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  • The title of the message this afternoon, if you're still awake, isHow Close Are WE To The Rapture?”

  • I love this because it's the shortest message I will ever give in my life.

  • Theone slide, barely.

  • We can move to the question and answers right now if you want.

  • But for the sake of those of you who are struggling with the concept of, what is the Rapture all about.

  • Let me remind you that in the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Thessaloniki, a church in northern Greece, probably the only one

  • that I can think of that had no Jews in it and therefore no Old Testament verses were ever quoted in that in those epistles.

  • And it's interesting because he said to them, “I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, “

  • This is the biblical term for those who died as believers.

  • You see, we as believers, we don't die and enjoy that death, that it's so final

  • and it's so destructive. No, we just fall asleep.

  • And when your child falls asleep, all you do is you take him and you move him to bed.

  • So, he falls asleep here and he wakes up here.

  • “…lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”

  • He says, “Listen, any believer, even if he dies, he's not dead.”

  • He's no longer

  • It's not like he's no longer going to live.

  • And this is our hope.

  • So why do you cry and mourn and lament as if you have no hope?

  • “...if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,

  • even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”

  • In other words, once Jesus rose from the dead, that's when death was basically defeated.

  • And so, from now on, when a person dies as a believer, what happens to his soul?

  • Whoosh! It goes to be with Jesus instantly.

  • To be absent from the body is to be ... what? [Audience: to be present with the Lord.]

  • which means the soul will and can be absent from the body when death comes.

  • And when Christ comes, He's not going to say to those souls,

  • Wait there. I'll just go and get these.”

  • No, He says,

  • He will... all those people that you're crying about, that you are lamenting over, that you are so sad for they're going to come back.

  • And guess what? You're probably going to say,

  • Yeah, but it's only their souls. We miss their bodies also!”

  • Wait a minute.

  • Their souls will come and unite with their bodies.

  • So watch this, "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we…”

  • Say 'we' [Audiences: We.]

  • “… we who are alive...” Are you alive?

  • Check your pulse right now.

  • “… we that are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. “

  • In other words, if you attended a funeral of someone who died as a believer and the Rapture takes place two minutes later,

  • mum,

  • he will get there first.

  • Watch thisFor the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.”

  • Now, a lot of people wish it was today or yesterday because of the Feast of Trumpets.

  • It is today, you know?

  • Hello? Do you understand? It's Rosh Hashanah.

  • Rosh Hashanah is not a biblical name.

  • You need to understand. Rosh Hashanah is not in the Bible.

  • The feast in the Bible that is mentioned is the Feast of Trumpets.

  • That's the biblical name, Yom Teruah, Feast of Trumpette.

  • And it's interesting because...

  • Look, I believe with all of my heart that all the festivals of Israel from Leviticus 23 have been, are and will be fulfilled in Israel for Israel,

  • and it will affect, of course, the whole world.

  • In other words, when Passover was fulfilled, where was it fulfilled?

  • In Jerusalem, of course.

  • During a Jewish festival right in front of the eyes of the Jews.

  • When the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is the sinless life of Jesus,

  • was fulfilled where was it?

  • In Rome? Or in Patmos?

  • Or in somewhere in Spain, where there is, um, some… I don't know, miracles of a statue with some tears or whatever?

  • Where was it fulfilled?

  • In Jerusalem.

  • What about the Feast of First Fruits, the Resurrection of Jesus. Where did it happen?

  • The Feast of Weeks, which is Pentecost. Where did it happen?

  • Hello?

  • Where will Jesus come back to?

  • [Audiences: Jerusalem.]

  • And where will Jesus be seen by His people as they lament and cry and repent?

  • And where will He rule the world for 1000 years from?

  • So you see, there are the four festivals that were fulfilled in Jerusalem and there are the three more that will be fulfilled in Jerusalem.

  • Therefore, I think that the trumpet here is a trumpet of God in heavens, just for us.

  • But the Feast of Trumpets will be fulfilled upon the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

  • And then the Yom Kippur will be fulfilled right after when the Jews will lament and they will, of course, repent.

  • And immediately they will finally understand what the Feast of Tabernacles is all about.

  • In Jerusalem.

  • Of course, it will affect everybody.

  • But I think that the minute you start suspecting every year, that is going to happen in the Feast of Trumpets.

  • First, you say, "I know today", second, you're disappointed every year.

  • Mum.

  • All right. Can we put an end to this one?

