Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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CORONETS
GODS CORONATION DAY
RAPTURE 2026
Pay Babylon-America Double Dream 8-30-26@1:58 AM
Prophetic Dreams & Visions from My Lovely Jesus
After waking up from this dream and praying about it, I was told to prepare it and release it immediately as it discerns from being from my lovely Jesus Christ and Father God. Please try, test, and discern this in Jesus Christ Name. I now release it in obedience for Father God's glory in the Name of Jesus Christ, His Son, my Lord, Savior and God. I woke up just now from a short, but vivid dream that discerns as true from You my lovely Jesus Christ. Please help me write it down exactly as You gave it to me. I was looking straight out before me into what was a solid white background. I saw a hand appear. In this hand was a giant size, clear salt shaker. It was shaped like a glass jar with a glass handle. It had an aluminum silver lid on it. I knew it was aluminum just by seeing it somehow. I heard a loud voice from somewhere above the hand say, "Give her double for her trouble, for strong is the Lord God that judgeth her."After the voice spoke these words, I saw the hand turn over the salt shaker and gave it 2 hard, quick shakes. The shaker was only shaken two times, but each time it was very pronounced in its movements. Then the hand with the salt shaker stopped and froze from any other movements.The same voice spoke again very loud and booming and it seemed to fill everything and everywhere. It said, "It's time Babylon-America, it's time for the shaking. It's time for you to receive double for the trouble you've caused. For strong am I, the Lord God that judgeth thee." Then I woke up and prayed. I discerned this dream was from You, Jesus Christ. I recognized what was spoken by the voice of the Lord God was found in the book of Revelation about the city of Babylon, the harlot city's destruction. In the KJV version of the Word of God it is found in Revelation chapter 18 verses 6 and 8. Revelation 18:6; 86 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.Other Related: Revelation chapter 17 & 18; Jeremiah 16:18
Prophetic Dreams & Visions from My Lovely Jesus
After waking up from this dream and praying about it, I was told to prepare it and release it immediately as it discerns from being from my lovely Jesus Christ and Father God. Please try, test, and discern this in Jesus Christ Name. I now release it in obedience for Father God's glory in the Name of Jesus Christ, His Son, my Lord, Savior and God. I woke up just now from a short, but vivid dream that discerns as true from You my lovely Jesus Christ. Please help me write it down exactly as You gave it to me. I was looking straight out before me into what was a solid white background. I saw a hand appear. In this hand was a giant size, clear salt shaker. It was shaped like a glass jar with a glass handle. It had an aluminum silver lid on it. I knew it was aluminum just by seeing it somehow. I heard a loud voice from somewhere above the hand say, "Give her double for her trouble, for strong is the Lord God that judgeth her."After the voice spoke these words, I saw the hand turn over the salt shaker and gave it 2 hard, quick shakes. The shaker was only shaken two times, but each time it was very pronounced in its movements. Then the hand with the salt shaker stopped and froze from any other movements.The same voice spoke again very loud and booming and it seemed to fill everything and everywhere. It said, "It's time Babylon-America, it's time for the shaking. It's time for you to receive double for the trouble you've caused. For strong am I, the Lord God that judgeth thee." Then I woke up and prayed. I discerned this dream was from You, Jesus Christ. I recognized what was spoken by the voice of the Lord God was found in the book of Revelation about the city of Babylon, the harlot city's destruction. In the KJV version of the Word of God it is found in Revelation chapter 18 verses 6 and 8. Revelation 18:6; 86 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.Other Related: Revelation chapter 17 & 18; Jeremiah 16:18
Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
This is really wonderful. Instead of feeling you have two groups, the sinners and those who are faithful to God, Jesus points out that they are all sheep in God's flock, it is just that one of them got lost and He needs to go find it, or that they are all pieces of silver, it is just that one has been lost and needs to be found. This is the context for the next parable which I feel has been poorly handled by virtually all of Christianity.
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
They are both sons of the father and He loves them both. This is why the Father rejoices at one being restored, but the other son is usually ridiculed for asking this question. I was at a large conference filled with brothers and sisters who were all very active in preaching the gospel. We had a speaker who had a compelling testimony about being saved out of a street gang that sold drugs and committed all kinds of felonies. It hit me how strange this was, the testimonies at these conferences were always from people who had similar experiences, and yet the vast majority of those in this conference were not the ones with the experience of the prodigal son. Everyone had an experience of salvation, but we never heard the testimony of the guy who had been faithfully serving the Lord his whole life, it was always the guy who was saved off the streets like the prodigal son. So I thought, why don't we hear the testimonies from brothers and sisters who were saved as young people, say 12 or 13 years old, and have served the Lord all their life? These conferences were basically composed of the other brother and all "his friends" and yet the speaker that is invited to speak is always the prodigal son's salvation experience. Why?
That is when it hit me, the rapture will be a huge banquet and a celebration that lasts for 1,000 years and that is when we will get to hear the testimonies of all those who have faithfully served the Lord in their lifetimes.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
This is really wonderful. Instead of feeling you have two groups, the sinners and those who are faithful to God, Jesus points out that they are all sheep in God's flock, it is just that one of them got lost and He needs to go find it, or that they are all pieces of silver, it is just that one has been lost and needs to be found. This is the context for the next parable which I feel has been poorly handled by virtually all of Christianity.
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
They are both sons of the father and He loves them both. This is why the Father rejoices at one being restored, but the other son is usually ridiculed for asking this question. I was at a large conference filled with brothers and sisters who were all very active in preaching the gospel. We had a speaker who had a compelling testimony about being saved out of a street gang that sold drugs and committed all kinds of felonies. It hit me how strange this was, the testimonies at these conferences were always from people who had similar experiences, and yet the vast majority of those in this conference were not the ones with the experience of the prodigal son. Everyone had an experience of salvation, but we never heard the testimony of the guy who had been faithfully serving the Lord his whole life, it was always the guy who was saved off the streets like the prodigal son. So I thought, why don't we hear the testimonies from brothers and sisters who were saved as young people, say 12 or 13 years old, and have served the Lord all their life? These conferences were basically composed of the other brother and all "his friends" and yet the speaker that is invited to speak is always the prodigal son's salvation experience. Why?
That is when it hit me, the rapture will be a huge banquet and a celebration that lasts for 1,000 years and that is when we will get to hear the testimonies of all those who have faithfully served the Lord in their lifetimes.
Do not get frustrated by Christians who don't want to hear about the signs of the Lord's coming
Jesus shared the parable of the ten virgins. All ten of them were sleeping, that indicates that at most two were awake and keeping watch. But all ten are waiting for the Lord to come. It is the midnight cry that wakes them up, they are like someone whose alarm is set for 6 AM, they don't want to hear you wake them up at 5 AM. They know that the Jews have to restart the oblations and sacrifices, that is what they are waiting for. When the Jews dedicate the altar on the Temple mount it will be 6-9AM in Jerusalem, that will be the "midnight hour" in the US.
So everyone needs to be ready. The number of people interested in the Lord's return will grow 5x when that midnight cry is sounded. We can't say for certain the year they will dedicate the altar, but we do know the day, it is Rosh Hashanah, or "the longest day" or "the day of the awakening shout".
This morning I was at a soup kitchen serving about 250 people. We probably had 15 brothers and sisters from various churches, they were all Christians, they were all waiting for the Lord's return, and no one wanted to hear about the events indicating the Lord is about to return. They are waiting for the alarm clock and that is when Israel resumes oblations and sacrifices on the Temple Mount.
