Two Analogies About The Rev12 Sign

There have been a couple analogies bouncing around in my head for a while and I want to get them out for you guys to ponder.  My hope is that both of them COMFORT you.  The first one is for those of you looking back and second guessing your approach to September 23rd.  The second one is for those of us still looking forward and the process God is using to reveal His plans to us.  If you missed my earlier "painting analogy" you can read that here.

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Analogy #1

Elementary School Evacuation

Imagine that there is a suspicious black duffle bag partially hidden behind a trash bin in a elementary school.  A few people walk past it and don't even notice it.  Another person walks by, glances at the bag but is too consumed with other things to bother thinking about it.  Finally an observant teacher notices the bag and recognizes the potential situation and immediately acts.  The teacher does not panic, but first cautiously examines the bag.  He sees a few wires sticking out and hears some ticking inside.  He cannot fully open the bag to see a timer, but clearly has seen enough evidence showing that this is a serious and urgent situation.   He immediately warns the others around him and sprints to the administration office to inform the principal of the situation.  

The observant teacher shares the info but surprisingly the principal dismisses the teacher and ignores the warning.  The principal flippantly waves him off, warns him against making a commotion and doesn't even bother to examine the evidence closely.  Perplexed, the observant teacher decides to move forward evacuating the school on his own as he can't risk the lives of the precious souls around him...  What he saw with his own eyes was just too real to ignore.

It is the standard policy of the principal to evacuate even if a threat is simply phoned in... so it makes no sense that now with physical evidence that the powers that be are ignoring the situation. Thankfully others see the duffle bag as well.  They notice the wires and hear the ticking for themselves and draw the same conclusion.  They join in the effort and begin making progress.  While they are doing this a few other teachers begin shouting... "Don't worry about it... It's probably just a joke.  Just remain in class per the principal's wishes."  But the group of observant teachers press on doing their best to get everyone to safety.  They saw the evidence for themselves up close and were not persuaded by flimsy arguments to the contrary.  In their mind it would be completely irresponsible and dangerous to tell others to ignore the situation when the stakes were so high and the evidence was so real.  They didn't know everything, but they had seen enough to know it was serious so they did their best to warn others and save as many as they could in the process.

In the end an explosion did not happen that day.  Nobody lost their lives and some of the observant teachers were reprimanded for their disruption. The question about whether the bag was real remains unresolved for many...  But for those who saw it closely the evidence was quite clear. Each one did what they felt called to do even though most will never appreciate their actions that day.

My Thoughts on Analogy #1:
Most schools will evacuate even if a threat is called in by laughing teenagers.  Per policy, it would be irresponsible to ignore such a threat even with minimal evidence.  When they see visual evidence most schools would act even more urgently.   It matters not if there is an eventual explosion... there is too much to lose by taking the situation lightly and not fully investigating.  If during an investigation more solid evidence is found the urgency increases for as long as it takes to give the all clear...  While some think 9/23 proved the evidence was false, I do not see it that way one bit. The evidence for the Rev12 Sign is real, this site is overloaded with information proving that for anyone willing to look.  This was not a cry wolf scenario.... all of you who warned others about the Rev12 Sign were the responsible ones.  We recognized a sign and acted responsibly.  The vast majority of us did not say "The rapture will surely happen on 9/23" or set any dates like we are so often accused of.  We said there is a sign on that day and it would make good sense to take precautions and study it.  The connection to the rapture is legitimate, compelling and has been established for centuries.  Why in the world would we dismiss the date of the sign beforehand?  We warned others and shared the Gospel and prayed like never before. It would have been irresponsible to do nothing and God used all of this to fulfill His plan.  Despite what others say, they did not look at it closely and the evidence is far from nonsense.  We could not see how much time was left on the proverbial timer so we did what an observant teacher should do... we noticed something important and warned others just as God has commanded us to do.  I hope we will all continue to do the same from now until He comes. (1 Thes 5:4, Rev 3:3)

But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
1 Thes 5:4-5

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Analogy #2

The Multi-Wrapped Present

There was a good father looking to give his son an awesome present which he has been promising to him for a long time.  He knows his son will love it, in fact, this child has asked for it over an over again ever since he first heard his father promise it to him.  When the time came to give the present to the child the good father wanted to teach his son one final lesson about patience and perseverance.  The father also thought that the magnitude of this present deserved some special wrapping especially since once it's opened life would never be the same for the child.  Surely a simple gift bag with tissue paper would not do.