  • Good.

  • For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel,

  • and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”

  • The guy you just buried, whoof!

  • andThen we…”

  • Say 'we'. [Audiences: We.]

  • “… we who are alive and remain shall be

  • CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds to meet the Lordwhere?

  • [Audiences: in the air.]

  • Now, it sounds like a cult.

  • I'm telling you, something you repeat and it sounds too fantastic.

  • But that's not the case. You're just reading from the Scriptures.

  • This is the Bible. This is the word of God.

  • “I can't believe we're going to fly up in the air.”

  • Well, you don't have to believe.

  • But it's your problem because the Bible says

  • that we are going to be caught up together with those who died before in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

  • Do you have a problem with that?

  • Good.

  • So the meeting place and the meeting point of us, the believers with Jesus is not on Earth.

  • The Second Coming of Jesus to Earth is not for the Church.

  • It's with the Church.

  • And so, “Thus…” and watch this, now, it's important.

  • So, the minute we met Jesus, He came down, we went up, we meet halfway.

  • What does the Bible say is now? Thus what?

  • Mmmm.

  • Which means anywhere He goes, we go.

  • He goes to the right hand of The Father. He goes to Heaven, we're going there.

  • He returns back to earth, Guess what?

  • He reigns?

  • Hello?

  • Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

  • And there's those, of course, who says, “How dare you?”

  • We need to go through the Tribulation.”

  • We need to see some carnage.”

  • The heads of all the believers will roll down the aisle.”

  • “…Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

  • Now, how did we even get to the word Rapture?

  • Of course, we all know that in the Greek you have the wordHarpazo”.

  • In the Latin Bible, Vulgate, it was calledRapturo

  • and therefore, in the English Bible, it is Rapture.

  • So the word Rapture is an English word, don't look for it in the Greek or the Hebrew.

  • You know, some people say to me, “Well, the word 'Rapture' isn't in the Bible!”

  • Of course, you're reading English.

  • Hello?

  • The Bible was not written in English,

  • go to the Greek and the Old Testament go to the Hebrew and see what it says.

  • And Harpazo is to becaught up”, to betaken away”.

  • Another time the word "Harpazo" was mentioned is when Philip was with the Ethiopian in the cart.

  • And then they stopped and he baptized him, Remember?

  • And the Ethiopian just got saved, come out of the water

  • and he opens his eyes and Philip is gone because Philip was Raptured.

  • Now you could be rafted upwards or sidewards because Philip was still here.

  • But he was taken away.

  • And the Ethiopian said to himself,

  • This is too weird.”

  • “I am not going to believe in this nonsense.”

  • Did he say that? [Audiences: No!]

  • How come people who believe for 30, 40, 50 years say it's ridiculous,

  • and the Ethiopian who was a believer for 30 seconds could accept it as the work of God?

  • Unbelievable.

  • So one of the most important events for us is also the most mysterious one.

  • We know it will happen. We're sure it will happen.

  • We believe it will happen. We have the hope it will happen.

  • We are happy it is going to happen.

  • We pray it will happen. We wait for it to happen. But...

  • not only we do not know the exact timing of the event;

  • we actually have a very interesting declaration about it from Jesus Himself.

  • And He said in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24;

  • But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”

  • Jesus basically says, “Look,

  • I can tell you everything you want to know.

  • Actually, you should have known exactly the day I came to Earth to Israel.”

  • How do you know that? Because we're going to see in a few seconds.

  • The Bible gave us the exact date.

  • The Bible also tells us when He will come back

  • because it's going to be right at the end of the seven years Tribulation.

  • But regarding that day when He will take us, no one knows the hour.

  • And there is a reason for that.

  • The reason is very simple. He saysWatch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

  • But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come,

  • he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.”

  • And if you want to understand the meaning of this verse, come tomorrow to McKinney

  • because we're going to talk about the ten virgins tomorrow.

  • Therefore, you also be…”,

  • have I just created a big problem right now?

  • I just realized that you cannot go to McKinney tomorrow unless you preregistered

  • because it's a smaller church.

  • Okay,

  • Therefore…”, listen up.

  • Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming…”

  • What? When?

  • “…at an hour you do notaccept

  • ExpectExcuse me.

  • So how can we know when it will happen? How can we know when the Rapture?

  • We do have in the Bible anchors that we can latch on to, we can see, we can hold on to.

  • The anchors could be people, it could be events, it could be many different things.

