Christianity Archives - The New Antisemitism

September 20, 2023 By Olivier Melnick 13 Comments

The Critical PROPHETIC Implication of YOM KIPPUR!

Based on the perfect record of the Spring Festivals all fulfilled at the First Coming of Yeshua, the Fall Feasts will be fulfilled at the Second Coming of Yeshua the Messiah:
• Rosh Hashanah: Leviticus 23:23-25 – The Regathering of the Saints (Isaiah 27:12-13 – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians. 15:15-58)
• Yom Kippur: Leviticus 23:26-32 – The Great Tribulation (Ezekiel 36:24-25; Zechariah 13:8-9, 12:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10)
• Sukkot: Leviticus 23:33-44 – The Ingathering of the Messiah and the Believers (John 7:38-39, 8:12; Zechariah 14:16-19; Matthew 17:4)

The order is very important. Keeping in mind that calendar events repeat each year in the same order, Rosh Hashanah always occurs ten days before Yom Kippur, which happens a few days prior to Sukkot. There are good reasons to connect Rosh Hashanah or Yom Teruah (The Day of Trumpets) with the Rapture of the Body of Messiah–if not by date, at the very least, thematically. Logically, Yom Kippur would connect with the next event on God’s program, and that is the Time of Jacob’s Trouble or Great Tribulation, also known as Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel 9:27.)

Yom Kippur is a very solemn day on the Jewish calendar. It is a holy day but not a feast. It is a fast of one day when Jewish people reflect at home or in the synagogue. No comfortable clothes are worn, no perfume, and no food. Of course, we have come a long way from the strict regimen that the High Priest had to undergo in biblical times (Leviticus 16,) but the date is taken very seriously by contemporary rabbis.

It is believed that on Yom Kippur, God opens three books in heaven: The Book of the “Wicked,” the Book of the “In-Between,” and the Book of the “Righteous.” Obviously, nobody cares to be listed in the Book of the “Wicked,” and nobody is arrogant enough to claim belonging to the Book of the “Righteous.” That leaves just about every religious Jew praying that their name will be listed in the Book of the “In-Between” for the next year until the following Yom Kippur.
Toward that goal, religious Jews are given a period of ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, known as Yamin Moraim or the “Days of Awe.” This Rabbinic addition to the Jewish calendar has only one purpose: giving a Jewish person the opportunity to make amends, ask for forgiveness or apologize for wrongdoing or wrong saying, placing them in good standing with God right before He decides to place their name in one of the three books.

This is based on the basic rabbinic principle that man can atone for his own sins through works. But can one truly go back to all the people they hurt? Does God consider the best effort? This seems to be a stressful predicament that Jewish people find themselves into, unless of course, they consider that Yeshua the Messiah paid the price for their shortcomings once and for all, over 2,000 years ago. Then, there is no need for any guesswork on the writing of our names because the Bible tells us that once we place our trust in the death and resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah (Isaiah 52:13-53:12), our name is written forever in the Lamb’s Book of Life ( Revelation 20:15; 21:27.)

But beyond the Jewish traditions attached to Yom Kippur, we must consider the grave prophetic implication of that Holy Day. One of three key scriptures for Yom Kippur, along with Leviticus 16:1-34 and Numbers 29:7-11, is Leviticus 23:26-32 where, among other details, we are told that Jewish people are to humble themselves. It is to be a solemn day to humble or afflict the soul. So, along that theme, Yom Kippur is also a day of repentance based on Ezekiel 33:19: “But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them.”

The word kippur comes from the Hebrew kaphar meaning “to cover.” It is found 110 times in the Tenach, mostly in Leviticus and Numbers. The word is not found in the New Testament. While the sacrificial system covered individual sins, Yom Kippur covered national sins, but it was only applied to the individual who afflicted his soul (Leviticus 23.) Yom Kippur will be fulfilled by the Great Tribulation, also known as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble and Israel’s national Atonement in the Tribulation (Ezekiel 20:33-38; Hosea 5:15-6:3; Zechariah 12:10-13:1)

Hosea 5:15 speaks of the physical affliction of Israel, while Hosea 6:1-3 speaks of the spiritual affliction of Israel.

