Signs for the Day of the Lord?

December 29, 2005

For fifteen years, I have been mocked and accused by many for date-seeking.

I have been called a heretic, a false prophet, even though I never claimed to be a prophet. As a layman in my 50's, living in poverty with my wife and four young children, I share my thoughts here in hope that some fellow Christians, instead of joining the crowd who attack me and mock me, would be kind enough to help me by pointing out where and how I went wrong. Hopefully fellow Christians can at least learn and benefit from my mistakes.

My observations and thinking led me to believe that God might have shown signs for the Day of the Lord, and:

If the Day of the Lord occurs during this Hanukkah
(Dec. 26 - Jan. 2, 2005 or Kislev 25 - Tevet 2, 5766)
or within the next few weeks,

then it is exceedingly possible that the Rapture of the Christians and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ happen on the Feast of Purim
(March 13-15, 2006, Adar 13-15, 5766),

and the Kingdom of Heaven be established on the Feast of Tabernacles (October 8-15, 2006 or Tishri 15-22,5767)?

Index:

• The next major prophetic event - the Rapture of the Church, the signing of the so called seven-year peace treaty, or the Day of the Lord?
• Is Gulf War I the prelude to the Day of the Lord?
• A strange thought concerning Tisha B'Av of 1994
• Are Comet Shoemaker Levy-9 and the Rwanda massacre on Tisha B'Av of 1994 signs for the last days?
• Are the three lunar eclipses on Passover, Feast of Tabernacles, and Purim in the leap year 1996/1997 hints for future events?
• Similarities between the seven-year period around Tisha B'Av 70 AD and the seven-year period around Tisha B'Av 1994.
• Is there any common ground between pretersists and futurists concerning the Seventieth Seven and the final Great Tribulation?
• Events happened on Passover, FOT, and Purim of the leap year 2002/2003.
• Another cycle of Passover-FOT-Purim events happened in the leap year 2004/2005.
• Is year 2005/2006 the Seventh Year or do we have to wait for three more years or even longer?
• Pre-tribulation raputre or post-trib?
• The "restrainer"
• How long will be the great tribulation?
• Is the Gaza Disengagement on Tisha B'Av 2004 a turning point?1
• Will the Day of the Lord fall on a feast day?
• Any sign to draw our attention to Hanukkah 2005?
• To know things to happen beforehand would strengthen the faith of believers.
• If resurrection/rapture happens at the same time as the Second Coming of Jesus, is it the end of the Great Tribulation?
• Jesus was most likely conceived in the darkness of virgin Mary's womb during Hanukkah, and during Feast of Tabernacles He was born; the Church might also go into the great darkness of the great tribulation on Hanukkah, and usher in the Kingdom of Heaven on FOT.
• No preparation needed at all?
• Friendship, not prophecy, is my focus
• Would Jesus really help me like a friend and take care of trivial things of a worthless man like me?
• Even if nothing big happened on Dec. 25, 2005, we still can gather from all the signs and events to know that the Day of the Lord is really very near.

Back to Index

The next major prophetic event - the Rapture of the Church, the signing of the so called seven-year peace treaty, or the Day of the Lord?

Many Christians expect that the next major prophetic event be the rapture of the church.

One scenario:

Tens of millions of Christians suddenly disappear and the whole world sinks into total chaos and deep fear. Then spot lights shine, hope of the world comes! A charismatic leader dramatically jumps into the world political stage (some suggested that he is to come out of the European Union). He dynamically manipulates many nations into supporting him as the supreme leader of the world and romantically signs a seven-year peace treaty with Israel....

My personal understanding of the Bible prophecies led me to believe that the next major prophetic event might more likely be the "Day of the Lord (Isaiah 13:6)", a day like the day of Noah when the flood came, or the day of Lot when Sodom and Gomorrah were suddenly destroyed.

It might be the "very hour" of Rev. 9:15 that "kill a third of mankind", or the moment described by Rev. 8, that one third of the world was struck, or even the hour mentioned three times in Rev. 18, in which the most powerful, wealthy, and influential "Babylon the Great" is destroyed.

If events turn out according to some Christians' "pre-tribulation rapture before seven-year great tribulation" scenario, then the Second Coming won't happen until year 2012 (2005 + 7).

But if the next event is "the Day of the Lord", then the Second Coming might be much closer.

Jesus said, 'You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.' (Matthew 16:3)

Has God shown the world signs or given hints concerning the Day of the Lord, a day of sudden astounding devastation to the whole world?

Back to Index

Is Gulf War I the prelude to the Day of the Lord?

In the afternoon of August 17, 1990, after reading a news article reporting that President George Bush rejected Jordan King Hussein's plead to help the two million refugees swarmed into Jordan, my heart was grieved.

I knelt down to pray for the refugees and Jordan. But when I was about to pray, I became curious with the thought, "What would happen to Jordan in the last days?" I opened my Bible thinking that somewhere near the end of the Book of Daniel mentioned Jordan (Edom, Moab and Ammon). But when I opened my Bible, the first few verses I saw were:

Isaiah 13:1-6

1. An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
2. Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.
3. I have commanded my holy ones; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath-- those who rejoice in my triumph.
4. Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war.
5. They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens-- the LORD and the weapons of his wrath-- to destroy the whole country.
6. Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

I was shocked because this passege vividly describes what was happening in the whole world during those days - "uproar among the kingdoms", nations preparing for war against Iraq. The "Wail, for the day of the LORD is near" in verse six shocked me!

In world history whenever war occurs, people would normally escape away from their their own people and native land, but Isa. 13:14 says, "Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his native land." Gulf War I might have created the biggest sudden flood of refugees in human history that people returned to, instead of away from, their native land.

Gulf War I might be a type in a miniature scale for the Day of the Lord when tens of millions who travel or live abroad would suddenly try desperately to return to their own people and native land.

Starting from that day, Aug. 17, 1990, I am convinced that Gulf War I is the prelude to the Day of the Lord

Back to Index

A strange thought concerning Tisha B'Av of 1994

Gulf War I started on January 16, 1991.

The coalition forces led by USA easily crushed the fleeing Iraqi troops like using big stones smashing rolling eggs. I noticed that many people in the United States seemed to be enjoying watching TV and scenes of destructions of Iraqi military installations, civilian infrastructures, as well as the killings of Iraqi soldiers and civilians. My heart was grieved.

Three weeks after the start of Gulf War I, at the dawn of February 7, 1991, while I was lying in bed in a sad mood, a thought came to me:

This Chinese sentence may be translated to:

"Av 9, 1994"?

"1290 days"?

I had absolutely no idea what this could possibly mean. I got up and looked up the Jewish calendar at the end of the book "The Jewish Almanac" which I bought 10 years ago, found some coincidences:

• From the start of Gulf War I, January 16, 1991 (Shevat 1 on Jewish calendar), to Tisha B'Av of 1994 (July 17, 1994), there are exactly three and a half years ( 1278 days = 365.25 * 3.5).
• Add 1290 days to Tisha B'Av, 1994, I got January 27, 1998 (Tevet 29, 5758), which would be exactly seven years (according to the Jewish Calendar) after the start of Gulf War I (January 16, 1991 - Shevat 1, 5751).
• Add 45 more days to Jan. 27, 1998 (or 1335 days to Tisha B'Av of 1994), I got March 13, 1998 (Purim - Adar 15, 5758)
• There are exactly 1335 days between Tisha B'Av (the most tragic day in Jewish history) 1994 and Purim (the most joyful Jewish feast) 1998.

Jews have been observing and celebrating Purim for thousands of years. Is Gulf War I, which was fought in the 45-day period before Purim, a type of Armageddon? Would the Second Coming happen on Purim when Jesus finally saves Jews from the brink of annihilation at the end of Armageddon and turn their sorrow to joy?

Esther 9:21-22
" to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar ...as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. .."

Are those coincidences surrounding Av 9, 1994 meaningless? Or they are arranged by God for the purpose of giving hints concerning the Day of the Lord, Armageddon, and His Second Coming?

Had Gulf War I started on any day other than Jan. 16, 1991, none of the coincidences listed above will either exist or be meaningful.

I even wondered: " Is it possible that the seven years around Tisha B'Av 1994 the "Seventieth Seven" of Daniel 9?"

Back to Index

Are Comet Shoemaker Levy-9 and the Rwanda massacre on Tisha B'Av of 1994 signs for the last days?

With the thought "Av 9, 1994, add 1290 days to it!" lingering in my mind for three and a half years, I have been anxiously expecting meaningful sign or event to happen on Tisha B'Av, Av 9, 1994.

Twenty one pieces of Comet Shoemaker Levy-9 (which might have been traveling in space for billions of years) started crashing into Jupiter on Tisha B'Av, July 17, 1994 (US time was July 16, but Jerusalem time was counted as July 17 because biblically July 17 started at sunset of July 16.) The total energy released amounted to 100 million megaton nuclear bombs. The fire balls created by the crashing of the largest piece had the size of three earths.

The string of pearls of Shoemaker Levy-9 and it's crashing into Jupiter might be the most fascinating astronomical event in decades.

In addition to the sign in heaven, we saw the Rwanda massacre of 800,000 (mostly Tutsies Christians) ended on Tisha B'Av of 1994 as one million refugees (mostly Hutus) swarmed into Zaire on the same day. Why on that day? Because the Tutsi RPF (Rwanda Patriotic Front) swept into Kigali on Av 7.

The 1994 Rwanda massacre might be the most frightening event that happened to Christians during the last few decades.

The Shoemaker Levy-9 and the Rwanda massacre made me wonder, "Are they signs from God about the Day of the Lord?

Back to Index

Are the three lunar eclipses on Passover, Feast of Tabernacles, and Purim in the leap year 1996/1997 hints for future events?

We had a sign in heaven and a major event on earth on Tisha B'Av 1994, what's next?

"Would 21 pieces of Shoemaker Levy-9 be pointing to the next sign 21 months later", I thought.

21 months later, I saw a total lunar eclipse, six months after that, another one, and the third one six more months later.

