Are you ready for the Rapture? If you are like most Christians your answer will most likely be “yes.” But is that really the case? Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help determine if you are truly ready.
1. Are you remembering to “pray always” that you will be “accounted” worthy to escape the wrath of God that will be executed on this world?
Luke 21:36 (KJV)
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
2. Are you aware of the “day” it will occur.
Luke 21:34 (KJV)
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
According to Websters 1913 Dictionary the word surfeit means “To load the stomach with food, so that sickness or uneasiness ensues.” The literal meaning of this is obvious, but in a spiritual sense the ordinary “food” would be the “milk” or easier things to understand in God’s Word. If you have been a Christian for a long time and you have not taken in any of the “meat” of the Word of God, there is good reason for you to feel uneasy. As we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ we should be taking in the “meat” of the world of God. The “meat” of God’s Word are the teachings that are harder to digest, the deeper meanings or messages in the Word of God.
Of course we should not be drunken in the literal sense, but this is meant in the spiritual sense. One is drunk when one has taken in too much false teaching or doctrine. A spiritual drunk is a person that has taken in false doctrine. Just like someone who has taken in too much alcohol he stammers about not knowing what he is saying.
The “cares of this life” would refer to all the things that cause us to take our eyes off our Lord and forget that He is the one in charge. He has forewarned us of all the things that will be happening just before He returns. He told us “let not your hearts be troubled.”
According to Luke that day should not come upon you “unaware.” This should be taken literally. The Word of God makes it quite clear the “day” it will happen. The “Feasts of the Lord” tell us it will occur on the Feast of “Trumpets” and the “Sign of the Sun of Man” confirms this day.
3. Do you know what the Sign of the Son of Man is?
If you do not know beyond a shadow of a doubt what the “Sign of the Son of Man” is, you are definitely not ready for the Rapture! This is a sign that will happen just before the wedding of the lamb (Rapture of His saints) occurs. It is of utmost importance that every Christian understand this sign!
The biggest reason we are not ready for the Rapture is because we are as sheep that have gone astray. We have strayed too far from the Master’s flock to hear his voice. Instead we listen to the voice of someone that did not hear the Master correctly. Meaning we listened to what we have been told in regards to our Lord’s return for us, and we have not taken the time to “study to show thyself approved unto God.” (2 Tim. 2:15) How can we make that statement?
The universal teachings of today’s churches is that “no man knoweth the day or hour” of Christ’s return. On top of that almost EVERY Christian (Pastors Included) believe that the Rapture will take place in the “twinkling of an eye.” (The changing of physical to spiritual body is that fast, but there is more to it than just this.) Almost all of Christendom believes they cannot know the day; and if they cannot know the day, they certainly do not know if it will be during the day or during the night. None of that seems to matter because they will be changed in the “twinkling of an eye,” no matter where they are and no matter what they are doing. Knowing what the “Sign of the Son of Man” is will prove this to be bad doctrine. If we sit down and study the verses, and forget what we have been told and read elsewhere; we will find they say quite the opposite. If we study all three Gospels where Christ tells His disciples of the signs of the end, the Holy Spirit will show us an entirely different picture, than the one we have been given. (Matt. 24, 25; Mark 13 & Luke 21)
In the very same portions we have been told that we cannot know the “Day;” Jesus tells us four times the “Day” it will be. In fact, the “day” is told of multiple, multiple times throughout the word of God and yet Christendom does not see it because they read God’s word through Gentile eyes, and they do not “study without bias” their Bible. (Note: It gives the “day” many times, but the time of day and the year are revealed in other ways) In fact in the same portion of scripture, Mathew 24 & 25, we are told multiple times the time of day it will be, but for some reason the ones doing the teaching are blind to it. This sign, which you will soon find out, verifies the day, and the time of day it will take place. It does not reveal the exact hour and minute of the day, and not the year; but the month, day, and approximate hour are revealed. The exact hour is hinted at in the Gospels multiple times, but our Lord just comes out and tells us the exact hour in the parable of the 10 virgins.
So let’s dig into the Word of God and taste the meat that our Lord promised the “wise and faithful” servant so that we might be “Rapture Ready” when the appointed time arrives.
