The Harpazo Factor
A Rapture Perspective

By David Ben Yakov

I'd like to welcome all who have come to this page. I'd like to bestow special blessings to you. This page is going to address an issue that has been contested by many in the Church to have a variety of different meanings and timing sequences. But first, let's explore a Biblical subject that should be one of the most important to the Christian and also the Jewish person. It is important because God has given us a roadmap. He has laid out the future before it happens. This is called "prophecy."

Man has always been an inquisitive creature. He has always wanted to know what the future held for him. He is still that way. If it were not so then there would not be a booming psychic business. Each year millions or perhaps billions of dollars are spent so that people can make a vain attempt to see what the future holds for them. They visit astrologers and psychics and almost always walk away with disappointment. They buy books about charlatans like Edgar Cayce and Nostradamus to see if these supposed great sages forecasted the future. Many have tried to relate their vague predictions into fact but they always fall on their faces doing so. For every believer there are nine skeptics and the skeptics are the ones that always seem to win out.

Each day thousands wake up and read the horoscopes while they enjoy their breakfast. These little tidbits of supposed knowledge have vague generalities that people want to hope will show what the day ahead holds for them. These predictions all hold a little bit of truth but again, I could tell you ten things that are general to all people that might happen to you today and I will hit at least one of them. But the sign of a true prophet of God is that they are true one hundred percent of the time.

There are some who get into the more esoteric forms of predicting. They fool around with a direct channel to the occult. The worse offending way to do this, aside from going to a psychic or channeler is to use what is called a Ouija Board. By using this item to tell the future, one get into contact with the demonic forces that inhabit the unseen world of the supernatural. This implement, along with the others mentioned above are tools used by demonic forces to open doors into the lives of human beings and should be avoided at all costs. They seem innocent and harmless to all, but so does a blind and deaf man standing on a railroad track. Like him, they can't see or hear impending disaster approaching but become quite aware when the train slams against them and spreads them all over the rail yard. Just because something can't be seen by tangible means doesn't mean it isn't real.

Still others will read daily about what the weather is forecast to be. Interestingly enough, the word forecast means to predict. It means to cast (or throw) out to you the events before they happen. Before the advent of the wonderful science that we have today, weather predictors were just that, forecasters; but today the weather is presented days and weeks ahead of time using a series of computer models, satellites and other mathematical calculations that have been tried and tested over many years. So the term "weather report," is much more applicable than forecasting.

And finally, others trust in monetary futures. They place their hard earned money on the line and prospect about what the future will hold. While some have made a good life for themselves through speculating in the stock market and such, many haven't been that lucky (good word to describe it) and all know that it's just a matter of time before the stock market crashes and you can lose it all. It's just gambling for those who call themselves intellectually gifted.

But then there are those, like myself, and hopefully you too, who know that all things in this life are transitory. That means that we are just passing through, and anything that happens in this world that isn't done for the purpose of pleasing God is really going to burn in the fire that will test all deeds. But as King David said so wisely:

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.  Psalm 20:7

God Proclaims Himself "God of Prophecy":

So, what is prophecy anyway? Merriam Webster defines a prophecy as: "the function or vocation of a prophet; specifically : the inspired declaration of divine will and purpose" In it's true intention and meaning it is the Word of God as spoken through one of His earthly vessels.

Many try to ascribe the words of people like Cayce and Nostradamus as prophecies, but their words don't come from divine sources. In truth, they should be classified as predictions, and lousy ones at that. If it doesn't have divine inspiration than it isn't a prophecy.

God makes bold statements. He makes them because He can make things happen. In Isaiah he proudly proclaims:

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Isaiah 46:9-10

God is telling us in the passage that we should look at the things that He forecast in the past and to see how they have come to be true. He knows that the only mark of true prophecy is that it comes into being. And then He is saying that not only did he do things in the past, but you should look toward the things in the future that He has also told us in advance.

And God is so gracious that He gives us a guarantee. He says that He won't act unless he tells us through His prophets what he is going to do:

Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

Now some might say that what I have just said is ridiculous. They might say that it is ludicrous to say that God has planned every life out. But it's true, and let me explain it. Look at the Ten Commandments. I'm sure that you're going to break at least one of them today. In the Bible, God states that He cares enough to number every one of the hairs on our heads:

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Matthew 10:30

And God isn't just interested in one or two individuals, but would like it if all people would come to Him to be saved:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18

To see how much God is involved in our lives and dictates the affairs of our lives, read the following scripture:

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. Psalm 139:1-18

So we can see that God is involved in every minute of our lives. To encapsulate the scripture above in modern day English, we can say:

v.1 David realizes that God knows him completely. We should understand that this applies to every human in the past, present and future.

v.2 God understands my thoughts in their origins.

v.5 I look back and see God's hand upon my life. I look ahead and see His plans for my life. I'm surrounded by God in my past, present and future.

v.6 "Such knowledge" refers to self-knowledge. Few people know the true motives behind their actions. God looks at our motives.

v.7-12 You cannot escape from the presence of God.

v.14 We're discovering how wonderfully we're made.

v.15-16 God knew me before I was born.

v.17-18 God's thoughts about me are more than the grains of the sand.

Now that we've seen how much God is involved in our lives we can understand why He wants to reveal to everyone the plans that He has for the world.

