Most of us know that Scripture is filled with prophecy. I’m not talking about the “fortune cookie” type of prophecy or the Nostradamus type of silliness, but real prophecy. When God gives prophecy, you can count on it being fulfilled when God knows the time is right. As I watch the news, it’s very evident that prophecy is being fulfilled quickly.
This can be a bit unnerving, but there are facts that we need to hold fast to. God gave us prophecy in order to give us a heads-up. We can relax and know that God foresaw it all, and He has given us clues to look for. We also have to be clear that there are two big events coming. The first, and the one that concerns Christians, is the Rapture. Many Christians have been deceived into thinking the Rapture is a modern idea not found in Scripture. In fact, it’s a very old truth that dates back prior to the Flood of Noah.
“And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).
This is reiterated in Hebrews. “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5).
Enoch was blessed to be taken prior to God’s judgment. The second event is the Great Tribulation, which Christians won’t be on Earth to experience…thank God. Like Enoch, Christians won’t face God’s judgment.
A misunderstanding of the truth of the Rapture will lead you to misunderstand much of prophecy. Enoch was the first to be taken to Heaven before God’s judgment. Why was Enoch taken Home? Not because of his own perfection, but it was the belief he had in God. He honored God and obeyed Him. The wickedness in the world was great, but Enoch didn’t participate in it.
When Adam sinned, he and Eve were banned from the Garden of Eden; sin separated humans from God. After the fall, wickedness grew strong. The other problem was that fallen angels decided to have sexual relations with human women, which violated God’s plan.
“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose” (Genesis 6:1-2).
This means literal angels (sons of God) and literal human women (daughters of men). This is strictly forbidden, and the result was the corruption of the human genome. Because Enoch chose to walk with God, he was protected. He was rewarded by God for his obedience by being raptured prior to the judgment of the flood. Unfortunately, the trouble that the fallen angels caused corrupted all of creation. Humans were no longer fully human. The offspring of humans and angels were known as Nephilim.
“And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth” (Genesis 6:12).
God sent His judgment. This is an Old Testament “picture” of a New Testament truth. Noah and his family weren’t part of the corruption. They weren’t perfect, but they were fully human. They are a picture of the Jewish people who will be saved through the judgment. Enoch is a picture of Christians who will be taken Home prior to the judgment of the Great Tribulation. The Flood is a picture of the Great Tribulation. The issue here isn’t if you believe the truth of the Rapture or not. The issue is whether or not you have accepted Christ for salvation. Chuck Missler used to say, “It’s OK if you don’t believe in the Rapture. We’ll explain it to you on the way up.”. Faith in Jesus is the key.
When we don’t take Scripture seriously, we can’t find peace. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).
If you only watch the mainstream news, you’ll have no peace, but Scripture brings comfort. The Old Testament is filled with hints and pictures of the New Testament, and we need to learn from those verses.
In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus talked to His disciples about the Tribulation period, not about the Rapture. He told of the things to look for. The Tribulation is about Israel and the necessity of them acknowledging Jesus as their Messiah.
“I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early” (Hosea 5:15).
Jesus has returned to His place in Heaven until the nation of Israel acknowledges their rejection of Him. The Olivet Discourse gives signs to look for, and we are seeing those signs today. His first warning was against deception.
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4).
There’s much deception today, and many false teachers are in the world. There will be wars, civil unrest, famines, pestilence, and earthquakes. I’m sure you’ve noticed all these things happening more often. It’s everywhere, but Jesus said, “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8).
It will continue to get worse. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12).
Iniquity is a condition without law. It seems that God’s laws have been forgotten, and sin and wickedness reign. Jesus also likened the end times to the days of Lot. “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-30).
Lot is another “picture” of the Rapture. Sodom was filled with homosexuality and wickedness, but judgment couldn’t come until Lot was taken out. In looking at all the clues God has given to us, the Rapture is drawing near. What a blessed hope we have; a true blessing from God!
When we read Scripture, it seems as if the events move very quickly, but we forget that many years may have passed between events. For instance, we know that it took God six literal days to create the world and all that’s in it, but we don’t know how much time passed between creation and the fall. The next major event was the Flood. We know that many generations passed and how long each patriarch lived, so we can come close to knowing the time lapse between the Fall and the Flood. By adding the life spans of people named, we see that 1,656 years passed between the fall and Noah’s Flood.