“Sign of the Son of Man”
What is the “Sign of the Son of Man?” It is a signal that our Lord is going to send us to tell us that the rapture of His saints is imminent. It is the revealing of the time to “look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
After reading many commentaries on this it became apparent that there is no real consensus as to what this sign actually is. The teaching that no one can know the day or hour of the Rapture is pretty much universal, (even though it’s totally wrong) but how can one be so sure of this if one does not even know what the “Sign of the coming of the Son of Man is?” It also should be noted that even if you do know the day and hour of His return for us, you could still miss it if you don’t know what the signal is! Why would our Lord even give us a sign if it doesn’t matter when He returns for you? Without knowing this sign, how did we come to all the conclusions that we have been taught? How can anyone say that you can’t know the day or the hour if they have no clue what the “Sign of the Son of Man is?
For an earthly comparison, let’s say you are on a plane that has taxied to the end of the runway and is waiting to take off. The pilot cannot go until he receives a signal from the tower to take off. If the pilot does not know what the signal is, you are not going to be taking off any time soon! In fact, you may never take off! That’s a very sobering thought, isn’t it? So I think we can agree that knowing this signal is VERY important to us and something we must know! So let’s take a look at the Word of God and find out what He has told us. He has foretold us everything, as He told us He would do in His Word, and yet it’s obvious many people don’t believe it! Our study starts in Matthew where we find the description of the “coming of the Son of Man.”
NOTE: If you combine the “Sign of the Son of Man” listed below along with the Parable of the 10 Virgins, you will get a complete picture of how the Rapture will take place. This “Sign of the Son of Man” is the missing piece that kept all the experts from understanding the “True” reason as to why the 5 foolish Virgins missed the rapture. This sign revealed in Matthew 24 is also revealed in Isaiah 13:10, 11 and Revelation 18:1-6. Isaiah 24:23 and Zechariah 14:7 also define it.
Matthew 24:27 (KJV)
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Most of today’s commentaries will tell you this means that it will happen extremely quickly as a flash of lightning. The rest will tell you the “sign of the Son of Man” is Jesus Christ himself; however, neither of these is correct. This verse only gives us a portion of what the “Sign of the Son of Man” is; and this verse is stating just the opposite of what most believe it to be saying.
The “lightning” spoken of here is not a “bolt” or even a “flash” of lightning, nor does it have anything to do with the speed or quickness of lightning. This becomes obvious 
when you go back to the original Greek word used for “lightning.” As you can see by the translation at right, the word “lightning” is better stated “bright shining” or “shining brightness.” Lightning does not shine; it flashes. The word “shineth” is used in this verse which helps verify that “lightning” was not the best word to use in this verse. In Luke 11:36 the same Greek word is used to describe the “bright shining” of a candle.
Lightning does not come from the east and shine to the west. One would think this alone would have caused many to question the interpretation that is so readily accepted today. However, the sun comes from the east and “shines to the west.”
This verse simply stated says that “as the sun (bright shining) goes from the east to the west, the same will happen when the Son of Man comes. This verse says nothing about lightning flashing as all of the newer translations do. In fact all of the newer translations have translated this verse in such a way that makes it nearly impossible to discover the true meaning of this verse.
The information revealed in this verse tells us that when Christ comes for us it will happen in the same way and with the same timing or speed as the sun rising in the east and going to the west. Our Lord will be using the rotation of the Earth. In other words, the event will be accomplished in a 24 hour day, just as the “Feasts of the Lord” tell us, and just as it is portrayed in other scriptures. This makes it sound like an ordinary day, but you will find it to be an extra-ordinary day that is revealed in the verses that follow.
Matthew 24:28 (KJV)
For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
In the previous verse Jesus told us the sign of the coming of the Son of Man (Rapture) would be similar in timing to that of a normal day. Since this verse starts with the word “For,” it is a continuation of that verse. Almost all the newer “easy read” Bible translations and commentaries say that in this verse the “eagles” probably refers to vultures since eagles do not feed on the dead flesh of animals. There are a couple of problems with this interpretation. First, eagles do feed on the dead flesh of animals as both my brother and nephew have both witnessed eagles feeding on road kill. Second, nowhere in this verse does it say anything about eagles feeding on dead carcasses. They are basically saying that either the original King James translators made a mistake in the way they translated the words or that Jesus meant to say vultures instead of eagles.