We, the humans that we are, always have to have ideals enforced into our lives or we will forget them, or in some cases we will pervert them. Since our perception of God is always watered down because of our shallow view of the unseen world, God sees fit to plan things out in advance and then reveal them at the proper time.

We can see this coming into view starting in the late 1940's. During the 20th century morality as well as religious thoughts began to wane. The world had been through two World Wars and people were tired of strife. They began to question the reality of God and wondered how a loving God could let such ferocious events happen on Earth. Later some would even announce that God was dead.

But God had not abandoned the scene and in 1948 He again injected His truth into our sick world. In 1948 he used the fresh memory of the holocaust to cause the world powers to allow the formation of the State of Israel. The Jewish people had been a wandering band of people who were shuffled from country to country because of the rabid hatred that ungodly people have always had toward them. The holocaust had showed the world that humankind was indeed sick and needed to atone for its acts over the millennia toward His Chosen People. So, in very quick fashion Ezekiel, chapter 37 became fulfilled and Israel became a nation against all odds and against the wishes of millions of Muslims. By this act God again showed His glory and announced to the world, "I'm here, I'm alive and I'm preparing to do many more wonderful things." I wasn't alive at the time, but I can only imagine the joy that Jews and Christian Believers felt when God again made Himself real.

The Apostle Peter, who walked with Yeshua and knew Him quite well was prompted by the Holy Spirit to tell us about the importance of prophecy, and to illustrate what I have said above:

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 2 Peter 1:19 KJV

Another translation of that scripture reads:

Because of that, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. Pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a light shining in a dark place--until the day Christ appears and his brilliant light shines in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:19 NLT

He was in effect saying something like the following. When you doubt that God is around and you wonder why you believe, just look to the fulfillment of past prophecies. When you do this you will know that God is around. And, when you see prophecy being fulfilled treasure it in your heart and use it as a small deposit of the wonderful blessings that you will receive when Yeshua returns with His kingdom and glory. Then you will be illuminated as to His glory and power.

So now that we've talked a little about prophecy and it's importance, let's jump ahead to the focal point of this article; the Rapture of the Church.

What Is The Rapture:

When I first heard about the Rapture I went right to the Bible. I looked in a concordance and couldn't find any reference to the word. At first I thought that perhaps my Christian brothers had been pulling my leg or something of the like. I later found out that the word is not found in the Bible. It is an English word for the event that will be described just below.

The Greek word for the event that modern Christians call the Rapture is transliterated as "harpazo." The word translates out to mean "a snatching or taking away." As of this writing it is still a future event, but one that I pray happens in my lifetime. It's an event where Yeshua will come back to take His Church to heaven to be with Him. There are three divisions in the Rapture camp and they are as follows:

• Pre-Tribulation Rapture - belief that Yeshua will remove the Church just prior to the Great Tribulation that is illustrated in The Revelation.
   
• Mid-Tribulation Rapture - belief that Yeshua will remove the Church sometime toward the middle of the 7 year Tribulation period.
   
• Post-Tribulation Rapture - Belief that Yeshua will remove the Church after the Tribulation.

I used to adhere to the first camp, but for reasons that I will elaborate on below I have changed to the Mid-Tribulation take on the matter.

Old Covenant Raptures:

Anyone who has studied the Bible at all knows that, in what Christians call the Old Covenant, and what the Jews call the Tenach, there were two individuals who did not see death; Enoch and Elijah. Both of these men were greatly loved by God because they walked with Him in total dedication, and God decided to spare them death.

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Genesis 5:22-24

And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 2 Kings 2:9-11
 

The words in both passages that that relate to the persons being taken up are different, but could have the same meaning. In the case of Enoch, the word which is transliterated to read [law-kakh] means to be literally snatched up. The word in the case of Elijah is transliterated ['alah] which in the case here means that he just went up, but in some instances it also could mean to be snatched up. Now some will argue for each word, but for the sake of this article I'm going to suggest that it means to be snatched up.

So, having done the word study we can see that there were at least two raptures or harpazo's that occurred during the Old Covenant period. But what about the New Covenant? Are there any instances of a harpazo in that text?

The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthian Church makes a comment about a man who it appears was snatched up to heaven:

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 2 Corinthians 12:2-4

It should come as no surprise that the Greek word for "caught up," in the passage above is harpazo.

There is another sort of rapture that happened when Yeshua was resurrected from the grave. Let's read the account:

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Matthew 27:50-53

Well, many reading will say that this wasn't a rapture, but a resurrection. But it was a type of the harpazo to come. You see, part of the coming harpazo is that the "dead in Christ will rise first." This means that they will precede the living whom will be changed in an instant. The Greek word for arose is "egeiro {eg-i'-ro}" and it means: a) to arouse from sleep, to awake; b) to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the death to life.