  • First of all, one of the major anchors is a correct interpretation of Scripture.

  • We've got the Bible and we've got the Holy Spirit.

  • The Holy Spirit can never give you one interpretation and you the opposite interpretation

  • and it will be okay and acceptable.

  • All Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit thus they cannot contradict each other.

  • The Spirit is the spirit of truth; thus the Bible cannot give us false information.

  • Give you an example, second Corinthians five 1 to 8.

  • We'll look and we'll start with it, we see,

  • For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God,”

  • I mean, this is a tent. We have a building from God.

  • Go to first Corinthians Chapter 15 then you understand.

  • Well, look at you.

  • Put your picture from 25 years ago right here.

  • You're dying! We are dying!

  • We're getting older and we're dying. This is a body that is in our process of decay.

  • Whether you like it or not, thislook,

  • death has entered into the world when sin came to the world, and that's it.

  • David said in Psalm 51, he said, “in sin my mother had conceived me.”

  • And it's interesting because we see that we are being promised a building, not a tent,

  • a house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

  • It's very interesting because people, if you don't, if you misinterpret the Scriptures, you would think that instantly,

  • anyone who dies receives, what? that building.

  • But it's not true, because watch this.

  • We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

  • And Philippians says,

  • “…having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” he said.

  • And in Romans eight, "We'reeagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”

  • In other words, that when somebody dies, there is a point, unless the Rapture happens,

  • where his soul and his body are separated.

  • It's not immediately that he received the new body. Do you understand that?

  • Okay? However,

  • however, to be able to enter into the heaven, you cannot enter with this body.

  • You understand? Look at yourself, right now.

  • This body will not enter into heaven.

  • It's a fallen body and you must receive a new one.

  • So the Bible says that first the dead and then we are we're going to change

  • and that corruption will wear in corruption.

  • And we received new body and the new body has absolutely no problem with gravity.

  • Whoof! We're gone.

  • The new body has to be different.

  • It's a building. It's not a tent.

  • I don't say you

  • I mean, I'm looking at myself also, it's a tent right now, come on.

  • You try to stoop down to tie your shoelaces. UGH

  • It's a tent! In heaven we will have a building.

  • So we have to remember that we're eagerly waiting for the revelation of Jesus Christ Who will come,

  • and then, of course, will take us who are alive and the dead in Christ will be resurrected as well.

  • And we will thenthose who died in Christ will be reunited with their body.

  • The body is buried right now in the cemetery, of those who died

  • and will be reunited, of course, in heaven. It's beautiful!

  • We have thatthe blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us,

  • that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself

  • His own special people, zealous for good works.”

  • So we've got first of all, the understanding that we must interpret the Scriptures correctly.

  • And you have to take more than one, you have to take all the scriptures talking about the same thing

  • and then come up with your conclusion.

  • Second, the Lord gave us Bible prophecy.

  • Nearly a third of the Bible is speaking of future event because God wants you to know the future.

  • Isaiah, 46 verses 9 and 10 says, “Remember the former things of old, For I am God,

  • and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,

  • Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done,

  • Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'”

  • So through Bible prophecy, you understand the timing of things

  • because the Lord gave us specific timeframes for different things.

  • In Second Peter, It also Says;

  • “...know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,

  • for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will,

  • but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

  • This is not New King James.

  • Hello? I recognize it from the mile.

  • Um, let melet me read to you. I'm not sure why.

  • Let me read to you, the second Peter Chapter 2 versus 20-21.

  • And he says thisknowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

  • for prophecy never came by the will of man,

  • but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

  • So, special people... and it's written.

  • You don't have to go to a psychic somewhere.

  • It's written. It's here.

  • Hebrews One says, “God after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways…”

  • And let me read Hebrews also from my favorite, which is New King James, I will read.

  • God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,

  • has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things,

  • through whom also He made the worlds;”

  • So you see, the same God who spoke to the fathers through the prophets has now spoken to us.

  • In Hebrew Chapter one, “Through Jesus Christ.”

  • And you can see through this verse that the termlast daysbegan 2000 years ago.

  • This is why the Bible says we live in the last hour of the last days.

  • Also, as we just heard so eloquently.

  • Current events, both political and spiritual, are a great anchor for us to understand where we are and when the Rapture is about to take place.

  • Now, of course, make no mistake,

  • the Rapture can take place any minute, any minute.

