This Articles page is proud to serve up links to the house specialties that were on offer at Chez ALS back in the year 2022.
Each entry below contains a "hook" that suggests what the article deals with (an hors d'oeuvre), the first several paragraphs (an appetizer), plus a link to the full article (the main course). If you just want to scan over a list of the titles of all the articles on this site, you can save time by grabbin' a burger at the Article Index page. Bon appétit!
If you want to look for a specific topic, use the search function in the sidebar. Use the menu below to go to similar pages for previous years.
JAN '22: The 144,001
Some see the 144,000 surviving the entire Tribulation; in this article, however, I take a closer look not only at their fate, but also their prototype.
The 144,001
Not long ago, I received a couple of emails from a young gentleman whom I will refer to as C, and his emails were filled with what appeared to be copied or slightly reworked material taken from unidentified sources. I later determined that some the material closely resembled the writings of H.A. Ironside; but regardless of the source, it was great stuff. It dealt primarily with the book of Revelation, including the 24 elders, the 144,000, and so on.
I was delighted to see that the material supported the idea that the 24 elders represent the raptured Church, in heaven before the Tribulation begins. This is one of my personal hobby horses (see this and this), and I seldom miss an opportunity to enlighten other believers in this regard—if for no other reason than it puts a stone-cold stranglehold on the doctrine of the pre-tribulation Rapture like few other things I can think of.
As I said, some of the material also touched on the subject of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists that God seals in Revelation 7 who preach the gospel throughout the post-Rapture world. As far as the 144,000 are concerned, however, one thing in C's emails that got my attention was the fact that he was convinced that the 144,000 survive the entire Tribulation as a result of being sealed by God.
FEB '22: Indicator Light
In Paul's teaching on the Rapture, he told the Thessalonians to "comfort one another with these words." Well, looky who's in need of comfort now...
Indicator Light
As the world stumbles and careens down the rocky road toward the Tribulation, there is something that the people of the world increasingly ache for. And to an ever increasing degree, fail to find:
Comfort.
Sadly, born-again believers are not immune to such feelings. We all know how it feels to be in need of comfort and encouragement—of something to assuage the feelings of pain, grief, disappointment, frustration, uncertainty, and despair that we all grapple with from time to time, especially over the course of the last two turbulent years.
As I discussed in an article about two years ago, I am convinced that around the beginning of 2020, when the coronavirus first became a global issue, something in the world fundamentally changed. It's as if there was a distinct click—a slight jerk—and ever since then nothing has been the same. I wrote at the time that I believed the world had begun its ascent up the lift hill, just like a roller coaster at the very beginning of the ride. There is a slight jerk as the train begins to be pulled up a long, straight hill; and as soon as it is deposited over that first crest, the wild ride begins.
That "wild ride" is the Tribulation, and we're not quite there yet.
MAR '22: Gog and Beyond
With Russia suddenly flexing its muscles, a lot of prophetic buzz has been focused on Gog, Putin, and what lies ahead.
Gog and Beyond
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, there has been an uptick in apocalyptic buzz, both biblically informed and otherwise. Some, including a few mainstream media types, have begun to wonder aloud if WWIII has actually gotten underway.
As is normal these days, the only thing I am absolutely 100 percent certain of is that the mainstream media is not telling us the whole story (and applying the desired spin to most of what they are telling us). They have knocked themselves silly peddling the narrative that this is all about big bad evil Russia aggressively picking on poor little innocent Ukraine, with Vladimir Putin being cast as the evil villain and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (often spelled "Zelensky" in the Western press) as the heroic underdog, bravely standing up to the big bully.
And just as with the "secure, fraud-free" U.S. presidential election of 2020 and the "safe and effective" vaccines being pushed on everyone, God help you if you don't toe the line on this one.
APR '22: It's Still the Cross
The plandemic, election fraud, woke politics, our nation coming unraveled...so many narratives vie for our attention. But should these be our focus?
It's Still the Cross
This is one of those times when I had an entirely different topic in mind, and the Holy Spirit just slammed the door in my face. I just couldn't sit down and get started on it. As the days clicked by, it seemed as if it was just one thing after another. I couldn't get it going. It wouldn't come together...it just wouldn't gel.
I know from over 10 years of experience that when this happens, it's a signal that God has a different topic for me—He's just waiting for the right moment to lay it on me.
In this case, that "right moment" was a case of viral gastroenteritis.
At least that's what the doctor at a neighborhood clinic called it. He gave me three days' worth of pills and reassured me it wasn't anything serious—just enough to make me slow down to a crawl for a couple of days and stay within a stethoscope's throw of a bathroom.