Our Lord would not mistake an eagle for a vulture. If you look up the meaning of the original Greek word for “eagles” you will find it is “aetos” and its meaning is “wind like flight.” When the Son of man appears in the heavens next, it will be for the Rapture of His saints. Our physical bodies will be changed from physical bodies to spiritual bodies. Our dead corpses will fall to the ground and our transformed spiritual bodies will be transported to an altitude that is revealed in verse 31. They will remain at this altitude until they are gathered by His angels. While waiting at this altitude they will be hovering in “wind like flight,” which is why the word eagles was used in this verse. If the King James translators of this verse would have known its meaning, they would have used the descriptive words the eagle gets its name from; “those of wind like flight,” instead of the name “eagle” itself. If the translators of the newer translations would have known what the “Sign of the Son of Man” is they would not have replaced “vultures” for the word “eagles.”
NOTE: These are two examples of modern Bible translations published after 1881 using errant manuscripts that have custom tailored the Word of God to fit their beliefs.
Matthew 24:29 (KJV)
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days;” First it should be noted that the first words in this verse are “immediately after.” This tells us we are leaving one era and going into another. No, it has nothing to do with a 7 year tribulation period. There is no 7 year tribulation period found in the Word of God. This comes from a total misinterpretation of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy. In John 16:33 our Lord told us that while we are in this world we will have tribulation. This verse indicates we are going from the “Time of the End,” to “The End” as described in Daniel 12.
“The Sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,” To those that are interested in Bible prophecy, this is the description of a solar eclipse and a new moon. While this is the exact description of a solar eclipse, that is not what is meant here. The “the Sun shall be darkened” is also the description of an event which takes place every day, 365 days a year during the evening hours when the Sun goes down. This is going to sound like an oversimplification to many, but all this is telling us is that the rapture will take place at night after the sun goes down; but not just any night!
“The moon shall not give her light“ tells us which night. This is the description of the “new moon” phase which happens once every 29½ days. This occurs when the moon is on the lighted or daylight 
side of the earth and the backside of the moon is toward the sun. Because the side of the moon we see does not receive sunlight, the moon is not able to be seen by us. This is called the “new moon.” Since the Jews go by a lunar calendar, each “new moon” begins a new calendar month. The Feast of Trumpets is also called the “New Moon” in Jewish tradition because it is the only feast held on the first day or “new moon” of the month. The ‘new moon’ is mentioned many times in the Bible, but most Christians have no idea what this means or that it refers to the “Feast of Trumpets;” which just happens to be a 2 day feast representing the Rapture (day 1) followed immediately by the Day of the Lord. (day 2) The first part of this verse is simple stating that the Rapture will occur at night on the night of the “New Moon,” but this still does not complete what the “Sign of the Son of Man” is. This is the first indication in this chapter that tells us the Rapture will happen on the Feast of Trumpets which is Tishri 1 on the Hebrew calendar. This year it falls on September 26th, 2022, sometime after (12:00 A.M)
“And the stars shall fall from heaven:” This cannot be taken literally as stars cannot literally fall from heaven. This verse is telling us that the light from the stars is going to appear and then disappear; making it seem as though they disappeared or “fell” from the sky. What would cause such an event? Did you ever stand under a sky full of stars and then walk under a street light at night and notice that when you looked up toward the sky you could not see the stars because the brightness of the street light was the brighter light? That’s why we do not see the stars in the sky during the day; the Suns brightness outshines that of the stars. It is this same type of thing that is going to happen during the Rapture as our Lord finishes the explanation of the “Sign of the Son of Man” in the next part of the phrase.
“And the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:” If you take the “powers of the heavens” literally this would have something to do with light, gravitational pull, or maybe electromagnetic fields; but which one? God’s Word does furnish us with the real meaning of this verse; however, we must go all the way back to the book of Genesis when God made the sun and the moon. In God’s plan, it is revealed in such a way that one needs to know the beginning before one can know the end!
Genesis 1:16-18 (KJV)
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light (sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (moon) to rule the night: he made the stars also.17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
Here he is making it clear that the power must be that of light. The Sun or “greater light” has power or rules over the day, and the moon, the “lesser light” rules over the night. This verse says power(s) of the heavens plural; so it is the power of all these rulers that will be shaken. Remember, this is happening on the “New Moon” when the moon is on the same side of the Earth as the Sun, so the moon will not be shedding its light on the dark side of the earth. This means that something else will have to be providing light. Since the Sun is ruler over the day and it is on the same side of the earth as the moon during the ‘New Moon,” its power can only be shaken if:
- The sun goes dark. This cannot be for 2 reasons.
