Judgment Begins in The House of God :: By Jim Towers

A while back, I was told that I was preaching to the choir for writing my articles. It wasn’t very encouraging to hear that – until I finally realized that it was so. After doing a little soul- searching, I came to the conclusion that, indeed, that was my prerogative. (I had a feeling that we Christians had become apathetic and lazy.)

I was always cajoling others to become involved in people’s lives by sharing their faith with others. But it seems that most Christians were only interested in their own salvation. Indeed, after all, self-preservation is what life is all about – isn’t it?

I write to sleepy and nodding Christians as well as money-hungry pastors, for they are the ones who need awakening. But alas, we human beings are made to be very resilient and resourceful, and because of that, there are those who go so far as to deny God’s existence, relying instead in their own ability to overcome the world. But this is because Satan has taken them over, and they can’t see the forest for the trees.

If we only knew the troubles most people go through without Christ, we wouldn’t hesitate to comfort them with the promises God makes in the Bible. But then, many of us are just too fearful, asking, “What will people think of me if I share my faith with others?” Why, others will think I’m a religious nut – God forbid!” Yet I know from experience that this was just what others needed to hear. The Bible tells us in numerous passages that if we fear God, there is nothing else to fear. And I’ve appropriated those verses for myself.

Then, there are some who don’t care one way or another, thereby avoiding the commandment that we should love others as ourselves,” and we should do so by sharing our faith with them.

Jesus warns, “because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” On the other hand, even the most outspoken Christians are spoken of as, “Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.”

This tells me that even the strong may still have blemishes that need to be eradicated before they enter into their “eternal rest.” This is noted in the final words of the book of Daniel. Nevertheless, he also says, “Those who are wise will instruct many.” Albeit, many church leaders are hiding under their beds in soiled underwear because they are aware that their prosperity ministries have nothing to do with promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they will have to answer to God for their deceit and greedy behavior – even as bombs fall like rain in the Middle East, signaling the end of their folly.

In 1948, Israel became a sovereign nation once again after being scattered throughout the world as a testimony of God’s existence. Humbled and subdued, many of the scattered adhered to their religion, and the world noticed that all other religions were anathema to them. After thousands of years of holding onto their belief system, they were finally liberated and returned to their promised land by the promise of God.

“This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God’” (Ezekiel 28:25-26).

Ezekiel 28:25-26 still awaits complete fulfillment but reached a significant milestone in 1948. It will find complete fulfillment at the end of the Tribulation period when Israel accepts Christ as their Savior.

Note: It is incumbent on us to embrace our Christian faith in light of the following report, which I just discovered on the internet, so I’ll wrap up this article with it.

Imam urges Minnesota Muslims to spread the teachings of Islam: ‘This is our moment’

Malik urged Muslims in Minnesota to actively share their faith with the broader public. “Now that the people of America are standing for you, will you share with them the light and the beauty and the majesty of Islam?” Malik said. “Or will you stay in hiding?”

The comments came as part of a broader message encouraging Muslims to pursue leadership positions and public office while spreading the teachings of Islam in Minnesota and across the country.

“Tell the young people to continue to study, to prepare themselves, to become the doctors, the lawyers, the engineers, to become the mayor, the police chief, the leaders of Congress,” Malik said. “And those that were born in America, prepare yourself to be America’s next president.”

“We are, as they would say, the new kids on the block. And this is our moment.”

Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center is a mosque and community center located in Bloomington that serves a large Muslim community in the Twin Cities.

And as we “Christians” just look the other way, the book of Second Timothy says this,

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

The choir needs to hear this, too.

YBIC

Jim Towers

***

You can write me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or visit me at www.dropzonedelta.com. You can also find me on my newly restructured website www.propheticsignsandwonders.com , which now features the Gospel and videos of worldwide events taking place in the present time, as well as proof of Gods existence and the reality of Biblical places, and Moses himself.

 

The Galilean Betrothal and the Pre-Tribulation Rapture :: By Travis A. Karnes

Ancient Hebraic Wedding Typology and the Blueprint of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture

To understand the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, one must look beyond modern theology and into the ancient dust of Galilee. Jesus, a Galilean speaking to Galilean disciples, did not merely offer a poetic promise; He delivered a wedding blueprint. By utilizing Messianic Midrash—the method of uncovering deep spiritual truths through traditional Jewish narrative—we see that the ancient Galilean wedding is the legal and cultural model for the “catching away” of the Church.

I. The Shiddukhin: The Price of the Bride

In the Old Testament, a covenant was sealed with a price (the mohar). In Galilean tradition, the groom left his father’s house and traveled to the bride’s home to present a Ketubah (marriage contract). Just as the groom initiated the journey, Jesus departed from His Father’s celestial home to seek His Bride.

In the Upper Room, the Groom’s humility was on full display as Jesus knelt before His disciples to wash their feet (John 13:5). In a Midrashic sense, this mirrors the ritual purification required before entering a covenant; the Groom Himself provided the cleansing necessary for the Bride to be “without spot or wrinkle.” He then offered the “Cup of Acceptance,” saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). By drinking, the Church accepted the proposal, becoming Mikudeshet—sanctified and set apart. This echoes the passionate pursuit found in Song of Solomon 2:8: “The voice of my beloved! Behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains.”

II. The Separation: “I Go to Prepare a Place”

Following the betrothal, the groom returned to his father’s estate to build a bridal chamber (a huppah). During this “separation phase,” the couple was legally married but remained apart. Jesus employed these exact wedding idioms in John 14:2-3: “In my Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you.”