Lunar eclipses are very common. Three lunar eclipses within twelve months might not be a big deal either. But isn't it special that three lunar eclipses on Passover, Feast of Tabernacles, and Purim within twelve months?

Lunar eclipse can only happen on a full moon. Among all Jewish feasts, only Passover, FOT, and Purim fall on full-moon. Passover is in Nisan, the first month, and which was the first feast decreeded by God for Israelites to observe, Purim is the last one and is in the twelfth month, so those eclipses seem to be appearing in right order.

The fact that Comet Hale-Bopp made it's closest approach to earth on the same day the third lunar eclipse appeared convinced me even more that they are meaningful signs from God.

The three lunar eclipses and Comet Hale-Bopp happened within 12 months or one year. That year was the sixth year after the start of Gulf War I.

I expected the "Seventh Year of the Seventieth Seven" to follow.

Yet there was no Day of the Lord, no Second Coming, not even a minor sign during that seventh year. I was puzzled.

I never claimed to be a prophet; I just shared my observations on some interesting coincidences. But because I had guessed about the possibility that the seven years around Tisha B'Av 1994 might be the "Seventieth Seven", I have been mocked by fellow Christians for being a date-setting nut, even a "false prophet".

Back to Index

Similarities between the seven-year period around Tisha B'Av 70 AD and the seven-year period around Tisha B'Av 1994.

While futurists believe the "Seventieth Seven" of Dan. 9:24 has not come yet, most preterists insist that the "Seventieth Seven" and the Great Tribulation mentioned in Matthew 24 had already been completely fulfilled during the seven years around Tisha B'Av 70 AD.

More than two million Jews perished between Passover and Tisha B'Av 70 AD in Jerusalem. The Holy Temple built by Herod was burned down on Tisha B'Av, which is the same day the first Temple built by King Solomon was burned down in 586 BC.

When I put the seven years centered on Tisha B'Av of 1994 next to the seven years centered on Tisha B'Av of 70 AD, I found some coincidences:

[70 AD] - the seven year around Tisha B'Av 70 AD;
[1994] - the seven years around Tisha B'Av 1994

• The Trigger of wars
  • [70 AD] - in August 66 AD, about four years before Tisha B'Av 70 AD, Jews rebelled against the Romans and captured the Masada Fortress. That incident triggered the Romans' wars against the Jews;
  • [1994] - in August 2, 1990 (Av 11), four years before Tisha B'Av 1994, Iraq invaded Kuwait and triggered the war against Iraq.
• The start of wars
  • [70 AD] - in the Spring of 67 AD, about three and a half years before Tisha B'Av 70 AD, Roman troops led by Vespasian started the wars against the Jews;
  • [1994] - in January 16, 1991 (Shevat 1), exactly three and a half years (1278 days) before Tisha B'Av 1994, coalition forces led by USA started Gulf War I.
• The start of massacre - after Passover
  • [70 AD] - the fate of Jews were sealed when Roman Titus' army pitched camp outside Jerusalem on Nisan 14 (Passover eve), when more than three million Jews gathered around Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Passover;
  • [1994] - on April 6, 1994, ten days after Passover, the Rwanda massacre began.
• The cause of massacre - hatred
  • [70 AD] - many Jewish scholars suggest that hatreds between Jews brought judgment from God to them;
  • [1994] - hatreds between Hutus and Tutsis exploded into great massacre.
• The cruelty of massacre - by swords or machetes and starvation
  • [70 AD] - most of those Jews perished were killed by swords and starvation;
  • [1994] - most of those Rwandans perished were killed by machetes, even though the massacre happened in the late twentieth century, in a modern world of high tech.
• The end of massacre - on Tisha B'Av
  • [70 AD] - the killings of Jews against each other, the starvation, the battles and the massacre of two million Jews roughly ended on Tisha B'Av when the Holy Temple was burned down;
  • [1994] - the Rwanda massacre of more than 800,000 ended on Tisha B'Av July 17, 1994 when Tutsie RPF entered Kigali two days earlier. On exactly the same day - Tisha B'Av, one million refugees, mostly Hutus, suddenly swarmed into Zaire.
• The killed were mostly people of God
  • [70 AD] - more than two millions of Jews, God's chosen people, perished in the tribulation.
  • [1994] - Rwanda at that time was a nation with 62% Catholic and 18% Protestant in the population, those 800,000 killed were mostly Christians and people of God.
• The end of wars/sign, 980 days after "middle of seven"
  • [70 AD] - 960 Jews committed suicide at the Masada Fortress on Passover 73 AD, the wars between Jews and Romans suddenly ended. That day is 980 days (two and a half years) after Tisha B'Av of 70 AD, which is the middle of seven;
  • [1994] - the 3rd lunar eclipse appeared and Comet Hale-Bopp had it's closest approach to earth on Purim 1997, which is also 980 days (two and a half years) after Tisha B'Av of 1994.
• Only six year out of seven years are fulfilled:
  
  • [70 AD] - from Spring 67 AD, the start of wars between the Romans and the Jews to Tisha B'Av 70 AD, there were three and a half years. From Tisha B'Av 70 AD to the end of wars, there were only two and a half years (980 days). Only six years out of seven had been fulfilled and we need one more year to make seven years or 355 more days to make 1335 days (980 + 355 = 1335).
  • [1994] - - from Shevat 1, 1991, the start of Gulf War I to Tisha B'Av 1994, there were three and a half years. From Tisha B'Av 1994 to the last sign, we have only two and a half years (980 days). Only six years had been fulfilled and we need one more year to make seven years and 355 more days to make 1335 days.
• Both [70 AD] & [1994] are waiting for the seventh year and the last 355 days (out of the 1335 days - Daniel 12:12) to be fulfilled.

Back to Index

Is there any common ground between pretersists and futurists concerning the Seventieth Seven and the final Great Tribulation?

Both preterists and futurists insist that their views are absolutely correct and the other side is totally wrong, if not heresy.

Had the Seventieth Seven been fulfilled (preterists' view) or it hasn't even started yet (futurists' view)?

Futurists not only ignored the great tribulation suffered by Jews during the seven years, actually six years, around 70 AD, by saying that it doesn't count. They also insist that after Christians, mostly Gentile, are raptured to heaven, there will be seven years of much worse great tribulation reserved for the Jews.

Are there any common ground between preterists and futurists or between Jews and Gentile Christians?

If we name the six-year period around [70 AD] the Jewish and Partial-Preterist version, the six years around [1994] the Gentile and Partial-Futurist version, there might be some common grounds:

• Both Jews the (Chosen People of God) and Gentiles Christians (also the chosen people of God and Lord Jesus) suffered great massacre during a period between Passover and Tisha B'Av near the middle of seven.
• Both had six years full of significant events and signs pertaining the fulfillments of some of the end time prophecies.
• The destruction of the Holy Temple and Holy City Jerusalem in 70 AD is an important prophetic event, so are the signing of the peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians in 1993, and the creation of the Palestinian State (the Little Horn, Dan. 7:8) in Gaza and West Bank in 1994, which events I believe would eventually trigger the Day of the Lord and Armageddon.

• Hatred was the cause of both massacres. Many Jewish scholar and historians believe that the judgment on Jerusalem 70 AD was caused by the hatred among Jews; while the great 1994 Rwanda massacre was caused by the hatred between Hutus and Tutsis.

• Both have one year, the seventh year, or 355 days left unfulfilled.

Is possible that out of the seven years of the "Seventieth Seven", six years had already been fulfilled?

Is there any common ground between futurists and preterist, or between gentile Christians and Jews? Are we waiting for a Great Tribulation period of full seven years to come, or are we going to see only the seventh year?

I hope that futurists or preterists, Gentile Christians would unite together in sufferings during evil days, pray for each other in the final hours of birth pangs before the Kingdom of Heaven comes.

Back to Index

Events happened on Passover, FOT, and Purim of the leap year 2002/2003.

Maybe so far the only common ground the preterists and the futurists who glanced my thoughts could find is a piece of ground to put a lunatic like me in the center so they can jointly stone me and bury me along with my stupid thoughts, then they can go back to their own camps and attack each other again.

But please be patient and be entertained by more laughable thoughts of mine before stoning me. (I never claimed to be a prophet, so I am not a false prophet. I am just reporting my observations on some coincidences and my personal thoughts about their possible meanings. Please have a little compassion on me, an old guy living in poverty with wife and four young children, before you throw stones.)

Supposing there is only the Seventh Year of the Seventieth Seven to be fulfilled, do we get any hint concerning the coming of that Seventh Year?

Since the three lunar eclipses happened during a leap year and which happens to be the sixth year after the start of Gulf War I, is it possible that the final and the seventh year would follow a leap year if in which year meaningful events happened on Passover, FOT, and Purim?

After waiting for five years, I saw events happened on Passover, FOT, Purim of 2002/2003, which is a leap years. In a regular year, there are only five months between FOT and Purim; in a leap year, six months, because Purim will be on Adar II 15 instead of Adar I 15.

• Passover 2002 (March 28, 2002) - Triggered by a deadly suicide bombing, Israel started an all-out war against the Palestinian authority. Many Palestinian security force and office buildings were destroyed, including half of the buildings in Yasser Arafat's Ramallah compound.
  
  
• Feast of Tabernacle 2002 (September 21, 2002) - A suicide bombing two days earlier caused Israel to start another war against the Palestinians. The flag of Israel was planted inside Yasser Arafat's Ramallah compound on the Feast of Tabernacles. All but a few rooms of the main building in Yasser Arafat's Ramallah compound were destroyed.
  
  Some might say that Israel's IDF attacking those insignificant Palestinians are trivial events.
  
  But I think that the Palestinian State is the "Little Horn of Daniel 7:8".
  
  The most important reason that Osama bin Laden hit USA on 9/11/2001 is to revenge for the cause of the Palestinians.
  
  USA in turn was hooked into invading Afghanistan and Iraq.
  
  My feeling is that the dire consequences of the war in Iraq might be far more serious than most people could possibly imagine.
  
  In response to Israel's attacks on the Palestinians, UN Security Council overwhelmingly passed resolutions 1402, 1403, and 1435 in support of the Palestinians asking Israel to stop the wars and not to harm or deport Yasser Arafat.
  
