RAPTURE ALERTS

"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."

I Thessalonians 5:4

    When is the resurrection and rapture of New Testament believers going to occur? This is the question that God's people [true believers] have been asking ever since the Lord ascended back to the Father some 2,000 years ago. But since the 40th year of the modern existence of Israel as a nation [1988], this question has become one of paramount importance to God's people. In these past 20 years this question has been discussed and debated from every conceivable viewpoint.
    Folks, the answer to this question, and all other questions dealing with spiritual truth, are to be found only in the inspired Word of God, Amos 3:7. My opinion, idea, or theory, or that of "Bro. Bigshot," or "Dr. Know It All," doesn't amount to the proverbial "hill of beans" when it comes to spiritual truth.   Almighty God has spoken to His people through His Word, and that settles the matter. The answer to spiritual questions are found in God's spiritual book; the Divinely Inspired Word of God. Period!
    In this study I want to share with God's people a revelation from the Scriptures that the   Lord has shown me about the time of His coming, trusting that the Lord will use this study to encourage the hearts and minds of every reader who has "seeing eyes and hearing ears," Matthew 13:16.

Nearly two years ago the Lord showed me in His Word that His return to resurrect and rapture His New Testament saints to glory would occur in 2008. I have written several Bible studies setting forth the Scriptural reasons why 2008 is the year of the Lord's return to resurrect and rapture New Testament believers to glory, giving book, chapter, and verse, for every point made. These studies are available to any reader who will write and request them.
Folks, I haven't been looking for an actual "day" for the Lord's return for over ten years. I dropped out of that search years ago because of all the conflicting dates that have been set by so many, and all the controversy that has accompanied such searching. Some of the controversy between "brethren" has been shameful, and not at all Christ honoring. I have been perfectly content to know the year the Lord is coming. I haven't felt any need whatsoever to know the "date." Throughout this year I have just been patiently waiting on Him, Hebrews 10:35-37, for I have absolute assurance that the Lord is coming for His people in 2008.

    But it is now obvious to me that the Lord had other plans for me. This past Saturday evening, April 26th, I suddenly had a strong compulsion to once again examine the Jewish Holy Days set forth in Leviticus 23. As I read over that chapter again, a simple truth that I had overlooked during all these years of Bible study just jumped off the page at me. I now know that my compulsion came from the Lord and that He wanted me to see this truth, for I certainly wasn't looking for it. Saturday evening, April 26th, the Lord showed me when He is coming this year to resurrect and rapture His New Testament saints to glory.
   When the Lord revealed this truth to me, I was shaken and astounded. It is so simple and so plain in God's Word that I wondered how I could have missed it all these years? I literally shook and trembled and cried and praised the Lord! The presence of the Lord was in the room with me so strongly that I trembled at His presence. I knew that I had experienced a "visitation" from the Lord, and that He had given to me a truth that He wanted me to know, and that He had given it to me at the exact time He wanted me to know it.
    What an awesome God we serve. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
   But along with this revelation came a deep burden also, for I know that the Lord gave me this truth to be shared with His people. I also know that many of those who read this will only mock and ridicule and find fault with it. Folks, I am sick to my stomach of the mockers and scoffers today [Laodiceans] who piously claim to be "Christians," yet who won't even lift a finger to seriously study the prophecies of God's Word. Nevertheless, this truth must be shared with God's people, and put forth as a final warning to the lost.

     I first want to take my readers to Habakkuk 2:2-4. The context of this passage is clearly dealing with the coming of the Lord. Read it for yourself and compare the transliteration of the very same passage in Hebrews 10:35-39, noticing especially verses 37-38.
    For the enlightenment and benefit of our readers, a literal word for word rendering of Habakkuk 2:2-3 follows exactly as it is worded in the Hebrew text of the Bible, 2 And answered me Jehovah and said, Write the vision, and engrave it on the tablets, so that he may run who is reading it.      3 For still the vision is for the appointed festival, but it pants to the end, and does not lie. Though it hesitates, wait for it; for surely it will come; it will not tarry.

    Please compare this literal rendering with the wording recorded in the King James Bible. Notice the words "appointed time" in the KJV. These words are translated from the Hebrew word, "mowadah." This Hebrew word literally means "appointed festival." See Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, page 457, Strong's No. 4150.
    For any reader willing to deal honestly with God's Word, this should settle the question of whether or not the Lord is coming on a Jewish Holy Day. This verse explicitly states that the vision of the Lord's coming is to be fulfilled on "the appointed festival." In view of this explicit statement, we need not expect the Lord to come at any other time than on a Jewish Festival, for the Lord never violates His own Word.
    Notice also that this verse explicitly states that the vision "does not lie." In other words, at the time when the vision "speaks" to God's people again, it will be fulfilled by the coming of the Lord without fail on the "appointed festival." The vision will "not lie." Folks, the vision is speaking again. The Lord has now revealed when He is coming for His people, and His coming will occur on the "appointed festival" without fail. Glory to God! Praise the Lord!
I want to point out that all of the Jewish Holy Days given to Israel are prophetic. Who says so? The inspired Word of God says so! In Colossians 2:16-17 the Scripture explicitly states, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." This passage in God's Word explicitly states that the holy days of the Jews are prophetic. No true believer then should argue the point. It is settled by the inspired Word of God. Period!
    But since this passage in Habakkuk 2:3 explicitly states that the vision will be fulfilled on the "appointed festival," then the question arises, "What Jewish Festival?"

Folks, while there were seven Jewish Holy Days given to Israel by the Lord in Leviticus 23, only three of them were "festivals." This is clearly stated in Exodus 23:14-17, 34:23, Deuteronomy 16:16, and 2 Chronicles 8:13, where all three of the festivals are explicitly named. These three mandatory festivals were "the feast of unleavened bread," which began the day following Passover [Exodus 12:1-27; Leviticus 23:5-14…8 days], "the feast of harvest" [or weeks], which is known today as Pentecost [Leviticus 23:15-21…1 day], and "the feast of ingathering," which is also called the Feast of Tabernacles [Leviticus 23:34-43…8 days]. It is then on one of these three mandatory Jewish festivals that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back to resurrect and rapture His people to glory. But which one?

    As the Lord moved me last Saturday night to restudy Leviticus 23, I suddenly realized that only two of the three mandatory Jewish Festivals foreshadow the resurrection and rapture of God's people. Wow! Amazing! This is so simple I have stumbled right over it for years.
    The first Jewish Festival having anything to do with the resurrection and rapture of God's people is "the feast of unleavened bread," during the course of which a "wave offering" of the "firstfruits" of the barley harvest is presented to the Lord. This feast marks the beginning of the barley harvest in the land of Israel.
    The only other Jewish Festival having anything to do with the resurrection and rapture of God's people is "the feast of harvest" on which a second "wave offering" was presented to the Lord. Today this Jewish Festival is known as "Pentecost." The Jewish Festival of Pentecost marks the ending of the barley harvest in the land of Israel. Only these two Jewish Festivals foreshadow the resurrection and rapture of God's people. But don't take my word for it. Let's demonstrate this truth from God's Word.

