davidbowerkingwood

The Feast of Trumpets, 2020 is Now History

Last time we were reflecting on the likelihood of the Feast of Trumpets, 2020 being the signal for the Rapture of the Church; now we can look back and say that was not to be the case. At the time, in the second paragraph, I wrote, ” I’m not convinced the church will be taken up at this Feast of Trumpets or any other Feast of Trumpets for that matter.”

As I speculate on the Rapture, my mind moves in the direction of eternal membership in the church; I’m of the opinion that God is waiting on a specific number of individuals whom he has predestined to be a part of the church from eternity past. Some verses in 2 Peter 3:8-9 refer to this:

⁸ But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Notice particularly Peter is writing to the “Beloved” and adds the Lord is longsuffering toward us, the beloved, and is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. I believe the Lord is holding back the Rapture of the Church until the very last Christian, foreknown by God from eternity past, has been added to the church.

The beloved are those who either had or at some future point would be born-again by the power of God, the Holy Spirit, into the body of Christ, the true church; I’m also convinced the Lord knows the precise second that will happen and will act instantaneously to remove the church from the earth.

I’m confident that every Christian alive today is grateful the Lord has been longsuffering toward us; because of his patience, we too are a part of the true church. I continue to be amazed at the large number of people all over the world who are receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior. The church is growing mightily each and every day that passes!

It may be timely to reflect, for a moment, on what it means to be a Christian, a born-again member of the true church. I assure you the distinction between a member of the church and one who is not is truly enormous with ramifications both in time and eternity!

A Mystery Hidden from the Old Testament Prophets

God, in his infinite wisdom, chose to conceal from the Old Testament prophets, the future existence of a special group to be known as the church. Two notable future events had been revealed to the Old Testament prophets, and they stood out like two mountain peaks, off in the distance; the First advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Second Advent of our Lord. What had not been revealed was the presence of a long valley that stretched out below those two mountain peaks and would be referred to as the Church Age; it is this valley in which we find ourselves today!

While the church age would be built on principles found in the Mosaic Law, it would make a complete departure from the Law, as practiced by Israel. Whereas the Temple in Jerusalem was the focus of worship for Israel under the Mosaic Law, the church age would abandon a temple of wood and stone and be endowed with multiple temples of human flesh and bone; each individual member of the church would become a temple of God!

Another dramatic change would be the membership in the church; both Jews and Gentiles would be equally welcome into the church and would become a new creation by the power of God. God would actually indwell this new creation and become one with it. In a fashion similar to the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the glory of God would be hidden from mortal view in those who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

A Starting Point

The church was created by God on Pentecost, May 25, AD 33; this event is described in Acts 2:1-4 where it is written:

“2 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

An amazing thing had just happened, a completely new type of human being had come into existence, a human being indwelt by God, the Holy Spirit! This had been promised to the Apostles in John 14:16-17 where it is written:

“¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.“

This is precisely what happened at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit begin to indwell human beings for the very first time; the Holy Spirit was no longer just with God’s saints but in them forever.

To prove this was of God and not of man; God initially provided evidence of this change with the rushing mighty wind, the tongues of fire and the speaking in unknown tongues.

A Valley of Unknown Length

While the existence of the valley of the Church Age was not revealed to the Old Testament prophets, neither is the length of that valley revealed to those of us who are living in it! Currently we are 1,987 years into this valley and have no idea how much longer this valley will exist although we can be absolutely certain the end will occur just as God has planned it.

It would appear the next prophetic event will be the rapture of the church; this event will precede other prophetic events that will occur during the end times; there are no remaining prophecies that must be fulfilled before the rapture can happen. In addition, we are surrounded by events that have fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies chief of which is the reestablishment of Israel as a nation.

The Great Catching Up

The removal of the church is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 where it is written:

“¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.“

I believe it possible that I may be a part of this last generation of Christians; although I am now 87 years old, I think it could happen that the Lord will return before I die. This, for me, is a blessed hope that I’m sure I share with many! It all depends on when the last soul to be included in the church has finally been added!

The Church Age and the special blessings associated with the Church Age had a starting point and will have an ending point. When this age comes to a close, then Israel will, at some point, begin the last seven years promised to it by God. At the end of this seven years, the second mountain peak event will transpire, the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ and bring “The Times of the Gentiles” to a close.