As an aside, one has to understand what happened when Yeshua died. We know that on the third day he was raised up; we have that testimony from Yeshua himself. But during that three day period while his body lay in the grave he was on a mission. We don't have to assume that this is true; the mere fact that so many of the saints of old rose from the dead bears this out. But why would he have to go to Sheol (The Hebrew word for Hades) in the first place. I think the answer has more than one answer. First, Yeshua was quite clear that faith in Him is what gets people into heaven and into favor with God. The saints the died before Yeshua's' ministry and death knew that there would be a redeemer, but probably never knew his name. For sure, they didn't get a chance to meet Yeshua in person and hear the message of the Gospel. So basically, Yeshua had to go to Sheol to preach to the righteous dead so that they could accept Him as Lord and Savior. I also believe that the evil people were able to witness this event, but not allowed to participate in this. That assertion is based on the fact that the word "saint" used in Matthew 27:50-53 "hagios {hag'-ee-os}" is defined as meaning; "most holy thing; a saint." But I am not beyond accepting the premise that some of the unrighteous dead, upon hearing His message did repent and upon doing so, became holy. I guess well find out when we get to heaven huh?

A scripture that bears Yeshua' descending to hell after he died can be found directly below:

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? Ephesians 4:8-9

So henceforth, from the time of the resurrection of Yeshua, hell has only be a abode for the unrighteous.

A Future Rapture:

The "Rapture" that we will now examine is a future event. All indications are that it will be within what the Bible refers to at the Great Tribulation period. This is the last seven years of human dominion of the Earth. But before we go any further, let's look at some scriptures that are crucial to make the point for the Rapture:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:1-3

So we have a direct promise from Yeshua Himself telling His disciples and all believers then yet to come, that someday He would return to take all believers unto himself. Now there are some who say that the rapture as I am presenting it is really only another way of presenting the resurrection of all people after Yeshua makes a physical return to Earth to set up his Earthly Kingdom. But if that were so then he wouldn't have to return to snatch up his people. He could simply gather them at the time of His glorious appearing and call His people to himself. So therefore the Rapture has to be a tangible single and separate event from the resurrection of all people.

During the time of the early church the words of Yeshua as written above, concerning his return to take His people to Himself was a commonly held belief. The church was under constant persecution and the hope of Yeshua's return was something that helped to reassure God's people of a better day yet to come. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church to explain to them the purpose of the Rapture:

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:50-53

Again those who want to present the Rapture as the resurrection of all people try to use the above scripture. However, they miss one crucial point. That point is that the scripture clearly mentions that the people it's talking about will all be incorruptible. The sinners who are risen at the last resurrection will in no wise be incorruptible. Their corruption is what will condemn them to the everlasting fires of hell. So, what Paul is referring to in the scripture is the Rapture, where only the faithful of God will be raised as incorruptible. Also note that Paul mentions that some who are not dead will put on an incorruptible body. Those who are not dead can't be resurrected, but only "translated," further proving that it's the Rapture that Paul's talking about.

Paul had to write to the Church in Thessalonica because of a vicious rumor that had been spreading throughout their fellowship. Somehow the rumor had been circulated that the Rapture had already occurred and that those in Thessalonica had been left behind to suffer the wrath of God. Yeshua had Paul write to the church to let them know the process that the Rapture would take:

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep. 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Timing Of The Rapture:

It is impossible to place a day or time on the Rapture. When asked by His disciples when he would return, Yeshua made a frank statement:

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Matthew 25:13

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Matthew 24:36

Yeshua did however mention what conditions on Earth would be like when He returns:

But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Matthew 24:38-42

So we see that conditions on Earth will be the same as when Noah walked the Earth before the flood. Society will be careless and ignorant of God and His ways. Not only that, they will go out of their way to put God aside in a wanton desire to fulfill their own wills. There will also be an increased activity of the Nephilim at that time. The purpose of this paper is not to dwell on the Nephilim. If you desire to read more about them just go back to the site map and look at the UFO section.

In the passages above and in the one just below Yeshua seems to be referring to the Rapture:

I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Luke 17:34-36

Some of those who in the past have written commentaries about these passages try to enforce that what Yeshua describes here is a past event and that it pertains to the Roman conquest over Israel just before the Diaspora began. However, those commentators failed to recognize one thing. Look at the time frames that concern the characters in the passage. the first one concerns two men sleeping in bed; the second one describes two women grinding grain at the mill and the third talks about two men working in the field. Yeshua was talking about three different times of the day. Obviously the men sleeping in bed would be late at night or early in the morning, as we currently reckon time. The second time frame would be in the morning when women of the ancient world grinded grain to make bread. The third time frame would be the rest of the workday which in the farming world represents from sunup to sundown. Yeshua is describing a worldwide event. He was saying that when He comes back to get His people, it will be morning in some parts of the world, evening in other parts of the world and nighttime in other parts of the world. So, therefore it has to be the Rapture and not the conquest of Israel.

Also interesting is the Greek word for "taken" in the passage. That word, when transliterated into English is pronounced [paralambano] and its meaning is as follows: "to take to, to take with one's self, to join to one's self." So those who are taken are taken to be joined with Yeshua.

So Why Rapture The Church:

Now that we've studied what the Rapture actually is, we have to examine why Yeshua would call the Church unto himself. There are two main reasons why God will remove the entity that is called the Church.

The Church Is Messiah's Bride:

We are told several times in New Covenant scripture that those who are Born Again in the Holy Spirit through the Blood of Yeshua are The Bride of Messiah. Since Yeshua is the perfect husband He would love His bride with an unfailing love.

To discuss this bride / groom we have to take a look at the Jewish wedding as it was during the time that Messiah walked the Earth. At the same time, let's look at the parallels between the Jewish wedding the Messiah's wedding to His Bride, the Church.

