Pre, Mid, Post or Partial

Pre, Mid, Post or Partial

(Note:  This is a huge subject and I am only giving minimum information.  I am merely throwing information out there for you to consider.  I presume you understand the basics of saints meeting Jesus in the clouds and the end times being filled with 7 years of turmoil.) 

For people who believe in the Christian faith, we look forward to an event called the Rapture.  It is the moment when believers who died and those still alive will be caught up together in the clouds to meet Jesus.  When will this event take place?  Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour.  On this point, I believe all Christians agree.  However, there is something called the Tribulation and most Christians believe the Rapture will happen and then the Tribulation will begin.  I wish to highlight some food for thought on the subject of when the Rapture occurs in relation to the Tribulation. 

Pretribulation:  The Rapture will take place before the Tribulation begins

This means the Rapture of the church, which is the Lord coming for believers in the air, will take place prior to the seven years of tribulation.  Therefore, the church will not experience the events that are prophesied in the bible.  These happenings are discussed primarily in books of Revelations and Daniel but there are mentions throughout the bible.  Why do people believe this in pretribulation?

1.    Revelations 3:10 says “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”  Based on this verse, the saints will not have to endure the Tribulation.  Also, the Tribulation is God’s wrath brought upon mankind on earth and the church does not endure it.  

1 Thessalonians 1:10 

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

1 Thessalonians 5:9

 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Based on this line of thought, some Christians believe the Rapture will take place before the Tribulation. 

Midtribulation:  The Rapture will occur at the midpoint of the 7 year Tribulation

One proof given for the midtribulation stand comes from 1 Corinthians 15:52. 

in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

This is the same trumpet noted in Rev 11:15
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
    the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
    and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Another reason given for the midtrib view is the Great Tribulation is only the second half of the 70 weeks mentioned in the book of Daniel.  The church is only promised to be saved from it.  

Rev 12:6
The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

Also, the two witnesses noted in Rev 11 rose from the dead at the middle period. Since they were dead in Christ, it is presumed they rose at the last trumpet with the rest of the saints.  

Posttribulation:  The Rapture will happen after the Tribulation

People who subscribe to this view use the example of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt.  They lived through the plagues with the Egyptians but were protected.  Also, Jesus says in Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” 

Partialtribulation:  Only those who are worthy are raptured

Finally, there is a line of thought that says only those worthy and prepared will be raptured prior to the Tribulation. A reason for this is Hebrew 9:28

“so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

So which one is it?  If it is pretrib then Christians can continue in their ways.  If it is mid or post or partial, we need to get serious. 

Enticing: The Kiss

While walking to their cars to leave the beach, Sarah said to everyone she needed to purchase some items at the mall and asked who wanted to join her.  Keith immediately said he would go since he needed a new suit for work.  It would give him a chance to see if there was something he liked.  There were no other takers. 

Keith had rode with Jason to the beach and started for Jason’s car thinking he would get his own car before meeting Sarah at the mall.   Sarah insisted she’d drive him but first wanted to go home, which was just a few blocks away, to shower.  She offered Keith the opportunity to shower also.  Keith couldn’t believe his good fortune.  How was it possible he could spent time alone with this beautiful woman? 

At 5’ 6”, Sarah was not a giant but seemed to carry herself bigger than her height.  Due to years of running, she was fit and had firm, toned legs and buns.  Whenever Keith saw her, he felt God personally made her.  In his eyes, she was perfect.  Her eyes, her smile, her lips, her hips, all of it was perfect.  Being a fan of the Seinfeld sitcom, Keith thought of the quote by the Elaine Benes character: “Well, the female body is a … work of art.  The male body is utilitarian, it’s for gettin’ around, like a jeep.”  Sarah was a work of art.  

Keith thought nothing of going to Sarah’s house to take a shower since he knew she still lived with her parents.  It ended up being as benign as expected.  He chatted with her mother while she showered and then took a fast shower.  He mostly wanted to get the saltwater and any clinging sand off his body.  Once showered, he put on the clothes he wore to the beach.  He had changed to his swim suit at the beach. 

While at the house, Sarah was on automatic, getting things done and didn’t speak with Keith unless she had to.  Sarah’s mother was a conscientious hostess and offered Keith something to drink and ensured he had a towel and wash cloth for his shower.  Once they had both finished showering and dressing, they headed out the door.  Keith was amazed at her beauty in spite of wearing no makeup.  Also, she merely had her hair pulled back into a ponytail.  She often wore her hair in different styles.  To Keith, that made her more mysterious, more enticing.  

At the mall, Sarah insisted they shop for suits first.  Every time Keith saw one he liked she cajoled him into modeling it.  In the beginning, Keith could only picture shopping with his mother when he was little.  She’d make him try on clothes but she decided whether or not he liked it.  Sarah made this process fun.  She helped coordinate shirts and ties and made him strut around like a model.  She even make cat calls to him.  He savored the attention.