  During the past few decades, the conflicts between Israel and Palestinians had caused several Middle East wars. The 1973 Yom Kippur War (or Ramadan War) even brought the world to the brink or nuclear war.
  
  I believe that immediately after the Day of the Lord, a coalition of ten Middle-Eastern Muslim nations (the revived Ottoman Empire instead of Roman Empire) would quickly be put together and their troops would march toward Megiddo aim to destroy Israel for the cause of the Palestinians.
  
  Even though all things in heaven and on earth are in the hands of God Almighty, from man's point of view the Palestinian State seems to be the "Ultimate Manipulator" of end time events.
  
  But who will be the leader of this 10-nation coalition?
  

Before anyone can be the leader of the ten-horned beast, someone needs to receive a fatal wound, according to:

Revelation 13:3
" One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world were astonished and followed the beast."

So the next event needs to happen, preferably on Purim 2003 to further confirm that it's part of the Passover, FOT, Purim signs/events match:

• Purim 2003 (March 19, 2003) - a false intelligence report concerning Saddam Hussein's whereabouts made USA launch missiles and rush into war on Purim March 19.
  
  Is it possible that Iraq be the one "seemed to have had a fatal wound"? Rev. 13:3 only says "seemed to have", because this time Iraq suffered much less casualties than Gulf War I.
  
  People shout, "Iraq! No way! She is completely defeated and badly bruised!"
  
  USA would surely confidently boasts, "Over my dead body!"
  
  Indeed Iraq had been hit hard twice and now is being tramped underfoot by the occupation of the world's only superpower USA. How could it be possible that Iraq emerge to be the leader of 10 nations?
  
  I don't think we can completely count Iraq out, if we read Micah 5.
  
  Micah 5 mentioned the First Coming in 5:2 that Jesus Christ "be born in Bethlehem", and then the Second Coming in 5:6 that "He will deliver us (Israelites) from the Assyrian (Iraq) when he invades our
  land and marches into our borders."
  
  5:5 And he (Jesus Christ, not USA) will be their peace. When the Assyrian (Iraq) invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.
  (This might mean that since the restoration of the nation Israel, Iraq had been involved in every major Middle East wars; or it might be talking about Gulf War I, in which leaders of the world, both friends (shepherds) and foes (leaders of men) of Israel, joined hands against Iraq.)
  6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. (Could this "drawn sword" be the US-led occupation force after Gulf War II? This sword can be remotely related to Israel because without the strong influence of Jewish lobbyists this war might not have happened.) He will deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades our land and marches into our borders. (This might be Armageddon and finally the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to save Israel out of the brink of annihilation.)
  
  
  I believe that Ezekiel 32:17-32 listed the nations involved in Armageddon:
  
  
  17. In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month (Purim?), the word of the LORD came to me:
  18. "Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt and consign to the earth below both her and the slaughters of mighty nations, with those who go down to the pit. ....
  19. ....
  20. ..
  22. Assyria (Iraq) is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword.
  24. "Elam (Iran) is there, with all her hordes around her grave. ...
  25. ,,,,,
  26. "Meshech and Tubal (Turkey) are there,
  29. "Edom (Jordan) is there, her kings and all her princes;
  30. "All the princes of the north and all the Sidonians (Lebenon) are there;
  
  Ezekiel 38 also listed the nations involved.
  
  I think the antichrist coalition is the Muslim power. In history Muslim power can best be represented by the Ottoman Empire while the Ottoman Empire can best be represented by Turkey. Listing Meshech and Tubal (Turkey) here does not necessarily mean Turkey is the leader. Not listing Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq does not necessarily mean they are not involved either (unless the above listed nations would attack Israel with airborne units only).
  
  
  2. "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (Turkey); prophesy against him
  5. Persia (Iran), Cush (Sudan) and Put (Libya) will be with them, all with shields and helmets,
  6. also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah (Central Asia Muslims) from the far north with all its troops--the many nations with you.
  
  If we insist Meshech is nowadays Moscow of Russia, then people of Tyre in Eze. 27 would have to bypass Turkey (possibly by flying carpets and with the help of Aladdin the Genie), a pivotal world trade center at that time, then sail across wide seas, climb over high mountains, and travel through vast land of wilderness to trade with Moscow 2000+ miles north.
  
  Ezekiel 27:13 "`Greece, Tubal and Meshech traded with you (Tyre); they exchanged slaves and articles of bronze for your wares.
  
  Geographically, politically, even biblically, we can see the possibility that Iraq would have to play a major role in Armageddon against Israel.
  
  Garden of Eden, City and Tower of Babel, Ur, were all inside nowadays Iraq, civilization originated from the soil between River Euphrates and River Tigris; is it possible that the end of the world be closely linked to events in Iraq, even River Euphrates?
  
  We can't even count Saddam Hussein out if we read Revelation 9:11, "They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.".
  
  Abaddon, Apollyon, and Saddam all bear the same meaning - destroyer.

The main players of end time events seemed to be the most powerful and influential two nations, USA and Israel, vs. the weakest and the most humiliated two nations, Palestine and Iraq.

Will this sharp contrast persist forever, or things might suddenly turn upside down?

Back to Index

Another cycle of Passover-FOT-Purim events happened in the leap year 2004/2005.

After the events on Passover/FOT/Purim in year 2002/2003, I anticipated the Seventh Year of the Seventieth Seven to follow immediately, yet it seems to me that nothing prophetically significant happened during the following year - from Purim 2003 to Purim 2004. I was puzzled and disappointed again.

I waited for one more year and noticed some events happened coincidently on Passover, FOT of 2004, and Purim of 2005, which also happens to be a leap year.

Why the Seventh Year did not come?

Was there any major player not fully been placed in it's right position in line with prophecies?

Maybe!

Before the nations can form a 10-nation coalition under the leadership of Iraq, the attitudes of some Muslim nations need to be adjusted.

Osama bin Laden, Iran, Syria all hated Iraq and Saddam Hussein because of her pro-Western position before Gulf War I. Shiite Iran and Sunny Iraq (actually 60% of Iraqis are Shiites, while Saddam Hussein and 20% of Iraqis are Sunny) would not co-operate to form a coalition without major changes. Without Sunnis and Shiites inside Iraq joining forces first, how can Iraq lead others? If Shiites in Iraq don't join, Shiite Iran might not join either.

So the next event needs to happen is something that would start to turn animosity between Shiites and Sunnis to friendship, or at least comradeship, preferably on Passover 2004, to start the next cycle of the Passover, FOT, Purim signs/events matching:|

• Passover 2004 (April 6, 2004) - US troops in Iraq battles against both Faallujah (the biggest Sunny insurgent stronghold) and Najaf (Shiite Holy City) at the same time. Shiites united with Sunnis in battles against US troops.
  
  When USA invaded Iraq in March 2003, 60% of Iraqis are Shiites who hates Sunny Saddam Hussein welcomed US troops. It took one year to turn Shiites from welcoming US troops to hating them. When Fallujah was being attacked by US troops, Shiites sent convoys of supplies to Shiites in Fallujah instead of gloating over their sufferings as they would if it had happened a year ago.
  
  The battles that united Shiites and Sunnis seem to be drying up River Euphrates to prepare the way for the kings from the east (mainly Shiites and Iran):
  
  Revelation 16:12,16
  "12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.... 16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. "
  
  (Please don't drag me into arguments with those who insist that River Euphrates must be literally dried up before tanks and armored vehicles can cross the river on muddy river bed instead of over the bridges.)
  
  By the way, both Fallujah and Najaf are located by River Euphrates, and Highway Armageddon, the most direct highway from Iran to Megiddo, goes right through the city center of Fallujah.
  
  While combining the forces of all Muslim nations would still be no match to the nuclear power Israel, how would they be able to do anything against Israel at all when USA is fully behind her?
  
  So Russia needs to be stirred up to join the Muslim power in facing the common threat from USA.
  
  Less than a week before Passover 2004, NATO suddenly rescheduled from June 30 to April 3 as official date of expansion to include seven more nations, including the Baltic Republics. Russia had warned against that kind of NATO expansion repeatedly in the past, so she might feel a little nervous on Passover 2004 when NATO jet planes flying over the space very close to her heart land.
  
  Are all last day players fully in position now? Not quite.
  
  Some Gaza refugee camps and Iraqi insurgent strongholds, the pitiful remaining and final pockets of dignity, need to be taught a good lesson about who are the bosses. And more Moslems nations and Russia/China need to be further reminded about the power and pride of USA.
  
  
• FOT 2004 (September 30) -
  • Israel IDF entered the largest Gaza refugee camp for the first time after a deadly suicide bombing. Israel's attacks incurred very heavy Palestinian casualties in the refugee camp.
  • US troops started attacking the un-occupied Iraqi insurgent strongholds after a suicide bombing in Baghdad killed dozens including 35 children.
    
    When hundreds of thousands starving and afflicted Iraqi women and children escaping the battles of those cities, especially the biggest insurgent stronghold Fallujah (a city of 300,000) scattered all over Iraq, even the moderate Muslims are angered and started to turn hostile against USA and Israel (many believe that Israel and Jewish lobbyists in Washington D.C. had strongly influenced George Bush's to start the war in Iraq).
    
    Not only Muslims, the whole world was infuriated when photos of amused US prison guards torturing Iraqi prisoners for entertainment were made public.
    
    Some might say, don't be bothered by the sufferings of those insignificant Iraqis. Nothing big or worrisome could come out of that.
    
    I am not so sure about that, especially when I read:
    
    Rev.9:14-15
    "14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind"
    
    The bloodshed inside Iraq and along River Euphrates is stirring up a hatred so deep that it would eventually explode into a trigger for the biggest massacre the world ever has.
    
    But it takes a nuclear exchange to "kill a third of mankind", so again, the economical pitiful Russia needs to be stirred up a little bit more.
    
    
  • National Missile Defense System (NMD) of US was scheduled to be operational on September 30, 2004, which is Feast of Tabernacles.
    
