As many people know by now, Pastor Dana Coverstone’s series of prophetic dreams have caused quite a stir. As I write this, the two videos on the dreams that he posted are starting to close in on two million views. In addition, others have made videos discussing the dreams, and there are several hundred thousand views of them. If you are one of the few who haven’t seen Pastor Dana’s two videos, here are links to my YouTube channel where I posted them along with a few comments:

First video (3 dreams): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWpNqXaWU4E&t=7s

Second video (1 dream): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8bSEJS-t34

Here’s a brief summary of the dreams so we’re all on the same page for what I have to suggest later concerning them:

Dream #1 – This dream occurred in December 2019. A calendar flipped into 2020 and brought emphasis on the months of March and June. The dream effectively showed the rise of COVID-19 with its many health issues, including ventilators, hospitals, masks, newspaper headlines, etc. It also portrayed the aftermath of the George Floyd shooting on May 25. This included protesting, rioting, guns, barriers, cities on fire, vultures over cities, and great fear. The message from the dream was “Brace yourself.”

Dream #2 – This occurred in late June 2020. In this dream through calendar emphasis again, the overall impact was one of chaos with armed protesters and anarchy, particularly in November. Schools were closed, banks were losing money, and politicians were dealing in back rooms. There was no apparent presence of President Trump as Washington, DC, burned and foreign military personnel came in, including Russian, Chinese, and U.N. blue helmets. The vultures were now attacking.

Dream #3 – This dream occurred the night following Dream #2. The bottom line of this dream was the move toward a cashless society. There was no change (i.e. coinage), and small denomination bills ($1 and $5) were soon going away. The warning was of hyperinflation.

Dream #4 – This dream took place at the very end of June or first of July. It was a message very specific for the church, mostly in America. It spoke of great persecution of pastors who preach the true Word of God, with much of the opposition arising from backsliders within the church and those who disagree with the true Gospel message of repentance and salvation through Christ alone. It was a message of wolves among sheep and extremely unpleasant trials and tribulations for those who truly follow Jesus Christ.

If you’ve read any of my various other essays, you may have noticed that what I try to do is to reason through something, i.e. to attempt to apply a logical framework to the Scriptures, including Bible prophecy. I ask the questions: “How does this work? How could this play out in various circumstances?”

So, let’s do that with this series of dreams. Cutting to the chase, the big issue at hand is—assuming the dreams are from God and the events portrayed will occur—how do they line up with the Rapture of the church? Setting aside the first dream, as those events have already happened, where might the Rapture occur within the timeline of these dreams? And please: I’m not date setting. I’m saying, let’s reason together. I’m speculating under an assumption that the dreams are from God. If so, how does this all fit together?

One of the interesting aspects of Bible prophecy is that many times the visions of the prophets didn’t simply pertain to a single event. There was a telescoping aspect to the prophecies which the prophets couldn’t see. Thus, an initial fulfillment of a prophecy might be near-term, while a later fulfillment would be sometime in the future. Yet, to the prophet, it all seemed as though, and was communicated as if, everything took place all at once.

If we look particularly at Dream #2 in this way, we might make more sense of it. The major objection I’ve heard pertains to the Russian, Chinese, and U.N. troops present in Washington, DC. That doesn’t seem to make sense today, before the election, even with the efforts of many to bring down the country.

Another objection that Dream #4 brings is persecution of the church in America. Certainly it’s rising, but will it reach the level of intensity portrayed in the dream prior to this fall? Obviously, circumstances on the ground are rapidly changing, but to reach this point the dream conveys before the election seems to be a stretch.

Some folks have speculated that to make Dream #2 a reality, the church has to be Raptured out. There are too many patriots, conservatives, and Christians, especially in our military, for us to allow these foreign troops on our soil. The problem with this scenario is Dream #4. Will the church really be persecuted to that degree prior to November, then the Rapture occurs, and then all this other chaos comes forth? I personally don’t see it.

That takes us to the telescoping effect. Once we hit November, all hell breaks loose according to the dream. I can see this happening, particularly with a Trump victory in the election, and the Left erupts in violence. I don’t like this aspect, but perhaps something happens to the president—the reason he’s not a factor.

