My Fathers

My Fathers

* Personal testimony in regards to the June Rapture of 2008. Companion testimony to other writings: “Rapture Empty Hourglass I & II” and “My Prophetic Navy Experience”.

Foreward

I’ve written testimony telling a story which is at my website (www.tony4yhwh.com) called “My Prophetic Experience in the Navy”. Warmly I like to simply call it “My Captain Story”. This experience which I know with all my heart is a prophetic vision has been the basis for all my biblical knowledge and has been what ultimately has led me to firmly believe in God’s Sovereignty and Love.

This testimony happened in 1989 during my service in the U.S. Navy. It came in a very, very difficult time in my life. Recently I’ve written about the earthly Jerusalem and Heavenly Jerusalem which has to do with the years:

• 1967 – Israel’s recapture of Jerusalem
• 1968 – the Apollo 8 Genesis reading on December 24th
• 1969 – the Apollo 11 man on the moon

I was born in 1969 so all this was happening just as I was born. The Apollo 8 Genesis reading mission happened on Christmas Eve just at the end of 1968. A commemorative stamp was issued on behalf of this on May 5th 1969 which was my birthday.

I’ve learned these years have a prophetic connection to both earthly & Heavenly Jerusalem:

1987 1988 1989 2007 2008 2009
2 years 1967 physical 20 21 22 40 41 42
stands for 1968 spiritual 19 20 21 39 40 41
2,000 years 1969 judgment 18 19 20 38 39 40


Within a short time at the end of May 2008 God gave me two visions. One personal & one theological.

In two separate writings titled: “Rapture: Empty Hourglass I & II” I wrote all of the theological and news information leading me to a Rapture date of June 4th 2008.

The heart wins over the mind and to me there is nothing like personal testimony. Although solid theological foundation is needed – “a two strand cord that is not easily broken.” The personal testimony God gave me is 3 separate visions or testimony in my life all taking place in the month of June in the years 1987,1988 & 1989

It was only recently that I became fully aware that God had shown me not one vision via testimony, but three is successive years all in the same month – June.

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My Fathers
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Prologue

I was baptized as a baby Catholic which was my mother’s background. My father was Presbyterian, but deferred to keep our family all the same faith. Later in the early 70’s when I was 2 – 4 years old some Jehovah’s Witnesses stopped by. My mother took their message to heart. They had come proclaiming the “end of the world system” and the “coming tribulation”. They said this would take place in 1975. My mother and father took notice and action both of them becoming Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Even though I am no longer a Jehovah’s Witness I am grateful for this happening. I consider it Providential. My mother did a fine job teaching me God’s word and giving me a firm biblical background. My father, though not interested in deep theological things like my mother had a kind, giving and forgiving heart. He also passed on to me the ways of farming, ecology and agriculture. He is an estate planning attorney that works primarily with rural persons and small business owners. He has a great interest in life insurance, estate planning, farming and the environment. By Providence God knew how all of this was critical to my development for what he’d planted in my heart to do.

So here I am today writing about end times, prophecy and anxiously awaiting the Rapture. The Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in a Rapture. But even so, naysayers would say that I’ve simply become a product of my childhood. And they are right, but not in the way they think they are. This all reminds me of Jeremiah. Let me just quote an excerpt:

Jeremiah 1
The Call of Jeremiah
4Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5(I) "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,and before you were born(J) I consecrated you;I appointed you a prophet(K) to the nations."
6Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold,(L) I do not know how to speak,(M) for I am only a youth." 7But the LORD said to me,

"Do not say, 'I am only a youth';for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,and(N) whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8(O) Do not be afraid of them,(P) for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the LORD."
9(Q) Then the LORD put out his hand and(R) touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,

"Behold, I have put(S) my words in your mouth. 10See, I have set you this day(T) over nations and over kingdoms,(U) to pluck up and to break down,to destroy and to overthrow,to build and to plant."
11And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,(V) "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see an almond[a] branch." 12Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it."
I make no claim to audibly hear the voice of God and I’m no reincarnation of Jeremiah. But I see his testimony in God’s word and I feel his heart. I believe in all my heart in God’s Sovereignty and Love directing every step of my life so I have no reason to question, fear or be ashamed of my background.
And so I continually step out in faith and risk covered by prayer and grace…
June 1987

When I was in my early teen years I was baptized as a Jehovah’s Witness. I believed in Jehovah God with all my heart and wanted to make my family and the elders proud of me. They were encouraging baptism and I made good on this encouragement. Only a few years later I would begin to get “off track”. I began questioning things and rebellion was in my heart. I was “disfellowshipped” from the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I suspect my parents were already growing apart, but this added to their division. My mother was deeply spiritual and an avid Jehovah’s Witness. My father was providing for his family and really still had a mainline Christianity background. They divorced towards the end of my Senior year of High School.

