The word “RAPTURE” does not appear in the Holy Bible. However the word is defined as the “act of transporting a person from one place to another”.

The Greatest Escape Plan, Ever!

II Peter 2:4-9

4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement; 5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that should live ungodly; 7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished:

The greatest escape plan ever to be executed will be the Rapture! The earth is once again ripe for judgment. The stench of sin has been rising for quite a while, and it needs to be judged. The ungodly have been vaunting themselves with “gay parades”, nude protests, wanton revelry, drunkenness, and casual sexual immorality. God has demonstrated in the past that He will judge those bent on filthy living and the wicked.

But at the same time, God being righteous, will not judge the righteous along with the wicked. So, how will the Lord be able to separate the righteous from the wicked? The answer in this case is the Rapture. Historically, the Lord has set a pattern in place with Noah and the flood, and then with Sodom and Gomorrah.

Malachi 3:5-6

5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. 6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Now we have certain individuals/web sites/books that claim that the Rapture is a myth. They will indicate that they have gone back to the original manuscripts in their research and found out that the scriptures actually mean something else. These entities are deceivers. They only wish to put you into a place of false security, so while you are saying to yourself, “Be of good cheer, all is well.” The Rapture takes place and you are left behind to face the judgment of God.

The Hour of the Rapture is at hand!
Matthew 24:32-42 (Jesus Speaking)

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When the branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as in the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of man be.

40 Then shall two be in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Now the key here is the Fig Tree. What does the Fig Tree represent? From the encyclopedia { “fig.” Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica 2007 Ultimate Reference Suite 2007}, we can learn the following about the Fig Tree:

1. The fig (note this is a round fruit and not banana shaped) was one of the earliest fruit trees cultivated by primitive peoples, and its cultivation spread in remote ages over all the districts around the Aegean Sea and throughout the Levant.
2. The fig was one of the principal articles of sustenance among the Greeks; the Spartans especially used it at their public tables.
3. In Mediterranean countries the fig is so widely used, both fresh and dried, that it is called “the poor man’s food.” Additionally, it constitued a large portion of the food of slaves.
4. The fig tree that overshadowed the twin founders of Rome in the wolf ‘s cave was an emblem of the future prosperity of the race.
5. Fig trees are propagated from cuttings of dormant wood taken in February in the Northern Hemisphere and planted in nursery rows.
6. Some varieties produce only one crop, in summer or fall. Some bear two crops, the first maturing in June or July on wood of the previous growth and the second ripening in summer or fall in the axils of the leaves of the same season.

1. A place with a long well established history
2. A place with a source of edification
3. A place where the down-trodden and poor in spirit could be helped
4. A place where future prosperity will be established
5. A place which would be dormant and then revived
6. A place where its “summer” would represent the end of this age, and the start of the Millenium Reign of Christ.

The only place that can qualify in all of the above is the State of Israel. Let’s look at its history {“Israel.” Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica 2007 Ultimate Reference Suite 2007 }  :

The State of Israel is the only Jewish nation in the modern period, and the region that now falls within its borders has a lengthy and rich history that dates from pre-biblical times. The area was a part of the Roman and, later, Byzantine empires before falling under the control of the fledgling Islamic caliphate in the 7th century CE. Although the object of dispute during the European Crusades, the region, then generally known as Palestine, remained under the sway of successive Islamic dynasties until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, when it was placed under British mandate from the League of Nations.

Even before the mandate, the desire for a Jewish homeland prompted a small number of Jews to immigrate to Palestine, a migration that grew dramatically during the second quarter of the 20th century with the increased persecution of Jews worldwide and subsequent Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany. This vast influx of Jewish immigrants into the region, however, caused tension with the native Palestinian Arabs, and violence flared between the two groups leading up to the United Nations plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Palestinian sectors and Israel’s ensuing declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948.

So we have a starting date of 1948, in Matthew 24:34, Jesus said that this generation will not pass away until all these things be fulfilled. But how long is a generation?

Psalm 90:10-12

10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. 11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

So from this scripture, we can conclude that for the most part, a generation is 70 years. Therefore we can estimate an outside date of 2018. At this juncture I must warn you that this is only an outer limit estimate (the Lord may even tarry beyond this date a bit, but not by much). The Lord can also return today, and each single day that passes, marks one day closer to his return. Once you have been born after 1948, and you live a moderate and peaceable life, it is highly likely that you will be alive when the Rapture takes place.