    Under the threat of USA's nuclear strategy of pre-emption and dominance, being encircled by NATO, Russia is certainly getting more nervous now. Russia and China had repeatedly issued joint statements denouncing NMD, which is viewed by them as part of the pre-emptive strike weapons. Having only less than two dozens of ICBMs, China is even more uncomfortable and she needs to strengthen her military ties with Russia further (Have anybody noticed how many times the secretaries of defense of Russia and China have met?)
    
    After events on Passover, FOT, Purim of 2002/2003, and again on Passover, FOT of 2004, I certainly would expect to see a major event on Purim 2005.
    
    But before that, I noticed that there were four consecutive lunar eclipses six months apart from each other. So I prayed to God, "Lord, time seems to be short. Are the four consecutive lunar eclipses a hint about the coming great darkness? If so, will there be a last sign on the fourth lunar eclipse - October 28, 2004?"
    
    Yasser Arafat was removed from West Bank/Israel and flown to Paris on October 28. It might be a sign from God (my personal guess), or merely a meaningless coincidence (most people would think so).
    
    And right at the midpoint between FOT 2004 and Purim 2005, on December 26, 2004, I saw:
    
    
    1. Earthquake/tsunami killed nearly 300,000 and caused millions more to suffer.
    2. Ukraine re-elected pro-NATO Viktor Yushchenko to replace the pro-Russia Viktor Yanukovych to further expand NATO's influence against Russia.
    3. On December 26, 2004, China's "anti-secession proposal" was accepted by a Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
       
       
• Purim 2005 - no significant sign. Which might mean all the end time players are in place waiting for the Day of the Lord or the "very hour" of Rev. 9:15.
  
  The death of Pope John Paul II one week after Purim and his funeral on a solar eclipse might be an important sign to some, but I couldn't relate it to the Day of the Lord or Armageddon.
  
  Is the "no sign on Purim 2005" a silence of awe that precedes the Seventh Year?
  
  Or maybe it's not so silent.
  
  Half a million Taiwanese shouted in protest against China's Anti-secession Law on Purim, March 26, 2005.
  
  I don't think that event can be counted as a significant sign compare to those already happened.
  
  I was born in Taiwan, with parents from Mainland China, spent half of my life in Taiwan and the other half in USA, it's not modest for me to make a big deal out of an event in Taiwan, a weak, small, and insignificant nation (many nations dare not even to recognize her as a nation for fear of offending China).
  
  But how dared this weak and small Taiwan shout in protest against the big powerful China?
  
  Knowing that Russia and China had mock nuclear war exercise over Taiwan conflict in late February 2001, Taiwan certainly should stay low key and keep quite. But she was encouraged by USA to speak a little louder.
  
  Even though US government agrees that Taiwan is part of China, US Congress still passed H.CON. RES. 98 on March 16, 2005 expressing grave concern over the March 14 passage of the anti-secession law by China, that's why this small and weak Taiwan felt quite confident in rubbing paper tiger China's nose on Purim 2006.

The major players for the last days seemed to have been placed in position according to Bible prophecies.

Hatreds of Muslims toward USA and Israel are becoming more explosive daily and the Middle Eastern Muslim nations are ready to unite.

Russia and China are facing hair-trigger threat of USA's pre-emptive strike daily, they might be joining forces with radical Muslims, and "Enemy's enemy is a friend".

Do we think USA has the monopoly of pre-emptive strike? Russia Ready for Pre-Emptive Strikes to Avert Terrorist Threat

Have you wondered why Russia test fired fourteen strategic missiles in year 2004, and six within two and half weeks in September/October 2005?

Natural disasters of apocalyptic scale like earthquake/tsunami in Asia, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Stan, earthquake in Pakistan, have been occurring in higher frequency and greater intensity like birth pangs.

Are those events, seemed like rhythmic drummed beats, and signs from God signaling the soon coming of the Day of the Lord? Are we in the Seventh Year of the Seventieth Seven yet?

I am not sure about that, please don't stone me. Please pray for your own discernment and seek the explanations from God concerning the signs, events, and the coincidences.

Back to Index

Is year 2005/2006 the Seventh Year or do we have to wait for three more years or even longer?

If it's not year 2005/2006, I would expect to see the seventh year in 2008/2009 if meaningful events happened on Passover, FOT, and Purim of 2007/2008, which is the next leap year after 2004/2005.

Or even 2010/2011 after signs/events on Passover, FOT, and Purim in leap year 2009/2010 and so on.

We can always argue that billions of people still need to hear the gospel so the Lord should not come yet.

But somehow there might be a time that the number of those saved in Jesus Christ is full and time is up.

Do we really hope for the delay of the Day of the Lord for three more years or forever?

After having suffered high frequency intense birth pangs, a husband drove his wife to check into a hospital. Do you think this couple would be happy when they are told by the obstetrician, "I have good news for you! It's not time yet! You are not going to suffer the terrible pain of final labor hour. You are just going to get more intense birth pangs with higher frequency for at least three more days, if not weeks. But those pains are certainly no comparison to the final pains"

Likewise, should the church wish for the delay of three years or even longer to avoid facing the most painful final moment before the Kingdom of Heaven, even after we realized that during those extra years there would most likely be much worse sufferings, increases of sins, wars, hatreds, famines, pestilences, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, abortions by the millions, divorces, homosexuality, hypocrisy in the church, backsliding, falling away, and apostasy of Christians, ...?

If the number of those saved is fixed and predestined, we might not be able to argue with God by insisting that God should wait forever to allow everyone in the world a chance to hear the gospel, considering one million new borns everyday.

Certainly only God Almighty can decide the time and date. Wishful thinking of man doesn't count at all. But I would hope we spend a little time thinking about the possibility of the imminence of the Day of the Lord and get ourselves prepared.

Maybe while waiting some Christians would pray and ask God to re-write the prophecies and remove the parts concerning the horrible destructions of the Day of the Lord.

But before we see any possibility that God is going to grant this request and re-write the Bible, we better assume that all prophecies in the Bible would literally fulfill.

Back to Index

Pre-tribulation raputre or post-trib?

Many Christians believe that the rapture before the seven-year great tribulation is the only truth.

I believe the reason that God is going to give His chosen people immortal physical bodies at the time of resurrection or rapture/transfiguration is because in the kingdom of heaven, which is on earth. Christian priests would serve God and need to possess physical bodies to communicate people with mortal physical bodies that populate the earth after the Second Coming at the end of the great tribulation.

The deceased saints now in heaven with Jesus still are waiting to be resurrected and be given immortal bodies because the Kingdom hasn't come yet.

Some Christians say that God would protect His chosen ones like He did Noah and Lot. But I think the emphasis should be placed on eternal salvation of the soul instead of the escape of the last generation Christians from temporary physical sufferings which had been tasted by tens of millions of Christians in the past generations.

Throughout history, the more Christians love God the more they suffer for the cause of Gospel and the keeping of their faith. All apostles had died a terrible and painful death. In times of wars, famines, natural disasters, Christians or not they suffer the same physical and emotional pains, the only difference is that Christians may receive from God peace and comfort in the spirit.

Also, it says in Daniel 12:11-13 that the resurrection happens at the end of 1335 days, not at the start or some point in the middle.

11. "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
12. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
13. "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
    

We certainly want to avoid physical sufferings and we don't need them to win salvation. But if God, in order to prepare us for our priesthood, let us taste a little portion of the sufferings similar to that of Jesus Christ, apostles, and Christians during the past two thousand years, we pray that the will of God be done on us so we can bring blessings to ourselves and others through our afflictions when we serve as priests in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ephesians 6:10-13

10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
    

Back to Index

The "restrainer"

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8

6. And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
7. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
8. And then the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming, will be revealed.

I think Babylon the Great of Rev. 18 is the culmination of the "City of Babel" in Genesis 11:5, which is also the one that holds back the Muslim antichrist coalition.

How is that possible? USA didn't even exist during the time of Apostle Paul.

Apostle Paul and many other Christian leaders of their generation believed that the Second Coming would have happened in their generation. Without first removing the power of the Roman Empire, the Little Horn or the Assyria wouldn't be able to get a free hand to do anything to the Jews. Paul didn't spell it out in his letter to the churches for fear of endangering fellow Christians and exposing them to persecutions for high treason.

The last day USA has taken the place of the first century Roman Empire in the Middle East, she would most likely be removed before nations can even dreamed about invading Israel.

Back to Index

How long will be the great tribulation?

If it is possible that the 355 days from Purim 2005 to Purim 2006 is the Seventh Year of the Seventieth Seven, how come we haven't seen the Day of the Lord with less than three months left till Purim 2006?

Let's first discuss, "How long will the great tribulation be?"

The seven-year (actually six-year) great tribulation around Tisha B'Av 70 AD focused on the period between Passover 70 AD, when Titus pitched camp outside Jerusalem, and Tisha B'Av, when the Holy Temple was burned down. The length of the core of this great tribulation is less than four months.

The 1994t Rwanda massacre that started one week after Passover and ended on Tisha B'Av lasted for about 100 days only. So the length of the core of that great tribulation is about three and a half months.

I guess that the final Great Tribulation might last for only a few months, including the last 45 days of Armageddon before Purim.

The judgment of the Day of the Lord would bring astounding devastations to the whole world, even nuclear exchange. How long would man be able to survive? Certainly it would not be seven years or three and a half years.

Jesus sayid, "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Matthew 24:21-22"

How much will those days be cut short?

One full year would seem too long, even one half year might still be a little too long, considering the situations "the Day After":

• The first batch of nuclear missiles launched would carry the EMP warheads and explode at 200-mile high altitude. A single megaton nuclear bomb can black out a whole continent like North America. After the black out, there will be no electricity, no water out of faucets, no TV, radio, or phones, nor transportations. People impacted by blackout would die of starvation or thirst in a few weeks. The victims of Hurricane Katrina who had been waiting near the Superdome can testify that most of them would have died had the supply convoys delayed for two or three more weeks.
• About one-third of the world will be hit directly in a nuclear exchange, and the fallouts would spread to the whole world in a couple of weeks. Even those areas didn't get direct hit would be severely impacted and people would die of fallouts radiation and water pollution.
• The international trades that supply food, fuel, and necessities will stop immediately.
• After superpowers and nations with nukes destroyed each other, the rest of the world would be turned loose to do whatever they want. Hostilities among nations or between different religious or ethnic groups would suddenly errupt into regional battles all over the world.
• Israel might also get hit by EMP. Suddenly the former powerful giant would turn powerless like blinded Samson. When troops of a 10-nation coalition aim to destroy her swarm into her lands from all sides, how long can she hold off?

