Philologos
Bible Prophecy Research
Title: Rapture
Submitted by: research-bpr@philologos.org
Date: May, 1998
URL:
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/r003.htm
Rapture
Usually, we read the Megillah of Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs), on the Shabbos that occurs during the intermediate days (Chol HaMoed) of Pesach (Passover). However, this year (1998) there is no Shabbos Chol HaMoed, and outside of Israel we read Shir HaShirim on the 8th day of Pesach, which is a Shabbos.In the Tractate of Yodayim (3:5) the Mishna states: "...the whole world is not as worthy as the day on which the Song of Songs was given to Israel; for all the Writings are holy but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies." (YomTov, vol. IV #3, Week of Parshas Tzav, Topic: Shir HaShirim-A Physical Song)
1:4 Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: See marriage for an explanation of Jewish wedding customs where the bridegroom takes his bride and secrets her away in his chamber for seven days to celebrate their wedding.
1:14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire [henna blossoms] in the vineyards of En-gedi. See leprosy for a discussion on the seven day waiting period to see if it has spread, and the fact that henna is a "cure" for leprosy. See Armageddon which speaks of the vineyards of En-gedi and the parallels with the book of Revelation when it speaks of the winepress of the Lord.
2:4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Again, the marriage of the Lamb has come and Jewish customs make this verse come alive.
2:10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."--1 Thessalonians 4:16,17. The bridegroom comes to get his bride and takes her to the wedding feast which lasts for seven days.
2:11-15 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. See harvest which explains how the latter rains in March and April make way for the flowers that bloom in May, etc.
The Caesar said to Rebi Yehoshua ben Chananyah, "Why does Shabbos food smell so good?" He answered him, "We have a special spice called 'Shabbos' which we put into it and it smells good." He told him, "Give me some of it!" He answered him, "Only for those who protect Shabbos does it work!" (Shabbos 119a)
And everyone knows that "protecting" Shabbos takes plenty of preparation, as the Talmud points out:
Anyone who troubles himself Erev Shabbos [Friday] will eat on Shabbos; but one who doesn't trouble himself Erev Shabbos, from what will he eat? (Avodah Zara 3a)
This statement doesn't refer only to the preparation of physical food, but it also refers to the preparation of intellectual "food." And it is definitely worthwhile to be ready for Shabbos, for:
All who eat all three meals on Shabbos will be spared from three punishments: the troubles in advance of Moshiach's coming, from the judgment of Gehinom [very loosely translated hell], and from the war of Gog and Magog. (Shabbos 118a)
(Weekly Perceptions on the Parsha, (Parashas VaYakhel), Rabbi Winston)
See leprosy which explains the laws concerning clean and unclean things. The Church and the leper cannot live in the same house (earth).
See wormwood which discusses the test given to an unfaithful wife. The Church is the undefiled bride of Christ and does not need to be tested.
Jubilee is celebrated every 50 years, when debts are cancelled and the use of the land reverts to the original owner. The land, itself, has never been sold--only the crops grown on the land have been given over to another. This, I believe, is something not emphasized enough when speaking of Jubilee. It is not the land that is sold, but only the harvest produced on the land. At Jubilee, the land and the crops harvested on the land are once more the Jews' sole property.
On May 14, 1948, Israel declared its independence. Their first Jubilee back in the land is to be celebrated in 1998. What will happen to those who have been sowing, planting, and reaping in the meantime?
The 70th "Year of Jubilee." Upon entering the Promised Land 3,500 years ago, God told the Israelites to observe a "Year of Jubilee" every 50 years. On or near the year AD 2000 will mark the exact 70th Year of Jubilee in history, plus it will mark 40 Jubilees from the one in which Jesus began His ministry, which itself was the 30th Year of Jubilee since its inception--in the same year when Jesus was believed to have been age 30.
(The Importance of the End of this Millennium, Jim Bramlett)
[Jerusalem "became of age" in 1997. The Jews considered 30 as the year of maturity. There was also a celebration of Jerusalem 3,000 recently which was snubbed by many because of Palestinian pressure.]
So it finally happened! Year after year Christians were talking
about the "Rapture."
When nothing seemed to happen, the intellectual
elite scoffed. Many who called themselves "christian" predicted that the
Rapture was for some time yet in the future; that THIS event, NOW,
would not happen!
Major world leaders are no doubt suggesting that there was a
massive alien invasion which came and snatched away hundreds of people.
This theory is ripe since science fiction has depicted life on other
galaxies, and psychic-hypnosis as given people "alien encounters."
But how does this explain the remains? The clothing of the people
taken, fallen in a clump just as they were worn. When the person
disappeared in front of your eyes, there were no bright lights or space
ships.
Another thing that is difficult to understand: if it was claimed
that "millions" of people would disappear, "whole cities at a time," why
are relatively
SO FEW MISSING?
Furthermore, many who called themselves
"christian" are still here. Why didn't they go, too?
The most important question to consider. "Since I was left behind
is it now TOO LATE to gain entrance to Heaven? And...What Happens Next?"
First of all,
this event, what was it?
"For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and
with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we
who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air..." (1 Thess 4:16-17). This was written
almost 2000 years ago. Since this happened, just as written, you can be
SURE that the rest of Bible Prophecy will also come to pass.
