that Christ would come at the appointed hour, this being the day and hour when the Lord will command us to come up and be with him,[1] this is how God wants us to pray and believe,[2] this desire is alive and burns within their heart.
The pro-rapture wing usually has a good understanding of end-time prophecy, this is something that they are interested in unlike their brothers from the opposite group, I cannot keep track of how many times someone from the anti-rapture wing has chastised me and berated me saying that end-time prophecy is not relevant for today, many have scolded me and declared that ‘Jesus will come when he comes and that is final.’
Generally, the anti-rapture group uses religious ease to justify why Christ should not come now, and that being that the world is not saved yet, or that everyone has not heard the gospel, yet the Scriptures declare that in the Tribulation it will be angels and the 144,000 witnesses that finish getting the gospel to the rest of the earth, because the Scripture reveals the Church will be raptured into heaven before the seven-year Tribulation Period even begins.
The pro-rapture wing of the Body of Christ is just as interested in people coming into the kingdom as the anti-rapture group, they know what they have been commissioned to and they do it, but as the former studies the Scriptures they realize that end-time prophecy reveals that this is the generation of the rapture followed by a seven-year Tribulation Period, this revelation truth then envelopes their message of why it is so important to receive and live for Christ now.
The pro-rapture group is assiduously and patiently expecting our Savior to call us up into heaven, even hoping it will occur today, if not today then before the week is over, and so on, the other group has reservations about this event and would rather it not occur until after they pass away.
Unfortunately, this difference has produced a split within the Church of Jesus Christ, there is a spiritual disassociation within the Body because of a prophesied event that is slated to occur at any hour now.
The diverseness of believers because of this particular subject has done much to cause disunity and disrupt the harmony within the Church, and a disconnect is a result.
I must warn you at this point, I am going to be brutally candid for a moment, the anti-rapture wing of the Body of Christ often ostracizes the pro-rapture people, while on the other hand, those who are pumped for the rapture to occur are usually tolerant of those that are not.
I will continue to be gutsy and herald that those that are not willing the rapture to occur in their lifetime are generally impatient and not able to bear with those that are, the former often distance themselves from the latter.
Why do those that have no interest in being raptured, like I mean today, choose to maintain a personal and even an emotional separation from those that are anticipating being caught up to meet the Lord in heaven, why can they not even stand hearing the Scriptures that prove this event will happen in this generation?
My forthrightness continues, if not only to help the anti-rapture wing of the Body of Christ to search the Scriptures and get understanding, stop with your personal aspirations and hear what is written, you can be seen in the 2cd letter of Peter when you mock the pro-rapture wing of the Church, they say the Lord is coming at any time now and you mock them and demand, “Where is the promise of his coming?”[3]
The rapture is prophetic, it is not a made-up concept or idea developed by the modern church (some believe this), but rather it is a scriptural fact and is, in my opinion, the major prophecy of end-time events.
When the anti-rapture people deny the fact of the nearness of the rapture or just plain don’t want it to happen in their lifetime at all then the worse thing is happening, which is they are actually opposing prophecy—Paul prophesied about it and so did Jesus.
If you think that I am wrong and that the rapture will not occur in this generation then I will say that prophetic Scripture will prove me right and you wrong, you only hope that I am wrong so that you can ignore the signs.
Jesus said, that the generation that witnesses the rebirth of the nation of Israel will also witness his return back from heaven to the earth,[4] the rebirth occurred in 1948, and his return from heaven to the earth will occur at the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period,[5] and considering that it has been seventy-one years at the time of this writing since Israel was reborn wisdom then speaks truth that his descension is very close.
According to the proper interpretation of Scripture, the rapture of the Church occurs before the seven-year Tribulation Period even begins, which is at least seven years before the Christ descends back to the earth to redeem the Nation of Israel from their disobedience and bring about their everlasting righteousness, which means the time is even closer than what most people think, it is closer today than it was yesterday, and tomorrow it will be closer than today.
Try this puzzle: Add seven years onto this year with a starting base of 4 or 5 years prior to 1948, by doing this you will get a rough idea of how old the youngest Jews will be at the 2cd coming of Christ, meaning those that witnessed the rebirth of Israel and will also be there when Christ returns to the earth, keep in mind that these people would have had to be no less than 4 or 5 years old at the rebirth of Israel to be a verifiable witness, anything less than the age of 4 or 5 years old the person would likely not even recall the event.
Hypothetically, if the 2cd coming were to happen in 2026, which means the rapture would have to occur this year, than the youngest Jew to witness Christ’s return to set up his earthly kingdom that also witnessed the rebirth of Israel will be approximately 82 or 83 years old, if they were 10 years old and witnessed the rebirth of Israel they would then be 88 years old at the 2cd coming.
