All Doves:
Over the past four months I have showed the real truth about:
++ the truth concerning Dispensationalism,
++ the fraud concerning the Geneva Bible,
++ the dishonest attack on C.I. Scofield,
++ the "Gap" between Daniel's 69th and 70th Week,
++ the Obvious Proof of Daniel 9:27 and the use of proper grammar and punctuation that identifies who the real "he" referred is, It's the Antichrist if you have forgot.
++ the reason why there is so much confusion about what the Bible says.
Most of what I have written and posted on Five Doves would be classified as a defense of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and a refuting of the "Pre-Wrath-Rapture-Babble" drum beat. Given the time in which we live, I do not believe the reader benefits from a smorgasbord of sensational opinions, rehash of videos of Robert Van Kampen, Steven Wohlberg, and the rants of those committed to killing your joy and hope like John Little of 'The Omega Shock Letter'. We can't eliminate the likes of those that have been brainwashed by law and fear and unable to believe that God's forgiveness and grace is for real. The God of the Bible, as manifested in the person and life of the Messiah Christ Jesus, was a fountain of love. Make no mistake about it, He afflicted the comfortable, but he comforted the afflicted. The point here is there is NO condemnation for those "in Christ". The expression occurs 224 times in the New Testament. The exact term appears 76 times as a phrase.
Even in my discussion of understanding the Bible, I have provided cogent corroboration background to the history of hermeneutics, theology, Bible prophecy, and the framing of the thinkers that influenced the Christian world since the days of Pentecost.
With this as prologue, I am suggesting that the best evidence that supports the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is what I have posted most recently:
1. "The Biblical Theme of the Bride"
2. "The Relationship of "The Feast Days of the Lord"
3. The specificity of the Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh HaShanah
4. The past fulfillment of the Spring and Summer fulfillment by Jesus Christ
5. The soon to be fulfilled Fall Feasts by Jesus Christ
If you strip away all the disinformation, attacks, even disregard all the theological debate, including any and all references to the concept of a Rapture, we have substantial evidence and credence to present a case for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture on "The Biblical Theme of the Bride" plus the "Feast Days of the Lord" all by themselves. I'll provide a summary of why we can look forward to the Rapture on Rosh HaShanah. We have the Messianic Jewish community to thank for the background information, because most of the Church, the 90% that are Amillennial, that interpret the Bible allegorically and "spiritualize" the Biblical text. The larger Christian community for centuries has dispersed with, discarded, flat-out rejected anything that a Hebrew root. You don't have to be become a Jewish convert to benefit of their knowledge and learning insights.
1. All the Spring Feasts were fulfilled at Christ's first coming, and on the exact day of the Feast. We can ascertain that it was to the hour and minute as well. That fact has been confirmed by the Mark Biltz DVD series on the "Feasts of the Lord". Do watch the Mark Biltz DVD series, it is on the Internet if you can't but your own copy. It expands on the Scriptures that bring them to life.
2. The Feast of Trumpets is when the "last trump" of the Rapture of 1st Corinthians 15 is blown.
3. The Feast of Trumpets is known as the "Wedding of the Messiah"", and the Church is the "Bride of Christ", and the Rapture is when the Church is "caught up" to heaven to be wed with Christ Jesus. The Bible as a whole teaches that Israel is the wife of God, and the Church is the Bride of Christ.
4. The Feast of Trumpets happens on the "new moon", which is 29.5 days after the last one, meaning that it might occur on the 29th or 30th day, nobody knows for sure. "Of that day or hour no man knows" is a Hebrew idiomatic expression referring the reader, to this feast and the Rapture.
5. "Of that day or hour no man knows, but my Father only" is an expression used by a Jewish groom when asked when his wedding will be. He says this because it is the Father that will tell him when his preparations of the bridal chamber are completed and it is time. Again, we see the "theme" of the wedding pictures of the Rapture.
6. The "Open Door" of the Rapture in Matthew 25, Revelation 3 and 4:1 are a symbol of the "Feast of Trumpets". Ezekiel 46:1 talks about, "Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened."
7. We are told that the "new moon" and the "Feasts of the Lord" are a 'shadow of things to come' in Colossians 2:16,17. Since the Feast of Trumpets is the only Feast of the Lord that falls on a "new moon", we need to pay close attention. All of the other six Feasts occur or fall on a "full moon".
8, There are "seven" days of awe in between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. These picture the "seven" years of Tribulation. Atonement pictures ["HaSatan"] Satan being defeated and cast away at the end of the Tribulation. If you add the two day Feast of Trumpets, and the day of "Yom Kippur" [atonement], and the "seven" days of awe, they = "the ten days of tribulation" which is referred to in Revelation 2:10.