In this same time I had signed up for the Navy, but would have to wait another 9 – 10 months to leave for bootcamp. Our home in the country was sold. My mom had left with my two younger sisters and my other sister and I remained with my father. At this point I felt fairly orphaned as my father was trying to pick up his own pieces. To be clear, I do not blame either of my parents and I’m 39 years old now and have been through a failed marriage and divorce myself. I am simply setting the framework for what happened in my life.

I was always close and looked up to my Grandparents. I was close to my mom’s dad and on my father’s side I was close to Grammy & Grampy as we called them. My Grandfather was a small business owner of a company called Briggs Pump. They are a middle man supplier for plumbing and agricultural irrigation products. My Grandmother was always a treat as she cooked, took us shopping or just had fun with us in one way or another. They had a wonderful house outside of Omaha on a crystal clear and sand based lake called Ginger Cove. We had all our great holiday feasts there and I have many, many fond memories. I had an “Uncle” that smoked a pipe and I still love the smell of pipe tobacco to this day (although I’m not a smoker myself anymore). There home was full of joy and laughter all of my childhood.

I forget how I found out but I had a Great Uncle I had never met that lived up in Illinois. He was 100 years old! He heard of my troubles and decided to pay for my way on the “Ellsworth” fishing trip. This was a trip for men (although my Grandfather’s brother Bill had his wife Rae on the trip I went on. I’m not sure how they worked that). This was an annual trip up to Canada to a lake there were no roads to. You had to fly there by sea plane and land on the water. Needless to say it was remote (which also made it expensive I’m sure). I have never and will never forget this kind hearted gesture by my Uncle Harry. He had never seen me and didn’t know me. Further my family was in trouble and I had been in plenty myself. It wasn’t like I had earned a reward! But his grace, kindness and gentle spirit even though I’d never seen him reached out to me.

I left on this trip with my Grandfather and we joined with some other relatives in Des Moines, IA and drove up together to the Canadian border and beyond. I don’t remember our conversation or any specifics. I remember the plane ride which was quite a bit different than a commercial flight on a 747 or something similar. It really was quite a thrill!

When we arrived we stayed in a cabin and we had meals together around a table. Each day we went fishing. The guides would take us in a boat and show us where the best fishing was and we always pulled in quite a load. At lunch time they would take us to an island and they would make a fire and cook us fresh fish with some sides they brought along. Truth be told, I’m not much of an avid fisherman and also I was so spoiled by that fishing trip I haven’t done much more since.

But I’ll never forget my time there. I simply think of it as my “fathers”. Many pictures were taken, but someone got a rather large picture of all of us around the dinner table together in the cabin (12 X 18). I had to get a custom frame made for it. It hangs on my wall and often as I look at it I get lost in the memory of how special it was.

After the trip was over my father sold the house we had lived in and he, my sister Sarah and I moved to Ginger Cove with my Grandparents. I went to work with my Grandfather at Briggs Pump biding the time until I left for the Navy. It was a great time sharing with my Grandfather as he had been in the Navy as well. It was during this time that my Grandfather retired from Briggs and they gave him a special ring which I wrote more about in my Captain’s Story (My Prophetic Navy Experience). I’ll let you read more about it there.

June 1988

At this point I had been in the Navy since March 1, 1988 my date of active duty enlistment. I finished boot camp and basic Seamanship school. I came home from all of this which took place in Great Lakes, MI in June of 1988.
Towards the end of my leave (military for vacation time) I got a call from my mom letting me know she wanted to see me. I supposed that she wanted to see me and also wish me well as I went off to my Military Assignment.

I got to my mom’s and it wasn’t anything I expected. I wasn’t in the least bit prepared. As I wrote you before my mom is a Jehovah’s Witness. I had been “disfellowshipped” many years beforehand. Within the last year my parents had gotten divorced and my two younger sisters were staying with my mom, while my sister Sarah and I (I am the oldest) stayed with my father at my grandparents. Obviously once I was in the Navy I was somewhat “removed” from all of it. All this background led to some “ill” feelings.