  • If Paul was sure, it is going to happen at his lifetime,

  • and he wrote with such assurance thatWe that are alive and remain, We will be caught up.”

  • Then that means that there is nothing necessary that has to happen for the Rapture to take place.

  • But the fact of the matter is that the Rapture hasn't taken place yet.

  • We're still here.

  • So now we know what Paul could not know that God had in His plan for Israel to be back in the land

  • and for so many of those things that are pointing at the Tribulation to already begin while we are still here.

  • Amazing.

  • First of all, thankfully, He decided that otherwise we wouldn't be alive today.

  • He waited for us to be born, He saved us and we're here excited.

  • Then He also shared with us scriptures that are describing exactly what we're seeing today.

  • When it comes to political things, we can see, of course,

  • what we talked about earlier today, the alignment of certain countries in the Middle East like never before.

  • If you think that Russia and Turkey and Iran were ever friends, kiss that thought goodbye!

  • They hate each other. They never had any alliance like that in the history of planet Earth.

  • Turkey wants to lead the Sunni world, Iran wants to lead the Shiite world.

  • They hate each other's guts.

  • But for the first time ever in the history, they collaborate.

  • It's beyond me.

  • If it wasn't so described in Ezekiel 38 I would never even consider that to be a case.

  • And you see that the peace deal that your president broke just few days ago

  • brings us to the point where we see why the Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and their young lines,

  • they are protesting that invasion that is about to come, saying, “'Have you come to take plunder?

  • Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?'”

  • That implies that the invasion into Israel has nothing to do with Israeli presence or Israeli occupation or Jewish versus Islam.

  • No! It has to do with stealing, taking plunder,

  • it has to do with something we found, something we have, some wealth that we have acquired, that now they want to take.

  • And over the last few years Israel found trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, while Russia is desperately looking for it.

  • Russia invested $60 billion in a gas pipe into Western Europe to Germany,

  • 97% of it was completed, and Donald Trump stopped it.

  • Don't tell me that the Russians wants Trump to be president.

  • They cannot wait for him to leave the Oval Office.

  • They colluded with the Germans behind the back of NATO and behind the back of the American.

  • And they started working behind the back of everyone on a deal that would make Putin,

  • he's already the richest man in the world I believe, even more rich.

  • And one senator, one senator from this state stopped it. Ted Cruz.

  • And not only that America is saying to the Europeans, we can get you other gas which is even cheaper

  • if you just buy the one that Israel just found.

  • And the Russians are "GRRRR..."

  • They want to kill us.

  • And we are now developing the East Mediterranean pipe from Israel towards Cyprus to Greece to Italy, to Western Europe.

  • Hahaha.

  • The Iranian and the Turkish currency plunged over the last couple months,

  • listen, to the lowest ever, 271,000 Iranian rials for $1. 7.6 Turkish liras for $1.

  • When Erdogan took position a few years ago it was three point something.

  • So you see, the Turks are trying to find gas and to find the oil but they can't find it. And it drives them crazy that

  • Israel finds it, Cyprus finds it, Greece finds it they can't find it.

  • So they send a research vessel escorted with submarines and helicopters and F-16s, and it's moving anywhere they want but they can find it.

  • And that research vessel broke. Now they sent it back home.

  • They're angry! If that's not enough, the coalition of Ezekiel, which is ready. We see as we already heard earlier today.

  • We know this; “that in the last days perilous times will comeFor men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,

  • boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving,

  • unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty,

  • lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

  • And if that's not enough, look what God is doing with Israel.

  • You know, you might take it for granted that the Jews are back in their land.

  • But your grandparents would only dream of it.

  • My grandparents were from Poland.

  • They did not want to come to Israel in the early 1920.

  • There was

  • Are you kidding me? Europe was much better.

  • They flourished in Europe.

  • Here in Israel, there was just desert and malaria.

  • Speaking of malaria, why do you think in Africa COVID almost does not exist?

  • Yeah, they take Hydroxychloroquine, I mean, like Candies everywhere.

  • And I want you to know that the Lord said even in Deuteronomy through Moses,

  • He says; “I will gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you.

  • If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.”

  • Isaiah 66 describes the moment David Ben-Gurion had to establish the state of Israel.

  • You know, we had literally an hour to decide, statehood or no statehood.

  • We signed the Declaration of Independence before we had it, we signed it on one piece of paper and later on we sewed it to the Declaration of Independence.

  • Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?

  • Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?

  • Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion…”

  • Don't let people say that "Zionism" is a bad word.

  • “…as soon aswhat? “Zion was in labor,”

  • If you believe that Israel is the place for the Jewish people, your Zionists!

  • You're probably saying, “What are you talking about?”

  • The Zionism is basically your conviction that Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people. That's all.

  • For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.”

  • In Jeremiah 31 says; despite of what people say, Israel in this chapter in the history that will pass.

  • I want to tell you something.

  • Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,

  • Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The Lord of hosts is His name):

  • If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the Lord,”

  • Saythen” [Audiences: Then.]

  • Now, say it with an attitude ofTHEN!” [Audiences: THEN!]

  • THEN the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.”

  • In other words, when you walk outside and there is no sun, there's no moon, no stars,

  • they're gone.

  • then Israel is no longer a nation before God. By the way, it's going to happen.

  • You know when?

  • When the Lord will make New Heaven and New Earth and New Jerusalem there will be no more need for the sun, the moon and the stars.

  • Because Jesus will be the Menorah that shines the light.

  • There will be no more need for a temple, and Israel is no longer Israel.

  • Anyone who dwells there is the people of God, the Children of God.

  • That's it.

  • No more distinction between Jewyou understand?

  • It's going to happen one day.

  • But until the eternity in the New Heaven and New Earth and New Jerusalem, Israel is still a nation that stands before God

  • and no one can destroy them not even the Antichrist.

  • you can try.

  • It won't work.

  • Ask the Fuhrer.

  • Daniel's vision is another anchor.

  • Daniel's vision.

  • “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated;

  • His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool.

  • His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued

  • And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him;

  • Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened…”

  • “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn [that Pastor Barry was talking about] was speaking;

  • I watched till the beast was slain…”

  • Ladies and gentlemen, everything we know about Tribulation has already bean foretold in the Old Testament.

  • And in Daniel 9, the classic 70 Weeks vision.

  • The 70 weeks are not the history of the world they're the history of Israel.

  • Seventy weeks are determined For your city and for people …” he said.

  • So you have to understand folks, he said,

  • Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem

  • until Messiah the Prince, [will enter the city.]

  • There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.

  • And after..." That was seven and sixty-two, we all know,

  • And you all know... Sir... Um,

  • Sir Robert Anderson who was, by the way, an officer in Scotland Yard,

  • just so you know, he wrote a book, The Coming Prince.

  • He managed; He was very smart guy.

  • Who said that the Scots are…? Now, watch this.

  • He said, Look, in the Bible, 70 weeks are 70 units of seven years. A year in the Old Testament is 360 days.

  • So we know exactly.

  • We know exactly when Jesus had to have entered into Jerusalem. And we know the day.

  • How do we know the day?

  • Because he said, “from the moment the command to rebuild Jerusalem was given count, what? seven and 62 weeks. Together is what? 69 weeks.

  • 69 x 7 x 360 is 173,000,880 days.

  • Which brings you to April 6, 32AD

  • Boom!

  • It's the Sunday before Passover and Jesus entered Jerusalem that day.

  • See, when God wants us to know a day, He is going to give us the day.

  • But when God wants you not to know a day, He's going to tell you, “No one knows the day and the hour.”

  • And someone said, “I believe it's Rush Hashanah.” Well, the Bible says no one knows, so no one knows.

  • You know how many YouTube videos there are out there that tells you exactly the day of the Rapture?

  • It's crazy, and all of them are ridiculous because they try to know Hebrew.

  • Oh, they just don't know Hebrew, and it's crazy.

  • Jesus also said about the fig tree generation. “learn this parable from the fig tree:

  • When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves,

  • you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things…”

  • Who is that fig tree? That two chapters earlier was Israel.

  • Of course, it's Israel right now, and that fig tree is the rebirth of Israel, from that death of 2000 years came back to life.

  • And you know that rebirth of Israel is the most important end time signs of all.

  • And He says, “...you also, when you see all these things, know that it is nearat the doors!

  • Assuredly, I say to you, this generation…”

  • THIS generationSayMY generation” [Audiences: MY generation.]

  • Because a generation is the longevity of people from the moment of conception to their death, including the nine months of swimming lessons in your womb.

  • Ladies and Gentlemen, all of you are alive you belong to the same generation,

  • whether your 2-year-old or 90-year-old right now

  • this is a generation, and all of you live right to see, today, that Israel is back in the land.

