Youtube video pushing Oct 13 and my speculations

I think I probably speak for all of us in saying that we're all getting tired of seeing dates (Sep 23,24,30) come and go and finding ourselves still here and the world mocking. This guy makes a pretty good case but then so has everyone else. He says he's just putting together the pieces from the Bible but everyone else did say that as well. Anyway there's enough here to keep me interested and hopeful but I'm definitely not holding my breath and I'm aware it could happen before that day, eventually it will come and some people will be surprised because they had it pinned for future dates. Anyway if this one fails I hope I have the strength to write off any dates given by man and accept imminence. I have no doubt that Scott Clarke and others love the Lord and were doing their best just as this guy is probably doing, could it be that it will happen on an exact day that no one will have in mind so that no one can claim any sort of bragging rights? Some us the fallacious argument that Jesus doesn't know but that's clearly false, he didn't know at the time he said the words but now He has ascended to heaven He has full knowledge of everything just as the Father, there's no hierachy in the Trinity. Scripture seems to suggest we cannot know, although I have seen the argument that Daniel's scroll contained critical information including the date of the rapture which has now been unsealed. Anyway if no one knows then I don't think anyone will make a lucky guess else they'll be given the wrong idea that they actually knew (although some will obviously be closer than others). This day given seems to be the last possible one tied to the fall feasts so if the interpretation that it must be connected to these is correct we're stuck waiting another year or more (a scary prospect). I don't want to be dogmatic about anything and look embarassed but here are some key times I'm looking at.

October 31 2017: 500th anniversary of the Protestant reformation and some have suggested it could mark the end and an "anti-reformation" emerging. This isn't as far fetched as it may sound. Most of the Protestant Church have forsaken their root word "protest" as in the split came as a protest against the false Catholic teachings. Pope Francis is seen by many as the greatest thing in the "church" since Jesus. He has too much opposition to be able to pull something off like that currently but when that opposition vanishes from the face of the earth and so called Christians are scratching their heads they will look to unite behind such a leader.

Rest of 2017: This is based on the 1217 prophecy of Judah Ben Samuel on his deathbed. If prophecies aren't part of scripture they must be treated with a grain of salt but three of the four parts of this prophecy have come true, the last part requires a 2017 rapture. First he stated that at some future point the Ottomans would capture Jerusalem which happened in 1517. The next part was that they would have control of the city for 8 Jubilees (400 years) before being defeated. This duly happened at the hands of the British in 1917. After that the city would lie empty for one jubilee which was fulfilled in the 1967 6 day war. The last unfulfilled prophecy was that there would be one last jubilee before the Jews entered their Messianic age. I don't think he mentioned rapture, it wasn't well known at the time with the religious powers controlling access and interpretation of the scriptures. However basic exegesis tells us that the rapture happens to close the church age then God focuses on the Jews once again. So it would seem that something funny is going on if three parts are fulfilled and the fourth fails. I'm still open to that happening though.


May 14 2018: The 70th anniversary of the modern state of Israel and the cutoff date if the "generation" that would not pass away refers to 70 years. Jesus was clearly talking about "all these things coming to pass" in regards to leading up to the rapture not His second coming. A word like "generation" is obviously vague and created the 1988 debacle (Part of what Jesus spoke of related to the destruction of the city in 70 AD, forty years later so that was supposed to be a generation, therefore 1988 to parallel with the creation of Israel). The current idea of 70 years comes from Psalm 90:10 as some have said that the word used for generation in the original language translated to "average length of life." The Bible's obsession with all things seven and seventy is another good argument for a 70 year generation but as we have discovered things have a way of not turning out as we expect or can easily discern.


2028: Psalm 90:10 would indicate that a generation (if talking about length of life) can be stretched to 80 years. That would potentially leave us stuck here another 10 years. Some have suggested that 2028 is the cut off date for His return and the millenium meaning we must be raptured by 2021 at the latest but as I said, Jesus seems to make it clear that the generation is between the rebirth of Jerusalem and the rapture. I definitely don't think I can keep on high alert another 10 years though it seems pretty sure it won't be necessary.


2068: Absolute worst case scenario. I don't think anyone can make a Biblical argument for a generation of more than 120 years (a period where God gives a warning (Gen 6:3) and the current maximum length of life. I'll be nearly 86 if around by then and surely long given up on waiting for the rapture (perhaps given up on God) but the risk of God waiting anything close to that length of time given all we're seeing around us today seems to be zero.


