The Apostle Paul knew he had run his race and would not be Raptured. The Lord informed all the Disciples that they would be martyred with the exception of John.
The Holy Spirit comforts us, reveals the truth of the Word of God, shows us things to come, convicts the ungodly of their need to repent, empowers believers with spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit does not restrain evil, evil is a product of sin in the hearts of men who refuse to repent.
I think part of it is that their audience is broad. For unbelievers who are listening in, teachers are imploring them to choose Jesus before its too late. For believers, I think its more ‘tie up loose ends’ and stay the course. A while back, the Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart, “Finish strong”. So I pondered what tasks God had already given me to do (journey with Him, wife, mom, pray for/share with unsaved family & friends…) and according to scripture, how do I finish them well no matter when the rapture might happen. And then, I just keep doing the next right thing…but always with my blessed hope in mind! 
Watchman on the wall 88 (Chad) shared ‘Listen to the Voice - David Gibbs’ again today and I think it speaks to both groups.
“Don’t listen to what’s going on in your head
and don’t watch the storm.
Stay with me.”
I can’t wait until the rapture happens and we find out HOW wrong we were lol! He said he was coming back, he tells us to trust him and completely rely on his strength, provisions and protection. So well that’s what we are going to do. He promises it. I am a no body, I’m poor, but love Him and lay my entire life entrusted in His care as He has given me salvation for my sins and rebellion against God through Jesus Christ. When He fed the 5,000 - he demonstrated that fulfills all our needs even the food we eat. We just need to seek Him, listen to Him and follow Him. He cares for us.
Ahhh yes the misunderstanding of scripture due to various literary styles and how through many books we get the whole picture of Jesus’ work on earth. In the OT we have a number of references that refer to the coming of Jesus some to his first coming and some to his second coming. We can think of it as looking at a pair of distant mountain ranges. From our vantage point we see what appears to us as just one mountain range but in fact are actually two. That is at ground level, or better said human vantage point not omniscient. But if we could be at Gods level looking down from above we would see the two ranges as separate with a large valley in between. For example we are sailing up to the west coast as we reach the shore, off in the distance we see the Sierra Nevadas. The Rockies are so far away we can’t actually see them but we now know there are two ranges. Between them is a vast landscape of lower lands. That is the same as what the OT paints in its word picture of the work of Jesus on earth, coming once then gone and then coming again.
So that implies a historical timeline of the past and if that is so and there is a future it too follows that same time line since Jesus has been to earth only once. That also tells us He will come again.
Fortunately for us the NT deals with the second coming since Jesus marked the point by His birth, death and resurrection as fulfillment of the first range of mountains. Additionally while on earth the first time He generously tells us about His return with some details of when we may know it is close. Thanks to the apostles asking Jesus even went so far as to give us markers or signs to indicate when we can expect so see it. It is kind of like driving across the nation and you are going through say Kansas headed to Denver. You leave Kansas city, you know the destination is ahead but you have no idea how far it may be. We can equate departure from Kansas city to the first advent of Jesus. So we drive and drive and we nothing to indicate how close we are until, off in the distance the Rockies start to appear on the horizon. Since we know Denver is at the base of that range now we know we are getting close but we still have no idea exactly how close. So a slight side road on that is the dispersal and regathering of Isreal. There were two of those we can see from our point in time. The two phases were not considered world wide to the known world at that time. The first happened in the OT in two phases. First was to Assyria and the second was to Babylon. One prophetic dispersal but in two phases. In the NT Jesus speaks of the coming dispersal which was the true world wide disporia. Jews ended up over the entire globe from that one. Now the majority of prophecy that speaks to the second regathering is in the OT but also some in the NT as well. The start of that happened in 1948. And since in the NT in Mathew 24:31 it speaks also of the gathering of Israel’s believers deals with the time of the Tribulation we know the physical return of Jews from all over the world is related to the time of the Tribulation. That is commonly known now as the prophetic start to the end times count down clock. In essence it is probably the first sign of the coming tribulation because we know Israel will be a nation again, there will be a thrid temple as it is prominently mentioned in Revelation.
