The Rapture and the Second Coming - By Rick Segoine - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/02/21/the-rapture-and-the-second-coming-by-rick-segoine/   The things that Jesus said and did on Earth and the impact He has had on the twenty centuries that have since passed are both wonderful and amazing.   The reality of Jesus returning to Earth will be far beyond amazing.   It is not a myth. Picture the literal and physical return of Jesus Christ to Earth at the Second Coming.   In a way, motion picture special effects are conditioning the human mind to behold what God can and will do in actual reality.   There are those who do not believe that a literal and physical return of Jesus Christ is going to happen or is even possible. The looks on the faces of those unbelievers who live to see that amazing day will give a whole new meaning to that old 1960s adage called “blowing your mind.”   With computerized special effects, it is now quite possible to depict Jesus leading an Army of Angels out of Heaven while riding down through the Sky on a White Horse and touching down on the Mount of Olives. That would be spectacular and thrilling to watch, and yet this prophesied event will have, in actual reality, a zillion times more impact.   There are two main schools of thought on the event that I and many others believe precedes by at least seven years the literal, physical Second Coming of Jesus, and it is known as the Rapture of the Church. One is a pre-tribulation rapture, and the other is a post-tribulation rapture.   Some [post-tribulation] believe scripture teaches that the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ are one and the same event. Others [pre-tribulation] believe that the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ are two separate events.   We know that the Second Coming of Christ happens at the end of the seven-year tribulation period because scripture, especially in the book of Revelation, describes so many things during those seven years that will happen prior to Jesus’ return. The book of Revelation was revealed to John by Jesus Himself. Jesus also says that if He were to not return when He plans to at the end of the seven years, no flesh would be saved (Matthew 24:22, Mark 13:20).   Pre-tribulation Rapture verses include Rev. 3:10, 1 Thess. 5: 9-10, and 1 Thess. 1:10, which allude to believers being caught up to be spared from the wrath of God. Jesus is not going to subject His bride (The Church) to seven years of wrath upon an evil God-hating world.   The Apostle Paul describes the Rapture as something that will occur in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:50-54). The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is described in scripture as an event that will take much longer than a mere “twinkling of an eye.” Revelation 1:7 and Revelation 19:14 are two accounts of what the Second Coming will look like.   Jesus compares the Rapture to the days of Noah in that no one knows the day it will happen, and many won’t believe it is even going to happen at all. Just as in the days of Noah, people will be going about their business when, suddenly, that day arrives. And like the rains came down and the Ark began to rise, the Church will go up (Matthew 24:37-39).   Whoever lives through the seven-year tribulation should know exactly when the Second Coming will happen because the prophet Daniel (Dan: 8) reveals the exact number of days [1,260] between the ‘abomination of desolation” committed by the Antichrist and the literal Second Coming of Christ. Jesus said that nobody knows the day or the hour of our Blessed Hope (The Rapture) and thus compares it with the days of Noah when the Flood caught people unaware. Jesus wanted us to see the parallels between the Flood and the Rapture.   It would hardly be like in the days of Noah if we could count down the days to the Rapture.   There is no reason to fear the Rapture. It will be the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to every single person who is blessed to be a part of it.   The very good news is that all true followers of Jesus Christ alive at the time will be raptured no matter what their position is on the timing of the Rapture.   Fear of the unknown, fear of the supernatural, and attachment to life on Earth as we know it can translate into fear of the Rapture. Perfect love [embodied in our Lord and Savior] casts out all fear (1 John 4:18), and so we need to trust 100% in Jesus with all of our hearts, minds, and souls. Fear not; Jesus knows exactly what He is doing and will orchestrate the Rapture in a perfectly wonderful, beautiful way.   It is not unnatural for a younger believer to hope for a delay in the Rapture, just as it is not unnatural for a believer who is older in years to hope the Rapture happens “the sooner, the better.” The young feel like their life on Earth has just begun, and the old are sick and tired of witnessing countless acts of wickedness and evil. Yet we are aware that if there seems to be a delay in our Savior calling us home, it is for the sake of precious souls that still can and will be saved.   Why is there going to be a Rapture? Because the Church (believers) is not appointed to the wrath that will be poured out in the tribulation upon a wicked Christ-rejecting and God-hating world (Rev. 3:10, 1 Thess. 5:9-10, 1Thess.1:10).   The Rapture will have a major effect on everyone who is left behind, and many false reasons will be given for the disappearance.   Two thousand years of anticipating the return of Jesus has lulled the masses to sleep. That is one of the main reasons that the Rapture will come upon us with sudden swiftness, just like the rains in the Days of Noah and the fire and brimstone in the days of Lot.   The Ark took about 100 years to build, and Noah continually warned those who were mocking him right up until the day arrived that God supernaturally sealed the door of the Ark and unleashed the waters of the firmament to flood the earth. It was at that moment that it became too late for the mockers, and all of the mocking stopped.   