9. In the Jewish Wedding, a marriage takes place over a period of time known as the "Bridal Week". During the "Bridal Week", a groom and a bride consummate their marriage with conjugal relations in the intimacy of the "Bridal Chamber". At the end of the week, there is a marriage banquet. Compare Judges 14 and Genesis 29. This bridal week will be the Tribulation week on Earth, while the Bride of Christ is in Heaven.
10. In the Jewish Wedding, the groom comes for his bride "Like a thief in the night" to take (seize or take by force) her away and into the "Bridal Chamber" for the "Bridal Week" at his father's house. Critics of the Pre-Tribulation focus on the semantics of a "secret Rapture", when the message is used in metaphorical terms. They know nothing about the Hebrew practices of the "sweeping the bride of her feet". Even in modern-day western weddings, late into the reception, the groom takes up his bride and sweeps her off the dance floor, to retreat for their departure to their honeymoon week.
11. The Feast of Trumpets is also known as the "coronation of the king/Messiah", when He will start reigning as the King, thus the beginning of the "Day of the Lord", which includes the Tribulation. All of the Hebrew nuances of the text imply that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and the beginning of the Lord are simultaneously. This is known as the "Day of the Lord" by Messianic Jewish believers in Yeshua.
12. It is also the time of the Bema Judgment, or the judgment of the works of the righteous, and judgment must begin at the House of the Lord.
In another supplementary post, I will provide an extensive list of events (40+) that are associated with the First Day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. I maintain a Hebrew calendar of events for each day of the Hebrew year. This is a calendar collected from Hebrew sources, of such things as recorded births, events, deaths, festivals, observances, compiled from the Bible, ancient Hebrew writings from recognized Hebrew or Jewish sages, scholars, rabbis, etc.
The number of events spikes on the Feasts of the Lord, and other significant Biblical days like the 9th of Av. The First Day of Tishri is the day of the Feast of Trumpets/Rosh HaShanah/Yom Teruah.
An important book that comes to mind on this subject is, 'The Feasts of the Lord' by Eddie Chumney. The book may be out of print, but that's not a problem. It is available on the Internet at:
"www.mayimhayim.org/Festivals/Feasts_index.htm"
OR
"www.hebroots.org/brideofChristbook.htm"
I acquired my copies back in 1994 when it and the others were published. Eddie Chumney is the author of several other related books, 'Who is the Bride' and 'The Two Houses of Israel' and the 'Seven Festivals of the Messiah'. I have been aware of all this since 1994, when the late Zola Levitt program aired on Sunday afternoon at 4 PM on Pittsburgh's Christian TV channel 40. It would be a few more years until I was able to conduct my own independent, nearly a year-long study on the "Theme of the Bride". Over the course of about ten months, I did the largest independent study of my own, bigger than anything I did in college, seminary, or graduate school.
The tragedy from my view point has been, in that church leaders, namely pastors, were not interested back then and from all that I have been able to deduce since, are still not interested in knowing now. It seems that most of the so-called Christian community is prejudiced against the study of anything associated with the Jews or the Hebrew Roots of Christianity. I find that to be a tragedy since our Savior was born into a Hebrew family and world, and, one would think that any pastor worth his ordination, or license to preach credentials would be interested in knowing all about the Messiah's family background, customs, religious practices.
Here we are twenty years later, and most of the Church is still oblivious to the correct understanding of the Biblical message. Even now there are scholars at work to create a Bible devoid of Israel. How pathetic, to do so since it destroys the purpose of the Bible. That is about as bad as President Thomas Jefferson's Bible, it eliminated all the passages that dealt with sin, hell, punishment, etc. His Bible was a "positive confession" bible.
While individuals representing the "Pre-Wrath-Rapture-Babble", the Mid-Trib, Post-Trib, Pan-Trib, No-Trib continue to attack the Pre-Tribulation Rapture position, they fight foolish "straw-man" arguments, in vain. I'm giving you the benefit of 54 years of extensive research, study, ministry, not to mention many tens of thousands of dollars to discover what you are wanting to know with certainty.
You can allow yourself to believe the truth of "The Theme of the Bride" and the "Feasts of the Lord" or let the Scripture-torturers lead you by the nose through their contortions, lies, deceptions and deceit. Hundreds of articles, books, internet posts, blogs, attack the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, often disingenuously attempting to offer a credible case, the likes of Dave MacPherson, a journalist from the land of Oz, and Gary DeMar, Hank Hanegraaff, Steve Wohlberg, Doug Batchelor have persuaded millions without so much as an honest look at the Hebrew Roots of the Bible, unless it is to hype the corrupt teachings of "Replacement" Theology.
In my next post, I will list the events of the Hebrew calendar that are directly associated with Tishri 1, or the 'Feast of Trumpets'. This collateral information provides additional insightful information that offers a cohesive, coherent, consistent, and comprehensive understanding of the Blessed Hope!
May this bless your faith this coming week. Maranatha! Maranatha!
Pastor Bob