Now we know that any man on Earth who truly loves his wife will do all he can do, including laying down his life for the safety of his woman.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Ephesians 5:25-33

So, Messiah, being our husband, should be more than willing to protect His Bride. This would include His taking His Bride away to protect Her from any wrath that He is going to bring upon the world. Let's take at a scripture that points in that direction:

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.....Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Revelation 2:7-9; 11

Most Christian scholars agree that the churches, as they are presented in the two chapters of Revelation are, in addition to letters to the church; a prophecy, or history of the periods of Church history. We won't go into this because of time constraints, but it makes interesting study. Scholars also agree that the last church, the Church at Laodecia, is the reprobate church of the Last Days. It will be the church that is in existence just before the times illustrated in The Revelation. I believe that this church is already alive and thriving. It consists of not only the Catholic Church, but also the mainline Protestant churches. All these churches embrace the world and spurn the ways of God and Biblical Christianity.

The Church of Philadelphia in the history of the Church is the church of real believers. Those who put God first and who don't compromise by acceptance of sinful ways. This is the Church that Yeshua is coming back for. Now, look at the scripture above. Yeshua promises this church that He will keep them from the bad times that will come to try those who dwell on the Earth. He will keep these trials from coming upon us by removing us from the scene. It's as simple as that.

He's Going To Limit The Holy Spirit:

Ask yourself this question; when was the Church born? When did it come into being here on Earth. The answer to that is on the Day of Pentecost. Before this date the disciples were fearful and were cowering, afraid that they would be hunted down and suffer the same fate that Yeshua did. They were seen, by the Jewish hierarchy, as heretics and blasphemers who happened to follow a failed Messiah. But look what happened one day:

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Acts, Chapter Two.

So we can see that right after the Holy Spirit settled on the disciples they were changed. Before they were cowering frightened men and afterward they were bold witnesses for Yeshua. The Holy Spirit also allowed them to speak the various languages of the people who were congregated outside. The Spirit also changed the character of what had just become the Church. They started to care for each others, selling their possessions  and giving to each believer as they had need. All of these things were shown to be changes in character because these men were now new creatures.

The Holy Spirit (Ruach Ha Kodesh in Hebrew) has been with all Born Again believers ever since that day.

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. John 16:7-14

So we have the words of Yeshua Himself that the Holy Spirit and His Church are adhered to each other. But notice that another mission of the Spirit is to reprove the world of sin. How does He do this? He does it through the acts that the people whom He indwells. Christian believers are a thorn in the side of the world. When unbelievers sin, they see us and they are brought to mind that they are doing wrong. Let's look at an interesting scripture that I hope will help to explain why the Church must not be here during the period of the Tribulation Period where the wrath of God will come upon mankind:

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8

So, for all the people who run around trying to figure out who the Anti-Christ is, they should just stop because he won't be revealed until the end of the Age of Grace, when the work of the Holy Spirit and the Church will be different than they are today.

Now I know that some reading this are getting pretty hot under the collar right now. They think that I am saying that the Holy Spirit won't be here during the Tribulation Period. On the contrary, I'm not saying that, but I do say that the ministry of the Holy Spirit will probably be different that it is currently. I believe that just like the Old Covenant times, the Ruach Ha Kodesh will rest on certain individuals. Revelation talks about 144,000 Jewish people being anointed to preach the Gospel around the world. That is in contrast to the current era where the Spirit rests on all true believers, who are all told to preach the Gospel.

We have to remember that the Age of Grace, that started with the birth of Yeshua's Church during Pentecost. That Age will end someday, when the last Gentile accepts Yeshua as his or her Lord and Savior.

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Luke 21:24

We know that the Jewish people were led away by the sword and dispersed amongst the nations first in 70 A.D. and with finality in 135 A.D. after the Bar Kochba Revolt. In the year 70 Jerusalem was destroyed and the Temple was burned then dismantled stone by stone until nothing remained. In 135, those Jews who remained in the Land of Israel revolted under a man named Bar Kochba. The Romans had finally had enough and rounded up almost every Jewish person that remained and exiled them all over the known world of the time. They then renamed Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina and built a temple to Zeus where the Temple of God once existed. To further the insult to their Jewish captors, they renamed the land to Palestine, which was the Roman name for the Philistines, Israel's sworn enemies.

Ever since that time Jerusalem has been trodden on by the Gentiles. First the Romans, then the Arabic tribes, then a while under Muslim rule. The so called  "Christian" crusaders took and lost the land to the Muslims who finally gained control and kept that control until after World War One, at which time treaties gave the land to England who administered it until Israel's independence in 1948. In 1967 Israel wrested control of the city from the Arabs and it has been under Israeli control ever since. Could that year be the year that the "times of the Gentiles" stopped? Only history will tell future generations if that is a true assertion or not. I tend to think that it started the process of the ending of "the times of the Gentiles." It is also interesting to note that the late 1940's is when secular thought started to advance against religious belief. Could Israel's taking back Jerusalem been the death knoll of the "times of the Gentiles?" I tend to think so. Soon, the extension of this present age will end and things will not be pretty.

