Book excerpt

Published by L&R Hartley, PUBLISHERS, 2007

Chapter One: The Second Coming of the Lord is History

Had I grown up in our Brooklyn neighborhood perhaps I would have been a better Jew. We moved out to the suburbs with its greenery, upward mobility and American confidence. Ronald Reagan was telling us that progress is our most important product.

In such contrast with old world Judaism having tagged along across Europe, over the ocean and into the midst of another gentile culture. Confusing as a youngster to fathom this anachronism overlaid upon this new world. There in New York harbor is the Statue of Liberty proclaiming this New Heaven and New Earth. Yes, certainly, but not as yet. Not for a long time.

"Naeem" is the word in Hebrew for those years of calm in blessed America as we lived our advantages and viewed the outside world. So "held back" they appeared then and also now. It did not make any sense, this snafu of Jewish belief and ritual amidst the enlightenment. Many of us merely ignored it as we traversed our school years, competitive sports, kissing parties and summer vacations. Into early adulthood, others attempted escape from Jewish prison, assimilation by intermarriage or even into Jews For Jesus. A smaller number were somehow funneled to a connection with the National Resurrection in the State of Israel.

It did not make any sense, these goys having such grace alongside their darker side of prejudice, alcohol, violence and Romans eleven high-mindedness("Be not high-minded, but fear"). Some of my wonderful childhood friends, they completed their catechism homework and then we played baseball or cops and robbers. Well, one day they start fooling around with another game. I was the "makey" this time. I pretended not to understand but after we again moved up and out I never looked back their way.

Another time on Halloween a fellow trick-or-treater says to me "let's not go to that house, won't get much from cheap Jews". That got my adolescent gander up and I belted him one square on the schnaz. Later that evening our doorbell rang. There was that kid direct from the hospital bandaged up with a broken nose. His father was with him. They both apologized as I peeked down from our split-level staircase. Have to admire that.

That was all about the time that the Dodgers left Brooklyn. For progress, money and a "better future". I did not know that there was anything better than the Brooklyn Dodgers in Ebbets Field, Jackie Robinson handling a hot one at third base. Even then as a youngster I could sense the intrigue. This bold American way understood by living the powerful blend of tremendous freedom and its twin requirement, individual responsibility. America's worldly greatness and goodness is obvious and proved. Her spiritual destiny is another great saga, but a full half wavelength apart. If only America and God were synonymous, I lament 50 years later. How our jealous God brings down those great ones!

I admit that when I was in the synagogue, there was a comfort and even a truth. In high school and college, athletic talents had me pole vaulting my way towards it. What I found out later was that the way up is down. Humility! While working on Wall Street I could not take it any more. This pursuit of God knows what. My bosses complained that I was not motivated by conventional rewards. During one of the inevitable bear markets, my yuppie days were over. This failure was like getting hit by a truck and I went to Israel for recuperation just after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

One digression to a week in March, 1963. A controversial evangelist from the Midwest, William Marrion Branham, was preaching the Seven Seals of Revelation. Many know of this but most do not. Certainly most do not or can not come to grips with what the Christian Bible says. Yes, the meaning is hidden, written in verse and between the lines, for "eyes only". In March, 1963 when the Seven Seals were opened and spoken by Mr. Branham, the God-man Lamb Jesus took the Book and came off His Throne of Mercy. "The Lion of the tribe of Judah, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof"..... a Lamb as it had been slain.....And He came forth and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne."

Please, nothing physical about this. Nevertheless, the outcome of these heavenly occurrences is that gentile time ended, gentile mercy ended. Lamb to lion, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. "For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler".(I Chron. 5:2) One can grapple with all this in the Book of Revelation.

Let's get some background out of the way. It is all in the Christian Bible. A summary of the Seven Church Ages:

1. Ephesus(53A.D.-170A.D.)- Paul was the Messenger. They left their first love which was Pentecost, meaning the Holy Spirit in power and demonstrations as described in Acts. They left that for formality and hierarchy.

2. Smyrna(170-312)- Ireneus was the Messenger. The Nicolaitans(clergy) "conquers the laity"(regular folk). God hates this. Also within are false Jews (not authentic Believers) who are of Satan.

3. Pergamous(312-606)- Martin was the Messenger. The have the doctrine of Balaam, means in Hebrew "owners". The false clergy have taken full hold.

4. Thyatira(606-1520)- Columba was the Messenger. They have become very "works" oriented. Faith and belief are secondary. More important are religious requirements like confession to the priest and paying money for forgiveness. They were also pulled away into idol worship practices. The dark ages.

5. Sardis(1520-1750)- Luther was the Messenger. The low point, the dead point of the dark ages until Luther's faith over works revived the church.

