Those of you who are regulars here have probably noticed that I spend almost no time talking about the Acharit haYamim (End Days), which is what the scholars call Eschatology.
The reason why is simple: the visions of that time are so difficult to understand that I have taken the attitude it doesn’t matter what happens when, so long as I am on the winning side when it is over.
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There have been many people who believe they know when the Tribulation will occur, despite the fact that Yeshua said even he isn’t in on it (Matthew 24:36), and there is (and always will be) constant debate about the Rapture, whether it will be before, in the middle of, or after the tsouris (troubles/curses) that will result from those angels pouring from God’s bowls of wrath all those terrible things upon the earth and all the people living at that time.
(Wow, that’s a long sentence!)
However, I do have a thought on the rapture, based on the parables Yeshua told. In Matthew 13:24-30, Yeshua says that when the harvest comes, i.e., the Tribulation, the tares and wheat that have been growing together will all be pulled up, with the tares being gathered and burned, then the wheat being brought into the barn (meaning God’s presence), indicating a Post-Trib event. He also tells us the parable of the fish (Matthew 13:47-50), where the good fish are separated from the bad, which are then destroyed, indicating a Pre-Trib event.
Despite the difference in timing, the message I get from these parables is that when it is over, the believers win. And, as I said before, all I care about is being on the winning side.
Now, despite my disdain for Eschatological arguments, I have to admit that the way things are going, it certainly seems very close.
What with all these blood moons, societal strife and disorder increasing world-wide, government officials committing crimes, riots, increased crime in many of our cities, the increase in storms and tsunami’s, antisemitism increasing (or should I say just becoming more and more visible), and all that other stuff that is supposed to occur, well… like the kids on a long car ride, I have to ask:
“Are we there, yet?”
I don’t know if we are, or how close we are, and neither do you or anyone else, but the one thing that I can be absolutely sure of is this: if you haven’t chosen to be on the winning side, you may not have that much time left to decide if you will be with the tares or the wheat.
And yes, it is a choice: faith in Yeshua is something you have to choose to believe, and without that faithful acceptance, you have no way to be forgiven of your sins, which means no chance for salvation.
To be forgiven of sin, the Torah requires an animal sacrifice to be made where God places his name (Deuteronomy 12:5), which was the temple in Jerusalem (2 kings 21:7). The problem being that the temple is not there anymore, but Yeshua’s sacrifice replaced that Torah requirement to bring an animal to the temple.
Ans that is why only through Yeshua can we now be forgiven, since the temple is no longer there; what’s even worse is that where it was is under Muslim control (the Dome of the Rock).
For the record: the Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, it is a shrine. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is right next to the Dome, both being on the temple mount. The mosque is east of the Dome, so when Muslims prostrate themselves to the east during prayer, they are (effectively) mooning the Dome.
Okay, let’s finish up here. No one will ever know when the Tribulation is set to begin, and no one knows when the Rapture will occur, but one thing we all know- absolutely- is that it will happen when you least expect it (Matthew 24:37-39). So, if you aren’t really sure about Yeshua, or God, or whether or not the Torah is still valid and necessary, I wholeheartedly recommend you get off your tuchas and decide, one way or the other. Hopefully, you decide to accept Yeshua and try to live a Torah observant life.
Look at it this way: if you reject God or Yeshua or the Torah, you choose to have no future other than now. But, if you do accept that God exists, that Yeshua is the Messiah, that he was resurrected and his sacrifice allows us to ask forgiveness from sin, and you try to live as God said we all should (and not what some religion says), what have you got to lose? Yeah, you’ll have to forgo ordering shrimp scampi at your favorite seafood restaurant, and settle for pretzels and potato chips while watching the game instead of pork rinds, but isn’t eternity in total joy and peace worth it?
Thank you for being here and please remember to share these messages with everyone you know, even non-believers, Hey, after all, you never know how fertile the soil is until you plant a seed in it.
That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!