Years before I ever heard of your ministry I came up with the same calculations that you did. But every time I hear anyone saying, “until the number is reached, there will be no rapture,” I always get a sinking feeling. We believers are responsible for winning souls. I am probably the most anxious for the rapture of anyone who you’ll ever hear from and it hits me hard that we are responsible for winning souls and we haven’t reached that number. What if we don’t get there? I know the Lord knows the end from the beginning, but that “number” still bugs me.
Remember what Paul said about Church growth. “One man plants the seed, another one waters, but it’s God who makes it grow (1 Cor. 3:6). As you said, God makes known the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He put the rapture in the Bible because He has already seen it. We’re the ones who are in the dark about it, and even then we’re not in the dark about if it will happen, only when it will happen. That’s the beauty of Paul’s comment about reaching the full number (Romans 11:25). We don’t have to wait for a special day, a certain event, or a sign from the heavens. The very next one who gives his or her heart to the Lord could trigger the rapture. Take heart.