Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

To the Editor:
The Bible says it’s especially important to attend church in these last days before the return of Jesus. So pastors have asked God and God has let them know He wants all churches open by May 31, 2020. Pastor Jack Hibbs said he prayed to God for wisdom as to when to reopen his church. Hibbs said God impressed on him to reopen church on May 31, 2020. When he checked his calendar he found it was Pentecost Sunday. He asked all churches to pray about opening on or before that date. According to www.christianheadlines.com close to 500 California pastors signed a petition committed to open by May 31 as it’s “the Day of Pentecost,” also known as the birthday of the Christian church. All Tennessee churches should open by May 31. If your church isn’t open on that important date you should attend another church that is.
The late Reinhard Bonnke before he died in December 2019 showed up at a church in Johnson City and said the Holy Spirit was going to move in East Tennessee and bring revival. Bonnke was correct when he said the Holy Spirit would move in Africa. Bonnke was the greatest evangelist in Africa with a possible 80 million salvations. Perry Stone says the church will soon see the world-wide outpouring of the Holy Spirit as mentioned in James 5. Stone believes the “latter rain” will be a second world-wide outpouring of the Holy Spirit just before the return of Jesus. Stone says history repeats itself (Ecclesiastes 1). Dr. John McTernan said all Christians should pray for this outpouring because the Holy Spirit is what Christians need the most. No Christian would want to miss this. Although this could happen anytime the best chance for it to happen would be on Pentecost because God likes to do big things on His seven feast. As it says in Colossians 2 the holy days or feast are a shadow of things to come. In 1948 Israel was born again on Pentecost. Will the Holy Spirit pour out and the lukewarm Church be born again on Pentecost this year? We shall see on Sunday, May 31, 2020. When the members of a church are Holy Spirit filled they will do more than go to church, they will be the church!
According to www.prophecywatchers.com Pentecost arrives this year on May 31 and provides a perfect picture of the rapture of the Christian church in many ways. The website interviews Jack Langford, author of the book, “Pentecostal Rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ.” Langford makes a strong case that every Pentecost is a high watch day for the rapture. On the first Pentecost after hearing the trumpet of God, Moses went up. Soon at the rapture after hearing the trumpet of God Christians go up. King David was born and died on Pentecost. Enoch was born and then raptured on Pentecost! Most Christians who study the signs and watch for the return of Jesus believe Jesus will return and rapture Christians some time in the next year and then the seven year tribulation will begin. Pastor Steve Sewell believes the rapture will be on Pentecost in May 2021 because it’s the 6000th year after creation according to torahcalender. While no one knows the day, the Bible says Christians who are watching will not be taken by surprise and receive a watchers crown.
Pentecost celebrates the moment in Acts 2 when the disciples of Jesus were in Jerusalem celebrating Pentecost. As they were gathered a “violent wind” and fire came, and all the people were filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter then preached a great Holy Spirit filled sermon and 3000 people believed on Jesus and were saved. It reminds us of the great power of the Holy Spirit. The day of the Spirit’s spectacular arrival among the disciples is also the day when 120 Jesus followers became a church of over 3000. That’s over 2500 percent growth in one day! The Holy Spirit can unify the church and provides a heightened ability to spread the Gospel of Jesus. The coronavirus has brought fear. The Holy Spirit removes fear and brings Christians power and love and a sound mind. Because of coronavirus more people have a heightened receptivity to know about Jesus and the Gospel. Because of coronavirus quarantine in April for the first time in 2000 years of recorded history since the birth of the church that Passover wasn’t celebrated. Passover was observed by Jewish people and others who were all quarantined in their house praying the plague would pass over them. So if Passover in April was experienced and literal, is it possible that Pentecost in May is going to be experienced and literal as well?

D.D. Nave
Elizabethton