I was listening recently to the latest episode from the History Channel, The Nostradamus Effect, which compared various ancient sources regarding the "end of the world." I admit my dogmatic stance. I mean, once you know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west because of the rotation of the earth, what is wrong with being rigid and dogmatic?
To compare the quatrains Nostradamus to the prophetic passages of Scripture is absolutely unfair. How can one seriously liken the words of a mere mortal, probably under the influence of his own medicinal blend (Michel de Nostradame was an apothecary in the 16th century) to the words of the Almighty, Creator, God of the universe?
For example, the most recent episode emphasized the Biblical Doctrine of the Rapture while attempting to align Nostradamus' prophecy of the same....then, to top it off, they went to the Mayan Calendar to see if both prophecies lined up with the 2012 doomsday prediction.
First, the Mayan Calendar does not predict the end of the world as taking place on December 21, 2012. That is simply when the Mayan "Long Calendar" resets. The system lays out linear time by tracking seasonal cycles like the phases of the moon, orbit of the earth around the sun, and the orbital position of the solar system in the galaxy. That is all it does. It is not predictive in any way other than calculating cyclical events (and done with extreme accuracy for an ancient people!) It really is an amazing system, but it is not prophetic.
Nostradamus, on the other hand, recorded his predictions and published them in a book titled "The Prophecies." One particular prophecy has been labeled Nostradamus' Rapture prophecy and is found in Century 10, Quatrain 74 (like chapter and verse). Here is what Michel prophesied;
"The year seven of the great number accomplished, it will appear at the time of the games of hecatombe (slaughter), not far from the age of the great Millennium, when the dead will come out of their graves."
As you probably know, all of Michel de Nostradame's prophecies are hazy, abstract, and open to individual or frenzied interpretation. For instance, the lastest interpretation of Quatrain 74 describes the resurrection of the dead taking place in the 7th year from the great millennium (2000) during the hecatombe. The hecatombe occurred on the fourth day of the Olympic games when 100 cattle were slaughtered and barbecued as an offering to the gods. It was also the day in which the most violent sports were played, namely the Olympic version of the Ultimate Fighter. Therefore, as the interpretation goes, the Rapture would occur in 2007 during the World Olympic Wrestling Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan, which also corresponded to Rosh HaShannah, the Jewish feast of Trumpets.
The problem is no rapture happened in 2007 on Rosh HaShannah. (I was paying attention:) But lest we bash Nostradamus, several evangelical prognosticators have also made rapture predictions that did not pan out...i.e...Hal Lindsey and 1988. What do we learn? That you cannot interpret Nostradamus, nor is it wise to attempt to write something into the Biblical stream of prophecy. The fact is, Nostradamus' predictions are so hazy that interpretations must be forced in order to make any sense out of them at all. Not so with the Biblical predictions of the Rapture and the end times. They are spelled out clearly, although dating is highly inadvisable.
Here are clear Biblical Signs that clarify the season in which the end time events will occur.
Jeremiah 12:14-17... The nation God has plucked up because of wickedness will be reborn.
Ezekiel 36 ... in which Israel is reborn and the end time events are triggered.
Ezekiel 37, 38, 39....Israel is reborn and the Gog/Magog war occurs.
Daniel 12:1-12... Israel is reborn as Michael the Arch Angel is again placed in position to protect God's covenant people...terrible war will occur, then the dead will rise from their graves. hmmm
Joel 3:1... Israel is reborn then God will call the nations to account in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. (Armageddon)
Zechariah 8-14... Israel will be reborn, Israel's enemies will be judged, and then the King returns.
Notice the reoccurring theme.... ISRAEL WILL BE REBORN....then the rest of the end time prophecies will be fulfilled. BTW... that happened on May 14, 1948, with Jerusalem being retaken in 1967.
Regarding the RAPTURE of the Church....
1 Corinthians 15:50-15 declares that we will all be "changed" (made different) in the twinkling of an eye (shortest Greek measurement of time) in order to inherit the Kingdom of God. It would happen at the last trumpet...meaning it would be an actual event, not some hazy quantum leap.
1 Thessalonians 413-18... the Lord himself will descend with a cry of command, the shout of an arch angel, and the trumpet call of God. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive (in Christ) and remain will be caught up (harpazo = snatched away, gathered away) together with them (the now resurrected in Christ) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (Note to those who say the word "Rapture" is not in scripture; the Greek word harpazo is translated raptos in Latin, thus rapture in English. The Latin Vulgate specifically uses the term Rapture. We simply speak in English in our part of the world...)
Seems quite clear to me. The event that would trigger the season in which the rapture would take place is
The Rebirth of Israel
That means, the RAPTURE of the Bride of Christ, the Church of true believers, the household of God, the citizenry of the Kingdom, is imminent! ARE You ready? Or, are you a skeptic who prefers hazy sources in order to prevent conforming to the narrow parameters of scripture? You see, the Bible applies the same power of truth to redemption as it does to its 100% accuracy when it comes to prophecy. The Bible clearly states that the only way to the Father is through Jesus Christ. The Bible says that the road that leads to the Kingdom is narrow and few find it. The Bible says that the only entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven is by way of repentance from sin and a complete turning to Jesus as the only Redeemer, Savior, and Lord. The Bible says Jesus is coming soon. HE IS!
Jimmy Root Jr
Author: Distant Thunder Book One of the Lightning Chronicles
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