Global SITREP F10-21: A Departure

The Departure

10 September 2021: Due to recent events of the past nearly three weeks this SITREP was temporarily delayed. It can be delayed no longer and why this SITREP's posting is occurring at zero dark thirty this morning.

Back on 24 August our brother, frequent reader and commenter jmoll106 sent word of a teaching he'd recently heard delivered by Dr. Andy Woods. This was a three-part teaching on the topic of II Thessalonians 2:3 that was delivered in September 2020. As a direct result of Andy Woods teaching you will notice that the Scripture link takes you to the 1599 Geneva Bible translation. This is the correct translation of that Spirit-breathed verse, the bolding has only been added for the due emphasis on one word.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition.

The link embedded within Dr. Andy Woods name above will take you an invaluable library of his teachings on the Scriptures. And this link - Dr. Andy Woods The Rapture Sermon Series 20. Explaining Apostasia in 2 Thess. 2-3a - Part3 - will take you to the audio recording of Part 3 of the teaching series. This teaching will give you new understanding that the Greek word Apostasia is not referring to the apostasy or the apostate church of these last days, but instead and correctly to the physical departure of the bride (body) of Christ (the true Church of Christ) in the event we've long known here as the Harpazo, and also as the Rapture, and in the Hebrew Old Testament as Laqach. 

This is not baby's milk teaching. No, this is real meat and potatoes sustenance teaching about the Word and the how and why there is to this day confusion over the meaning of this particular verse that Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write.

I believe our Departure is imminent. Marana'tha!

Global SITREP E1-21: The Harpazo Part II

"Come up hither!"

Repost 25 February 2021: This is a re-issued SITREP from it's last update on 25 December 2019. It is a reminder that the prophetic times we consider on Eschatology Today are of two distinct calendars. Mixing the two is erroneous and very confusing. In explanation, let's just say that prior to the Harpazo, in our current Romans 11:25 "times of the gentiles" time, time is counted on the 365-day Gregorian calendar. In the post-Harpazo world the Bible is clear (Revelation 11:1-3) that the 360-day Hebrew calendar will be in effect, hence the 2,520 days comprising the 70th week of years, or the two 1,260 days halves (times, time and half a time) delinating the Thlipsis (Tribulation and ministry of the Two Witnesses in Jerusalem at the 3rd Temple) from the Megas Thlipsis (Great Tribulation). 

The difference between the Gregorian and the Hebrew calendar with respect to Psalm 90:10 (i.e. form 70 to 80 years) is 350 to 400 days, or about a full Gregorian calendar year. Since no man can know the day or the hour, doing such mathematical calculations is essentially fruitless - we are already deep within the season. The tangible, physical thing that Eschatology Today watches for, prior to being caught up, is a sudden and drastic change in the current status of the Temple Mount. As can be seen in the linked Scripture above, and as discussed here previously, the 3rd Temple will be standing and in operation on day one of the Two Witnesses ministry. Maybe we'll see this, maybe we won't, time is that short.

25 December 2019: The last time this topic of The Harpazo (Laqach or Rapture if you prefer the Hebrew or Latin versions of the word) appeared here over two and a half years ago, it was because of what the late Jack Kelley had written on the subject. I have been feeling a pull to revisit this yet again, feeling that time is very, very short and quickening all the time. 

Well, yesterday, and to be perfectly honest, it was made clear that the Lord got tired of my procrastinating and He put it all right in my face. Got my full attention, He did! So, if you will look once again at that linked post, it'll help in understanding what I now understand are absolute facts concerning the day that only the Lord knows and we know as the "blessed hope." 

I now believe, although I don't know exactly which one, that the LORD God will send His Son for us and the Harpazo will occur on a Pentecost Sunday in either 2020 or 2021. I had requested others to do some personal Berean research, and maybe that was a little to much to ask, so absent that here's what I've come to understand by Berean study and using our late brother Jack Kelley's well-researched article, on "The Feast of Pentecost" as a Spirit-led guide. 

