by Jim Bramlett
Contributing writer

CBN.com – It is mind-boggling to think that our generation alone is
uniquely standing on the precipice of time and where no generation has
ever stood. We are living in the days spoken of by the ancient prophets.


These prophets spoke of the Israelites being gathered back into their
own land, in passages such as Ezekiel 37:21:


This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of
the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and
bring them back into their own land.


This began in 1948. The “dry bones” of Ezekiel 37 have come alive.


As also prophesied, we are seeing the world turn against Israel.


On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her,
I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations” (Zechariah
12:3).


The catalyst for this is oil, or petro-dollars, causing the world to
sell out tiny, democratic Israel to despotic Muslim nations for purposes
of greed.


These signs are historically unprecedented. Only this generation has
seen them. But there are many other biblical signs, such as: increased
violence worldwide (as in the days of Noah), increased apostasy,
increased cults and false religions and false prophets, increased
natural disasters such as frequency of earthquakes, and more.


For these and many other reasons, is it any wonder that millions believe
the return of Christ is so near? Polls show that even non-believers
think the world is at such a point. This is the most exciting time in
all history to be alive!


But When is He Coming?


Just the question -- when? -- causes some Christians to cringe, protest,
or even scoff! They quickly point out that Jesus said,


But of that day and hour knoweth no man (Matthew 24:36 KJV).


Some believers criticize other believers who are seeking God’s clues,
either from the Scriptures or by personal revelation. It is interesting
that it was apparently by personal revelation, not Scripture, that many
people knew the exact day of Elijah's rapture (2 Kings 2)! Are there
types in the Old Testament? Do God’s principles repeat themselves?


Some claim we should focus only on the Great Commission and evangelism
and not be concerned when the Lord will return. However, the Bible
repeatedly tells us to “watch” for the signs, so not doing so would be
disobedient. Also, those who are watching and expecting Jesus’ soon
return are probably the most zealous group of witnesses for the gospel
among all Christians.


The doubters may mention Paul's words that the day of the Lord will come
like "a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). But many believers
have so misunderstood these verses that they are oblivious to the times,
not watching for the Lord as He commanded, and are often absorbed by the
cares of this world and their own agendas.


As to Matthew 24:36, some scholars point out that Jesus' words here are
in the present tense, addressed to His hearers at the time, and not to
those alive at the end of the age when Daniel's vision would be unsealed
(Daniel 12:9). This would be similar to Matthew 16:20:


Then he warned His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.


As evidence, many other Scriptures reveal to us that God will reveal at
least the approximate time. (Even if the "day and hour" restriction is
literally valid today, it may be because the Earth is in 24 time zones
and always in two different days.)


Jesus also said, “but my Father only” knows, which pins the statement to
His hearers at the time, when Jesus was still on the earth, because
surely there are now no secrets in the Trinity between the Father and
the glorified Son, who are truly One.


Also, in context, He seems to be speaking of heaven and earth passing
away (v. 35), not other end-time events. In addition, Jesus said,


If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and
thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Revelation 3:3).


He is obviously saying that to the one who watches, He will not come as
a thief and that person will know the hour! (Hour -- Greek hora --
Strong’s 5610; various meanings, including, “any definite time, point of
time, moment.”


God’s Promises of Revelation


It is clear that Jesus will not come as a "thief in the night" for
watchful believers, because in the very same passage, verse 4, Paul
tells us,


But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise
you like a thief.


If we are trusting in Christ and looking for His coming, Paul said that
even the very day does not have to surprise us!


Also, Jesus exhorted, "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on
thee as a thief" (Revelation 3:3, KJV), obviously saying He will come as
a thief only to those not watching! It is obvious that for those
watching, He will NOT come as a thief.


Jesus rebuked those who did not understand the signs of the times in His
day:


O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not
discern the signs of the times (Matthew 16:3).


Of the end of the age, Jesus said,


And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:28).


He said we would know when it is near!


God said, "Surely the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing it
to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7, NIV). God said "nothing," and
He did not exclude Christ's return. I take Him at His word.


God not only knows the end from the beginning, He tells us that He makes
it known!


I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is
still to come. (Isaiah 46:10).


He has already made it known! I personally believe it has been hidden in
His Word all along, to be unlocked in His timing. There is nothing wrong
with seeking! No doubt, it pleases God.


God said,


I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to
pass I shewed it thee (Isaiah 48:5, KJV).