Other thoughts: I believe in God's 7000 year plan but there seems to be enough ambiguity on creation date to prevent us from setting a date. Also the 6000 countdown to the Millenium could start from the Fall rather than creation (the world's labour can be argued to have begun at the Fall. I'm not going to begin to speculate how long the period in Eden was).


More recent prophecy: A recent Steve Cioccolanti video made mention of a three year old prophecy which had four parts to a total US destruction. 1. Two record breaking Hurricanes. With this now confirmed we can look anxiously ahead to the remaining three parts. 2. Record earthquakes on both coasts 3. A Tsunami on the west that reaches the Appalchians. 4. Something so terrible God would not reveal it. I have seen several seemingly independent videos which argue that 2 and 3 are coming up as well, which would make sense, God often reveals things to more than one person to confirm them. I think several had revelations surrounding Trump coming in. I think there were some old prophecies of the 44th president being the last which people were quoting towards the end of Obama's time in office but Trump may be the actual 44th president. He is the 44th individual to hold the office, the count being confused by Grover Cleveland sitting two non-consecutive terms and being counted twice.


Trump's name: Some have pointed out that it would be fitting if the last trump blew while there was a Trump in power. His full name makes an even more impressive case (Donald John Trump). Donald means World Mighty (and he's now in a position of that type), John means last (as in last of the gospels, last book in the Bible) so put them together and you have World Mighty Last Trump. That could take us to a 2024 cutoff.


A Youtube video I didn't watch that's 2 years old was titled something like "Nuclear Annihilation of Miami before Rapture." Maybe someone making stuff up but will keep it in mind. I'm not wishing for it to happen but if it does I'll know I'm about to go home. Maybe Kim-Jong Un has a surprise missile planned for Miami. Someone claimed that God revealed "I will call my servant Billy Graham home just before the rapture." Again it could be made up but Billy's surely not got long on this earth either way. So if I hear that God has called him home I will definitely be on guard though if the prophecy is made up he could die and we could be waiting a while. Then again there was rival prophecy saying that Billy Graham would be raptured. These are clearly mutually exclusive so at least one is false.


World War 3: If it happens I think we probably escape first. Someone has pointed out that "thief in the night" means it must be "business as usual," which would make it hard to see us escaping during a war, though I think leaving shortly after it starts is not impossible. Otherwise we might have to live through it and wait until things settle down again. It seems there are several political volcanoes waiting to errupt and our departure might set them all off.


Some who believe in what I'll call "absolute imminence" believe that there was potential for a rapture any time since Jesus departed, Christians had to be on their guard. No prophecy was a prerequisite to the rapture. Others argued that much prophecy related to Israel had to be fulfilled first. Christians have always needed to be on guard anyway because we don't know when we're going to die. Scott Clarke was the first to discover the Revelation 12 sign as an astronomical sign 6 years before it occured which was a challenge to imminence although not everyone was impressed by it. Rev 12 had previously been considered a record of past events, Jesus was considered the male child caught up to the throne and it was thought to refer to the time at the beginning when Satan lost his place in heaven. Scott's discovery suggested that the sign may have to coincide with or precede the rapture (we were hoping for the former but now know it's the latter). Maybe it was the last necessary sign before the rapture but looking closer we still have verses 3 and 4 to come, is a dragon sign coming? Do a third of the stars need to be flung down to earth (verse 4) and what does that mean? Clearly not actual stars, some say meteors and others say the fallen angels being flung to earth as part of an Alien deception. If we are being chronological this has to precede the rapture (verse 5) though it could happen silmultaneously.

The only thing I can have absolute knowledge of is scripture. It tells me he is coming and gives signs that say "soon" just seems it can't be soon enough and doesn't tell me what "soon" means. Revelation 22:20 says "Behold I am coming quickly" 2000 years ago and counting. I pray, hope that I will see Him soon, maybe I need to focus on other things then I'll forget it and then it happens. He may be waiting for such a time as it's an element of surprise for everyone, which seems an unlikely prospect but He is definitely capable of providing a distraction for a few hours or days. I'm sure there are limits to how long I can keep on watch for.