Jesus shared the parable of the ten virgins. All ten of them were sleeping, that indicates that at most two were awake and keeping watch. But all ten are waiting for the Lord to come. It is the midnight cry that wakes them up, they are like someone whose alarm is set for 6 AM, they don't want to hear you wake them up at 5 AM. They know that the Jews have to restart the oblations and sacrifices, that is what they are waiting for. When the Jews dedicate the altar on the Temple mount it will be 6-9AM in Jerusalem, that will be the "midnight hour" in the US.
So everyone needs to be ready. The number of people interested in the Lord's return will grow 5x when that midnight cry is sounded. We can't say for certain the year they will dedicate the altar, but we do know the day, it is Rosh Hashanah, or "the longest day" or "the day of the awakening shout".
This morning I was at a soup kitchen serving about 250 people. We probably had 15 brothers and sisters from various churches, they were all Christians, they were all waiting for the Lord's return, and no one wanted to hear about the events indicating the Lord is about to return. They are waiting for the alarm clock and that is when Israel resumes oblations and sacrifices on the Temple Mount.
More on the dedication of the altar
Only the High Priest can dedicate the altar and it is essential to have a high priest because he is not fully consecrated until the altar is dedicated. So then the Jews have to appoint a High priest first and then they can have the high priest dedicate the altar.
In 2016 a High Priest was chosen by the Sanhedrin:
A significant step was recently taken towards reinstating the Temple service when the nascent Sanhedrin selected Rabbi Baruch Kahane as the next Kohen Gadol (high priest). The selection was made as a precaution for Yom Kippur. If the political conditions should change, allowing the Jews access to the Temple Mount, they will be required by Torah law to bring the sacrifices. Rabbi Kahane is confident that if that should happen, Temple service could begin in less than one week.
You do not need a High priest until you are to dedicate the altar because the High Priest cannot be fully consecrated without dedicating the altar and that has to be done by the High Priest. So then they have appointed a man for the job should the law change opening the way for the Jews to have sacrifices and oblations on the temple mount.
Rabbi Kahane is a prominent scholar, knowledgeable in the complicated laws pertaining to the subject of the Temple Service. He is part of the Halacha Berurah Institute, established by Rabbi Avraham Isaac HaCohen Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, which deals with the elucidation of Jewish law from its Talmudic sources (Oral Law) and commentaries. He has played a prominent role in all the reenactments of the Temple services performed to date.
This year has already seen much Temple-oriented activity: the Temple Institute has created a registry of kohanim; established a school for educating men of the priestly class in the details of the Temple service; and performed reenactments on all the holidays, including the especially significant Passover sacrifice.
Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the nascent Sanhedrin, explained to Breaking Israel News the necessity for choosing a High Priest, even in the absence of a Temple.
“We do not need a miraculous occurrence like the sudden appearance of a Temple descending from heaven onto the Temple Mount to make this decision relevant,” explained Rabbi Weiss. “The only obstacle preventing the Temple service today is the political issue. If that should suddenly change, as it very well could, we would be required to begin the Temple service immediately. It is therefore necessary that we have a candidate prepared to fill the role of the High Priest, especially now that we have kohanim prepared to serve in the Temple.”
Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder and and head of the Temple Institute, is a member of the Sanhedrin but did not rule in this decision. He told Breaking Israel News that it was necessary for the Sanhedrin to choose a Kohen Gadol.
“This is certainly something we should do now as religious Jews. Choosing a high priest and all of the preparations for the Temple Service are mitzvot (commandments) that are incumbent upon us according to the Torah,” said Rabbi Ariel.
“It is not a matter of opinion. It is written explicitly in the Torah and, just like any of the other mitzvot written in the Torah, we have to choose a Kohen Gadol, and make all the preparations, regardless of whether there is a Temple standing right now.”
Rabbi Kahane was reluctant to discuss the Sanhedrin’s decision. “This may not be the time to choose a Kohen Gadol. There are no sacrifices required,” he said to Breaking Israel News. However, he added, “That could change overnight. In any case, it is clear that we need to be prepared, to prepare the priests, to have everything ready.”
When asked how long it would take to begin sacrifices if it suddenly became permissible, he considered carefully before answering. “If the government decided to permit it, it would only take a few weeks to make preparations, even to do the Yom Kippur service,” he said.
“The structures can be temporary and prepared almost overnight. The biggest obstacle is educating the kohanim, which we are taking care of already. Once the priests are thoroughly educated, choosing a Kohen Gadol and teaching him what he needs to know for the Yom Kippur service is relatively simple and will take one week. The Temple Service performed by the Kohen Gadol is very demanding, but for an educated kohen, it is not overly difficult to learn to serve as the Kohen Gadol.”
Rabbi Weiss explained the importance of advancing Temple initiatives even when it seems that reinstituting the Temple service is not a matter of urgency.
“There are many Torah laws that are not sacrifices or Temple service but are nonetheless dependant on the Temple and the kohanim. We recently reenacted the Omer Wave offering, which has ramifications for when Israel can eat the current wheat harvest. In addition, we also reenacted the giving of the shoulder, two cheeks, and stomach of an ox to the priests.”
And this shall be the Kohanim’s due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give unto the Kohen the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. Deuteronomy 18:3
“This is not only part of a sacrifice, but is also an issue of kashrut (kosher laws), which we should be doing today,” explained Rabbi Weiss. “Instead, it is treated in a rather shabby, symbolic manner.”
Only the High Priest can dedicate the altar and it is essential to have a high priest because he is not fully consecrated until the altar is dedicated. So then the Jews have to appoint a High priest first and then they can have the high priest dedicate the altar.
In 2016 a High Priest was chosen by the Sanhedrin:
A significant step was recently taken towards reinstating the Temple service when the nascent Sanhedrin selected Rabbi Baruch Kahane as the next Kohen Gadol (high priest). The selection was made as a precaution for Yom Kippur. If the political conditions should change, allowing the Jews access to the Temple Mount, they will be required by Torah law to bring the sacrifices. Rabbi Kahane is confident that if that should happen, Temple service could begin in less than one week.
You do not need a High priest until you are to dedicate the altar because the High Priest cannot be fully consecrated without dedicating the altar and that has to be done by the High Priest. So then they have appointed a man for the job should the law change opening the way for the Jews to have sacrifices and oblations on the temple mount.
Rabbi Kahane is a prominent scholar, knowledgeable in the complicated laws pertaining to the subject of the Temple Service. He is part of the Halacha Berurah Institute, established by Rabbi Avraham Isaac HaCohen Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, which deals with the elucidation of Jewish law from its Talmudic sources (Oral Law) and commentaries. He has played a prominent role in all the reenactments of the Temple services performed to date.
This year has already seen much Temple-oriented activity: the Temple Institute has created a registry of kohanim; established a school for educating men of the priestly class in the details of the Temple service; and performed reenactments on all the holidays, including the especially significant Passover sacrifice.
Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the nascent Sanhedrin, explained to Breaking Israel News the necessity for choosing a High Priest, even in the absence of a Temple.
“We do not need a miraculous occurrence like the sudden appearance of a Temple descending from heaven onto the Temple Mount to make this decision relevant,” explained Rabbi Weiss. “The only obstacle preventing the Temple service today is the political issue. If that should suddenly change, as it very well could, we would be required to begin the Temple service immediately. It is therefore necessary that we have a candidate prepared to fill the role of the High Priest, especially now that we have kohanim prepared to serve in the Temple.”
Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder and and head of the Temple Institute, is a member of the Sanhedrin but did not rule in this decision. He told Breaking Israel News that it was necessary for the Sanhedrin to choose a Kohen Gadol.
“This is certainly something we should do now as religious Jews. Choosing a high priest and all of the preparations for the Temple Service are mitzvot (commandments) that are incumbent upon us according to the Torah,” said Rabbi Ariel.
“It is not a matter of opinion. It is written explicitly in the Torah and, just like any of the other mitzvot written in the Torah, we have to choose a Kohen Gadol, and make all the preparations, regardless of whether there is a Temple standing right now.”
