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each day on our A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE As we begin chapter six, which introduces the Tribulation hour upon earth, a word of explanation is in order concerning the placement of signs. Some sincere Christians say, "Matthew 24:14 states that the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come. Since there are some tribes who have not yet heard, Jesus Christ cannot return." Such people have their signs in the wrong place, because the Rapture is a signless, timeless event. Let's investigate this statement further. What relationship exists between the Rapture and prophetic signs? None. Are you shocked? The Rapture is only an evacuation of believers before the great judgment of the Tribulation hour. It is a meeting in the heavenlies and not Christ's return to the earth. Since His first coming was to earth, His second coming must also be to earth. The Rapture, then, is not a coming to earth, but a meeting in the clouds. Seven years later we return with Him, and all the signs point to this coming when He returns to earth. Watch the simplicity of this next statement unfold. Take two Bibles and place them side by side. Open one to the Book of Revelation, chapter 6, where the signs begin. Then open the other to Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17 or Luke 21. Compare the signs in these chapters with those found in the Book of Revelation. The inescapable conclusion? They are identical! The texts are practically the same. The Church is raptured in chapter 4, verse 1, and believers-represented by the twenty-four elders in verses 10 and 11-are placing crowns at the Saviour's feet before the signs and judgments of the Tribulation hour begin in chapters 6 through 18. The signs, then, are post-Rapture and pre-Revelational. In other words, they are fulfilled after the Rapture and before the Revelation-after Christ calls His saints home to heaven and before He returns with them to earth. Not one sign needs to be fulfilled prior to the Rapture, because all the signs point to the Revelation, or the revealing of Christ to the earth. Thus, there is a period of seven years following the Rapture during which every sign can be adequately fulfilled. This, of course, is the Tribulation hour, after we Christians have been raptured. At this point every believer should praise the Lord, because the next statement is utterly fantastic. Since the signs point to Christ's return to earth, and since we believers return with Him, then the logical deduction is that all signs point to our return with Christ. Presently the signs are casting their shadows. They are all beginning to be fulfilled. Imagine! The prophecies that take place after we believers are gone and which indicate that we will return with Him are already beginning. If the signs indicate that we are coming back with Jesus soon, and we are still on earth, how very, very soon must the Rapture then occur to take us out of this earth so that, seven years later, we can return with Him! Presently a number of the sealed judgments contained in this chapter deserve special emphasis. Each will be discussed thoroughly later. First, in verse 2, we discover a rider on a white horse. This coincides with Jesus' statement in Matthew 24:3-5, when His disciples asked Him, What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ. This rider on the white horse, depicting the first seal judgment, is a counterfeit. Satan always attempts to do everything that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to do. The Lord is seated on a white horse in chapter 19, verse 11, when He returns with you and me to the earth. Thus, seven years before Christ returns, the Antichrist also mounts a white horse. This event is identical to the sign of Matthew 24:3. Next one should note verses 3 and 4: And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. This is the second sign Jesus mentioned: that there would be wars and rumors of wars (see Matthew 24:6). Verses 5 and 6 state: And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. This is a picture of mass starvation and agrees with Christ's third sign: There shall be famines (Matthew 24:7). In verses 7 and 8 we are told, And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. The fourth seal judgment agrees with Christ's statement: [There shall be] pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places, destroying thousands, yea millions (Matthew 24:7). Verse 9 states: And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. This is the fifth sign Jesus gave in Matthew 24:8 and 9: These are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Finally in verses 12-16, John tells us, And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. The sixth seal is the sixth sign Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24:29: 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. Thus, it is evident that Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain the same signs as the Book of Revelation. However, one must realize that each sign is completed or fulfilled after chapter 