MAY '22: Fireflies
My mother passed away recently, and I felt led to write about what she did best—build up other believers. Especially me.
Fireflies
You might say it's been quite a month for me and my family back in the States. My mother passed away suddenly, and it's been a whirlwind of emotions and activities ever since. She woke up the morning of May 11th in good health and in good spirits, but was home with the Lord by that evening (about three weeks shy of her 89th birthday, which would have been June 2).
As I understand it, the cause was related to internal bleeding in the stomach area, and both of my sisters were with her at the hospital throughout the entire ordeal. They told me she did suffer to some degree, but mercifully it was over in a matter of a few hours.
JUN '22: A Pattern With a Hole
A pattern surrounds the destruction of the First and Second Temples, and the same pattern unfolds in the end times...but there seems to be a hole in it.
A Pattern With a Hole
Recently, a reader named Kim sent me an email in which she speculated about the possibility of the Jewish day of mourning known as Tisha B'Av (the Ninth of Av) being connected with the Rapture. She seemed pretty excited about the idea, and she just wanted to get my response.
Although I had seen mention of the Ninth of Av in regard to the First and Second Temples before, I confess that I was only marginally aware of the significance of the date to the Jewish people and the gravity with which it is observed. And needless to say, I had certainly never made any connection between this Jewish day of mourning and the Rapture. But after reading Kim's email and giving it some thought (and feeling a few firm pokes from the Holy Spirit), the first word of my response was:
KA-BOOM!
JUL '22: The Good Years
Many are saying the Rapture will come in 2022. I hope they're right, but could God have given us some signs we're jumping the gun just a tad?
The Good Years
Last month I wrote about Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av—the day that both the First and Second Temples were destroyed. I laid out how there is a pattern surrounding both of these events that is in the process of being repeated in the end times, and that the Rapture—the removal of the temple of the Holy Spirit on earth—looks to be the event that fills the hole in that pattern this time around in lieu of the destruction of a literal, physical temple. And since both temples were destroyed on Tisha B'Av, it undeniably makes for a tantalizing connection between that day and the Rapture.
I really didn't mean to throw my hat into the ring of the current flurry of Rapture-date speculation for 2022, however, with Tisha B'Av coming right up on August 6–7. I made it clear in my article that if in fact the Rapture were to occur on Tisha B'Av, it could be Tisha B'Av of any year. I also tried to make it clear that the Rapture fills the hole in that pattern no matter what day it falls on—it's just that if it does happen to fall on the Ninth of Av, it would "dot the last 'i' and cross the last 't' of a pattern established by a God who doesn't do random," as well as be a spiritual earthquake for Israel.
If...if...if...
AUG '22: The Problem With Prophets
Some believe the miraculous sign gift of prophecy still exists today, and point to today's prophets to back it up. But do these people speak for God?
The Problem With Prophets
As I'm sure many of you know, there are people today who lay claim to the office of prophet. They call themselves prophets (or prophetesses), and come straight out and claim they are speaking for God: According to them, their messages are straight from God's mouth to their ears, and from their mouths to your ears. You see them cropping up on social media, where some have gained considerable followings of enthralled listeners who are convinced that every word they speak drips with prophetic import.
Of course, this is nothing new. This has been an issue since Old Testament days, and there is no shortage of Scripture pertaining to the subject of prophets and the gift of prophecy. Although I will be referring to a few Scriptures, this article is by no means an in-depth treatise on the subject of prophecy and prophets. It is only intended to be a fairly straightforward way of determining that today's self-proclaimed prophets do not speak for God and do not possess the biblical gift of prophecy.
And since there are people near and dear to me who follow some of these folks, I already know I'm going to upset a few people and step on a few toes in the process. That's OK—it's part of my job description.
SEP '22: The Tribulation Saints
There will be millions of born-again Gentiles on earth during the Tribulation. Some assume they are the Church, or part of the Church. But are they?
The Tribulation Saints
There is one group of people who are part of the end-time scenario that tends to pass under the eschatological radar in many ways. You've probably heard the term before, and if you've spent much time studying what the Bible teaches about the end times, you've probably been introduced to them.
They are not the Church. They are not part of the Church. They're not some slacker subdivision of the Church who needs to grind through the entire seven years of the Tribulation to get whipped into shape (sorry, all you partial-Rapturists out there, but I've written about this before and I can assure you that Scripture makes it crystal clear there ain't no such thing).
Neither are they the Jewish remnant, or Jewish people who come to faith in their true Messiah during the Tribulation. They are saved—they are washed in the blood of the Lamb and saved by grace through faith every bit as much as both the Church and the Jewish remnant, and will enjoy eternal life in heaven along with the rest of us. So who exactly are they?