Many Christians who insist pre-tribulation rapture also insist seven-year great tribulation, "I will not be in it, seven years of tribulation looks good to me."

But if we are not raptured on or before the Day of the Lord, wouldn't we scream to God, "Cut it short Lord, please take us home now! I can't stand it any longer!"

Back to Index

Is the Gaza Disengagement on Tisha B'Av 2004 a turning point or a trigger?

Could year 2005/2006 (Purim 2005 - Purim 2006) be the Seventh Year of the Seventieth Seven?

We are already approaching the end of this period now, how could it possible?

Do we see any meaningful sign suggesting the remotest possibility that this year could be the one?

The great tribulation of 70 AD in Jerusalem started on Passover and ended on Tisha B'Av.

The Rwanda massacre of 1994 started a few days after Passover and ended on Tisha B'Av.

Some of the biggest tragic turning points in history happened to Jews and the whole world repeatedly on Tisha B'Av.

The first incident on Tisha B'Av happened when Jews led by Moses were turned back tby God to the wilderness instead of entering the Promise Land on Tisha B'Av.

Both Holy Temples were burned down on that day. World War I started on that day. Jews were expelled from British, Spain, and other cities on that day. Nazi Reinhard Heydrich started to carry out the "Final Solution" to kill all Jews on that day.

Iraq walked out of talks with Kuwait on Tisha B'Av 1990, and invaded Kuwait two days later; pieces of Shoemaker Levy-9 start hitting Jupiter and Rwanda massacre ended on Tisha B'Av 1994.

I certainly would not be surprised if the last turnning point or trigger point that ushers in the great tribulation also happens on Tisha B'Av. But instead of Passover to Tisha B'Av in the tribulations of 70 AD or that of 1994, I have been considering the possibility that it would be from Tisha B'Av to Purim this time, from the most tragic feast to the most joyful one. I had been paying close attention to whatever would happen on Tisha B'Av 2005.

The only event happened on Tisha B'Av 2005 that might be counted as prophetic significant is Israel's disengagement on Gaza settlements. Tisha B'AV of 2005 is the official date for Jewish settlers to leave Gaza settlements.

It might be significant possibly in the following aspects:

1. From expansion to contraction, a turning point:
   
   Matthew 24:32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
   
   The disengagement and giving away territories is a turning point from expansion of the Jewish state to contraction. No leaves come out anymore, summer has passed, it's harvest time and leaves are falling.
   
   
2. Event on Tisha B'AV might be a sign from God:
   
   Almost all of the biggest tragedies happened to Jews fell on Tisha B'Av. And God gave lessons on every Tisha B'Av event to the Jews. When this tragic event occurred on Tisha B'Av again, we might need to seek after God and find out the meaning behind it.
   
   
3. A start of downfall of Israel/USA
   
   Many Christians and Jews noticed that Hurricane Katrina, the most costly natural disaster in US history, was formed right after IDF expelled all Jews from Gaza settlements. Some even suggest that God is punishing US for pushing Israel government on the disengagement. I am not so sure about that.
   
   The fate of Israel is closely linked to that of USA. Gaza disengagement started the contraction of Israel by losing a huge area of the most productive farm land. The property loss caused by Katrina is extremely huge. Both Israel and USA are greatly weakened economically by those events.
   
   Both Israeli settlers who were being dragged out of their houses and those who lost their homes in Katrina suffered afflictions and humiliation. The scenes of sufferings of the victims in New Orleans could normally only be seen in third world countries. So the events might signal the start of downfall and the coming humiliation of both Israel and USA.
   
   Some Christians point out that New Orleans' Muldi Graf, Southern Decadence, and Gulf Coast's gambling industry as obvious sinful targets that deserve judgment. But I think it's near sighted and narrow minded to presume that since God had selectively judged the more sinful part of the United States so the rest might be safer now. No, it's only a hint about what's going to happen to the whole USA, even the whole world. Just like the destructions of Twin Towers of World Trade Center and Pentagon, the symbols of wealth, power, and pride of USA, is a hint to the coming destruction of the Babylon the Great in Rev. 18.
   
   
4. The start of the final stage birth pangs.
   
   After earthquake/tsunami hit Asia Dec. 26, 2004, many Christians quoted Luke 21:25
   
   "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. "to remind each other that the end is near.
   
   The world has been quiet for almost eight months after that.
   
   But immediately after the Gaza disengagement, we had Hurricane Katrina, then Hurricanes Stan, and Rita, followed by earthquake in Pakistan that killed more than 80,000 and exposed 3 millions to freezing cold, then Hurricane Wilma.
   
   The quick succession of apocalyptic-scaled natural disasters certainly sound like birth pangs that precedes the final labor - the Great Tribulation.
   
   
5. A sign of hostility of the whole world toward Israel.
   
   People see that it is US government pushing Israel to give up the settlements. But it is the hostility of many nations toward Israel created pressure for US to press on Israel. So it's a sign foretelling the coming Armageddon when nations would gather to attack Israel.
   
   
6. Event on Tisha B'Av, historically the most tragic day, might be a sign or a warning for the coming judgment.
   
   Many Christians suggest that the Day of the Lord might happen on a Jewish feast. But I think all Jewish feasts given to Jews through Moses contain constructive meaning in building up the Kingdom of Heaven, so they don't fit in meaning and purpose the destruction of the Day of the Lord.
   
   The only Jewish feast that bears strong sense of judgment, destruction, and punishment is Tisha B'Av, which is not given by God yet observed by Jews worldwide because of repeated tragic historical events.
   
   Terrible judgments like the destructions of Holy Temples and City Jerusalem, massacres, expulsions, wars happened to Jews and the world on Tisha B'Av repeatedly. Christians and Jews, even the whole world needed to be clearly forewarned of the coming judgment when a tragic event happened on Tisha B'Av again.
   
   
7. It might be a reminder from God to the settlers who were removed by force from settlements that it's time to prepare themselves for the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven instead of being attached to the earthly lands.
   
   Even though great tragic events happened repeatedly on Tisha B'Av. Instead of thinking God is punishing man's sins and disbelief repeatedly, we need to think positively and seek the meanings and purposes behind those events.
   
   I believe it's a long process of gaining life through death.
   
   The death of the generation over the age of 20 in the wilderness signifies the death of old flesh, the younger generation enters the promised land means only new creatures in spirit through faith can be saved.
   
   Physical Holy Temples were destroyed, so people of God are forced to worship in truth and spirit instead of ceremonial rituals.
   
   Expulsions of the Jews forced them to put their hope in eternal heavenly homes instead of temporary earthly dwellings.
   
   The Holocaust brings forth the restoration of nation Israel.
   
   All Christians like Jews started their journey to the Promised Land on Passover, yet all failed many times in disbelief like Jews did when 10 of 12 spies reported bad news. We all might need to unite with Christ on the cross through sufferings and self-denial. Lessons of Tisha B'Av are not only for Jews but for all Christians.
   
   Only through death can we gain life.
   
   Is this Tisha B'Av a sign for the coming great death to the whole world to remove the corruptible sinful world, in order to replace it with the incorruptible Kingdom of Heaven?
   
   God took away something, yet prepared something else which is much better. Jewish settlers removed by force from the Gaza settlements might need to be reminded that we are only strangers to this world and should not be attached too much to any dwellings or any piece of land on earth.
   
   
8. Gaza disengagement marks the climax of hatreds between Jews and Palestinians
   
   Some preterists believe that the "abomination that causes desolation" in Dan. 9:27 was partially, if not completely, fulfilled when the Roman troops tramped on the holy graound of the Temple Mount in the "middle of seven", others believe that it was fulfilled when Antiochus IV defiled the alter on the Temple Mount with a pig .
   But what is really "the abomination that causes desolation"? A pig? Some pagan troops? Or in the future a big terrorist bomb on the Temple Mount that would trigger a nuclear exchange?
   
   What made God angry the most on the Temple Mount?
   
   Man's sins.
   
   What sins? Pride and hatred.
   
   Temple Mount and the Holy Temple is the place that man should be humble in front of God and be reconciled to God.
   
   Yet instead of symbol of humility, reconciliation, and fellowship, this 35-acre piece of land has been turned into the symbol of hatred and volence. The Septemper 2000 visit by Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount trigged a violent cycle of intifade, which indirectly caused the events on 9/11 to heppen, then wars against Afghanstan and Iraq that might eventually lead to the Day of the Lord and Armageddon.
   
   I think the pig and the Romans troops just represented the pride and contempt of Antiochus IV and the Roman power. Hatreds of the foreigners against the Jews and the hatreds among Jews themselves brought judgment from God.
   
   The real cause of the great massacre in Jerusalem 70 AD was pride of the Roman occupier and hatred of the Jews toward the Romans; the real cause of the great Rwanda massacre was also pride and hatreds (Hutus hated Tutsis when Tutsis were favored and placed above them).
   
   Today the pride of the occupiers (Israel who occupied Palestine and US troops who occupied Iraq) and the hatreds of those who are being occupied and humilated (the Palestinians and Iraqis) would finally cause a event that fulfill "the abomination that causes desolation".
   
   The disengagement on Tisha B'Av 2005 concludes that after living closely to each other for four decades, the hatreds between Jews and Palestinians are just insurmountable. Jews and Palestinians, mostly the descendents of Abraham, instead of obeying God's command to love each other, be good neighbors and close friends, they just couldn't keep themselves from killing each other.
   
   Now it seems to me that no matter what future incidence might happen on the Temple Mount to trigger the judgment of the Day of the Lord, that event would most likely be a presentation of the deep hatred of Palestinians towards the Jews, and that of the Muslims toward Christians.
   