The first Harpazo, which is how the first harvest of grain is taken, suddenly by a sickle, the "first fruits" was that of Henowk (Enoch in modern English parlance, and whose name means "teaching"). It occurred on a day the Lord set aside as a feast day, the very same day tradition holds that Henowk/Enoch was born and was taken by God. It's the same day on which the bride of Christ was born, and God only knows, when He will send His Son to take his bride. This day throughout thousands of years is the same day, be it called Shavuot or Pentecost. Have we just re-learned something from Henowk/Enoch? I believe I have.

This day was also known in advance, which is why its name in Greek equates to "count 50" and in counting 50 days, or more correctly, counting seven Sabbaths (49 days) and the next day, the 50th day is the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the gathered apostles in Jerusalem (and others as well) to give birth to what was originally known as "the Way." Going back a bit in Israel's history, it's also the day Moses delivered "the Law" as given by God, and the nation of Israel was born. 

Can anyone see where I'm going with this (?) and which I hope is not confusing anyone either! In dispensationalism, God stopped dealing with Israel on the same day as He began dealing with the bride of Christ, the day the Holy Spirit was poured out on those apostles and the first Christians. It's a day the Lord set apart long ago, and we know how the Lord keeps His appointments. 

I'll say something more - all of this is the absolute ultimate in prophetic fulfillment, from Moses giving the Law sent down by God to Israel, to the Lord sending down the Holy Spirit to establish His bride. The end of this dispensation sees this Divine process reversed, the bride of Christ is taken, as Henowk/Enoch was taken on Pentecost, and Israel receives the Spirit on earth as God pours it out upon, at a minimum, 144,000 of them (see Ezekiel 39:29 and Romans 11:25-27).

I also believe Jack Kelley was at least partially correct in that the Harpazo is probably not a date-specific event, but a number specific event (the number of the last human to be redeemed in Christ). However, where I differ is that given the history of the day we know as both Shavuot/Pentecost, it could also be on that day that God has known from the beginning that both the full number of gentiles is the same day the Henowk/Enoch was taken up - Pentecost.

These studies continue as I do believe there is more to learn. One item is the question of "why 50 days?" It's kind of specific, as can be seen in hindsight in the direct relationship between Passover and Atonement in the Blood of Christ and Shavuot/Pentecost. It was all predetermined by the Lord.Lo and behold His command is found in Leviticus 23:15-17. 

"And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord."

Finally there's II Kings 2:7, the "fifty men of the sons of the prophets" of Jericho. Why 50? Why not 40 or 60? And again in II Kings 2:16 they are "fifty strong men." Somebody counted out fifty strong men who crossed the Jordan River and searched three days for Elijah who had been Laqach (Harpazoed) by the Lord. 

Again, this number 50 is tied to the second Harpazo of a living human being, Elijah. I now also believe fully that the Lord's Two Witnesses in the first half of Israel's 70th Week will be Henowk/Enoch and Elijah. 

Marana'tha!

The Significant Issues With Bill Salus' 'Gap Theory'

Depiction of the Seven Seals Scroll of Revelation 5:1

16 June 2017: Is there something in the water? One has to wonder when a growing number of prophecy teachers slide into teaching things which the Holy Spirit immediately recoils from as being inconsistent with the discernment He has always provided. The bottom line here is that, and this is said in the brotherly love of Christ Jesus: such teaching is man-made and is not of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, in prayerful dealing with this issue I was led by the Spirit to 1 Peter 4: 7-11.

The issue at the head here is that our brother Bill Salus has been teaching things which are contrary to the above linked passage from Peter, and contrary, in my view, to Revelation 22:18-19. 

A recent advertisement heralded across the web by Bill Salus "Revealed Tonight on National TV - The Nation Discovers What The Bible Reveals is the True Content of the False Covenant Between Israel and the Harlot of Mystery Babylon." The program was a pre-recorded discussion between Gary Stearman and Bill Salus on Gary's half-hour Prophecy Watchers program. 