    The instructions for observing this festival are given in Exodus 12:14-20 and Leviticus 23:6-14, with specific instructions being given in Leviticus 23:9-14 for the "firstfruits" offering. This observance is also mentioned in several other related passages. What I especially want our readers to notice in the course of this festival is the observance of the "firstfruits" offering.
   The "firstfruits" offering was a "sheaf" [omer] of barley, the first grain ripe in Israel in the Spring of the year. There was always some of this grain ripe by Passover. This first ripe barley was gathered in from the field, and the grain was beaten out of the husks until there was an "omer" of barley. The "omer" full of the first ripe barley was then brought to the priest officiating in the Tabernacle [later in the Temple].
    The Scriptures tell us that "on the morrow after the sabbath" following Passover, the priest would take this "omer" of barley into the Tabernacle, and standing before the veil which separated the holy place from the "holiest of all," would lift up the "omer" of barley towards Heaven as high as he could reach, and would "wave the sheaf" [omer] vigorously back and forth before the veil "to be accepted for you, 23:11. The Lord Himself called it a "wave offering" in Leviticus 23:15. Glory to God!
    Please dear readers, in this study I am only presenting those facts about the "wave offering" of the "firstfruits" which are necessary to give our readers an understanding of what the offering foreshadowed. You can study all the details for yourself.

    If you are a true Bible believer then you know that just as the Israelites sacrificed a lamb on that first Passover [and each Passover thereafter], so 1,517 years later the Lord Jesus Christ, "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," John 1:29, was sacrificed on Passover in 30 A.D.
     Three days and three nights after Christ was crucified, just as the 17th day of Abib ended and the 18th day began, "on the morrow after the sabbath" following the Passover, the Lord Jesus Christ came forth from the tomb, triumphant over death, hell, and the grave, Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-6; Luke 24:1-7; John 20. Glory to God! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
    Now here is where the events really get interesting. For on that same first day of the week, "the morrow after the sabbath," the Scriptures state, "many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many," Matthew 28:52-53. Folks, these were the "firstfruits" [plural] of the resurrection, which included Christ Himself, 1 Corinthians 15:20, all of which were foreshadowed by the "omer" of barley. Glory to God! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! But let's put it all together.
    According to John 20:1-18, on that glorious "first day of the week" when Christ arose, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, "when it was yet dark," and found the tomb empty. She ran and told Peter and John and they came to the tomb and also found it empty. Peter and John then left the tomb, but Mary remained at the tomb weeping. The Lord then appeared to her, identifying Himself, and saying to her, "Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God." It is then obvious that at that specific time on that resurrection morning, the Lord had not yet ascended to the Father.
    However, according to Matthew 28:1-10, just a few hours [or a few minutes…??] later the Lord met "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary" as they were going to tell the other disciples what the angel had told them, "And they came and held Him by the feet, and worshiped Him." Folks, in that interval of time the Lord had ascended into Heaven itself [Hebrews 9:24], where He presented His blood to the Father, and also presented to the Father "the firstfruits of them that slept," all of which were received and accepted by the Father, and then the Lord returned to earth to meet the two Mary's. Glory to God!
    Folks, it certainly appears that Christ and the "firstfruit" saints were standing before the Father's throne in Heaven that morning at the very same time that the Jewish priest was standing in the Temple waving the "firstfruits" barley offering before a veil that was standing wide open [Mark 15:38], clearly signifying that the way into Heaven itself was now open for all who will believe, Hebrews 10:19-20. Remember that the Scriptures explicitly state that this offering was "to be accepted for you." Folks, it is the blood of our risen Christ that makes the truly repentant believer "accepted" by the Heavenly Father, Ephesians 1:3-7.   Glory! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Glory to God! "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord." Psalm 150:6.
    Folks, there are two things here I want you to notice. First, it is obvious that the "wave offering" of the "firstfruits" of the "omer" of barley on "the morrow after the sabbath" following Passover clearly foreshadowed the resurrection of Christ and those "firstfruits" saints who came out of their graves after His resurrection. Second, this observance marked the beginning of the barley harvest.
    Now let's look at the other Jewish Festival…..

This Jewish Festival is known today as "Pentecost." It is referred to in the Scriptures as "the feast of harvest," Exodus 23:16, and also as "the feast of weeks," Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10; 16:16; 2 Chronicles 8:13. It is the only other Jewish Festival during the course of the Jewish year where a "wave offering" taken from the barley harvest was presented to the Lord. Didn't we just see that the "wave offering" of the barley foreshadowed the resurrection and rapture of Christ and the "firstfruits" of God's people? Then what do you think the second "wave offering" of barley foreshadows? Well..??
The instructions for the observance of Pentecost are recorded in Leviticus 23:15-21. The word "Pentecost" simply means "fifty." This is because the "wave offering" on Pentecost came fifty days after the "firstfruits" wave offering on "the morrow after the sabbath" following Passover. Both "wave offerings" were regarded as "firstfruits" to the Lord, Leviticus 23:17; 23:20. .
On this "appointed festival" two loaves of barley bread were to be brought "out of your habitations" [homes] to the priest, Leviticus 23:17. The priest would take these two loaves of barley bread into the Tabernacle [or Temple], and standing before the veil would "wave" them before the Lord, just as he had "waved" the "omer" of barley 50 days previously. What does this foreshadow? Let's see…..

    These two barley loaves had been baked "with leaven," Leviticus 23:17. This is the only place in all of God's Word where the Jewish people were explicitly told to use "leaven." In God's Word "leaven" is a type of sin. It never typifies anything but sin in God's Word, Matthew 13:33; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. Because leaven typifies sin, the Jews were explicitly forbidden from using "leaven" in all of their offerings to the Lord, except this one. Why this exception?
    This exception was made because, just as the "omer" of barley typified the Lord and the "firstfruit" saints, these loaves also typify God's people. In what way? Folks, true believers are now saints who were once sinners. The only people the Lord saves are sinners. The Lord doesn't save so-called "good people" [Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23]. He only saves men and women, boys and girls, who realize and confess that they are "dead in trespasses and sins," Ephesians 2:1; 2:8-9. Then, having believed His Word and repented, the Holy Spirit comes into the repentant believer's body and takes up His abode, John 14:16-17. And, just as the fire in the Jewish ovens baked the leaven out of those loaves of barley bread, so the fire of God's Holy Spirit [which was given on Pentecost] bakes the SIN out of the life of the truly repentant believer. Glory! Glory to God! Praise the Lord!
     These two loaves of barley bread then served two purposes.
     First, they signified the end of the barley harvest which had been harvested over the past 50 days. Note this well!
    Second, just as the "waving" of the "omer" of barley clearly foreshadowed the resurrection and rapture of the Lord Jesus Christ and the saints who came out of their graves after His resurrection, so the "waving" of these two barley loaves foreshadows the resurrection and rapture of God's people [true believers] saved during this present Dispensation of Grace. Folks, the barley harvest is a type of the Dispensation of Grace. Just as the two barley loaves "waved before the Lord" at Pentecost signified the end of the barley harvest, so they also foreshadowed the end of "the fullness of the Gentiles" [Romans 11:25], and therefore the resurrection and rapture of "the dead in Christ" and "the living in Christ." There are your two loaves! See John 11:25-26 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
    Now let's examine some additional proof in God's Word of what I am presenting, 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