Rabbi Kahane was reluctant to discuss the Sanhedrin’s decision. “This may not be the time to choose a Kohen Gadol. There are no sacrifices required,” he said to Breaking Israel News. However, he added, “That could change overnight. In any case, it is clear that we need to be prepared, to prepare the priests, to have everything ready.”
When asked how long it would take to begin sacrifices if it suddenly became permissible, he considered carefully before answering. “If the government decided to permit it, it would only take a few weeks to make preparations, even to do the Yom Kippur service,” he said.
“The structures can be temporary and prepared almost overnight. The biggest obstacle is educating the kohanim, which we are taking care of already. Once the priests are thoroughly educated, choosing a Kohen Gadol and teaching him what he needs to know for the Yom Kippur service is relatively simple and will take one week. The Temple Service performed by the Kohen Gadol is very demanding, but for an educated kohen, it is not overly difficult to learn to serve as the Kohen Gadol.”
Rabbi Weiss explained the importance of advancing Temple initiatives even when it seems that reinstituting the Temple service is not a matter of urgency.
“There are many Torah laws that are not sacrifices or Temple service but are nonetheless dependant on the Temple and the kohanim. We recently reenacted the Omer Wave offering, which has ramifications for when Israel can eat the current wheat harvest. In addition, we also reenacted the giving of the shoulder, two cheeks, and stomach of an ox to the priests.”
And this shall be the Kohanim’s due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give unto the Kohen the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. Deuteronomy 18:3
“This is not only part of a sacrifice, but is also an issue of kashrut (kosher laws), which we should be doing today,” explained Rabbi Weiss. “Instead, it is treated in a rather shabby, symbolic manner.”
In Matthew 25, the parablle of the ten virgins I have found several correlations with the Feast of Trumpets.
1. You have a midnight cry which would only take place during the Feast of Trumpets as that is when the first sighting of the new moon would take place.
2. The cry is that the bridegroom cometh, which is also relevant only to the Feast of Trumpets
3. There is an awakening from this cry and that is what this cry is called during the feast of trumpets, the awakening blast.
4. Five of the virgins enter in and then the door is closed. That closing of the door takes place on Yom Kippur, nine days after Feast of Trumpets.
5. The wise virgins enter into the wedding feast which is the Feast of Tabernacles, two weeks after the Feast of Trumpets. The foolish virgins are locked out of the wedding feast, that woulld take place on Yom Kippur, nine days after the Feast of Trumpets.
6. Jesus concludes that you don't know the day or the hour, which is an idiom for the Feast of Trumpets.
7. Finally, the Feast of Trumpets takes place when the sun is in Virgo, the virgin.
Any one of these could be a coincidence, but all seven, no.
So then I thought what about the other references in the New Testament to the midnight hour?
1. Mark 13:35 – The Master's Return
2. Luke 11:5 – The Friend Seeking Bread at Midnight
3. Acts 16:25 – Paul and Silas in Prison
4. Acts 20:7 – Paul Preaching Until Midnight
5. Acts 27:27 – The Shipwreck Watch
1. You have a midnight cry which would only take place during the Feast of Trumpets as that is when the first sighting of the new moon would take place.
2. The cry is that the bridegroom cometh, which is also relevant only to the Feast of Trumpets
3. There is an awakening from this cry and that is what this cry is called during the feast of trumpets, the awakening blast.
4. Five of the virgins enter in and then the door is closed. That closing of the door takes place on Yom Kippur, nine days after Feast of Trumpets.
5. The wise virgins enter into the wedding feast which is the Feast of Tabernacles, two weeks after the Feast of Trumpets. The foolish virgins are locked out of the wedding feast, that woulld take place on Yom Kippur, nine days after the Feast of Trumpets.
6. Jesus concludes that you don't know the day or the hour, which is an idiom for the Feast of Trumpets.
7. Finally, the Feast of Trumpets takes place when the sun is in Virgo, the virgin.
Any one of these could be a coincidence, but all seven, no.
So then I thought what about the other references in the New Testament to the midnight hour?
1. Mark 13:35 – The Master's Return
- The Verse: "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning..." [1]
- Feast of Trumpets Connection: This is an explicit second-coming watchfulness warning. The Feast of Trumpets is famously nicknamed "the festival where no man knows the day or the hour," because it is the only biblical feast that begins exactly on a new moon, requiring visual confirmation by two witnesses before it can officially begin. The Feast of Trumpets is a reference to the coming of the King.
2. Luke 11:5 – The Friend Seeking Bread at Midnight
- The Verse: "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves...’"
- Feast of Trumpets Connection: In this parable, the door is shut for the night, requiring urgent, persistent "knocking" to receive bread. The Feast of Trumpets opens the "Ten Days of Awe" leading to Yom Kippur, a season in Jewish tradition where the gates of heaven are opened and believers persistently pray and seek God's provision and mercy before the final judgment doors close.
3. Acts 16:25 – Paul and Silas in Prison
- The Verse: "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them."
- Feast of Trumpets Connection: While they sang at midnight, a sudden earthquake shook the foundations, prison doors flew open, and chains fell off. Prophetically, the Feast of Trumpets is strongly associated with the resurrection of the dead (breaking the ultimate chains of death) and the gathering of the saints. Midnight here serves as the precise tipping point between captivity and absolute, divine deliverance.
4. Acts 20:7 – Paul Preaching Until Midnight
- The Verse: "Now on the first day of the week... Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." [1]
- Feast of Trumpets Connection: During this marathon sermon, a young man named Eutychus falls asleep, falls out of a window to his death, and is subsequently raised back to life by Paul. A core theological theme of the Feast of Trumpets is the "Awaking Blast" (Teruah) meant to wake those who sleep, alongside the resurrection of the dead at the "last trumpet".
5. Acts 27:27 – The Shipwreck Watch
- The Verse: "Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near to some land."
- Feast of Trumpets Connection: This midnight realization occurs right before a catastrophic shipwreck where, despite total destruction of the vessel, every single soul on board is miraculously saved and brought safely to shore. It mirrors the prophetic "birth pangs" and tribulation themes associated with the end of the age and the final deliverance heralded by the Feast of Trumpets.
The rapture refers to the dead in Christ rising. So we have two very clear examples given to us in the gospel of John and also in Acts of two men, Lazarus and Eutychus being raised from the dead. So let's see if there are any references to the Feast of Trumpets in these two stories.
1. Eutychus and the Parable of the Ten Virgins
2. Lazarus, Eutychus, and the Feast of Trumpets
The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) literally translates to the "Day of the Awakening Blast" or day of shouting. In Jewish tradition and New Testament theology, it is inextricably linked to the resurrection of the dead and the "last trumpet"
1. Eutychus and the Parable of the Ten Virgins
- The Midnight Hour: Acts 20:7 notes that Paul prolonged his speech "until midnight." In the parable, the pivotal turning point occurs exactly at the same time: "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh" (Matthew 25:6).
- The Presence of Lamps: Luke explicitly logs a seemingly minor detail in Acts 20:8: "There were many lamps in the upper room." This directly matches the imagery of the ten virgins who all "took their lamps" to wait through the night.
- The Deep Sleep of the Waiting: As the Bridegroom tarried, the virgins "all slumbered and slept" (Matthew 25:5). Similarly, as Paul's message continues into the night, Eutychus is overcome by a "deep sleep" before falling to his death.
- The Awakening & Restoration: Just as the virgins are suddenly jarred awake by a loud cry at midnight, Eutychus is miraculously brought back to life.