In all actuality the program is a discussion on Bill's beliefs (i.e. "I believe") in which the unstated details require the reader to purchase Bill's most recent book in order to read about them. We are asked up front to accept as fact that what is stated by Bill is correct exegesis, even though he acknowledges that our likely reaction to the theory he puts forward is a rather lengthy stretch from proper hermeneutic of the various prophecies discussed. The YouTube version of half-hour program is linked above.

Readers who've long been visiting Eschatology Today know there are two types of prophetic interpretation and they are diametrically opposed to each other. The two types are (1) proper exegesis, which solidly rests upon careful, objective study as well as one or more gifts of the Holy Spirit for discernment, and (2) eisegesis, which is based on a very subjective personal reading of the prophetic text in which the author intends to lead the reader into the conclusion, or interpretation he has drawn. We know well the result of when the infallible Holy Spirit leads, and when the fallible man leads. The former is proper hermeneutic exegesis in communion with Scripture and the latter is personal eisegesis.

Three key points of what Salus teaches in this video are as follows. 

A) Bill Salus is teaching that there is an undetermined amount of additional time between the Harpazo of the bride of Christ and the start of the 70th Week (i.e. the confirming of the covenant among many by the Antichrist per Daniel 9:27). This is Salus' so-called 'Gap Theory' which theorizes an additional dispensation of time between the current Church Age and Israel's 70th Week.

B) Bill Salus is teaching that Jesus opens the first five of the Seven Seals prior to the start of the 70th Week; that the four horsemen of the apocalypse, (i.e Divine judgment), are loosed upon the world prior to the start of the 70th Week. This teaching also includes opening of the Fifth Seal which martyrs who have died for their faith in Christ Jesus prior to the advent of the 70th Week. This teaching destroys the integrity of the 70 Weeks prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27.

C) Bill Salus is teaching that it is the Harlot of Revelation 17 and the rider of the fourth pale horse, ridden by Death and followed by Hades (Sheol), are "the many" who Israel makes a covenant with that is confirmed by the Antichrist for 7 years.

These three are primary points and are directly linked to other points, as mentioned before, which are not discussed at length in the video, and do require a monetary remittance in order to learn of them in the newest Bill Salus' book. I strongly disagree with our brethren having to pay for that which God has ostensibly revealed to us through Bill Salus' theory because it is an eisegesis until proven to be hermeneutic exegesis.

Here, in a nutshell - because this is a blog and not a book - is the problem with this teaching. Right from the start this teaching grossly violates the integrity of the God-breathed 70 Weeks prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27). I'm going to concentrate on this issue for the moment. 

The violation is that prior to the sequential string of Jesus' judgments on the earth (Seals, Trumpets, Bowls per Revelation 6, 8, 11 and 16) during the of 70th Week, according to Salus, our Lord Jesus cuts loose the Antichrist who immediately goes out conquering an to conquer; the red horse whose release triggers a world war; the black horse which is rampant monetary inflation and/or price gouging from the scarcity of commodities due to of global warfare and the interruption of global trade and commerce; and, finally the pale horse ridden by Death and followed by Hades, which are the results of the global war, starvation and death that consumes a quarter of the earth.

Why is this a problem? It is a problem because these are Jesus judgments occurring prior to the 70th Week. How did the angel Gabriel explain to Daniel what the specific purpose of the 70 Weeks was? Daniel 9:24. So how can there be judgment prior to the 70th Week. 69 weeks were completed, and leaves but one week, the 70th to fulfill the purpose of 70 Weeks, not 70 Weeks plus a year, or two years, three, four or more. 70 Weeks. This is how Bill Salus' current eisegesis attempts to destroy the God-breathed sanctity of the 70th Week. it is a horrendous thing to do in my opinion.