One tragic aspect of the Great Tribulation, seen as God resuming His divine program about Israel, is found in Zechariah 13:8-9: “And it will come about in all the land,” Declares the Lord, That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. ⁹And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘they are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

Sadly, it appears that two-thirds of the Jewish people will perish during the Great Tribulation. If this were to happen today, 10,000,000 Jewish people would die, and that would be almost twice Hitler’s Holocaust. Taking a closer look at that passage, we notice that the verses speak of a percentage and NOT an exact number. All throughout the Bible, God is very precise when He wants to be, and He will not hesitate to give us exact numbers. So, what are we to do with a percentage? Well, rejoice and get busy!

As a pre-tribulational, pre-millennial believer, I believe in a literal Rapture of the believers that will occur before the Great Tribulation takes place. Anyone who has believed that Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world from Acts 2 forward will be taken in the Rapture, and that includes Jewish people who become believers in the Messiah. So, the more Jewish people come to Yeshua before the Rapture, the less will have to endure the Great Tribulation. The percentage of 2/3 and 1/3 will always be the same, but it is up to us to boldly proclaim the Gospel to our Jewish friends and reduce the numbers contained within the percentages.

Incidentally, the 1/3 that is “refined as silver and tested as gold” will become believers at the end of the seven years as, according to Zechariah 12:10, they proclaim Baruch Haba Bashem Adonai! So, Yom Kippur has a great fulfillment for the world in general and for the Jewish people in particular. It ushers in the return of Yeshua on earth, in Jerusalem, to inaugurate the Messianic or Millennial kingdom. Yeshua will not return until the remnant of Jewish people call on Him at the end of the Tribulation.

Rosh Hashanah will be fulfilled by the Rapture. (No, it is not necessary that the Rapture happens on Rosh Hashanah for the event to fulfill the Feast.)
Yom Kippur will be fulfilled by the Great Tribulation and the chastising of Israel, bringing the 1/3 to salvation and ushering in the return of Yeshua. It all makes sense in that order. Then, if you consider the perfect correlation between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Millenial Kingdom (Leviticus 23:33-43; Exodus 23:14-17; John 7:38-39, 8:12; Zechariah 14:16-19), you quickly realize that it is all part of God’s plan for the ages and it is simply perfect!

September 12, 2023 By Olivier Melnick 20 Comments

The Feast of Trumpets and The Rapture: Connections and Assumptions

Each year, the end of summer means the Jewish High Holy Days are just around the corner. Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) are upon us. These Fall feasts are very meaningful to the Jewish people and have great significance, prophetically speaking. When we look at Leviticus 23, we can see all the feasts of the Lord given to the children of Israel in a particular order. All six feasts (or seven feasts, since some people separate Passover and Unleavened bread) are called yearly convocations and are divided into two distinct categories:

Spring Festivals
• Pesach – Passover: Leviticus 23:4-8
• First Fruits: Leviticus 23:9-14
• Shavuot – Pentecost: Leviticus 23:15-21

Fall Feasts
• Rosh Hashanah: Leviticus 23:23-25
• Yom Kippur: Leviticus 23:26-32
• Sukkot: Leviticus 23:33-44

We can also derive a prophetic significance from these festivals, as they pertain to the redemptive career of Yeshua the Messiah. This can be both a blessing AND a curse depending on how we establish the prophetic connection and how much we assume. The study of biblical prophecy can suffer from friends and foes, and yet, it is critical that as modern-day disciples of Yeshua, we study the prophetic words of the Bible. The connections exist, and they are strong.

The Spring Festivals have been fulfilled by the First Coming of Yeshua the Messiah:
• Passover: Leviticus 23:4-8 – Death of the Messiah (Isaiah 53:5-8; 1 corinthians 5:7-8)
• First Fruits: Leviticus 23:9-14 – Resurrection of the Messiah (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, 20-24)
• Pentecost: Leviticus 23:15-21 – Birth of the Body of Messiah (Exodus 19:1, 3-8, Acts 2:1-4)
Prophetically speaking, these festivals are behind us, and there are three more to look forward to. They are known as the Fall Feasts and,

