GENESIS 45--JOSEPH'S FAMINE WEEK--THE KEY TO UNLOCKING THE TIME FRAME OF THE RAPTURE
I believe with all of my heart that Genesis 45, the story of the 7--Year Famine Week of Joseph, teaches us that the Rapture will take place AFTER two years of the Final 7 Years have taken place, and when there are still 5 Years left in the Famine Week. The real exciting part is that the Final 7 Years actually began in the Fall of 2015, just like so many of us believed it would, which means that we will be two years into the Final 7 Years in the Fall of 2017. In this post, we will take an in-depth look at the first few verses in Genesis 45, and we will discover that God has made it abundantly clear that this chapter holds the key to unlocking the great mystery of the time frame of the Rapture. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS STUDY!!!
The study of typology, or "types", in the Old Testament, is the foretelling of future events in the New Testament, and beyond. The difficult thing for most Bible students to discern is that so many of these "types" are CONCEALED. It takes some digging, some studying, and spiritual discernment, to find some of these golden nuggets. Jesus said in Mark 13:23, "But take heed: BEHOLD, I HAVE FORETOLD YOU ALL THINGS." The "FORETOLD" in this verse HAS to mean that things in the New Testament MUST BE CONCEALED in the Old Testament. How many things? Jesus says ALL THINGS!!! ALL!!! A-L-L!!! ALL THINGS MUST INCLUDE AT LEAST THE GENERAL TIME FRAME OF THE RAPTURE!!! I repeat, IT MUST. We should not expand the "no man know the day or hour", to months, years, decades, etc.
Many of us watchmen who have been studying end-times Bible Prophecy for several years, and even decades, have been believing that the Rapture would take place VERY, VERY SOON for a long time now. After all, didn't Jesus say, "We COULD KNOW WHEN HIS RETURN IS NEAR, EVEN AT THE DOORS." It should be obvious to all of us that the phrase "EVEN AT THE DOORS", involves a VERY short space of time, probably within the space of a few short weeks, or even days.
The multitude of end-times Bible Prophecy signs that have been unfolding all around us for several years, have been pointing us in the general direction of our Lord's Soon Return. Many, many of us, including me, have given suggested times when we thought that our Lord might be returning, but there has never been a DIRECT answer, in the Scriptures, as to when the Rapture would actually be. There have been lots and lots of calculations, supposed revelations, signs galore, and all kinds of projections of when the Rapture was supposedly going to happen.
Yet JESUS SAID WE COULD KNOW. So why is it that nobody has been able to figure it out. It is obvious to me NOW in early 2017, why JESUS SAID WE COULD KNOW, yet nobody has yet been able to figure it out. IT IS BECAUSE WE COULD NOT KNOW UNTIL TWO THINGS HAPPENED FIRST.
I know there are at least two schools of thought on 2nd Thessalonians, Chapter 2, regarding the Antichrist and the timing of the Rapture. I know all about these theories, so please do not try to get me into a debate on your theory. I have been studying this for 43 years, and have come to the conclusion that THE RAPTURE CANNOT HAPPEN UNTIL THE ANTICHRIST IS REVEALED FIRST. That does not make me mid-Trib, post-Trib, or Pre-Wrath, in my doctrine.
I believe that the Rapture happens at the same time as the Sudden Destruction. God would have no reason to take us out of here before the Sudden Destruction, which almost certainly involves the nuclear destruction of World War III. Did our Lord not take out Lot THE SAME DAY AS THE SUDDEN DESTRUCTION? Did Jesus not say that, "Even thus shall it be in THE DAY THE SON OF MAN IS REVEALED"? God is all about saving souls, and we are His soul-winning agents. Why would He take us out before He absolutely had to?
I believe the first thing that has to happen BEFORE WE CAN KNOW THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE, IS THE REVEALING OF THE ANTICHRIST, which has already happened to millions of Christians. According to what we are about to look at in Genesis 45, the Famine Week of Joseph, the 2nd thing that HAS to happen is the Famine Week HAS to be in progress first. In my opinion, ACCORDING TO GEN. 45, THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE CANNOT BE KNOWN UNTIL THE FINAL 7 YEARS HAVE STARTED. As most everyone knows, who is reading this post, it is my studied opinion that both of these pre-requisites for KNOWING THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE RAPTURE have NOW been met.
