The Church Age will have an amazing supernatural end at the Rapture. The Church similarly had a spectacular beginning on the Day of Pentecost. Since Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit first began indwelling believers, this event was dramatic being described as "a rushing mighty wind" and "appeared to them [as] divided tongues, as of fire" causing people to speak in languages foreign to them (Acts 2:2-4).
The Apostle Peter quoted Joel 2:28 to explain what happened on the Day of Pentecost, "it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17). In context, this is referring to the return of Jesus, "the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord" (Acts 2:20 & Joel 2:31).
The fact that it has been almost 2,000 years and Jesus has not returned might lead some to think that Peter was wrong. But if you go back to Joel to see what he was talking about, the Prophet Joel characterized the pouring out of the Spirit of God in two phases: "Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you; the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month" (Joel 2:23).
Now Joel 2:23 is referring to literal rain. God blessed Israel with rains in the Spring and the Fall. Israel was having a drought at the time this was written and was looking forward to the prosperity that came from more abundant rain. But the context here reveals a prophetic aspect to the pouring out of God's Spirit. Here we see God talking about pouring out rain as a symbolic reference to pouring out His Spirit. As God promised to bless Israel with early and latter rain, He also promised them to pour out His Spirit in two separate phases. He poured out the early rain of His Spirit on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit began indwelling followers of Christ.
The latter rain will be when God pours out his Spirit on the nation of Israel as represented by the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14. While this is a promise to the nation of Israel, there is a principle here that applies to the Church. The Church began with God pouring out His Spirit on Jewish Christians, then God also poured out His Spirit on the Gentiles as well (see Acts 10:45). So we should expect God to likewise pour out His Spirit on all nations at the end of the Church Age as God prepares to work through Israel again. Jesus established this principle of prophetic developments foreshadowing the events of the Tribulation when He spoke of birth pangs in the Olivet Discourse.
God has begun pouring out His Spirit on all nations. When I was at Texas Instruments, I met a man through our Bible study group there who was born in Indonesia, a Muslim country. It goes without saying that missionaries are not exactly encouraged in Islamic countries. But this does not limit God. My coworker from Indonesia came to Christ as a result of Jesus appearing to him in a vision. He became an engineer to facilitate his immigration to the U.S. because Indonesia was not exactly friendly to Christians. Since I've heard the testimony of my coworker, I've heard many other testimonies of Muslims from various places converting to Christianity by direct revelation. And there is also this recent article documenting the phenomenon of Muslims converting to Christianity as a result of personally seeing a vision of the Savior.
The supernatural pouring out of God's Spirit is a clear sign we are in the season of the Jesus returning. This should cause followers of Christ to get on with doing what God is calling them to do and provoke those who are agnostic toward Jesus to get off the fence. The Church Age is coming to a close and the end will be spectacularly supernatural. People who witness the Rapture will have two clear choices: (1) believe the Bible by embracing Jesus Christ to be saved, or (2) embrace the lie explaining away the Rapture to get their wish of spending eternity separated from their Creator. As for "me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query latter rain. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query latter rain. Sort by date Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2015
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Positive Signs
A regular subscriber to this News Wisdom blog asked me a provocative question, “Must every 'sign' of prophecy unfolding be of evil advancing?” The short answer to this is obviously no, but the most striking evidence that we are accelerating toward what Jesus called the “Great Tribulation” in Matthew 24:21 is indeed the growth of evil. The signs Jesus gave us to watch for in His Olivet Discourse were all increasing consequences from evil. Matthew 24:7 says, “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (NKJ).
Scripture also tells us, “evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). So the growth of evil is a trend we can expect in the world as we get closer to the return of Jesus. However, even with the growth of evil there are still some good developments to watch for as we get closer to the return of Christ…
Jesus indicated that there would be at least one positive trend associated with the end of the age in the Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Matthew 13:24-30). The wheat in this parable represents followers of Christ that “grow up” among the followers of Satan. So along with the growth of evil, we can expect to see growth in the Body of Christ. This is in fact happening today in some surprising ways. There is a revival of evangelical Christians in Latin America that is challenging the dominance of the traditional Catholic Church there. And the house church movement is fueling the growth of the Body of Christ in China despite (and maybe because of) the official government animosity toward religious freedom.
