Five Doves, Aug 24, Jerry R.

Is the RAPTURE Really Next Month? The Bible’s Timeline Is Shocking

[16 minutes]

Laugh All You Want, The Rapture Is Not Escapism Or Fantasy… It’s Biblical:

Let’s start with the obvious: the Rapture sounds crazy. Jesus descends from Heaven, dead people rise from their graves, and living believers are suddenly caught up into the sky—like the world’s strangest episode of “Stranger Things.” Sounds like the stuff your uncle mutters about after three cups of church coffee. Except—it’s right there in Scripture. Paul says it. John says it. Jesus says it. The only ones who don’t are usually the skeptics writing editorials dismissing the very faith that gives us hope.

Opposing Views on the Rapture

Now, critics like to pounce: “But the word Rapture isn’t even in the Bible!” Congratulations, Sherlock. Neither are the words Trinity or even Bible. And yet, here we are, still believing in all three. The word comes from the Latin rapturus, which translates the Greek word harpazo—meaning “to snatch up, grab by force.” Imagine a parent reaching out and pulling their child away from danger just in time. That’s the picture Scripture gives us of the Rapture.

Some say, “Oh, the Rapture is just a modern invention, some 19th-century gimmick.” Nonsense. Yes, J.N. Darby helped popularize it in more recent times, but long before him, the early Church Fathers like Irenaeus and Cyprian wrote about believers being “snatched up” before judgment. It’s not new—it’s biblical. We also hear about the Rapture straight from Paul, Peter, James, and most importantly, Jesus Himself: “I will come again and receive you to myself.”

The most familiar passage on the Rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together (Greek word: harpazo, meaning ‘snatched up’) with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

And if that sounds far-fetched, remember Enoch—who literally walked off the face of the earth into God’s presence—and Elijah, who rode to Heaven in a fiery chariot. The prototypes are already in the Old Testament.

Why This Matters

Here’s why this isn’t just a fun theological parlor game: the Rapture gives hope. Paul calls it the “blessed hope.” When you’ve buried a loved one, you don’t need vague talk about them being “in a better place.” You need the solid promise that in one split second, you’ll be with them again. Parents reunited with children. Husbands with wives. Brothers and sisters together again. And at the center of it all—Jesus Christ Himself.

And it does more than comfort grief. It motivates godliness. If you really believe Jesus could return at any moment, maybe don’t binge sin like it’s Netflix. You wouldn’t invite your best friend into a house piled with dirty laundry and Taco Bell wrappers. Don’t greet your Savior that way either. You want to be ready—walking with Him, keeping your spiritual house in order.

The Takeaway

So, what do we do with all this? We wake up. We stay alert. We stop living like the world is a Vegas buffet that never closes. Paul said: “The night is almost gone, the day of salvation is soon here.” Translation: time is short. Knock it off. If you’re a believer, live clean, live holy, live hopeful. If you’re not—well, get right or get left.

Because one day, maybe in our lifetime, maybe tonight—in a blink, in the twinkling of an eye—everything changes. Loved ones raised. The Church caught up. Judgment delayed until after the Bride has been rescued.

It’s not escapism. It’s not fantasy. As C.S. Lewis reminded us, looking forward to the eternal world is one of the things a Christian is meant to do.

So, laugh if you want. Roll your eyes. Write your snarky post. But when it happens—when the shout comes, when the trumpet blows—mockery won’t matter. Only hope will.

https://harbingersdaily.com/laugh-all-you-want-the-rapture-is-not-escapism-or-fantasy-its-biblical/   

Christian Revival: Belief in God Triples Among 18-24 Year Old Britons:

Christianity is experiencing a revival among young people in Britain, with the number of 18-24 year olds believing in God increasing by nearly 200 per cent since 2021.

After decades of Christianity declining in Britain — falling to such an extent that the 2021 census found that Christians had become a minority in England and Wales amid the rise of atheism and Islam — there appears to be an indication of a trend reversal and possible revival of the faith in the United Kingdom.

A smaller, but still significant, increase was also registered among those aged between 25 and 49 years old, with the tracker recording a jump from 21 per cent in 2021 to 33 per cent in 2025.

The increased interest in Christianity has not been even across the board, however, with some churches faring better than others, and the Anglican faith, in particular, lagging behind.

While the Catholic church has seen attendance increase from 23 per cent to 31 per cent since 2018, and Pentecostal churches have seen a six per cent rise, the Anglican church has seen a decrease from 41 per cent to 34 per cent attendance during the same time period.

Blind Shepherds: When Pastors Proudly Refuse To Submit To The Words Of Scripture:

During the time I pastored a small church in eastern Iowa, now just over forty years ago, the pastor of the Methodist church called and asked me to come to his office. When I arrived, I saw he had been studying More Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. I remember that he asked me a few questions about the book before telling me that he was a pastor for twenty years before he became a born-again believer.

Last week, the Lord reminded me of his startling confession, and I began wondering what made the difference between knowing God’s Word and the arrival of saving faith. Surely he had often read the Bible and preached from it many times. The answer came as I remembered the book he was reading at the time, one that defended the veracity of Scripture. He now trusted its life-giving message, which led him to believing in Jesus.

Why is it that so many professing Christians refuse to believe the words of Scripture? Jesus said this in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Despite the unmistakable clarity of His message, many insist that He isn’t the only path to eternal life. A well-known “evangelical” pastor teaches that God saves Muslims apart from their belief in the Savior. Why would he make such a statement that not only contradicts Jesus’ words but the entire New Testament?

During the past several years, I have crossed paths with many pastors and Christians who retrofit the words of Scripture to fit their own wisdom-based beliefs about future things. They say that the book of Revelation is either allegory, past history, or previously fulfilled prophecy up to the point of the White Throne judgment in 20:11. Reliance on their own insight blinds them to the most thrilling truths in all of God’s Word pertaining to our future as the redeemed. They refuse to accept the plain sense of Scripture.

I know most of you experience rejection and ridicule because of your adherence to what Scripture teaches about the Rapture and the fast-approaching Tribulation period. But take heart; Jesus sees and will surely reward your perseverance and longing for His appearing (1 Peter 1:6-9; 2 Timothy 4:8). Perhaps soon, we will all be with the Savior in Heaven with glorified bodies.

https://harbingersdaily.com/blind-shepherds-when-pastors-proudly-refuse-to-submit-to-the-words-of-scripture/   

Five Doves, Ron Reese (17 Aug 2025)
"AN OLD TESTAMENT CONFIRMATION THAT JESUS MARRIES HIS BRIDE (THE CHURCH) IN 2025?!!!"

excerpt:

Isaac was the sacrificial Son, just as Jesus was our sacrificial Son. Abraham, the Father, offered up Isaac, the Son, as a sacrifice to God the Father.  Isaac, the Son, married Rebekah, his Bride. Rebecah, the Bride, therefore, represents the Church. Jesus, the Son of God, will marry His Bride, the Church, at the time of the Rapture. 

Isaac, the sacrificial Son of the Father, Abraham, married Rebekah, the Bride, in the YEAR 2025 B.C.!!!!!!! Does this mean that Jesus, the sacrificial Son of God, the Father, will marry His Bride, the Church, in the Rapture in 2025 A.D.?!!

You can read about this amazing typology of Isaac, the sacrificial Son, marrying his Bride, in Genesis 25:20 (reversed is 2025!!!).

https://www.fivedoves.com/letters/aug2025/ronr817-1.htm