- We would all be dead within a few hours.
- He told us in verse 27 that the “coming of the Son of Man” would be bright shining going from east to west like the sun.
- Something else causes it to be bright shining on the night side of the earth. It cannot be the sun because the sun cannot be on both sides of the earth at the same time.
So if everything so far is correct, what could it possibly be that is shaking the powers of the heavens by lighting up the dark side of the earth? You have probably figured it out for yourself by now, but if not, there is a chapter in Revelation that visually describes this event. Our Lord spelled out this same scenario for us in Isaiah 24:23, Zechariah 14:7 and the beginning of Revelation 18:1&4; but it seems like no one has ever connected them with the Rapture. There is always more than one witness to any event given in the Word of God. (Note: Whenever Revelation says “Another angel” it is almost always, if not always, referring to our humble Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.)
Revelation 18:1,4 (KJV)
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
We don’t have to go far to validate the night visitation we have demonstrated here. Later in Matthew 24 it tells us that if the goodman (ruler) of the house would have known what “watch” the thief would come, he would have watched. A watch is one of four 3 hour night shifts or watches. During daylight hours these shifts are called “wards.” Mark chapter 13 names these watches and validates the reason why the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Mark 13:35 (KJV)
Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning:
Every one of these watches takes place during a time of no or very little sunlight. Since we already know it is during the time of the “new moon” when the moon is on the side of the earth where the sunlight is, this is telling us that the Rapture will occur during the night hours, but it will be like day on both sides of the earth. This will definitely shake up the powers of the heavens as who ever heard of it being noon day bright in the middle of the night? This bright light on the dark or night side of the earth will also cause the light from the stars of heaven to fall or fail. The power of the moon will be shaken because it will be the glory of Jesus Christ lighting up the night side of the earth. Isaiah tells us the power of the Sun will be shaken because the light from His glory will be 7 times brighter than the sun and the moon will be the brightness of the sun. This is exactly what our great and wonderful Savior does both figuratively and literally; He changes the darkness into light.
John 8:12 (KJV)
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
And you thought this verse was only figurative!
Our Lord gets even more specific with us in Matthew 25, because He doesn’t waste words and the smallest words can make big differences. Look at what Matthew 25:1&6 say.
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Every time that Jesus has likened something to something else, that’s the way it is! There is no reason to doubt that the call will go out at midnight will be any different. That is the time the process will start. That is not to say that it will be the exact time one will be raptured. Remember, this is going to happen at the same speed as the rotation of the earth which has 24 different time zones. The beauty of this methodology is that by doing it this way the time of Rapture will be approximately the same time no matter where His Saints are. This will take up the entire first day of the Feast of Trumpets. It will end with the blowing of the 7th trumpet and over the next 24 hour period, “The Day of the Lord,” will be announced all over the Earth “
NOTE: Do not ignore the “go ye out to meet him.” After the cry is made, you must go out to meet him, meaning you must “open the door” to Him and go outside and look for the “Sign of the Son of Man.” This is covered more completely with further scripture witnesses in the post The “REAL” Rapture of His Saints and in chapter 15 of the book titled the Parable of the Ten Virgins
Revelation 11:15 (KJV)
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Matthew 24:30 (KJV)
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Now you know the “Sign of the Son of Man” will appear on the night of the new moon. The “new moon” occurs on September 25th this year (2022), but the calendar shows the “Feast of Trumpets” begins on September 26th. September 26th is not the night of the “new moon.” The Hebrew day goes from sunset to sunset and not midnight to midnight. It also should be noted that the “Feast of Trumpets” in Old Testament times did not start until the crescent moon was spotted by someone and that someone would go to the priests and the priests would verify it. The trumpets would sound and the Feast of Trumpets would officially begin. This could be one to two or even possibly three days after the actual evening of the “new moon.” Remember, the “new moon” is the night when the moon does not give light.
So what will happen on the night of September 25th? The sun will go down and the stars will appear. Sometime around midnight we should hear our masters voice saying “come up hither” or “come out of her my people.” According to the “Parable of the 10 Virgins” and Joel 2:16 we are to “open the door” and “go ye out and meet Him,” This is the time when we are to open the door and go outside and look for the “Sign of the Son of Man.”
