Note: This article originally appeared on charismamag.com in June 2015.
God says in the last days He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh and the old men will dream dreams (see Joel 2:28).
That was talking about me. It seems like only yesterday I was a young Jewish man of 30. I had just experienced the worst year of my life in which I had a horrifying encounter with Satan. Then I had a life-changing encounter with Jesus. I have never looked back, and now I burn with a passion and compassion for the lost.
I have had dreams from God that have made an impact on the world. In 1995, God instructed me in a dream to write a book of Jewish testimonies. He said more Jewish people would come to know Him through this book than anything I had ever done. He was right. We have distributed more than 2.6 million of these books primarily to Jewish families in the United States, the former Soviet Union and Israel. The testimonies of Jewish people coming to faith through this book are off the charts! To God be all the glory!
The Dream that Rocked Sid’s World
In 2013, I had another dream that rocked my world. Before the dream, if you had asked me if Jesus was coming in my lifetime I would have said yes, but deep in my heart I would not have been sure.
Now all that has changed. I was not even thinking of the Lord’s return when I had a vivid dream. God spoke to me three times and said, “I am coming back soon! I am coming back soon! I am coming back soon!”
Why would God tell me this? And, what does “soon” mean? In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, soon means: “in a short time after something happens.” In this age of proliferation of nuclear arms, the world is on the verge of “something happening.”
Jesus said about His return, “But know this, that if the owner of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for in an hour when you least expect, the Son of Man is coming” (Matt. 24:43-44).
How does Jesus warn us to be ready? He tells us to “watch.” According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, the Greek word means to watch with vigilance and expectancy. I believe this prophetic guide will help you watch with vigilance and expectancy.
Are Believers Missing the Signs of Jesus’ Return?
At the first coming of Jesus, my Jewish people studied the Scriptures in the original biblical language. And the amount of time the rabbis studied would put most Christians to shame in comparison. But still the majority missed the Messiah’s first coming. What makes believers today so sure they will not miss the signs of His second coming? This is why I have written this article.
In 1 Corinthians 13:9, Paul wrote, “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.” In other words, we only see part of the picture through prophecy. Each one has part of the puzzle. But when we put the parts of the puzzle together, the picture comes into focus.
Everything started in the tiny nation of Israel at the first coming of the Messiah. And everything will finish in Israel at His return. We know we are in the final generation when the fig tree (which represents Israel) blossoms (see Matt. 24:32). In the New King James Version, Psalm 102, verses 16 and 18 read, “For the Lord shall build up Zion [Israel was re-established in 1948]; [Then] He shall appear in His glory. This will be written for the generation to come.” In Hebrew, the term means the final generation to come.
Many have different views concerning when the return of Messiah will occur. Though prophecy scholars differ on when He will return, they all believe He is coming soon.
The three most dominant views on the Rapture are the pre-Tribulation view, which teaches that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation; the mid-Tribulation view, which claims the Rapture will take place in the middle of the Tribulation; and the post-Tribulation view, which says the Rapture will take place after the Tribulation.
How could different experts who love God and have studied the Bible on this subject come up with three different scenarios? Could it be that God has chosen not to fully reveal His end-time plan until the final generation? Could it be that we need all three end-time views to see the picture clearly? Daniel 12:4 is about to come forth: “… Shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. [Then] many shall run to and fro [search frantically through the Book], and knowledge [of God’s purposes as revealed by His prophets] shall increase.”
The Enoch Generation
This is the Enoch generation! What were the two traits that Enoch demonstrated before he was raptured? He pleased God (obedience) and he walked in faith: “By faith Enoch was taken to heaven so that he would not see death … .” (Heb. 11:5-6). My heart’s desire for myself and for you is to so hunger for God that we become irresistible to Him.
In order for Jesus to say, “Well done” to us after we are caught up to be with Him forever, we must live a repentant life, love God and our neighbor and walk by faith in His Word. I believe by understanding all three revelations of the Rapture taught in this book and walking a holy, biblically obedient life, we will be like “the sons of Issachar, those having understanding of times and what Israel should do” (1 Chr. 12:32).
I have told you these things so you will understand the times and not abandon your faith when any portion of these three scenarios does not come to pass the way you expect.” (Matt. 24:12).
My position has always been that I want to be raptured! Instead of being concerned with the timing of the Rapture, I concentrate on the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25. A virgin represents a believer. Five were wise and had enough oil to handle the darkness, and five were foolish and ran out of oil and missed the wedding.
Oil represents the Holy Spirit. I believe the only way we go up in the Rapture is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is achieved through intimacy with God. Jesus said it this way in John 17:3, “This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” The Greek word for “know” is a Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and woman. In other words, the purpose of eternal life is to have deep intimacy with God.
From within this intimacy, we can hear God and fulfill His purpose for our lives. The purpose of my life is to win souls. As the great German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke says, “I want to plunder hell to populate heaven.”
Get Ready for the End-Time Revival
My issue has never been the timing of the Rapture or of the return of the Lord. I just want to be raptured, spend eternity with Him and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But my dream has given me insight into the timing of His return. He is coming back soon—sooner than you think!
In the meantime, until He returns, we are called to occupy. As things on earth appear to be getting darker and darker, God desires to flood you with His light. He wants you to be ready for the great end-time revival!
Sid Roth is the host of Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural! Roth has a passion for people to experience the power of God. His television program documents miracles and is viewed internationally.
Sid Roth interviews a former Muslim on It’s Supernatural about her vision of Jesus and heaven on itssupernatural.charismamag.com.
If you liked the article, you’ll love the book:
TV show host and author Sid Roth shares his passion for reaching the lost in his latest book, Sooner Than You Think (Destiny Image). He shares the implications of a dream he had of Jesus saying three times, “I am coming back soon!” You can find this book wherever Christian books are sold or at amazon.com or christianbook.com.