Progressive Revelation has shown to me that the Final 7 Years of Preparation, as in the Seven Good Years, in the story of Joseph, began in the Fall of 2008, and the Final 7 Years of Famine, which includes the 1260-day Great Tribulation, actually began in the Fall of 2015, as so very many Biblical watchmen wrote about. I will be addressing this issue in future posts, but you may look into the archives at www.fivedoves.com in the years of 2008 and 2015, for many more details of these time frames. Because there was no Rapture/Sudden Destruction event, it has drawn the majority of these Watchmen away from these time frames. However, I am convinced that they remain the true Biblical time frames, for the Final 14 years, represented by the dreams of Joseph for the 7 Years of Preparation, and the 7 Years of Famine, which most Prophetic students call the Tribulation. I have always referred to this time as The Final 7 Years.
Let's now take a very close look at this extremely exciting and Prophetic chapter of Genesis 45. It is my very strong conviction that this chapter is the foretelling of the approximate time frame we should expect the Rapture to take place. If you will follow closely, and ask the Lord to open your heart to what His Word is saying to us, I believe that many eyes will be opened to the truth of this teaching. Remember now, Jesus said that ALL things have been FORETOLD to us, meaning in the Old Testament. Jesus also said we COULD KNOW THE TIME! KNOW! K-N-O-W!
Now that the identity of the Antichrist, Barack Hussein Obama, has been revealed to many discerning Christians as the 8th King in Revelation 17, and the time frame of the Final 7 Years (the Fall of 2015 to the Fall of 2022) has also been revealed to many Biblical Watchmen, we CAN KNOW THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE RAPTURE. It is the ONLY way that we could KNOW. No one has ever KNOWN the time, yet JESUS SAID WE COULD KNOW. For the first time in history, with the recent unveiling of these two EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PROPHETIC EVENTS, WE CAN KNOW THE APPROXIMATE TIME!!!
Let's examine the first 11 verses of Gen. 45, the story of the Famine Week of Joseph, keeping in mind that Joseph is the MOST COMPLETE TYPE OF JESUS IN THE ENTIRE WORD OF GOD. It is no coincidence that the Famine Week of the 7 Years of Joseph are a parallel, or TYPE of the Final 7 Years at the End of the Age. It is by Prophetic design, and was FORETOLD BY GOD TO GIVE US THE TIME FRAME FOR THE RAPTURE OF THE BRIDE. Hang on to your hats, as this is about to get REAL EXCITING!
Verse 1 says, "Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there sood NO man with him, while JOSEPH MADE HIMSELF KNOWN TO THE BRETHREN." First, Joseph could not refrain himself and he cried tears of happiness and joy (verse 2), because that long-awaited day was finally here, when he is finally going to make himself known, after MANY long years, to his brethren. Is this not the heart of Jesus, as He sees His Wedding Day approaching, when He is going to MAKE HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BRETHREN AT THE RAPTURE, after almost 2000 long years? I believe that Jesus will not refrain Himself from crying tears of great joy at that long-awaited day, when He will be reconciled unto us, THE DAY OF THE RAPTURE.
The 2nd thing we notice in this verse is that a SEPARATION took place, as ONLY THE BRETHREN WERE ALLOWED TO BE PRESENT WHEN JOSEPH MADE HIMSELF KNOWN. Joseph made sure that everyone who was not his brethren, was not present at HIS REVEALING. Is this not the way it will be at the time of the Rapture?
The Rapture is THE DAY OF GREAT SEPARATION, the separation of the brethren, from those who are not part of His family. The separation from those who have oil in their lamps, from those who do not. The separation of those whom the Lord finds worthy, from those He does not find worthy (Luke 21:34--36. Verse 1 brings out the profound realization that at the Rapture there will be a GREAT SEPARATION.
The third, and last, thing I want to bring out in Verse 1 is that JOSEPH (JESUS)MADE HIMSELF KNOWN UNTO HIS BRETHREN. Is this not an EXACT DESCRIPTION OF THE RAPTURE? This was the DAY OF RECONCILIATION for Joseph and his brothers, a long-awaited day of reconciliation. As born-again Christians, we do know Jesus. But we have not SEEN Him. We have not been in His physical presence. The Hebrew word "known" here, means "to ascertain by SEEING". WE WILL SEE HIM AS HE IS, AT THE TIME OF THE RAPTURE, AT OUR DAY OF RECONCILIATION!!! For almost 2000 years, Jesus has been sitting at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us. All this time, He has been patiently waiting for, and longing to, MAKE HIMSELF KNOWN TO US AT HIS WEDDING DAY, THE DAY OF THE RAPTURE.