Consider the Holocaust
Consider the people that survived the Holocaust, the European Jewish community living at the time of Israel’s restored independence included some that survived the Holocaust of the 1940s, some lived and traveled out of Europe to reside in their new homeland, but as time has proceeded most of the Jews living at the time of Israel’s national restoration have passed away.
According to a United Nations online publication, written in, January 2018, it says: “After the Second World War, 90 percent of the Holocaust survivors were between 16 and 45 years old. Today, the youngest survivors, who were born in the last phase of the war, are over age 70.”[6]
In a Jerusalem Post online article posted in, January 2018, the writer claims that there were approximately 186,500 people living in Israel that survived the Holocaust at the close of 2016.[7]
The same article claims, that by the end of 2020 there will only be approximately 142,000 people still alive that survived the Holocaust and still living in Israel, while forecasters predict that by the year 2025 there will be a further decrease of about 50,000 people that will pass away.
According to this Jerusalem Post article, within the next six years, 2019 until 2025, there will be less than 100,000 survivors of the Holocaust that will still be alive in Israel, 92,600 survivors according to the writer of the article, which means that in just six years there will be approximately 90,000 Jews in Israel still alive that witnessed the rebirth of the nation of Israel, according to the same article there will only be approximately 26,200 Holocaust survivors by the year 2035; these same people witnessed the rebirth of Israel.
I truly hope that you are seeing my point, that the Jews who witnessed the rebirth of Israel are quickly passing away, and Jesus prophesied that these people will also witness his return to the earth.
Let me try to explain to you below what Jesus was referring to when he made this Devine prediction.
“Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished” (Matthew 24:32-34, ASV).
“Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh”
When Jesus refers to the fig tree in this prophecy, he is referring to the nation of Israel, as he did with the parable of the man that had a fig tree planted in his vineyard in the Gospel of Luke, and as he did with the live encounter with the useless fig tree in the gospels of Matthew and Mark.
He asserts that his hearers should “learn her parable,” which means that it is expected they decipher what this prophecy means, they must decode the message hidden within this parable, they must analyze and interpret this prophecy so they can translate this figurative language into language they can understand.
Why do you think Jesus spoke this prophecy in figurative language, it sounds very close to how the Old Testament prophets used to speak doesn’t it, in language that took some interpretation to understand, like how Nathan used figurative language to rebuke King David when he struck down Uriah the Hittite, and then took Uriah’s wife to be his own, and also, in the Book of Daniel, where God spoke in figurative language within prophetic dreams to Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, and then Daniel was used to interpreting these prophetic dreams, would it not be easier for the hearers of Jesus to just hear this prophecy in simple, easy to understand language, instead of speaking this prediction as if it was a mystery?
This is exactly why he spoke this prophecy in figurative language, because this prophecy is intended to be another one of the many mysteries of God, where only those who have eyes will see and only those who have ears will hear it and understand, maybe this is partly why the anti-rapture group runs into what I consider a problem, their apathy to the catching away of the Body of Christ is perplexing.
How about I give the anti-rapture wing of the Church the benefit of the doubt, and overlook their misgivings, maybe it is a lack of knowledge concerning this very important day and hour, but then again, maybe most of this group has purposely disconnected from end-time prophecy for selfish reasons, they cut and paste the Scriptures for worldly reasons and not because of a lack of spiritual enlightenment of the text.
When Jesus first began to speak this parable above the disciples likely thought that he was referring to just another fig tree, because fig trees were a common perennial plant used for food and they had recently encountered a fig tree that Jesus proceeded to curse, and they could not forget the other fig tree parable they had previously heard, but as he proceeds it would not have taken them long to understand that he was not only referring to the nation of Israel again but that he was actually prophesying her future.
Jesus describes the process of a natural fig tree when it bears fruit, its branch must get tender first so the leaves can come forth and then it bears the fruit, this usually happens near the beginning of summer in Israel; everyone in Israel knows this and so would the disciples.
The meaning of this prophecy is that Israel will bear fruit at a specific time to come, Israel’s fruit will be that they will finally be faithful to Jehovah, they will forever be right before God, the prediction is that once Israel is restored as a sovereign nation again then the faithfulness will come after that.
When this prophecy was first spoken Israel was under Roman occupation, being ruled by Emperor Tiberias, they did not have control of their nation since 605BC, this is when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon began to exile them to his country, but in 1948 their sovereignty returned as was prophesied; her branch became tender.
But, as said, the tree has to bring forth its leaves which is a sign that it has produced fruit, and the process is its branch gets tender first, which means Israel’s sovereignty is restored, she becomes a nation again, which will then lead to the Jews producing fruit, which means Israel will then turn back to God and be faithful to him—although it will only be a remnant that will be saved, for not all Jews are truly Israel.