God Doesn't Appoint Wrath To His Children:

When you think about wrath, what do you think of? Well, I think immediately thing of the "Rambo" movies that starred Sylvester Stallone. In each one of those movies Rambo is wronged and then he returns to dole out his wrath. This usually constitutes the killing or severe punishing of those who have offended him. Scripture clearly states that God doesn't send His wrath against His children:

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thessalonians 5:9

It is generally believed by most prophecy scholars that the first three and a half years of the Tribulation Period will be one void of God's judgments. It will be a time when anti-Christ will build his kingdom and get work out all of the kinks in his plan. It may even be a time of relative peace toward the Church.

We know from reading The Revelation, that times will get bad for believers in the True Jesus Christ. The Bible refers to those who suffer under Anti-Christ as the "Tribulation Saints." It says that these saints are innumerable and that they get special status in Heaven. But what many fail to see is that the persecution of these saints isn't a form of wrath from God, but persecution from the enemy camp. I used to use 1 Thessalonians 5:9 to prove my point for a Pre-Tribulation rapture, failing to see that it was people who were killing the saints, not God. I do believe that we who are still alive when God's judgments start will be supernaturally protected from those judgments. This is illustrated in the scripture below:

And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. Revelation 9:4

What better impetus to bring on a persecution of the saints then for those who are being tormented seeing the people of God going unscathed. They will already hate God, but be powerless to do any harm to Him. So, the next best thing will be to kill the servants of the one who is causing the torment. For millennia the Jewish people have suffered the same fate, being persecuted and tormented because in all actuality, they reminded sinners of the just and righteous God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Now this is not to say that that God doesn't act when His people are unruly. Like a good parent, God tends to correct His kids gradually, but firmly and, He'll always let His Children know that the chastisement is coming:

For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished. Jeremiah 30:11

I for one am thankful that God is a God of love and a faithful Father.

Trumpets tell the whole story:

Now we come down to the crux of the matter where the timing of the rapture is concerned:

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:50-53

The Apostle Paul, when explaining the still future event to the Church at Corinth was quite emphatic in telling them that the Rapture would occur at the blowing of the Last Trump; or last trumpet. That Paul would say this is indeed proof of the Holy Spirit led inspiration of Scripture. I say this because Paul reveals this in this letter to the Corinthian Church before the Revelation given to Jesus Christ who in turn gave it to John while exiled on the Isle of Patmos. The Last Trump mentioned by Paul has to be the Seventh Trumpet in the Book of Revelation. Since the judgments don't occur until toward the middle of the 7 year period then the Rapture can't occur before that time.

The First Summary:

We've gone into quite a long study about the Rapture of Yeshua's Church, which I contend is a soon future event.

We've seen that according to the scriptures, the Rapture will occur probably toward the middle of the Great Tribulation Period, that will come to test those who live on the Earth. We've also seen that true believers will be here and although they will suffer at the hand of men, they won't suffer God's wrath. Now, let's look into other things.

What Is The Enemy Saying?:

We Christians know that we're at war. We didn't start the war but we will see its end. We're very blessed in that we're on the winning side. But what is the enemy saying about the Rapture?

Now, you might be asking, "why would Satan and his minions be interested in talking about the Rapture? What stake could they possibly have in bringing the Rapture to light? Well, the answer to those questions is summed up in one word; disinformation.

Remembering that we're at war we have to look into a very important war tactic. Propaganda is used in every war and has been since war was first conceived. Propaganda's basic tenant is to make your enemies scared and to enforce confidence in your troops and allies. The enemy, if not standing firm with solid conviction that they will win, will always be discouraged by your disinformation. On the home front propaganda works wonders. If you don't think that's true then you haven't studied history. Because of propaganda millions of Germans followed Hitler to a dire fate. While the Ally bombs fell and decimated their cities they still believed that their Fuhrer would lead them to victory. In the same fashion the information you will be presented below will lead many to destruction.

When the Rapture does occur there will be millions of people who will have vanished in the "twinkling of an eye." The Anti-Christ and others in power who have been left behind will have to come up with some quick answers. Many have speculated on what those answers might be and the possibilities have been many. I have no doubt that many different spins will be presented to counter what some will be explaining as what their Christian friends have told them over the years; mainly that the Rapture has happened. Evil will have no use for that explanation, so they will come out with anything that they can present. While I don't like to quote Hitler too much, he was a great liar and an adept deceiver, so his thoughts on the matter are valuable. So I present to you two quotes to show you how evil evaluates situations:

The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie rather than to a small one.

And:

What luck for rulers, that men do not think.

Hitler was aware that people are basically lazy. They don't like to think, so they allow others to think for them. Because of this, they can be presented big lies; things that would be too ludicrous to believe and these things are believed. Because of this, one can introduce a little bit of lie with mostly truth and you can water down anything. A little of corruption here and then a little there and soon the whole topic is corrupted. Again we can see it with what is called, "Boiling Frog Syndrome." This syndrome illustrated what we call "gradualism." In Boiling Frog Syndrome we learn that if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, he’ll jump out. But if you place a frog into a pot of lukewarm water and slowly turn up the heat, it will boil to death. If Adolph Hitler would have come on the scene and laid out his evil plans for the people to review then he would have probably been deposed before he got started in his master plan. Instead, he perverted a little here and deceived a little there until he had implemented his lie in whole and by then the people had been indoctrinated. They believed that the lie was true and were in essence, brainwashed.

