A Great Eagle
Poster encouraging participation in civilian defense during World War II, Source http://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF000142/00001, Author Herbert Matter (PD as work product of US Federal Govt.)
“But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent” (Rev. 12: 14).
Some of us can no longer watch films about this nation’s history – the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II.
Watching such films used to bring tears to our eyes at the sacrifices made by earlier generations, and the achievements in the name of freedom and equality. Loving America as we do and seeing her so divided, watching those films now is simply too painful. We recognize all too clearly what has been lost.
Christians may console themselves with thoughts of the Rapture, the promise that Christ will collect all believers, living and dead, and take them to be with Him in heaven (Mark 13: 26; 1 Thess. 4: 13-17). And there is consolation in that. But the sense of loss remains.
Interestingly, Christian do not all agree on when the Rapture will take place: Pre-Tribulation [1], Mid-Tribulation, or Post-Tribulation. Protestant denominations tend to hold to a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Catholics hold to a Post-Tribulation Rapture.
There is disagreement, too, over whether America appears in the Bible. The majority of eschatologists feel it does not. A small number differ.
Rick Pearson of Prophecy USA https://prophecyusa.org/ , on the basis of his interpretation of Scripture, believes that America has become the Whore of Babylon, and will be destroyed in a nuclear holocaust simultaneously with or shortly after a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Dave Robbins of Endtime Ministries https://www.endtime.com/ believes in a Post-Tribulation Rapture, and feels that the prophecy cited above refers to the assistance America (the “Great Eagle”) will provide Israel during the Great Tribulation.
Events have not progressed so far that any interpretation is entirely certain. There are arguments on both sides. Perhaps this is because fate has not yet been decided. God, of course, knows the ultimate outcome. But we do not. We still have choices to make.
That means there is still hope, despite what this nation may already have lost. That means there is still work to be done. That should be a challenge to us as believers. That should motivate not paralyze us, as Satan would prefer.
There was never a Golden Age – never a time that no class, no race, no sex, no religion was discriminated against. Because of the “sin nature” of mankind, there never will be…not until Christ returns. But Christians have the chance to rescue loved ones and strangers alike from eternal fire. The fires raging in Los Angeles, as I write this, should vividly remind us of that fact.
Personally, I would like to believe that the Great Eagle survives the Tribulation to lend Israel her wings.
—
[1] The Tribulation is the 7 year period of war, famine, plague, and persecution immediately preceding the Second Coming of Christ, as described in the Book of Revelation. This is the period during which the Antichrist will make his appearance, and a tyrannical One World Government will be instituted. The final 3 ½ years of this period (characterized by the most intense suffering and persecution) is termed the Great Tribulation.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
A Lawyer's Prayers 
Great post 🌅🌅
Many thanks.
This is the exact passage we were studying this morning in our Sunday school class! (We’ve been going through Revelation.) A cross reference regarding eagles’ wings is Exodus 29:12.
Sorry, that’s Exodus 19:4, not 29:4.
Thank you so much for this information, Ann.
“The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). I pray we will be found watching and praying when our LORD returns.
Amen.
Most Israelis’ are Zionists and not Jews. Most Israelis’ are atheist A short study of their history reveals they are liars, thieves and murderers.
May I suggest you read a book called Esau- Edom and watch ht on YouTube to see who the real war criminals are. It is not the Palestinians.
As for the rapture I believe with all the events happening now we are one breath away from it
Sadly, I cannot agree w/ you.
There is a great deal of misinformation circulating, online and off, about Jews (Zionists and otherwise) — misinformation from antisemitic sources including Hamas colored by jealousy and hatred.
Admittedly, many who consider themselves Jews today no longer believe in God. We can only pray that He will restore their faith through the 144,000 witnesses prophesied for the End Times, and remove the scales from their eyes insofar as the Messiah (Zech. 13:6).
Israeli soldiers have taken extraordinary precautions not to harm civilians (precautions other nations would not have taken, for instance publicizing their intended targets beforehand). I refer you to Christian Broadcasting News (CBN).
If war crimes were committed, they should certainly be investigated and prosecuted. However, the civilian population of the West Bank and Gaza strongly support Hamas and the terrorist tactics it employs with the ultimate goal of exterminating the Jews.
CBN is very biased
HT on YouTube has shown the Israelis bombing hospitals and lying saying Hamas was there and they were not
They have also detained Palestinians without charge for years
The U.N has condemned the Israelis as has the E.U of committing war crimes and the prime minister is under international law warrant for committing such crimes
I could go on and on but let’s just agree to disagree
Hamas is notorious for using hospitals, orphanages, and other civilian locations to shield its facilities. The UN has been hostile to Israel for years.
As you say, we disagree.
A well-composed response, Anna.
I pray every day for loved ones who either don’t know Jesus at all, or who’ve let their relationship with him lapse into apathy. Time does seem to be running short for Christ’s return. May we be alert to opportunities for sharing about him with those around us. He has SO much to offer for an abundant life now, much less eternal life to come! A person has nothing to lose by giving him a chance.
You are so right, Nancy. I have never been good at witnessing, in any formal sense. But I can share what Christ has done for me.
As a lifelong believer in the post-tribulation second coming of Christ who sees no clear evidence of a secret, pre-trib rapture of the church, I have always approached the issue of America and the end times with a certain degree of melancholy.
Living here and enjoying all that America offers its citizens, it is hard to imagine the day coming when we will lose the many freedoms we now have. On the other hand, we know that Bible prophecy teaches that the world will one day be ruled by the Antichrist, which means America as we know it must cease to exist. That thought is more than some can bear, yet we cannot pick and choose which parts of scripture we accept or reject.
In the days of rampant confusion and uncertainty in which we now live, we had better know what we believe and why we believe it, and be prepared to defend those beliefs. Personally, I am of the opinion that any doctrine that teaches us we have nothing to worry about because we’re soon going to be taken away is extremely dangerous because it leaves one woefully unprepared to face what is soon to come.
Let us choose wisely what we accept as truth in these last days, for the spirit of Antichrist is very much alive and well!
I tend toward a Post-Tribulation rapture for the very reasons you cite.
Christians have always suffered persecution (the wrath of Satan). Why would our generation be exempt?
There are many Christians who argue that the church — as the bride of Christ — will be spared the wrath of God. But Noah was not. He was protected as God’s poured out His wrath on the whole earth.
The biblical droughts that Israel suffered as a result of sin, impacted both the righteous and unrighteous. Yet God protected the widow Zarephath.
We know from Revelation (Rev. 6: 9-11 and 17: 6) that there will be martyrs during the Tribulation. Are we to believe that they will miss the marriage supper of the Lamb, since the rapture has already happened?
By the way, there is a great country song by John Rich called “Revelation” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk6YPFCUaqA you might enjoy.
One of the questions I will pose to those who say God wouldn’t permit His people to suffer in the Great Tribulation is “have you never read the Bible? It is a book filled with the accounts of the sufferings of God’s people”. Plus, I like to remind them to look around the world at the sufferings of the Church. Why are we in the West of the belief we are somehow above them? In my mind, the pre-trib rapture doctrine is one of the most heinous that Satan has ever created, for such a belief creates a false sense of security in the heart of Christians. Most remarkable is that up until the mid 1800’s such a belief was never taught.
I fear that we will be sadly unprepared for the persecution to come.