   As mentioned earlier, hatred was the cause of the judgment upon Jerusalem in 70 AD, hatreds exploded into the 1994 Rwanda massacre. The Gaza disengagement of Tisha B'Av 2005 might be a symbol of the deepest hatred and a sign for the soon coming judgment.

Back to Index

Will the Day of the Lord fall on a feast day, even during Hanukkah?

Many Christians expect the Rapture or the Day of the Lord to happen on a feast day, especially Rosh Hashanah (other guesses are Feast of Tabernacles, The Last Great Day of FOT, Pentecost, Yom Kippur, ...). Yet some other Christians insist that it must happen on a non-feast day.

I think it is possible either way.

Possible reasons that the Day of the Lord might fall on a non-feast day:

1. God gave feasts for the Jews to observe, the Jewish feasts is the blueprint of the building of the Kingdom of Heaven. Every Jewish feast had been or will be fulfilled significantly as major milestone in building up the Kingdom of Heaven according to the meanings of the feasts. The great destruction and devastation of the Day of the Lord wouldn't fit into the constructive meaning of any Jewish feast given by God to Israelites through Moses.
   
   
2. According to His patience and mercy He might change His original plans and delay the judgment like He did to people of Nineveh and allow sinners of the world more time to repent.
   
   
3. The general guideline for the Kingdom to come is that the gospel need to be preached to all nations. But a more specific deciding factor might be the time that "the full number of the Gentiles has come in" So it can be the moment the last one listed in the Book of Life is born into the God's Kingdom by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. That moment can be any minute.
   
   Roman 11:25-26
   
   
   25. I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
   26. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
       

Possible reasons that the Day of the Lord might fall on a feast day, even Hanukkah (Dec. 26, 2005 - Jan. 2, 2006, Kislev 25 - Tevet 2):

1. According to 1TS 5:4,5, and Rev. 3:3, Christians are sons of light, they should not be surprised when the Day of the Lord comes. They might even be able to know the date if they obey, repent, and keep awake. So it's possible that it happens on a meaningful feast day anticipated by watchful Christians.
   

   1 Thessalonians 5:4,5

   4. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
   5. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
   Revelation 3:3
   "Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. "
   
   
2. For the past 15 years, all major signs and events either happened on feast days or closely related to feast days, so it is possible that the terrible Day of the Lord also falls on a feast day.
   
   
3. All people of God should always believe that nothing in heaven or on earth is accidental or out of the control of God, but when the most dreadful event in human history happened on a normal and non-feast day, especially when it is triggered by terrorists who hate Christians or Israel, some weak-faithed Christians like me might wonder: "Is enemy of God's people gaining the upper hand?"
   
   Had the signs and events of the past fifteen days happened on non-feast days, no one can be convinced that they were arranged by God.
   
   Had Jesus been crucified on any day other than Passover, His disciples would have lost faith; likewise if the Day of the Lord happened on any day other than a meaningful feast day, many Christians might lose faith and tremble in great fear.
   
   
4. As it is mentioned earlier, the feasts decreeded by God through Moses is the blueprint for building up the Kingdom of Heaven, so the great destruction of the Day of the Lord doesn't fit the meaning of any of those feasts. But Hanukkah is not decreeded by God through Moses and is not part of that blueprint, so it is possible for the Day of the Lord to happen on Hanukkah.
   
   
5. Passover and Pentecost had been fulfilled by redemption of Christ on the cross and the birth of the Church by the pouring of the Holy Spirit. Feast of Trumpet, Yom Kippur, and Feast of Tabernacles might be fulfilled after the Second Coming. It would be most meaningful and reasonable if the Second Coming of Jesus Christ happened on Purim to turn Jews from the sorrow and fear of the brink of annihilation to joy. So, we have only one feast left out - Hanukkah. What event would match the meaning of Hanukkah? Day of the Lord might not be completely out of sight.
   
   
6. Since I guessed that the Second Coming would most likely fall on Purim and I wish the Great Tribulation would be as short as possible. Among all Jewish feasts Hanukkah is the one closest to Purim and we have less than three months between Hanukkah and Purim for a regular year (non-leap year) like this year. If Christians are not raptured before the Great Tribulation, Hanukkah being the Day of the Lord would make the shortest tribulation period.
   
   
7. People might ask, "Hanukkah is also called the Feast of Light, how would God possibly allow the Day of the Lord, which would be a day of great darkness, to fall on that day?"
   
   I guess when most regions in the world plunge into darkness by EMP blackout and nuclear exchange, the spiritual light powered by the fervent prayers of Christians and Jews would suddenly shine the spiritual world like never before.
   
   The greatest physical darkness of the world would most likely make the climax of spiritual brightness.
   
   
8. Hanukkah is the Feast of Dedication, or Re-dedication would be more accurate, Jews cleansed the Temple and re-dedicated the altar after which had been defiled by Assyrian Antiochus IV.
   
   If the Day of the Lord happens on Hanukkah, the church, which have been growing apostate and mixing with the immoralities of this world, might be cleansed by the fire of tribulation so she can be re-dedicated solely to God the Father, Jesus Grist the Savior, and Holy Spirit the Comforter.

Back to Index

Any sign to draw our attention to Hanukkah 2005?

After three meaningful events on Passover, FOT, and Purim in the leap year 2002/2003. I expected the Seventh Year to follow and was disappointed.

Yet I found another cycle of events on Passover, FOT, and Purim of 2004/2005.

I was confused. I thought that if God is going to use events to mark the start of the Seventh Year of the Seventieth Seven, one cycle of events should suffice.

Why extra two years (from Purim 2003 to Purim 2005) and another cycle of events on the leap year 2004/2005? Are those extra two year and another cycle of events redundant and wasteful?

The events in year 2004/2005 were less clear signs than those in year 2002/2003 and while the significance increases in the cycle of events in 2002/2003, it decreases in those of 2003/2004.

I expected a major event, even more significant than Gulf War II, to happen on Purim 2005 to mark the beginning of the Seventh Year, especially after I saw the big earthquake/tsunami happened right in the middle point between FOT 2004 and Purim 2005, yet event on Purim 2005 was so insignificant that most people would treat it as a non-event.

The contrast between the insignificance of the event on Purim 2005 and the significance of the Dec.26, 2004 earthquake made me ask, "Is God using an extra cycle of events and two more years to convey a message other than the "Start of the Seventh Year?"

If that's the case, what event can be more significant than the start of the Seventh Year?

I guess the only possible event that might be more significant would be "the Day of the Lord". Especially for me, since the first hint I received on August 17, 1990 was Isaiah 13:6 and "the Day of the Lord", I would expect that all major events, signs, coincidences I observed during the past fifteen years are landmarks and arrows that would eventually point to the Day of the Lord instead of any other major prophetic event.

We saw major natural disasters, especially Hurricane Katrina and Pakistan earthquake, are like strong birth pangs foretelling the nearness of the final hour, but there is still no way for us to know exactly at which point the Day of the Lord would come.

Is it possible that God had been using the extra two years and anothe cycle of Passover-FOT-Purim events to not only mark the beginning of the Seventh Year, but also to provide an arrow to point to the Day of the Lord?

Except the ongoing war in Iraq, it seemed to me that the most significant events in year 2003 and year 2004 were the Dec. 26, 2003 Iran earthquake and the Dec. 26, 2004 Indonesia earthquake. Connect this two points would make an arrow pointing to the next point - Dec. 26, 2005.

The Dec. 26, 2003 Iran earthquake killed over 41,000, the heaviest death toll of earthquakes since 1976 Tangshan China earthquake. Exactly one year later, on Dec. 26, 2004, another earthquake/tsunami caused seven times the death toll.

Are they merely coincidence? Or God is conveying some message to us?

Earthquakes happen all the time, am I merely twisting the events and adding prophetic significance into some common natural disasters?

How about the Oct. 8 Pakistan earthquake? Am I also going to twist it again to make it prophetic signifcant?

Actually I am.

The Day of the Lord will be a day that God would shake the heaven and the earth. It is reasonable for me to believe that God made two major earthquakes, the most deadly two in three decades, to happen on the same day (Dec. 26) as a warning to the coming big shaking and a hint pinpoint to Dec. 26, 2005, which happens to be the start of the 8-day feast Hanukkah 5766.

The Bible mentioned that another big shaking would happen on the Second Coming.

Zechariah 14

3. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle.
4. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.
5. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
   

The Pakistan earthquake, which killed over 80,000 and exposed two millions to freezing cold, happened on Oct. 8, 2005.

From Oct. 8, 2005 to the eve of Purim, a good candidate date for the Second Coming, March 13, 2006, there are 158 days. Dec. 26, 2005 is right in the middle, and that seems to be adding the significance of Dec. 26.

From Oct. 8, 2005, the day of Pakistan earthquake, to Dec. 26, 2005, there were 79 days; from Dec. 26, 2005 to March 15, 2006, there are also 79 days.

It seems to me that God have been using the three most deadly earthquakes during the past three decades to pinpoint to Dec. 26, 2005 (Kislev 25, 5766), the start of Hanukkah.

If the Day of the Lord indeed happened during Hanukkah (Dec. 26,2005 to Jan. 2, 2006), 2005, I would be even less surprized to see the Second Coming around March 13-15, 2006.

The Day of the Lord could happen during this Hanukkah or be delayed for a few weeks delay by God's mercy, assuming that this year, Purim 2005 to Purim 2006, be the Seventh and the Final year. If that's the case then the seventh year would look like:

Back to Index

To know things to happen beforehand would strengthen the faith of believers.

The Day of the Lord is not the end; it's the beginning of the end.

We are not hopeless, we are full of hope now. Our hopes is not on those earthly bodies and worldly things which are temporary and corruptible; we will inherit glorious immortal and eternal bodies in the Kingdom of Heaven with God our Fater and our Savior Lord Jesus Christ.

Anybody and return to God and call on the name of Jesus Christ and receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation because He died on the cross and paid the price of sin for the world.

Most Christians believe so called "rapture before the seven-year great tribulation". What would they think when the Day of the Lord comes and they are still on earth? Total despair!