4, verse 1, where the Church is called to heaven in the twinkling of an eye through the phrase, Come up hither. As previously stated, these signs that are to be fulfilled after we are gone are already transpiring. We see them before our eyes daily in world events. Today's "Bible Headlines" indicate that you and I will soon return with Jesus. However, we must first go home via the Rapture in order to return soon. Surely this momentous event is at the door! I think you know that the foregoing discussion of prophetic signs in relationship to the Rapture and the Revelation has given us a panoramic view of chapter 6. Now let's delve into this portion of God's Word more deeply. In chapters 6 through 18, we witness firsthand the events which take place upon the earth during the Tribulation. The presentation occupies nearly two-thirds of the Book of Revelation-a total of thirteen chapters. One should also note that three additional Bible verses graphically describe this hour of horrendous judgment: (1) Jeremiah 30:7: Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it; (2) Daniel 12:1: And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book; and (3) Matthew 24:21: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. These texts inform us of the fact that the Tribulation will constitute earth's bloodiest hour. There will not have been anything in past centuries to equal it, neither will there be any event in the future to match the judgment unleashed upon our planet. The catastrophic calamities arrive through a series of twenty-one judgments which are described as seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. At the outpouring of each bowl, a new judgment is released. The seal judgments are found in Revelation 6:1 through 8:1. The first six are located in chapter 6. Chapter 7 is a parenthesis, and the seventh seal judgment takes place in chapter 8, verse 1. We will begin an in-depth look at these judgments starting in our next newsletter. CHANGED LIVES-one at a time Dear Jack & Rexella, I want to share this from my personal journal: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 - Today I feel alive and refreshed for the first time in many years. Refreshed from the agony of hiding from the naked truth of my sinful past. Oh, how I have sinned. As I look back on all those years of hiding in the dark, all those years of self-denial and disbelief, living apart from God, the pain of remembering, the missing out on the joy and peace of knowing that Jesus was always there to comfort me if I had just asked, are now happily past. Today, Lord, I want to thank you for saving me, for giving me my life back, for the opportunity to know that a true and lasting love is possible, and, dear Lord, for this new life you now call your own. Because of your faithful servants, Jack Van Impe and his precious wife, Rexella, I'm going to sleep well tonight knowing that You, dear Lord, are with me always. In the strong name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen. Dave
I want to let you know how very much I enjoy your prophecy newsletter. I have been a follower of yours since 1972 when you and Rexella were in Hagerstown, MD for your crusade. I love the way you preach Bible prophecy. You make it so easy to understand. Thank you and Rexella for everything you do. God bless you. Barbara HIGHLIGHTED PRODUCT OFFERS SIX:
The Mark Unleashed In the last days before Armageddon, a brutal dictator rules the Earth. Using high-tech surveillance from satellites through a sophisticated chip implant, the Community Police Force infiltrates every facet of human existence, tracing each physical and digital footprint left behind. For humanity, freedom is just a fond memory and defiance means death. Two political prisoners meet a mysterious stranger who holds the key to their escape and mankind's survival. Unbeknownst to the prisoners, CPF agents broker a deal with an inmate for his life in exchange for betraying Christian renegades. These three unlikely allies must escape the executioner's blade, thwart a manhunt by elite CPF operatives, and join forces with the world's most wanted fugitive, the leader of the resistance. If they fail, humanity will be marked for death, the resistance will collapse and every last life will have been taken by the enemy.
The
Baptism of the Holy Spirit Dr. Jack & Rexella Van Impe present the clear, biblical truth regarding this often misunderstood member of the Godhead Trinity, the Holy Spirit. In this fast-paced video, you will discover:
Let the Holy Spirit infill and empower you today! WE ACCEPT PRAYER REQUESTS HERE We receive prayer requests from far and wide via the mail, fax, phone, email and now through the prayer section of our website. FEEDBACK: Please help us with your valuable input. Let us know if you enjoyed this electronic newsletter. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! CONTACT INFORMATION: E-MAIL: jvimi@jvim.com PHONE: (248) 852-5225 (8am-4:30pm Eastern Time) FAX: (248) 852-2692 MAIL: Jack Van Impe Ministries JVIM FAMILY OF WEBSITES: JVIM PROPHECY
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