By doing so we are demonstrating the faith we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Christ always said to those He made whole; “Thy faith has made thee whole.” How much more whole could one possibly be made than at the “Wedding of the Lamb” when we receive our spiritual bodies and our Savior comes in and sups with us. This is the REAL meaning and context of Revelation 3:20:
Revelation 3:20 (KJV)
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
When you see the horizon in the east just beginning to lighten like a new day is about to begin; this is the “Sign of the Sun of Man.” This is the time to look up because your redemption is near. This is when Luke 21 tells us:
Luke 21:28 (KJV)
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
The amount of time before our redemption occurs could be anywhere from a few minutes to an hour depending upon our location. This is the beauty of the organized manner in which our Lord will perform this wonder using the rotation of the earth. The “foolish virgins” did not know the “Sign of the Son of Man.” They did not have the knowledge (light from the additional oil) needed to know what to do on the night when the bridegroom came for them. (This is all patterned after the Jewish wedding ceremony which takes place at night. Please read chapter 15 “The Parable of the 10 Virgins” for further information on this and the “REAL” meaning of this parable.
Matthew 24:31 (KJV)
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This is your second clue in Matthew 24 that tells us the Rapture will happen during the Feast of Trumpets as this was the only feast known for the trumpet (shofar) blowing. This verse is additional information that was not given in verse 28 that made you do some intuitive thinking. It did not tell us that the dead bodies were those that were transformed to their new spiritual bodies nor did it say it would be the angels gathering the eagles (those of wind like flight) and taking them to the other end of heaven.
The “four winds” refers to the earths “jet streams.” Yes the earth has four jet streams which play a large part in determining the weather. They blow at an altitude of 30,000 to 45,000 feet and each hemisphere has a polar and subtropical jet stream. So this means that the raptured saints will be caught up to an altitude of 30 to 45,000 feet where they will float like an eagle (wind like flight) until an angel gathers them and carries them off to the uttermost part of heaven. This adds important information to what was given us in verses 27 and 28. It also verifies the interpretation given regarding why the word “eagles” was used.
When you add Revelation 6:14 to all these happenings, it pretty much completes the picture of all the events that will take place during the Rapture.
Revelation 6:14 (KJV)
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Luke 17:32 reminds us to “Remember Lot’s wife” and do not look back. Also, remember Peter walking on the water when he took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink. A 35,000 foot fall has got to hurt even a spiritual body!
A Time to Meditate
Now, let’s get personal. Do you really believe our Lord told us exactly when to look and what to look for if He did not expect us to know the exact appointed time to be looking? Do you really believe He expects us to be up every night until 1 A.M. looking for this sign? Do you still think with all the times He said “watch ye therefore” He was speaking in a figurative way? Do you still believe the last verse in Mark 13 should be taken figuratively when He said “Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.” And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. The word “watch” here is the exact same Greek word that means “be vigilant.” According to Webster’s 1913 Dictionary “Vigilant” means “Attentive to discover and avoid danger.” In the Greek “Watch” has the same meaning in both the literal and figurative.
I try to keep my personal feeling out of these posts and go with what the words are saying, but I know we have gone drastically wrong on all of our “Last Days” teachings. There are a couple more things I would like to leave you with in regards to this subject. All of our teaching has been focused on “no man can know the day and the hour,’ when the rest of the verses in the chapter say just the opposite. I would encourage you to take the time to read the book posted on https://wordpress.com/view/appointedtimeofchristsreturn.com If you don’t have time to read the book, at least read chapters 13,15, and 16 to better prepare you for what’s coming.
Our Lord has given us such great detail that we can know the exact date of the Rapture, Day of the Lord, Second Coming of Christ, Feast of Tabernacles, the exact dates all 7 seals are opened, and the exact date that each vial is poured out. He truly has foretold us everything, we just have not been listening or putting out the effort to find out because we have placed our confidence in the words of men and not in the Word of God.
Here are two other passages of Scripture to think about. This first one has been wrongly interpreted literally, when it obviously should be figurative. Jesus is calling the servant “evil” because he does not know when to be looking for his masters return.