To accomplish this the father placed the gift inside a small box and wrapped it in gift wrap.  He then placed that gift inside a slightly larger cardboard box and wrapped it again.  He did this a number of times, each time using a bigger and bigger box and more and more wrapping paper. The final product looked great and was quite impressive in size and weight.  The father placed the beautiful gift out in the room for his son to eventually find. When the son discovered it he could not contain himself!  But the father was clear, the son had to wait a number of days until he could open the big box and see what was inside.

While he waited the son told everyone he knew about the amazing gift he had waiting for him.  News about this present spread throughout the town and when the day finally arrived many people came over to the boy's house to watch the him unwrap the present in great anticipation!  The son thanked his father for the gift, looked around at the crowd and eagerly tore off the outer layer of wrapping paper.  Inside was a large cardboard box and he broke through the scotch tape and expectantly looked inside!

Did he find all that he had been hoping for?  Did it meet the expectations of everyone gathered there? 

Not exactly... it was another wrapped gift. 

While momentarily disappointed, the son gathered his thoughts and started unwrapping the next gift.  He began to realize that his father did a lot of work and this would not be as simple as he once assumed.  Part of his mind began to worry that his father could be playing some cruel joke on him, but then he was comforted by the knowledge that his father is good, extremely loving and would never do such a thing... especially with so many people watching!  So the son steadfastly continued to open each layer knowing full well that he would eventually reach the promised gift buried within. 

Some of the bystanders got impatient with the process and left.  Others begin to tease the son unaware of the good character of the father.  The son was undeterred and pressed on knowing that each layer brought him that much closer to having the gift once and for all.  It would make no sense to quit in the middle of this process and his knowledge of his father's character comforted him greatly when a doubt tried to creep in.  In his heart he knew his father was teaching him something and this momentary struggle would be entirely worth it in the end.

Eventually the moment came and the son (somewhat surprised, somewhat relieved) realized he had opened the final box.  He peaked inside and was overjoyed beyond his wildest expectations!  His long journey and days of waiting became a distant memory as he realized his life would never be the same from that point forward.  His father did not let him down and despite the added steps and waiting it was so worth it (and it made the memory that much more special)!  Those who left early missed out on the precious moment and those who teased or mocked felt ashamed.  The son persevered and the father was overjoyed when he saw the permanent smile on his precious child's face.

My Thoughts on Analogy #2:
The son was very excited to open the gift.  He had a good idea about what would be inside, but was unaware of the many steps in the journey his father had placed before him. We are that son, God is the good father.  He has promised us the gift of the rapture.  Some thought that it would be ours the moment the time came to open the present (last weekend).  We did not realize our Father had some final lessons to teach us in the process.  Our knowledge of the character of God comforts us and we press on opening each layer He has prepared for us.   We can be assured that He would not go through all this work to let us down.  Each layer we remove, each lesson we learn, each connection we make brings us one step closer to taking part in the Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13).   It may be difficult to gage exactly how many more wrapped boxes remain until we get to the final gift, but we can tell we are getting close!  It would make no sense to stop unwrapping now.... or in the future, as long as it takes until we get there!  Do not become discouraged at each new layer, keep unwrapping, keep digging and rest assured based on the good character of God that we will surely get there if we do not give up! (Galatians 6:9)

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9

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A NOTE FOR COMMENTORS:  The intention of this post is for encouragement and comfort. With that in mind please understand that anything negative will be deleted. All the comments on this site should be filled with encouragement, comfort, love and grace. Even if you don't agree with those of us whole believe in the legitimacy of this sign, please allow us space to fellowship together in peace without interjecting your contrary views and harsh words.

For the rest of you, I cannot wait to hear what you think of these two analogy's. I hope they bless you and bring you peace like they brought to my heart.  Like you, I am longing that we will be with the Lord very soon! But until He comes keep looking up (and keep unwrapping).  Grace and peace to you all while we wait.  -Brad