Thanksgiving & The Rapture (And More Pro Wrestling Career Memories)!

As I write this, it was exactly 15 years ago (November 18, 2008) when I got this nice message from one of my old cohorts from my days as a professional wrestling announcer...former pro wrestler Sonny Siaki: 

What's up, Watanabe! Hope you are well. Just want to thank you for leaving a comment for Bernard. That meant a lot to us. Please keep us in your prayers and help spread my brother's story. Thanks again and God bless, FA'AMALOSI (STAY STRONG) Sonny 

During the time when Sonny Siaki sent me this message, Sonny decided to be the kidney donor for his brother, Bernard Siaki, who had Renal Kidney Failure. Due to this procedure, Sonny's doctor said he can no longer wrestle, and thus, Sonny retired from pro wrestling. However, in the process, Sonny saved his brother's life. 

In this world with plenty of selfishness and cold hearts (2 Timothy 3:2-4, Matthew 24:12), my old pal Sonny Siaki is now a true champion. At the time that this news spread, the First Church Of The Nazarene was heavily involved with this effort regarding Bernard's need...a fine example of the church being a good tag team partner with our Lord and Savior and Ring Master Jesus Christ (John 15:13--"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends"). So many were truly touched by Sonny's selfless act of love...for one, my cousin Karen Okita told me that she would share this with her small Bible study group in Orange County, California. Thank God, the procedure went well, and, last I heard, both Sonny and Bernard are doing well these days. 

The photo above featuring me and Sonny Siaki was taken at an Urban Wrestling Alliance TV taping, at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles (in the background in this dressing room photo is another good talent that I'm thankful I got to know and work with, the late Bison Smith). With all the negativity in the media these days (including the pro wrestling news media), I truly thank God for all of these good, inspiring memories I have from my days working in the pro wrestling business, as we enter the Thanksgiving season. 

With all that's going on right now in Israel and surrounding nations (kinda looks like we're getting closer to the future war described in the Bible's prophetic book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 & 39), some say that we are getting closer and closer to the Rapture, aka the harpazo, the great "snatch" or "seize" of Jesus Christ followers caught up to meet the Lord in the air, which will happen "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54), followed by the Great Tribulation/God's wrath upon this earth, leading to the future Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this earth, where He will rule and reign from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4, Acts 1:11...by the way, I know my amillennial brothers and sisters have different views of what will take place in the future, but as long as we all agree on who Christ Jesus truly is, then, praise the Lord, we'll all praise the Lord for all eternity). The late theologian John Walvoord described the future Rapture and the future Second Coming in this way: "When we see Christmas decorations, lights, advertisements, etc., we know that Christmas is approaching. We hear little, sometimes nothing, about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is like the Rapture; we don't see it coming. The closer we are to Christmas, we're even closer to Thanksgiving." As we believers in Yeshua/Jesus wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13), may we enter His gates with thanksgiving, giving thanks to Him and blessing His name (Psalm 100:4)!