They are Gentiles who come to faith in Christ after the Rapture.
OCT '22: The Valley of the Shadow of Death
The eclipses that cross America in 2017 and 2024 pass over a bunch of towns named Salem. Some think it means something, and I agree. But what?!
The Valley of the Shadow of Death
Several months ago I wrote an article concerning the interpretation of the seven years of plenty that preceded the seven years of famine back in the days of Joseph in Egypt (Gen. 41). While it is widely accepted that the seven years of famine foreshadow the Tribulation, the seven good years are seldom addressed. In that article, I discuss why I believe Joseph's seven good years foreshadow the last seven years of the Church Age and end with the Rapture.
I also discuss several items that make me inclined to believe the seven end-time "good years" kicked off in 2017 and will end in 2024—which makes 2024 a worthy candidate for the year of the Rapture in my humble opinion.
NOV '22: Anticipation
Believers who speculate about the time frame of the Rapture often catch a lot of flack—but are they just taking a page out of Israel's playbook?
Anticipation
If you're the kind of person who is inclined to visit websites like this, then I probably don't need to tell you that over the last few years there has been a tremendous increase in speculation about the Rapture and its timing. To say it has reached fever pitch is almost an understatement, and the time frames being put forth by various watchmen who are being obedient to the Holy Spirit and study such things are getting increasingly compressed.
You may also be aware that such watchmen get no small amount of flack from those in what could politely be referred to as mainstream Christianity, from those in denominations both inside and outside the Evangelical fold. At the first whiff of speculation concerning the timing of the Rapture (assuming they even acknowledge the existence of this event), they will wag their bony fingers in the offender's face and quote the scriptural mantra:
"No man knoweth the day or the hour...so put a sock in it!"
DEC '22: Two Groups—Two Returns
Scripture yields subtle clues that the Church and Israel are two distinct groups, to whom the Lord returns at two distinct times and in two distinct ways.
Two Groups—Two Returns
There are a number of denominations in the Church today—some of the most prominent ones, in fact—that embrace and espouse some variation of the idea that the Church has replaced Israel, or that the Church is the true Israel, or spiritual Israel, etc. This doctrine is commonly referred to as replacement theology, and also goes by the somewhat more respectable moniker of supersessionism—i.e. the Church has superseded or taken the place of Israel, which has been knocked from its pedestal as God's Chosen People, scratched from God's plan, and relegated to the trash heap of history.
In the first century—especially after the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70, the seeds of replacement theology began to take root and grow, planted by the writings of men such as Marcion of Sinope (AD 85–160). Marcion undertook a crusade to purge the early Church of what he saw as dangerous and heretical Jewish ideas and influences; and although some may have regarded him as a heretic, his ideas spread and found their way into the writings of some of the most respected early Church fathers. For example, those of Irenaeus in the late second century:
For inasmuch as the former [i.e. the Jews, which he previously mentioned] have rejected the Son of God, and cast Him out of the vineyard when they slew Him, God has justly rejected them, and given to the Gentiles outside the vineyard the fruits of its cultivation.
(emphasis & [comments] added)
— Irenaeus, Against Heresies (Book IV, chapter 36) [Source]
1. Adapted from Sunset Over Grass Field © AOosthuizen at Can Stock Photo
2. Butler With Tray © NewAfrica at Depositphotos
3. Adapted from Saint Paul MET DP295031 by Lippo Memmi (cropped, text added) [CC0 1.0]
4. Adapted from Glossy Red Circle Alarm Icon © alexwhite at Fotosearch
5. Gog by Greg Lauer (own work)
6. Jesus on the Cross © jgroup at Can Stock Photo
7. Fireflies in Night Time Forest Scene © Veneratio at Can Stock Photo
8. A Hole in the Pattern by Greg Lauer (own work)
9. Ancient Egypt Farm Work © gameover at Fotosearch
10. Adapted from Statue of Jesus Christ © kmiragaya at Adobe Stock
11. Adapted from Night Landscape With Lightning © rfcansole at Fotosearch
12. Adapted from 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (35909952653) © NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA [CC BY 2.0]
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13. Man with Arms Open under Starry Sky © FotoMaximum at Can Stock Photo
14. Adapted from 14a–14b:
14a. Yellow U-Turn Warning Sign © geargodz at Fotosearch
14b. Sunset with Clouds Glowing Red © Gudella at Fotosearch
Scripture Quotations:
All Scripture is taken from the World English Bible, unless specifically annotated as the King James Version (KJV) or the American King James Version (AKJV).