So here, according to Bill Salus, are 5 of 7 Seal Judgments occurring outside of and prior to the 70th Week. Then the Lamb of God opens the 6th and 7th Seals within the 70th Week. Continuity here, anyone? No, there is no continuity here. There is no integrity. Five seals of judgment upon the earth opened by the Lamb of God prior to, and two within along with the remainder of sequential Trumpet and Bowl judgments which occur uninterrupted. 

Then we have the problem of the 5th Seal occurring after the Rapture and prior to the 70th Week according to Bill Salus theory. In this aspect of his gap theory the Harpazo, {a/k/a the Rapture, and also known in Hebrew as the Laqach, i.e. the LORD God's taking of Enoch and Elijah} of the dead and living Bride of Christ has occurred. The physically dead in Christ have been raised to life in their new, immortal bodies and those alive on the earth were changed to their immortal bodies in the twinkling of an eye. In a microsecond of time all of the saints are now with Christ forever more. But wait... here prior to the 70th Week there's suddenly another group of martyred souls under the altar who've been murdered, martyred, for the word of God and their testimony. 

How can this be? The dead in Christ were raised to incorruptible bodies just prior to this point in the future, so who has murdered these redeemed Christian brethren enmasse because they've preached the word of God as their testimony? The cannot be the 144,000 as they've not yet been selected from the 12 tribes of Israel, nor can they be those 70th Week saints who are martyred for Christ during the 70th Week. So, who are these saints? Bill Salus has no answer for this equally critical flaw in his gap theory. Get that? A flawed theory. Since when does the Holy Spirit reveal flawed prophetic theories or interpretations to men? Simple answer brothers and sisters: He doesn't reveal flawed anything; His word and testimony are inerrant.

Another item. The 70th Week comes in two halves. 1,260 days each, for a total of precisely 2,520 days, which we are also told by Bible prophecy will be shortened in order that the 70th Week does not become a 7-year long extinction level event for human life on the earth. And by the way, there is a gap, two gaps in fact, but they both occur after the 70th Week has taken place. Gabriel also informed Daniel (Daniel 12:11-12) there would be an additional gap of 30 days (one additional month) followed by another gap of 15 more days, for a total gap of 45 days following the 70th Week. So, there's a 45-day gap at the end of the 70th Week according to the angel Gabriel. 

Here's something else that I find to be a problem with Salus' gap theory. He says the first five seals are opened before the 70th Week begins. Where in the God-breathed text of Revelation 5 or 6 is this stated with the certitude of Salus' assertion?

In Revelation 5 (read this carefully!) the scroll is seen by John in the right hand of God. This scroll is written on both sides of its surface. This means the entire scroll is one continuous document which is sealed with seven (also obviously visible to John) seals along its outer leading edge (see the image above).

The Lamb of God takes this sealed scroll from the right hand of God the Father who is seated on His throne. The 24 elders - who are redeemed men - then fall down in worship. 

Jesus the Lamb of God was worthy to look at, recieve and open the seven seals on the scroll upon His ascension into Heaven. 

John sees each Seal being opened by the Lamb, and as each of the first four Seals is opened each of the four living creatures tells John in sequence, "Come and see." And immediately John sees a vision of what is within the text of that Seal.  

The 5th and 6th Seals are revealed straight away to John, and they are, as the first four are, FUTURE EVENTS which take place during the 70th Week and NOT PRIOR TO IT! 

Also, there is Revelation 7:1-3 where all of the aforementioned Seals are held from occurring until AFTER the 144,000 of all Israel have had the Seal of God placed upon their forehead. 

This completes my refutation of Bill Salus' "gap theory."