Contrary to perception that Christianity is strictly an American religion, there are Bible-believing Christians everywhere. This is true even in Muslim countries though believers keep quiet about their faith there due to persecution. I’ve heard some pretty incredible stories about Muslim conversions to Christ involving direct revelations of Jesus. If the Church is not permitted to operate, God will make a way to save those who He chooses to save (consider Luke 19:40).
I think the direct revelation conversions of people living in Islamic cultures is a sign that we are beginning to see the “latter rain” of the Holy Spirit spoken of by the prophet Joel. Peter referred to this at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit first indwelt the Church (see Acts 2:16-18). Joel 2:28 says, “it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” I take it that the “former rain” of Joel 2:23 refers to the pouring out of God’s Spirit at Pentecost and the “latter rain” is when this happens similarly at the end of the age.
The fact that miraculous conversions are occurring in Islamic countries where Christian missionaries are forbidden tells us that we are close to the end of the Age of Grace. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” It is the Lord’s plan to save at least a remnant of people from all nations. The Church will praise Jesus in heaven singing, “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). We are seeing Jesus build this diverse body of believers today despite the best efforts of Satan and his followers to squelch it.
Another set of positive signs are technological advancements that help us see how God can fulfill prophecy through natural means. I made some comments about this in my blog yesterday. Daniel 12:4 says, “but you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” The growth of travel has been striking. Throughout most of history the furthest anyone could go in a day was about 30 miles with the assistance of a horse. Now this is the average daily commute for Americans. And in the last few decades it has become pretty routine to travel to the other side of the earth within a day. In a general sense we are seeing knowledge increase today in the growth of the Internet. And more significantly, developments are giving us better insight into what the prophetic Scriptures tell us is going to happen. More and more of the puzzle pieces are fitting together in our day.
It is inevitable that evil will advance until Christ returns. But the good news to believers is that Christ is returning. And what appears to be bad news from a worldly perspective really can be good news from a biblical perspective. For example, Jesus was executed by a slow and painful method… pretty bad news from a purely human perspective. But God has a way of turning bad news by human standards into good news when you consider the spiritual implications. Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified in order to pay the penalty for our sins. Thus, God turned a human tragedy into the greatest event in all of history.
When I draw attention to the bad things indicating we are close to the Tribulation, Bible-believing Christians should be mindful that this time period is preceded by the Rapture where followers of Jesus will be given immortal bodies and ushered into God's presence. This point is certainly lost on those who do not follow Christ... it is pretty fantastic and can only be understood by those who have been blessed with the faith to believe. But anyone may join us; “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31, NKJ). This is an open offer to everyone because, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
I pray that all who read this have already chosen or will choose to spend eternity with Christ before their opportunity to do so expires.
Scripture also tells us, “evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). So the growth of evil is a trend we can expect in the world as we get closer to the return of Jesus. However, even with the growth of evil there are still some good developments to watch for as we get closer to the return of Christ…
Jesus indicated that there would be at least one positive trend associated with the end of the age in the Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Matthew 13:24-30). The wheat in this parable represents followers of Christ that “grow up” among the followers of Satan. So along with the growth of evil, we can expect to see growth in the Body of Christ. This is in fact happening today in some surprising ways. There is a revival of evangelical Christians in Latin America that is challenging the dominance of the traditional Catholic Church there. And the house church movement is fueling the growth of the Body of Christ in China despite (and maybe because of) the official government animosity toward religious freedom.
Contrary to perception that Christianity is strictly an American religion, there are Bible-believing Christians everywhere. This is true even in Muslim countries though believers keep quiet about their faith there due to persecution. I’ve heard some pretty incredible stories about Muslim conversions to Christ involving direct revelations of Jesus. If the Church is not permitted to operate, God will make a way to save those who He chooses to save (consider Luke 19:40).
