While Jesus ate the Last Supper with his disciples (April – A.D. 32), and after it was revealed that Judas Iscariot would betray him, the Lord announced to his disciples that he would be leaving them, and the place where he was going, they could not come (Jn. 13:33b)—John records that Jesus referred to the disciples as, τεκνίον (tekníon) “Little children.” — Six months before this (October – A.D. 31), during the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths/Sukkot), the Pharisees had heard the crowds beginning to believe the words Jesus spoke, so they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest him (Jn. 7:10-32). Jesus said to the Jews that he would be with them for only a little while longer and then he would leave them to go be with the one who sent him to them—the Father (Jn. 7:33). He added: “You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come” (Jn. 7:34, ESV). The Jews were confused and wondered what he meant by these words (Jn. 7:35-36). The day after the Feast of Tabernacles was over, and Jesus taught in the temple courts near the treasury, he had warned the Pharisees that they would die in their sin; he added that he was going away to a certain place and they could not come (Jn. 8:21-24). They had just accused Jesus that his witness about himself was not true (Jn. 8:12-13). — During the meal, when Jesus had announced that he would be leaving his disciples, Simon Peter was curious about where Jesus was going, so he asked him where he was going (Jn. 13:36a). But Jesus told him: “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later” (Jn. 13:36b, CSB).
When Jesus informed his disciples
that he was leaving them, and the place he was going they could not come, until
later, he was referring to his ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9). During the
Last Supper, Jesus encouraged his disciples that he was leaving them to go and
prepare a home for them in his Father’s house (Jn. 14:2). He said that in his
Father’s house are, πολλαί μονή (pollaí moní) “multiple monasteries.” English
translations vary in their interpretations of pollaí moní: Many mansions; many
rooms; many dwelling places. Moní (monastery), is a religious house. It is an
abbey occupied by a community dedicated to Jesus Christ. God the Father’s house
is filled with multiple monasteries for the Υιοί του Θεού (Yioí tou Theoú) Sons
of God. The Sons of God are both the Holy Angels (Seraphim; Cherubim; Archangels;
Guardian Angels, et cetera) and those who have, “put on the new self, created
after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24, ESV).
Jesus said that he goes to prepare a place for his disciples—the apostles (Jn.
14:3a). Since the Christian is a member of God’s household built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, the faithful church is included in
this promise. Jesus is alluding to the church’s rapture in this teaching: “I
will come again and will take you to myself” (Jn. 14:3b, ESV). Some scholars think he is referring to his 2nd
coming with this promise. But I assure you, this is a distinct promise that
will occur at least seven years before the Messiah’s 2nd coming
(Rev. 19:11-21).
Shortly Jesus will come for the
dead bodies of all the believers who have passed away, like the apostles
(referred to as the dead-in-Christ), and every faithful believer who is
alive at the time of his appearing (1 Thess. 4:13-17). The apostle Paul
revealed once the rapture of believers occurs the decayed bodies of the
dead-in-Christ and those who are still living-in-Christ will be raptured out of
this world into the eternal realm: “And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then
we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1
Thess. 4:16d-17, ESV). The spirit and souls of the dead-in-Christ will be
reunited with their earthly bodies at this moment which will then be
transformed into heavenly bodies along with the earthly bodies of those who are
alive at that time (1 Cor. 15:50-53). This is what Jesus meant when he said: “So
that where I am you may be also” (Jn. 14:3c, CSB). On that day, the bride of
Christ will be moved into his Father’s house. His Fathers’ house will become
our Fathers’ house on that day. The Greek term Paul used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17
that some have translated as the English phrase “caught up” is the verb, ἁρπάζω
(harpazō). Harpazō is translated into English as grab, scrounge, snatch, catch,
poach, seize. Harpazō is translated in the King James Version (KJV) four times
as the English phrase “caught up” (2 Corinthians 12:2, 4; 1 Thessalonians 4:17;
Revelation 12:5). It is also used in Acts 8:39 when Philip was caught away,
carried away, suddenly taken away, and snatched away by the Holy Spirit from
one place to another in an instant (possibly from the Valley of Elah to Azotus –
Ashdod – about 42 kilometers). The English word rapture comes from the Latin
word, rapio. Rapio means, “to seize or snatch in relation to an ecstasy of
spirit or the actual removal from one place to another.”[1] When
the church is raptured out of this world into heaven it will be the Spirit of
the Lord who performs this miracle just like when he snatched Philip away after
he baptized the Ethiopian eunuch in water.
The world is a powder keg right
now—it is volatile. Not only is the United States of America being destroyed
from within, similar to the fall of the Roman Empire, but the nation of Israel
is fighting its Arab enemies on all sides. They still have to deal with those
not eliminated from Hamas (Sunni Islamists) in the south. They are slowly eliminating
the leaders of Hezbollah (Lebanese Shia Islamists) to the North, but the battle
will be long and painstaking. They are also dealing with the Houthis (Shia-Islamists)
from Yemen who have been firing rockets into Israel. The Islamic nation perpetrating
all this chaos is the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persia). Hamas, Hezbollah, and
the Houthis are proxies of Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic
of Iran. Khamenei’s main funding for his terrorist activity has come from the
Biden administration, and the Obama administration before that. The Trump administration
cut off funding Iran when they were in power. This defunding of Iran stopped much
of the terrorist activity of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. The goal of
these Islamist groups is to eliminate every Jew. The West is demanding Israel
cease their activity, but if they do, they will be overwhelmed by their
enemies. So, they cannot stop. No one should be surprised that this Middle East
volatility will lead to the Global leader (the Antichrist) forcing the
prophesied covenant for seven years (Dan. 9:26b-27a). This seven-year period is
Israel’s prophesied 70th week (Dan. 9:24). Israel’s 70th
week is the seven-year Tribulation Period (Matt. 24:9-31; Rev. 6-19), which
will be completed with the 2nd coming of Israel’s Messiah.
Some readers are surprised and shocked
that I say this Arab-Israeli conflict will end with the prophesied forced
covenant initiated by the Antichrist (Global leader). The man who is the Antichrist
will become the Global leader once the Tribulation Period begins (Rev. 17:11-13),
but the Global government already has this man chosen to be their leader. The Global
government will have total control of the West once the USA falls. The
deep-state minions will complete the destruction of the once-powerful United States
of America very shortly. How do I know that this covenant will be enforced soon,
and how do I know the destruction of the USA is right at the door?
Readers of my articles are
familiar with the prophecy of Jesus where he prophesied that the same people
(primarily Jews) who witnessed Israel’s renewed statehood will be alive to
witness the rapture of the body of Christ, the complete 70th week of
Israel, and the 2nd coming of Israel’s Messiah (Matt. 24:32-34; Mk.
13:28-30; Lk. 21:29-32 – See my article, Israel’s Renewed Statehood[2]).
Israel’s renewed statehood happened on May 14, 1948. Today is September 30, 2024.
More than 76 years have passed since the beginning point of the countdown to
the 2nd coming of Christ. The Christians called to feed the church
this information is commanded to do so (Matt. 24:45-51; Lk. 12:41-48) so that
the church can be watching and ready for when the rapture occurs (Matt.
24:36-44; Mk. 13:32-37). Soon the church will be called to dwell in our Father’s
house. Are you ready?
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[1] Where did the term 'rapture' come from?
https://bible.org/question/where-did-term-8216rapture%E2%80%99-come
(Accessed 9/30/2024)
[2] Israel’s Renewed Statehood
https://thelogosrevealer.blogspot.com/2023/10/israels-renewed-statehood.html