The Fall Feasts will be fulfilled at the Second Coming of Yeshua the Messiah:
• Rosh Hashanah: Leviticus 23:23-25 – The Regathering of the Saints (Isaiah 27:12-13 – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians. 15:15-58)
• Yom Kippur: Leviticus 23:26-32 – The Great Tribulation (Ezekiel 36:24-25; Zechariah 13:8-9, 12:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10)
• Sukkot: Leviticus 23:33-44 – The Ingathering of the Messiah and the Believers (John 7:38-39, 8:12; Zechariah 14:16-19; Matthew 17:4)

Based on several biblical reasons–the Levitical Feasts of the Lord not being the least of them–I adhere to a pre-tribulational, pre-millennial view of the end times. In other words, Rosh Hashanah comes before Yom Kippur, which comes before Sukkot, so logically and biblically, we can look at the Regathering of the Believers, the Great Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom in that order. These connections can be made on a biblical foundation, but how does that help us with the timing of the Rapture, or does it?

More books, articles and videos have been produced to prove that the Rapture will take place on Rosh Hashanah that I can count. There is no doubt that people are very interested in the Rapture, and they should, but can a date be set? The extent to which people go to calculate the date of the Rapture is mind-boggling. Let’s try to connect some dots.

• Connection between Rosh Hashanah and the Rapture:
The Blowing of the Trumpet in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Paul’s Jewish audience couldn’t have known about the trumpets of Revelation since the book had not been written when he addressed the Corinthians. They would know about the last trumpet of Rosh Hashanah, known as the “Tekiah Gedolah.” When God brings an end to the Church age–which is the fulfillment of the interval of several months between Shavuot and Rosh Hashanah (Leviticus 23:22)–He will send Yeshua to gather the saints (dead and alive.) Shofars were used to call to battle, announce a new moon or call a gathering of people. So, there is a thematic connection between the Last Trump and the Rapture since it will be the time chosen by God to regather the Saints to Himself.

• Assumption between Rosh Hashanah and the Rapture:
Because of the Last Trumpet connection, many have come to place the Rapture on Rosh Hashanah, using other “proofs” from numerology, Talmudic writings and other sources. Could the Rapture happen on Rosh Hashanah? ABSOLUTELY! But, if it does, it will not be BECAUSE it is Rosh Hashanah, but because that will be the day God has picked in His infinite wisdom.

If we seek passages about Yeshua’s return to get us, we cannot find a specific date, so the Rapture is signless. Nothing needs to happen before the Rapture takes place…NOTHING! We know that Yeshua is preparing a home for us and that He will return to get us all as we read in Yet, the Bible doesn’t tell us when by date, but it tells us that it will be before Yom Kippur since Rosh Hashanah always comes ten days before the Day of Atonement.

Rabbis teach that the fate of all Jews is decided on Yom T’ruah (The Day of Trumpets), but it isn’t sealed until Yom Kippur. This is a time of introspection and repentance when Jewish people go out of their way to seek forgiveness from anyone they might have hurt throughout the year. The sabbath that falls within these ten days is known as Shabbat Shuvah (the Sabbath of repentance.)

An event in Yeshua’s redemptive ministry doesn’t have to happen on the exact day of a feast to fulfill that feast, but the event’s meaning and symbolism suffice to fulfill one of the Levitical feasts. That will be true for the Rapture, the Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom. If Rosh Hashanah, the Great Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom are the fulfillment of the last three Fall feasts, while they do not require to happen on the exact day of each feast–but they could–they still will occur in the immutable order of the feasts found in Leviticus 23: Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot…That we know!

So, the real question is not “When will the Rapture take place?” but, “When the Rapture takes place, am I going to be taken up or left behind?”

If you have placed your trust in the death and resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah for your sins, you have eternal life in God’s presence and YOU WILL BE RAPTURED. Don’t speculate on dates that cannot be calculated, but invest your time in boldly sharing our hope in Yeshua with the lost. You never know… The Rapture could happen before, during, or after Rosh Hashanah, but after it happens, our influence on those who don’t know Yeshua will be gone. Let’s use the time we have left wisely.

August 21, 2023 By Olivier Melnick 10 Comments

The Kosher Red Heifer Is The Missing Piece in the Prophetic Puzzle, And It Could Already Be Here!