2. Lazarus, Eutychus, and the Feast of Trumpets
The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) literally translates to the "Day of the Awakening Blast" or day of shouting. In Jewish tradition and New Testament theology, it is inextricably linked to the resurrection of the dead and the "last trumpet"
- The "Awakening" Command: When Jesus prepares to raise Lazarus, He uses precise Feast of Trumpets vocabulary: "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep". That is what the midnight cry is for the parable of the Virgins and that is what the shouting is for in the day of shouting, Yom Teruah, or Feast of Trumpets.
- The Loud Shout (Teruah): Yom Teruah requires the blowing of the shofar—a fractured, piercing shout intended to awaken people spiritually and prefigure the physical resurrection or it refers to actual shouts. When Jesus raises Lazarus, He doesn't whisper; He cries out "with a loud voice" ("Lazarus, come forth!"), mimicking the eschatological shout described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, where the Lord descends "with a shout... and with the trump of God."
- A "New Beginning" on the First Day: In Acts 20:7, Eutychus is raised on the first day of the week, which represents a new beginning. Historically, the Feast of Trumpets falls on Tishrei 1—the first day of the month marking the agricultural New Year and symbolic new beginnings for the earth.
There are exactly three verses in the New Testament that explicitly use the phrase "no one knows the day or the hour" (or "you know neither the day nor the hour"). All three are spoken by Jesus during His Olivet Discourse and end-times parables: [1, 2]
Notice how there is no mention of "no one knows the day or hour" in the gospel of Luke. The gospel of Luke is to those taken prior to the tribulation. If you are a tribulation saint no one knows the day or hour. You could be martyred, beheaded, or die at any time in the first half of the seven years. Likewise, for the salvation of the Jews as a nation no one knows the day or hour.
But there is no reference at all that says we would not know the day and hour that the seventieth week starts. Since every week of years begins on Rosh Hashanah it would be absurd to think the 70th week doesn't also begin on Rosh Hashanah.
- Matthew 24:36 – "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
- Matthew 25:13 – "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."
- Mark 13:32 – "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Notice how there is no mention of "no one knows the day or hour" in the gospel of Luke. The gospel of Luke is to those taken prior to the tribulation. If you are a tribulation saint no one knows the day or hour. You could be martyred, beheaded, or die at any time in the first half of the seven years. Likewise, for the salvation of the Jews as a nation no one knows the day or hour.
But there is no reference at all that says we would not know the day and hour that the seventieth week starts. Since every week of years begins on Rosh Hashanah it would be absurd to think the 70th week doesn't also begin on Rosh Hashanah.
Luke 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
For example, suppose you were the CEO of a hypothetical ministry that 100 million people globally were interested in. But that was when you became CEO, a year later less than 100,000 people are interested in your ministry, and only because of the guy who had been CEO prior to you. Not only so but there are a lot of people accusing you of having driven this ministry into the ground. Best case scenario they are saying you are incompetent, worst case scenario they are saying it was intentional.
2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
The way to respond to this charge is not to whine about how you need a little "grace". Every person has annual reviews, this is your annual review. At the beginning of the year when you took over as CEO you had to give a vision of where you were planning to take this ministry. Hypothetically speaking, suppose you said you were going to make the ministry ten times greater than it was. Now when you appear before the Lord you have to give account, here is what you said, and here is the actual result.
3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
This is the right attitude. You see if you were intentionally trying to destroy the ministry you would not have any interest in being received into their houses once you get fired. If it was intentional to destroy the ministry the person would be complaining about being held accountable.
5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
Salesmen get a commission. That commission can be as much as 50%, or it might be 20%, but the ones selling a product will get a hefty percentage of the retail price. This salesman is saying it is time to sacrifice my commission. In our hypothetical example with the ministry the commission is the person's ego and pride. They are willing to be nothing. You will never see this if the person's actual intent was to destroy the ministry. If that was the goal they were successful. They got rid of 99% of your customers. They are expecting a bonus from whoever hired them for this job, not a pay cut.
8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
In the final analysis we are unjust. We were not saved because of anything we did. This hypothetical CEO needs to realize they are not standing on how great they are, they are standing on the Lord's righteousness. You are simply a conduit to take God's goods and deliver them to those who need them.
9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
There are many ways to interpret this, but only one way that aligns with everything the Lord has said about the mammon of unrighteousness. We are to put our treasure in heaven and the way we do that is by giving that money to the Lord for His kingdom.
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
To an unbeliever the money is not "the least", it is their prime motivation. But to someone who is focused on eternity the money which is vanity and will go up in a puff of smoke one day, that is the least. What is much in the eyes of eternity are the souls you are reaching. In this hypothetical ministry the proper attitude of a true born again believer is that they are unjust and have nothing in themselves to boast of, they are standing on the Lord's righteousness. Not only so but their mission is not to amass a whole lot of vain wealth, and hob nob with the rich and powerful people of this dark age. No, their mission is to save souls by bringing the bread and oil to the hungry souls.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
Do you see how brilliant the Lord is. Putting this person in charge as CEO of this hypothetical ministry revealed their heart. I don't want to be sexist, many Christians are accused of being paternalistic and sexist. Let's assume our hypothetical CEO is a woman. Her tenure as CEO will reveal her heart. Is she proud and arrogant? Is she trusting in her own strength? Is the motivated by greed? Or is she focused on feeding hungry souls, feeding the Lord's sheep? Is she willing to be nothing in order to accomplish this goal?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
This is somewhat unrealistic. Apparently in our hypothetical ministry this woman takes over a ministry that belonged to another without having done anything. It was handed to her. This reminds me of Paul who didn't want anything handed to him but said he only wanted to minister where others had not labored so that there would be no dispute. This is actually a big problem in Christianity. A church is raised up through the gospel by the labor of others. But eventually they hire a pastor who had nothing to do with raising up that church. What have we seen, exactly the same thing, attendance at many of these churches driven into the ground. Is it because the pastors they hire are incompetent? Or is it because FreeMasons are on the board of directors and they want the churches to be destroyed?
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Wow, the Lord has presented another possibility. You could think that you were serving the Lord but also wanted to make a lot of money as well. The old "have your cake and eat it" situation. He says you can't have it both, either you are 100% for the Lord, willing to sacrifice everything else for Him, or you will despise His authority. Suppose for example the Lord wants you to speak about hell, but you think, no, that could drive away some of our members. This means you have two masters, one is saying the ultimate goal is to fill the seats of the church and the other is saying you need to speak words of salt and light, you need to be faithful to share the full counsel of God.
For example, suppose you were the CEO of a hypothetical ministry that 100 million people globally were interested in. But that was when you became CEO, a year later less than 100,000 people are interested in your ministry, and only because of the guy who had been CEO prior to you. Not only so but there are a lot of people accusing you of having driven this ministry into the ground. Best case scenario they are saying you are incompetent, worst case scenario they are saying it was intentional.
2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
The way to respond to this charge is not to whine about how you need a little "grace". Every person has annual reviews, this is your annual review. At the beginning of the year when you took over as CEO you had to give a vision of where you were planning to take this ministry. Hypothetically speaking, suppose you said you were going to make the ministry ten times greater than it was. Now when you appear before the Lord you have to give account, here is what you said, and here is the actual result.
3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
This is the right attitude. You see if you were intentionally trying to destroy the ministry you would not have any interest in being received into their houses once you get fired. If it was intentional to destroy the ministry the person would be complaining about being held accountable.
5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
Salesmen get a commission. That commission can be as much as 50%, or it might be 20%, but the ones selling a product will get a hefty percentage of the retail price. This salesman is saying it is time to sacrifice my commission. In our hypothetical example with the ministry the commission is the person's ego and pride. They are willing to be nothing. You will never see this if the person's actual intent was to destroy the ministry. If that was the goal they were successful. They got rid of 99% of your customers. They are expecting a bonus from whoever hired them for this job, not a pay cut.
