The Prophetic significance of 22, Why God won't reveal the Rapture date, and How Christians Should Act

 

 

 I've done a lot of praying and reflecting over the Holidays, just talking with the Lord about things to come, why hasn't He taken us home yet, what He wants me to do, and how can I encourage His people? Several things came out of those discussions that I feel led to share here.

 

Don't go to men for God's wisdom:  Over the past five years, I've found myself running to and fro through you tube videos, sermons and blog posts, trying to find someone who could tell me when the rapture was going to happen. Many dates were predicted by many different theologians, dreamers, pastors, etc, that I couldn't help but pin my hope on, only to see each date slip away. Mind you, these journeys were not unproductive, for in the process, I learned much about the Scripture, the Hebrew language, typologies in the Bible stories, etc.. things I had never heard before in the thousands of sermons I've listened to. These men and women who search for the rapture are, for the most part, very Godly people (not all. you have to be careful) but they are people who have studied Scripture for years, who have a strong prayer life and walk with the Lord, and it's been my privilege to learn from them.  However, recently the Lord spoke clearly to me that I shouldn't be relying on men for a date, that it was pleasing to Him that I am learning about Him and Scripture, but that I needed to stop expecting any one person to know the rapture date. Only God knows the date, and there's a reason for that, probably many reasons, but one is that He is keeping it from our enemy. If Satan knew the exact day and hour of the rapture, he would enlist every demonic warrior he had to prevent as many as he could from making it. In fact, another thing the Lord told me is that He never gives a full understanding of any Biblical principal to any one person, but He gives each a small portion of knowledge and wisdom to share with the saints. That way, not only does this prevent us from worshiping one man, but it creates an atmosphere of cooperation among the saints to share and work together as the body of Christ.  

 

The Prophetic significance of the number 22.  No, this is not numerology. But it's important to understand that numbers have great meaning in Hebrew and in the Scripture. Each Hebrew letter is also a number and when you add up the numbers of each letter in a word, they form another number that also has meaning. In truth, it's so fascinating and incredibly complex, that only God could have written the Bible. Since we are fast approaching the year 2022, I looked up the meaning of 22. 

 

• There are 22 letters in the Hebrew Alphabet. The first letter is Aleph and the last letter is Tav The Beginning and the End as Jesus proclaimed He was. These 22 letters encompass the entire Word of God
  
•  ‎The 22 letters are like human DNA. Each cell has Twenty-two pairs of chromosomes, called autosomes, with an additional pair of sex chromosomes.  The sex chromosomes are the only difference between males and females. Females have XX, while males have XY. 
• David used an acrostic featuring all 22 Hebrew letters when he penned Psalm 119. Eight verses are devoted to each of the Hebrew letters to praise YHWH for His Torah, commandments, and precepts. It’s as if he were “counting the ways” of his love for YHWH and His WORD.
  
• On the negative side, it can picture something wholly wicked as the doubling of eleven (disorganization, doing what is right in your own eyes, anti-christ). Likewise, 22 can picture something highly prophetic or something divined by sorcery. Either way, positive or negative, sacred or profane, it involves WORDS. 
•  Other positive meanings: totality, creation, life, and order. Other negative meanings: disorder, destruction or break down, missing components, distress, banishment.
• The Gospel of John mentioned the word light 22 times, and the 22nd mentioning described Jesus as a light that entered the world. The last words of Jesus were the quote from Psalm 22
• The Bible is divided into 66 books, that's 22 x 3 (The Trinity)
• The Book of Revelation which is the divine prophecy of the End of Days has 22 Chapters, and the final chapter has 21 verses (no 22nd verse), yet these final verses are: 

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

 

Since our God is a God of numbers and meanings and codes as we find in the Bible, I'm thinking that 22 may possibly have great prophetic consequences as a time of  great light, order, life AND a time of great disorder, destruction, and wickedness. Not to mention that 22 is literally the "end" of the Hebrew Alphabet and Jesus described Himself as the Beginning and the end. So, as we drift into 2022, perhaps this will give us hope that this year will be the year we will see our Lord and King! 

Finally, How Christians Should Act. This is not a lecture on morals or fruits of the Spirit or not sinning, but rather an attitude I believe many Christians are lacking in these end times. WE HAVE ALREADY WON!  If we knew the future God has prepared for us, if we were able to get a millisecond glance of it, I think it would change ever one of our perspectives. NOTHING here on earth can touch us, nothing without God's permission. NOTHING. Did you hear that? Even though the evil seems to be raising fast around us, God has got us in the palm of His hand (And that includes the loved ones we are praying for!). Will we have to suffer a little before He comes? Quite possibly. Are we already suffering? Many of us are. But out of all the people on earth, we should be the happiest, most joyful, most peaceful, most hopeful of all!   We should be skipping through the last days of this life with exuberance and excitement at what is coming our way. However much longer we are here, weeks, months, or even years (I personally don't think we have years)... our time here is so brief. We are only here to glorify God and help save the lost. Yet, I meet so many believers who live in fear and depression over the state of the world. We have already won because of Jesus. God is with us! He will never leave us! We are protected, cherished, and dearly loved! Who cares if we end up homeless, tossed in a camp somewhere, lose our homes or jobs, or even become ill. Those are the worst things that can happen. Who cares? Our Lord will always provide, will always make a way for us to get through as long as we keep our eyes on Him.

 

Another note: The enemy can't touch you as long as you walk in the light. In fact, our enemy, including all his demonic hordes are afraid of you! When a Spirit-filled Christian walks into a room, every demon in that room shivers in fear. You need to remember that and walk in that authority. 

And then one day soon (and I mean soon) we will hear that Trumpet blast, hear Him call us by name, and we will be instantly changed and find ourselves on a cloud greeting one another with shouts of joy and finally falling at our Savior's feet. No more tears, hunger, pain, sorrow, worries, aging, sickness, hard word, sin. Can you imagine?  And then to live forever with Jesus in a paradise beyond our imagination? Come now, how much is that worth? A little suffering? 

 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:28