In the aftermath of May 21, this is a statement with respect to the apparently failed prediction of the rapture and earthquake on May 21, 2011, and reveals why the rapture did not take place on May 21 as first believed.
Please read the statement below first, and then once the Lord's site is back online with some up-to-date modifications progressively being made, you will be able to click on the button below to access it
The Apparently Failed Prediction of May 21!
By Brother Mike
Apology & Forgiveness
First of all, let me apologize to everyone for having said that there would be a huge earthquake and a literal rapture or catching up into heaven of God's people on May 21. Obviously, this did not happen. I have no pride in this issue. I was sincerely wrong at least in this respect, and for this, I beg your forgiveness in like manner to how the Lord Jesus Christ has already forgiven me. Remember what the Lord said,
1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And,
Mt. 16:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
I
And again,
Mt 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven
The Rapture, NO! But Judgment Day, YES!
Forgiveness having been asked, I must still believe based on all the biblical proofs and evidences that, although May 21 was not the time of the earthquake or rapture, May 21 was the beginning of Judgment Day and the end of any possibility for salvation as we have always taught. I must also still believe that the world is set to be destroyed on October 21 as we have always taught. The biblical proofs in my mind are far too vast in support of these dates. Just because one piece of the puzzle - the earthquake simultaneously with the rapture - did not take place as thought (the rapture and earthquake are virtually one and the same event; they cannot be separated), it cannot by itself invalidate all the proofs, evidences, and signs in support of the biblical calendar of history, which has been under intense scrutiny now for about 40 years. It would not be wise to throw the baby out with the bath water as the saying goes. I and thousands of others have not been able to legitimately find an error in the biblical calendar to date, and the ever growing multitude of logical number patterns discovered in the calendar have proved it to be quite accurate.
I must admit that even before May 21, God did bring across my path by various brethren and scriptures, which I should have paid more careful attention to, the possibility that God's people would still be here during the last 5 months. For instance, we read about this 5 month period of Judgment Day in Revelations, Chapter 9:
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Without going into detail, it can be shown in scripture that "the grass of the earth," "any green thing," and "any tree" are all symbolic of God's people in scripture. Therefore, this scripture is saying that God's people will still be on earth during this last 5 month period since the locusts, which are bringing judgment during this time on earth, are commanded not to hurt God's people. Why would the locust be commanded not to hurt God's people if God's people were not present on earth during this final 5 month period? Obviously, God's people must be present (the locusts are not meant to be taken literal but spiritually and symbolic).
Furthermore, we have traditionally believed that the door of the ark being shut with Noah inside and the flood waters beginning to strike on the 17th day of the 2nd month (Gen. 7:11; equivalent to May 21 in our day) was a picture or type of the rapture as well as a picture or type of Judgment Day, which would take place on May 21, but we now know that that is not the case. Being in the ark, protected from the literal flood waters, was simply a literal illustration or historical parable of a completely spiritual event of being under the spiritual protection of Christ from the completely spiritual flood of Judgment, which began on May 21. Just as Noah was still present on this earth after judgment struck, but protected in the ark, so God's people after the beginning of Judgment Day on May 21 are still on this earth, but spiritually protected and safe in the ark of spiritual salvation in Jesus Christ. On May 21, Judgment Day indeed began as we have always taught it would, but there was no literal rapture with its corresponding literal earthquake ever intended, but only the beginning of a completely spiritual judgment upon the entire unsaved human race in which true salvation is no longer possible. As the door of the ark in Noah's day was shut on the 17th day of the 2nd month (Gen. 7:11), so also the door of salvation has been shut forever to the world on May 21. No more eternal salvation possible, spiritually speaking, is the greatest judgment anyone could ever have to endure, especially with knowledge of the world's end and complete annihilation on October 21. Many will seek for salvation, but they will never now find it (Rev. 9:6 - "And in those days shall men seek death [death by salvation in Christ], and shall not find it; and shall desire to die [desire salvation in Christ], and death shall flee from them [no more salvation possible]," for on May 21, a 5 month period of Judgment Day began and will end in the complete destruction of this world by fire on October 21.
I think it is also important to recognize that none of the biblical calendar's end time dates previous to May 21 were fulfilled literally, but spiritually. When the end of the church age came on May 21, 1988, or when the Latter Rain outside of the churches began on September 7, 1994, there was no visible event or occurrence which let us know these events began exactly on these dates. It was only the biblical calendar in scripture alone which taught these exact dates to us. So why should we have expected May 21 to have been fulfilled literally and not spiritually? For reasons such as these, we obviously misinterpreted May 21 with respect to the rapture. God's people were never meant to be raptured on May 21, and this misunderstanding of believing they were to be raptured has certainly not invalidated the biblical calendar in any way, which still reveals that the time for salvation is now gone forever since May 21 - exactly what we had declared - and the end of the world will still be October 21, 2011 when this world will be completely destroyed by fire - exactly what we had and are still declaring.