  • A Jew from the tribe of Judah is standing right in front of you right now, speaking with broken English and with a tent.

  • Ladies and gentlemen, you see those things;

  • Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

  • Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

  • We've got also Ezekiel's prophesy.

  • We touched about it before, Ezekiel 36, how the land was healed

  • then the 37, how the people were saved from Europe and were brought by the Lord to their land, and you can see,

  • Behold, O My people…” versus 9 to 14, “I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves,

  • and bring you into the land of…” Palestine? Next, into the land of?

  • Oh, Wow, Israel. And...

  • Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people,

  • and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live,

  • And I will place you in the [Palestinians own land?]"

  • Oh, it's "the Jewish people's own land."

  • Mum.

  • How dare you say that! That's not social justice.”

  • Look, “Then you shall know…”

  • What's the purpose of God bringing the Jews back? What's the purpose of God saving them?

  • What's the purpose of Him performing that and not any other person

  • So what?

  • Then you shall know that I, the Lord, [what?] have spoken it and performed it,”

  • It's Me.” God said, “no one else.”

  • And of course, Ezekiel 38, we speak of the coming invasion and in Ezekiel 39.

  • So when will the Rapture NOT happen?

  • By the way of elimination, you probably will guess when it will.

  • First of all, it will not happen when you think it will happen.

  • Again, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

  • It will NOT happen on the day that people say it will.

  • First Thessalonians five, We read it, “…concerning the times and the seasons,

  • therefore, you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.”

  • Now of course, it says that it's not a thief in the night for us in a sense that we do not live in the darkness, in the night.

  • But it is going to surprise earth dwellers.

  • Two are going to be in the field: whoosh! one will be taken and the other left.

  • Two are grinding the mill: whoosh! one is taken and the other left.

  • It is not going to be commercial on TV; “Rapture! Tomorrow 9 a.m.”

  • It's going to happen!

  • It will not happen during or after the Tribulation.

  • So, if you believe that Tribulation had already begun, Mmmm, you have been left behind.

  • The Bible says; “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,” in first Thessalonians five.

  • And you can see; “Therefore [what?] comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”

  • Don't sell them destruction,

  • don't sell them annihilation,

  • don't sell them the Antichrist, that's not for you.

  • You should comfort one another and edify each other.

  • First Thessalonians one, look what he says;

  • to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead,

  • even Jesus who delivers us [what?]

  • "from" the wrath to come.” Notthroughthe wrath to come.

  • If that's not enough,

  • Revelation three to the Church of Philadelphia;

  • “I also will keep you FROM the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

  • This is why Pastor Barry just read that the Antichrist

  • in Chapter 13 he will blaspheme not only God and His tabernacle but also the dwellers of heaven!

  • Hello? We won't be here.

  • There are the earth dwellers during the Tribulation and there are heaven's dwellers in the Tribulation.

  • It will not happen after the Antichrist revealed, as we already know, because second Thessalonians says,

  • Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day WILL NOT COME unless the falling away comes first, and the man of [b]sin is revealed,”

  • And then he moves on and says, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the…”

  • Excuse me. I don't know.

  • Continue to the fact when it says;

  • For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work;

  • only He who now restrains will do so until He is [what?]

  • taken out of the way.”

  • Now, remember how we saythen”?

  • THEN!” Say that again.

  • THEN the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”

  • Now, will the Rapture trigger the Tribulation?

  • Maybe.

  • Well, we don't know. Whodo you care?

  • I see wholepeople write books about it.

  • So, what do I care?

  • All I care is that I'm out of here.

  • I'm checking out.

  • Will the hotel be full after I'm done?

  • Who cares?

  • Will the hotel serve great food once I checked out?

  • Who cares!

  • They don't serve any food right now.

  • Remember, Daniel says that he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week.

  • So we know that the Tribulation will be the last week of those 70 weeks.

  • It's not for us, it's for Israel.

  • It's about Israel, it's the description of the whole history of Israel.

  • Do you understand that?

  • So for usAdios, amigos.”

  • That's why, by the way, one of the names of the Tribulation is, what? “Jacob's trouble”.

  • Will the RaptureWill there be a gap between the Rapture and Tribulation?

  • I want you to say,..

  • Who cares!”

  • Somebody just wrote a book about it, and I'm like, “a gap?!”

  • Okay, let's say there is a gap... but?

  • [Audiences: Who cares!!]