Those who choose to pervert society and civilization have been feeding the people by using gradualism for a long time. For instance, sexual perversion has reached depths that I never thought it would. Things like homosexuality, abortion, pornography and other things have become accepted as normal activity by most people today. Even though most people don't partake in such things, they don't object to them either. Most people find it easier to live a, "live and let live," attitude; figuring that if something doesn't directly affect them then they shouldn't worry about it. Reverend Neimoller was a pastor in Germany and saw first hand the result of such a philosophy.

"In Germany, they first came for the communists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist," said the Rev. Martin Niemöller. "Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics. I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak up."

So there we can see that turning a blind eye will almost always turn into tragedy for the onlookers. One wise man once said:

If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem.

That is why we started The Delusion Resistance. We were tired of sitting on the sidelines and having no control over the outcome. At the very least, we're praying against the Great Delusion and at the best we're helping people to identify their part in that delusion and offering a way out.

Today we see that the force feeding has been broadened to include things such as metaphysical subjects. What is called the "New Age," has pervaded our society on a steady rate since the 1960's. What the 60's taught us was to question authority. That is okay in an earthly sense, but people didn't stop with man's authority and they started to question God's authority. Like a group of rebellious little children we put the Creator of the Universe on trial and with corrupt lawyers and a uninformed jury we banished Him to exile away from our hearts.

Now when the officers of the enemy saw that we mutinied against our Captain they came in and said that they could better command the troops. Most people of my generation were in a drug stupor at the time so it wasn't hard for the enemy to make the conquest. The opposing army called itself the New Age. It was filled with ideas that sounded foreign to our better judgment. But, like any woman will tell you, makeup can do wonders. That is exactly what the New Age is, the old metaphysical lie with a new face.

Like I said above, when millions of friends, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters disappear because they go to be with Yeshua, there will be a panic back on Earth. The New Age has addressed this issue even before it has happened. The fallen angels and demons that are the force behind the New Age know that the time is near. They know that if they don't have the answer for the Rapture that perhaps many would turn to faith in Yeshua and ruin their plans in their appointed seven years of rule here on Earth. So for years, on top of the metaphysical horse hockey they've been enforcing the belief in UFO's. In recent years those two realms have been merged into one so that when one thinks of UFO's, one can easily identify them with psychic activity. Actually that is a good thing because that is about the only truth in the whole matter.

Within the past twenty years or so, what we used to called "mediums," who now like to be referred to as "channelers," have been writing down and broadcasting what they call messages from "ascended masters." The "masters" purport themselves to be beings, who through many successful lives on earth have become enlightened so much that they have become of god status. They claim to be from a variety of places around the universe and some even claim to contact the channelers from Earth's future. They all claim that man is a mess and that they are going to come to Earth and set mankind on the correct path. It's hardly a coincidence that their plans are always in opposition to anything Biblical. They go out of their way to mock the Bible and Judeo-Christian values, making those values seem alien and contradictory to their goal.

There are many parallels between the actions and words of supposed aliens, ascended masters and demons with their leaders the fallen angels. The reason for this is because all of these entities are the same. Just as the New Age is the Old Lie with a new face, the aliens and ascended masters are really the demons and fallen angels of old, with a new face of course so that they can deceive mankind without shedding light on the supernatural world. If the world ever suspected that all of these entities are the same, they would of course turn toward God and be saved. Satan can't have that, so the makeup is put on to make subject palatable.

The New Age Explains The Rapture:

The best way to figure out what someone is up to is to read what they are writing and then to analyze it. Directly below are some of the writings of famous channelers regarding the "taking away," of many people at one time. You'll be amazed at how the dark side is preparing the explanation for our disappearance:

Our first channeler Thelma Terrell, who goes by her spiritual name, "Tuella," is the author of a book called "Project World Evacuation," below are some quotes from that book. They are messages channeled from an entity who calls himself Ashtar, the leader of an alien confederation:

"Our rescue ships will be able to come in close enough in the twinkling of an eye to set the lifting beams in operation in a moment. And all over the globe where events warrant it, this will be the method of evacuation. mankind will be lifted, levitated shall we say, by the beams from our smaller ships. These smaller craft will in turn taxi the persons to the larger ships overhead, higher in the atmosphere, where there is ample space and quarters and supplies for millions of people."

Dave's note: It's interesting that the demon who dictates this message uses the term, "in the twinkling of an eye. That is exactly what Yeshua said His return would be like. Because they use a like terminology it could be used by satanic forces after the Rapture to explain that the rapture forecast in the Bible and their so called "evacuation," are one and the same.

"...We watch diligently, the threat of a polar shift for the planet in your generation. Such a development would create a planetary situation through which none could survive. This would necessitate an evacuation such as I have referred to."

"...Earth changes will be the primary factor in mass evacuation of this planet."

"There is method and great organization in a detailed plan already near completion for the purpose of removing souls from this planet, in the event of catastrophic events making a rescue necessary..."

"The Great Evacuation will come upon the world very suddenly. The flash of emergency events will be as a lightning that flashes in the sky. So suddenly and so quick in its happening that it is over almost before you are aware of its presence..."

Dave's note: Again interesting how they use Biblical terminology. Yeshua said His return would be like the lightning that flashes.

"Phase I of the Great Exodus of souls from the planet will take place at a moment's notice when it is determined that the inhabitants are in danger."