6. Philadelphia(1750-1906)- Wesley was the Messenger. Message of sanctification, brotherly love and missionary work. Jesus identifies Himself as the Door to go through. Jesus = Word is the Path, not church and not clergy.

7. Loadicea(1906-1963)- Branham was the Messenger. The last revival was the Azusa Street revival of 1906 into the Pentecostal denomination. Nothing after that for the nominal church. They became lukewarm and God spewed them out.

Read it in the Christian Bible. Greater depth later, a summary of the Seven Seals:

1. The First Seal, The White Horse Rider- The early church, very innocent. He has a bow but no arrows. Come on in, we love each other here. Join our organization. This begins in the first church age, Ephesus. They were in the process of leaving their first love and moving on into formality, hierarchy and domination of souls. The White Horse Rider is Satan.

2. The Second Seal, The Red Horse Rider- Now he has arrows for his bow. Not so innocent any more. He kills those who do not believe as he does. This is the early church into the crusades and the reformation. Bloody death is Satan on his red horse.

3. The Third Seal, The Black Horse Rider- The darkness of the middle ages. Satan now is on a black horse. Church doctrine has blocked out most of the Light. Balances in his hand- tit for tat. Pay up for one's Spiritual Food. However, those with oil(Holy Spirit) and wine (Revelation) can not be seduced.

4. The Fourth Seal, The Pale Horse Rider- Yep, there he is again now on a horse mixing the white, red and black. Satan is now on his pale horse. His name is death. Same today as he continues on his pale horse until the very end. The pale horse rider is into today. One observes religious organizations today- some the white of false innocence, some red ready to kill, some in the darkness of a truth famine, most in some kind of a mix of these.

5. The Fifth Seal- All Elect Jews since Jesus from the long church ages including the Holocaust Jews of World War II and those who die today for Israel or their Jewish beliefs. They are all slain for their Jewish testimony and are given(not earned) White Robes. They wait awhile until their fellowservants are killed in like manner. We are these fellowservants, the 144,000 here in Israel during the Time of Jacob's Trouble and beyond.

6. The Sixth Seal- The Judgment Seal. There are seven distinct events: a great earthquake; the sun black; the moon red; stars fall to earth; heaven departed as a scroll; mountains and islands moved; men try to hide from the devastation and wish for death rather than face the wrath of the Lamb. Some of these are physical while others are spiritual in fulfillment. The sixth and seventh seals are intertwined, overlap in time.

7. The Seventh Seal- The Coming of the Lord. According to the Christian Bible there was silence in heaven about(approximately) one-half hour. Using one week = seven years of thirty day months(one of the Biblical time formulas) we get one-half hour = approximately seven to eight days. These Seven Seals were spoken or preached from March 17, 1963 to March 24, 1963. There was silence in heaven during this time, so awed was the heavenly host at the significance of this event. The Seventh Seal hushed heaven for "1/2 hour" corresponding to seven-eight days in March, 1963 when these Seven Seals were broken or revealed by God Himself:

1 week = 7 years(360 days per year)

1 day = 1 year

24 hours = 360 days

1/2 hour = 7.5 days

The Christian First Coming of the Lord, rejected and sentenced by a Roman/Israeli court, was defaulted to the gentiles. This First Coming was not hidden, plenty of proof and eyewitnesses. "He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once". In stark contrast, the Second Coming of the Lord in 1963 was close to a total secret. For nearly 2000 years during the seven church ages which preceded this secret Second Coming, God was taking out for Himself Elect non-Jews. "God at the first did visit the gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name."

During those seven-eight days in early March 1963, the Messiah's image appeared in an Arizona cloud. He came and left like a thief in the night. This is history. This is science. It was covered in Life Magazine. In fact, this is Christian Scripture exactly. "Ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" and "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night".

The goys were never promised more than this, the Oracles of God being richer in the Jewish realm. The gentile Bride of Christ was a Biblical type of Enoch. "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."(Gen. 5:24) At an instant in time God just took him up, translated his soul to another dimension, and he has not been seen since.

At the same time that the Seven Seals of Revelation were broken, there was an unexplainable cloud in the skies over Arizona, USA. It was twenty-six miles high, too high for a cloud to exist. Pictures of this cloud formation when turned sideways trace out what is known as Hofman's (a painter) Head of Christ. The Christian Bible says He would return as He went, in a cloud-"He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight". The 1963 cloud formation was the only physical sign for this event, scientifically confirmed. A secret, Thief in the Night Coming of God. It was the Rapture of the gentile church age Bride of God (See Illustration A). (CONTINUED>>>)