This brings us back to our little trip to Denver across the American plains. So when we left for the side trip we were just starting to see the Rockies rise on the distant horizon. First sign we were getting close. We can equate that to the rebirth of the nation of Israel. As we continue on we will see our first highway sign that says Denver X miles ahead. At that point we will get a number of signs counting down the distance. We can equate that to the signs the apostles asked for in Mathew 24 and Luke 22. At some point we will actually start to see the city skyline start to appear just like the mountains did. We know we are getting very close and the road signs are coming more frequently the closer we get. So yes there are signs all along the way but, then suddenly we come to an exit from the highway which will loop around Denver before we ever get there. It came out of the clear blue, no warning just there. We can equate that to the rapture. It was sudden, it was before we got to Denver and could have happened at any point along our trip to make us bypass Denver all together. But it did not happen till we were close. Since the rapture has not happened yet and we, especially of the forum believe in the Pre-Trib Rapture we know is still future. We also know from the signs especially the frequency and ever growing intensity as Jesus described as labor pains we are already seeing the skyline of Denver and it has grown significantly in our view down the road. We are very close. Our sudden exit to go around Denver we know is coming but we don’t know exactly when just that it can happen in the next mile or the next few miles but definitely before we get to Denver.
Actually no they don’t. The only scripture that points to a list of signs specifically related to the time of the tribulation can be found in Mathew and Luke and only because Jesus was pressed by the apostles for such specific signs. Jesus was gracious enough to add the part about their frequency and intensity increase to make it easier for us to see and understand because we are a stiff necked people. We are just a tad bit slow on the learning curve at times or better said we have a bit of a learning disability, we can call it, EC syndrome, enemy confusion syndrome. That is the enemy throws so much at us and with our dismal human comprehension we can get wrapped around the axel so bad we don’t know which way is up. It takes us time to get our bearing straight.
There is really no contradiction. The Bible does not contradict itself although the enemy has been trying for all of history to get us to believe that. In fact scripture proves scripture every time without fail. Just because we don’t always see that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen that way.
If you are familiar with paintings you can see from a distance the subject of it. It is very clear the idea being conveyed. But if you get up very close with say a magnifying glass where you wold see lines say differentiating between a face or hair in a portrait and the back ground what you actually see is a kind of blurring of colors. From such a close vantage point you would have not idea who is in that portrait. It could be Whistlers Mother or the Mona Lisa. You simply do not know. So you have to stand back a ways taking in all the details as a whole to see it is the Mona Lisa. The reason why you are likely seeing contradictions is because old soot foot has your head shoved up agains the painting. Of course you are not going to make out who it is. But you can call on security (the Holy Spirit) to remove old soot foot from the premesis and then step back and see the picture as a whole.
As for the concreteness of scripture it is concrete as can be. It is the story of Jesus, redemption for our sins via His substitutionary death on our behalf. If you are not seeing it that way that is because you still need to step back to get the whole of it in view. Then you can move in close and admire the details and still understand how they work together to create the story picture of the Bible.
So to recap, we have a working time line. A point “A” and a point “B.” Point A is creation and point B is the Return of Jesus. Since time is linear and straight as timelines are depicted we can mark point starting at A from historical record. We can also start at point B and work because because we already know that the time line and the Tribulation both meet at point B so we can mark the start of the tribulation as it is 7 years long. Since the rebirth of Israel has happened we can even mark that. What we can’t mark specificall at this time is the list of signs Jesus gave to the apostles but we can get a rough idea that we will have a lot of marks close together before the start of the tribulation because we know the closer the we get to the tribulation the more frequent those signs will show up. The one thing we can’t mark with any accuracy of all is the Rapture. It is not dependent time wise on points A or B, the beginning of the tribulation the rebirth of Israel or any other point. It is related to the rebirth of Israel because that is directly related to the Triburlation as we know the Daniel prophecy of 490 years was stopped and still has to come to completion in the Tribulation 7 year period. So since the rapture cannot be directly associated with any other point on the time line and Israel has been regathered in 1948 as the only nation to ever be fully dispersed and then regathered with its specific race of people, something that has never happend before in all the world, as well as the tribulation we know it happens somewhere in between. Likewise as we see the signs from Mathew and Luke coming at us like the Enterprised going into warp seed and the stars go from point to blur lines indicating a high rate of speed we know we are very close to the kick of of the Tribulation. That means that any time between the present and the kick off of the tribulation period the rapture can occur since it has not happened yet but will happen because it has been prophesied in scripture. Therein lies the concept of Imminence. Since we can define imminence or better imminent as something we know is about to happen but not exactly when then we can understand that doctrine of imminence more clearly. Jesus referenced perfectly about the Pharisees and how they can read the signs of the skies, clouds growing darkness change in the temp, winds etc. and know a storm is coming, we say a storm is imminent. It could start at any moment. So it is also true that the storm clouds are building even now, the temperature is changing as the love of many is growing ever colder. The winds of deception are blowing every where, the storm of the tribulation we know is near, very near. Again since the rapture has not happened and will before the tribulation starts and the tribulation is so very close the rapture is even closer. We just can’t say what day or time it will happen only that it will.