After looking at suits for Keith, they stopped at the Sbarro’s in the food court and each got a slice of pizza to eat.  They walked to the store where Sarah wanted to shop and sat outside munching away.  Keith was hungrier than he realized.  He ordered a pepperoni slice and Sarah got a supreme which was loaded with onions.  When the food was gone, she began shopping.  After an hour and a half, she had what she needed.  However, every time she tried on clothes, Keith said she also had to model them for him.  

With each ensemble she took into the dressing room, she would call out to him when she was ready.  Then with dramatic flair she would come out holding poses or acting a part based on the outfit.  When she finished trying on everything, she asked Keith which two outfits she should purchase.  He replied, “I think you look great in all of them.  Just two?”

“That’s all that’s in the budget.”

He pointed to the outfits he liked but said, “I don’t want to pick something that isn’t on your ‘must have’ list.  I trust you to get the best ones.”

“Your mother raised you well.”

Laughing, Keith replied, “Oh really?  Sometimes, people can accidently say something right.”

After picking the outfits she wanted, there was a blouse Keith loved.  He decided to purchase it for her.  He wanted to do so secretly but didn’t know when he’d be able to return to the mall due to his work schedule.  Instead, he would be bold and tell her he would buy it.  At first she refused but he firmly said, “I want to do this for you.  Please don’t take this away from me.”  After the transaction was completed, she hugged him warmly.

As they walked out to her Kia Forte Koup, his heart soared.  Her car was a 5-Speed and Keith noticed as she drove her hand remained on the stick shift.  He felt a magnetism drawing his hand to hers.  He didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.  Perhaps he was reading too much into her actions on this day.  Finally, he decided to seize the day.  He reached his hand out placed it on hers, cupping his fingers around and into her palm.  She curled her thumb onto his fingers.  Every time she had to stop at a traffic light, their hands remained together as she would shift through the gears. 

When she pulled into a parking spot in front of his apartment, Keith wondered if he should kiss her.  As he turned to face her, he expressed thanks for the good time.  She smiled and softly said, “I had a good time.”  Then she did something he didn’t expect.  She leaned forward to him.  The magnetism he earlier felt with her hand quadrupled as he found himself leaning to meet her. 

Their lips touched setting off a kaleidoscope of colors in Keith’s vision.  As a youngster, he always wondered why people closed their eyes when they kissed.  Even though he had kissed other women, no kiss was like this.  He closed his eyes to savor every sensation in every nerve ending in his body.  Never had there been such a cornucopia of sensations or feelings.  A rush of adrenaline and endorphins shot through his body.  Every sense was hyperaware of his surroundings but he put all of his focus into her lips and her right cheek and left shoulder as his hands moved to touch them. 

They kissed with passion for a few moments when she parted the connection.  She gazed into his eyes.  He felt he actually could see her soul.  There was a purity in the moment.   Sweetly, softly she said, “Thank you for a wonderful evening.  I had a lot of fun.  Also, thanks for the blouse.  I love it.”

“I had a lot of fun too.  Thank you for the ride home.”  Not sure what else to do, Keith added, “Good night.”

“Good night.”

Keith leaned in for one more and then opened the door.  

As he stared at the ceiling while trying to sleep, he could still feel her lips on his.  He brought his hand up and touched his lips with his index finger in the hope they were still kissing.  No such luck.  He slept is fits and starts, dreaming of Sarah.  Over and over, he saw her smile, he felt her lips on his. 

Enticing

Keith had known Sarah for more than a year.  She was the friend of a friend and though she never gave an indication of interest, Keith was smitten the moment he saw her.  When “The Group” got together for some event, whether lunch, dinner or a trip to Six Flags, Keith noticed everything about Sarah.  He loved her wavy blonde hair and blue eyes.  Normally, he preferred redheads but Sarah was different.  She had an infectious laugh and smile.  In Keith’s eyes, Sarah was perfect.  Sadly, he believed there was no hope of a future with her.  That is, until yesterday.

The Group got together at Coquina Beach on Ana Maria Island.  It was an afternoon of fun in the sun.  Keith liked the sand on the Ana Maria Island beaches.  It was very fine like powder and squeaked when walking on it.  As soon as they could view the gulf, Vince complained the waves were wimpy.  Nonetheless, The Group made the most of their time.  Some snorkeled or sunbathed.  Ron jogged up and down the beach.  Jessie loved to collect shells and watch the coquinas rebury themselves in the sand when waves rolled them from their safety. 

