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http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/sep2011/randy96.htm

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Randy (6 Sep 2011)
"The Personal "risk" of Picking a Rapture "date" to hang on to. The emotional challenge...."


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I can't be the ONLY person who feels this way...........

I don't normally hang on a date for the Rapture.....

I tell close friends there are 3 Rapture-related websites I have followed daily for the last 12 years.....and on one of them, "they are picking dates for the Rapture almost every week!!" Ah......that must be on Five Doves!!.... right?

So it takes ALOT of discernment to keep from literally GOING NUTS!!! lol........ But, it's TRUE, isn't it!?

The last "date" I put more than a little bit of hope on was in 2007....40 years from 1967. One woman had a REALLY good anlysis about why it just HAD to be 2007. It made alot of sense.....Biblically-based and everything.

Since expecting the Rapture on a specific date is NOT an "exact" science...... (no kidding Randy!!) ....speaking for myself only, I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL how I react emotionally to an upcoming date......or event.....AND use ALOT of God-given discernment!!

My background on learning abut the Rapture:
It started with a trip to the Holy Land in Dec-Jan, 2007-2008.....and a cassette series I bought because of that trip on End Times Bible Prophecy. I had NEVER given a single thought about the Book of Revelation and Jesus Christ's RETURN before that.

But very quickly, it all made sense.....and then in the weeks and months and years that followed, everywere I turned, there were people who taught me more and more about these things. ...... on TV, on the radio.....and on the internet.....and people at my own church who were beleivers in the return of Christ during their life.....then again at my next church when I moved.....and at my next church when I moved.......even one church, a BIG Florida church, where their stated goal was to teach about the return of Jesus Christ.

I learned early on in my study about the parallel of the Jewish Feasts to Christ's 1st and 2nd comings. Up until then, I had NO idea the feasts of the Jews had ANYTHING to do wth me/us as Christians. But it made so much sense to me....immediately! Learning of this was an exact answer to prayer in 1999......"Lord, we may not be able to know the YEAR of te Rapture.....but can we KNOW the 'time of the year' it will happen."?

2 different sources told me about the impartance of the Jewish Feasts.....and pointed me to Rosh Hashanah in the fall as "the probable" time of the year......Rosh Hashanah as "the" Feast for te Rapture

Now, I have also seen a very good case made for Pentecost as well......

So, for the past 10 years I have watched with "hopefullness" each spring and fall for those feast days.

But, hopefullness is far different from watching as if I was "expectant" or worse yet "certain."

Why? There is an emotional "cost" to watch a date for the Rapture, no matter how good the analysis is....to watch as if you really EXPECT it or believe a date is CERTAIN.

Why again? THIS is why I am writing this post....

History has shown the negative side of what can happen if the Rapture does NOT happen on a date you have your heart set on it.
In the mid 1800's, the Millerites - led by William Miller.......people sold all they had and waited together......and of course, the Rapture never came.
The period after was known as the Great Dissappointment. Some people even killed themselves.

Recently, in May.......there was ALOT of press when another self-proclaimed prophet Harold Camping said May 21 (?) would be the Rapture.
What was amazing to me here was NOT that a date was set........what was amazing was that THE WHOLE COUNTRY was abuzz with this.....it was all over the media!!!! There were people on Facebook that were "planning Rapture burglaries" for their Christian friends who might be gone. (What?? Really? Oh yes.....I thought the reactions to Camping's predicion was a little NUTS!!!

So anyway.......
Using a scale of 1-10.....with 10 being COMITTED TO A DATE.....and running the risk of being DEVASTED by a missed date and...
1 being NO affect.......

I find I have to guard against feeling too EXPECTANT........or CERTAIN.....about any given date....no matter how good of a case might be made.

That being said.......each spring-feast-time from Easter to Pentecost.......and each fall-feast-time around Rosh Hashanah......for the past 10 years, I find myself watching with "possibility" that the Rapture might.......happen.

Personally, I mostly RULE OUT any dates that are NOT on a Jewish Feast day. Hey, If Jesus FULLFILLED the spring feasts perfectly.......ONLY GOD COULD HAVE DONE THAT........then the Feast days (I believe) will be important for His return as well!!!

But, like you.....I have been watching with great eagerness in the past 10 years as the events in this world have been fullfilling the prophecies in the Bible, as in Mathew 24.....the most prophetic book in the Bible. (There are others, too.)

In conclusion........(sorry if I am rambling..)
There is a balance I MUST maintain between the things I MUST do to provide for my family in THIS world.......while I keep a very close eye on what is happening on God's timetable as the day of the Rapture has drawn nearer and nearer over the past 12 years. ( I thank God that I was NOT in touch with the possibility of the Rapture in 1988.....for certainly, it would have made sense to me....and it would have driven me CRAZY to have been watching for the past 23 years.......rather than just the past 12!!!)

