Can the ‘Rapture’ happen tomorrow?

‘The Rapture of One in the Field’ etching

Could the Christian church be raptured off the earth tomorrow? According to a non-requested email I received titled RAPTURE on July 15, 2014 – Middle of the final “WEEK” of Daniel 9:27?, someone suggests that is possible:

Did the “covenant” of Daniel 9:27 happen when Obama signed the new nuclear nonproliferation treaty with Russia on February 2, 2011 in the Oval Office? This document was the instrument of ratification of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) which officially went into force three days later on February 5, 2011. With this in mind, could July 15, 2014 (exactly 1260 days from February 2, 2011) be a possible watch date for something important … perhaps a breaking of the truce? Is July 15, 2014 the middle of the “week” of Daniel 9:27? The mid-Trib view divides the Tribulation into two periods of 1260 days each, according to Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 12:7 and sees the Rapture of the Church occurring at that midpoint. A summary of the aggregate limits of the New START Treaty goes as follows:

700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments
1,550 nuclear warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs, and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments (each such heavy bomber is counted as one warhead toward this limit)
800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments

These obligations must be met within seven years from the date the treaty enters into force, which did so on February 5, 2011. Under the Treaty, the United States and Russia must meet the Treaty’s central limits on strategic arms by February 5, 2018 which is exactly seven years on the Gregorian calendar from the date the Treaty entered into force. The midpoint between Feb. 5, 2011 and Feb. 5, 2018 is August 6, 2014 which, by the way, is just one day after Tisha B’Av or the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar! However, the “covenant” was confirmed on February 2, 2011 by U.S. President Obama in the Oval Office.

FROM February 2, 2011 (Obama ratifies the new nuclear nonproliferation treaty – New START) TO July 15, 2014 (Fast of Tammuz) = 1260 days
FROM July 15, 2014 (Tammuz 17) TO December 25, 2017 (Christmas Day) = 1260 days
1260 days + 1260 days = Final “week” of Daniel 9:27?

The answer to the question is no. I also told the sender that this religious spam was nonsense and suggested that he read the articles at www.cogwriter.com that discuss the issues that were raised.

So why bother to post about it?

Because there are many false and heretical leaders that lead people astray on biblical prophecy. And it is not just Protestant-type rapturists.

The Sardis and Laodicean Church of God groups do not understand prophecy, the work, enlough of the truth, etc., and that is part of why they will have to go through the Great Tribulation. CG7, a group believed to represent Sardis, takes a preterist view that basically most end time prophecies were fulfilled long ago and are for the past. The Laodiceansnp have so many prophetic misunderstandings, that unless they repent and change (Revelation 3), they will not possibly know when the Great Tribulation will start until it is too late.

Now, getting to a major part of the subject of this post, I did sermon (Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation) as well as put together an article (The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27) warning that people would misunderstand the deal of Daniel 9:27. The emailer related to this post clearly misunderstood Daniel 9:27.

One reason, is that Russia is NOT the King of the North of biblical prophecy. The final King of the North has to be a European according to various passages of the Bible, including Daniel 9:26 (it was the ancient Roman empire that destroyed the city of Jerusalem and its sanctuary in 70 A.D.).

Furthermore, it needs to be understood that the Bible does not teach a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. Notice that the Bible shows that Jesus will return AFTER the tribulation, not before it:

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)

Yet, the pretribulation rapturists ignore or try to reason around those scriptures. More details, include the scriptures they tend to claim support their view, are documented in the article Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected?.

Many fail to realize that the Bible teaches that Jesus will protect the Philadelphians only from the ‘hour of trial’ (Revelation 3:7-10), the rest of the Christians will go through the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord (Revelation 12:17), and the place the Philadelphians are protected is in the wilderness (Revelation 12:14-16). Heaven is not a wilderness and Christians are not going to be there during the Great Tribulation as the rapurists teach.

Those who wish to know more about the truth about end time prophecies may wish to study the following:

The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected? What does the Bible really teach? Does the Church flee or is it taken up just prior to the great tribulation? Who really is left behind? There is also a YouTube video with information Did Jesus Teach a Pre-tribulation Rapture?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. There is also a video on the subject: Might Petra be the Place of Safety? Here is something related in the Spanish language: Hay un lugar de seguridad para los Filadelfinos. ¿Puede ser Petra?
This is PETRA! This is a 1962 Good News article by the late Dr. Hoeh.
Did Jesus Teach a Pre-tribulation Rapture? Did the Bible teach that Jesus raptures Christians prior to the start of the Great Tribulation? What did Jesus Himself teach? Do the scriptural passages that Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins point to prove their left behind pre-tribulation rapture assertions? Do all Christians get protected from the Great Tribulation? Who does the Bible teach will get protected? Is the Great Tribulation the ‘wrath to come’ that Christians are promised protection from? This is a video.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differ from most Protestants How the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! [Português: Esperança do salvação: Como a igreja do deus difere da maioria de protestantes]
Did Early Christians Teach They Were Going to Heaven? What do the Bible and scholars teach? What about ‘near-death experiences’? Here is a link to a related sermon: Heaven and Christianity.
World War III: Steps in Progress Are there surprising actions going on now that are leading to WWIII? Might a nuclear attack be expected? Does the Bible promise protection to all or only some Christians? How can you be part of those that will be protected? A related video would be Is World War III About to Begin? Can You Escape?
The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and COG-7th Day.
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. These are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG.
Laodicean Warning for God’s People Is there really a place of safety? Do God’s people need to be warned? Warned for what?
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
Leading the Final Phase of the Work Matthew 24:14 teaches “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come ” will be fulfilled and RCG is not the group doing this. Who is leading the final phase of the work? What did Herbert Armstrong and the old WCG teach about that and about prophets? Does Bob Thiel meet the criteria that the Bible and the old WCG set? What is the proof? What has the Continuing Church of God been doing? This is a sermonette length video.