If the Day of the Lord happens on Hanukkah, it would be exceedingly likey that Christians be resurrected or transfigured to meet Jesus Christ on Purim 2006 (March 13-15, Adar 13-15).

What I am sharing is not to scare fellow Christians about the terrible Day of the Lord, but to comfort everyone with the hope that we will be saved a couple months later on Purim instead of having to wait for seven long years. But if I am wrong, our death at any time will be a gain for us for we will be with Jesus anyway.

Back to Index

If resurrection/rapture happens at the same time as the Second Coming of Jesus, is it the end of the Great Tribulation?

Many Christians would protest any suggestion of post-tribulation rapture.

"How would God allow Christians suffer just like non-believers? Christians deserve to be much better off."

Let's first ask, "If resurrection/rapture happens at the same time as the Second Coming of Jesus, is it the end of the Great Tribulation?"

Yes and No.

Yes for believers, not yet for non-believers.

I guess the most reasonable and understandable day for the Second Coming would be Purim or Adar 13-15.

Resurrection/Rapture of Christians would suddenly end the sufferings of Christians; but for non-believers, the physical and emotional pains caused by deaths, injuries, destructions might not be healed in the twinkling of the eye. Their lost limbs would not grow back; the destroyed houses would not magically turn into beautiful mansions instantly.

Even we see the Second Coming and the resurrection/rapture of the Church, the Kingdom of Heaven might not be officially proclaimed until seven months later on the Feast of Tabernacles.

It would take seven months to bury the dead after Armageddon.

Ezekiel 39:12 "`For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land."

Even though Christians with immortal resurrected and transfigured bodies would be given special powers and capabilities to help and serve, it still takes Christians some time (first job assignments for resurrected Christians after the Second Coming?) to heal and comfort the injured and those in mourning, to rebuild houses and infrastructures as well as to restore peace to the whole earth.

During Armageddon, two-thirds of the Jews will be struck down and perish. At the brink of annihilation, Jesus Christ would descend on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 13:8-14:3).

He would finally remove hatred from man's heart and bring peace to the whole world. Even the worst enemies, Egyptians, Jews, and Assyrians, can live in peace and come worship God and Lord Jesus Christ together.

Isaiah 19:23-25

23. In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.
24. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth.
25. The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance."
    

16. Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem (after Armageddon and Second Coming) will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
17. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain.
18. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
    

Isaiah 65:20-25

20. "Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth (long life, yet not immortal); he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
21. They will build (not be magically given) houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands (not of angels magic wands).
23. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them.
24. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
25. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD.
    

Back to Index

Jesus was most likely conceived in the darkness of virgin Mary's womb during Hanukkah, and during Feast of Tabernacles He was born; the Church might also go into the great darkness of the great tribulation on Hanukkah, and usher in the Kingdom of Heaven on FOT.

Many Christians agree that Jesus could never had been born in December. The most likely birthday of Jesus would be the Feast of Tabernacle. 285 days of prenancy would suggest that Jesus was conceived in the darkness of Mary's womb on Hanukkah.

If during Hanukkah the church goes into great darkness along with the whole world, then during Feast of Tabernacle the following year the whole world would be able to see the light of the Kingdom of Heaven. Even though Christians would most likely be raptured to meet Jesus on His Second Coming on Purim, it's not time yet for the church to selfishly celebrate and enjoy while the whole world is still in great pain and mourning.

Man rebelled against God by building the City of Babel and the Tower of Babel.

Babylon the Great of Rev. 18 is the climax of the City of Babel and the symbol of all greatness of the accomplishments of man. It seems to be standing tall in pride to confront the coming of the Kingdom of God.

The Day of the Lord would remove this Babylon the Great and all pride and sins of this world. It's removal would be the indispensible demolition to prepare ground for the construction of the most magnificent new kingdom.

The Feast of Tabernacles symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven and that God lives among men.

Jesus, God became man, born on the Feast of Tabernacles, and lived among men.

When the Kingdom of Heaven comes, God will again lives among men and "Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Zechariah 14:16"

Haggai 2:18-19 might be giving a hint about the First Coming of Jesus, start from the conception of Jesus.

18. `From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought:
19. Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. "`From this day on I will bless you.'"
    

Haggai 2:20-22 seems to be giving a hint about the big shaking before the Second Coming.

20. The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month:
21. "Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth.
22. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
    

Haggai chapter two starts with "On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came
through the prophet Haggai:", which was the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles, or the day before the "Last Great Day".

The Kingdom of Heaven and Rev. 21:3 that "God live with Men" seems to be fulfilled in two stages, God became man Jesus and He lived with men on His First Coming; then at the end of ages, after the Second Coming, we see the final fulfillment. Hanukkah and Feast of Tabernacles would be the key dates for these fulfillment.

Revelation 21:3
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."

.

Back to Index

No preparation needed at all?

Most Christians would say, "Why bother to find out whether the Lord is near or not. Even if I knew that tomorrow would be the Day of the Lord, I would just live today as usual. There is absolutely no preparation needed."

Jesus says:

Luke 18:8 "...when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

We say, "Lord, you must be kidding, we have hundreds of millions Christians have faith in You."

Luke 14:16-24

16. Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.
17. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, `Come, for everything is now ready.'
18. "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, `I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19. "Another said, `I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20. "Still another said, `I just got married, so I can't come.'
21. "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, `Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22. "`Sir,' the servant said, `what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23. "Then the master told his servant, `Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
24. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"

Many Christians can boast their faith in Jesus, but not as many have enough appetite to really enjoy what God prepared for them in heaven because they accumulated too much on earth to enjoy.

I had been puzzled by the parable of ten virgins. No explanations I read in the past 25 years seem to be able to remove my worry.

I prayed one night, "Lord, why don't you have mercy on those five foolish virgins who didn't prepare enough oil? I am just like one of them, living in poverty and don't have much oil. Lord, pity me! Let me know what does this parable really mean."

Suddenly this words came to my mind, "You light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches!"

I know it's part of Isaiah 50:10,11:

10. Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.
11. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.
    

Suddenly I realized that those five foolish virgins were not so poor that they could not afford to buy extra oil for the lamp to greet the bridegroom. They might be millionaires, living in mansions. They could easily spend tens of thousands for themselves on vacations or luxury items, yet they would treat missionaries like beggars and give each of them $50 or $100 to merely keep them from starving. They could easily allocate their resources on things to glorify themselves, yet for the Lord, why waste?

Huge jars of oil for the torches that surround themselves, very little oil, as long as the lamp to greet or glorify Jesus is not totally dark, would be enough.

Will all Christians enjoy life in heaven? Maybe not. Why not? Possibly because that they are so used to the lights that focus on themselves, they just hate the new lights that glorify Jesus instead of their own pride.

I believe that those Christians who share their resources with Christian brothers and sisters and those who serve God like sharing with their best friends will enjoy fellowship and friendship in heaven. Those who live luxuriously on earth yet treat others like beggars, still thinking that they are full of love and doing enough good to win rewards in heaven, might suddenly found that life in heaven not comfortable at all.

Anyway, how could those people enjoy living next door to a bunch of unworthy lowly beggars? They never wanted to make friends with those undeserving ones.

Heaven is like an all-you-can-eat super buffet. Those who strongly desired the love of God and friendship of fellow Christians will enjoy the meals; those who filled their stomachs of the soul with worldly desires would watch Jesus hug the lowly and undeserving ones and feel like vomiting.

Many Christians can boast that they have love in Jesus, yet few would follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ to treat people as friends, not beggars. Faith without appetite or love without friendship will bring shame, instead of heavenly joy when fellow Christians meet in heaven with Jesus.

Back to Index

Friendship, not prophecy, is my focus

Jesus rejects no one. The weathy, the poor, the powerful, the slaves, are all welcome to accept the salvation and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus doesn't discriminate; only proud people, many would even claim to be Christians, forbid themselves from entering the Kingdom and enjoy heavenly life.

My dear Iraqi friends, dear Rwandans, dear slaves, the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame, you might be like me, living in poverty, being despised by people surround me, have absolutely no hope in this world.

Please turn to Jesus Christ and call on His name, because He is the only one who really understand your sufferings, and He might be the only one who cares for you more than your parents, the only one in the world who would treat you as friends instead of giving you hand outs and treat you like beggars.

You don't believe it? I couldn't believe it either.

In a Memorial Day weekend church retreat in 1989, a guest speaker preached on "Peter was asked by Jesus three times, "Do you love me?""

Do I love Jesus? That's not my concern at that time.

I prayed, "Lord Jesus, you were so anxious to know whether Peter loved you or not by asking him three times. Would you ever bother at all to ask me whether I love you or not? Who am I? Would you even care at all whether I love you or not while you have tens of millions of Christians better and more worthy than me to love you? I certainly wouldn't care whether the millions or billions of insects in my backyard love me or not. Lord, would you even notice any difference at all if a whole bunch of someone like me live or die?"

I guess a lot of people see me as a nuisance. My death would only make them happier and the world better.

God already humbled Himself enough to love us who are made from dirt, but I saw uttermost humility in God when he showed anxiety asking Peter or anyone whether he loves Him or not. How can I be worthy to love God? While I was in college, after it was known that I was a secret admirer of a beautiful female classmate, I became a laugh stalk in my whole college, "A toad lusting after swan meat!"

I continued my prayer, "Would you take such worthless and useless one like me as your friend?

Will you take me as your friend as you did Abraham and let me know things to come?"

I didn't know why I said this last line in my heart. I forgot my prayer afterward.

But when some thoughts came to me in August 1990 and February 1991, I was reminded about my prayer, especially the last line.

Why I had been so crazy about the end-time prophecies? Why have I been wasting so much time trying to find explanations on the signs, events, and coincidences?

1 Corinthians 13

2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

I am absolutely no prophet. I am not interested in being one either. Most true prophets have been persecuted or killed through ages; false prophets are normally more welcome.

My focus is not on prophecy; it's on whether Jesus loves me or cares whether I love Him or not.

It's not even love, it's friendship. Because I have seen people who want to show how good they are and how much they have the love of Christ by giving people hand outs and treating people like beggars instead of friends.

