©November 30, 2012 Revive Israel Ministries

Two Things from II Thessalonians Two

By Asher Intrater

The Second Coming of Yeshua is mentioned twice in II Thessalonians 2 (verses 1 and 8). The "day" of the 2nd Coming is referred to as "the day of the Lord" (verse 2) or "that Day" (verse 3). This expression "day of the Lord" is equivalent to the "day of YHVH" which appears throughout the Prophets.

One thing that will happen at the coming of Yeshua is what is commonly called the "Rapture," here referred to as "our being gathered unto Him."

II Thessalonians 2:1
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering unto Him…

The 2nd Coming of Yeshua and the Rapture happen on the same day.  Another thing that happens on that day is the destruction of the "anti-Christ," referred to as "the man of sin, the son of perdition" (verse 2) and "the lawless one" (verse 8).

II Thessalonians 2:8
The lawless one… whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

In these two references to the 2nd Coming, we note that on that day we are raptured to Yeshua (verse 1) and the anti-Christ is killed (verse 8).  We are raptured to the Lord at the same time that He destroys the anti-Christ. Not before!

If we are raptured at the time the anti-Christ is destroyed, then the Rapture cannot be "Pre-tribulation" or "Mid-tribulation."  Yeshua destroys the anti-Christ when He comes, marking the end of the tribulation -- at which time we are also gathered unto Him.  

The critical issue here is not the theoretical aspects of end times' chronology, but the very practical question of whether the Body of Messiah will be prepared to stand victorious in the difficulties of the end times. If we are taught that we will not be here during the tribulation, then we will not be prepared.  This error is so damaging that Paul refers to it as one of the primary "deceptions" of the end times.

II Thessalonians 2:3
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed…

The "falling away (apostasy)" and the "revealing of the man of sin (anti-Christ)" are central events of the tribulation. Paul says it is a dangerous deception to think that the rapture will come before these events.  We are to prepare for spiritual battle; stand in the truth of the word of God, victorious by faith in the midst of trials and tribulations.

Joel Jelski

On Thursday, November 29th, about 150 youth and young adults gathered in the heart of Jerusalem for a concentrated time of prayer, worship, and intercession. Asher Intrater gave a brief but inspiring message about Jerusalem and the return of Yeshua to His city. Two young and gifted leaders- David and Chaim- led us in times of worship and prayer.

The 29th of November is a day of historic importance to the people of Israel: on that date in 1947, the UN voted to recognize Israel as a legitimate state. It is not a coincidence that 65 years later, the UN chose this date to recognize Palestine as a legitimate state. At the very same time, God was using us to release worship and intercession into the spiritual warfare happening on this day. 

In planning this evening, we were forced to postpone the event to the 29th, not realizing the significance. We also felt strongly that our focus was to be on Mathew 23 and Jerusalem. One of the best parts was praying for revival and for God to pour out his spirit in the West Bank and Gaza. Although the enemy plans one thing, God has better things in mind. We believe we moved the heavens and touched God's heart today. 

It is surprising…

That there was such little reaction in Israel to the recent UN vote.

That the celebrations among the Palestinians were poorly attended.

That President Abbas chose a speech that was such a vicious lying attack against Israel instead of a statesmanlike peace-offering one.

That after such venomous propaganda he received a standing ovation at the UN.

That Israeli Ambassador Prosor gave such a calm and factual response.

That once again only Israel speaks of biblical values and historical facts before the General Assembly of the United Nations.

During the 8 days of the recent military conflict between Israel and Gaza, there were a reported forty-four million (44,000,000!) hacker attacks on Israeli government web-sites (Cohen/Eichner; Y-Net).

By Advocate Caleb Myers

It is worth seeing this 4-minute video concerning the misuse of international donations by the Palestinian Authority. Click here.

By Reverend-Vicar Cameron Collington

Join us in England as we pray for the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, Right Reverend, Justin Welby.  His position is significant as he is not only head of the Church of England, but also the spiritual head of 80 million Anglicans worldwide.  He has asked for prayer for wisdom as he enters this new role. There are threats to the unity of Anglicans posed by disagreements over women bishops and gay marriages.

Welby is a man who loves the Lord and holds to the truth of scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Interestingly, it has been revealed that his late father was Jewish.  Although this was largely kept quiet from the young Welby as he grew up, we pray that God would use this to further elucidate to him the significance of Israel for world revival, and that, for the sake of the Church, the new archbishop would help steer it towards better understanding of the unfailing covenantal love of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.