THE RAPTURE BEFORE THE PEACE TREATY

1-Tropical storm Chris could grow into hurricane 28 minutes ago. 2-Quake hits off New Zealand; too deep for tsunami, say officials 3-Moderate quake shakes western Mexico. 4-UN Rushes Emergency Aid to Tajikistan After Earthquakes Affect Thousand. 5-Suburban Cleveland County on Shaky Ground year. 6-Two More Earthquakes Hit Mount St. Helens.7- 1 yr after expulsion of 9,000 JEWS. 8-Eu Foreign ministers gather for crisis talks on mideast. 9-Syria does not rule out Israeli attack FM.10-Why do some LUKEWARMERS) teach the Church will endure the Tribulation? 11-Pope renews Mideast peace appeal

I wonder today if there will be a Major disaster somewhere in the world today, a year after Israelis were takin off their God givin land.

If there is a Major disaster I predict millions could be affected.

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Tropical storm Chris could grow into hurricane 28 minutes

MIAMI (Reuters) - The third tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season bore down on the Caribbean's northern Leeward Islands on Tuesday and could become a hurricane headed for the Gulf of Mexico later this week, U.S. forecasters said.

Storm warnings were posted for many of the small northeastern Caribbean islands and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico as Tropical Storm Chris maximum sustained winds strengthened to 60 miles per hour (97 km per hour), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.Chris was 45 miles north-northeast of Barbuda by 8 p.m. EDT (midnight GMT), and moving toward the west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph) -- a pace that would take it near or over the northernmost Leeward Islands overnight.

The Miami-based hurricane center warned that Chris could grow into a minimum-force hurricane in 72 hours as it neared the Florida Straits on a path that could take it into the Gulf of Mexico, where it could damage key U.S. oil and gas facilities.The waters of the Gulf are particularly warm, as they were last year when they helped hurricanes Katrina and Rita grow into monster storms before they slammed into the Louisiana and Texas coastlines. Hurricanes need warm water for fuel.The hurricane center said in a special discussion bulletin posted on its Web site that Chris's winds could reach 65 knots by Friday, just over the 64-knot, or 74 mph (119 kph) threshold at which tropical storms are classified as hurricanes.The storm's most likely path could take it north of the island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and just to the north of Cuba into the Florida Straits, the hurricane center said.

A tropical storm warning, telling residents to expect storm conditions within 24 hours, was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.The second storm of the season, Tropical Storm Beryl, skirted the North Carolina coast and blew over Nantucket Island and other northeastern tourist playgrounds in July.The first storm of what is expected to be a busy June to November hurricane season was Alberto, which moved ashore harmlessly in the Florida Panhandle in mid-June.Forecasters have predicted up to 17 tropical storms and hurricanes this year. Last year saw a record 28, including Katrina, the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

It devastated New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast and killed more than 1,300 people.(Additional reporting by Michael Christie and Tom Brown in Miami)

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Quake hits off New Zealand; too deep for tsunami, say officials

Wellington, Aug. 2 (AP): A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck under the sea off New Zealand's North Island on Wednesday, but was too deep to trigger a tsunami, officials said. The quake at 12:46 p.m. local time (O046 GMT) occurred at a depth of 320 kilometers(200 miles) 760 kilometers (475 miles) north of North Island's East Cape, seismological agency GNS Science reported. The Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management said the quake's magnitude was under the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's threshold of 6.5 for issuing a warning bulletin. New Zealand, which sits above an area where two tectonic plates are colliding, experiences more than 14,000 earthquakes a year. Some 150 are felt and fewer than 10 cause any damage.

Moderate quake shakes western Mexico Mon Jul 31, 7:18 PM ET

MEXICO CITY - An earthquake shook part of western Mexico on Monday, but there were no reports of injuries or damage. The 5.4-magnitude temblor struck shortly before 1:30 p.m. and was centered in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Michoacan state, 45 miles southeast of the port city of Manzanillo, according to the U.S. National Earthquake Center.Local authorities said the quake did not cause any damage but was strong enough to be felt in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city, 280 miles northwest of Mexico City.