Jesus said the Holy Spirit "will teach you all things" (John 14:26). He
said "all things." Did Jesus make a mistake, forgetting to exclude when
He will return? I don't think so.


Friends confide in one another. Abraham was called God’s “friend”
(Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23).


And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do
(Genesis 18:17).


Now, because of Jesus’ atonement, we are called friends of God:


I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his
master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends (Jesus, John 15:15).


The Bible also says that Jesus was crucified so that the blessing of
Abraham, part of which was friendship with God, would come upon the
Gentiles -- us (Galatians 3:14).


Ecclesiastes 1:9 says:


What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun (NIV).


Many Bible students believe that ancient events and dating in the Bible
are shadows and clues that foretell the coming of the Lord, even the
timing. An example is the six days of creation, seen as 6,000 years of
man’s dominion over the earth, before the return of the Lord and the
seventh, or Sabbath Millennium of peace, with Christ ruling in
Jerusalem. According to scholars, we are now at the end of 6,000 years
since Adam.


There are other such passages. God clearly promised that we would know
at least approximately when Christ will return, and even "the day" will
not surprise us, as the Holy Spirit reveals through Paul!


In addition, there is ample precedent for God revealing specific times
in advance.


* He gave Noah advance notice of when the flood would be (Genesis 6,7).
* He told Abraham how long the Israelites would be in Egypt (Genesis 15:13).
* As mentioned, He revealed to many the very day of Elijah's rapture (2
Kings 2).
* He told Jeremiah how long the Babylonian exile would be (Jeremiah 29:10).
* He told Daniel exactly when Messiah would come the first time (Daniel
9:25-26).


Some, including the brilliant Sir Isaac Newton, believe this same
passage holds the key to the timing of His return.


There is evidence that the Bible reveals the exact number of years of
"the times of the Gentiles" and the exact span of time to Israel's
rebirth in 1948 and the recapture of Jerusalem in 1967.


Obviously, leaving us clueless now would violate God's own established
pattern as revealed in His Word!


Also obviously, we are not left clueless. There are many signs. Let us
remain watchful and ready, and be found doing the Master’s work.


Related Link: http://www3.telus.net/thegoodnews/finalgeneration.htm

Revealing The Earth's Final Generation

Thanks Donna. Excellent message from Jim Bramlett.

For C.J., look at this particular excerpt from Jim's message above:

"He has already made it known! I personally believe it has been hidden in
His Word all along, to be unlocked in His timing. There is nothing wrong
with seeking! No doubt, it pleases God."

This is a great comfort and support for all who are devotedly looking, seeking, and knocking and asking God for details and dates.

Halleluiah, to our Lord of Glory. Amen, T/Sue, CJ and TN Dove. God's on the move assuring His 'eager' ones in waiting with blessed desire to be with Him,

Yes, any moment, we shall SEE our Adored GOD above, as He is . . awesome TRUTH !

‘Will Jesus Find Us Watching?’ amen!!!

this poem written by Mercedes S. Whelan speaks our hearts . .




Verse 1: When Jesus comes to reward His servants,

Whether it be noon or night,

Faithful to Him will He find us watching,

With our lamps all trimmed and bright?



Verse 2: If, at the dawn of the early morning,

He shall call us one by one,

When to the Lord we restore our talents,

Will He answer you---“Well done”?

CJ

You are welcome. I have two daughters and love them very much. However, if God had blessed me with a son I would be so proud if he were just like you CJ!

Donna...

Many kudos!!! Lynn...can this be up as the hallmark of this website. It explains to everyone that would want to dismiss our seeking the Lord on when He is coming for His bride. It brings hope and new life to those that the Lord is awakening to His return for His Own. And it gives real people interacting with real people on not only a basic day to day living basis but also gives hope and life through dreams and visions.

Donna, you have fought to keep this site the way it was intended and my personal thanks!!! Job well done.

Email: stevedebbie7484@yahoo.com

Sister Donna,
Yes, an "Excellent message from Jim Bramlett" Bless you Sister, for bring it "HOME" to our RITA family.

(Quote) Sis Donna, And Sis Sue,
"He has already made it known! I personally believe it has been hidden in His Word all along, to be unlocked in His timing. There is nothing wrong with seeking! No doubt, it pleases God." AMEN! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

For the LORD, giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Psalm 51:6

Shew me thy ways, O LORD: teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Psalm 25:4,5

Blessings,
W.C.