Matthew 24:48-51 (KJV)
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:48 (KJV)
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
The first thing that must be
acknowledged is that in this verse our Lord is not speaking to the unbeliever that does not know the Lord; nor is he speaking of someone that is totally unaware that his Lord will be returning sometime in the future. The lost and unbelievers do not know and do not care about their spiritual well being. So before we go any further, let’s look up the meaning of “delayeth.”
From the definition of the word “delayeth” It is not the Godless saying in his heart the Lord is delaying His return; it is the ones teaching the Sunday Schools and the seminaries and the local churches that are saying “I don’t know when He’s coming back, but it will be soon.
According to this verse it is the evil servant that says “My lord delayeth his coming.” Strong’s Greek Dictionary shows the Greek word for “delayeth” is chronizō, which means to take time or linger. If you open Webster’s 1913 dictionary you find the meaning of linger is “to be in suspense.” The word “suspense” according to Webster’s 1913 Dictionary means “a state of uncertainty and expectation.” Does that not describe perfectly the attitude of Christians today in regards to the coming Rapture of His saints “Oh, I just know the Lord is coming soon, but nobody knows when.” If this is not saying that He is delaying; what does? For sure this is a state of uncertainty and expectation!!!!!
Matthew 24:49 (KJV)
And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
This verse is not to be taken literally unless you have some Christian friends that are eating and drinking with drunkards and then going out and striking fellow Christians with their hands or some other instrument used to beat people with. It really is ridiculous when you try and take this literally isn’t it? However, if you take it figuratively as most Bible prophecy is revealed and the way it should be taken here; you will come up with something very different then what you have been taught.
Strong’s Greek word for “smite” is typtō, which in the figurative sense is “to offend the conscience.” This is straight from Strong’s Greek Dictionary.
“To eat and drink with the drunken” is a figurative phrase filled with metaphors. Biblically speaking, as you read earlier, you are drunk when you have taken in too much bad doctrine or teaching. In order to be drunk you have to be drinking too much of something that has alcohol in it. Wine is a Biblical metaphor for doctrine which can be good or bad. Waters, seas, rivers, floods all are metaphors for varying peoples in scripture. As you know Jesus first miracle was turning water to the best wine that was served at the wedding. Jesus taught men good teachings and doctrine, so good wine was good for your spiritual health. But if a person has taken in bad doctrine or wrong teachings they are considered to be drunk, stammering about and not knowing what they are doing or saying.
This evil servant is offending the conscience of fellow servants because he has been eating (socializing with) and drinking (swallowing) with the drunken. (Believers or teachers of false doctrines or teachings)
So what is this evil servant saying that offends the conscience of the fellow servants? According to the previous verse he is telling them that the return of their Lord is uncertain and nobody knows when it is going to be. He’s telling them this even though his Lord already gave him the Feast days (appointed times) and just got done telling him he would give him more information as the appointed time drew near. He’s doing this even though in a previous verse, his Lord promised more information to the wise and faithful servant at the appointed time. (the “due season” in verse 45 is an appointed time.)
The real application of this is that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He has provided us with all things that we need, both physical and spiritual. At very great cost God has always made a way for us and has provided everything we would need along the way. The evidence of this is found all throughout the Bible. He has always done exactly as He said He would do. There has never been any reason to doubt Him; and yet just because He withheld some information until the time we would need it, like any good father would do, almost everyone believes He will not tell us when one of the most important days of our lives will be. I can’t help but think that He is offended, especially when He provided us with this information just as He said He would in John 16:12-15. It’s not that He did not tell us, the problem is we stopped listening to Him. We started reading all the modern translations which absolutely destroy Bible prophecy and strip the “meat” (deeper understanding) that is hidden in those words they changed and left out. Don’t you think there was a reason why the scribes had to make sure that every copy they made of the sacred texts had to be exactly the same as the original? How can one change the words if he does not understand absolutely everything 100% correctly in the Word of God? Only God is capable of that and I doubt He would change a word because it would have been delivered to us that way in the first place. It should be obvious to anyone that if God spoke through His Holy Spirit to all the men that penned the scriptures, don’t you think the same Holy Spirit is capable of revealing those same scriptures to us? The Revelation of Jesus Christ is God’s revelation to Jesus Christ and it will only be revealed through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 24:50 (KJV)
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
It only stands to reason that if the evil servant is telling other servants that they cannot know the time of their Lords return, surely he is going to be surprised when his Lord does return. Please note that the Lord of this servant returns “in a day that he is not looking for him” and “in an hour that he is not even aware of.” If one would take and turn this verse around and make everything in it positive it would read something like this. “The Lord of the good servant will come in a day that he is looking for him and in an hour that he is aware of. That is NOT to say that he knows the exact time to the minute of the night, but that he knows the REAL actual night and is anxiously watching and waiting for his Lord to appear. Hasn’t anyone realized that this is in direct opposition to “no man can know the day and hour.” Whenever you find direct easy to understand opposition like this, you are missing something and it would be best that you find what it is!