Sorry for the long drawn out illustrations but given the subject at hand it can be a bit complicated and requires a number of points to be clarified to understand the bigger picture as well as the finer details of the picture.
I am in second round of listening to Pastor JD’s today sermon in order not to misunderstand him.
In minute 19:00 to 20:00, he mentioned every generation is being readied for rapture at any time, that is imminence there.
The timestamps refer to the sermon without worship.
You have the gift of being a teacher! That was a marvelous summary! Thanks for taking the time to write that out!
I recently listened to Gary Stearman teach on the mystery of duality and found many of his observations on the differences between Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13 to be very interesting.
Here is the link: Studies with Stearman: The Mystery of Duality - The Prophecy Watchers
Thanks for posting this, Stacey. I do appreciate brother Lee Brainard. I personally hold to our imminent rapture (harpazo) but believe there will be a gap between the moment Jesus takes his Bride home and the signing of the 7 yr treaty. I see a very strong possibility that the Ezekiel 38/39 war of Gog/Magog will happen at the time of the sixth seal. The “pause” gives opportunity for the sealing of the 144,000 Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel and the coming of the two witnesses (which I believe are Moses and Elijah) and then the signing of the 7 year covenant. I also agree with brother Bill Salus that Psalm 83 is a prophecy for a soon to come war (and also that there is a future fulfillment of Jeremiah 49 prophecy regarding Elam). We, the Church, might see the fulfillment of Psalm 83 and Jeremiah 49 (and possibly Isaiah 17:1, destruction of Damascus)…however, we simply need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, our Blessed Hope, and be about the Lord’s business sharing the gospel of salvation so that others might come to faith before the time of the tribulation. Maranatha!
Beautiful
Me tooooo! And yet . . .
My husband placed this cross in a field to surprise me on Easter morning 2020. He built a “prayer chair” as well. I love this spot and return to it often (though this summer there has been so much rain that I’ve not gone as often as I would like). Yesterday I took that picture. I sat with my Bible, prayed for awhile, listened to some of my fav hymns. . . And as I looked toward the mountains, I saw the planes. Marking the skies and trying to rob me of my peace. Today it is raining again. I asked God’s protection to over us.
A few nights ago, I stepped out on my back deck to look at the moon. It was almost full and was so lovely. I noticed a very bright star then, to the west of the moon, and a bit higher in the sky. I was wondering if it might be a planet and was thinking that I would research a bit to see if I could discover which one it might be. And as I watched and wondered, it just went out! Poof! Disappeared.
Sigh . . . Even the sunny skies and the starry night skies seem to remind me these days that we are in the last days!
How breataking, Brenda! that’s so kind of your husband to put a cross in the field with a prayer chair… so much to take in of God’s handiworks. I KNOW what you’re talking about the golden moon, i saw it too the other night , beautiful. You’re truly blessed and Protected by God. We just keep our eyes on Jesus and push out the noises and He will keep us in His calming peace. I find the sky comforting when spending time with God… i just keep expecting He’ll tear open the sky and call us up to Himself. i long for Jesus, my tummy aches for Jesus so much i can’t stand living here, it’s not the same anymore. God bless you and your husband!
Blessings and Maranatha,
Stacey
Cynthia, So happy you were blessed by brother Lee! He’s unique and a one of a kind watchman. 
As they say, “Normal isn’t coming back. Jesus is!” Your longing is so precious to Him, Stacey! Your excitement spills all over your posts! That is just so beautiful a thing to see! And I should be so excited, toooooo!!! But I don’t know how to get my children to Jesus and Jesus to my children before it’s too late!! I can’t seem to discern whether there is something more God wants ME to do or say . . . Or if I’m just to TRUST that He will take it from here. This is my daily struggle!! Lord, help me to hear you clearly and be at peace!!
I don’t know about that. But I do know I have the gift of gab, maybe a little too much.
Hi Rodney, I am glad you are awaiting Christ’s appearing, We are a joyful bunch because we know He is coming at any moment at a time we don’t know and without any specific event or sign. Jesus tells us to watch and be ready for His coming in the clouds. If we are looking for Him we can not be looking for a sign or event.
Love Lee Brainard!
Take your children camping with them riding with you and then go hiking with them, have them sit down and talk to them, after all they’re stuck with you. That’ll be a memory they won’t forget!