    Any serious Bible student knows that Ruth is a type of the Gentile bride of Christ, and that Boaz is a type of Christ. The entire Book of Ruth is filled with Scriptures teaching   these truths. Study it for yourself.
    When Ruth [the Gentile] returned to the land of Israel with Naomi [the Jewess] "….. they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of the barley harvest," Ruth 1:22. This gives us the time period involved in this account. The real story of Ruth began on or near Passover and the observance of "firstfruits."
    How and when does the story set forth in the Book of Ruth end? It ends with Ruth's espousal [and subsequent marriage] to Boaz "in the threshing floor" of Boaz, where Boaz "winnoweth barley," Ruth 3:2. Folks, that is exactly what the Lord is doing today. He is separating the barley from the chaff [true believers from mere "religionists"] in preparation for the marriage. Glory to God! Hallelujah!
    After the espousal had been made on or near the end of the barley harvest [Pentecost], Boaz placed "six measures of barley" on the shoulders of Ruth, and "she went into the city." Could the six measures of barley be a type of the saved during the 6000 years of human history? 2 Peter 3:8. Could her going "into the city" foreshadow our entering into the New Jerusalem? Folks, Ruth is a type of the Gentile bride of Christ; the Lord's church, Acts 20:28; 2 Corinthians 11:2. Christ is coming after His bride just as He promised [John 14:1-3], and "they that are Christ's" shall be "caught up…..to meet the Lord in the air," 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. When? On Pentecost!

    In John 4 the Lord met the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob [the well of living water]. The Samaritan woman was looked down upon by the Jews, for they considered her to be a "goyim;" a Gentile dog. The Lord revealed Himself to this Gentile woman as the promised Messiah of Israel and the great "I AM." [Check the actual way John 4:26 is worded in the Greek text].
    The Samaritan woman then went into the city and proclaimed, "Come, see a Man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" Folks, this is exactly what the Lord's church has been doing the past 2,000 years; inviting the lost world to come to Christ. Some readers may object to using this adulterous woman as a type of the Lord's church. I suggest that before you become too "self-righteous and holy" you ought to read Paul's inspired statement to the church in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. When a repentant sinner is "justified," they become as spiritually pure as if they had never known sin. Sure this woman had previously had five husbands and was living in open sin with a man right then, but has it ever occurred to some of you that Ruth wasn't a "virgin" either. She also had been previously married. Yet she is a wonderful type of the pure, virtuous Gentile bride of Christ. So is the Samaritan woman. Glory to God! Praise the Lord!
    Now notice that the Lord's disciples came on the scene and urged the Lord to eat. The Lord's reply in John 4:34-36 is so enlightening.

    "…..My meat [food] is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
    Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
    And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both He that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together."

    Folks, Christ Himself is the "sower" who began sowing the seed at the beginning of the harvest season. He said so Himself in Matthew 13:37. He is also the "reaper" who brings th
Folks, Christ Himself is the "sower" who began sowing the seed at the beginning of the harvest season. He said so Himself in Matthew 13:37. He is also the "reaper" who brings the harvest to an end. That is exactly what He is stating in John 4:34. He is the One who will "finish the work" that He began. Praise the Lord!
    But when is the work to be finished? Folks, it is exactly four months between the Festival of Pentecost and the Festival of Tabernacles. Count it for yourself. So it is obvious that the Lord met the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well on the day of Pentecost. Folks, the Festival of Tabernacles is the celebration of all the completed harvests [barley…wheat…grape] at the end of the year. But there, on the day of Pentecost, the Lord explicitly told His disciples, "DO NOT SAY…..There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest…." The Lord told His disciples the harvest was ready right then and was being reaped that day. What day? The day of Pentecost!
     Folks, the Lord is coming to resurrect and rapture His New Testament saints to glory at the end of the barley harvest on the day of Pentecost. Glory! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!

I would also suggest that our readers carefully study the feeding of the five thousand as recorded in Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-13. This event typifies the entire Dispensation of Grace and the regathering of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Scriptures are quite explicit that the feeding of the 5,000 was accomplished with "five barley loaves, and two small fishes." Glory!
Our readers might want to just take your concordance and look up the word "barley" everywhere it occurs in God's Word, and study the context where it is used. Such a study is very enlightening.

    Rosh Ha-Shanah…?? "That is the day the trumpets are blown, and the rapture is clearly associated with the blowing of a trumpet, so it must be the day the rapture will occur. Right?"
    Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! If God's people would seriously get into God's Word, they would find that the trumpets were blown on every Jewish holy day. Read it for yourself. The inspired instructions for making and using the trumpets are given in Numbers 10:1-10. Verse 10 explicitly states, "Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the Lord your God."
    Folks, the trumpets were blown on every day of significance to the Jewish people throughout their whole year. If all you have to connect Rosh Ha-Shanah with the resurrection and rapture of God's people is the blowing of trumpets, then you have nothing.
    Further, Rosh Ha-Shanah is not one of the three Jewish Festivals. Habakkuk 2:3 explicitly states "For still the vision [of the Lord's coming for His people] is for the appointed festival…" Folks, the Lord is not going to violate His own Word. The resurrection and rapture of God's people is going to occur on one of the three Jewish Festival during the course of Israel's year. Rosh Ha-Shanah is not a festival!
    Again, Rosh Ha-Shanah comes in the end of the year just 15 days before the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles. Tabernacles comes four months after Pentecost. The Lord explicitly told His disciples, "DO NOT SAY, there are yet four months…" until the harvest. Are you one of the Lord's disciples? Are you listening to Him?
    The Rosh Ha-Shanah theory just doesn't stand up to the testing of God's Word. I might add that it makes no difference who is teaching the theory. That won't alter the truth of God's Word one iota. Almighty God is not a respecter of persons.

    Folks, the Day of Pentecost this year falls June 8th, however it actually begins at sundown on June 7th in Israel. What are the significance of these dates?
    On June 7, 1967 the Holy Temple Mount and the city of Jerusalem were returned to their rightful owners during the Six Day War. That is the "date" when the tender branch of the fig tree put forth leaves, Matthew 24:32. The Lord Himself said, "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors," Matthew 24:33. June 7, 1967 is the "date" when the forty year "generation" began, Matthew 24:34. Therefore on June 7, 2007 the fortieth year arrived. However, Israel is still in the 40th year until June 7, 2008. The 41st year will begin on June 8, 2008. What day is that? It is the Day of Pentecost. Is all of this just coincidence? Or is Almighty God trying to tell His people WHEN He is coming?
      I am also told that Pentecost marks the 33rd counting of the "omer." Thirty-three is the Bible number for "promise." Is this just another coincidence? Some 2,000 years ago the Lord Jesus Christ promised His disciples, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also," John 14:3. Folks, the Lord always keeps His Word, and on this coming Pentecost, June 7th – 8th, you will see that for yourself. Glory! Praise the Lord!
     "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief," 1 Thessalonians 5:4. Do you believe this Scripture? Do you really believe this Scripture? If you do, then you better get with God's program. Our Lord is coming!