Almost a year after five red heifers were found in Rockwall, Texas, and flown to Eretz Yisrael, how close are we to the animals being qualified for the critical sacrifice required to generate the ashes of a red heifer needed for purification at the time of the third Temple (Revelation 11:1)? It could be closer than we think!

Israel currently doesn’t have a Temple in Jerusalem. The remains of Herod’s Temple are all that’s left, and the foundation of that building is what is known as the Kotel or Western Wall. Are things about to change? The Bible speaks of a third and a fourth Temple or Millennial Temple (Ezekiel 40-48). The third Temple is a project that has been at the heart of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem for decades. A section of religious Jews is convinced that they will be rebuilding their Temple and once again resume the sacrificial system in Israel, and they are absolutely correct. Towards that end, they have painstakingly recreated all the implements necessary for the resumption of Temple life. Everything has been ready for a while now, even the priests from the tribe of Levi (remember that the tribe of Levi is the only one that can be identified since its identity was preserved in the name of its members such as Levy and Cohen and other derivatives). So, what remains to be done before the Temple is rebuilt? Well, not a whole lot.

Obviously, the location of the Temple remains a very controversial topic since the current Temple Mount is more of a Muslim site than anything. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is built on top of the Temple Mount, and that is currently the biggest hurdle to rebuilding a Temple at that location. I do believe that part of the peace treaty that the Antichrist will sign with Israel will include the possibility of rebuilding and that the Antichrist will be successful at making Arabs and Jews get along. The Temple could even be rebuilt through a collaboration of the two groups and including Gentile assistance (Zechariah 6:12-13). This would be a great example of world peace brought by the Antichrist, especially during the first half of the Great Tribulation. A false world peace that is!

Let’s assume that the Temple could be rebuilt today. That doesn’t automatically mean that Temple duties and the sacrificial system could resume because to resume Temple duties, a red heifer is needed. It is also important to note that the third Temple, while simply called the third Temple by its Jewish proponents, is also known by Yeshua’s followers as the Tribulation Temple. It is a building that never was and never will be condoned by God. It is needed for the end times agenda to unravel, but it is not the Temple that God wants. Sometimes God allows for events to take place for his plan for mankind to be possible. The Tribulation Temple is such an edifice, and yet, there is a critical aspect of Temple purification that remains unfulfilled, and it pertains to the ashes of the red heifer.

The reason why a red heifer is needed is that Jewish people at the Temple must present themselves in a state of ritual purity before they perform their duties. We get this from the Passover celebration in the wilderness in Numbers 9:5-7, “They observed the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day.” The 113th commandment of the 613 found in the Torah stipulates that “the ashes of a red heifer are to be used in the process of ritual purification.” (Numbers 19:1-22.)

Only nine red heifers were ever found in the entire history of Israel, so it goes without saying that they are extremely rare and valuable. So, the possibility of five new red heifers in existence today is extremely important. Much mystery surrounds the reason for using the ashes of a red heifer. It is even mentioned in the New Testament in Hebrews 9:13-14 as an example of Yeshua’s spotless, sinless sacrifice being greater than the ashes of the animal.

Recently, on the biblical site of Shiloh, where the Tabernacle once was (Joshua 18:1), a group of Levites went through a practice run. One of the five red heifers brought from Texas in 2022 was presented at that ceremony. The animal is just months away from being of age for the sacrifice, and if it continues to grow and not show more than two white hairs, IT WILL QUALIFY FOR SACRIFICE very soon. This means that Israel will have everything needed to rebuild a temple and resume the sacrificial system interrupted in A.D. 70. This is both exciting and terrifying. Let me explain.

This is exciting both for Jews and Christians. The idea that the Third Temple could be erected and functioning in this generation is very exciting to some of the Jewish people around the world, but especially in Israel. This being said, only about 15% of all Jewish people are religious and even less within that percentage long for a Temple to be rebuilt. Those who await that day, like the people from the Temple Institute in the Old City of Jerusalem, are very excited. To them, this announces the coming of the Mashiach, the messianic age, and peace on earth, so who wouldn’t want that?