"Phase II... This second phase immediately following the first. The second phase is vital, as we return for the children of all ages and races. The child does not have the power of choice in understanding nor personal accountability."

Dave's Note: Yeshua took special interest in Children. He wouldn't leave them here to take in God's wrath. Most scholars who believe in the rapture agree that children will be taken in the Rapture; even the children of unbelievers. Before the age of puberty children really don't have the accountability to comprehend, so therefore they are seen as guiltless in God's eyes.

"Do not be concerned nor unduly upset if you do not participate in this first temporary lift-up of souls who serve with us. This merely means that your action in the plan is elsewhere, and you will be taken for your instructions or will receive them in some other manner. Do not take any personal affront if you are not alerted or are not a participant in this first phase of our plan. Your time will come later, and these instructions are not necessary for you at this time..."

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New Age author Timothy Green Beckley writes more words of encouragement for those who miss the "evacuation" in his book "Psychic and UFO Revelations in the Last Days,"

"...Many of the New Age workers and instructors who feel that they will be taken will not be taken right away, but left behind to help mankind survive through the cataclysmic period. That is their mission."

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New Age author Kay Wheeler (known by her spiritual name, Ozmana), who describes herself as a Pleiadian star seed and channeler, published an article entitled, The Time Is Now, in the New Age journal Connecting Link magazine (spring 1994). She presented messages that she had channeled from entities that called themselves the "Souls of Light," who claim to be ET's from the "Seventh Celestial Plane of Life" who are concerned with helping earth evolve to full consciousness. Here she writes of the what is knows by the New Age as the evolutionary purge,

"The Mother is desperately fighting for her life. Many of her vortexes have been drained. She is in critical condition at this time and must turn her thoughts to herself if she is to survive. That is why you see the many crises in the world. many of these you do not hear about on your 'screen of lies.'"

"There is much happening on your planet at this time. The Mother is cleansing. It is all she knows to do at this time to clear herself of the pollution that exists within her body. But you as light bearers can help your Mother cleanse in such a way that does not destroy all life on this planet."

"Much of this is necessary. Many of these beings have appointments to leave at this time. Earth's population needs to be decreased to bring forth the necessary changes upon this planet to move into the fourth dimension."

"Your Earth is a fourth-dimensional being at this time. She has moved into this energy pattern, and those who plan to stay must be of this vibration."

"Many of these beings who are leaving this planet at this time have completed that which they came to do. It is a time of great rejoicing for them. Do not feel sad about their leaving. They are going home. Many are waiting to be with them again... Many beings must move on, for their thought patterns are of the past. They hold on to these thoughts that keep Earth held back."

Dave's Note: So, they are basically calling Christians a relic of the past. I'll agree with on one thing. I will be happy to leave this Earth and go to be with Yeshua. I will "greatly rejoice," too at the great homecoming. Even so, come Lord Yeshua!!

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Earlyne Chaney channels for an ET who calls himself "Kuthumi." In Chaney's book, "Revelations of Things To Come," this entity speaks about the earth changes and the need for a "cleansing."

"The Mother Deva (Mother Earth) realizes that her matter must be purified. Her akashic ethers must be cleansed of the dark thought forces."

Dave's Note: So now they refer to Christians as a dark force. Well, as God said in His Word, "woe to them who call good evil and evil good."

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Barbara Marciniak is a very famous New Age author and channeler. In her book she documents what she claims extraterrestrials from the star system of the Pleiades have told her. In her book, "Bringers of the Dawn: Teachings from the Pleiadians," she also mentions the removal of a great number of souls,

"The people who leave the planet during the time of Earth changes do not fit in here any longer, and they are stopping the harmony of Earth. When the time comes that perhaps 20 million people leave the planet at one time there will be a tremendous shift in consciousness for those who are remaining."

Dave's Note: Ah yes, Yeshua turned me into a misfit. Again we see a reference to scripture. The worker of iniquity is kept held back until, "he who restrains is taken out of the way."

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Johanna Michaelson is an ex-New Ager who is now a Christian. She writes in one of her books, "Like Lambs to the Slaughter: Your Child and the Occult," about famous New Age intellectual and promoter John Randolph Price, whose spirit guide says that the number of human beings taken will be significantly higher,

"...Asher, the spirit guide of John Randolph Price, a moving force behind the New Agers' 'World Instant of Cooperation' (on December 31, 1986, in which thousands of meditators worldwide simultaneously concentrated on world peace hoping to cause a critical mass launching into the New Age) told him that two billion people who didn't go along with the New Age would be wiped off the face of the Earth during the coming cleansing."

Dave's Note: I personally don't think that this refers to the Rapture. I do think that this is a reference to those who won't fall for the New Age lies during the great tribulation.

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Barbara Marciniak, in "Earth: Pleiadian Keys to the Living Library," writes,

"Some of you want to pretend that the earth changes are not occurring. However, they are occurring, and there is nothing to fear, for they are part of the process of the great shift... Whether you stay on the planet and alter your vibration, or you check out and sit in the bleachers to watch the show, doesn't really matter. On some level, in some avenue of existence, you will participate and you will learn."

Dave's Note: So, believing in Yeshua gets us bleacher seats so that we can sit back and watch all hell break loose. I don't think we'll be learning anything because we learned enough to keep us out of the fracas.