During the last two thousand years, Jesus has prepared a place for His true followers and, figuratively speaking, has built a different kind of Ark – one that is supernatural in nature. Only this time, it is not going to rise slowly upon the water. Rather, a rapid transformation in the twinkling of an eye will take place as Jesus receives all who love and trust Him as well as all who have died over the centuries loving and trusting Him.   Just like in the days of Noah, many will mock and scoff and refuse to believe such an amazing thing could actually happen.   People had 100 years to get on board with Noah and 2,000 years to get on board with Jesus, bound for that heavenly place He has prepared for us (John 14:3). And in that split-second when the trumpet blows and the Lord calls, we will be given new eternal, incorruptible bodies.   Anyone left behind after the Rapture takes place who still denies that Bible prophecy is being fulfilled will be giving a much deeper meaning to the act of denial.   For others left behind, The Rapture will provide proof that the Holy God of the Holy Bible really is, in fact, God and that He alone is trustworthy and in control of His creation. Witnessing His supernatural power will give many the courage to believe in Him even though their physical lives will be in peril for doing so. (Rev. 13:7).   Those who like to point out that the English word rapture is not in the Bible have a problem. The event known as the “Rapture” is most definitely described multiple times in the Bible, and the Hebrew wedding protocols are an amazing picture of the Rapture, including the fact that only the Father knows the day or hour that the Son will go to bring his bride to her new home.   Paul explains exactly what the Rapture is in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-55. These words define a disappearance, a great catching away, a radical departure, to deliver, a transferring from earth to heaven. In Hebrew are the words natzal and metzal, and in Greek, those Hebrew words translate to harpazo. Harpazo in Latin becomes raptero or rapio, which translates to rapture in English. They all describe what Paul explained in the above scriptures. The words to describe it are just that. It is the event itself that matters.   Some long for the Rapture with all of their hearts, and some kind of welcome it with reservations. Either way, it is going to happen according to the will and the timing of our Holy God, our Heavenly Father.   No one can possibly imagine the wonderous life that God, through his amazing grace and mercy, has planned for those who have accepted the free gift of salvation (1 Cor. 2:9).   Some of those left behind will write off the Rapture as a fluke along the lines of the so-called “big bang,” or as some kind of massive alien abduction, or any number of wild theories. The evil globalist cabal will continue their work to bring the Antichrist into full power, at which time that man of sin will step up the persecution and martyrdom of those who have turned to Christ, as well as to prepare for his very vain attempt to actually fight against Jesus and His Heavenly Host upon Jesus’ return.   Attempting to fight against the supernatural powers of Almighty God and His Son Jesus will likely go down as the dumbest idea in the history of the world.   There are those who attempt to fight against God intellectually or through the medium of theology and those who will actually attempt to fight Him physically. The last battle, called Armageddon, will prove the futility of trying to fight against God at all.   God has complete supernatural control over all of the forces of nature, as He demonstrated many times throughout the Bible by doing amazing miraculous things that completely defy reality as we know it.   Those demonstrations were but tiny glimpses of His total power.   Most of us have seen videos on YouTube of big-wave surfers riding waves 100 feet high at a place called Nazare in Portugal, and it highlights how small humans are by comparison. These giant waves are but ripples in the bathtub to God Almighty. His supernatural power is unfathomable; it is off the charts. We have no charts to measure such power.   Jesus will return as a Conquering King to put an end to the reign of Antichrist and his False Prophet and their evil ways. He will put an end to those seven years that will be more horrible than ever was or will be on planet Earth. No flesh would be saved at all if He were not to return and, with supernatural power, put an end to the evil as well as the time of wrath (Matthew 24:22 and Mark 13:20).   The idea of human armies, marshaled by that master terrorist, Satan, for one last-ditch stand in an attempt to battle against the supernatural powers belonging to Him who spoke the universe into existence, is going to go down as the ultimate glorification of stupidity and arrogance.   The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will bring a welcome end to the seven-year tribulation period, also known as the 70th Week of Daniel.   Trust in Jesus or trust in the pseudo-intellectual ramblings and theoretical rumblings of fallen man. It will be the most important choice anyone will ever make.   The Rapture, the Seven-Year Tribulation Period, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, followed by 1,000 years of peace on Earth with Jesus ruling from Jerusalem, the final banishment of Satan at the very end of the millennial kingdom, and then the creation of a new Heaven and new Earth that will last forever without a trace of evil or wickedness. Some long for it, some mock and scoff at the thought of it, some deny it could possibly happen, and some will foolishly attempt to fight and fail against Almighty God in an attempt to prevent it.   From Genesis to the creation of a new Heaven and Earth. This is God’s “Week of Creation,” for we know that 1,000 years is as a day to the Lord (2 Peter 3:8).   We are somewhere in the midst of the “birth pains” Jesus spoke of (Matthew 24:8) and nearing the very end of the first “Six Days” with only the Rapture and the Seven-year Tribulation standing between life on Earth as we know it and the last Millennium (the last day of God’s Week) when Jesus will reign from Jerusalem for 1,000 years with the redeemed lending Him a helping hand.   All of us who long for God’s will to be done and love, believe, and trust in Jesus need to keep looking up, for our redemption (our Blessed Hope) is drawing nigh.   Dear Ones… The Signs are Everywhere… Our Blessed Hope is so Very Near.   Any precious soul who has read these words and does not know Jesus, please call on Him today. He longs to save you, give you the gift of eternal life, and be your best friend now and through all eternity.   Your friend in Him,   Rick Segoine