(Hey.....if it was up to me....I'd just like to be a fulltime Watchman on the Wall.....!!!!!! But alas......it can only be part time.....)

We cannot make the Rapture happen EARLIER no matter what we do or how we feel! And
We cannot make the Rapture happen LATER, or postpone it, either.

The Rapture will happen on God's timetable.....NOT on our own........no matter how much I/we want it to come.
(Contrary to the President of Iran, who believes it is his 'duty' to usher in the return of the Muslem messiah, their Mahdi, but creating world-wide chaos. But then, THAT is one of the end times signs! Incredible.........!)

We have also seen "Christian" groups trying to do the same thing in the past few years..........

So, in my case.....even though I think THIS Rosh Hashanah is the BEST date I have seen for the Rapture since my studies began.......I cannot bank EVERYTHING on this.....I still have responsibilities in this life that must be taken care of......if it sden't happen then!

But, I am very hopefull as we go through the next 30 days........

And if nothing happens.....
I will be hopefull next spring from Easter to Pentecost.......

And if nothing happens...
I will be MORE THAN just hopefull next fall for Rosh Hashanah......(you may have seen my posts....and you will see them again...)

And if 20 more years pass.....and we're still here......I will remain hopefull in the spring and in the fall..........but by that time, I wonder if I will be disappointed........disapppointed that I/we managed to interpret Scripture so very wrong!!!!!!

I truly don't think the Rapture is that far out in time.........

Using Israel becoming a nation in 1948.........NOW.....HOW LONG CAN THE length of a generation possibly be???

With each passing year.....I have seen and learned more and more...becuae of Five Doves.....and Rapture Ready......and Watch.org.... and recently, a couple new ones.

In the past 2 weeks, I have seen a couple New and EXCELLENT write-ups.....with NEW things I had never learned before. (See my posts from last week.......)

But, until the Rapture really does happen.......any date speculation, no matter how sound i appears...... is just that....speculation.
I share my views of the Return of Jesus Christ in my lifetime with VERY few friends......and then ONLY close friends....and even most of them think I'm "extreme" in my views...or worse!! lol.....

I want the Rapture to happen for a variety of reasons......here's a few..
1) I want the WORLD to see the might and power of my God in an undeniable way!!!!!!
2) I want to see and experience EVERYTHING I've learned about the Rapture of the Bride of Christ.....as promised to "this last generation" .......when the time clock started to tick down from May, 1948, whn Israel became a nation!!!
3) I want to claim everything I have been PROMISED in the Bible.....and to be counted worthy to escape all these things that must be surely, soon to come.
4) I am excited to be a Christian, living in thes Last Days.....and watching everything that is happening in the world, in fullfillment of Bible prophecy!!
5).......said tongue-in-cheek..... I'd like my friends to finally know I'm NOT nuts!! lol..... I want them to know what the Bible said IS true: This will NOT come on me as a theif in the night......for I am NOT of darkness, but I am of the light!! (By the way, I/we are promised a crown for watching and loving the return of Jesus Christ..... HEY.....I just want to see it all come to pass.....anything else is a bonus!!)

Just thought I'd share some of my emotional thought-processes with you over the past 12 years.

Tick Tock......
YFIC,
Randy

PS.....it's TOUGH to be EARLY on the BIG CALLS!!! lol.......

IF there is a BIG earthquake on Sept 15..... This Rosh Hashanah will be even more important for me. (Last week's post about the 288 (?) day intervals between the last 3 BIG world's earthquakes........)

IF comet Elenin surprises me, and does have a BIG impact on earth around Sept 24 (?) .......that would be very interesting.

The UN vote on Palestinian statehood......and the reaction to that around the world........I'll be watchng that with interest.

Will Israel attack Iran around then? (Certainly NOT before the vote.....)
Will Iran attack Israel?
Will Syria attack Israel as Iran's proxy? If so, how? Will Irael attack Syria........will they have to destroy Damascas, in fullfillment of Bible Prophecy?

As I said......it is an incredible time to be a Christian, watching the events unfuld in real time, in the Last Days.....however long we have until the Rapture!!!!!!



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Zechariah 12:3,9:
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people; And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

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Excellent post Steven, even I have to prepare myself for my exams and papers for my upcoming presentations. Well that is for my world living then ....

I myself have been waiting more seriously since 2008, so just about 3 years right now much less than Randy, lol.

Well, these three years are all important years in my life as well as this 2011. This must be a pivotal year as security of Israel in danger.

When Israel back to pre 1967 border, the world will have to go back to pre 1967 time when few cars on the road, no internets, not advanced technology in medicals, no color TV, no HDTV, no videos, expensive plane's tickets and expensive cars too ....