Psalms 8:1 and 16:2; add 31:1-3a and 123:1-2

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Revelation 16; the Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in verse 15:

Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

I thought, hallelujah, are you coming today? The Spirit quickly responded: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36). He followed up with, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13:33).

“I come as a thief” is not a reference to the rapture. It is used in connection with the “Day of the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 5:2) which includes the passing away of the heavens with a great noise and the elements of this creation melting with fervent heat, culminating in the earth and all its works being burned up (2 Peter 3:10). The Day of the Lord is announced by many specific signs and wonders (Matthew 24:15-22; etc.).

The rapture is not directly connected to any specific prophesied event, except one. In Matthew 24:14, Jesus said that before “the end” comes, described by Him as including the signs stipulated in verses 15-21, portending the Day of the Lord, this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world (Matthew 24:14). We only know the rapture will occur before the man of sin is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9; see verse 8). Therefore, it must occur before any of the timed prophecies Daniel gives us in Daniel 7-12.*

Along the still waters, I thought about these things. There is one element of the expression, “I come as a thief,” that is applicable to His coming for us (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52) and with us (Revelation 19:7-15). In either case, some will be surprised and unprepared (Matthew 24:50; Luke 12:46), and so being unprepared, they will be ashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28).

For this reason we are exhorted to “watch and pray,” and those present after we are caught away would also be wise to “watch and pray,” because Christ will come “as a thief.” For even if we were forewarned what hour the thief would break in, we would be foolish to be found not watching for His return. In our case, we “watch and pray” anticipating His return at any moment. For them, they will watch the timed prophecies unfold, watching for the day He returns with us to end the present kingdoms of man.

If the rapture does not occur until Christ’s return with us, all who believe now could legitimately say there is no need to “watch and pray” until the first prophecy that begins the time of the end is fulfilled. Because our LORD may come for us at any time, we are especially encouraged to live in constant expectation of His gathering us to be with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:17; see Philippians 3:20-21-4:5).

Do you live ready?

In the valley, kneeling in the shadow of His Cross, Jesus’ words called to me: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with today’s toil mixed with His sufficient grace. Goodness and mercy followed us into the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v7dq0mq-shepherds-pasture.html

[*Daniel is very precise regarding the number of days that pass from one key event to the next. For example, he tells us that from the time “little horn” (Antichrist) begins fulfilling his prophecy concerning the fourth kingdom (Daniel 7:7-8), there begins a period of exactly 2,300 days (Daniel 8:14). The word days translates the Hebrew expression erev be boker. This literally means evening and morning. It’s the same language used in Genesis: “the evening and the morning” to define a 24-hour period (Genesis 1). Another Hebrew word translated as “day” is yom. That one is sometimes used to speak of an extended period, in the way we sometimes use day to speak of an era (Daniel 2:28, 44; 4:34; 5:11; 7:9; see also Daniel 9:7, 15 for use of the word day to signify a time in history). Daniel tells us there will be 2300 twenty-four-hour days that will pass from the time little horn begins his prophecy to when he commits the signature event that Jesus called the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet (Matthew 24:15; Daniel 8:14). If we know that the event described in Daniel 7:7-8 begins a countdown to the prophetic event called the Abomination of Desolation (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7; Daniel 11:31; 12:11; see Matthew 24:15), then we know that the rapture takes place before that event. There are other timed prophecies in Daniel (Daniel 7:25; 12:7; 12:11-13). Verse 13 speaks of “the end of the days,” and in context, it marks the end of the period, or time of “the days.” We enter into the time of the days when little-horn subdues the fourth kingdom under his power. Since that event begins the period of “the days,” and Jesus repeatedly said no one knows the day of His return for us, the rapture occurs before the beginning of the “end of the days.” The period of the numbered days occurs in the “time of the end” (Daniel 8:17; 11:35).]