In verse 4, Joseph says, "COME NEAR TO ME, I pray you. And THEY CAME NEAR." Here is the Hebrew definition of this particular usage of the word, "near". "Near" means to approach, to bring forth, to COME HITHER. AT THE TIME OF THE RAPTURE, we are going to approach Jesus. He is going to bring us forth, and we are going to come hither. Many believe the Rapture takes place in Rev. 4:1, where it says, "behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was, as it were, OF A TRUMPET talking with me: which said, COME UP HITHER." Sounds like the Rapture, which is accompanied by the sound of a TRUMPET, does it not?
If "COME UP HITHER" are the words used to describe the Rapture, the identical meaning is found in this verse in Gen. 45:4, which says, "Come near, (or hither) to me." The word "hither" in this verse means "here, in the same place". So Joseph (Jesus) is saying, "Come UP here, approach me, in the same place that I am, and they came UP to Him." Do we not go UP to meet Him in the clouds of glory to meet Him at the Rapture? Will we not be in the same place as Jesus is? Hallelujah! Are you starting to see how very obvious the Lord is trying to show us that the Rapture happens in Genesis 45? Thank you, Lord.
In verse 5, Joseph says, "God did send me before you, to preserve life." That is another EXACT DESCRIPTION OF THE RAPTURE. God is going to send forth Jesus, just as He sent forth Joseph, TO SAVE OUR LIVES. In 1st Thessalonians, Chapters 4 and 5, we read how the Sudden Destruction and the Rapture will take place at the same time. The Rapture is OUR ESCAPE FROM THE SUDDEN DESTRUCTION, just like Lot, who is a type of the Rapture, was allowed to ESCAPE FROM THE SUDDEN DESTRUCTION ON THE VERY SAME DAY.
That is just one reason why I cannot believe only in a post-Trib Rapture, or only in a pre-wrath Rapture. Jesus would not tell us Christians to pray that we be found worthy to ESCAPE ALL unless it was possible to ESCAPE ALL. In my opinion, which is greatly strengthened by this Chapter 45 in Genesis, Jesus is not referring to escaping ALL of the Final 7 Years here. He is talking about ALL OF THE CATACLYSMIC DESTRUCTION, and all of the 42-month Great Tribulation. Until that happens, there is no reason to take us out of here at the Rapture.
We are going to skip for now the MOST IMPORTANT VERSE, VERSE 6, and then come back to it, after we have taken a look at verses 7--9. In verse 7, Joseph says, "And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives BY A GREAT DELIVERANCE." Here we have the same phrase repeated again that describes the Rapture, "God sent me before you." Will you agree that at the time of the Rapture, that God sends Jesus to us?
Now let's look at the phrase, "to preserve you a posterity in the earth". The word "earth" here does mean "earth, or world". The Hebrew word for "preserve" in this verse is actually a different Hebrew word from the word "preserve" in verse 5. The word "preserve" in this verse can mean "reward". The word "prosperity" means (ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?) THE REMAINDER THAT HAD ESCAPED, and comes from the root word meaning, "TO LEAVE". Are we getting ready TO LEAVE this earth, or what? Are you shouting yet? This is worth shouting about, don't you think? I hope you are catching all of this, how Gen. 45 is the Rapture chapter, verse by verse, and almost word by word.
Doesn't the Word of God teach us that the Rapture is our Great Escape? Doesn't the Word of God teach us that at the Rapture, "We who are alive AND REMAIN shall be caught up together to meet Him"? The last phrase is also TALKING ABOUT THE RAPTURE. It reads "And to save your lives by A GREAT DELIVERANCE." The word ''great" here means "exceedingly great and mighty". The Hebrew word for "deliverance" here (ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?) means "an ESCAPED PORTION OR REMNANT". That is the ONLY Hebrew meaning for this word "deliverance" in this verse.
What an obvious reference to the Rapture of the Bride, or a REMNANT, if you will. This verse is telling us there is going to be an ESCAPE FOR A REMNANT. The REMNANT is the Bride of Christ, taken out of the Body of Christ (just like Adam's Bride was taken out of His body, or rib), in this first Rapture. It is my understanding that Revelation 7:13--17 describes the 2nd Rapture, which are a vast multitude that no man could number who had dirty robes at the time of the 1st Rapture, but made them white during the Great Tribulation. This Rapture, that is so vividly portrayed in Gen. 45, is just for a REMNANT, for those whom the Lord finds worthy (Luke 21:34--36). Each one of us should be fervently praying that the Lord would find us worthy to be part of the Bride of Christ.
This is not just some ordinary deliverance in Gen. 45:7, my fellow Christians. THIS IS GOING TO BE AN EXCEEDINGLY GREAT AND MIGHTY DELIVERANCE FROM THE AWE-INSPIRING AND DEVASTATING, MASSIVE SUDDEN DESTRUCTION THAT IS GOING TO HIT THIS SIN-FILLED EARTH AT THE VERY SAME TIME!!!