My mom in her beliefs through the Jehovah’s Witnesses got her bible out and read to me. I can’t remember what verse but the idea was that I was “in sin” and as such she could no longer have a direct relationship with me. I tried to speak my feelings, but was not able to. She did bring me my two sisters to say “goodbye” as they were still in the Jehovah’s Witnesses. And then the door was shut.

I immediately collapsed in a heap outside her apartment door and just cried. At some point I made it to my car and cried more and eventually to my Grandfather’s house (her father, who I was also very close to – he since has passed away but was a devout Catholic). I buried my head in his chest, cried and told him all of what happened.

Again, this story is not a shot at my mother. For one, I don’t blame the Jehovah’s Witnesses or my mother’s beliefs. She is a very courageous woman who has overcome a lot of her past. Her and I were displaced since this day until about 2004. I had been through quite a bit of counseling and had written her a letter about my feelings regarding the divorce and this days happenings. I told her I forgave her and that I had been through my own divorce. I also told her that I knew God was with me the whole time – and He was.

My mom not only took the letter, but after I ignored calls from her she came to my house. My children let her in and before I could procrastinate the situation I was sitting on my living room couch with my mom. She just listened as I basically spoke the same words I had put in my letter. She let me pray over it and release it. It took some time after this but my mom watches my children and they have a wonderful Grandmother. My kids are also close with her husband Jeff and I have respect for him.

The Spiritual, rules over the emotional, which rules over logic which rules over the practical. All this was by God’s Sovereignty and Love and there is no need for bitterness. It is my very own Joseph like story between my mom & I. Though it was hard I love her and I know she loves me.

But back to the story…even though this has a good outcome 16 years later it was a deeply difficult time for me. After this I said my goodbyes to family left on a jet for San Diego. I hadn’t been much out of Nebraska only car trips to Denver Colorado with my mom where we had relatives.

I arrived in San Diego where I was met by two men in their Navy whites. I carried my bags over my back which was quite a load. We got into a white Navy van and I sat in the back. The two men finally said “do you know where you are going?” To which I said “USS Fort McHenry” as those were my orders. Keep in mind I hadn’t seen much outside farmland and the foothills of the mountains of Colorado. These men said to me “you are going on West Pac – 6 months out to sea”. “I don’t believe you” I said. Probably because I didn’t want to believe them. I figured I was the new guy and I knew that I would likely be the brunt of many jokes and was prepared for them.

We got to the base and it was late in the night. It all was overwhelming and very intimidating. All the ships, the military base and the massive black ocean. Totally scary to someone having been through what I’d been through and as naïve to the world as I was. Like they say “were not in Kansas anymore…”

After the van stopped I again hauled all my bags on my back (I got no sympathy or help). I stood at the base of this massive ship which was moored off of a very large dock. There was what is called a gangplank which is a temporary bridge with which to walk up from the pier to the quarterdeck or entry point of the ship. It was very intimidating and fairly narrow and made of aluminum like metal. As I was walking with my bags strapped to my back I felt like I could fall into the sea at any time.

Finally I made it up yet I was totally lost and amidst strangers. I was led through what seemed a myriad of passageways and ladders (stairs) to my quarters. In my quarters were other men obviously all strangers to me.

The next morning I awoke early and we reported to quarters on the flight deck of the ship. Luckily, the Chief felt sorry for me as no one was allowed to go to the pier to make phone calls home. The Chief made an exception for me and I called home to my father. “I’m going overseas for six months I told him. I don’t know the details or when I’ll be able to phone home next.” To which I received silence. I don’t think my dad knew what to say. He had never been in the military himself and he was thousands of miles away. What could he say or do???

I was off on an unknown journey…

1989

This is My Captain story. If you have enjoyed this so far, this is a great conclusion to everything leading up to this point. One of the very great parts of the story takes place in June of 1989. Take a look at my website (www.tony4whwh.com ) for the story called “My Prophetic Navy Experience”. I hope you’ll enjoy it!!!

3 years, 3 visions. I could write books on all the spiritual meaning; moral, practical, prophetic, etc. that these three years gave me. When I felt orphaned God took me in His loving hand and in His Sovereignty He taught me a lifetime worth of lessons and gave me a foundation that could never be broken.

I’ve learned there is freedom through submission and not rebellion. I am forever grateful to our Heavenly Father who so tenderly loves and cares for us.

Blessings,

Tony

Hebrews 5:7-9
7During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him