The point is, a few chapters in Scripture may cover many years. It’s important to remember that no matter how long it takes, we can always trust that when God says something will happen, it will happen. God exists outside of time and knows the future.
“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 knows the future, and we can trust Him to be completely correct. Even if His timing doesn’t fit our timing, don’t get discouraged. Prophecy will be fulfilled, just as God says. Never forget that Israel is at the heart of prophecy, and they have never been replaced in God’s heart. The ekklesia (Christians) will be Raptured prior to the Tribulation, which will cause Israel to acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah. As Christians, we already acknowledge that fact and won’t face His wrath.
“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).
Jesus took our sins upon Himself, and our punishment, so He is our Righteousness.
Those of us who study prophecy can see that time is getting short. On October 7, 2023, Israel was viciously attacked by Hamas. Nearly 2,000 men, women, and children were murdered, and many hostages were taken. Yet, the world condemns Israel.
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about; when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.” Zechariah 12:2.
The world always blames Israel. Israel launched Operation Rising Lion and targeted the leaders of Iran and their nuclear facilities. Civilians aren’t targeted by Israel, and in fact, they are warned to leave prior to a bombing. The leaders of evil hide in hospitals and schools and blame Israel for attacking these facilities, but prior to attacks, Israel warns the civilians to leave. Civilians aren’t the target, just the evil leaders.
President Trump stepped up and sent some well-trained pilots to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities. Thank God! This won’t stop the attacks against Israel. Prophecy will be fulfilled.
The return of Israel as a nation is a miracle but also fulfillment of prophecy. Ezekiel was shown a valley full of bones. “And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord, GOD, thou knowest” (Ezekiel 37:3).
It’s always wise to defer to God’s greater knowledge when you don’t have an answer. The dry bones represented Israel having been dispersed, seemingly dead, and no longer a nation. Things aren’t always what they seem. The Lord told Ezekiel to prophesy upon the bones “…and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD” (Ezekiel 37:4b).
The dry bones of Israel did begin to come to life when the Jewish people from around the world returned to their God-given land. “Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts” (Ezekiel 37:11).
The Jewish people had just seen the Satanic evil of the Holocaust. Those who survived were weary and had little hope. Just as God said, these wonderful people began to return to their homeland.
When prophecy is fulfilled, miracles happen. It is a miracle that Israel is once again a nation. They have the hope of rebuilding their temple, and I’ve seen reports that there are many who are turning to God and also coming to faith in Jesus. What a blessing for them and for the world! Anybody who is blind to the fact that God still loves His chosen people hasn’t read Scripture.
“Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore” (Ezekiel 37:26-28).
There are many tough times ahead for the entire world. Prophecy is clear about wars that are looming, and when prophecy is fulfilled, we can take comfort that God knew what would happen and is there for us. Isaiah 17 tells us that Damascus will be totally destroyed.
“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap” (Isaiah 17:1).
When Isaiah spoke these words, nobody could understand how that could happen. How could soldiers riding on horseback using swords and spears totally destroy Damascus? Today, it’s easy to understand. God is never wrong. There’s a war spoken of in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, and it’s on the minds of all prophecy buffs. The nations mentioned are all coming together and forming alliances.
“Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal and prophesy against him” (Ezekiel 38:2).
The nations named are called by their ancient names, so it can be confusing. Suffice it to say that Russia, Turkey, and Iran are among those named as the invaders. The hatred against Israel will grow, but as Christians, we must pray for Israel.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee, Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good” (Psalm 122:6-9).
God has promised that Israel will be brought back into their God-given land a second time and will not be uprooted.
We cannot overlook the spiritual battle we all face in this world. The battle isn’t with flesh and blood but with demonic entities full of hatred and evil. We need spiritual weapons for this battle. The Apostle Paul urges us to “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).
Only spiritual armor will prevail in a spiritual battle. Learn to use each piece of the armor and don’t take it off. Study Scripture, including prophecy. In that way, fear won’t weaken you in battle. Hold tight to God’s promises; He will win the final battle. Christians will see many evils happening in the world, but we have the blessed hope that God has not appointed us to wrath, and we will be taken Home prior to Daniel’s 70th week.
Prophecy is being fulfilled rapidly, and we need to use it to witness to those who are living in fear. When prophecy is fulfilled, Jesus is the only answer.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
Recommended prophecy sites:
www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).