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I would like to recommend that you study the Jewish Feasts and Festivals. The OT make it clear that these are God's feasts and not mans. If you follow the Jewish religious calendar,( not the secular calendar), It answers many Scriptures found in the NT. We all need to understand that Passover was when the death angel passed over the families with lamb's blood on their door posts in Egypt. Even children are taught this story in Sunday School. Low and behold, We then learn that Jesus became the Lamb that was slaughtered on Passover and His blood saves us when we have applied it to our "doorposts" which is our heart. In the OT, God was signifying that He was reserving certain days for His work and the "seasons" would give us a hint as to His future plans. Of course, Jesus was "Unleavened Bread", and He was "The First Fruits of the dead". 50 days later, The Holy Spirit was dispensed on Pentecost. The first Pentecost, the Law was given on Mt. Sinai, the second, the Holy Spirit was given. In the first, 3000 died, in the second, 3000 were saved. All those days have been fulfilled Biblicaly and only 3 Feasts remain. The next to fall would be the Feast of Yom Teruah, or "Trumpets". A detailed study of these Feast Days answers many questions believers may have about the future. "The day no one knows" is a 2 day period that happens on Trumpets. It's like telling a person from Japan, "I'll call you next turkey day". He has no clue what we mean, but an American would know easily. People have turned inside out and churches have split over someone saying the Rapture will come on some future Yom Teruah. Living Water, Trumpets, Light of the world, and several other familiar words are all themes found in God's Feast Days. Yom Kippur, of course is Judgement day, and Tabernacles is the 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth. Jesus was born on Tabernacles and everything in His life of significance was on a feast Day. If you asked a Jew about the 3 posts wrapped in swaddling cloth set up in the Temple courtyard burning, he would say "Oh, that's the light of the world!"

I can't give you a 6 hour Bible study in a few lines on a blog, but it's safe to say EVERY Christian should at least be exposed to what Jesus believed and practiced because he was a practicing Jew. If He fulfilled every "jot and tittle" in the Bible while on Earth, it makes sense to me He will be faithful to fulfill the future commitments made in the last 3 Feast days.

Another point to make about the Rapture's timing is, God uses certain words in the Bible to denote His feelings towards us so that we may understand His emotions and intent. He uses the word "adultery" to denote His disgust with Israel following other gods and calls then an adulterous nation. He uses "sons and daughters" to show His feelings toward His children as we are fathers as He is a Father. He used the term "Bride" to show us His feeling toward the Church. We need to ask ourselves if we would leave our wives in harms way as the total wrath of God is poured out on the Earth. If a Groom loves His Bride, would He not fetch them out of the trouble to come? Why would He say He loves us and leave us here to be beheaded by the beast? He at least made a path of escape for Noah and family, why not his beloved?

People say I'm saying Christians will have it easy, but that's not true. The devil can dispense his own misery and is so doing even today. We are not guaranteed safety here and Jesus said the world persecutes Him, why would we get anything different? But that's NOT the wrath of God, they are totally different. If God placed these wheels in motion back in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, ect, and held true with supplying His Lamb, shedding His blood, and dispensing the Holy Spirit in order, and on certain days, I have no doubt He will not change things up just to keep us in the dark.

As far as the "Thief" reference, You have to keep in mind the world belongs to Satan and stays that way until Jesus come back to redeem it. He will call us out for our protection before He claims title to the land. Of course God is capable of anything, but people forget that He is also tied to His Word. The Word was written before the foundation of the world and it is an unchangeable script that will be finished to the last period on the page. Satan knows his part and will perform his duties as God decreed from the beginning. There is no plan "B". I've read the verses people refer to for mid trib and post trib theories, but I'm convinced in pre trib. I believe the Holy Spirit has revealed it to me just as I'm sure the others believe the holy Spirit has reveals some unknowable truth to them. I think the foundation stone is, I believe God loves me and my family and will be faithful to remove me from danger before He pours out His wrath on the earth. I can't imaging a loving Bridegroom leaving His Bride behind to suffer with the people deserving of death.

Another reference would be to the people that are His that are left behind. When lukewarm and no Christians are left behind to suffer tribulation, they will know what happened to their family and friends because they had heard the story, but failed to believe. When the Church leaves, There is no more "grace" period to come to the Lord without payment. You either will take the mark, or be murdered to be saved. When the beast has your loved ones with a knife to their throat, will you take the mark or claim Christ and let them perish. When it comes right down to it, the knife will be at your throat and you will feel the blade slicing you flesh and you will make up your mind then to live forever or rot in hell. Pretty different choice than what we have today. The souls under the alter mentioned in Revelation will be these people. They are naked and have no white robes because the wedding already happened at Rapture. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross will not be held lightly. Everyone has the chance now to claim His blood and leave before the wrath. If you miss the train outta here, the only way off this rock is by your murder. If you save your life you will lose it and if not, you will be saved.

Revelation doesn’t actually say what they are wearing...figuratively or literally. It just said they were given white robes and were told to wait a little longer for the full number of their fellow servants to be killed before justice would be done for them. The Bible called them Saints who had been killed, so if they were deemed saints, they were wearing their wedding garments already when they were killed.(hence their redemption after death) But that all depends on when the church is taken up and the rapture occurs or if the Church goes at least partly thru the tribulation. Don’t know about the timing of it all.

For some strange reason I’ve always been kind of partial to a Trib rapture that occurs when the two witnesses are killed. The prophets are killed, lay in the street for 3 days, then when God resurrects them,. God takes the Church and all the saints with them...for it is that time all the most horrible prophesied events shall occur in the latter 3 years. Don’t have any other reason for thinking it but then again all the other argued about time lines have no direct biblical corroboration either. That the rapture will happen, the Bible is explicit about that!