To the Christians who study eschatology (the study of the end times), this coming temple is also very real. It is known as the Tribulation Temple and is required to be built and functioning during the seven-year Tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27). This is the Temple that the Antichrist will desecrate (2 Thessalonians 2:4) after the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, so it has to be rebuilt soon. To Bible-believing followers of Yeshua, this confirms the veracity of the Bible and its flawless prophetic word. We know that the Third Temple will be rebuilt because God’s word says so, and God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18.) From the perspective of end times events and their biblical accuracy, this is very exciting, unfortunately, for Christians, there is another side to that coin.

As soon as the Tribulation starts and the Temple is fully functioning, the clock is ticking, and it is a short span of time in comparison to world history. The proverbial rubber will be meeting the road in a very bad way for all people on earth at that time. It is understandable when Christians get excited about the rebuilding of the Temple because it means that we are that much closer to the return of Yeshua the Messiah. The sad reality for many people is that around the time of the resumption of the sacrificial system in Jerusalem at the Third Temple, things will start going south very rapidly.

What first will appear as a beautiful Jewish Temple reminiscent of Herod’s Temple about 2,000 years ago, will become a place desecrated by the Antichrist (Daniel 9:26-27; 2 Thessalonians 2:4.) This coincides with the time when people will “willingly” take the Mark of the Beast and seal their fate as followers of the Antichrist. This will be an unprecedented time of great turmoil, as prophesied in Jeremiah 30:7 and Daniel 12:1.

The red heifers are getting really close to being kosher and ready for the sacrifice producing the ashes to be mixed with water for purification. All the Temple implements are ready to go and the Levites have been trained. It is 11:59 PM on the prophetic clock, and yet, so much can still be accomplished in the last minute before the prophetic midnite call. Our desire to share the message of hope with the lost should be boiling inside us.

I don’t know if I will witness the making of the purifying water in my lifetime, but I know without a doubt that it is coming and that once that part of God’s program is in motion, there is no looking back. I have been on God’s side for the last 40 years. I hope you are too, and I pray that you will be bold about the hope that you have in Yeshua. NOW IS THE TIME!

August 7, 2023 By Olivier Melnick 1 Comment

Jewish World Domination Explained!

One of the major accusations against Jewish people worldwide is that we want to control things from politics to the Media to Hollywood to the banking system. We have been accused of wanting to take over the world for centuries, but the one piece that put Jewish world domination on the map more than anything is probably the early 1900s Russian hoax plagiarized from the previous work of French author Maurice Joly, “The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu.” It was officially debunked in the early 1920s but is still in circulation today in many languages and is known as “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion.” Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel described the Protocols: “If ever a piece of writing could produce mass hatred, it is this one. . . . This book is about lies and slander.”

Attributed to a cabal of Jewish leaders, the agenda of the Protocols calls for a global Jewish takeover: “By all these means, we shall so wear down the GOYIM that they will be compelled to offer us international power of a nature that, by its position, will enable us, without any violence, gradually to absorb all the State forces of the world and to form a Super-Government. In place of the rulers of today, we shall set up a bogey which will be called the Super-Government Administration. Its hands will reach out in all directions like nippers, and its organization will be of such colossal dimensions that it cannot fail to subdue all the nations of the word.” (Protocol V.)

Frankly, I find it eerily reminiscent of the biblical promise of a New World Order (Revelation 13 and 17.) All one would have to do is switch the main protagonists, and it would fit the times we live in. They also claim to control the Press: “We must compel the governments of the goyim to take action in the direction favored by our widely-conceived plan, already approaching the desired consummation, by what we shall represent as public opinion, secretly prompted by us through the means of that so-called “Great Power”—the Press, which, with a few exceptions that may be disregarded, is already entirely in our hands. (Protocol VII.)

The accusation of Jewish world domination precedes the publication of the Protocols, as Jews were accused of creating and spreading the 14th Century Black Plague to destroy Christian Europe and take over the continent. The pamphlet lays out a precise plan for takeover but keeps all the players, including the author, anonymous. Not one name is mentioned. Not the name of leaders, victims or even co-perpetrators. This might very well be a factor in the survival of such a piece of trash for so long when all other propaganda works have come and gone.