Israel had to become a nation again first, her branch became tender, next the time will come when the prophecy recorded by Daniel will be fulfilled, when Daniel’s people will be finished with their transgression and sin, this will happen when the Christ descends from heaven to the earth at the end of Israel’s seventy-week period, which is at the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, and then they will be redeemed so they can finally be faithful to God.
This parable is revealing the season of Israel’s future faithfulness and Christ’s return to the earth to redeem her, which had to begin first with the branch of the fig tree becoming tender, it begins with the rebirth of the State of Israel.
The Gospel of Luke, also adds the phrase, “all the trees,” which refers to all the other nations that are associated with the reborn state of Israel but not necessarily meaning in a positive way, countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Gaza and Egypt, also other nations like, Russia, Iran, Turkey and Eastern Europe.
“Even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors.”
Jesus continues to prophesy the pinnacle of Israel’s redemption with clearer comprehension, letting his hearers know when summer is near, the leaves of the fig tree sprout and Israel produces fruit, her predicted faithfulness to God will come, which is at the 2cd coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth.
This second part of the prophecy helps to pinpoint the season and the timing in which the Lord will descend from heaven to the earth, and he will set down onto the Mount of Olives to redeem the nation of Israel.
The 2cd coming of the Lord cannot happen until the primary sign of his physical descent is fulfilled first, and that signal is the branch of the fig tree must get tender first, meaning Israel becomes a nation again, her sovereignty is restored, which happened in May 1948, as I continue to mention this important part of the prophecy, Scripture predicts that the leaves of the fig tree will come out because summer is near, meaning Israel will bear fruit, at the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, as the Lord descends from heaven to the earth, and this will occur when the reader of his word sees all the things he mentions in his discourse, and when they see these things they can be assured that Israel’s redemption and her faithfulness to God is near—the 2cd coming of Christ is near.
Israel’s redemption and the 2cd coming of Christ are related, this is why the Christ will come back the second time to redeem the remnant of Israel, they rejected his first coming but at his 2cd coming they will finally submit to his grace.
The things that will be witnessed are episodes that will occur before and during the seven-year Tribulation Period, like false messiahs, wars and rumors of war, nations, and kingdoms in conflict with one another, famines and earthquakes all over the world, et cetera.
There will be many who will be tortured and killed after the rapture of the Church because they repent and put their faith in Christ, they will refuse to follow and worship the beast and his image, people will betray each other like never before because of the increase in wickedness.
The beast is the First Beast[8] meaning the Antichrist, he is the one world leader whom the Deep State is trying to usher in right now, as they so desperately try to get rid of President, Donald Trump.
So, when people in the Tribulation see all these things, mentioned in Christ’s teaching, then they can know that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth the second time is very near.
“For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man” (Matthew 24:27, ASV).
Today, the Church witnesses the preliminary stages that point to the seven-year Tribulation Period, already the signs are occurring and the signs will end with the 2cd coming of Jesus Christ to the earth, it all began with the rebirth of the nation of Israel as the primary sign—the branch of the fig tree got tender and its leaves are sprouting forth.
This prophecy is intended for the Church to understand so they can pray and believe for its complete fulfillment, understand that it pertains uniquely to the nation of Israel, so the remnant Jews can be saved and receive God’s everlasting salvation by putting their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the consequent beneficiaries will be every Gentile who repents of their sin and turns to God during the seven-year Tribulation Period; it is the Jews that were alive during the rebirth of the nation of Israel who will see this prophecy come to pass with the 2cd coming of the Lord and Israel’s spiritual restoration.
The anti-rapture wing of the Body of Christ either just fails to understand this or their personal aspirations to enjoy this world are too strong for them to receive this revelation—only God knows the reason for their lack of interest and enthusiasm in the rapture of the Church.
“Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.”
This third part of the prophecy reveals to its hearers with great accuracy the season and the timing of Israel’s redemption, which is when the Lord Jesus Christ descends physically to the earth the second time.
So that the reader is not confused, the 2cd coming of the Lord is at the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, and the rapture of the Church will occur at least seven years before the 2cd coming of the Christ occurs, the rapture will happen before the Tribulation Period begins, not in the middle of it or at the end as some believe.
The seven-year Tribulation Period is referred to as the seventieth week of Israel in the book of Daniel, it is the time of Jacob’s trouble mentioned by the Prophet Jeremiah, but in the New Testament it is referred to as the Tribulation Period, or the hour of trial, or the wrath to come, which is a time period when God will finish Israel’s seventy-week period, while at the same time release his wrath against the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth for their rejection of his Son, Jesus of Nazareth.