What happens next? Many things. If you read in Daniel, Joel and
Revelation you will see that there will be seven years of unprecedented
hardship. So severe will it become that Jesus predicted, "Unless those
days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake
those days will be shortened" (Matt 24:22). Ultimately over half the
world's population will be annihilated with war, pestilence, famine,
earth quakes,
cosmic upheaval.
Described thus, "The windows from on high
are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. The earth is
violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken
exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard..."
(Isa 24:18-20).
Political/Religious forces will merge. A
primary leader will
arise. Two notable things will characterize everybody's existence. 1)
Currency and 2) Religion. The two will be married as a world-wide
system.
The Religious leader will compel the whole world to worship
together. "He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down
from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who
dwell on the earth by those signs...telling those who dwell on the earth
to make an image...he was granted power to give breath to the
image...that the image..should both speak and cause as many as would not
worship the image..to be killed" (Rev 13:13-15).
This same leader will "cause all, both small and great, rich and
poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their
foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark
or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Rev 13:16-17).
If you decide to follow God, EXPECT to be Martyred. But, to follow
God, you cannot, you
MUST NOT
participate in this "mark of the beast."
If you do your doom is sealed forever, "If anyone worships the beast
and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he
himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is
poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he shall
be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels
and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends
forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the
beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name"
(Rev 14:9-11).
But you will be blessed if you are
faithful. "I saw the souls of those
who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus, for the word of God,
who had not worshiped the beast...and had not received his mark on their
foreheads or on their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years" (Rev 20:4).
What must you do to follow God? Where will you find Truth? If you
are reading this, then it can be assumed that
Bibles are still available
and have not yet been confiscated. If you are reading this on the
Web
Site, click on the "Bible"
link, and start reading the Scripture that is
there. The books chosen are there to specifically help you through this
time. Remember: the Bible is your only source of
Reliable Truth. "Your
word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psa 119:105).
What about all the teachers and preachers? You
cannot trust what
men will say! A great deception will permeate the world. Remember that
Satan "appears as an angel of light...and his ministers, as
ministers of righteousness" (2 Cor11:13-15). The new Leader will be
"according to the
working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, with all
unrighteous deception...because they did not receive the love of the
truth, that they might be saved...God will send them a strong delusion,
that they should believe the lie" (2 Thess2:9-11) "...to deceive, if
possible, the very elect" (Matt 24:24).
The reason many "christian" preachers are still here is because
they are FALSE TEACHERS. They are not true Christians (Matt 7:21-23,
1 John 2:18-19). You Cannot Believe
what they teach!! (Matt 7:15-20).
The reason so many "christians" did not go, is
because they are
not True Believers (Matt 7:13-14).
While the deception will be high, it will not be impossible to be
"saved." "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude
which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes...crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our
God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! ...these are the ones who
come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb'" (Rev 7:9-14).
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands,
you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn
and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves
in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:8-10).
The jailer asked, "What must I do to be saved?"...and was told,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the
children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).
"All have
sinned and fall short of the
glory of God...The wages of sin is
death,
but the
gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord" (Rom 3:23;6:23).
Throughout history belief in God has been accompanied by an animal
blood sacrifice. "...all things are purged with blood, and without
shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb 9:22). All these sacrifices
looked ahead, prophetically to the sacrifice of Christ which He
accomplished, Who "was offered once to bear the sins of many"
(Heb 9:28).
"...the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John1:7).
If this all seems complex, Do not fear! Jesus said that the
way to
heaven was so simple that a child could get there (Matt 18:3).
As world events unfold rapidly, you may not have the luxury of
becoming intimately familiar with complex doctrine. Joel, prophesying
about this time writes, simply...
"Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved" (Joel 2:32).
Amen!
Weekly DAFootnotes
WHO GOES FIRST?
"The righteous person is taken away from the evil to come."
(Yeshayahu 57:1)
This passage is cited in our gemara as an explanation of why it
is actually of benefit to the righteous person, the tzaddik, to
be taken from this world before the sinners are when Hashem
visits a collective disaster upon His people. Rashi explains
this in terms of the tzaddik being spared the agony of
witnessing that disaster. Other commentaries add that this is
part of the Divine plan to remove the tzaddik from serving as a
protective shield for his generation, which has reached the
point of no return as regards Heavenly judgment.
Maharsha offers a different approach: Should the tzaddik
perish together with the sinners, it would give the wrong
impression that he was as guilty as they. Hashem therefore
takes him away from the world in advance of the punishment of
the sinners, to make it clear that he does not share their
guilt. (Had the tzaddik remained alive, he would have shared
their fate because "once free rein is granted to the destroyer,
it does not distinguish between the tzaddik and the sinner.")
It was this rule of Heavenly procedure, says Rabbi Yosef, which
made it necessary for Moshe to warn his people on the eve of
the Exodus from Egypt that "none of you shall go out of the
door of his house until the morning" (Shmot 12:22). Since the
firstborn of the Egyptians were being slaughtered, there was a
general danger; therefore, Jews were required to seek refuge
from this destructive force by remaining in their homes until
daybreak, when they would finally embark on their road to total
freedom from Egyptian bondage.
Bava Kama 60a
Bava Kama 58-64
Issue #9
Week of 6-12 Tishrei 5762 / September 23-29, 2001
By Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, Dean, Ohr Somayach Institutions