At that point, it’s all downhill. Leaving aside how the government would look if the head were removed, this country could certainly devolve into more chaos. The economy could tank like crazy, all the debt that’s been accumulated could cause serious problems, the Federal Reserve could print more and more money, and the prophesied hyperinflation could come about. As these events occur, if the Left has its say, the church could then be persecuted as the dream contends it will. That final message in Dream #4 was for us to “Brace yourself and endure to the end.”

Sometime after this—however long we as Christ-followers must endure—then the Rapture occurs. Note that I’m still placing all this within a pre-Tribulation Rapture scenario. The tribulation we must endure is not THE Tribulation, but more on a par with what our brothers and sisters in Christ have gone through in the 10-40 Window for many years.

None of this is pleasant. The ideal would be for God to remove us from the earth prior to all this that might take place. We can hope and pray that He will. However, once more under the assumption that the dreams are from God, and despite the doctrine of imminence which I believe in, there may be more of this world that we’ll have to see and respond to before our blessed hope materializes.

God will deliver us from the wrath to come. We who are pre-Tribbers believe in that. Jesus Christ is our only hope. I think we should take God’s Word to Pastor Dana to heart. We should brace ourselves.  More may very well be coming our way. But in all things, we must endure to the end.

…………………….

Gary W. Ritter is a lay pastor, Bible teacher, and serves as Missions Director at his church.  He is also a prolific author.  His Whirlwind Series is comprised of three books: Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind, and There Is A Time.  These books are contained in the collected volume of the Whirlwind Omnibus.  Gary has been given the Christian Redemptive Fiction award for two novels: The Tattooed Cat and Alien Revelation.  He has recently released a new novel on eco-terrorism called Green Dreams, and Looking Up – Volume 3, a non-fiction work that contains essays and devotions on end-times and prophetic events.  Gary’s intent in all his writings is to bring a strong Christian witness to what people read.  You can reach him at his website: www.GaryRitter.com or his Facebook Author page:  https://www.facebook.com/gritter3390.  You can also see his video Bible teachings on his Gary Ritter YouTube channel – look for the fish symbol.

Introduction

Lately, I’ve been hearing many in the church insist the Olivet Discourse – found in Matthew 24:1-51, Mark 13:1-37, and Luke 21:7-36 – does not mention the rapture of the church and is solely for Israel in light of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7). What troubled me most is that some of these people believe in a pre-Tribulation rapture. This vexed me so much that I thought I should write an article on the subject. Is the rapture of the church in the Olivet Discourse?

The Lord is teaching His disciples – the very men who would start His church – about the end-times and His second coming. The confusion comes about because of our Lord’s focus on what Israel will be going through during the Tribulation and, once that is completed, He seemingly turns to another subject – a “mystery” the Apostle Paul would later reveal in His divinely inspired epistles (1 Corinthians 15:51-28 & 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and others). Why wouldn’t our Lord allude to the rapture? He has the seed of His church listening intently to his revelation of the end-times. What better opportunity to show them this than at this time?

I believe He does reveal the mystery of the rapture of the church at the end of all three discourses found in the synoptic Gospels. It’s as if He is saying, “What I’m about to share with you, you won’t understand now – but you will.”

The verses that we’ll be studying are: Matthew 24:36-51 and 25:1-13 (The Parable of the 10 Virgins); Mark 13:28-37; and Luke 21:28-36.

Let’s go in reverse order and start with Luke.

Luke 21:28-36:

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Emphasis mine)

As most know, the fig tree represents the nation of Israel (the other trees are the surrounding enemy nations of Israel). This passage tells us that the end-times can’t take place until Israel is reestablished in her land, as she is today. Jesus goes on to say that when we see the things he had previously mentioned begin to come to pass, that the Kingdom of God would be near; and we see these things – the “birth pangs” – in our current generation.

Always remember to differentiate between “them” and “us/we” in prophetic Scripture. The “snare” will come on “them that dwell on the face of the whole earth,” not on us, the Lord’s bride.

If anyone attacks you for your belief in a pre-Tribulation rapture of the church by calling you an escapist, point them to Luke 21:36 and remind them that Jesus Himself commanded us to “pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.“ This statement goes hand in hand with Revelation 3:10, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.“ I can think of no clearer way for the Lord to communicate the resurrection of His church at the rapture.