The Protocols can be applied to Jewish people through time without risking becoming obsolete; in the mind of antisemites, that is! Additionally, some have applied the plot of the Protocols to modern days, claiming erroneously that the Jews were behind the latest pandemic. They also paint a picture of Jewish greed and Jewish banking control.

True, there are a lot of Jewish people in the financial world, and many of them are or have been extremely successful and, as a result, have amassed large fortunes. This is based on what is known as shrewdness. Jewish people are shrewd. They are good at business transactions which helps them make good profits. Incidentally, this is not exclusive to Jewish people. There are plenty of successful Gentiles in the world, but shrewdness might be more prevalent among Jewish people, for which they really shouldn’t have to apologize. Jewish philanthropy is one of the highest in the world. Jewish people can actually be very generous with their money. This is based on two traditions: tzedakah (charitable giving) and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).

This concept of Tikkun Olam really warrants our attention if we want to better understand the predominance of Jewish people in the most influential segments of society because, at the end of the day, influential Jewish people are not trying to take over the world, but they are seeking the betterment of the planet one innovation at a time.

Consider this, Between 1901 and 2022, out of the 900 people who receive the honor, 211 were Jewish. That’s about 23% of all Nobel Prizes ever given to people. Keep in mind that Jewish people make up only 0.02% of the world population, and NO, the Jews do not control the Nobel Prize organization!
So, Tikkun (Repairing) Olam (The World) is a Jewish concept that transcends various levels of religiosity on the wide spectrum of Jewish identity. Assigning it to the Tanach (G-d’s Law), the Talmud (Oral law) or even Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), Jewish people recognize that the world can use improvement. Tikkun Olam was even recognized by the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Schneerson as the duty of every human being, and not only the Jewish people. Additionally, religious Jews believe that every one of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) prescribed in the Torah are representative of Tikkun Olam. Could we then assert that Tikkun Olam is within the fabric of every Jew, religious or not? Possibly!

The desire to make this world a better world is commendable. One certainly doesn’t have to be Jewish to seek and practice Tikkun Olam. This being said, when we look at Jewish innovation over the centuries, and certainly over the last few decades, we must admit that many improvements came from Jewish people. The world is indeed a better place because of inventions like drip irrigation, the laser, pacemakers, stainless steel, the polio vaccine, word-processing computers, mobile phones and Google®, to name just a few.

It is entirely possible that there exists a certain jealousy between some people and the Jewish people. Coupled with the longest hatred of antisemitism, Jewish inventions and innovations, instead of being praised, are seen as means to an end, that end being world domination. This is ludicrous! To be sure, I do not adhere to all the Jewish concepts derived from Tikkun Olam, but the idea of contributing to our world to make it a better place is part of my personal modus operandi. I am Jewish, but the last thing on my mind is to take over the world.

There is a promise of a final Tikkun Olam coming in the future. As much as we strive to make this world a better place, the Bible tells us that G-d will send His Messiah to judge the world and restore it to what it was meant to be in Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden.) Only the Messiah will fulfill Tikkun Olam perfectly and for all eternity. Our people patiently await Him, and in the meantime, they seek to contribute to their own version of Tikkun Olam.
The Messiah already paid us a visit to bring peace to the hearts of men (Isaiah 52:13-53-12), and He will return a second time to bring peace to the world and settle Tikkun Olam once and for all. Only Mashiach can truly repair the world because He is the One who created it in the first place.

In the meantime, let’s not accuse the Jews of seeking to take over the planet. We are not looking for a takeover, but we might be guilty of looking for a makeover!

July 20, 2023 By Olivier Melnick 44 Comments

Have I been Wrong about the Rapture All Along?

I have been a believer for 40 years, and for that entire season, I have always believed that there would be a future event in human history when Yeshua would come into the sky and snatch believers away before the terrible time of the Great Tribulation started. In fact, it is through the reading of The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey that I first learned about the Rapture. It impressed me enough that it led me to invite Yeshua into my life as my Messiah and Savior. That was the Summer of 1983, exactly forty years ago. Back then, I knew nothing about the Bible or the end times; however, what I was learning about a just, loving and compassionate God seemed to make a lot of sense.

