Rapture?
What does
this term imply?
Rapture - The rescue of the true church (body of 'born again' believers),
from impending 'hell' on earth (doomsday). The
prophesied future hour (day of Christ) when Christ will return in the air to claim his holy church, by
supernatural means. At that time, all true believers will be snatched from the earth in an
instant, to forever reside with Christ, and with new immortal and perfect bodies
(ending the church age). Although seemingly impossible, yet Jesus himself did
rise skyward, shortly after his resurrection. |
Act 1:6-11 KJV - When they therefore were come
together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time
restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not
for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in
his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and
in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up;
and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in
white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing
up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
|
As we all know the Rapture
vs. Tribulation vs. Wrath topic, is a heated debate among Christians?
Personally I prefer to avoid such pointless debates, and rather look at
what Gods word states, as the answer is usually contained within the
scripture context.
Daniel 8:19 He said: "I am going to tell
you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision
concerns the appointed time of the end. |
From the verse, it appears the ancient vision concerns the wrath period
(also called by other names elsewhere)? |
Daniel 9:27 "He [Antichrist]
will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.'
In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and
offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination
that causes desolation (tribulation?), until the end that is decreed is
poured out on him. | The 'seven' means
seven year period, as determined by first 69 sevens historically. And as
Jesus states, a far future event. | Daniel
11:31 "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress
and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the
abomination that causes desolation. | Not
the Antichrist himself, but rather his army do the dirty deed. |
Daniel 12:11 "From the time that the daily
sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set
up, there will be 1,290 days. | The last
half of week 3.5, also tribulation period. First half is peace treaty,
as noted prior. | Matthew 24:15 "So when
you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes
desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader
understand. | Tribulation begins. No
mention of time of peace, the 1st part of seven year period. The holy
place being the 3rd temple, which the Jews intend to build.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 While people are
saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as
labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
| Now peace is mentioned (1st 3.5 years), followed by destruction (2nd
3.5 years) | 2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will
be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence
of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.
| Well they refused to listen, so what do they expect? Actually many
martyrs for Christ emerge from wrath period (ironically). |
Rev 7:9-14 KJV -
After this I beheld, and, lo, a
great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds,
and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb,
clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried
with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the
throne, and [about] the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the
throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and
glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might,
[be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders
answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white
robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And
he said to me, These are they
which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
| Rev 15:2 KJV - And I saw as it were a sea
of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over
the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, [and] over the number
of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
| Rev 20:4 KJV - And I saw thrones, and
they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them:
and [I saw] the souls of them
that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,
and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had
received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
| Obviously from the context, the aforementioned saints are a future
martyred group, clarified by the millennium reign mention. Passages are
not referring to Christian martyrs throughout the ages in this grace
administration, even considering the intense persecution element.
Daniel 11:36 "The king will do as he
pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say
unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until
the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take
place. | The Antichrist revealed |
2 Thessalonians 2:4 He will oppose and will exalt
himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he
sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
| Same event in Pauls words | Revelation
13:5,6 The beast was given a
mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority
for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and
to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.
| And finally in Johns vision, including time duration element - 42
prophetic months equals 3.5 literal years.
So as can be seen in above verses, the Great Tribulation; is NOT the
full 7 year duration (unlike many think), is IN second half, is SAME as
time of WRATH (unlike many think). IS the 1st beast of REVELATIONS 13
too.
Question: How can so many Christians get things so twisted, when the
answer is crystal clear in but these few verses?
Conclusion: The common 7 year tribulation is a total fable, created by
wrongly dividing God's word (quite common approach). And thus has caused
endless complications regarding the rapture timing with tribulation. For
according to the fable the rapture could happen anytime. But according
to the bible, it simply can't. Well no wonder it hasn't, as the crucial
signs have not yet appeared; hour of peace, 3rd temple built, Jews
sacrificing ritual, but not the revealing of Antichrist. In fact
Antichrist can't be revealed, until the church is raptured, as explained
below. Regarding the gathering of the church unto Christ, the rapture
event. Full passage block on link below
2Th 2:1-12 KJV - Now we beseech you, brethren, by the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him, That
ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word,
nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man
deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a
falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who
opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that
he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these
things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will
let], until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with
the brightness of his coming: |
[Even him], whose coming is after the working of
Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the
truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
| The one who is holding pure evil (wicked one of Satan) back is Christ,
working through his church. And when he jumps ship, the church follows
(rapture). For the church is the very power in this world keeping Satan
at bay. However as passage notes, evil in general is occuring, as it has
been doing for centuries. Btw rapture and 1st ressurection are NOT the
same event (regardless of popular opinion), as evidenced above. Rapture
is prior tribulation (Lords day, wrath of God/Satan, time of Jacobs
trouble, hour of trial, time of the end, etc), 1st ressurection is
afterward. Because follow up event IS millenium kingdom period.