    Folks, this truth is so simple that I now realize that the Lord has tried to show me this truth previously, and I was so dense I stumbled right over it.
    The "feast of firstfruits" marked the beginning of the barley harvest, and foreshadowed the resurrection and rapture of "Christ [and] the firstfruits…," 1 Corinthians 15:23.
    The "feast of harvest" [Pentecost] marked the end of the barley harvest, and foreshadows the resurrection and rapture of all New Testament believers. Glory!
    Isn't that simple? Such a simple truth that God's people have been stumbling right over it for centuries.

    When I calmed down after the Lord showed me this truth, I went to my calendar and began counting the days until Pentecost. From April 26^th, the night the Lord revealed this truth to me, until Pentecost was 42 days. Folks, when I saw this I shouted and cried some more. "Forty-two" is the Bible number for "The Coming of Christ." Coincidence? You can't convince me that it was.
    Folks, on the date I am sending this study to Five Doves [May 8th], there are only 29 days left to Pentecost. I really tried to get this study ready to post much sooner, but I have had all kinds of interruptions. I really think Satan would like to keep God's people in the dark right to the very end. But today it is ready! Guess what? "Twenty-nine" is the Bible number that means, "To depart; to leave; to go out." Just another coincidence?

    I know that after all the Scriptural proof I have presented in this study some of you readers still won't believe it. Well, that is okay, because your unbelief is Scriptural. The entire Book of Habakkuk is "the vision" that the Lord gave to Habakkuk. In Habakkuk 1:5 the Lord said, "Behold ye [Jews] among the heathen [Gentiles], and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you." So dear reader, if you are one of the Lord's disciples who do not believe what has been presented, don't feel too badly. You have a Scriptural right to be a "doubting Thomas" if that is what you want. After all, "doubting Thomas" didn't believe until he saw the prints of the nails in the hands of the Lord Jesus [John 20:24-29], and most of the Messianic Jews today do not even believe there is going to be a rapture. But it is going to happen in spite of all the unbelief, and then you will believe.
    Dear readers, you have only 29 days left from the time I am concluding this study, until the coming of our Lord to rapture His people to glory. You can use this time to do those final things you think you need to do. Or, you can use this time to study, pray, fast, witness, set your spiritual house in order, and seek to draw closer to the Lord than you have ever been. The choice is yours! May God give you the grace to make the right choice.   And may God have mercy on us all during the next 29 days.

NOTICE: Please do feel free to reproduce this study in any way you can, and share it with everyone you can, in any way you can, as quickly as you can. This will be your final opportunity to sound a warning, and win lost souls to Christ. May God bless your efforts is my prayer. Pastor F. M. Riley fmrglbd5@yahoo.com

"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him," Psalm 126:6.

Dear friends:

So me history. This newsletter began close to 15 years ago. It did not begi n as a newsletter, but I was just sharing some Bible and prophecy related discoveries with some close friends (such as the angel encounters at http://choicesforli ving.com/ spirit/part3/ angels.htm). They shared with others, and people began to ask to be included on my mailing list. The number rapidly grew and soon I could no longer handle the number of addressees from just my computer's personal address book and I had to get a list manager. The Lord led me to www.InJesus. com, which at the time was a free service for Christian ministries. As time went on, they had to start charging a small amount to cover their expenses. Some of you were undoubtedly among the original subscribers.

In all this time, I have ne ver done anything to increase the list size, which is now over 1,750. It just happened. God did it. And me ssages I send out are often forwarded to others and posted on Web sites, for a total readership of probably close to 5,000. It saddens me when anyone drops off, but most all drop-offs are from address changes where the new address was not subscribed on InJesus.com per instructions with each message.

From the outset, I never claimed to be a prophet, and still don't. That is not in my job description. I would badly flunk at that task. I am really not very good at even predicting the obvious! My calling has been mainly to report prophetic insights and revelations claimed by others that seem reasonable and biblical, or at least not unbiblical.

The latest. I have debated whether or not to share this, but decided I must. The reason is that if it turns out to be true and I did not sha re it, I would have failed my calling, and failed you. If it turns out to be not true, at least I tried. You be t he judge.

There seems to be a growing number of very bright and knowledgeable people who claim evidence that the rapture will be in the spring of 2008, specifically before June 7, the 41st anniversary of the miracle and prophetic Six-Day War in 1967 and capture of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount by Israel.

Below are four links you may want to check out. I may not agree with everything they say but a lot of it makes sense.

1. "Four Biblical Signs of the Rapture in the Spring of 2008," by Steve Berryman (23 February 2008): http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ feb2008/steveb22 3.htm

2. "Three Little Clues," by Renee' Clark (4 April 2008):
http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ apr2008/renee44. htm

3. "Reasons, so far, for the Trib to begin in Spring of 2008," by Renee' Clark (31 December 2007): http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ dec2007/reneec12 31.htm

4. "A Few Reasons Why I Think the Rapture Might Occur Spring 2008," by Amy (9 April 2008): http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ apr2008/amy49. htm)

(Some believe the rapture cannot occur until the gospel has been preached in the whole world, but probably most believe the Great Commission will be completed during the Tribulation. )

More. In addition, from his tireless research, retired dentist friend Dr. Glen Swanson in California has come to the same conclusion. In fact, he thinks it may be as early as the Jewish Passover on April 19-20, 2008. Dr. Swanson is surely a genius, or savant, when it comes to ancient dating, days between dates, and similar matters. He mailed me 18 pages of his notes supporti ng his conclusion but I am not smart enough to describe it to you. He does not have a computer and is not on the Internet, but he said it is okay if anyone wants to call him, at 915-990-3126.

I know many believe the rapture will be in the fall, specifically at the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), especially after Perry Stone's recent TV teaching. That may be true, but there are also strong reasons to believe it may be in the spring, such as the symbolism in Song of Solomon chapter 2, especially verses 11-13, and the symbolism of Pentecost, which may have been in continuous fulfillment during the entire church age and will end at the rapture.

Yes, there were similar "revelations" and claims about 200 7. However, they may still be valid, because the Jewish year 5768 on the Hebrew calendar overlaps the Gregorian years 2007-2008. We began year 5768 on September 13, 2007 and will remain in that same year until September 29, 2008.
&nb sp;
There is some debate whether or not all born-again people will make the first rapture, or will there be another later for those who were not ready and looking for His coming. Proponents of this two-phase view point out that salvation, which is by grace through faith alone, is not the issue, but rewards, a biblical principle. See my essay on this possibility at http://choicesforli ving.com/ spirit/part3/ rapture.htm.

The implications of all this on ourselves and our loved ones are mind-boggling to the extreme. But God tells us to fear not, and to trust in Him with all our hearts. He will work it out . He loves us deeply, and He is good, all the time.

If you know anyone who is not born again and ready, I urge you to immediately send them to my Web site at http://choicesforli ving.com/ spirit/part1/ part 1.htm.

Whichever, sooner or later, spring or fall, all or partial, I have now done my job and brought you up to date as best I can. Let us remain watchful, and pray as Jesus commanded in Luke 21:36, especially as we see the Day drawing so near:

Let us be hopeful, comforted, and listening for that glorious shout and trumpet sound!