Keith, Jason and Joy clung to floats in the deep water beyond the sand bar.  Ordinarily, they would be closer to shore jumping into the waves as they rose and crashed to the shore.  On this day, they floated along, relaxing and talking about current events.  They spoke for about 10 minutes when Keith noticed Sarah swimming toward them.  The conversations continued until she neared them and began treading water, inching the rest of the way to Keith’s float and held onto it.  Breathless, she greeted everyone by saying, “What’s up?”

Jason replied, “Nothing much.  Just solving the world’s problems.”

Joy chimed in saying, “Actually, we are trying to get our lives in order first.  That is about done but we have big, solid ideas to fix the world.”

Keith savored Sarah’s proximity to him.  He noticed her hair was somewhat messy when she lowered herself under water and looked skyward as she returned to the surface.  After slicking back her tresses with her hand, she placed it next to Keith’s on the float and touched him in the process.  Electricity shot through Keith’s body.  Every neuron was fine tuned to her touch.  It was joy!  Sheer, rapturous joy he felt.  Keith did not move his hand and Sarah made no effort to move hers.  Did she know of the connection?  Keith believed she had to have felt the jolt of electricity jump from Keith’s hand to hers. 

The conversation between the four of them continued for another 10 minutes when Joy and Jason started for shore.  Sarah asked, “You heading back too?”

“No, I’m good but I can’t be too much longer or I’ll start looking like a cooked lobster.  How’s work been?”  He would risk getting completely fried by the sun if it meant spending just a few more minutes with her.

“Oh fine except this wench who works in the office next to mine.  She is talking on her cell phone all day long and doesn’t do her job.  I end up making up the slack for her.  I hate working with lazy people.  I guess I get that from my dad.  He always said he’d rather work with a thief or liar than a lazy person.”

“Why’s that?”

“The thief, you don’t trust them so you always watch your stuff.  The liar, you don’t believe what they tell you but the lazy person, you have to work double to make up for their lazy ways.”

Keith pondered for a moment, then replied, “That makes sense.”

She started acting playful with him which was new.  She splashed him and he splashed back.  He loved it and hoped it would never end.  After a few more minutes of playful conversation in close proximity Sarah remarked Keith’s shoulders were turning red.  They began kicking for shore.  The current pushed them north of the spot where everyone camped on the beach.  Upon reaching his towel, Keith carefully positioned himself to sit without getting sand on his things.  He turned and retrieved sunscreen from his bag and squirted some into his hand.  He began rubbing it onto his shoulders when Sarah mentioned he wasn’t reaching a part that needed a touch up. 

“Well, why don’t you help instead of just standing there?”  Oh he hoped she would.

She knelt behind him with one knee barely touching his lower back.  Was she interested in him?  She had to be.  Was she sending signals?  If so, why were there none the previous year or so they’d known each other?  Women are so confusing!

The Many Plates an Airline Has to Spin

I’ve worked in the airline industry most of my life and in various capacities.  I’ve done every job people normally think of except pilot, flight attendant and mechanic.  (I did interview for a flight attendant job many years ago but was disqualified due to my eyesight.)  What follows are some of the things that must happen in order for you to fly on a commercial flight.

1  The schedule must be made.  

I once interviewed for a position in this area but was not successful.  Now that I deal with it more, I see what a nightmare it must be to create it.  It is more than merely picking times for a flight to operate between an origin and destination.  They must also consider which aircraft to use.  Airlines want to make money so they want the planes to operate full.   Is it better to operate a plane with 200 seats that normally fills 160 of them or fly one with 150 seats?  Also, there are crew considerations.  Some international destinations require additional crewmembers.  Some other ones even require crew rest facilities.  (Yes, in some of those planes there are pilots and flight attendants relaxing above you.)  Therefore, the schedule is tied to ship, crew and other considerations.  

2 A maintenance schedule

Like your car, airplanes have regularly scheduled items that must be done on a regular basis.  That includes changing the oil.  Most things on your car are counted down by miles or days/months/years.  It is similar with airplanes, except they counted by days, cycles and hours flown.  A takeoff and landing equals one cycle.  There is typically some type of work done on an airplane every time it lays over in a maintenance base.  Many of the items are simple and can be done in a short period of time.  Other things are more time consuming and require coordinating resources.  If you know you have 5 planes that will require the landing gears to be replaced over the next year, you need to set aside time in a hanger capable of jacking up the plane.  Often, they are scheduled back to back and the mechanics who work on them we be more familiar with the process each time.  I’m not saying the mechanics need this familiarity but is certainly can’t hurt. 

Of course, once the plane is in the hanger and every unneeded item is removed, the plane is jacked up and the landing gears are removed.  I trust it goes without saying the plane is not moving while in this state.  Since hanger space is limited, it is precious.  This is why a robust hanger and maintenance planning system is vital. 