I think the direct revelation conversions of people living in Islamic cultures is a sign that we are beginning to see the “latter rain” of the Holy Spirit spoken of by the prophet Joel. Peter referred to this at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit first indwelt the Church (see Acts 2:16-18). Joel 2:28 says, “it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” I take it that the “former rain” of Joel 2:23 refers to the pouring out of God’s Spirit at Pentecost and the “latter rain” is when this happens similarly at the end of the age.
The fact that miraculous conversions are occurring in Islamic countries where Christian missionaries are forbidden tells us that we are close to the end of the Age of Grace. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” It is the Lord’s plan to save at least a remnant of people from all nations. The Church will praise Jesus in heaven singing, “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). We are seeing Jesus build this diverse body of believers today despite the best efforts of Satan and his followers to squelch it.
Another set of positive signs are technological advancements that help us see how God can fulfill prophecy through natural means. I made some comments about this in my blog yesterday. Daniel 12:4 says, “but you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” The growth of travel has been striking. Throughout most of history the furthest anyone could go in a day was about 30 miles with the assistance of a horse. Now this is the average daily commute for Americans. And in the last few decades it has become pretty routine to travel to the other side of the earth within a day. In a general sense we are seeing knowledge increase today in the growth of the Internet. And more significantly, developments are giving us better insight into what the prophetic Scriptures tell us is going to happen. More and more of the puzzle pieces are fitting together in our day.
It is inevitable that evil will advance until Christ returns. But the good news to believers is that Christ is returning. And what appears to be bad news from a worldly perspective really can be good news from a biblical perspective. For example, Jesus was executed by a slow and painful method… pretty bad news from a purely human perspective. But God has a way of turning bad news by human standards into good news when you consider the spiritual implications. Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified in order to pay the penalty for our sins. Thus, God turned a human tragedy into the greatest event in all of history.
When I draw attention to the bad things indicating we are close to the Tribulation, Bible-believing Christians should be mindful that this time period is preceded by the Rapture where followers of Jesus will be given immortal bodies and ushered into God's presence. This point is certainly lost on those who do not follow Christ... it is pretty fantastic and can only be understood by those who have been blessed with the faith to believe. But anyone may join us; “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31, NKJ). This is an open offer to everyone because, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
I pray that all who read this have already chosen or will choose to spend eternity with Christ before their opportunity to do so expires.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Pentecost
Happy birthday, Church! May 25, 2015 is the second day of the two-day Feast of Weeks or Shavuot in Hebrew and also called Pentecost, a Greek reference to 50 days after Passover. Pentecost is one of the seven feasts that God gave Israel to observe and is the only one that is associated with the Church since it was the day the Holy Spirit began indwelling believers (Acts 2:1-41).
It is important to study the Jewish feasts God gave Israel in Leviticus 23 because they reveal the heart of God... "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8, NKJV). The more we learn about why these days were special to God, the more we learn about Him. Applying this in the here and now enables us to better please Him which we should seek to do out of gratitude for all he has done for us.
The first three Hebrew feasts clustered in the Spring are Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits commemorating God delivering Israel from Egypt and settling them in the Promised Land. The details of these feasts point to their ultimate fulfillment in Christ. "Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus was crucified at the very time the people of Israel prepared their Passover lambs! Jesus Himself was the Unleavened Bread because He was without sin and He also was the Firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:23).
The last three feasts of the Hebrews are clustered in the Fall and are yet to be fulfilled in history. They consist of the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh HaShanah, the beginning of the Jewish New Year; the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur; and the Feast of Tabernacles, or Succoth. While a detailed look at these days are merited, this article is focused on Pentecost.
Firstfruits was a Spring festival celebrating Israel's first harvest in the Promised Land. Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks is also a harvest festival commemorating a second harvest of Israel in the Promised Land. The reason there are two harvest festivals is that there were different crops brought in at different times. Barley was associated with Firstfruits and wheat with Shavuot. Just as there will be a harvest of Jews and Gentiles, there will be two harvests. The wheat of Shavuot is associated with the Church as seen in the Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Matthew 13:24-30,36-43).