The Rapture
As we know, the rapture did not take place on May 21 because it was never intended to. We misinterpreted this event completely as already discussed, but this mistake in no way invalidates May 21 being the beginning of Judgment Day, or October 21 being the end of the world as we have always taught. The question now becomes, then when is the rapture?
There are various possibilities and at this time I would find it difficult to be dogmatic about any of them. One of the possibilites is that the rapture will take place 40 days after May 21 in accord with what the Bible says about Noah and the flood, which flood event the Bible clearly teaches was a type or illustration or foreshadow from which we can glean many truths about the judgment of our day (Mt. 24:37; 2Pet. 3). We read in Genesis 7,
17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
Notice that the ark and Noah's family were lift up above the earth 40 days after the beginning of judgment. Could this be prefiguring the rapture 40 days after May 21 when Judgment first began. If so, we should expect the rapture on either June 30 or July 1. Interestingly, the number 40 in the bible commonly symbolizes a period of testing in the Bible. This would then now be a period of testing for God's people to see if they will remain faithful, and so prove to have the Spirit of God living within them. Or, will they fall away from truth because May 21 did not take place as originally thought? I think all this is worth more Bible study.
Another possibility for the timing of the rapture may be with respect to what we read in another verse of Genesis 7,
24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
In this verse we are told that the flood prevailed upon the earth 150 days, or according to the 30 day calendar of Noah's day, 5 months. Could this 5 months be an allusion to the last 5 month period of judgment we are now in? If so, then we can expect the rapture to take place at the end of the 5 months of judgment on October 21.
The 5 Months of Torment
The 5 months of torment that the billions of unsaved people are now undergoing ever since May 21 is not a literal torment as we once thought due to literal earthquakes and worldwide devastations, but it is the torment they are all metaphorically and spiritually undergoing due to there no longer being any possibility of salvation for any of them. There is no longer any hope for eternal salvation! Just as the door of the ark was shut by God to any possibility of anyone else being saved (Gen. 7:11) on the May 21 of Noah's day, so also was it so shut on May 21 of our day. The people of the world may not believe or realize this - perhaps another revealing of the incredible kindness of God toward a desperately wicked human race - but according to scripture and the biblical timeline, this is indeed the case. God's people were greatly moved to get the message of May 21 around the world as they have because as we have always believed, May 21 was the last possible day for individuals of the human race to have received eternal salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ and His sovereign election by grace through His faith. This was the truth, and it still is!
The Expected Response of God's People
There is now nothing left for the people of God to do with respect to the salvation of the world. We must greatly turn our focus inward toward other like-minded believers in support and comfort of one another as Noah and his family must have done until the ark came to ground as we await the Lord to remove us from this sin-cursed earth on, or perhaps before (?), October 21. Many have given all they have and now need help. Many are under severe persecution and mocking. Many have been rejected by loved ones and are emotionally overwhelmed. Many are hurting with the thought of no longer any possibility of salvation for loved ones. Many are in need of fellowship. Many are confused and need clarification. The list goes on and on . . . The battle has been waged, and there are many injuries to attend to. Our Lord has won and this shall all soon be revealed to the whole world, but until then, let us all do as our Lord commands us,
Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Ga 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Closing Remarks
First of all, I encourage all God's people who have put up helpful web sites to put them back up. They could be very helpful to us all in coming to more truth with a foundational base from which to study.
Next, if any of you think I am incorrect in my above conclusions and would like to show me how by the Bible alone, please do so, but only one topic at a time, please. In my mind, unless one can disprove the biblical timeline of history discovered about 40 years ago by the Bible alone, it will be quite difficult to disprove May 21 as being the beginning of the 5 months of Judgment Day, or October 21 as being the end of the world by fire. I am not interested in comments except they have scripture to support them. If you have certain Bible questions, I am open to helping if I can.
I encourage you all to pray for my family (5 kids, wife, and I), and I would count it a privilege and honor to help support any of you in prayer. If you haven't as yet subscribed to Brother Mike's email list, please feel free to do so below and let us know of your prayer needs and concerns. We are nothing without God, and God dwells in His people. Therefore, we need each other, and everyone has something to contribute to the strengthening of God's people.
Yours in Christ,
Brother Mike
Please read the statement above first, and then once the Lord's site is back online with some up-to-date modifications progressively being made, you will be able to click on the button below to access it
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