I'll sticky this , . thanks, Steve W for the suggestion and encouragement, and T/Sue, CJ, TN Dove and WC, thanks, too.

So true, so true, as the article points out:

These signs are historically unprecedented. Only this generation has seen them.

Uh, excting words, eh~~~~

BTTT

Email: ljpoohbunny@insightbb.com

50 EVIDENCES/PROOFS OF A PRE-TRIB RAPTURE"

. . . Behold! The Bridegroom Cometh!
from Jayson/bibleprophesy

~ ~

1. The early church believed in the imminency of the Lord's return.

2. The Pre-trib position is the ONLY one which truly teaches imminency.

3. The fact that there is a greater development of the doctrine in recent centuries does not preclude it from the early centuries.

In the very early years of the church you see the development of great fundamentals doctrines of Trinity, Deity, God-man, canon of Scripture, etc.

4. The exhortation to be comforted by the "coming of the Lord" (1Thes 4:18) is valid only in the context of the pre-trib view.

5. We are exhorted to look for the "Glorious Appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13) If there are any prophetic events (ie: tribulation) to come first, then this passage is nonsensical.

6. Again, we are to "purify ourselves" in view of his coming.(1 John 3:2-3) If his coming is not imminent then the passage is meaningless.

7. The church told *only* to look for the Coming of Christ. It is Israel and the tribulation saints that are told to look for signs.

Nature of the Church

(Those who do not understand the nature of the church as unique in the program of God will continually be confused about the nature of His coming for the church.)

8. The translation of the church is never mentioned in any context dealing with the second coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation.

9. The church is "not appointed to wrath" (Rom 5:9; 1 Thes 1:9-10) The church cannot enter into the "great day of their wrath."

10. The Church will not be "overtaken by the Day of the Lord." (1 Thes 5:1-9) (Day of the Lord is another term for the great tribulation.)

11. The church will be "kept from the hour of testing that shall come upon all the world." (Rev. 3:10)

12. The believer will escape the tribulation (Luke 21:36).

13. It is in the character of God to deliver His own from the greatest times of trial. (Lot, Rahab. Israel, Noah,etc)

14. It is clear that there is a time interval between the translation of the church and the Return of Christ. (John 14:3)

15. Only the pre-trib position does not divide the Body of Christ on a works principle as does partial rapture does so clearly and others to a lesser extent. It becomes a climatic finale to the grand plan of salvation by grace alone.

16. The Scriptures are adamant that the church is undivided. In this age the church is divided by the continuing old nature in the believers. When we are glorified at the coming of Christ, the church is no more divided.

17. The godly remnant of the tribulation has the attributes seen in OT Israel and not the church. The church is not present in the prophecies of Revelation.

18. The pre-trib view, unlike the post-trib view does not confuse terms like elect and saints which apply to believers of all ages, as opposed to terms like church and in Christ, which apply only to those who are the body of Christ in this age.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

19. The Holy Spirit is the Restrainer of evil in the world. He cannot be taken out as prophesied unless the church which is indwelt by the Holy Spirit is taken out.

20. The Holy Spirit will be taken out before the "lawless one" is revealed.

21. The "falling away" in 2 Thes 2:3 would better be understood in its context as "the departure." This is a reference to the departure of the Holy Spirit as He indwells the church.

22. The work of the Holy Spirit making the church like Christ where they submit to death and persecution, whereas the OT saints (see many of the Psalms) and the tribulations saints cry out for vengeance (Rev 6:10)

The Hermeneutical Argument

23. Only the pre-trib view allows for a truely literal interpretation in all of the OT & NT passages regarding the great tribulation.

24. Only the pre-trib position clearly distinguishes the church and Israel and God's dealing with each. The Necessity of an Interval of Time between the Rapture and the Second Coming

25. All believers must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10). This event is never mentioned in the account of events surrounding the second coming.

26. The "four and twenty elders" in rev 4:1-5:14 are representative of the church. Therefore it is necessary that the church, undivided, be brought to glory before those events of the tribulation.

27. There is clearly a coming of Christ for his bride before the second coming to earth. Rev 19:7-10.

28. Tribulation saints are not translated at the second coming of Christ but carry on ordinary activities. These specifically include farming, construction, and giving birth. (Is 65:20-25).

29. The Judgment of the Gentile nations following the second coming (Mat 25:31-46) indicates that both the saved and the lost are in a natural body which would be impossible if the translation had taken place at the second coming.