The U.S. And Europe vs. Russia And China – The “Alliances Of The Apocalypse” Have Formed - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/the-u-s-and-europe-vs-russia-and-china-the-alliances-of-the-apocalypse-have-formed/   It is kind of like watching a really bad Hollywood disaster movie slowly play out, except in this case billions of people could end up dead. Thanks to the endless bumbling of the Biden administration, Russia and China have been pushed into each other’s arms, and now they seem determined to confront the western powers together. For those of you that have not been paying attention, the apocalyptic alliances that we have been anticipating for years have now formed. It is going to be the U.S. and Europe on one side, and Russia and China will be on the other. All of the marbles are at stake, and both sides have plenty of nuclear weapons.   On Tuesday, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi publicly declared that his nation is “ready to join forces with the Russian side”…   The People’s Republic of China is ready to join forces with Russia to decisively stand up for national interests and promote mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, said on Tuesday as he met with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev.   “During a virtual meeting at the end of last year our leaders (Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin – TASS) came up with a plan for further development of bilateral relations. We are ready to join forces with the Russian side, in accordance with the high-level agreements, to decisively stand up for national interests and virtues, and promote mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas,” he said.   And the Wall Street Journal is reporting that plans are being made for Chinese leader Xi Jinping to travel to Moscow for a high level summit with Vladimir Putin…   Chinese leader Xi Jinping is preparing to visit Moscow for a summit with Russia’s president in the coming months, according to people familiar with the plan, as Vladimir Putin wages war in Ukraine and portrays himself as a standard-bearer against a U.S.-led global order.   Meanwhile, the Chinese are using increasingly harsh words to describe U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine…   And the Chinese are now calling for the UN to investigate the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines…   China has called on the United Nations to investigate the explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, describing the blasts as a “deliberate act” by state actors.   At a UN Security Council briefing on Tuesday, Chinese ambassador Zhang Jun said China shared the position of many countries in calling for an investigation “to uncover the truth and identify those responsible”.   So why would China request such an investigation?   Because they know that we did it.   And we know that they know that we did it.   And they know that we know that they know that we did it.   Thanks to Seymour Hersh, the whole world now knows that the Biden administration was behind one of the greatest terror attacks in modern history.   Biden administration officials can lie until they are blue in the face, but the gig is up.   Everyone knows what really happened, and the credibility of the Biden administration has completely evaporated.   U.S. relations with China have been steadily deteriorating for quite some time, but the Biden administration seems absolutely determined to make them even worse.   Just look at how the whole “Chinese spy balloon” incident was handled.   The Chinese are not going to forgive, and they are definitely not going to forget.   So now Russia and China have decided to become best buddies, and the guy that we keep sending billions of dollars to over in Ukraine is warning that this could result in a “world war”…   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned China in a newspaper interview on Monday against supporting Russia in its war on Ukraine and said doing so would bring on a world war.   Zelenskiy’s comments came as China said that the United States was in no position to make demands, after the top U.S. diplomat warned his Chinese counterpart at the weekend against China providing weapons to Russia in its war in Ukraine.   Sadly, he is quite right about this.   There will be a war, and the alliances for that war have already formed.   Needless to say, many of our leaders are absolutely horrified that Russia and China are getting close. For example, just check out what Senator Lindsey Graham said just a few days ago…   Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday said China would be making a colossal blunder if it decides to provide lethal aid to Russia for its war with Ukraine.   “If you jump on the Putin train, you’re dumber than dirt,” the South Carolina Republican said of China in an interview with Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week.”   “It would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic after you saw the movie.”   If our leaders were smart, they would be looking for a peaceful way out of this mess while it is still possible.   But instead, Joe Biden just continues to spew incoherent drivel about how it is important for us to back the war in Ukraine for as long as necessary…   Meanwhile, President Trump is publicly warning that “World War III has never been closer than it is right now”…   Trump was right on target with that statement.   In my entire lifetime, the United States has never been closer to an apocalyptic war than it is right now.   It appears that we could end up fighting Russia and China at the same time, and that sort of a nightmare scenario will not be good for any of us.