Matthew 24:51 (KJV)
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The “cut him asunder” does not refer to the lashings that were given out for punishment during Roman times as some commentaries suggest. “Asunder” means to “bisect” or “cut in two separate pieces.” This seems quite harsh for being caught off guard when the Rapture takes place. But when one looks at how far off course the church has gone by not heeding the warnings given to the churches, and replacing the Word of God with the words of men, (just like the first time He came) maybe the punishment is not that bad. Would our Lord be returning if the church teachings were on target and we were obedient to the things He asked us to do?
The validation our Lord gives us of the servant who does not know the time of his masters return being “cut asunder” by his Lord is found in Revelation 14. This clearly takes place after the rapture of all His saints and after the 144,000 are assembled together as shown in verse 1. This means that all the wise and faithful servants that have kept the commandments of their Lord are accounted for, so only the evil servants that were not Ruptured or sealed are left. In verse 6 we see the angel flying in heaven and proclaiming the everlasting gospel which would seem to indicate a time for the evil servants to repent and ask forgiveness for their errors. It is obvious that some will realize their error and repent because of what we read next in verse 13:
Revelation 14:13-16 (KJV)
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labor’s; and their works do follow them. 14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
This is the cutting asunder of the evil servant of verse 48. There is another reaping that takes place immediately afterword, but this is the reaping of the tares that will be burned because it mentions the angel coming out of the temple that had power over fire. Please take note that just as Matthew 24:50-51 states, it is the Lord of the “evil servant” that cuts him asunder. Revelation 14:14 tells us it is the Son of Man that reaps the “harvest” of the earth with His sickle and verse 17 says it is another angel that reaps the “vine of the earth”.
Revelation 14:17-18 (KJV)
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
The reaping of the “harvest” of the earth would be those that would still be saved (God’s grace being shown to the “foolish virgins”) and the reaping of the “vine” of the earth would be the tares that will be burned with fire.
“And appoint him his portion.” “Portion” suggests the punishment to this evil servant is not necessarily going to be permanent, if he realizes his error and repents. It may just be the punishment for the offense he has perpetrated against His Lord that was not forgiven at the time of the rapture.
“And appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.” First, why is Jesus calling these evil servants that don’t know when their Lord is returning “hypocrites”? Could it be because they believe and tell everyone that it is the Lord that provides them with all they need, but believe He will not tell them of the most important day of their lives? Could it be because Christ said “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: which tells us we should know what He is doing and yet almost none which are suppose to be His friends know what He is doing? Could it be because they believe our Lord when He said it is not God’s will that any should perish, and yet they believe that He is going to return as a thief so that He can catch as many people as possible off guard and in sin, so as to ensure that they are in no condition to be partakers in the Wedding of the Lamb? Could it be because we teach the Holy Spirit is the one who reveals to us the light within the pages of the Word of God and yet we read all these new misleading translations because the Word of God is to hard to understand?
“There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This does not sound good. It actually sounds like Hell except there is no mention of the outer darkness. This may be a clue that it is only a temporary punishment if they repent before they are cut asunder. This will definitely be a time of very deep regret.
Remember however, it did say the evil servant would be appointed “his portion,” which might suggest it is not an eternal punishment. Or it could simply mean he will get what he has coming.
As you read in the previous paragraphs, the evil servant will miss the rapture of the saints because he did not know the day and was not aware of the hour of his Lord’s return. Just as the scriptures say, the “Day of the Lord” came upon him as “a thief in the night.” Because the evil servant was not aware of the time of his Lords return or the “Day of the Lord,” the evil servant will not be enjoying the presence of his Lord for a thousand years, which is the “Day of the Lord.” Is that not a just punishment? Because the evil servant missed the “Wedding Supper of the Lamb” they will spend that time “with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” until the millennium is over and the time of the Great White Throne Judgement.