Not only that, but at the time of the Rapture, the Bride is going to BE DELIVERED from the presence of sin, the power of sin, and the penalty of sin, FOREVER AND EVER!!! WHAT AN AWESOME AND MARVELOUS DELIVERANCE GOD HAS IN STORE FOR HIS BRIDE. I refuse to believe that our Lord is going to allow His Bride to get beat up before His Wedding Day. Is it any wonder our Lord would so aptly describe this BLESSED ESCAPE AS A GREAT DELIVERANCE?!!! WHAT REWARDS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST HAS IN STORE FOR HER!!!
So, let's try to put this verse in Gen. 45:7, into modern-day English. Based on the Hebrew word-by-word study above, it should read something like this, "God will send JESUS, as a REWARD to a REMNANT of His brethren, to remove them from this earth in a GREAT ESCAPE, AND IN AN EXCEEDINGLY GREAT AND MIGHTY DELIVERANCE, FROM THE HORRENDOUS AND UNPARALLELED DESTRUCTION THAT IS COMING UPON THIS EARTH." Praise God for this GREAT DELIVERANCE, THE RAPTURE OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST!!!
By doing a Hebrew word-by-word study of Gen. 45, there can only be one conclusion. That conclusion is that GENESIS 45 TEACHES US THAT DURING THE FINAL 7 YEARS, OR THE FAMINE WEEK, JESUS WILL REVEAL HIMSELF TO HIS BRIDE, HIS REMNANT, AT THE RAPTURE, WHICH IS OUR EXCEEDINGLY GREAT AND MIGHTY DELIVERANCE!!! Because of the magnitude of the Rapture, and Sudden Destruction, verse after verse after verse in this Chapter is teaching us this. God is trying to remove any doubt in our minds that this Chapter is DEFINITELY REFERRING TO THE RAPTURE, AND THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE!!!
In verse 9, Joseph says TO HIS BRETHREN, "HASTE YE, AND GO UP TO MY FATHER." Is this not what Jesus will do at THE TIME OF THE RAPTURE? "Come UP hither." Do we not ascend, or go UP, to Heaven, where God the Father is, at the time of the Rapture? The word "haste" here simply means "to hurry". To me, this is implying AGAIN that the SUDDEN Destruction and the Rapture are simultaneous. The word "Sudden" means without warning. Just like Lot got out of Sodom and Gomorrah just in the nick of time, so shall it be at the time of the Rapture. Hence the phrase here "Haste ye" (or hurry up before it is too late) in this verse.
Verse 6 is the highlight of Gen. 45 because IT GIVES US THE APPROXIMATE TIME FRAME FOR THE RAPTURE, or when Jesus makes Himself known to His brethren, or the GREAT DELIVERANCE! Genesis 45:6 says, "FOR THESE TWO YEARS HATH THE FAMINE BEEN IN THE LAND: AND YET THERE ARE FIVE YEARS, in the which shall neither be erring or harvest."
God has made it so blatantly obvious that Gen. 45 is referring to the Rapture, the Great Escape, the Great Deliverance. It is also abundantly clear that the Famine Week is a "type" of the Final 7 Years in the Book of Revelation. How can we possibly not believe that verse 6 is giving us the time frame for the Rapture, or Great Deliverance???!!! Only our pre-conceived ideas will keep us from receiving this truth.
In future posts, I will be reminding all of us of the numerous reasons why many, many of us Watchers thought that the Final 7 Years would begin in the Fall of 2015. For the purposes of this post, I am taking this as a given, as the truth. Over the past few years, progressive revelation has identified the Fall of 2008 to the Fall of 2015 as the 7 Good Years, or 7 Years of Preparation, in the story of Joseph. This, of course MUST make the Fall of 2015 to the Fall of 2022 the Final 7 Years of Famine, or Tribulation, as most would call it. I have learned so much more in these past few weeks, about the timing of events in the Final 7 Years, and will be presenting them in future posts. What is being presented in this post, is only the beginning of what we can learn through Typology, from the Old Testament.
Two years into the Final 7 Years, takes us to the beginning of the time frame of the Rapture, which will be the Fall of 2017. I personally believe that this projected time frame could extend to the Spring of 2018, as partial years are counted as whole years, when counting is involved in the Old Testament. There are also other reasons why I believe it may not happen until the Spring of 2018, but those reasons are for another post. For now, let us just say that the time frame, as presented to us in Genesis 45, for the Rapture starts in Sept. or Nov., of 2017 and should extend no longer than May of 2018. I personally believe that we can pinpoint it a whole lot closer than that, but space does not permit me to go any further in this post.