8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
In the final analysis we are unjust. We were not saved because of anything we did. This hypothetical CEO needs to realize they are not standing on how great they are, they are standing on the Lord's righteousness. You are simply a conduit to take God's goods and deliver them to those who need them.
9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
There are many ways to interpret this, but only one way that aligns with everything the Lord has said about the mammon of unrighteousness. We are to put our treasure in heaven and the way we do that is by giving that money to the Lord for His kingdom.
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
To an unbeliever the money is not "the least", it is their prime motivation. But to someone who is focused on eternity the money which is vanity and will go up in a puff of smoke one day, that is the least. What is much in the eyes of eternity are the souls you are reaching. In this hypothetical ministry the proper attitude of a true born again believer is that they are unjust and have nothing in themselves to boast of, they are standing on the Lord's righteousness. Not only so but their mission is not to amass a whole lot of vain wealth, and hob nob with the rich and powerful people of this dark age. No, their mission is to save souls by bringing the bread and oil to the hungry souls.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
Do you see how brilliant the Lord is. Putting this person in charge as CEO of this hypothetical ministry revealed their heart. I don't want to be sexist, many Christians are accused of being paternalistic and sexist. Let's assume our hypothetical CEO is a woman. Her tenure as CEO will reveal her heart. Is she proud and arrogant? Is she trusting in her own strength? Is the motivated by greed? Or is she focused on feeding hungry souls, feeding the Lord's sheep? Is she willing to be nothing in order to accomplish this goal?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
This is somewhat unrealistic. Apparently in our hypothetical ministry this woman takes over a ministry that belonged to another without having done anything. It was handed to her. This reminds me of Paul who didn't want anything handed to him but said he only wanted to minister where others had not labored so that there would be no dispute. This is actually a big problem in Christianity. A church is raised up through the gospel by the labor of others. But eventually they hire a pastor who had nothing to do with raising up that church. What have we seen, exactly the same thing, attendance at many of these churches driven into the ground. Is it because the pastors they hire are incompetent? Or is it because FreeMasons are on the board of directors and they want the churches to be destroyed?
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Wow, the Lord has presented another possibility. You could think that you were serving the Lord but also wanted to make a lot of money as well. The old "have your cake and eat it" situation. He says you can't have it both, either you are 100% for the Lord, willing to sacrifice everything else for Him, or you will despise His authority. Suppose for example the Lord wants you to speak about hell, but you think, no, that could drive away some of our members. This means you have two masters, one is saying the ultimate goal is to fill the seats of the church and the other is saying you need to speak words of salt and light, you need to be faithful to share the full counsel of God.
Luke 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
This is crucial, the context of this portion is covetousness of the religious leaders.
15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
How does a religious leader justify themselves before men? Perhaps they have a "large, influential congregation". If you have a big giant church with 10,000 members you are going to be a very influential church in the community. For example, in NYC there are roughly 60 Lutheran churches, and even more there are roughly 4,000 protestant churches in NYC and 500 Catholic churches. So if you were the Bishop of a denomination or of the Catholic church, you are going to be very influential politically. But God is not looking at your wealth, your numbers or your political influence. He is looking at your heart. Is your heart to serve the Lord whatever the cost, or will that exclude anything that would weaken the wealth and political influence of your church? A great example of this is the movie "Spotlight" about the Catholic church's influence in Boston and how they justified themselves before men because of their "good works" but beneath the surface they were abominable, with priests abusing children and the church hiding that abuse.
16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
People thought that the Catholic church was too big, too powerful, you can't go against this big institutional power. But the reality was a little newspaper with four investigative journalists pursuing the story were able to expose the entire scandal nationwide because the law is much more powerful.
18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
Marriage is a covenant relationship. Our walk with the Lord is a covenant relationship. Why is it that some churches have put away the Bible as the key ruler over the relationship? Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. This is what happens when you are trying to serve two masters, it will inevitably result in divorce. For example, suppose the Bishop in Boston was not a pedophile, why would he protect priests who were pedophiles? Statistically they only represented 5% of the priests. If you dealt with them appropriately the Catholic church could survive without them. The problem was that even though it was only 5% that were abusing children, it was 50% who were living in sin (some went to prostitutes, some were homosexual, and some were in consensual relationships. The pedophile priests knew this, so firing 5% could result in 50% of the priests being exposed and that the Catholic church could not survive). Adultery is like gangrene, if you don't deal with it then it spreads. The church was ridiculed for being Victorian and prudish towards sex, so they shut up and soon it is anything goes in the US. Think of the evolution of TV, it used to be there was no sexual perversion on TV, then, skip ahead 70 years and what used to be X rated is now available on TV.
If you had told the pastors in the 1950s that decided to tone down the rhetoric that this is where it was heading they would not have believed you. By 2004 David Wilkerson, a pastor in Times Square NY, was preaching about the US becoming Sodom and Gomorrah and that received very strong backlash.
This is crucial, the context of this portion is covetousness of the religious leaders.
15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
How does a religious leader justify themselves before men? Perhaps they have a "large, influential congregation". If you have a big giant church with 10,000 members you are going to be a very influential church in the community. For example, in NYC there are roughly 60 Lutheran churches, and even more there are roughly 4,000 protestant churches in NYC and 500 Catholic churches. So if you were the Bishop of a denomination or of the Catholic church, you are going to be very influential politically. But God is not looking at your wealth, your numbers or your political influence. He is looking at your heart. Is your heart to serve the Lord whatever the cost, or will that exclude anything that would weaken the wealth and political influence of your church? A great example of this is the movie "Spotlight" about the Catholic church's influence in Boston and how they justified themselves before men because of their "good works" but beneath the surface they were abominable, with priests abusing children and the church hiding that abuse.
16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
People thought that the Catholic church was too big, too powerful, you can't go against this big institutional power. But the reality was a little newspaper with four investigative journalists pursuing the story were able to expose the entire scandal nationwide because the law is much more powerful.
18 Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.
Marriage is a covenant relationship. Our walk with the Lord is a covenant relationship. Why is it that some churches have put away the Bible as the key ruler over the relationship? Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. This is what happens when you are trying to serve two masters, it will inevitably result in divorce. For example, suppose the Bishop in Boston was not a pedophile, why would he protect priests who were pedophiles? Statistically they only represented 5% of the priests. If you dealt with them appropriately the Catholic church could survive without them. The problem was that even though it was only 5% that were abusing children, it was 50% who were living in sin (some went to prostitutes, some were homosexual, and some were in consensual relationships. The pedophile priests knew this, so firing 5% could result in 50% of the priests being exposed and that the Catholic church could not survive). Adultery is like gangrene, if you don't deal with it then it spreads. The church was ridiculed for being Victorian and prudish towards sex, so they shut up and soon it is anything goes in the US. Think of the evolution of TV, it used to be there was no sexual perversion on TV, then, skip ahead 70 years and what used to be X rated is now available on TV.
If you had told the pastors in the 1950s that decided to tone down the rhetoric that this is where it was heading they would not have believed you. By 2004 David Wilkerson, a pastor in Times Square NY, was preaching about the US becoming Sodom and Gomorrah and that received very strong backlash.