God bless you,

Jim

Dear friends:

Last night I got a telephone call from fellow watchman Dr. Armando Pardil lo of New Mexico. Armando pointed out to me that a Five Doves post in January pointed to the same date as another post by a different person in February, both totally independent and using a totally different method and assumption. Both pointed to the Day of Atonement, October 8-9, 2008. Here they are:

Post # 1. Armando reminded me that fellow watchman and mutual friend Dr. William Zambrano of Florida had previously called this one to our attention. On January 9, Ted Porter posted a reply to "TJ's" "A Can't Miss Calculation" at http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ jan2008/tedp19- 3.htm, with links from "TJ." It showed how exactly 49 Jewish (360-day) years from the day Israel captured the Temple Mount on June 7, 1967 = 49 X 360 = 17640 days, which takes one to September 22, 23, 2015, the Day of Atonement. Now, go back 7 years from the Day of Atonement in 2015 and you arrive at the Day of Atonement in 2008, October 9. Could this be the beginning of the final seven years?

The Miracle Six-Day War in 1967 in Israel and specifically June 7, 1967 are widely considered to be when the end-time countdown began. That is when the fig tree, Israel, put forth its leaves, and Jesus said when we see this happen we know "He is near, right at the door," and "this generation" (the generation that sees this) will not pass away until all comes to pass (Matthew 24:32-34).

If June 7, 1967 was such a historic prophetic marker, then the date derived by adding seven weeks of years (49 years) to it seems profoundly significant.

Post # 2. On February 15, 2005, Lauren Berns posted a message at http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ feb2008/lauren21 5.htm in which she traces the 120 Jubilees from Adam as allo tted to man and with a link ( http://www.christia n-forum.net/ index.php? showtopic= 16401) reveals an obscure prophecy by Ezekiel recorded in the Jewish Talmud (Sanh. 97b), all of which also point to the Day of Atonement, October 9, 2008. I find this date agreement with the previously described message remarkable.

Lauren's end-time scenario is unconventional and difficult for me to understand so far, but her arrival at that specific date is most intriguing.

I do not comprehend what all this may mean. One possibility is that October 9, 2008 may begin the final seven years, or Tribulation, and/or 70th week of Daniel. If that is true, the rapture could be anytime before that, such as in the Spring 2008, as many believe. I am not dogmatically saying that and just mentioning it as a possibility, so save your ammo and use it against the devil!

Re gardless of how things may play out, the above numbers plus many other world and Middle East factors definitely indicate we are in the final countdown.

So what does Jesus say to do? "When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28, NKJV).

"You, brothers, are not in darkness so that this Day should surprise you like a thief" (1 Thessalonians 5:4, NIV).

Jim

Dear friends:

The correct time of year for the rapture has always been a subject of lively d ebate. There are excellent arguments for a Spring rapture, such as at Pentecost, and also for a Fall rapture, such as a Trumpets. Personally, I have vacillated back and forth on the subject.

However, I must say that for years I have leaned toward the time of the year on the Jewish calendar that represents when Noah entered the ark. That is because Jesus said it would be "as in the days of Noah," a statement that I believe full of more meaning than most realize. We also know that "the days of Noah" were before the feast days were given to Moses, so the rapture may not be on a Jewish feast day as most people believe.

A writer named Ed P. has a fascinating post explaining this at http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ nov2007/edp115. htm.

Noah apparently entered the ark on 10 Chesvan, and the flood began on 17 Chesvan. That would have given him a seven-day wa rning before the flood began.

For what it's worth, according to the moon-based calendar, in 2007 10 Chesvan falls on November 19. Seven days later is 17 Chesvan, or November 26. I believe the rapture may be on a 10 Chesvan some year, and destruction may begin seven days later, just as "in the days of Noah."

Will this be the year? I do not know, but let us hope.

Speaking of destruction, a friend has done an extensive study on the threat of an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack on the U.S. One nuclear air burst could totally cripple us, knocking out all electricity, electronics, etc. and making us totally helpless, without food, water, heat, or communications, and in chaos. In a moment, it would virtually cause us to cease to be a country. Even our military would be largely disabled, and there is not a lot we can do about it. We are vulnerable, like a deer in the headlights.

Some stored items might b uy you a few extra days, if you are not murdered for them by starving, roving thieves.

Until the other day I never realized how possible, how totally devastating, and how imminent such an attack may be. See government study and analysis at http://www.globalse curity.org/ wmd/library/ congress/ 2004_r/04- 07-22emp. pdf .

I believe it is the most likely attack scenario against us, and from Iran it may be very soon. Remember, Iranian President Ahmadinejad recently stated that we would soon cease to be a country? And I understand Iran has been practicing for such an air burst attack. Ahmadinejad wants to create havoc and chaos so his Mahdi dude will return.

As Jesus exhorted, pray that you will be accounted worthy to escape the things coming upon the earth and to stand before the Son of Man. You are made worthy only by His precious blood. Cast yourself totally on Him and His great sacrifice for you. He is faithful and true.

Those times may soon be upon us.

Jim

This is a post I received today in my group. I thought it especially interesting that this point should come up again now. The Rapture is truly drawing close. The devil knows it and has provided an explanation for those in the UFO cult.

I have been hearing this explanation for the past 15 years. No surprise. It is one of the reasons I have the two websites and wrote the books. If people know the truth they will not be deceived. I am glad the Holy Spirit set off your alarm bells and rightly so. It shows you are in the center of His will. B. Fox

Dear friends:

Below is an updated excerpt from my archives on January 22, 200 7:
____________ _________ _________ __

On January 19, 2007, I forwarded an article from the Christian Post, which quoted a poll that said one in four Americans anticipates the second coming of Christ in 2007. That's an incredible 25 percent! Among white evangelical Christians, 46 percent said it's at least somewhat likely that Jesus will return in 2007....

But I have doubts about the poll. From my associations with Christians, such poll results seem unlikely.

UNLESS.... UNLESS....

Here is a provocative thought and possibility for you.

In his 1958 book, Life of Christ (page 13), the late Fulton J. Sheen documented that before Jesus came the first time, there was an expectation of Him throughout the world. He mentions writings by Tacitus, Seutonius, Cicero, Virgil, and evidence even in Chinese history. And, of course, we know the Magi from the East expected Him.

Could all this expectation be merely from circulated copies of the ancient Hebrew prophecies, or did the Holy Spirit put it on peoples hearts, to prepare them for His coming?

I suspect both.

If true, the Holy Spirit may be doing the same thing today. Transcending their rational thought, He may be impressing upon the hearts of many that Messiah's return is at the door. If the poll is valid (and I am not sure), 25 percent are even saying 2007!

If the Holy Spirit is, indeed, making such a general communication to the world, it should not surprise us if He speaks specifically to some of His servants, either directly or through some of His servants, confirming the general sensing. This makes me think of:

1. Michael Hile's five 490-year time historical cycles that end in 2007 (Michael does not try to interpret what it may mean) ( http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ jan2007/jim111- 1.htm)

2. The late New Zealander George T. Curle's historical time charts that also end in 2007 ( http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ jan2007/jim111- 2.htm)

3. The possible recent angel encounter at Wal-Mart about Christmas 2006 being our last Christmas ( http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ jan2007/jim115- 1.htm)

4. Pastor F. M. Riley's calculations that the rapture will be in 2007. See http://his-forever. com/2007. pdf .

5. The 1986 dream/vision of Florida mother Shelby Corbitt and her revelation of 2007 as the year of the rapture (which she says God has commanded her to proclaim), and similar revelations of others ( http://www.fivedove s.com/letters/ jan2007/jim16- 1.htm

6. Kenneth Copeland has said that 2007 is The Year of the Open Door," making us think of the "open door" references to the rapture in Revelation 3:8,10 and 4:1.