The Feast of Weeks occurred fifty days after Firstfruits. It has been traditionally celebrated over two days on Silvan 6 and 7 because the exact time could not be accurately determined. Leviticus 23:15 says the countdown to Shavuot begins on "the day after the Sabbath" but it is unclear if this is referring to the weekly Sabbath or the High Sabbath of Passover. When Scripture is vague there is a reason for this and in this case it became apparent that the best way to address it was to have a two-day observance. Matthew 24:36 comes to mind here where no one know the day or hour when Christ comes for His Church.
The Feast of Weeks is celebrated by making an offering of two loaves of leavened bread as one offering. Again there is symbolism that must be interpreted. The fact that the bread is leavened is a clue; the presence of leaven, or yeast which is an active fungus, usually represents sin in Scripture. So these loaves must represent members of the Church who are not without sin. The fact that there are two of them probably represent both Jews and Gentiles making up the New Testament Church.
The most significant fulfillment of Sahvuot in history is certainly the beginning of the Church, when the Holy Spirit began indwelling believers at Pentecost. But the Jews remember Shavuot as the day God gave Israel the Law on Mount Sinai. The Talmud considers the Torah to represent the marriage contract between God and Israel and thus the giving of the Ten Commandments represents the espousal of Israel to God. Leviticus 23:15 instructs Israel to count the days to celebrating Shavuot... Just as a bride eagerly counts the days between her engagement and her wedding, so Israel counts the days between Passover and Shauvot when they were united with God trough acceptance of the Torah.
It is also interesting to note that God makes an unconditional Covenant with Noah on what would become Silvan 6 (Genesis 8:20-9:17). Tradition also says Silvan 6 was the day Ruth became married to Boaz; the Kinsman-Redeemer who took a Gentile wife. Ruth is one of only three women listed in the in the genealogy of Jesus. The events recounted in the book of Ruth took place during the time of the Spring harvest so Ruth is read as part of the Hebrew celebration of Shavuot. The oral tradition of the Jews also holds that Enoch was both born and taken to heaven on the same day of the year, what would become Silvan 6. This is interesting because Enoch was a prophetic type of the Church who was removed from the earth prior to God pouring out His wrath in the flood of Noah's day.
There are some amazing parallels between the events related to the Mosaic Covenant and Pentecost. Comparing Exodus 19:16-19 to Acts 2:2-15 indicates that both happened at the same time of day, similar sounds were heard, the people reacted similarly, fire represented God in both cases, and the location was the central point for the Jewish people.
Pentecost or Shavuot is certainly significant to the Church because it marks the beginning and is associated with the Church being betrothed to Christ. "We are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church" (Ephesians 5:30-32). God established marriage to be a critical institution for human society which also models the intimate relationship we may have with our Creator in eternity. Man's efforts to redefine what marriage is all about must surely be a serious affront to our Creator-God.
On Pentecost, the Apostle Peter explained the supernatural indwelling of believers by the Holy Spirit when he quoted the Prophet Joel (Acts 2:14-21). God poured out His Spirit on the Church at Pentecost. From Joel 2:21-23 we know that Pentecost represented the former rain of God's Spirit. There will also be a latter rain of God's Spirit preceding the end of the Church Age. The Church had a supernatural beginning at Pentecost and will have a supernatural conclusion at the Rapture.
Since the Rapture of the Church is a significant spectacular event, many have expected it to occur on a Jewish feast day. If the Rapture had to happen on a Jewish feast day, Shavuot is the most likely one of the seven because it is associated with marriage and the Church is the Bride of Christ. But there are many who say that Rosh Hashanah is also a possibility for a feast-day Rapture of the Church since it is the next feast that has not yet been fulfilled by the Messiah. But to tie the Rapture to a Jewish feast day comes dangerously close to date setting and defies the doctrine of imminence for this event. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36).