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Most teachers of the word think that this is a coincidence that this guy is called Lazarus, and the guy in John raised from the dead is called Lazarus. I disagree, I think this story refers to the same Lazarus that is in the gospel of John. I would hope everyone can at least consider this possibility. First, it bothered me that a story as big as Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead would be skipped by the other three gospel writers. Lazarus rising from the dead is as big as the rapture, how could the other gospel writers skip this? But then it hit me, this account of Lazarus is half the story, and the account in Mark is the other half. The thing that always bothered me about Mark is why does everyone go out in the wilderness to see John the Baptist? What happened to cause all those people to go out to the wilderness? Mark describes it as "the beginning of the gospel" and yet begins about 30+ years after where the gospel of Luke begins. For Luke the gospel begins with a Jewish priest being visited by an angel 30 years earlier. In Mark no one paid any attention to that, but there was some big event they did pay attention to, so much that they went out into the wilderness to hear John rebuke them for their unrighteousness. I believe the event being depicted is the rapture, or in this case, Lazarus being raised from the dead. Luke concludes right before the instant of the rapture and Mark begins right after that instant. Matthew is different, it describes the gospel beginning with Abraham and David, and Jesus' birth coinciding with an atrocity against the Jews.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
The beggar is Lazarus. The name is the same as Eleazar, the servant of Abraham who was from Damascus and went and got Isaac a bride. In that story with Abraham and Rebecca Eleazar is likened to the Holy Spirit. But who is a "beggar" that goes to Abraham's bosom in this story? We have to look at the previous 20 verses. He is the faithful servant who sacrifices his own commission to get the food and oil to the hungry souls. The unjust steward is likened to a beggar, going to the debtors of his master and begging them to pay off the debts while sacrificing his own commission. Likewise, the story about the Pharisees who justify themselves before men and care about the things that men esteem while ignoring God's commands. These are the two people in this story that die. One is dressed in purple, dines sumptuously, thinks he is a big shot, only to go to hell, while the other is carried to Abraham's bosom.
I also liken this story to Isaiah 17 and Damascus becoming a ruinous heap. Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city. In a sense it is like Methuselah and Methuselah's death is one of the days of Noah, it was the day that Noah entered the ark, seven days before the flood began. The rapture takes place prior to the seven year tribulation and Methuselah's death takes place seven days before the flood on the earth that takes them all away. The rich man dressed in purple reminds me of a Bishop of a large denomination or of the Catholic church. So at the same time as the rapture you will also get the judgment on the apostasy.
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Jesus Christ is the living water. If you, in this lifetime, choose a different husband to obey, money, power, etc. Well then for eternity you will be stuck with that different husband and guess what, there is no living water. That was your choice. You enjoyed the flame when you were roasting widows and orphans, but now you are in that same flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
You see, this is the same story about Lazarus that we hear in John. In John we see him having been sent back from the dead. I believe the 144,000 evangelists during the tribulation that have been sealed and can't be touched by Satan, the Antichrist, or the fallen angels are these faithful servants who appeared as beggars on the outside, but God knew their heart, and they were faithful to the Lord rejecting money, power or any other substitute for obedience to the Lord.
Most teachers of the word think that this is a coincidence that this guy is called Lazarus, and the guy in John raised from the dead is called Lazarus. I disagree, I think this story refers to the same Lazarus that is in the gospel of John. I would hope everyone can at least consider this possibility. First, it bothered me that a story as big as Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead would be skipped by the other three gospel writers. Lazarus rising from the dead is as big as the rapture, how could the other gospel writers skip this? But then it hit me, this account of Lazarus is half the story, and the account in Mark is the other half. The thing that always bothered me about Mark is why does everyone go out in the wilderness to see John the Baptist? What happened to cause all those people to go out to the wilderness? Mark describes it as "the beginning of the gospel" and yet begins about 30+ years after where the gospel of Luke begins. For Luke the gospel begins with a Jewish priest being visited by an angel 30 years earlier. In Mark no one paid any attention to that, but there was some big event they did pay attention to, so much that they went out into the wilderness to hear John rebuke them for their unrighteousness. I believe the event being depicted is the rapture, or in this case, Lazarus being raised from the dead. Luke concludes right before the instant of the rapture and Mark begins right after that instant. Matthew is different, it describes the gospel beginning with Abraham and David, and Jesus' birth coinciding with an atrocity against the Jews.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
The beggar is Lazarus. The name is the same as Eleazar, the servant of Abraham who was from Damascus and went and got Isaac a bride. In that story with Abraham and Rebecca Eleazar is likened to the Holy Spirit. But who is a "beggar" that goes to Abraham's bosom in this story? We have to look at the previous 20 verses. He is the faithful servant who sacrifices his own commission to get the food and oil to the hungry souls. The unjust steward is likened to a beggar, going to the debtors of his master and begging them to pay off the debts while sacrificing his own commission. Likewise, the story about the Pharisees who justify themselves before men and care about the things that men esteem while ignoring God's commands. These are the two people in this story that die. One is dressed in purple, dines sumptuously, thinks he is a big shot, only to go to hell, while the other is carried to Abraham's bosom.
I also liken this story to Isaiah 17 and Damascus becoming a ruinous heap. Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city. In a sense it is like Methuselah and Methuselah's death is one of the days of Noah, it was the day that Noah entered the ark, seven days before the flood began. The rapture takes place prior to the seven year tribulation and Methuselah's death takes place seven days before the flood on the earth that takes them all away. The rich man dressed in purple reminds me of a Bishop of a large denomination or of the Catholic church. So at the same time as the rapture you will also get the judgment on the apostasy.
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Jesus Christ is the living water. If you, in this lifetime, choose a different husband to obey, money, power, etc. Well then for eternity you will be stuck with that different husband and guess what, there is no living water. That was your choice. You enjoyed the flame when you were roasting widows and orphans, but now you are in that same flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
You see, this is the same story about Lazarus that we hear in John. In John we see him having been sent back from the dead. I believe the 144,000 evangelists during the tribulation that have been sealed and can't be touched by Satan, the Antichrist, or the fallen angels are these faithful servants who appeared as beggars on the outside, but God knew their heart, and they were faithful to the Lord rejecting money, power or any other substitute for obedience to the Lord.
Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
"Take heed to yourself" does not simply refer to forgiving those that repent, but also to rebuking those that trespass. Take a look at social media. You see nasty exchanges. Many do not rebuke, they get offended, become bitter, and will often spew the same vile attacks that offended them, or they become silent and slink away into a corner. Neither is correct. We are told to rebuke those that trespass against us. Once you have rebuked them for the trespass they have a choice, repent or not. Again you will find many who refuse to admit fault in any matter. But "take heed to yourself" is not referring to the one who refuses to repent, it is referring to the one who was offended.
4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Imagine someone who trespasses seven times in one day and is rebuked seven times and each time they repent. That is bizarre. I don't think that could refer to a thief stealing something seven times, I don't think this could refer to an adulterer, I suppose it could refer to a liar.
5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
A sycamine tree is a deep rooted tree, like a false doctrine or some doctrine in error. Take a look at all the debates on Christian forums, they are almost always about these deep rooted doctrines. "Once Saved Always Saved" is one example. Dominion theology is a second. Eschatology is a third.
Charlie Kirk was an excellent example of someone who could, with a very small word, uproot a deeply entrenched teaching. Paul uprooted the doctrine concerning circumcision, Jesus uprooted the doctrine concerning the sabbath day and Peter uprooted the doctrine concerning Kosher food. In every case the "faith as a grain of mustard seed" refers to the cross of Christ.
7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? 8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
The Lord told us that his meat is to do the Father's will. When I see these arguments I try to ignore them. I have a job to do, I am focused on that job, I don't want to get bogged down in a debate over "OSAS" or some other issue. It is just like the person that doesn't want to get involved in rebuking someone who trespassed against them. The Lord said to "take heed to yourself". We need to be very attentive to the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it is the Holy Spirit who needs you to get involved. The question is not "I'm tired" or "I have better things to do". The question is "what is the Lord saying to you, does He want you to address this?" Or, is it "your duty" to address this? In the old testament we are told that if we see someone commit a sin it is our duty to confront that, if we don't their blood is on our head.