Thinking cap time. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, "Come now, and let us reason together." Would not Gabriel have given Daniel detailed prophetic instruction from the LORD God of any gap of time (days, weeks, months or years)  to exist after the Harpazo but prior to the 70th Week? Would the angel Gabriel have withheld this kind of detail when such exquisite detail about the week and its immediate 45-day day aftermath were given?  And why, oh why, did the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul in II Thessalonians 2:3 not mention even a single word about a gap of time containing five Seal Judgments of the Lord Jesus Christ along with a Great Apostasy and full revealing of Antichrist in his own time? 

If you are like me, and many other of our brethren, the believing in and teaching of this kind of eschatology is very problematic, and we have strong objections to it. Aside of the above stated issues, my objection is centered first and foremost upon the sum of this erroneous teaching, taken from Revelation 5, 6, 7 and 17, and it is contrary to the warning given in Revelation 22:18-19. I do not intend to belabor this issue further, and would prefer to dust off my sandals and move forward in my own labors,. I prefer to allow the reader to determine what they will about this. 

Global SITREP C3-17: The Harpazo

UPDATED (BELOW) 8 May 2017: I was researching something and came across what may be a very important article by Don Koenig (The Prophetic Years) with an included excerpt by the late Jack Kelley (GraceThruFaith). I could not wait to post this find much longer than I have, which as of right now is four hours.

The crux of this 2009 article is about how the Harpazo (Rapture) of the bride of Christ might well occur on a Pentecost Sunday. This struck me immediately as something I had not considered before, primarily because I'm one of those who always thought the Harpazo would occur on the Feast of Trumpets. After reading this article and Jack Kelley's excepts on the topic and knowing that the Revelation 12 sign occurs this September... well, the hair stood up on my forearms! Jesus was right, He will come for us when we least expect it, or at least when I had least expected it.

So, I immediately looked at Pentecost Sundays going forwards from this year to 2021. Here's what I found. Pentecost occurs this year on June 4th. In 2018 on May 20th. In 2019 of June 9th. in 2020 on May 31st, and in 2121 on May 23rd. This is keeping with no one knowing the day or the hour except the Father, so no one accuse me of date setting.

Here's some interesting points made to whet your appetite for doing some personal Berean research on this subject.  Pentecost always occurs 7 weeks following Resurrection Sunday (I do not call it Easter). So on the 8th Sunday every year following Resurrection Sunday Pentecost Sunday occurs. 

Pentecost occurs on the same day as the Festival of Weeks, Shavuot in Judaism, which is also known as the Festival of the Harvest. (If that's not a subtle hint, I don't know what one is.) The word Pentecost comes from the Greek Pentecostos, meaning 50. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit came down and the bride of Christ was created on the 50th day after Our Lord's Ascension. The anniversary of the start of the Six Day War on June 5, 1967 marks its 50th occurrence this year. It was during the Six Day War in 1967 in which Israel took control of all of Jerusalem. The day prior to this year's anniversary beginning on Monday, June 5 is the Pentecost Sunday noted above. Just something interesting to which I actually attach no significance, its just something interesting at this point.

Enoch of the Old Testament was born on the day that would become Pentecost. Enoch was Harpazoed into Heaven by God on his birthday. Pentecost occurs smack dab in the middle of the six other. It is the day that Moses received the Law on Mt. Sinai from God. Pretty significant day down through the ages, all things considered!  There is only one embedded link above and I urge everyone to check it out. Here also is the link to Jack Kelley's full May 2015 article as well:

The Feast of Pentecost. 

Soon and Very Soon indeed!

Marana'tha!

Update 29 May 2017: The Scripture of 2 Kings 2, as looked at previously on Eschatology Today, is a unique and the first detailed look at the Harpazo of a living human being. We're now going to look at some of those details.

The Harpazo of the prophet Elijah is the subject this chapter. It begins in a place called Gilgal, which is the name of the location of the first permanent camp established by the Israelite's after they crossed the Jordan River (Joshua 4:19-5:12; 9:6 and 10:6). This is also the location where Israel observed the very first Passover after crossing the Jordan in what is today modern Israel. Gilgal is also the location where many of Israel's prophets lived (2 Kings 4:38) and this located is not too far north of Bethel (Beyth-'El - "house of God). The prophets who lived in Gilgal "went down" to Bethel. The word gilgal also means a circle, or a wheel, something which rolls away.