Fast forward to 2023, almost two decades of published daily devotionals, six books, and two degrees later, and the Rapture of the Believers is still on my mind. Frankly, it is probably on my mind more today than it was twenty years ago – likely due to all the world events occurring at a rapid pace in front of our eyes almost every single day.

The more I read my Bible, the stronger I feel about a premillennial, pre-tribulation Rapture (PPR). This has a lot to do with the approach to the word of God I have been taking for the last four decades. Early on, as I was told that God left me a love letter (the Bible) with a lot of instructions and direction about how to live with Him and for Him, I could never look at that book and not take its message literally. Otherwise, how many interpretations do we really end up with? This, of course, doesn’t eliminate the use of figures of speech in the Bible, but we need to take God’s counsel at face value and then, if necessary, seek a symbolic or allegorical meaning.

What happens if I have been wrong about the Rapture for the last forty years? So, I want to consider the possibility of the Rapture not happening.

One of the first things those who adhere to a premillennial, pre-tribulation Rapture (PPR) are often accused of is escapism. We are accused of trying to bail out before God’s wrath when we should go through it. I guess it would be escapism if there were a sense of selfishness in those who believe in a PPR. The opposite is often the case. Those of us who believe in a PPR have a great sense of urgency, and the imminency of the Rapture is encouraging us to share the Good News even more so. Incidentally, the Bible never speaks of believers not going through difficulties, challenges and/or turmoil prior to the Tribulation. The days we live in seem to validate the idea that persecution is coming to believers as well as to Jews, and we have not even started the Great Tribulation yet.

Frankly, instead of a no-Rapture view, a lot of people believe in a post-tribulation Rapture that will happen simultaneously with the physical return of Yeshua the Messiah to the earth at the end of the seven-year Tribulation. Basically, the Rapture and Second Coming are separated by a few brief moments, making the Rapture less of an important milestone in God’s program than it ought to be. One of the questions I have, is, “How could a Rapture happening at the end of a specific period of seven years be unknown and imminent?” How can the Rapture and the Second Coming be one and the same event when in John 14:1-3, Yeshua promised, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

Additionally, when we look at Revelation 19:11-21, which is the New Testament passage about the Second Coming of Messiah, there is no mention of the Rapture whatsoever. Why would that be if both events are linked or one and the same?

Do we have solid, biblical reasons to believe that the Rapture and the Second Coming are two separate events? I think we do, and let me offer just a few:
• Signs that are given before the event:
Before the Rapture: None – 1 Thessalonians 1:10
Before the Second Coming: Many – Matthew 24:4-28

• Location for the event:
Location for the Rapture: In the air – 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Location for the Second Coming: The Mount of Olives in Jerusalem – Zechariah 14:2-4; Revelation 19:14

• People taken at the event:
At the Rapture: Believers (the Bride of Messiah) are taken from earth and unbelievers are left behind – 1 Thessalonians 4:17
At the Second Coming: Living believers (the Bride of Messiah) enter the Messianic Millennial Kingdom and unbelievers are judged – Matthew 13:41-42; 49-50

• Changes on earth at the event:
At the Rapture: No topographical change.
At the Second Coming: Many changes on planet earth – Zechariah 14:1-11

There is no doubt that both the Rapture and the Second Coming of Yeshua describe His actual physical return. At the very least, what believers should focus on is the fact that Yeshua is coming back. In other words, the story isn’t finished yet; far from it! Many will claim that there will be no Rapture as a single event, but that Yeshua will indeed return to Earth.

I hold to a premillennial, pre-tribulation Rapture view. There is always a possibility that I am wrong, although forty years of Bible study have only reinforced my position from several vantage points in the Bible. The prophetic significance of the Feasts of the Lord found in Leviticus 23 have helped to strengthen my view and so has the understanding of the Jewish wedding system and the Bride of Messiah.

Yet, if I am wrong, I am very encouraged by the wise words of Charles Ryrie in Come Quickly Lord Jesus, “If His coming should be pretribulational, then we will praise Him because we missed that terrible time. If it is postribulational, then we will gladly suffer for His sake. Either way, we still have the blessed hope of His coming.”

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