It would be perfectly OK for God to totally ignore me and my prayer.

But if God did show me those amazing coincidences combining events, signs, Jewish dates and feasts, made me believe that He gave me something as proof for His friendship, then just let time pass without final fulfillment and say a big "Ha, Got you! A foolish piece of dirt dreaming to be afriend of God!"

God wouldn't bother to do that to me, would He?

Back to Index

Would Jesus really help me like a friend and take care of trivial things of a worthless man like me?

Maybe I was still not fully convinced that Jesus would take someone like me as a friend, so another interesting incident strengthened my faith:

For the past five years, I have joined a Restaurant-Workers' Fellowship in our church. Every Tuesday night around 10:30pm a few co-workers of us would go to the houses, in which the restaurant workers live, to pick them up. We drive them to church for the fellowship meetings, have some deserts and chatting, and then drive them home. Normally we return home after 1am.

I have been responsible to pick up restaurant-worker friends from two houses. One of the houses is bigger and in which the restaurant owner's family lived along with a dozen of his employees.

One night when I went to the bigger house, a young man from Shanghai, China said to me, "Could anyone in your church rent a car for me?" This young man had never shown any interest in Jesus or the Gospel before then and had never attended our fellowship meetings.

"I have an urgent personal business in LA; I need a rental car for three days." He said, "We restaurant workers are poor, have no money, we can't get a rental car without a credit card."

I didn't suggest, "You can ask for help from your boss the restaurant owner."

On April 2, 2001, I rented a car for this young man with my credit card, $67 dollars per day. I took it as a good opportunity for me to offer a little help so he would take me as his friend. I hoped that it could stop his hostility toward me and the Gospel. I hoped that he eventually would be saved, so we can be real brothers and friends.

That night around midnight he called me and invited me to his place to drink and have some food, he was leaving after the meal. I thanked him for inviting me with the happy thought that he finally seemed to have accepted me as his friend. But I didn't go to his place because my wife was eight-month pregnant and I had to help take care of my three boys and do house chores.

After three days, he didn't return.

The fourth day, he didn't return, neither the fifth.

I called his mobile phone; he said he still had personal business to deal with, asked for more days. Finally on the sixth day when I called, he told me that he's already back to Phoenix. I assumed that he had returned the rental car to the rental company, which is located in the same complex as the restaurant he worked for. I didn't mention about the money he owed me. Friends should trust each other; it would be shameful for me to show eagerness over a little money.

On the eighth night, he called me, "Can you use your credit card and be a co-signer to buy a car for me?"

"Where are you?" I asked. "At a car dealer." "Where is that?" "In Los Angeles."

"I thought you were in Phoenix and returned the rental car!" I asked.

"Who told you I did, I still need the car, and I haven't finished my business yet," he replied.

Sensing something wrong, I asked, "How much is that car you want to buy?"

"Just over ten thousand dollars."

"Can you buy a cheaper one? I myself am driving cheap cars because I can't afford the car payments. How about one in the range of $4000?"

"No, I want a better one."

I figured that I couldn't help in that case, I didn't co-sign for him. "I am sorry, I can't help."

But on the ninth night, I went to the house to pick up the restaurant workers, I was told by the restaurant workers there, "He already quit his job, took all his belongings and drove the rental car back to LA." One said, "He's a gambler, he worked one year here, didn't save a penny, all his money went to casinos. He got his passport back from the restaurant owner after he borrowed money from two other co-workers from Shanghai to pay back the $500 he owed the boss.

Another said, "We didn't want to rent a car for him, none of us trusted him. Why did you trust him?"

Why did I trust him? Got me!

The restaurant owner was smart enough to take his passport for collateral. But I intended to take him as my friend, friends should trust each other. I would be ashamed of myself had I asked for anything as a collateral.

When I approached these restaurant workers to invite them to our meetings, I didn't mean to give them handouts in order for me to accumulate some credits in heaven. I sincerely hoped that they would accept me as a friend, attend our meetings, accept Jesus Christ as their savior, then we can both become children of God, become brothers and sisters, serve God together, and enjoy eternal love and fellowship in heaven. I didn't want to treat them as people lower than me or see myself as someone higher.

But how can they believe that we would really take them as friends, treat them as our equals? It is hard for us to prove our respect for them especially when our church might look exactly like a high-class social club to them. Most of us have higher education, with master's degree in average, US citizenship, good income, living in good houses and driving fancy cars, except a few like me who have been living in poverty, driving high mileage junk cars (two antos combined over 330,000 miles).

On the 10th day, I called this young man again. "I took you as my friend. Friends help each other. I helped you by renting a car for you. Would you please help me by driving back to Phoenix and returning the car?"

"Ha! Now you are begging me!" he said. "No! I still need the car."

On the eleventh day, I tried to call him several times; he refused to answer my phone anymore. He was a migrant worker, no forward address; the only contact was his mobile phone.

I called the rental company and was told, "Accidents are covered by insurance, but theft is not as we have told you when you rented the car."

I paid $26 per day for insurance alone to cover one $million liabilities, but it doesn't cover my case.

I called local police stations, and they refused to accept the case. "It's nothing criminal; it's between you and your friend."

Around six pm on that 11th day, returning home from work, finally I had to tell my wife, "We rented a car for this young man and he is not returning it."

"How much do we have to pay?"

"The car cost $15,000." I didn't want to talk about or even think about other possible charges that might incur.

"You can sell me and children and give the money away to your friends." my wife said calmly, I could sense her anger.

I prayed, "Lord Jesus, my life and everything I have is in your hands. Nothing is accidental. Whatever happened to me must have a purpose for it. I want to thank you and praise you."

I thought about acquiring a loan to pay back the rental company, but if this young man caused some accident and injured or even killed someone, I would have to liquidate everything and then file for bankruptcy.

Right after I prayed to God, I called a good friend of mine in Tucson. He and his wife are my best prayer partners. They love the Lord very much and have served the Lord very fervently. They used to run a small Chinese restaurant; seven years ago they sold their house in Phoenix, went to Singapore and spent four years studying at the Singapore Bible College. For four years, this family of four lived in one 12'x12' room with leaking roof and no air conditioner. They had to share a small kitchen and restrooms with other families attending the seminary. After graduation, they had tried to serve in a poor small church in Malaysia which could only afford $200/month for pastor's salary. But after being rejected several times in their visa applications, they returned to USA and started ministering a small church in Tucson, Arizona.

My friend's wife received my call. It had only been a few minutes since they arrived home from a trip to LA, via Phoenix. They were about to go out to visit church members when I called, and the wife was gnashing the teeth for me, angry at my foolishness in trusting a stranger so easily, yet promised to pray for me.

She thought about a member in their congregation that had been running Chinese restaurants in Tucson.

She called him; he was so busy and didn't answer the phone until after 9:30pm. She asked him to see whether he had any information about this young man. It sounded like finding a needle in a deep sea, but except praying to God, that seemed to be the only action they could have taken.

The restaurant owner told my friend, 'Don't you know that we have fifty states in the United States, and in Tucson alone we have dozens of Chinese restaurants. Where do you want me to start finding information about this guy for you?"

In a pre-scheduled meeting with his employees. He noticed two new guys among the employees. A job agency in LA arranged these two guys for the restaurant.

He called my prayer partners, "This young man drove from LA to Tucson last night, he and another guy with him started working in my restaurant this morning."

This restaurant owner was in charge of three restaurants in Tucson, that night he visited that particular restaurant which was within two minutes driving distance from my friend's apartment and their church. He normally doesn't visit that one unless he calls a meeting with his employees.

He ordered all his male employees to stay until this matter was resolved. So with the help of my prayer partners, the restaurant owner and his employees, this young Shanghai man finally gave up and handed the key over to the pastor after an hour-long arguing and persuasion.

I prayed to God around 6pm, the car was retrieved before 11pm, thank God and praise the Lord!

This young man was so angry, shouted while the pastor drove him back to his apartment, "After tomorrow, I will be in Austin Texas. I only intended to stay in Tucson for two days, that's my first day here, how did you know that I am here?"

My friend told him, "We prayed to God, God told us."

"How can it be that weird?" he shouted.

When I called this young man on Wednesday, a day before that night, he told me that he had an appointment with an immigration lawyer in L.A. on Thursday, yet on Wednesday night he drove to Tucson, planned to stay in Tucson for two days and then drove on to Austin, Texas, then nobody would ever know where he is.

How smart! But he forgot SOMEONE is smarter.

The next day, April 13, 2001, a Good Friday, I took a shuttle bus from Phoenix to Tucson, drove the rental car back and returned it, paid only $820, a small sum compared to the total cost I might have to cover.

I lost this young man's friendship, he was so mad at me, but a few restaurant workers started to like me and took me as their friend and I am very happy about it.

Even though the restaurant worker from Shanghai did not think I deserve to be his friend, God has shown me friendship by helping me out of a big trouble.

A friend in need is a friend indeed! Among all my friends, no one is closer or more helpful to me than my Lord Jesus Christ.

Back to Index

Even if nothing big happened during Hanukkah or within the next few weeks, we still can gather from all the signs and events to know that the Day of the Lord is really very near.

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center suddenly collapsed on 9/11, 2001. The most powerful and wealthy Babylon the Great in Revelation 18 would suddenly be gone "in one hour". All the power, wealth, and fame of this world would suddenly evaporate like bubbles, but the souls who were filled by those things might not suddenly be changed or emptied to make room and have appetite for the heavenly banquet.

Even if we don't see the Day of the Lord on this Hanukkah, it could still be very near and it can happen any minute.

Are we ready to enjoy love and fellowship and live happilly together with those Iraqis Christians who died in the US bombings? Those Rwandans Christians who were massacred like rats? Those un-educatd Mexican Christian migrant workers who held extremely low-pay jobs? Or those who were slaves and had been dispised by all?

Jesus would welcome them, live with them, and enjoy their friendship, would we?

Back to Index

Please e-mail Daniel Chou danttchou@yahoo.com your corrections, comments, and suggestions.
Thank you and may peace and grace from of our God the Father and Savior Lord Jesus be with you.

The End