It is more correct to think of the Rapture as being tied to a number rather than a date. The Apostle Paul told us, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in" (Romans 11:25, NIV). There is a set number of people God has in mind for the completion of His Church and the Rapture will not occur until that number has been reached. This means that our efforts to build the body of Christ can have some bearing on when the Lord returns for His Church. While it is God who saves people, He uses His Church to represent Him and our activities can make an eternal difference in the lives of our associates. The Apostle Peter reinforced the idea that the activities of the Church can influence when Jesus returns when he said we should, "look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (2 Peter 3:12). The only way we could possibly speed the day of God would be to let Him use us to complete the Church sooner rather than later.
As we consider the birth of the Church during Pentecost, this helps us look forward to the day Christ completes it. "We wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). All indications are that we will not have long to wait. Meanwhile we should be actively watching for Him and help others also anticipate His coming. The more friends we can take with us, the more wonderful this glorious event will be.
It is important to study the Jewish feasts God gave Israel in Leviticus 23 because they reveal the heart of God... "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8, NKJV). The more we learn about why these days were special to God, the more we learn about Him. Applying this in the here and now enables us to better please Him which we should seek to do out of gratitude for all he has done for us.
The first three Hebrew feasts clustered in the Spring are Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits commemorating God delivering Israel from Egypt and settling them in the Promised Land. The details of these feasts point to their ultimate fulfillment in Christ. "Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus was crucified at the very time the people of Israel prepared their Passover lambs! Jesus Himself was the Unleavened Bread because He was without sin and He also was the Firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:23).
The last three feasts of the Hebrews are clustered in the Fall and are yet to be fulfilled in history. They consist of the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh HaShanah, the beginning of the Jewish New Year; the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur; and the Feast of Tabernacles, or Succoth. While a detailed look at these days are merited, this article is focused on Pentecost.
Firstfruits was a Spring festival celebrating Israel's first harvest in the Promised Land. Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks is also a harvest festival commemorating a second harvest of Israel in the Promised Land. The reason there are two harvest festivals is that there were different crops brought in at different times. Barley was associated with Firstfruits and wheat with Shavuot. Just as there will be a harvest of Jews and Gentiles, there will be two harvests. The wheat of Shavuot is associated with the Church as seen in the Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Matthew 13:24-30,36-43).
The Feast of Weeks occurred fifty days after Firstfruits. It has been traditionally celebrated over two days on Silvan 6 and 7 because the exact time could not be accurately determined. Leviticus 23:15 says the countdown to Shavuot begins on "the day after the Sabbath" but it is unclear if this is referring to the weekly Sabbath or the High Sabbath of Passover. When Scripture is vague there is a reason for this and in this case it became apparent that the best way to address it was to have a two-day observance. Matthew 24:36 comes to mind here where no one know the day or hour when Christ comes for His Church.
The Feast of Weeks is celebrated by making an offering of two loaves of leavened bread as one offering. Again there is symbolism that must be interpreted. The fact that the bread is leavened is a clue; the presence of leaven, or yeast which is an active fungus, usually represents sin in Scripture. So these loaves must represent members of the Church who are not without sin. The fact that there are two of them probably represent both Jews and Gentiles making up the New Testament Church.
The most significant fulfillment of Sahvuot in history is certainly the beginning of the Church, when the Holy Spirit began indwelling believers at Pentecost. But the Jews remember Shavuot as the day God gave Israel the Law on Mount Sinai. The Talmud considers the Torah to represent the marriage contract between God and Israel and thus the giving of the Ten Commandments represents the espousal of Israel to God. Leviticus 23:15 instructs Israel to count the days to celebrating Shavuot... Just as a bride eagerly counts the days between her engagement and her wedding, so Israel counts the days between Passover and Shauvot when they were united with God trough acceptance of the Torah.
It is also interesting to note that God makes an unconditional Covenant with Noah on what would become Silvan 6 (Genesis 8:20-9:17). Tradition also says Silvan 6 was the day Ruth became married to Boaz; the Kinsman-Redeemer who took a Gentile wife. Ruth is one of only three women listed in the in the genealogy of Jesus. The events recounted in the book of Ruth took place during the time of the Spring harvest so Ruth is read as part of the Hebrew celebration of Shavuot. The oral tradition of the Jews also holds that Enoch was both born and taken to heaven on the same day of the year, what would become Silvan 6. This is interesting because Enoch was a prophetic type of the Church who was removed from the earth prior to God pouring out His wrath in the flood of Noah's day.