The Old Testament has literally hundreds of prophecies telling about the Messiah when He came to Earth the first time. They tell of when and where He would be born, and all the things that He would do while here on Earth, and yet hardly anyone knew Him. The same scenario is happening right now. What Christendom calls the “Anti-Christ” and the Bible calls the “Man of Sin, Son of Perdition, Lawless One, King of Babylon, and the Assyrian” has already been here and gone, yet nobody knows it. There is so much in the Word of God about this guy that it is impossible to confuse him with someone else, and yet almost none of my fellow believers are aware of it! That includes all unbelievers, and all the people that attend your church including the pastors and teachers. Do you think Christ is going to look at us any differently than He looked at the Pharisees and Sadducee’s? How have we missed this?
For the most part the Word of God is not in the churches. We are using all these new easy read translations that have changed the words. There are many verses in them that say the exact opposite of the King James, and they do an excellent job of hiding and minimizing the “Feasts of the Lord.” In fact they teach that there is no need for you to honor God’s Sabbath days, for which the Israelites paid a heavy price. However, that does not mean they have no value, there are many good paper recycling plants across the U.S. What God says is law, it’s going to happen and it’s going to be. So in essence we are doing exactly what Christ spoke of when He said we have taken the laws of God and replaced them with the laws of men. It’s quite possible we will be for the worse because we should have learned from their mistakes.
If you want to find out who this “Man of Sin” is, you can find out in the following posts: https://appointedtimeofchristsreturn.com/home/page-300/ Revelation 6 https://appointedtimeofchristsreturn.com/home/page-800/ Revelation 13
It is ironic that in the very portion of Scripture we were taught that no man can know the day or the hour, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ revealed to us the month and day at least 4 times, but not the year. It is quite obvious that the real interpretation for the “day and hour” is not what we thought it to be. (It’s doubtful that is ever taken into consideration.)
Luke 19:41-44 (KJV)
41 And when he was come near, (to Jerusalem) he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
From this portion of scripture it seems the Lord is quite serious about our knowing the times of His visitations, and yet there is hardly a Christian in the churches today that knows about the “times and the seasons” and the “new moons.” Nor do they know the threefold purposes of the Feasts of the Lord. The Feasts, which among other things are the appointed meeting times between God and Man, which makes them the most important times in all of God’s Word. Yet many, if not the majority of the most knowledgeable people of the Word of God know next to nothing about them. We were commanded to keep some of the feasts forever. If we did, as this article points out, we would know what the “day and hour that no man knows” is, and we would know what the “Feast of Trumpets” is. Do you really believe we will not suffer loss for our ignorance and lack of faith?
If you are interested in searching for truth regarding end times prophecy, the Following Hyperlinks will take you to a book titled:
The Sign of the Son of Man &
The Appointed Time of Christ’s Return
CONTENTS
Book Introduction (Read for more info contained in the book)
-
- The REAL 4th Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (Daniel 2)
- The King of Babylon and the REAL Beast of the Bottomless Pit (Isaiah 14)
- The REAL Key to Deciphering Time Prophecy
- The REAL Secret Prophecy of Daniel 4
- The REAL Beast of Revelation 13
- The REAL Beast that was and is not; And the Great Whore (Revelation 17)
- The REAL 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Revelation 6)
- The REAL First 4 Trumpets of Revelation 8
- The REAL 4 Angels of Revelation 9 And the Plague of Islam
- The REAL Woman, Dragon, and Flood of Revelation 12
- The REAL 2 Witnesses of Revelation 11
- The REAL 70 Weeks of Daniel 9
- The FEASTS OF THE LORD; The Appointed Time of Christ’s Return
- The REAL Appointed Year of Our Lords Return as Revealed in Daniel 12
- The REAL Sign of the Son of Man; and Signs of the End (Matthew 24)
- The REAL Parable of the 10 Virgins (Matthew 25)
- The Fall Feast Days as Revealed in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 6,7,8,11)
- The REAL Warning to the Church of Laodicea; the Church of Today (Revelation 3)
- Closing Thoughts & the REAL Day of the Resurrection of Our Lord
- Ready You Ain’t, Even if You’re a Saint Not Part of Book
- Main Page: The Appointed Time of Christ Return
The "REAL" Sign of the Son of Man; & 