Habakkuk 1:5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. -LORD God
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God…
In the New Testament, the Greek word for “Spirit” is πνεῦμα/pneuma. Per Strong’s Concordance, pneuma is defined in this context as: the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, co-eternal with the Father and the Son; sometimes referred to in a way which emphasizes his personality and character as the Holy Spirit; sometimes referred to in a way which emphasizes his work and power as the Spirit of Truth; never referred to as a depersonalized force.
The Spirit is set apart, sacred or Holy. ἅγιος/agios is the Greek term. This Spirit is different.
This is not Star Wars. The Spirit is not the Force…The Spirit is a person of the Trinity.
The angel Gabriel is telling Mary; the Spirit will come to you with purpose and result.
…and the power… the word translated as power is δύναμις/dunamis. Defined, the term means: miraculous power, might, or strength. In English, we get the word dynamite in our vocabulary. The word δύναμις/dunamis is also translated as miracle in other places in the New Testament.
Jesus was attributed with doing “miracles” or δύναμις/dunamis on many occasions.
Matthew 11:20 Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.
The point being made by Gabriel is the power of the Highest is supernatural dynamite.
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…will overshadow you… The Greek word is ἐπισκιάζω/episkiazó. The idea is to cast a shadow or envelope. The term is only used 5 times in the New Testament. On several occasions, a cloud was noted to cast a shadow. One example is noted below.
Luke 9:34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
The Spirit of the Highest will envelope Mary.
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therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God…
The child will be set apart, sacred and Holy, as is The Father, as is the Spirit.
Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
The power of God is in His glory. Romans 6:4 tells us that it was the glory of the Father that raised Jesus from the dead!
Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
What’s really cool is that in John 2:19 Jesus set Heaven’s alarm clock for this to happen when Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
This wasn’t just prophetic as we know the word prophetic. Jesus’ words went into the future and set the timer for Him to be raised from the dead by the Father’s glory!
Jesus was operating in His Father’s glory, the same glory He gave us in John 17:5,22, which is activated by the spoken Word! Wow! His Word amazes me! The fact that we too are supposed to operate in this same glory is even more mind blowing.
John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one…
– So Jesus raised Himself from the dead by His own spoken prophetic word.
John 2:19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
– The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead.
Romans 8:11 If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
– And the glory of the Father raised Jesus from the dead!
Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Revelation 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
The argument is being made that the Virgo alignment in September 2017 is the same sign that is described in Revelation 12. That may very well be. But, whatever meaning that may have — it does NOT mean the rapture for a variety of reasons.
NOTE by Trey Smith: Although Biblical text can take wonderful journeys, and contain hidden messages, dates and mathematical enigmas…. At some level the text just means what it means. This particularly applies when listening to the very straight-forward words of Jesus Christ (even if they may mean the Feast of Trumpets of some year — and that date is ambiguous each time).
Matthew 24:36-37
No One Knows That Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
This text and statement above by Jesus Himself, is a VERY bold one.
In layman’s terms it means that by working out a rapture date — you’ve probably just guaranteed it’s not the rapture date. Additionally, the passage lends incredible support to the rapture carrying the model (in a type and shadow) of a Jewish wedding (which is the focus with much study of Paul Lehr’s book, Rapture: The Bride Redeemed).
Revelation 12 Text issues
Here is how Revelation 12 reads:
The Woman and the Dragon
12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” (This is the stopping point before we get to the possible rapture passage of the text).
<—– NOTE: This is the end of a sentence in what is describe as “parenthetical” passage (meaning the entire chapter as put forth under the “rapture theory” is a summary of a much longer timescale of events). So, under that very definition — each sentence can (and MUST) have vast amounts of time that transpire before the next sentence, event or idea. You have examples in the Bible where thousands of years pass between a single comma.
In a practical sense, if I gave you a “parenthetical” summery chapter of US history it might read: “The United States was born and George Washington was president. Then Barrack Obama came.” <—- You know without question these statements are separated by a vast ocean of time between.
Now beneath we continue Revelation 12 verse 5. We have to also assume the theological position (which may be correct or at minimum worthy of note) that this references the rapture as we continue after the break in the text, or list of events in the text.