But what does Jesus mean when he predicted, “this generation shall not pass away, till all these things are accomplished?”
What he means, is that the people who witnessed the branch of the fig tree get tender, Israel’s restoration to an independent nation again on, May 14, 1948, will not perish until after her leaves come out, meaning when Israel finally produces fruit, Israel is transformed and becomes faithful to Jehovah, this happens at the end of her seventieth-week, which is the last day of the seven-year Tribulation Period.
So, Christ’s prediction is that the generation that witnessed the rebirth of Israel will live to also witness the 2cd coming of Christ, of course not everyone in that generation will live out their days and be alive when Christ comes back to the earth again but there will be some of that generation that will.
Some are confused with this prediction, thinking it means the same generation whom Jesus initially taught this message to, and thereby think this prophecy had something to do with the besiege and conquering of the city of Jerusalem, and the destruction of the 2cd Temple in 70 AD—it does not.
Others get that Jesus is not referring to the events surrounding 70 AD, and understand that he is referring to the generation that witnessed Israel’s sovereign independence again, but then they make the mistake by thinking that generation (γενεά) {genea} only means the time in which each generation comes after each other, like Generation Z following Generation Y, or the generation of Millennials following Generation X, which followed the Baby Boomer Generation, some people think that Jesus is referring to a set number of years like twenty years or forty years or seventy years—he is not.
In the context of this prophecy the Christ is not referring to twenty, forty, or seventy years, but rather he is referring to a population of people living at the same time, in the same γενεά {genea}, and in particular the generation that witnessed the rebirth of a sovereign Israel.
As I have written many times; Jesus predicted that there will be people that observe the branch of the fig tree get tender, they witnessed the re-establishment of the state of Israel in, May 1948, who will also witness the fig tree produces leaves bringing forth its fruit, meaning they will experience Israel be finished with her transgression and receives Jesus Christ as their Lord, which takes place the last day of Israel’s decreed 70-week period, the last day of Jacob’s trouble, the last day of the seven-year Tribulation Period.
I am not saying that 2025 is the year that the 2cd coming of Christ will happen because it could only happen in the year 2025 if the seven-year Tribulation Period began last year, the year 2018; and I am sure that you will agree with me that it did not.
For the seven-year Tribulation Period to begin, the seven-year security agreement would have to be signed first,[9] and then the Tribulation Period begins, but before the covenant with many is ratified the rapture of the Church will occur, and I have no knowledge what day the Church will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, all I know is the time is running out.
We must also consider this important consideration; that between the day of the rapture of the Church and the day the security agreement is enforced there could be days or months, or even as some prophecy teachers conjecture a year or maybe two, but in my humble opinion the time period between the catching away of the Bride of Christ and the signing of the security agreement will be anywhere from just several days, maybe just a couple of weeks, it could possibly be even a month or maybe two, but as far as a year or two I really doubt it—only time will reveal with certainty.
Why would a believer- in- Christ choose to continue to live in the world as it is today, it is far worse than Sodom and Gomorrah, all of the world’s governments have rejected Christ and his true followers and even here in the West true Christianity is considered a scourge.
The evil and wickedness of men today is no different than back in Noah’s day, I would even dare to say maybe men are even worse today then back then.
The fallen angels are still producing their offspring creating hybrid beings today, they are also giving scientists the technology to create hybrids on their own, most of the technology has not come from the mind’s of men but rather men have received this technology from the fallen ones; if most believer’s understood and had knowledge of what is actually going on they would beg God to get them out of here as quickly as possible—abortion is more than just the termination of a fetus, it is a sacrifice of human life to the fallen ones, the more abortions performed the greater the technology is transferred as a reward.
People are putting their faith in Christ every day, and this is why the rapture has not already happened, God has penciled in the day and hour from before Christ even took on the flesh of man, and according to Scripture it will happen soon, but is more salvations the real reason why those that oppose the imminent rapture resist evacuation; I believe there may be other motives behind their desire to deem the rapture as a far in the future event.
I have respect for someone that knows the day we live in, meaning they acknowledge the signs of the times and admit that the day and hour is right at the door, they anticipate the coming of the Lord and believe with all their heart he is near, but on the other hand are grateful that every day someone else comes into the kingdom, but I have trouble with people that combat even the idea of the rapture in fear that if God were to take them today they may miss out on some activity or earthly pleasure—I don’t know how they can compare the two.
A wise person is a believer that has his heart fixed where Christ is seated, his mind is set on things in heaven and not on this world and its enticements, a wise person understands that Christ is soon to appear and is ready to call the believer up so as to complete his salvation, salvation completed translates as glorified bodies, but a carnal man cannot understand this promise because he does not desire to receive it.
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