UN Rushes Emergency Aid to Tajikistan After Earthquakes Affect Thousand

The United Nations is providing $20,000 in emergency assistance to Tajikistan after earthquakes hit two southern districts of the Central Asian country at the weekend, affecting around 9,000 people and damaging infrastructure in a region close to the border with Afghanistan.

Two earthquakes of magnitudes 5.3 and 5.4 hit areas of Kumsangir and Panj districts on Saturday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a news release, adding that damage to electricity and other key social infrastructure had been reported in a large part of Kumsangir. There was no information on casualties.Tajikistan's Government has requested assistance from the UN and wider international community and there is an immediate need for tents, blankets, mattresses, food, clothing, fuel, medication and other equipment. The $20,000 emergency cash grant aims address these urgent requirements.

The Government, working with the UN Development Programme (<"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/">UNDP) and the Tajik Red Crescent, began an initial assessment mission on Saturday. <"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA has also contacted the Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan to gather information on the impact of the two earthquakes in that country, adding that an initial Government assessment mission indicated that damage was limited and that emergency relief needs are covered.The Afghan Red Crescent, with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), will provide food and supplies to over 100 families, while the UN Children's Fund (<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (<"http://www.unhcr.org/cgibin/texis/vtx/news">UNHCR) will provide other assistance.

Source: United Nations,judythpiazza@gmail.com,© 2006, NewsBlaze, Daily News

Suburban Cleveland County on Shaky Ground,By THOMAS J. SHEERAN
The Associated Press,Wednesday, August 2, 2006; 3:34 AM

MENTOR, Ohio -- A corner of suburban Cleveland has become the earthquake capital of Ohio, shaking on average every two weeks since New Year's Day and making people wonder: What's next?

The quakes haven't caused any serious problems, and sometimes even go unnoticed. Experts aren't sure why they are happening now, but they do know they are happening frequently: 12 were recorded in the area by July 1.The earthquakes have been small, measuring from magnitude 2.0 to 3.8. By comparison, the deadly quake that hit the Northridge area of Los Angeles in 1994 was a 6.7 magnitude.

Though they are happening often now, earthquakes aren't uncommon in the region. Lake County has been the site for 14 of the 20 earthquakes recorded in the state in the past two years. The quakes result from a fault, or crack, that is under pressure, one of a number of faults in Ohio, most of which are under the sedimentary bedrock.

Two More Earthquakes Hit Mount St. Helens
Sixth 3.1+ Quake Since Tuesday

MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. -- Two earthquakes registered Monday near Mount St. Helens.The first quake, magnitude 3.6 and classified as minor, hit at 2:34 a.m. A second quake shook the mountain at 9:44 a.m., registering 3.5.The shallow quakes were accompanied by rockfall from the lava dome.According the U.S. Geological Survey, six temblors magnitude 3.1 or higher have been recorded since Tuesday. Visit the USGS Web site for more details.A minor eruption has been under way at Mount St. Helens for nearly two years, with new rock pushing into the crater. Officials believe that there is little danger and allowed climbing to resume earlier this month.

One-Year Anniversary of Expulsion of 9,000 Jews
By Hillel Fendel(INN)

Mourning, longing and hope: Though for many expellees remembering it is difficult, events are being held this week to commemorate one year to the forced expulsion of 9,000 Jews by Ariel Sharon. A full roster of events is scheduled for Tuesday in Jerusalem.The first event was held this morning (Tuesday) at 8 AM near Kibbutz Kisufim, along the route leading into the Gush Katif area of Gaza.

The event, orchestrated by the youth of Gush Katif, featured the near-completion of a Gush Katif Torah Scroll, which will be brought to Jerusalem and deposited later today at the Western Wall - until its restoration to Gush Katif at the proper time.One of the main themes of today's events is Nashuv L'chol Yishuv. We Will Return to Every Community (theme sticker pictured above), along the lines of Next Year in Jerusalem.Between 10:30 and 16:00 in Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center in Jerusalem, a potpourri of lectures, panel discussions, films, personal stories, plays and photo/art exhibitions will be held for the public at large. At least five of the above will be held at any given hour. Many thousands are expected to show up; entrance is free.