So, in the first two verses we see Elijah, accompanied by Elisha, were engaged in a short journey from Gilgal down to Bethel. Elijah actually had wanted Elisha to tarry, to wait in Gilgal, while he went on alone to Bethel, but Elisha would have none of that and insisted on accompanying Elijah, so they made the trip together. Verse three is where it gets really interesting. Here the "sons of prophets" come north from Bethel to meet Elisha on the road, and they tell him point blank, "Do you know that God will take away (Laqach) your master (Elijah) from you this day." Elisha responds, "Yes, I know, and you should be silent."

The word Laqach is the exact same Hebrew word as found in Genesis 5:24 which describes Enoch's being taken by God straightaway into Heaven. In this sense the word Laqach is clearly the Hebrew equivalent of Harpazo or Rapture, and why I capitalize it here. So this Scripture tells us that not only did most of the inhabitants of Bethel know beforehand that God was going to take Elijah into heaven that day, but so did Elijah and Elisha. 

But the journey is not over yet and again Elijah tells Elisha to tarry again, this time in Bethel while he continues on alone to Jericho. Again, Elisha will have none of that, so on they go together to Jericho. However, this time fifty of the sons of the prophets of Bethel go also, but stand off at some distance to observe Elijah and Elisha who soon arrive at the Jordan River. It is here that Elijah removes his mantle, the garment or cloak of a prophet, and in his last act of a miracle violently strikes the Jordan River with it and the waters part so the two of them can cross on dry ground to the east bank.

It is here on the eastern bank of the Jordan River that Elijah suddenly asks of Elisha what he can do for him before his Laqach takes place. Elisha asks for a double portion of the (Ruwach) Spirit within Elijah. And Elijah says, "That's a difficult thing you ask. But if you see me as I am taken, it will be so; but if you do not see me being taken then it will not recieve it. 

So, the two of them trek onward in private conversation on the eastern side of the Jordan River when suddenly a chariot of fire (a flaming vehicle) as a horse leaping (skipping like a swallow in flight) which split the two of them from the side of the other and immediately Elijah is Laqach into Heaven by a tornado-like storm. Elisha witnesses the Laqach of Elijah with his own eyes. Elisha declares the vehicle to be "the chariot of God prevails" (rekeb Yisra'el). 

And what does Elisha notice right away after ripping his own robe into two halves? Elijah's mantle, the cloak of a prophet, lies on the ground where second before his father had stood. And Elisha takes it up, going back to the Jordan River and in his first miraculous act he strikes the water violently with the cloak and it parts again so he can cross over to the west bank on dry ground. 

Then again on the way back Elisha is met by the fifty sons of prophets, and they prostrate themselves before him, yet they not do not believe Elijah was Laqach up to God in Heaven. These fifty sons of prophets demand to send out a search party to locate Elijah. Now these are the same fifty sons of prophets who had previously asked Elisha if he knew that God would take Elijah that same day; now they simply do not believe what they've seen from a distance at Jericho. So they beg Elisha to allow the fifty of them to search for Elijah; Elisha says to equivalent of, "Don't bother." Yet these fifty persist and pester and eventually Elisha relents and they are sent out to search. Three days later they return having found nothing, and Elisha says to them the modern equivalent of "See, I told you not to waste your time."

Elisha has clearly been given his request of a doubled portion of the Spirit (Ruwach) and he performs the second miracle of his young ministry as a prophet of God by healing the waters of the spring at Jericho.

What might the lessons here be for the bride of Christ as we know our Harpazo approaches? I'll not say, but ask that you each ask the Lord what lessons there are. Is there anything the Father will not give to those of His children who ask?

Marana'tha!