3  There must be a system to get the plane to that hanger

How do you know where a plane will layover every night?  What has to happen in order for Ship 101 to be in Kalamazoo on March 13^th for the gear change?  First, the plane is assigned to flights every day based on the flight schedule.  Based on the flight schedule, it will layover in Duluth, MN, Columbus, OH and Sacramento, CA on March 11^th, 12^th and 13^threspectively.  Of course, that is not where we want it.  What do we do to get it into Kalamazoo on the 13th?  At some point, the plane will be in the same station with another plane.  It is a matter of changing the flights they will both take out of that city.  Sometimes, it will require a couple more swaps with more airplanes and maybe even on different days but I trust you get the idea.

These a just a few of the many things that must happen in order for you to enjoy your commercial flight.  I hope to share more in the future. 

A Heart of Red

In fields of war

There is no star

Above the dead

Whose hearts have bled

Here I lie

About to die

I want to live

I’ve more to give

What will you do?

With news you get

I dream of you

I’m in your debt

Image in hand

Memories scanned

My life bleeds on

And soon I’m gone

I see a light

Piercing the night

A heart of red

That warms the dead

Onward I’m drawn

Toward the dawn

I leave this life

And all the strife

My one desire

To feel your skin

But I hear the choir

Their draw from within

My moments wane

My dear sweet Jane

I love you so

But now I go

© 2016 Duane Windell Phillips

The Big Move

16 years ago today, I moved from Lake Worth, FL to the Atlanta, GA area to start a new job.  How well I remember getting into the car that cool morning.  Everything within me fought to stay.  My wife and I made the choice about a month earlier.  We prayed about it and sought counsel.  We believed this was the step to make but a decision and an action are two very different things.  That morning was the first price I paid to make the move. 

I remember being a little fearful of the unknown.  I also had some trepidation at not knowing how often I would see my family.  I hoped it would be every weekend but I wasn’t sure at that moment.  Finally, how long would it be before we sold the house and the family could also move?  

I thought about the plant I purchased for my wife a couple weeks before.  A smile came to my face.  I gave it to her saying it was a way for her to remember me.  It was dead a couple days before I did the big drive.  I still like telling that story.  What are you trying to say, honey?

I look back now and acknowledge God knew what He was doing.  I know we were comfortable in Florida but we all needed to grow.  I still need to after 16 years.  Kids here get their license to drive at that age.  Then they really start growing.  Maybe we will “really start growing” now. 

Stories

When Brittany Madison Payne was in high school, her father told her she couldn’t date until she was a senior…..citizen.  Due to her father’s sense of humor, Brittany knew he wasn’t serious.  He also advised she should marry a man whose surname began with the letter W.  That way her initials would be BMW, like the automobile.  Little did he know she would one day marry Joe West. 

Brittany was always thin.  However, after her third child in just under three years, she gained a lot of weight and was never able to return to the body of her youth.  She was not pleased the time her parents came to visit and her father remarked BMW stood for Big Mamma West.  Joe and the children laughed.  Brittany seethed and was secretly angry about the comment.

When her father was on his death bed, which was only 2 short years later, Brittany realized the foolishness of harboring such feelings in her heart.  She let them go.  As they spoke one night, Brittany was reminded of how her father used to tell her and her siblings stories about his life.  She mentioned these special times and he smiled. 

“You and your brothers loved hearing stories probably more than when we would read you books.”

“Yeah.”

“I remember how you guys would laugh whenever I talked about times when I was very young.  I guess it was hard for you to believe I was once little like you were.  My family always told us stories.  They always meant a lot to me so I wanted to do the same for you.  I hope you are doing that with my grandbabies.”

“Not really but it is a good thing to start doing.  They aren’t too old yet.”

“Too old?  The baby is just getting out of her terrible 2’s and Jason is knocking on 6.  They are still babies.  They’d love to hear about you when you were little.  The kind of life Joe had?  I bet he has all kinds of stories for them.  Those little ones gotta know where they come from.  Tell em!  Tell em over and over.”

Brittany promised to do so.  Seven months after her father died, it would have been his birthday.  That night she made the kids lie in bed and told them she had a story to share.

“A long time ago, there was a little girl named Brittany Madison Payne and she was a skinny, happy little girl.”  The oldest child, who was lying next to the youngest, rolled onto his side to face her and the two of them giggled.  The other added his laughter.  Brittany smiled as she continued, “Her father, Marshall Payne, used to tell his children stories about their past.”  The middle child interrupted, “Where they true stories?”

“Of course.  When he put his children down to sleep, he would ask them what kind of story they wanted to hear.  He would make up stories on the spot if they were make believe.  Otherwise, the true stories were true and were very important.  That was so his children would know where they came from and it would help shape who they were. 

“When Brittany became a grown up and had little boys and a girl of her own, she decided she needed to start sharing stories with her children.  She realized she was Big Momma West.  She was big because her heart grew with each baby she had.  It had to grow since she had so much love to give to her children.  It filled her whole body.”