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Marciniak, in "Bringers of the Dawn," gives us a final warning,

"If human beings do not change -- if they do not make the shift in values and realize that without Earth they could not be here -- then Earth, in its love for its own initiation, is reaching for a higher frequency, will bring about a cleansing that will balance it once again. There is the potential for many people to leave the planet in an afternoon."

Dave's Note: Attention all Glory Train passengers. Please board the heavenly train immediately and prepare for the ride of a lifetime.

All of the above quotes were found in the book, Alien Encounters, by Chuck Missler and Mark Eastman, Koinonia House, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, 1997, pp. 185-200. You can purchase this book directly from the website at www.khouse.org

So for anyone who thinks that the rapture isn't going to be a reality, they should reconsider. If Satan and his minions are thinking of ways to explain it away to deceive the masses then it must be a foregone for real future event.

Will The Deception Work?:

Of course the answer to that question is both yes and no. The Bible is quite clear that during the Great Tribulation many people will be deceived. Yeshua even went as far as to say that the deception will be so great that it could even deceive the elect. The Elect are those true believers who are alive during the Tribulation. It will take a solid walk with God keep from being fooled by the trash that will be presented as truth.

For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. Mark 13:22

So we see that many people will be duped into believing the great lie. But we should not dwell on that, because many will see the truth, as we see below:

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Revelation 7:9-17

So it seems that even though Satan and his minions will try to deceive the world, and that many will be deceived; many more will come to the truth in Yeshua. The scripture above says that the multitude could not be numbered. Even though Satan tries to take the whole world to hell with him he loses so many that they can't be numbered. It seems that again the ultimate victory is for Yeshua!!

Will Satan Stage a Counterfeit Rapture?:

After reading the writings of the New Age prophets one can get two different views of what they think will happen. Some of their channelled writings seem to suggest that there will be a removal of those who can't or won't take on the new vibration that is coming. On the other hand, there seems to be some suggestion that some of the "faithful" of the New Age are going to be taken. This causes one to ask what the enemy is actually saying about this event. Could they be talking about two separate events?

The thing that one has to keep in mind is that for the past several decades the doctrine of a "pre-trib" rapture has been taught as the accepted view of this event. It has been drummed into the minds of countless Christians that if they are good Christians, then they won't have to go through the Tribulation. The doctrine is so strong and powerful that it is taken to be gospel and not to be questioned. But what would be the implications if this doctrine is wrong. What would be the implications if not only the pre-trib doctrine is wrong, but Satan staged a phony rapture to deepen the deception?

Picture hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of sincere believers who wake up one day to news reports stating that thousands of people have suddenly disappeared. The news would report that those taken were leaders in the Hindu, New Age, Buddhist and every other belief that is anti-Christ. Whether the people actually disappeared or it was just a major deception orchestrated by the One World authority as well as the puppet media wouldn't matter. It would be believed by many Christians who thought that they would be leaving on the Jesus Express before all hell broke loose. What would Christians do?

Well, those who are firm in their faith would realize that what they were reading or seeing on television is just a fraud and they would live with that fact; still trusting that Yeshua will come back some day presenting a real Rapture. They will see that deception for what it is, a tool of our enemy.

But the people who concern me are the ones who take everything written by any prophecy writer at face value. These are the people who sit in church every Sunday and nod in agreement with everything the pastor is saying; ignoring Paul's admonition to check everything with Scripture to test it's value. I can only imagine their disappointment, thinking that God had deserted them or even questioning whether faith in God is really a valid concern anymore. I foresee such a group of people just giving up and marching down to their local One World Marking Station and taking the Mark of the Beast. Remember that scripture says that the deception in the end would be so strong that it would even come close to deceiving those with the strongest faith.

The thought comes to mind of something I once read. I believe that this can be found in the work of the early church fathers. The author states that during his times it had become very fashionable for people to wear crosses around their necks. Christianity had become the "state religion" and had become the latest craze. Everyone claimed to be a believer. After a while a new dictator ruled the land and he was strongly opposed to Christianity. He issued an edict to start killing believers. The author made note that the saddest thing he heard wasn't the cries of those being tortured and killed; it was the sound of the crosses hitting the ground as the false converts denied Yeshua and immediately discarded their crosses. It could very well be the same after a counterfeit Rapture.

Final Summary:

Using scripture we've more than adequately proved the Rapture. Further, we've proved that it will happen toward the middle of the  Great Tribulation. And finally, we have shown that Yeshua's adversary, Satan and his little helpers have more than gone out of their way to form an explanation that will satisfy many who will want answers after God's people are gone. And we have also seen that a counterfeit Rapture could be a possibility. 

I pray that if you have read this and are not yet one with Yeshua that you will make that decision. You really don't want to suffer the wrath of God and when it come time to leave you'll not be here to see or feel all of that stuff. If you feel led to make that decision then click here to find out how it's done.

If you happen to be reading this article after many people have disappeared then I urge you to get right with God. By doing so, you will receive eternal life. Follow the link above to do that. You're life on Earth during the next few years won't be great and you might even be put to death for your relationship with Yeshua, but your eternity will be delightful. Don't make the mistake of having a few years of promised comfort in a dying world and forfeiting eternity with God. For if you do, that comfort will be hell on Earth and you will spend eternity separated from God. The choice is your and I've prayed in advance that you make the right one.

David Ben Yakov