You seeker of The Lord, and His righteousness, I have somewhat of a mystery to unload on you! Diligence is about to bear fruit and your faithfulness will be rewarded! This seemingly abandoned dead zone is going to be quickened and wakened to awareness!
The season of harvest and it’s festivals is in view here. The feasts of The Lord are memorials before the fact, and appointments for HIM to show UP! Israel is the covenant nation of His revelation!
Remember the story of Elijah (Eliyahoo). He is the prophet of unstated ancestry ( a gentile?) who represents all of the prophets (and I believe, one of the two witnesses of the “unveiling” Revelation, when he comes back to finish his work). His preselected replacement was Elisha, because The Lord had Elijah scheduled for a rapture! All the prophets even KNEW the day he would depart! HOW did they know? There were signs along the way, of course!
The only sign of THOSE times we, here in THIS time, are left with, from THAT time (besides the division here of the two books of the kings) is the first event in Second Kings, the death of the king called Ahaziah, who was seeking counsel from one who was (in reality) the enemy. The traitor king was condemned to die, by the word of The Lord. The significance of this death was in his name, the name of this king. His name means “God has taken”! I believe this was the sign for Elijah. It’s how Elijah knew.
Fast forward to the twenty fourth chapter of Mathew (yes, THAT chapter)! For a little background to flesh out where my conclusion is derived from, Chuck Missler, that revered scholar of scripture, said that Revelation has an outline at it’s beginning, of how Jesus told John to order the book, that helps us to understand (what you have seen, what is, and what takes place after). Mathew’s chapter twenty four (this chapter is a condensed version of the book of Revelation) has just such an outline, but is in the form of three questions from the disciples. (“When will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?”) Jesus answers the questions IN ORDER!
First, I believe Mathew is a gospel for Jews……
When will the these things be (the temple)? He gives many signs to watch for leading up to it’s desecration. Then, what will be THE sign of your coming? The Abomination which causes desolation, committed by the son of perdition, after which there is a day count down to His second coming (“do not awaken love before it is time….” Because they will call HIM to come with the blessed is He who comes in the Name of The Lord!) The third question is, what is the sign of the end of the age? I believe the answer to THAT is “the coming of the Son of man is thus wise…one will be taken and another left” (behind). The rapture ends the age of the church, the same as the authority of Elijah was given to Elisha when his teacher, “God has taken”. (Israel will be given a double portion because she has paid double for all her sins).