Joel 1:15 Alas for that day! For the day of
the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
| Revelation 3:10 Since you have kept my
command to endure patiently, I
will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the
whole world to test those who live on the earth.
| The Great Tribulation. | Romans 1:18 The
wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness
and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
| 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for his
Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus,
who rescues us from the coming wrath.
| Clearly as verses above indicate, the church is NOT to go through
doomsday trial period at all. Not on earth in human form that is. Rather
the church returns after gathering judgement call, to battle Antichrist
and his kingdom. Christ and his invincible angel warriors win battle, as
the tale happily unfolds into the millennial kingdom reign period. Today we live in a modernized (mechanized, computerized) materialistic
world, practically devoid of supernatural events, unlike it was in
ancient days. But the time is coming when all that will change again..
at Christ's return hour. |
1Cr 15:49-54 KJV - And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. | An astronomical worldwide supernatural event which will also trigger off the final hour (day of the Lord, wrath of God), and immediate rise of the infamous Antichrist (wicked one, son of perdition, beast, etc). Which is discussed in greater detail in other sections; Prophets, Revelations, but briefed here. The following inserts are my interpretation of things. |
Rev 17:3 KJV - So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. | Rev 17:7 KJV - And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. | Rev 17:12 KJV - And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. | Ironically the Club Of Rome, has recently divided the world into 10 regions. | Rev 17:16 KJV - And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. | Accepted king (ruler, president, etc?) by the remaining people (those left behind), as their promised culture savior (poor economy?). Whom will also pretend to support the Jews. Allowing them to reinstate their former daily sacrifice ritual (according to their ancient custom). They formerly denied Jesus' claim as Messiah, and are waiting for the Messiah to come. The Antichrist will at first feign as their promised Messiah, then later betray them. As the Antichrist will be evil incarnate. As will the political and religious powers that support him. |
Rev 13:1 KJV - And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. | Rev 13:11 KJV - And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. | The bewildering rapture event itself however will be believed/deceived by many to be a massive (worldwide) UFO abduction. The world at large will be blindly deluded, even as they are now (UFO, aliens, etc?). |
Therefore the Antichrist will play a major part in the great UFO deception, but will not at first win all the peoples hearts (the religious skeptics). His second force in power will be the false prophet (an influential evil religious leader), whom will attempt to deceive those whom desire a new salvation church. However many will eventually see both of their evil images in the bible (and other holy sources), and resist (defy) them. Seeing this action occurring, he (Antichrist) will become very angry, and thus employ greater tactics; worship, 666, mark (total unholy slavery of all the people). | Rev 13:16 KJV - And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: | By commanding complete allegiance or death to the people, he will become the greatest dictator ever to arise on earth. Many gentiles will die worldwide as martyrs for Gods cause, and their salvation (few rebels will escape alive), by simply resisting the demands of the Antichrist. At this time his (Antichrists) ego will become so over-inflated, that he will rise up as the only true God. |
Dan 11:36-39 KJV - And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge [and] increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. | A feat achieved through (supernatural?) deception (miracles, wonders, etc), secretly powered by Satan (behind the scenes). As the believed messiah, he (Antichrist) will then betray the Jews (break his former vow to them), by halting their 'renewed' sacred daily sacrifice ritual. He will accomplish this simple and demoralizing feat, by vandalizing their sacred temple, and possibly placing an unholy animal on their alter (pig, goat, etc).. (been done before). |
Dan 11:31,32 KJV - And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily [sacrifice], and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do [exploits]. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, [many] days. | That event triggers the full wrath of God on the beast, and his kingdom. | Rev 19:20 KJV - And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. | Rev 20:4 KJV - And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. | The times to come. We are in the time prior.