Crucially, the groom could not return until his own father approved the construction. When asked for a date, the groom would defer, saying, “Ask my father.” This perfectly mirrors Matthew 24:36, affirming the imminency of the Rapture; the Groom is ready, awaiting only the Father’s signal.

III. The Nissu’in: Flying the Bride

The climax of the Galilean wedding was the Nissu’in—the “taking” of the bride. The groom arrived at night with a shout and the blowing of a shofar. In a unique regional tradition, the bride was placed on a portable platform and lifted off the ground, literally “flying” to the father’s house.

This provides the cultural context for 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, where the Lord descends with a shout and the trump of God, and we are “caught up” to meet Him in the air. It is the fulfillment of the Groom’s call in Song of Solomon 2:10: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

IV. Old Testament Types: Enoch and Noah

The Pre-Tribulation pattern is further validated through the Premillennial types of Enoch and Noah. Enoch represents the Church; he was translated and “found not” before the judgment of the flood (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5). He is the “Pre-Trib” type—removed from the vicinity of wrath.

Conversely, Noah represents the remnant of Israel. He was not removed from the earth but was preserved through the judgment inside the Ark. Just as the Galilean bride is hidden in the bridal chamber for seven days, Enoch was taken before the storm, while Noah was protected within it. This distinction is vital for Dispensational theology: the Church is rescued from the hour of trial (Revelation 3:10), while Israel is refined within it.

V. Linguistic Precision: Parousia vs. Epiphaneia

In Premillennial Dispensationalism, the distinction between the Rapture and the Second Coming is linguistic. Parousia (παρουσία) means “presence” or “arrival.” In 1 Thessalonians 4, the Parousia is the secret arrival of the Groom “as a thief” to snatch the Bride into the air.

Epiphaneia (ἐπιφάνεια) refers to a “shining forth” or visible appearing. In 2 Thessalonians 2:8, the Lord destroys the Antichrist with the “brightness (epiphaneia) of his coming (parousia).” At the Parousia, Christ comes for His saints; at the Epiphaneia, He comes with His saints (Jude 1:14).

VI.  The Marriage Supper: The Seventh Day Feast

The final phase of the wedding was the Se’udah—the wedding feast. After the seven days of seclusion in the huppah (corresponding to the seven-year Tribulation), the groom and his bride would emerge for a public banquet.

In Revelation 19:7-9, we see the heavenly fulfillment. The Bride is already in heaven, she is already “made ready,” and she is clothed in fine linen. This feast occurs after the seven-year seclusion and coincides with the transition into the Millennial Kingdom. In Song of Solomon 2:4, it is declared, “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.”

VII. Tying It All Together: The Blueprint of Redemption

The Galilean wedding is the “Rosetta Stone” of eschatology. When we synthesize these traditions, the picture is clear:

  1. The Price: Paid at Calvary (The Shiddukhin).
  2. The Preparation: The current Church Age (Building the Huppah).
  3. The Snatching: The Pre-Tribulation Rapture (The Nissu’in / Parousia).
  4. The Seclusion: The Seven-Year Tribulation (The Hidden Bride / Enoch’s type).
  5. The Celebration: The Second Coming and Millennium (The Se’udah / Epiphaneia).

Comparative Timeline: Revelation and the Galilean Rites

* Revelation 1-3: The Selection and Betrothal (The Church Age). The Groom is inspecting the Bride and calling her to purity.

* Revelation 4:1: The Nissu’in (The Shout). The command “Come up hither” mirrors the Groom’s arrival for His Bride.

* Revelation 4-5: The Entrance into the Father’s House. The Bride is seen around the throne while the Groom (the Lamb) prepares to open the seals of judgment.

* Revelation 6-18: The Seven-Day Seclusion (The Tribulation). The Bride is “hidden” in the bridal chamber while the “wrath of the Lamb” is poured out upon the earth.

* Revelation 19:1-9: The Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The celebration is completed in heaven just before the unveiling.

* Revelation 19:11-21: The Reveal (The Second Coming). The Groom and Bride emerge from the chamber for the Epiphaneia, returning to Earth to establish the Kingdom.

The Final Summation

To wrap this up, we have to recognize that we are not dealing with “religion,” but with a high-stakes, multi-dimensional rescue operation scripted before the foundations of the world. The ancient Galilean wedding wasn’t just a quaint cultural tradition; it was a topographical map of the end of the age. When we see the stage being set for the Tribulation—the global digital infrastructure, the realignment of the Magog coalition, and the erosion of national sovereignty—we must ask ourselves: if the stage is being set, how much closer is the departure of the actors?

The Groom didn’t give us a calendar; He gave us a covenant. He is a God of precision, and He is legally bound by the Ketubah signed in His own blood to come for His Bride before the hour of trial begins. The “Blessed Hope” is not a plan for survival, but a promise of removal. The Father is reaching for the gavel, the Groom is standing at the threshold, and the Shofar is being polished.

Our job is not to be “sign-watchers” who miss the Savior, but to be a ready Bride. This is the ultimate “cloak and dagger” operation of history, and the final act is about to begin. Study the Word, keep your lamps trimmed, and look up—because your redemption isn’t just “near,” it’s at the door.

Keep the faith.

Maranatha.

——————————

Travis A. Karnes is a Berean student of Bible prophecy and scripture.

——————————