  • Look, what I care about is what I see right now in the church where I see pastors saying that the fig tree is not Israel,

  • where we see the pastors saying that Genesis 12:3 is not about Israel,

  • “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you;”

  • Where I see the pastors are saying that there is no Rapture.

  • That's what I care about. Because right now while we're still here that deception is going on.

  • Remember; “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

  • that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

  • And it also said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name

  • He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

  • And if Jesus said in Matthew 22 that the fig tree is Israel, speaking of Israel, describing, then why would in Matthew 24 it's not Israel?

  • And what's the point of mentioning a fig tree if it's just a tree?

  • The Rapture will not happen

  • it WILL happen, and it has to happen before the Tribulation, and we know that it is God's way of doing things.

  • He removes the righteous before He pours His judgment upon the unrighteous, as He did in Genesis 19;

  • “…take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place,

  • because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.

  • So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!”

  • We see that in Genesis 19.

  • We also know how Noah was lifted up as the flood covered the earth.

  • Take a look at this chart.

  • So this is a picture of what the Bible through the Prophet Daniel and all the other profits is talking about end time will look like.

  • You can clearly see; Daniel 70 weeks are separated seven and 62 happen already at the very beginning before the church was born

  • and Jesus, of course, coming to the land of Israel and then upon His departure, He sent the Holy Spirit and the church age thus had begun.

  • But you see, we're right now at the very end and right after the Rapture, we can see, starts the 70th week that last week,

  • the 70th week, that one week that is left to be fulfilled.

  • You can see as we go up, we go up and Christ returns down and we meet Him in that cloud, that cloud this particular one.

  • Christ, seven years later, at the end of that last week, returns with the Church in His second coming to establish the Millennial Kingdom and

  • at the end of the Millennial Kingdom we're going to come to the point where the Great White Throne Judgment is going to happen,

  • the books will be open and anyone who is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life goes down to the Lake of Fire

  • And, of course, the believers will be in the New Jerusalem as the New Heaven, a new Earth and New Jerusalem are coming down.

  • And you can clearly see that this is a beautiful picture.

  • And we are, where? we are at the very, very, very edge before the Tribulation begins.

  • We don't know where the Rapture is going to happen, but we know that the Tribulation is around the corner.

  • We just heard the whole message about it. Hello?

  • So we understandto summarize this whole thing, we understand

  • how close are we to the Rapture?

  • Very, very, very! Because we see the convergence of so many prophecies right now.

  • You know that in your lifetime more prophecies have been fulfilled than any other generations since the time of Jesus Christ,

  • how can we, seeing all these convergences?

  • [1John2] “Little children, it is the last hour;

  • and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. “

  • [Titus2] “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,

  • we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

  • looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing…”

  • Appearingby the way, is when He comes like that, that's not His Second Coming where He stays, He appears in the sky.

  • “…the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

  • who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

  • Father, we thank you so much for this Blessed Hope.

  • We thank you that you have prepared your people for all good works that you have indeed purified and redeemed us from every lawless deed.

  • And we're your own special people.

  • We thank you, Father, that you gave us anchors of Scripture and current events.

  • We see political and spiritual developments around the world.

  • We see all you spoke through the prophets long time ago and we see that great convergence.

  • And we are so ready to be out of here.

  • We're so ready.

  • Lord, we were not going to try and rebuke you for being late because you're never late.

  • You are long suffering, not willing anyone to perish,

  • but all should come to the knowledge of Jesus.

  • But we also know, Father, that the time will come and the door will be closed and in an unexpected moment,

  • Boom! We will be out of here.

  • And Father, you told us just to be ready, to be sober and to be watchful.

  • And that's what we want to do.

  • And conferences like this and in teachings like this and in gatherings of the saints, of the watchman from all over the world,

  • we want to be ready. We want to be watchful.

  • We want to be sober.

  • We wantFather,

  • we don't know the day, we don't know the hour, we have no clue

  • but who cares? If we're ready

  • any minute you take us, we are going to be out of here. We bless your name.

  • We thank you. We bless you.

  • We do all of that in the matchless, in the most beautiful name of the Holy One of Israel Yeshua,

  • the Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace, The Lord of Lord, The Lion of the tribe of Judah, Emmanuel,

  • In the name of Jesus, we pray and all of God's people say, Amen.

  • Amen.

The title of the message this afternoon, if you're still awake, isHow Close Are WE To The Rapture?”

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