Jim

Dear friends:

Since about 1972 I remember continuous warnings of an imminent economic collapse or attack on America -- that God's judgment was about to fall.

The first I remember is in the early 1970s when Pat Robertson was just beginning to build his TV network. He had purchased a TV station in Dallas "to proclaim the gospel" and went on TV saying that an economic collapse was imminent, urging everyone to please donate sacrificially and help him pay for that Dallas station before the crash. I thought it was God speaking, so I dug down deep and gave sacrificially. The collapse never came, of course. Sometime later the station was made a part of his personal commercial empire, then sold for millions, and God only knows what happened to my money. But I gave it in faith and so I trust that God honored my effort.

There have been similar warnings just about every year. In 1995, I even wrote an essay titled "God's Judgment on America." It is still available at http://choicesforli ving.com/ spirit/part4/ judgement. htm. I still believe the judgment is coming, but I cannot say when. Maybe after the rapture. Actually, it is in process now.

This message is written because the last few days the Internet has been full of dire warnings of imminent terrorist attacks on our cities, probably nuclear, war, and/or economic collapse.

1. For example, yesterday I received this frantic one:

In the past I have concluded that a lot of such talk comes from America haters -- people who actually want to see their own nation fall. I think some of these people are masochistic sickos. However, no doubt the world economy has always been a house of cards, miraculously held together by God for His purposes. Some of it may also be fed by disinformation operations of our enemies aimed at gullible Americans to discourage and depress them. And based on the wording, some of it is clearly from pathological Bush-haters who want p aint a picture of disaster and prove that Bush and the NWO are behind it all.

Whichever, the prophets of doom have a poor track record, thankfully.

3. In the past few days there have been intelligence reports based on Internet terrorist "chatter" that several U.S. cities are about to get hit by nuclear dirty bombs in the immediate future. The sources of this are suspect, but the intelligence community and city authorities are on alert.

4. In addition, in his annual New Year predictions, Pat Robertson said there will be terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2007. See video at http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=TZuk3j9YI4k.

Over the years I have seen so many of these dire warnings, my first reaction was to yawn and say, "Yeah, right. Here we go again."

However, such warnings always activate my inner prophecy inclinations. There ma y be something different about 2007.

For example, Shelby Corbitt describes a vision in which she is convinced God revealed to her that the rapture would definitely be in the summer of 2007. She believes it will be preceded by a period of disruption and difficulty, to paraphrase. Summer ends with the autumn equinox on September 23. You can read her Web site and book at http://www.2007rapt ure.com . Shelby is so persuaded that she heard from God that she spentthousands of dollars of her own money to put it all in a book and has been distributing them free of charge. That is a true test of conviction and commitment.

Also, Pastor F.M. Riley has written that based on biblical chronology, in which he is proficient, he believes the rapture will be in 2007. I just discovered this yesterday. You can read his article at http://hi s-forever.com/ 2007.pdf .

(Narrowing the rapture to a specific year is not at all unbiblical.)

Will all these things prove to be more gloom-and-doom and prophetic fizzles, or are they keen insights on what lies immediately ahead? I don't know.

The only thing I do know for sure is that God is totally in charge, that He is merciful, that His timing on all these things will be perfect, that I am His, that I dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and that I abide under His shadow (Psalm 91:1).

In that, I rest totally in His shalom. I urge you to do the same.

Jim

Dear friends:

While meditating on the Word yesterday, I became fascinated again with the numbers 40 an d 400.

The Bible has many significant uses of the numbers 40 and 400, and also 4,000. Typically, 40 is a time of testing.

The year 2007 is 40 years from the prophetic Six-Day War, with Israel miraculously defeating five powerful Arab armies in only six days and retaking Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, for the first time since AD 70. (Luke 21:24.) These past 40 years have surely been a time of testing for Israel, and in many ways Israel has failed. But God's will shall be done.

The year 2007 is also the historic 400th anniversary of the first permanent English-speaking settlement on the New World, at Jamestown, the real birth of America. These past 400 years have also been a time of testing for this great republic, and in many ways we have failed. But God's will shall be done. It's fascinating to me and surely significant that this 400 and the above 40 coincide in the same year.

While not exact, the year 2007 is close to the 40th Jubilee Year since Christ's first coming.

While not exact, the year 2007 is close to 4,000 years since Abraham, the first Jew and father of the faith.

While not exact, there were about 40 Jubilee years from Abraham to Christ,

While not exact, there were about 4,000 years from Adam to Christ.

Then just this morning, with amazing timing, I discovered that on TV John Hagee is preaching this week on "2007: The Year of Destiny." I think it will go on all week. This morning was sort of a primer on the significance of biblical numbers in general. He mentions some of the above numbers, and also that 7 is the number of completion. The remainder of the week should be interesting.

Dear friends:

Below are three past supernatural experiences by others , previously reported, that deserve repeating because of their unusual timeliness.

1. This morning a lady reminded me of a September, 2005 post where I described an unusual e-mail from a reader describing a prophetic experience by the father of his friend, Charles, a pastor.   Charles told him that right about the time President Bush was elected president, his father had this interesting experience.   The reader said:

"Charles' father, Bob, woke up one night from sleeping.   He heard a voice in another room calling him.   Bob asked who it was. Bob said that the voice said, 'This is your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.' Bob then went into the room and saw and spoke to the Lord.   Bob and the Lord communicated by Bob having a question and Jesus answering the question before Bob could ask it. Charles mentioned the Lord's ability to answer questions in the 'twinkling of an eye' after Bob thought of the question.

"One of the questions that Bob had was, 'Will my family and I all be in Heaven?'   Bob has two sons and a wife. The Lord said: 'Yes, all five of you.'

"Bob replied 'Five?,' not understanding where that number came from since they had only four in the family. Then Jesus said: 'Your other son, too.'

"At the moment the Lord said that, Bob remembered the baby that his wife had miscarried years ago.   'He's in Heaven now. He's doing well. You would be proud of him,' the Lord said.   Bob was deeply affected by this because Charles started crying a little bit as he continued on.

(Bramlett comment: This supernatural knowledge seems to authenticate the experience.)

"Bob also asked the Lord about a time years ago when he had been diagnosed with a stomach disease. One day while he was at work outside, a man in a dark suit and a bald head had appea red all of a sudden and said to him, 'come with me.' The man then gripped Bob tightly the way you would if you were helping someone to walk somewhere in a hurry. The man walked him out into a parking lot and then left.   When Bob went back to the doctor later that week, he had been miraculously healed! Bob asked the Lord if that had been an angel sent to help him.   The Lord confirmed that it had been an angel.