Beginning at 3:30 PM, Gush Katif supporters will convene in Independence Park in downtown Jerusalem, with the participation of mayors from newly-besieged areas in northern and southern Israel. An exhibit of 35 years of Gush Katif and the 21 uprooted communities, featuring achievements in settlement, agriculture, Torah, arts, education and more, will be on display. Prominently featured will be the struggle for Gush Katif, the expulsion itself, and the following year of wandering and planning the new communities. The four destroyed northern Shomron communities of Sa-Nur, Chomesh, Ganim and Kadim will also be featured.

The Gush Katif Torah Scroll will be completed and then marched down towards the Western Wall.At the Western Wall, a massive prayer service will be held, beginning with the Mincha prayer and continuing with special Psalms. Former Chief Rabbis Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliyahu will take part. Egged bus lines will be added to the regular schedule to and from the Kotel (Western Wall).

Two Gush Katif films can be seen here: www.katifund.org/english/. The organizers hope to add more films in the future.Lior Kalfa, Chairman of the Gush Katif Communities Council, said at a press conference yesterday, Despite the war in the north, the memorial events will take place as scheduled; anniversary dates are not made-to-order... Though we had very strong feelings against the army because of its part in our expulsion, today, in real-time, we stand to the right of our brave soldiers, and the Kotel prayers will be dedicated, inter alia, to the success of our forces in the north and south, and to the return of our captives.Kalfa said that the goal of today's events would not be to tell the public which is beginning to realize the truth, We told you so.' We have no interest in rubbing salt in anyone's wounds. Instead, we wish to share with the public the beauty, the vitality and the values that characterized our life enterprise that is now destroyed.

Kalfa continued,

[Hizbullah leader Sheikh] Nasrallah compared Israel to a spider web that collapses into nothing. We know that he is soon to see how wrong he was. Our nation is much stronger than he thinks. Look for example at the resilience of the Gush Katif communities, which even after being thrown out of their homes have not fallen apart or lowered their heads, but rather are continuing to build and perpetuating the pioneering spirit of Zionism.

Look for instance at the heroism of our soldiers, and the Israeli homefront which is willing to suffer in order to allow the army to win. Even 2,000 years of exile have not broken our ancient people. Yes, we are commemorating the destruction of what we built, but we are also commemorating the spirit that does not cease beating within us and that will give life to our new communities as well.Many of the Gush Katif communities will hold their own memorial ceremonies in the coming days. A Hebrew list can be found at www.4katif.org.il/new/yom-shana-yisuvi.asp.

Commemorative events will be held in the United States as well, with a central ceremony taking place Tuesday evening in New York City. The event will take place at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, 5 E. 62nd Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues, from 8-10 PM. A film, along with educational material prepared by the Gush Katif Committee, will be on the program, along with a roster of distinguished guest speakers from Israel and from the New York community.Other events will be held in Silver Spring, Baltimore, Los Angeles, France, Norway and elsewhere. See www.katifund.org/english/Article.aspx?Item=88&Sectionfiltered=88 for details.

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.(THIS EU POLITICIAN COMES FROM THE OCCULT)
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

DANIEL 7:7-8,23-24
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

REVELATION 13:1-2
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

REVELATION 17:3,7,9-13
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

EU foreign ministers gather for crisis talks on Middle East
01.08.2006 - 09:17 CET | By Honor Mahony(Eu Observer)

EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels today for crisis talks on the Middle East following almost three weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.Member states will try and use the meeting to present a unified front on the conflict which has thrown up deep divisions around the call for an end to the violence.

The UK, particularly, has been backing Washington's stance in refusing to call for an immediate ceasefire instead backing wording that says sustainable ceasefire a wording battle that is also being played out at the UN.Critics of Washington and London's position says it is effectively allowing Israel to continue bombing
Hezbollah.

Germany has also not called for an immediate ceasefire, despite rising domestic pressure.The majority of member states, however, wants today's meeting to result in a call for an immediate ceasefire.If the EU cannot function and take a kind of leadership one can say goodbye to the union's influence for a very long time, said Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja, currently heading the EU, on the eve of the meeting. Political leaders in the European Parliament are also coming together again today for an extraordinary meeting to press member states to speak with one voice on the issue – they met two weeks ago and called for an immediate ceasefire.