Revelation 12 continued “And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. (Note: You know there has to be a leap in the text here following this period because the new sentence now rushes you to events at the middle of the tribulation. That means — at bare minimum — one would have to take a “mid-tribulation rapture” position) 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
Summary of Trey Smith opinion
Paul and I (Trey Smith) have spent much time on many evenings looking at this September 23rd 2017 “sign”…. While on one hand it is impossible to ignore all the math, prophecies, and the unique sign above on such day; it is also impossible to believe its the rapture for a theological arsenal of reasons. Also, in a geopolitical sense — we’re just not quite there at the place yet the texts describe.
The Rapture Date: Is it September 23rd 2017… We believe the answer is STRONGLY NO
To those who support and advocate for Rapture Fall 2017, I hope you are right. Personally, I hope this is the case. Come Lord Jesus. Let’s go! You will receive eternal fist bumps and high fives for one of the greatest calls in human history.
But there is this comment from Jesus…
Matthew 24:36 But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
See also Mark 13:32.
…that day and hour no one knows…Granted, this may be a veiled and figurative comment that possibly points to the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah. Yes, it could be one of two days for the fall appointment pending the confirmation of the new moon.
…nor the Son…To those who support and advocate for Rapture Fall 2017, the claim is being made you have been given divinely inspired revelation that not even Jesus Christ knows. And He is God. He died for all the sins of the world. Jesus put in some serious bloodshed and sacrificial effort. Christ claims He does not know.
…not even the angels of heaven…There are angels in Heaven in the presence of the Son and the Father in the throne room. They don’t know either.
And we are expected to believe God the Father has revealed one of the greatest calls in history to a select group of humanity in its current fallen state? Our glorification comes later at the event being predicted on said date.
One has to admit. That is an incredible and audacious claim. It may be the rapture is on for September 23, 2017 at the beginning of the Fall Appointment Feast of Trumpets. And maybe it’s not.
It has been said by those in support of the Rapture Fall 2017 camp, “This is not date setting.”
But it has also been said by those who hype this alignment claim to have a “high degree of probability” and are “certain” that the rapture happens in the “season” or “watch period” of this alignment.
For the record, I am not claiming to know the date of the rapture. But I do know, date setters are totally defeated in history.
All of that said, it would be a grave error to dismiss the future rapture event just because it does not happen when others claim it will. Make no mistake. The resurrection/rapture event will happen at some point in the future.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Revelation 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
The argument is being made that the Virgo alignment in September 2017 is the same sign that is described in Revelation 12. That may very well be.
To those who support and advocate for Rapture Fall 2017, I hope you are right. Personally, I hope this is the case. Come Lord Jesus. Let’s go! You will receive eternal fist bumps and high fives for one of the greatest calls in human history.
But there is this comment from Jesus…
Matthew 24:36 But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
See also Mark 13:32.
…that day and hour no one knows…Granted, this may be a veiled and figurative comment that possibly points to the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah. Yes, it could be one of two days for the fall appointment pending the confirmation of the new moon.
…nor the Son…To those who support and advocate for Rapture Fall 2017, the claim is being made you have been given divinely inspired revelation that not even Jesus Christ knows. And He is God. He died for all the sins of the world. Jesus put in some serious bloodshed and sacrificial effort. Christ claims He does not know.
…not even the angels of heaven…There are angels in Heaven in the presence of the Son and the Father in the throne room. They don’t know either.
And we are expected to believe God the Father has revealed one of the greatest calls in history to a select group of humanity in its current fallen state? Our glorification comes later at the event being predicted on said date.
One has to admit. That is an incredible and audacious claim. It may be the rapture is on for September 23, 2017 at the beginning of the Fall Appointment Feast of Trumpets. And maybe it’s not.
It has been said by those in support of the Rapture Fall 2017 camp, “This is not date setting.”
But it has also been said by those who hype this alignment claim to have a “high degree of probability” and are “certain” that the rapture happens in the “season” or “watch period” of this alignment.
For the record, I am not claiming to know the date of the rapture. But I do know, date setters are totally defeated in history.
All of that said, it would be a grave error to dismiss the future rapture event just because it does not happen when others claim it will. Make no mistake. The resurrection/rapture event will happen at some point in the future.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Your Father’s love for you is infinite. He’s so proud of you and isn’t disappointed in you. In fact, He’s so taken by you that, unlike an earthly father, He’s never been disappointed in you. Even before He created the universe, He already knew everything you would ever do…good and bad…and He still made you! He knows the end of the book. He orchestrated all the characters into position and made the ending turn out to where you win! So even though some pages and chapters of your life may not look pretty, He knows you are going to end up with Him forever. He is the Author. He is Sovereign. So how could He ever be disappointed by having an outcome different than what He foreknew?