There are some amazing parallels between the events related to the Mosaic Covenant and Pentecost. Comparing Exodus 19:16-19 to Acts 2:2-15 indicates that both happened at the same time of day, similar sounds were heard, the people reacted similarly, fire represented God in both cases, and the location was the central point for the Jewish people.
Pentecost or Shavuot is certainly significant to the Church because it marks the beginning and is associated with the Church being betrothed to Christ. "We are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church" (Ephesians 5:30-32). God established marriage to be a critical institution for human society which also models the intimate relationship we may have with our Creator in eternity. Man's efforts to redefine what marriage is all about must surely be a serious affront to our Creator-God.
On Pentecost, the Apostle Peter explained the supernatural indwelling of believers by the Holy Spirit when he quoted the Prophet Joel (Acts 2:14-21). God poured out His Spirit on the Church at Pentecost. From Joel 2:21-23 we know that Pentecost represented the former rain of God's Spirit. There will also be a latter rain of God's Spirit preceding the end of the Church Age. The Church had a supernatural beginning at Pentecost and will have a supernatural conclusion at the Rapture.
Since the Rapture of the Church is a significant spectacular event, many have expected it to occur on a Jewish feast day. If the Rapture had to happen on a Jewish feast day, Shavuot is the most likely one of the seven because it is associated with marriage and the Church is the Bride of Christ. But there are many who say that Rosh Hashanah is also a possibility for a feast-day Rapture of the Church since it is the next feast that has not yet been fulfilled by the Messiah. But to tie the Rapture to a Jewish feast day comes dangerously close to date setting and defies the doctrine of imminence for this event. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36).
It is more correct to think of the Rapture as being tied to a number rather than a date. The Apostle Paul told us, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in" (Romans 11:25, NIV). There is a set number of people God has in mind for the completion of His Church and the Rapture will not occur until that number has been reached. This means that our efforts to build the body of Christ can have some bearing on when the Lord returns for His Church. While it is God who saves people, He uses His Church to represent Him and our activities can make an eternal difference in the lives of our associates. The Apostle Peter reinforced the idea that the activities of the Church can influence when Jesus returns when he said we should, "look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (2 Peter 3:12). The only way we could possibly speed the day of God would be to let Him use us to complete the Church sooner rather than later.
As we consider the birth of the Church during Pentecost, this helps us look forward to the day Christ completes it. "We wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). All indications are that we will not have long to wait. Meanwhile we should be actively watching for Him and help others also anticipate His coming. The more friends we can take with us, the more wonderful this glorious event will be.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Inflation
What is next for the economy?
The government bailing out banks and financial institutions by giving them money that they basically just declared to be available makes the value of the money less. This causes inflation which means the prices of everything goes up faster than wages causing every one's buying power to be reduced. Our government thinks inflation can be controlled by raising interest rates on money loaned but it remains to be seen if they will have the wisdom to act before it is too late and the huge accumulating pile of inflationary fuel is ignited.
Fears of inflation is what is currently driving up the price of oil. We are still in a recession which means the demand for oil should be lower than usual. With no drop in production, or an immediate threat to production, there is no reason for the price of oil to be going up. But demand is increasing as investors seek to acquire oil while it is relatively cheap as a hedge against inflation. Such fears coupled with rising prices when the world starts coming out of the recession and "easy" money from low interest loans will trigger inflation.
Inflation on a world-wide level is a sign of being close to the return of Jesus. Inflation will get so bad during the Tribulation that food for a typical family will cost a day's wages... as Revelation 6:6 says, "a quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius" (NKJ). Talk about living paycheck-to-paycheck; everyone will be going in debt just to survive.