Troops

Meanwhile, foreign ministers are also set to discuss the possibility of sending troops to the region as part of a UN mission but this would only occur if there was a ceasefire.Irish defence minister Willie O'Dea said his country could send up to 200 soldiers to Lebanon but only if conditions were right, while Italian foreign minister Massimo d'Alema said in a climate like this, nobody would send their own soldiers.France, Spain and Sweden are also considering sending soldiers but Germany and the Netherlands have indicated their troops are too stretched to consider participating in a peace-keeping force on the Israeli-Lebanon border.

The meeting will also discuss humanitarian aid to the region and how to safely evacuate refugees.Last week the EU pledged €11 million to help citizens from poorer countries leave Lebanon; this came on top of the €20 million promised to Lebanese caught up in the conflict.

The European Commission has also asked member states to release a further €30 million in aid.

EZEKIEL 38:1-12
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY)of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

PSALMS 83:3-7
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines(PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)

Syria does not rule out Israeli attack: FM
(AFP) 1 August 2006

DOHA -Syria said Tuesday that it does not rule out coming under attack as Israel presses its three-week-old offensive against Lebanon with US backing.The Israeli assault against its northern neighbour comes as part of a premeditated plan and a political agenda agreed by the United States, Israel and some other regional parties,Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told reporters after talks with Qatari officials in Doha.Those parties (will) try to achieve this agenda either by widening the Israeli aggression to include Syria or by imposing resolutions serving Israeli interests through the UN Security Council, he said.This possibility exists, and Syria has to be wary of these hidden intentions, Muallem said.

There is an intention to widen the aggression to include Syria, he added.Muallem, who met Monday with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani, made his remarks one day after Syrian President Bashar al Assad ordered his forces to step up their readiness.

Israel launched a devastating offensive against Lebanon following the July 12 capture by Shiite Hezbollah militants of two Israeli soldiers in a deadly cross border raid.Syria, the former power broker in Lebanon, has come under fire from both Israel and the United States over its support for Hezbollah although Israel has said it does not want to widen the conflict.Muallem dismissed as an Israeli fabrication reports that a bomb had targeted an Israeli patrol in the occupied Golan Heights on Monday.

The Syrian foreign minister did not identify the “regional parties” whom he said were in agreement with Israel and the United States.He said he had delivered a
message from Assad to the Qatari emir about the Lebanon conflict.Qatar is currently the only Arab country represented on the UN Security Council.

HERE YOU GO LUKEWARM INDIVIDUALS AND CHURCHES WHO DENY THE PRE TRIB RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH.

REVELATION 3:14-17,22
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Why Do Some Teach that the Church will Endure the Tribulation?
From TRIUMPHANT RETURN,by Grant R. Jeffrey

Several incorrect premises have caused some to reject the pretribulation Rapture and accept the position called the postribulation Rapture. The first premise is an emotional contention that it would be unfair for the modern Church to escape to heaven scot free to escape the martyrdom that other believers have experienced. While it is easy to understand such an emotion, it would be wrong to deny the doctrine of the pretribulation Rapture on this basis alone.

The reality is that while many Christians have endured tremendous persecutions and tribulations, untold millions of believers have lived out their lives in times of peace. Furthermore, all of those Christians who died in either peace or persecution throughout history have already escaped the Great Tribulation.

An underlying attitude of many critics is their inorrect and unscriptural belief that the Church will somehow be purified by enduring the wrath of the Antichrist. However, the Scriptures declare that we are purified solely by the completed work of Christ on the Cross. If the Lord delays His return much longer, the rising tide of persecution of Christians affect the Church across the world. However, this will not constitute the Tribulation period which will be characterized by the wrath of God poured out from heaven on the unrepentant sinners during the final seven years of this age.

Some critics have claimed that those who teach the hope of the pretribulation rapture are leaving Christians unprepared for the possibility of the coming persecution of the Tribulation period.

However, in thirty-five years of teaching Bible prophecy, I have not witnessed pretribulation Rapture teachers instructing Christians that they are immune from end-time persecution. The prophecy teachers, myself included, who believe God promises that Christians will escape wrath of God in the Tribulation often warn believers that persecution is coming, even in North America, if the Lord tarries much longer. However, the postribulation Rapture position can rob the Church of her blessed hope.