The Lord did not have to say "AND YET THERE ARE FIVE YEARS OF FAMINE
(remaining)". He had already told us that JOSEPH (JESUS) REVEALING HIMSELF TO THE BRETHREN AND THE GREAT DELIVERANCE WOULD BE AFTER 2 YEARS OF THE FAMINE WEEK." 7 years minus 2 years obviously equals 5 years. He knows that we can subtract.
BUT GOD WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DID NOT MISS THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE, THE GREAT DELIVERANCE, AS HE CALLS IT. He said there would be FIVE MORE YEARS OF THE FAMINE WEEK, AFTER THIS GREAT DELIVERANCE. GOD IS EMPHASIZING THE TIME FRAME FOR THE RAPTURE!!! He wants to make SURE that we do not miss it.
This verse tells us that there will be "no more earing, nor harvest." In the Hebrew, it appears this could be referring to a physical sowing and reaping, OR a spiritual sowing and reaping. To the brethren of Joseph, there would be no more physical sowing and reaping because of the famine, AFTER TWO YEARS. For the people left behind after the Rapture/Sudden Destruction, there will also come a GREAT FAMINE across the earth. For those whom the Lord takes in this first Rapture, their time for sowing and reaping, or harvesting, will then be over, AFTER TWO YEARS. I believe the Lord is telling us that we need to accelerate out efforts, with a new sense of urgency, concerning the harvesting of souls, before it is eternally too late.
Let's look at just two more verses, verses 10-11. "And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me...And there will I nourish thee; FOR YET THERE ARE FIVE YEARS OF FAMINE." Once we are part of this GREAT DELIVERANCE from the unbelievable turmoil and Great Tribulation on earth, we will be near to Jesus, and He will nourish us. But for how long? Once again, our Lord EMPHASIZES TO US THAT THE BRETHREN WILL EXPERIENCE THIS GREAT DELIVERANCE FOR THE FINAL 5 YEARS OF THE FAMINE WEEK. It sure seems like our Lord cannot emphasize the timing of this GREAT DELIVERANCE enough.
Please do not miss what the Lord is so obviously showing us in Genesis 45. Only if you believe that we have entered the Final 7 Years, can YOU KNOW THE SEASON OF THE RAPTURE. The rest of you CANNOT KNOW, yet Jesus said WE COULD KNOW. Jesus said that He has FORETOLD ALL THINGS to us, which means the timing of the Rapture should be able to be found in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, is the New Testament, and other future Prophetic events, CONCEALED. But only CONCEALED until the time of the end, according to Daniel. We are at the Time of the End. So, where are YOU finding the timing of the Rapture, concealed in the Old Testament?
I believe with all my heart that Genesis 45 is where the TIMING OF THE RAPTURE IS FORETOLD. With Joseph being THE MOST COMPLETE TYPE OF CHRIST IN THE ENTIRE WORD OF GOD, why would God not put the timing of the Rapture, the Great Deliverance, in His Word, using Joseph as a type of Christ? With a Famine Week of 7 Years a MAJOR part of the life of Joseph, how can anyone believe that this is not a type of the Final 7 Years in the Book of Revelation?
If you agree with the above paragraph, then what reason could the Lord possibly have for having a MAJOR SEPARATION OF THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THE FAMINE WEEK AND THE LAST 5 YEARS OF THE FAMINE WEEK??? The Word here EMPHASIZES THE TWO AND FIVE YEAR SEPARATION. There is NO other separation, no other time fraime mentioned at all, in the entire story of Joseph's Famine Week. The entire context of this Chapter, is DEFINITELY referring to the Rapture, as has been shown, in great detail, in this post.
If you can believe that the Final 7 Years began in the Fall of 2015, as so very many Watchers were projecting because of the vast multitude of signs, the Blessed Hope, the Rapture of the Bride, the Great Deliverance, just got a whole lot sweeter. Those of us who believe it, and believe that Genesis 45 foretells the timing of the Rapture season, Prime Rapture Season will begin either in Sept. or Nov. of 2017, and could extend into the Spring of 2018. This is because, in determining time in the O.T., five years, or four and one-half years, would both read like this: WITH FIVE YEARS REMAINING IN THE FAMINE WEEK. In O.T. counting, partial years count as full years. In future posts, I believe that we can narrow this time frame down much further, by once again using TYPOLOGY, AND PROPHETIC OVERLAYS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT.
WHAT AN EXTREMELY EXCITING TIME TO BE A WATCHER! GET READY! STAY READY!
Maranatha!
Ron Reese
rgreese49@aol.com