Now the Father sees you through Jesus if you have placed your trust in Him. And you are perfect in His eyes. You can’t fix what you broke so stop trying. It’s too much for you. Simply let go of it. Let go of your old identity and learn who the “new you” is in Christ. You weren’t built to carry the weight of disappointment and regret. That’s why Jesus took them off your back. You were built to carry God’s love, joy, peace, laughter, confidence, self-control, and all of His wonderful attributes! You were made in His Image. You’re a mini-creator even! And the rest of your life can be the best of your life, no matter how much time you have left.
So this journey called life then becomes one of discovering and uncovering who you truly are in Christ. It is one of becoming Jesus’ disciple, learning of Him, taking up your cross and following Him, and agreeing to the process of being transformed into His image. This transformation of the mind into the Mind of Christ is a lifelong process and includes shedding all other identities and attachments to this world, to uncover the “new one” hiding deep inside – in Christ. “You are the light of the world” and you’re on a journey to uncover that light. Jesus teaches us to “be in the world, but not of it.” But don’t beat yourself up because you’re not there yet. None of us are! We’re all trying to excavate more of the “me” who is alive in Christ every day.
“In Love He predestined us to adoption as sons (and daughters) through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved (Jesus).” -Ephesians 1:5-7
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called the children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” -1 John 3:1-2
“In Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.'” -Acts 17:28
Revelation 2:18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:
Jesus is connecting many dots with this initial statement to the church at Thyatira. He is identifying Himself with references to Scripture. There are three characteristics in the verse that point to the person of Jesus Christ…1) the Son of God, 2) who has eyes like a flame of fire, 3) and His feet are like burnished bronze.
The Son of God. Jesus Himself is identifying Himself as the Son of God. The idea that God has a Son is noted in the Old Testament.
Psalms 2:7 I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”
The Son is confirmed by the Father Himself in the Gospel accounts. One example is in Mark with John the Baptist in the Jordan River. All three persons of the Trinity are present.
Mark 11:1 and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
Even the demons know Jesus is the Son of God.
Luke 8:28 Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.”
Satan knows Jesus is the Son of God in Matthew 4.
…eyes like a flame of fire…One person in the Bible has these kind of eyes, Jesus Christ. This is His description at His second coming.
Revelation 19:12 His eyes are a flame of fire…
John, the author of Revelation describes Jesus with eyes like fire.
Revelation 1:14b …and His eyes were like a flame of fire.
Daniel’s description of a man dressed in linen fit.
Daniel 10:6a His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches…
…His feet are like burnished bronze…
John describes the feet of Jesus in the Patmos vision.
Revelation 1:15a His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace…
Daniel’s description of the man dressed in linen (garments of a priest) by the river had descriptive feet.
Daniel 10:6b …his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze…
This is what Jesus is going to look like. Just add white hair, crowns, and a red robe on a white horse.
Luke 2:16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
Isaiah 9:6b …a son will be given to us…
Delivered and fulfilled.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
This prophecy was written 700-800 years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah is the author. His name in the original Hebrew is ישעיהו/Yesha’yahu. It means “Yahweh is salvation” or “Yahweh has saved”. God is our salvation and He saves. (Strong’s Concordance).
“Yahweh is salvation” is prophesying about the One who will be born and will save. The promise is Jesus or Yeshua in the Hebrew. Yeshua means “to rescue or deliver.”
The prophet Isaiah writes one sentence regarding the birth and promise of the coming of Jesus. One sentence is written about the giving of the Son.
But, Isaiah elaborates regarding the coming promise of His eternal kingdom. Complete peace in the kingdom will be limitless. God will make it happen. He is committed to the cause.
Isaiah 9:6c-7 And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Today, we remember the birth of the Promise and we wait patiently…
The power of God is in His glory. Romans 6:4 tells us that it was the glory of the Father that raised Jesus from the dead!
Your Father’s love for you is infinite. He’s so proud of you and isn’t disappointed in you. In fact, He’s so taken by you that, unlike an earthly father, He’s never been disappointed in you. Even before He created the universe, He already knew everything you would ever do…good and bad…and He still made you! He knows the end of the book. He orchestrated all the characters into position and made the ending turn out to where you win! So even though some pages and chapters of your life may not look pretty, He knows you are going to end up with Him forever. He is the Author. He is Sovereign. So how could He ever be disappointed by having an outcome different than what He foreknew?