Jesus promised, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10).

The second and more important reason why some are teaching that the Church will be present during this terrible time is the failure to distinguish between God's plan for Israel and His plan for the Church, especially in the prophecy revealed by Christ in Matthew 24. They often acknowledge that there is strong biblical evidence for a pretribulation Rapture; however, they inevitably come back to their interpretation of Matthew 24, which seems to indicate that the Rapture follows the events of the Great Tribulation.

In the passage in Matthew 24, Christ is on the Temple Mount explaining to His Jewish disciples the events that will occur in Israel and in other nations that will lead to the return of Christ as their Jewish Messiah. The disciples' question that Jesus was answering concerned the coming of Israel's long-promised Kingdom, not the coming of Christ for His Church (which they did not even know about). It is easy to forget that, at this point, before the crucifixion of our Lord and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, there was no such thing as a Christian Church. If you had told one of the disciples during the week before Christ's crucifixion that someday there would be an organization based on Christ's teachings, called the Church, and that 99 percent of its members would be uncircumcised Gentiles who would follow neither Jewish law nor offer Temple sacrifices, he would probably have fallen off his
chair in shock and disbelief.

One of the classic mistakes in interpretation is to take this conversation between Christ and His Jewish disciples concerning the messianic kingdom and read back into it the reality of the Christian Church which did not come into existence until the Jews rejected Christ and God breathed life into His Body of believers.

Since Christ does not mention the Church to His disciples in this conversation, the plain interpretation is that Israel is the primary focus of the Prophecy of Matthew 24. Matthew 24 speaks of the Great Tribulation, and beginning at verse 15, Christ states that the Antichrist will set up the abomination of desolation (a supernatural statue of the Antichrist) to be worshiped in the Temple. In verses 40 and 41, Jesus says, Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. A vital question for students of the Bible is the identity of these people who shall be taken. Does this prophecy refer to the Church or does it reveal God's plans for the Tribulation saint who become believers after the Rapture?

This chapter tells us that at the end of the Great Tribulation, God will send His angels and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (verse 31). These elect are the people who become believers during the Great Tribulation of three and one-half years. This gathering together is not the Rapture. This gathering of Tribulation believers takes place at the end of the Tribulation, whereas the Rapture of the Church occurs sometime prior to the beginning of the Great Tribulation when Antichrist sets himself up as God in the Temple. Notice that the angels gather the elect (verse 31), whereas, at the time of the Rapture, The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16--17).

This gathering of the elect Tribulation saints will occur at the conclusion of three and one-half years --- a period of time for which there are the most detailed prophecies found in the Bible.

The Bible describes many Tribulation events that must occur prior to the gathering of the Tribulation saints and thus, it cannot be correctly described as imminent.

These facts have caused many scholars to believe that this gathering is, therefore, a different event than the Rapture of the Church. However, when we turn our attention to the coming of Christ for His Church, we find that there are no
warnings or signals given to indicate the time of the Rapture. The Rapture can literally occur at any time.

The third reason postribulationist writers have attacked the pretribulation Rapture doctrine by claiming that it cannot be true because no Church writer or Reformer ever taught this doctrine until approximately 170 years ago until it was introduced by John Darby, a Plymouth Brethren. Their argument that no one ever saw this truth throughout eighteen hundred years of Church history has been very effective, causing many Christians to abandon their belief in the pretribulation Rapture. The only problem is that their assertion that no one in the early Church taught the pretribulation Rapture has been found to be incorrect.

Obviously the truth about the time of the Rapture can be found only in Scripture. The Protestant Reformation was based essentially on this return to the authority of the Bible. The Latin phrase sola Scriptura, meaning Scripture alone became the rallying cry of the Reformers who ignored centuries of tradition and church councils in their insistence that truth could only be discovered in the Word of God.

While the resolution of this issue must be based on our interpretation of Scripture, it is important to answer the errors of our opponents, who disparage the blessed hope of the Rapture with misinformation about the modern rediscovery of the truth about the pretribulation Rapture.A Discovery that the Pretribulation Rapture Was Taught in the Early Church.During the summer of 1994, after more than a decade of searching, I discovered several fascinating manuscripts that contain clear evidence of the teaching of the pre-tribulation rapture in the early church.