"Take heed to yourself" does not simply refer to forgiving those that repent, but also to rebuking those that trespass. Take a look at social media. You see nasty exchanges. Many do not rebuke, they get offended, become bitter, and will often spew the same vile attacks that offended them, or they become silent and slink away into a corner. Neither is correct. We are told to rebuke those that trespass against us. Once you have rebuked them for the trespass they have a choice, repent or not. Again you will find many who refuse to admit fault in any matter. But "take heed to yourself" is not referring to the one who refuses to repent, it is referring to the one who was offended.
4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Imagine someone who trespasses seven times in one day and is rebuked seven times and each time they repent. That is bizarre. I don't think that could refer to a thief stealing something seven times, I don't think this could refer to an adulterer, I suppose it could refer to a liar.
5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
A sycamine tree is a deep rooted tree, like a false doctrine or some doctrine in error. Take a look at all the debates on Christian forums, they are almost always about these deep rooted doctrines. "Once Saved Always Saved" is one example. Dominion theology is a second. Eschatology is a third.
Charlie Kirk was an excellent example of someone who could, with a very small word, uproot a deeply entrenched teaching. Paul uprooted the doctrine concerning circumcision, Jesus uprooted the doctrine concerning the sabbath day and Peter uprooted the doctrine concerning Kosher food. In every case the "faith as a grain of mustard seed" refers to the cross of Christ.
7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? 8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
The Lord told us that his meat is to do the Father's will. When I see these arguments I try to ignore them. I have a job to do, I am focused on that job, I don't want to get bogged down in a debate over "OSAS" or some other issue. It is just like the person that doesn't want to get involved in rebuking someone who trespassed against them. The Lord said to "take heed to yourself". We need to be very attentive to the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it is the Holy Spirit who needs you to get involved. The question is not "I'm tired" or "I have better things to do". The question is "what is the Lord saying to you, does He want you to address this?" Or, is it "your duty" to address this? In the old testament we are told that if we see someone commit a sin it is our duty to confront that, if we don't their blood is on our head.
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
This is a crucial concept relevant to this blog concerning the rapture. The church growing and maturing is what is forcing the hand of the enemy. I am simply one believer, but I do believe I am representative of what is happening. In 2020 I started this blog on another forum. Prior to that I had been involved in the gospel, but never to this extent. When I was preaching the gospel in Taiwan I might have spoken to 1,000 people in one year. Likewise when I was preaching the gospel on the college campus I had been at. But this blog is going out to hundreds of thousands of people. Now consider how many Christians are talking, commenting or fellowshipping on various platforms like this forum, or Facebook, or Youtube. In the last six years the gospel has exploded on the internet and so Satan must respond, his hand is forced, if he doesn't do something now the whole world will believe in Jesus Christ, the savior.
22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. 23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
So, how does the lightning shine? The other night we had a storm with lightning and thunder. First the clouds gathered, the sky darkened and you could tell that it was humid and a storm was coming. There is a difference from clouds, rain clouds, and storm clouds. You could tell that these were not fluffy white clouds, or simply summer showers, you could tell there was going to be a big storm. And then, the entire sky lit up. Not a sound, just the bright flash. The thunder comes later.
25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
This is a requirement. Jesus says this must happen, there is nothing you can do to prevent this from happening. These are the trespasses against the faithful servants of the Lord that He was talking about earlier in this chapter. The fact that you have to suffer many things is a requirement. Maybe it is insults, maybe it is changing the laws so that they can take your job or your house. Maybe it is changing the laws so they can imprison you and throw you into the lions den like Daniel, or into the furnace of fire like his three friends. When you rebuked the one who had trespassed against you it was to distinguish the true believer who will repent from the children of this generation who will not repent but will double down on their trespasses. The gospel going out forces Satan's hand to "shut you up" and his hand "shutting you up" illegally is what prompts the Day of the Lord's judgment on this generation. There is a process, someone trespasses, you warn them of their trespass, they ignore that warning, ridicule it, and double down on the trespass. That has set the stage for the Lord to come in and judge. If we do not suffer many things in speaking the truth of the gospel then we have not paved the way for the Lord to step in and judge.
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Now that is truly funny, I hope everyone got a good laugh from that. Do you think the flood came because they were eating, drinking, and getting married? It is funny how people who are living in sin can just paper everything over as though they are simply living a normal, sin free life. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Do you think he was telling them to repent from eating, drinking and getting married? I have heard a lot of preaching warning of the coming judgment and it is never because people eat, drink and get married. No, it is because of the lies, the thefts, the murders, the hate, the covetousness, etc.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
This is hysterical, the Lord is really being funny. We read about Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament. Was that the thing that really struck you about them, that they were eating, drinking, selling, planting and building? When you hear about Sodom and Gomorrah, say a Wilkerson sermon on the US becoming Sodom and Gomorrah is that the first thing that comes to mind? Oh yeah, the builders? People can be the most heinous repulsive sinners and yet when you talk to them they completely forget about the deviant sex, adultery, foul mouth, etc. They conveniently forget about the mob outside of Lot's house trying to rape them.
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Some people will not repent, the Lord knows that, you did your job, you warned them. God is omniscient, He knows the hearts, they can lie to you, they can't lie to God.
This is a crucial concept relevant to this blog concerning the rapture. The church growing and maturing is what is forcing the hand of the enemy. I am simply one believer, but I do believe I am representative of what is happening. In 2020 I started this blog on another forum. Prior to that I had been involved in the gospel, but never to this extent. When I was preaching the gospel in Taiwan I might have spoken to 1,000 people in one year. Likewise when I was preaching the gospel on the college campus I had been at. But this blog is going out to hundreds of thousands of people. Now consider how many Christians are talking, commenting or fellowshipping on various platforms like this forum, or Facebook, or Youtube. In the last six years the gospel has exploded on the internet and so Satan must respond, his hand is forced, if he doesn't do something now the whole world will believe in Jesus Christ, the savior.
22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. 23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. 24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
So, how does the lightning shine? The other night we had a storm with lightning and thunder. First the clouds gathered, the sky darkened and you could tell that it was humid and a storm was coming. There is a difference from clouds, rain clouds, and storm clouds. You could tell that these were not fluffy white clouds, or simply summer showers, you could tell there was going to be a big storm. And then, the entire sky lit up. Not a sound, just the bright flash. The thunder comes later.
25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
This is a requirement. Jesus says this must happen, there is nothing you can do to prevent this from happening. These are the trespasses against the faithful servants of the Lord that He was talking about earlier in this chapter. The fact that you have to suffer many things is a requirement. Maybe it is insults, maybe it is changing the laws so that they can take your job or your house. Maybe it is changing the laws so they can imprison you and throw you into the lions den like Daniel, or into the furnace of fire like his three friends. When you rebuked the one who had trespassed against you it was to distinguish the true believer who will repent from the children of this generation who will not repent but will double down on their trespasses. The gospel going out forces Satan's hand to "shut you up" and his hand "shutting you up" illegally is what prompts the Day of the Lord's judgment on this generation. There is a process, someone trespasses, you warn them of their trespass, they ignore that warning, ridicule it, and double down on the trespass. That has set the stage for the Lord to come in and judge. If we do not suffer many things in speaking the truth of the gospel then we have not paved the way for the Lord to step in and judge.