30. If the translation took place at the same time as the second coming, there would be no need to separating the sheep from the goats at the subsequent judgment. The act of the translation would be the separation.

31. The Judgment of Israel (Ez 20:34-38) occurs after the second coming and requires a regathered Israel. Again, the separation of the saved and the lost would be unnecessary if all the saved had previously been separated by a translation at the second coming.

Differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming.

32. At the Rapture, the church meets Christ in the air. At the second coming, Christ returns to the Mt of Olives.

33. At the time of the Rapture, the Mt of Olives is unchanged. At the second coming it is divided forming a valley east of Jerusalem.

34. At the time of the rapture, saints are translated. No saints are translated at the time of the second coming.

35. At the time of the rapture, the world is not judge for sin, but descends deeper into sin. At the second coming, the world is Judged by the King of kings.

36. The translation of the church is pictured as a deliverance from the day of wrath, whereas the coming of Christ is a deliverance for those who have suffered under severe tribulation.

37. The rapture is immanent whereas there are specific signs which precede the second coming.

38. The translation of living believers is a truth revealed only in the NT. The second coming with the events surrounding it is prominent in both OT and NT.

39. The rapture is only for the saved, while the tribulation and second coming deals with the entire world.

40. No unfulfilled prophecy stands between the church and the rapture. Many signs must be fulfilled before the second coming of Christ.

41. No passage in either OT or NT deals with the resurrection of the saints at the second coming nor mentions the translation of living saints at that same time.

The Nature of the Tribulation

42. Only the pre-trib view maintains the distinction between the "great tribulation" and the tribulations in general which we all experience.

43. The great tribulation is properly understood in the pre-trib view as a preparation for the restoration of Israel. (Deut 4:29-30. Jer 30:4-11, Dan 9:24-27, Dan 12:1-2)

44. Not one single passage in the OT which discusses the tribulation, mentions the church.

45. Not one single passage in the NT which discusses the tribulation, mentions the church.

46. In contrast to mid trib or pre-wrath views, the pre-trib view offers an adequate explanation for the beginning of the great tribulation in Rev 6. These others are clearly refuted by the plain teaching of Scripture that the great tribulation begins long before the 7th trumpet of Rev 11.

47. There is no proper groundwork provided that the 7th trumpet of Rev is the last trumpet of 1 Cor 15. It is accepted only on the basis of assumption. The pre-trib view maintains the proper distinction between the prophetic trumpets of the church and the trumpets of the tribulation.

48. The Unity of Daniel's 70th week is maintained by the pre-trib view. By contrast, the mid-trib view destroys the unity and confuses the program for Israel and the church. The post trib view usually denies the clear teaching of the 70th weeks by subverting it into some form or another of allegory.

49. The gathering of saints after the tribulation is done by angels whereas the gathering of the church is done by "The Lord Himself."

50. Rev 22:17-20 And the Spirit and the Bride say come. And he that heareth, let him say come ... He who testifieth of these things saith

"Yea, I come quickly, AMEN. COME LORD JESUS.
~ ~
by Jason, Bible Prophesy @ Yahoo

Ecclesiastes 1:9 says:

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun (NIV).

Many Bible students believe that ancient events and dating in the Bible
are shadows and clues that foretell the coming of the Lord, even the
timing. An example is the six days of creation, seen as 6,000 years of
man’s dominion over the earth, before the return of the Lord and the
seventh, or Sabbath Millennium of peace, with Christ ruling in
Jerusalem. According to scholars, we are now at the end of 6,000 years
since Adam.

There are other such passages. God clearly promised that we would know
at least approximately when Christ will return, and even "the day" will
not surprise us, as the Holy Spirit reveals through Paul!

In addition, there is ample precedent for God revealing specific times
in advance.

* He gave Noah advance notice of when the flood would be (Genesis 6,7).
* He told Abraham how long the Israelites would be in Egypt (Genesis 15:13).
* As mentioned, He revealed to many the very day of Elijah's rapture (2
Kings 2).
* He told Jeremiah how long the Babylonian exile would be (Jeremiah 29:10).
* He told Daniel exactly when Messiah would come the first time (Daniel
9:25-26).

Some believe this same
passage holds the key to the timing of His return.

There is evidence that the Bible reveals the exact number of years of
"the times of the Gentiles" and the exact span of time to Israel's
rebirth in 1948 and the recapture of Jerusalem in 1967.

Email: scuggers1@gmail.com

Website: www3.telus.net/thegoodnews/index2.htm