Dear John and Doves:

Daniel Matson, Scott Clarke, Jaco Prinsloo, and no doubt many others have provided compelling proof that the sign of Revelation 12:1-2 will appear above Jerusalem in late September of next year.  We tend to think, "the rapture must happen by September at the latest" i.e. after all this waiting, we're finally going home.

But the sign of the Son is actually much bigger than just our homecoming.  If one reads a bit further in Revelation, we see in verse 7:

And war broke out in heaven...

Let that sink in.  There's reason to believe that there are as many angels as there are stars, and the number of stars has been calculated to be in the range of 10²⁴ which is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 combatants, a third of which are malevolent.  The events on earth will be significant and certainly unpleasant, but they will be a small part of a much larger picture.

And what might that picture look like?  Well, when God originally set up the government of planet Earth, He set up an administration consisting of 70 "sons of God" or beney elohim.  This Divine Council is being dissolved and the miscreants therein are being exiled.  The replacement administration will rule the nations with a rod of iron, and that replacement will be US.  So "going to heaven" and the wedding and all that will be wonderful, but we are being groomed to rule and reign with Christ.

I mention this because it's often overlooked.  We need to "grow up in all things in Christ" but our attention, as watchers, is often diverted from the serious business of Christian maturity.  And we've all seen plenty of evidence of spiritual immaturity, even in our little eschatological sub-culture, where if someone doubts or questions one of our dreams or conjectures, that person is treated with contempt and rank unkindness.

I'm not criticizing or blaming or accusing.  All I'm saying is that we in the eschatosphere need to get the BIG PICTURE.  It isn't all about getting the date right for the rapture.  It's about becoming Christlike - being like Him so that we can rule and reign with Him and reflect to the entire creation (seen AND UNSEEN!) the worthiness of Jesus Christ.

I have personally concluded that a brief period of fairly intense suffering is in the immediate future for Christians.  As the scripture says, "if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him." (2 Tim. 2:12)  The wheat and tares need to be separated.  How might one separate a "faux-Christian" from a true, committed follower of Christ?  Persecution might do it - read Matthew 24:9.  Phony, so-called Christians might be able to pass a written test, but only the true believer lives it out EVEN WHEN IT HURTS.

I'm telling you now, so that when it starts to hurt, you will understand what's at stake and you will understand that it's worth it.  Guessing when the rapture will happen and squabbling with those who disagree is not eschatology ... or even Christianity.  All the promises to all the overcomers in all the seven churches are for US.  We have less than a year left to grow up and get it right, and the clock is ticking.

Hope to see you all on the mezzanine."

Very best,

Steve

http://www.rogershermansociety.org/sign.htm

Good primer on the Divine Council by Bryan Huie: http://www.herealittletherealittle.net/index.cfm?page_name=Divine-Council

---

The sign of the Son of Man will appear over Jerusalem on September 23, 2017

Home       Homework

Source