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Now that is truly funny, I hope everyone got a good laugh from that. Do you think the flood came because they were eating, drinking, and getting married? It is funny how people who are living in sin can just paper everything over as though they are simply living a normal, sin free life. Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Do you think he was telling them to repent from eating, drinking and getting married? I have heard a lot of preaching warning of the coming judgment and it is never because people eat, drink and get married. No, it is because of the lies, the thefts, the murders, the hate, the covetousness, etc.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
This is hysterical, the Lord is really being funny. We read about Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament. Was that the thing that really struck you about them, that they were eating, drinking, selling, planting and building? When you hear about Sodom and Gomorrah, say a Wilkerson sermon on the US becoming Sodom and Gomorrah is that the first thing that comes to mind? Oh yeah, the builders? People can be the most heinous repulsive sinners and yet when you talk to them they completely forget about the deviant sex, adultery, foul mouth, etc. They conveniently forget about the mob outside of Lot's house trying to rape them.
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Some people will not repent, the Lord knows that, you did your job, you warned them. God is omniscient, He knows the hearts, they can lie to you, they can't lie to God.
Luke 17:31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.
Luke is written to the saints raptured prior to the tribulation. So this word would refer to the pre tribulation rapture. Many people have prepared for what takes place after the rapture because even if they are taken they have family that might not be. They have a lot of stuff prepped for this day and yet according to this word for many, it will be lost in an instant. It seems like there will be a warning, but too brief to do anything other than run. You might have a 15 minute warning that a huge tsunami is coming. A bicycle can travel at 15mph even in grid lock traffic. If you have a 15 minute warning you could get 4 miles away. If you were living a mile from the ocean that would put five miles between you and the Tsunami. If you are at work when you get the warning you don't have time to go back home first, everyone should be fleeing in one direction. Suppose you were in Manhattan when the warning came for a Tsunami. You might be two miles from the coastline. In fifteen minutes you could walk another mile. That might be enough to keep you from being killed.
32 Remember Lot's wife.
The point is "don't look back". Take off running and don't look back.
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
There is a context to this verse. The context is that offenses must come but woe to them by whom they come. This sudden destruction is that woe. You are to take heed to yourself to rebuke those you see sin and then forgive them if they repent. If you don't rebuke those who sin then you will suffer the same judgment they suffer, and if you do rebuke them but don't forgive those who repent, then that root of bitterness will also cause you to be left behind. Here Jesus is saying "don't seek to save your life". People come up with all kinds of excuses for why they don't rebuke those that they see trespassing. The Lord never said we have a choice whether or not to rebuke someone that we see sinning. But Christians want to claim they are "forgiving them" without having rebuked the sin and without the person having repented of the sin. That is bogus.
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Wow, do you get this? That is your warning. When you see Christians being raptured that is the warning from God to run.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
To be reclining indicates you are eating. To be grinding indicates you are preparing a message from the word of God and to be in the field refers to the gospel work. Therefore to be reclining and eating suggests sitting and listening to a sermon. So you have two Christians in church listening to a sermon, two preachers preparing a sermon and two evangelists in the field preaching the gospel. One is taken (as a close personal friend of the Lord) and one is left (divorced). This should not shock us, think of a woman who is in an adulterous affair and she gets the papers notifying her that her husband is divorcing her. She might be cooking dinner, she might be at work, she might be at church. That is the picture here.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
If you are standing for the Lord against sin the vultures will be gathered together against you. Think of Sodom and Gomorrah, where were the two angels who had come to warn Lot? They were in the house where the mob was gathered together to rape and kill them. According to the book of jubilees the same thing happened with Noah. When he was in the ark with the family and it had started to rain the townspeople besieged the boat trying to get in.
Luke is written to the saints raptured prior to the tribulation. So this word would refer to the pre tribulation rapture. Many people have prepared for what takes place after the rapture because even if they are taken they have family that might not be. They have a lot of stuff prepped for this day and yet according to this word for many, it will be lost in an instant. It seems like there will be a warning, but too brief to do anything other than run. You might have a 15 minute warning that a huge tsunami is coming. A bicycle can travel at 15mph even in grid lock traffic. If you have a 15 minute warning you could get 4 miles away. If you were living a mile from the ocean that would put five miles between you and the Tsunami. If you are at work when you get the warning you don't have time to go back home first, everyone should be fleeing in one direction. Suppose you were in Manhattan when the warning came for a Tsunami. You might be two miles from the coastline. In fifteen minutes you could walk another mile. That might be enough to keep you from being killed.
32 Remember Lot's wife.
The point is "don't look back". Take off running and don't look back.
33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
There is a context to this verse. The context is that offenses must come but woe to them by whom they come. This sudden destruction is that woe. You are to take heed to yourself to rebuke those you see sin and then forgive them if they repent. If you don't rebuke those who sin then you will suffer the same judgment they suffer, and if you do rebuke them but don't forgive those who repent, then that root of bitterness will also cause you to be left behind. Here Jesus is saying "don't seek to save your life". People come up with all kinds of excuses for why they don't rebuke those that they see trespassing. The Lord never said we have a choice whether or not to rebuke someone that we see sinning. But Christians want to claim they are "forgiving them" without having rebuked the sin and without the person having repented of the sin. That is bogus.
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Wow, do you get this? That is your warning. When you see Christians being raptured that is the warning from God to run.
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
To be reclining indicates you are eating. To be grinding indicates you are preparing a message from the word of God and to be in the field refers to the gospel work. Therefore to be reclining and eating suggests sitting and listening to a sermon. So you have two Christians in church listening to a sermon, two preachers preparing a sermon and two evangelists in the field preaching the gospel. One is taken (as a close personal friend of the Lord) and one is left (divorced). This should not shock us, think of a woman who is in an adulterous affair and she gets the papers notifying her that her husband is divorcing her. She might be cooking dinner, she might be at work, she might be at church. That is the picture here.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
If you are standing for the Lord against sin the vultures will be gathered together against you. Think of Sodom and Gomorrah, where were the two angels who had come to warn Lot? They were in the house where the mob was gathered together to rape and kill them. According to the book of jubilees the same thing happened with Noah. When he was in the ark with the family and it had started to rain the townspeople besieged the boat trying to get in.
Biblical Hebrew Names for Feast of Trumpets
- Yom HaZikaron (יוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן): The "Day of Remembrance." This highlights the theme of God remembering His covenant and humanity remembering its creator.
- Yom HaDin (יוֹם הַדִּין): The "Day of Judgment." In Jewish tradition, this is the day God opens the books of judgment to review the deeds of the past year.
- The Day of the Awakening Blast: A descriptive name highlighting the role of the shofar (ram's horn) in shocking people out of their spiritual slumber to prepare for a new year
- The Coronation of God as King: (Malchuyot) In mainstream Jewish tradition, the primary theme of Rosh Hashanah is crowning God as King of the universe. The blowing of the shofar imitates the trumpet blasts used at a human king's coronation. During the High Holy Day prayers, a massive section of the liturgy—called the Malchuyot (Kingship verses)—is entirely dedicated to declaring sovereignty.
9/11 is officially the day of remembrance in the US
And is considered a wake up call, or "an awakening blast"
The September 11 terrorist attacks served as a profound national wake-up call that shattered America's sense of invulnerability and permanently altered global security, intelligence, and domestic life. [1, 2, 3]
Exposing Vulnerabilities
- Intelligence Gaps: The attacks exposed critical blind spots in communication and coordination among U.S. intelligence and federal agencies, revealing that decentralized terrorist groups could exploit open societies. [1, 2]
- Illusion of Distance: 9/11 proved that geographic isolation no longer protected the United States from asymmetric threats hatched in distant regions. [1]
Major Shifts in Policy and Society
- Homeland Security: The federal government overhauled national security by creating the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), fundamentally changing public travel and surveillance. [1]
- Foreign Policy and Conflict: The tragedy precipitated long-term military campaigns against terrorism, reshaping international relations and defense spending. [1]
- Loss of Optimism: Historians and analysts note that the attacks marked the end of an era of post-Cold War innocent optimism, replacing it with a permanent-readiness mindset regarding national safety. [1]