Mark 13:28-37:

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” (Emphasis mine)

Whenever the prophetic Scriptures allude to the “day or hour” that “knoweth no man,” or our Lord coming as “a thief in the night,” rest assured that this is always referring to the rapture of His church. Such verses include: 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:4, 2 Peter 3:10 (a fascinating verse covering the rapture until the Lord recreates the heavens and the earth after the millennial Kingdom in one short statement), Revelation 3:3, Matthew 24:43, and others.

We will know the season – and we see those signs today – but we can’t know the “day or the hour” when it comes to the imminent rapture of the church.

Matthew 24:36-51:

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah 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. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Emphasis mine)

This passage is not talking about the Second Coming and the separating of the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), as some claim. Those that say this are trying to tie the two together, but it just doesn’t work.

First, in Matthew 25:33, it says, “and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.“ There is no “taking away” as they are all gathered together unto Him in the same place.

Second, Matthew 25:31-46 is a Second Coming passage and not a rapture passage. In the rapture passage above (Matthew 24:40-42), it is happening all over the world; hence the “two in the field” and “two… grinding at the mill.” In a parallel passage in Luke 17:33-36 (after Jesus warns the Jews of their fleeing from Jerusalem after the Abomination of Desolation), He immediately shifts to the rapture, and says, “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.“

Notice we have added here two men in a bed, presumably at night, showing that this event is happening all over the world at the same time. There is no other prophetic event that accurately describes what is being said here, other than the rapture of the church. (I do have a commentary on Luke 17:37 and Matthew 24:28 – a difficult passage to be sure – that I may publish at a later time, but is not in the scope of this article).

Important Note: Some might say, “How can you say that? How can Jesus immediately jump from a description of the Abomination of Desolation that happens in the middle of the Tribulation to an account of the rapture?” The answer is that, just like He put the rapture verses at the end of His Olivet Discourse, He is putting the rapture at the end of this teaching as well. There is ample precedence for the blending of two things together in prophetic Scripture. Prophetic Scripture is littered with near and far-ranging predictions leveled against the same empires at different times in the future.

One example of this blending is in Isaiah 61:1-2 (which the Lord Himself quoted in Luke 4:18-19, leaving out the Second Coming portion of this Scripture): “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.“

Notice the two comings of the Lord Jesus Christ – His first coming and His second coming wrapped up into two verses. This is where rightly dividing of Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15) is so essential. Jesus is the Word of God, so this consistency of melding different aspects of future prophecy should be a surprise to no one. The fact is, these verses can be nothing other than the rapture – it does not, and will not, fit the Second Coming.

Lastly, notice that everyone mentioned in these verses is carrying on their daily activities as if nothing is unusual. There is no chance whatsoever that “life as normal” will be happening at the Lord’s Second Coming, as all will be expecting and looking for Him.

Everyone will know when Jesus is coming back, as everyone will be waiting for Him – from Antichrist and his armies with the other armies of the world at Armageddon, to believers and unbelievers alike – as all they have to do is count exactly seven years from the signing of the covenant Antichrist makes with Israel (Daniel 9:27). Jesus will come on the exact day assigned to Him, just as He did on His first advent (Daniel 9:24-26). Again, everyone will know and be waiting for the Lord at the Second Coming – some in an attempt to battle Him and some to welcome Him with gladness, joy, and worship. This will not be a surprise to the remnant left on earth after seven years of the wrath of God being poured out on man.

Conclusion

Those that insist the rapture is not in view in Christ’s Olivet Discourse, I humbly assert, do much harm to the intent of the message of the text. As we can see, the rapture is clearly in view at the end of each of the synoptic Gospel accounts of the Olivet Discourse.

Why did Jesus say that only the Father knows the day and the hour His Son would come back for His bride in what is known as the pre-Tribulation rapture of the church? Because of the event’s relationship to the Jewish wedding (The movie/documentary Before the Wrath documents this well, as do many fine articles and books).

We should conclude our study with the most picturesque of all of Christ’s allusions to the rapture of His bride in relation to this Jewish wedding – The Parable of the 10 Virgins…

Matthew 25:1-13:

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

“And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!