Ephraem's Teaching on the Pretribulation Rapture

For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins. (On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World, by Ephraem the Syrian, A.D. 373)

The early Christian writer and poet, Ephraem the Syrian, (A.D. 306 - 373) was a major theologian of the early Byzantine Eastern Church. He was born near Nisbis, in the Roman province of Syria, near present-day Edessa, Turkey. Ephraem's fascinating
teaching on the Antichrist has never been published in English until I wrote FINAL WARNING in 1995.

Some scholars suggested that this manuscript was written several centuries later (5th or 6th century) but definitely before the birth of Islam in 622. However William Bousset, one of the greatest scholars on ancient eschatology, concluded in his book The Antichrist Legend that it was written by Ephraem the Syrian before A.D. 373.1 Andrew R. Anderson wrote in his book Alexander's Gate that he accepted the early date as being valid.2

This critically important prophecy manuscript from the fourth century of the Church era reveals a very clear statement about the pretribulational return of Christ to take His elect saints home to heaven to escape the coming Tribulation. For additional details read the article Examining an ancient Pre-tribulation Rapture statement on this web site.

1. William Bousset, The Antichrist Legend, trans. A. H. Keane (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1896)

2. Andrew R. Anderson, Alexander's Gate: Gog and Magog and the Enclosed Nations. Monographs of the Mediaeval Academy of

America, no. 5. (Cambridge, MA.: Mediaeval Academy of America, 1932)

Pope renews Mideast peace appeal
Calls for immediate ceasefire and laments childrens' deaths

(ANSA) - Vatican City, August 2 - Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday renewed his call for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, saying that nothing could justify the spilling of innocent blood.Addressing a crowd-packed St. Peter's Square at the end of his midweek audience, the pope said that "our eyes are full of horrifying images of the mangled bodies of so many people, particularly children.The 79-year-old pontiff specifically referred to an Israeli air strike against the Lebanese town of Qana on Sunday which killed at least 54 civilians including 37 children .

I would like to repeat that nothing, anywhere can justify the spilling of innocent blood,the pope continued .With an anguished heart, I renew a pressing appeal for all hostilities and violence to be halted,he said, urging the international community to work on a definitive political solution to the crisis .The pope said he would continue to pray for the dear and tortured region of the Middle East.

It was the pope's third appeal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah .Last month, he condemned the war, saying that history had shown no good would come of such conflicts .The 22-day-old conflict was triggered by a deadly Hezbollah incursion into Israeli territory on July 12 when guerrillas belonging to the group killed eight Israeli soldiers and captured two others .International calls for
an end to hostilities grew after Israel's bombing of Qana and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert subsequently agreed to suspend aerial attacks against Lebanon for 48 hours. But Olmert also said Israel needed 10-14 more days to continue its military offensive against Hezbollah, which is based in southern Lebanon and is backed by Iran and Syria .

The Israeli leader said on Wednesday that Israel would continue its offensive in southern Lebanon until the arrival of a strong international buffer force, arguing that a truce would give Hezbollah a chance to regroup .Hezbollah guerrillas and some 6,000 Israeli troops were meanwhile battling each other on five fronts in southern Lebanon while Hezbollah rockets pounded northern Israel .So far, at least 645 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 50 in Israel .Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema argued last week that it was necessary to involve Iran and Syria which Israel accuses of inciting the kidnappings and attacks on its cities from southern Lebanon in peace negotiations to break the negative spiral.Last week, D'Alema presided with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over a conference on Lebanon in Rome.

The summit brought together ministers from 13 countries (Italy, the US, Lebanon, Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Russia, Finland, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey) plus representatives from the UN, the World Bank and the European Union. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was present along with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. But neither Israel nor Hezbollah representatives attended, and nor did Syria and Iran .In their final statement, the diplomats pledged to do their best to help achieve a lasting, permanent and sustainable ceasefire but stopped short of calling for an immediate truce, leading critics to brand it a failure .On Tuesday, the EU called for an urgent truce to be followed by a sustainable ceasefire, toning down demands for an immediate ceasefire at the insistence of Britain and other US allies .Meanwhile, Rice repeated her prediction that a ceasefire could be secured within the week .© ANSA.