"The Lord also told Bob, 'Tell your friends that I am coming soon. There is a Christian President now in office. But that's not going to stop me. I am still coming soon.' Bob took this to mean that Jesus could rapture up the Church before George W. Bush leaves office."

End
_______

2. Below is a post on the Five Doves site by Cinda Godfrey that I shared again recently. The instance happened before the 2000 Presidential election. Cinda report ed a Benny Hinn vision the preceding summer that showed George W. Bush (before he was elected) to be the last American President.

Cinda was sharing the Benny Hinn vision with a friend who has a daughter, Julie, now in her mid-30s, who sometimes is able to see things in the future. For example, in a vision, the daughter saw the Alaskan air crash two days before it happened, and even drew an exact map where it went down. She tried to warn the airline but no one took her seriously. She also saw two separate murders in her hometown days before both happened, but again, no one took her seriously. Cinda says, "As we were talking yesterday about the conclusion of Election 2000, Julie told me that she heard the news that George W. Bush had been named the winner while driving on the expressway with her car. She said she immediately had a vision of George W. Bush in office while millions of people 'disappeared. ' She said they all vanished into thin air and she couldn't understand the significance of the vision. When I explained the rapture to her, Julie was so excited."

What is especially interesting about this experience is that, at the time, Julie was not a Christian and did not know anything about the rapture! She could not have conjured it up from some theological predisposition.

The above experience may be very significant because: (1) it was first reported seven years ago; (2) Julie, the person who claimed the vision, had never heard of the rapture and thus was not influenced by predisposition; (3) Julie has had other amazing and accurate prophecy-type insights before; (4) it agreed with what Benny Hinn reported; (5) the timing lines up with other things pointing to this year, such as Shelby Corbett.

3. A while back, Rev. Ron Patterson reported to me that because of son Ronnie Jr.'s disability, a social worker recently made a routine call. Conversation r evealed that she is a serious Christian and also a missionary. Ron said she seemed very mature in the faith. When she found out about Ronnie Jr.'s previous supernatural experience and that Ron's major ministry is to boldly proclaim the Lord's soon return, she broke down in tears. She was extremely touched and said she knew it, that Jesus is coming soon!

The lady then told about an elderly missionary friend who was dying a few years ago. Her loved ones were gathered around her, grieving, for her during her final few moments. But just before she died, the old lady mustered up the energy to speak up and admonish them, saying, "Don't grieve for me. I'll be back in six years."

That happened in 2001! My high-tech electronic calculator confirms my super-rapid mental calculation that 2001+ 6 = 2007!

Ron and I agreed that when they are dying some folks see and hear from the other side. It's like they have one foot here and one foot in heaven. An M.D. friend commented and said: "As an internist, I collected stories of near-death experiences. Not only do the dying frequently see heaven and communicate it back to earth, but frequently those physically around them and emotionally close to them are permitted a glimpse also. This story is absolutely credible."

Keep looking up!

Jim

Part 2, rapture video
Jim Bramlett
Jul 7, 2007

Dear friends:

Thanks to reader Karen Cline, Part 2 of the previous rapture video link I sent you is at http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=Xiqoc6HgEUk . This is also only about 10 minutes long. On Part 2, several more Christian leaders say the rapture is soon (although post-tribber Pat Robertson only speaks of the Tribulation) .

As a reminder, for your reference, the previous Part 1 is at http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=96d-trRsLO8&mode=related&search

These other names in Part 2 include:

Dr. Renald Showers
Dr. Jimmy DeYoung

Jim

Dear friends:

This morning I was reminded of an unusual prophetic event and th at it took place seven years ago. Since seven is a special biblical number, it seemed good to review it for relevance.

The situation was described by friend Rev. Ron Patterson, about his then-teenage son, Ronnie, Jr., who has a severe learning disability. Below are Ron's own words:

"Ronnie was walking his dog Sandy and singing praise to the Lord on a warm September 2000 day after school. Suddenly, he was in the spirit in the presence of the Lord. Ronnie saw a huge field of beautiful flowers in heaven, each one perfect and without flaw. Then he saw a big wall with a large gate made of solid white pearl columns. On each side, outside the gate, was huge warrior-like angel about twice the size of a normal man. Ronnie said it took very powerful beings to open the enormous gate.

"Next, Ronnie saw past the gate into the beautiful city on the other side. Every building was made of some material that was as clear as pure water . In the middle of the city, he saw two giant chairs or thrones in an indescribable throne room. Ronnie could not see clearly the figures on the seats as they were engulfed in a cloud-like spirit similar to a force field or a glowing mist of energy.

"Ronnie was absolutely certain by the power and the presence that these were the thrones of Almighty God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, the Son, surrounded by an unmistakable manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Ronnie was also amazed at a smooth, peaceful, beautiful music that seemed to be all over heaven but was most noticeable in the fields of flowers.

"After seeing all of this, Ronnie for the first time during this experience, heard a voice speaking directly to him saying, 'Son, look over here.' Ronnie then saw a long series of horse stables as far as he could see to the right and to the left made up of individual horse stalls. Each stall contained a magnificent white horse with angels standing with the horse s as caretakers (one angel per about 20 horses). The Lord told Ronnie that after He removes His people from the earth, Jesus will remain with them in heaven a short time and then lead them back to the earth riding these white horses. He said Jesus will put an end to all who oppose Him and will establish His kingdom in the earth.

"As the vision concluded, the voice of God continued to speak to Ronnie. The Lord told Ronnie not to listen to the devil any longer. He said that the devil had been condemning Ronnie with lies trying to make him believe that Ronnie was worthless, helpless, without value, and on his way to hell. God told Ronnie that Ronnie is His child, 'a child of God,' and that He was well pleased with him.

"Next the Lord told Ronnie to stop grieving over being 18 years old and not being able to drive a car as Ronnie had driven himself almost crazy with disappointment over this. The Lord said to Ronnie, 'I am coming so soon for you and my peop le that there is not enough time for you to drive enough to justify learning."

Postscript, June 20, 2007:

After 1, 2 and 3 years passed, people began to doubt that Ronnie had truly heard from the Lord. However, God knew that He was doing. Only God knew that Ronnie's situation would soon deteriorate to the point where he would not be able to drive a car.

It has now been seven years. We are now in 2000 + 7 = 2007.

Ron says that he knows that he knows that he knows that Ronnie, Jr. had a genuine experience with the Lord in the year 2000. That is because of the radical change and reality that he saw in his son. He said it was truly miraculous.

Just yesterday I received another story from Ron.

Because of Ronnie Jr.'s condition, a social worker lady made a routine call on Monday. Conversation revealed that she is a serious Christian and also a mission ary. Ron said she seemed very mature in the faith. When she found out about Ronnie Jr.'s experience and that Ron's major ministry is to boldly proclaim the Lord's soon return, she broke down in tears. She was extremely touched and said she knew it, that Jesus is coming soon!

The lady then told about an elderly missionary friend who was dying a few years ago. Her loved ones were gathered around her, grieving, for her during her final few moments. But just before she died, the old lady mustered up the energy to speak up and admonish them, saying, "Don't grieve for me. I'll be back in six years."

That was in 2001! My calculator tells me that 2001+ 6 = 2007.