Inflation is like a hidden tax. A government that wants its people dependant on them doesn't need to increase taxes, they can achieve the same effect by stoking inflation. The Lord will hold accountable those who perpetrated this crime on people... "Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you. Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." (James 5:4-8, NKJ)
Friday, June 11, 2010
Recession 2.0
A second dip recession is coming in 2011 and it will likely be worse than the previous one in 2008-2009. That is Arthur Laffer’s conclusion in an excellent Wall Street Journal article analyzing the impact of the tax increases that will take effect January 1, 2011.
Laffer also says that the apparent economic strength we are seeing in 2010 is a result of business managers anticipating the 2011 tax hikes. Actions are being taken to pull as much revenue into 2010 as possible before cut backs are necessary in 2011. I have certainly seen this phenomenon at Texas Instruments where lead times for our products are longer than we would like because of exceptionally robust demand.
Laffer’s succinct summary of the dynamics that will bring about the 2011 economic collapse is compelling. It is interesting to note that few people are talking about this. It’s like the elephant in the room; investors are nervous about a second dip recession but people are afraid to talk about what will cause it as if such talk might become a self fulfilling prophecy.
You'd think Republicans would be beating the drum about the coming tax hikes since they will make a second-dip recession all but certain. It struck me that maybe they’re waiting until it is too late for Congress to address the issue before the November elections. Apparently politicians only dust off conservative principles when they can be used to get elected. Power does indeed corrupt… Satan controls all the governments of the world; see Luke 4:5-6 and Jesus calling him the “the ruler of this world” in John 12:31, 14:30 and 16:11.
Our increasingly excessive taxes are due to the social engineering that Barack Obama promised when he ran for president. Everyone likes to think they are on the receiving end of the hand-outs. But moving the wealth around involves taxing the productive component of society to be able to reward non productivity. It is well known that the top 50% of wage earners already pay over 96% of all income tax revenue. And incredibly over 47% of the people in this country pay no federal income taxes at all. This is non-sustainable and yet the vision of our liberal governmental officials is to spread even more of the wealth around.
The Bible tells us that the end of the age would be characterized by authorities robbing wealth from the wage earners… “Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord” (James 5:4, NKJ).
We have had a series of economic bubbles burst foreshadowing the Financial Armageddon that will occur during the Tribulation per Revelation 18. The 2011 recession will be the next one and, given the status of other geopolitical developments, it may be the last one prior to the Tribulation…
Laffer also says that the apparent economic strength we are seeing in 2010 is a result of business managers anticipating the 2011 tax hikes. Actions are being taken to pull as much revenue into 2010 as possible before cut backs are necessary in 2011. I have certainly seen this phenomenon at Texas Instruments where lead times for our products are longer than we would like because of exceptionally robust demand.
Laffer’s succinct summary of the dynamics that will bring about the 2011 economic collapse is compelling. It is interesting to note that few people are talking about this. It’s like the elephant in the room; investors are nervous about a second dip recession but people are afraid to talk about what will cause it as if such talk might become a self fulfilling prophecy.
You'd think Republicans would be beating the drum about the coming tax hikes since they will make a second-dip recession all but certain. It struck me that maybe they’re waiting until it is too late for Congress to address the issue before the November elections. Apparently politicians only dust off conservative principles when they can be used to get elected. Power does indeed corrupt… Satan controls all the governments of the world; see Luke 4:5-6 and Jesus calling him the “the ruler of this world” in John 12:31, 14:30 and 16:11.
Our increasingly excessive taxes are due to the social engineering that Barack Obama promised when he ran for president. Everyone likes to think they are on the receiving end of the hand-outs. But moving the wealth around involves taxing the productive component of society to be able to reward non productivity. It is well known that the top 50% of wage earners already pay over 96% of all income tax revenue. And incredibly over 47% of the people in this country pay no federal income taxes at all. This is non-sustainable and yet the vision of our liberal governmental officials is to spread even more of the wealth around.
The Bible tells us that the end of the age would be characterized by authorities robbing wealth from the wage earners… “Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord” (James 5:4, NKJ).
We have had a series of economic bubbles burst foreshadowing the Financial Armageddon that will occur during the Tribulation per Revelation 18. The 2011 recession will be the next one and, given the status of other geopolitical developments, it may be the last one prior to the Tribulation…
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:7-8)
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