Ron and I agreed that when they are dying some folks see and hear from the other side. It's like they have one foot here and one foot in heaven. And an M.D. friend commented and said: "As an internist, I collected stories of near-death experiences. N ot only do the dying frequently see heaven and communicate it back to earth, but frequently those physically around them and emotionally close to them are permitted a glimpse also. This story is absolutely credible." She could have heard something.

All this makes me think of Shelby Corbitt's visions and revelations beginning in 1986 that the rapture would be in 2007. See http://www.2007rapt ure.com/.

Let us hope!

Jim

Dear friends:

For what it's worth...

Using a date counter at http://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html , I have discovered that there are exactly 40 years times 365 days (rounded) = 14,600 days between June 7, 1967 when Israel captured Jerusalem for the first time since AD 70, and Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2007, on the Gentile calendar.

Also, not rounded, using 365.25 days, the count is 14,610 days, which lands on June 7, 1967, the exact 40th anniversary on the Gentile calendar.

Not sure what it all means but I suspect it is significant on God's calendar. (Of course, everything is significant on His calendar -- every second of eternity has a purpose!)

Jim

Dear friends:

Yesterday I forwarded a person's claim that days after seeking, praying and weeping, the Lord revealed the soon rapture date. Of course, I do not know whether or not the date is correct, and I commented, "Based on past experience, one cannot help being skeptical." So true.

About three people instructed me that it obviously cannot be true because Jesus said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man" (Matthew 24:36 KJV), assuming, I suppose, that I had forgotten about that passage. I did not forget.

If the reported date is not true, and it may not be, I do not believe the reason will be Matthew 24:36, for reasons stated below from an essay I wrote on the subject several years ago. From the Scriptures, this should shed light on the subject.

Jim
________________________________________________

When is He coming?

Just the question -- when? -- causes some Christians to cringe, protest, or even scoff! They quickly point out that Jesus said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man" (Matthew 24:36 KJV).

Some believers criticize other believers who are seeking God's clues, either from the Scriptures or by personal revelation. It is interesting that it was apparently by personal revelation, not Scripture, that many people knew the exact day of Elijah's rapture (2 Kings 2)! Are there types in the Old Testament? Do God's principles repeat themselves?

The doubters may mention Paul's words that the day of the Lord will come like "a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). But many believers have so misunderstood these verses that they are oblivious to the times, not watching for the Lord as He commanded, and are often absorbed by the cares of this world and their own agendas.

As to Matthew 24:36, some scholars point out that Jesus' words here are in the present tense, addressed to His hearers at the time, and not to those alive at the end of the age when Daniel's vision would be unsealed (Daniel 12:9). This would be similar to Matthew 16:20: "Then he warned His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ." As evidence, many other Scriptures reveal to us that God will reveal at least the approximately time. (Even if the "day and hour" restriction is literally valid today, it may be because the Earth is in 24 time zones and always in two different days.)

Jesus also said, "but my Father only" knows, which pins the statement to His hearers at the time, when Jesus was still on the earth, because surely there are now no secrets in the Trinity between the Father and the glorified Son, who are truly One. Also, in context, He seems to be speaking of heaven and earth passing away (v. 35), not other end-time events.

In addition, Jesus said, "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (Revelation 3:3). He is obviously saying that to the one who watches, He will not come as a thief and that person will know the hour! (Hour -- Greek hora -- Strong's 5610; various meanings, including, "any definite time, point of time, moment."

GOD'S PROMISES OF REVELATION

1.      It is clear that Jesus will not come as a "thief in the night" for watchful believers, because in the very same passage, verse 4, Paul tells us, "But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this DAY should surprise you like a thief." If we are trusting in Christ and looking for His coming, Paul said that even the very DAY does not have to surprise us!

2.      Also, Jesus exhorted, "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief" (Revelation 3:3, KJV), obviously saying He will come as a thief only to those not watching! It is obvious that for those watching, He will NOT come as a thief.

3.      Jesus rebuked those who did not understand the signs of the times in His day: "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3).

4.      Of the end of the age, Jesus said, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28). He said we would know when it is near!

5.      God said, "Surely the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing it to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7, NIV). God said "nothing," and He did not exclude Christ's return. I take Him at His word.

6.      God not only knows the end from the beginning, He tells us that He makes it known! "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come." (Isaiah 46:10). He has already made it known! I personally believe it has been hidden in His Word all along, to be unlocked in His timing. There is nothing wrong with seeking! No doubt, it pleases God.

7.      God said, "I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee" (Isaiah 48:5, KJV).

8.      Jesus said the Holy Spirit "will teach you all things" (John 14:26). He said "all things." Did Jesus make a mistake, forgetting to exclude when He will return? I don't think so.

9.       Friends confide in one another. Abraham was called God's "friend" (Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). "And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do" (Genesis 18:17). Now, because of Jesus' atonement, we are called friends of God: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends" (Jesus, John 15:15).

10. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun" (NIV). Many Bible students believe that ancient events and dating in the Bible are shadows and clues that foretell the coming of the Lord, even the timing. An example is the six days of creation, seen as 6,000 years of man's dominion over the earth, before the return of the Lord and the seventh, or Sabbath Millennium of peace, with Christ ruling in Jerusalem. According to scholars, we are now at the end of 6,000 years since Adam

There are other such passages. God clearly promised that we would know at least approximately when Christ will return, and even "the day" will not surprise us, as the Holy Spirit reveals through Paul!

In addition, there is ample precedent for God revealing specific times in advance.

1.      He gave Noah advance notice of when the flood would be (Genesis 6,7).

2.      He told Abraham how long the Israelites would be in Egypt (Genesis 15:13).

3.      As mentioned, He revealed to many the very day of Elijah's rapture (2 Kings 2).

4.      He told Jeremiah how long the Babylonian exile would be (Jeremiah 29:10).

5.      He told Daniel exactly when Messiah would come the first time (Daniel 9:25-26).

6.      Some, including the brilliant Sir Isaac Newton, believe this same passage holds the key to the timing of His return.

7.      There is evidence that the Bible reveals the exact number of years of "the times of the Gentiles" and the exact span of time to Israel's rebirth in 1948 and the recapture of Jerusalem in 1967.

Obviously, leaving us clueless now would violate God's own established pattern as revealed in His Word!

Also obviously, we are not left clueless. There are many signs and clues. Let us remain watchful and ready, and be found doing the Master's work.

Jim

Dear friends:

A must-see video presentation of the mortal dangers immediately facing the U.S. is t itled "Wake Up, America," and is at http://usawakeup. org . This is hot!

Coincidentally, in 1994 I wrote a newspaper article also titled, "Wake Up, America," which won me a prestigious Amy Writing Award. The recognition was nice, but unfortunately, America didn't wake up. In fact, things have become worse.

We should be hearing this message from top politicians and the mainstream media, but we are not, and never will, because it is not "politically correct," a modern social sickness that may destroy us.

The video very graphically describes two main threats: (1) radical Islam and (2) out-of-control immigration. Either or both can destroy this country.

Open borders are allowing terrorists to flow through unimpeded. Border control is almost non-existent. When agents try to do their job, they are persecuted and thrown into prison. Massive numbers are resigning. Government and both parties give lip service to the problem