The Rapture Explained

[True-believer]

The Rapture Explained

By Golda Chimere-Dan

The Rapture is a publication of The Rapture Force of Gauteng, South Africa. The editor is Ms Golda Chimere-Dan. Her husband, Prof. D. Chimere-Dan, heads up the Chimere-Dan Ministries. The following are excerpts from the first edition of The Rapture magazine (various Scriptures have been quoted from The Living Bible):

Certainty of the rapture

The rapture is the event in which the Lord Jesus Christ will appear in the cloud at the voice of the archangel and the last trumpet sound to take all Bible believing, born again Christians away from the surface of this earth before the Almighty God unleashes his anger on a sinful, unrepentant and Christ-rejecting world.

The rapture is an event that will take place very soon and very suddenly. It will be the most astonishing event in the history of the world which will turn the entire planet on its head. The Bible teaches this very clearly and it is the hope of every believer in the Lordship of Jesus Christ to be among those who experience the rapture.

The rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ will be the first in a series of events on God's calendar which will signal the end of time as we know it and will climax into the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish his Kingdom on earth. After the rapture it will, by any stretch of the imagination, no longer be 'business as usual' on the face of this planet for those left behind.

A major event of such magnitude deserves the attention of everyone:

· The rapture is going to strike without warning.

· The rapture will happen suddenly.

· The rapture will be one of the most startling events to ever occur in the history of man.

Are you ready to be raptured?

Confusion about the rapture

Are you confused about the rapture? Don't be, Satan is not. In fact, Satan and his demons know very well that the rapture is a sure event that will take place soon. He is not arguing it. He knows what the rapture implies for his reign of terror on humanity. So he has been busy intensifying the operation of his Ministry of Misinformation. He is going about setting up his lying machines like never before, producing and circulating counterfeit information about the truth and the messengers of the Lord Jesus Christ who preach and teach the truth.

All the enemy's efforts are designed for no other reason but to confuse you about the truth of the rapture. Satan doesn't care what you believe about the rapture as long as what you believe is not the truth. Anything he does to keep you from eagerly expecting the Lord Jesus Christ in the rapture is a success for him. If he can stop you from knowing the truth about it, be careful that he does not also stop you from going in the rapture. If he can stop you from allowing the thought about the rapture to influence the way you live your life today, watch out lest he also stops you from being among those raptured.

What is the rapture?

If you are not familiar with the word or the idea, you must be wondering what on earth we mean by Rapture. Rapture is a word used to describe that sudden moment, one of these days, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in mid air (the atmosphere just above our planet earth) and takes His followers away from the face of this earth to heaven where he lives. According to John 14:1-3 in the Bible, the Lord Jesus said to His followers:

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

Did you notice the words "receive you unto myself?" This is really what the rapture is all about. The Lord Jesus Himself will come to receive His own people unto Himself. These people received the Lord into their hearts as their Saviour while it was an unpopular thing to do here on earth. They believed in His name and were washed in His blood and received the authority or the right to be the children of God (John 1:12). They lived their lives in obedience to His word – some even doing so while facing mockery, torture and death.

The Bible tells us that one day, the Lord Jesus will appear in the clouds above us and snatch these people away from the earth to take them to heaven where He has prepared mansions for them so that from then on, they will be with Him wherever he is, beholding the glory which His Father has given Him (John 17:24). This is the rapture. The act of 'snatching away' is the rapture. The expression "caught up" is found in the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonian Christians (1Thess 4:13-18). Look at what he says there:

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command ("Come up hither" in Revelations 4:1), with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Therefore encourage (or comfort) each other with these words."

The word rapture comes from the root word for "caught up". The root word for "caught up" in the Greek language is harpazo, which means "to snatch away" or to take away suddenly. In the Latin Vulgate Bible, the words "caught up" are translated as rapturo. Christians have since chosen to describe this soon-coming event of the Lord suddenly snatching away His true followers from the earth as the rapture.

The reality of the rapture, the knowledge that this is an event that will certainly take place, has a comforting effect on the believer. It is a source of encouragement to him. It is the hope of every believer (Colossians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 15:19). The thought of the rapture and the expectation of it purifies the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (1John 3:3). The enemy and his agents will ridicule it, make it appear irrelevant to your daily living and seek to prevent you from thinking about, thereby, denying you its present comfort and its future bliss. Don't let him.

The rapture is the event that answers the prayer of our Lord Jesus which he prayed in John 17:24, "Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world."

But to the unbeliever, this knowledge can only provoke fear and horror. And he can respond by either deciding to give up his resistance to inviting the Lord Jesus into his life, or by postponing this decision or even completely discarding the whole message and the prompting of the Holy Spirit to yield to God, as a non-issue that would disappear from his mind after a while. Whichever, make sure you are not one of those trapped in non-response to the plea to make peace with God after you have heard the message of the rapture.

"Therefore, you also must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him" (Matthew 24:44).

The imminence of the rapture

The Oxford dictionary defines the word imminent as "...an event about to happen." It is an event "likely to happen very soon" without warning, unexpectedly, catching people by surprise. So, when we say that the rapture is imminent, we mean that the return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His Church is an event that can happen at any moment, without any warning. There are no warning signs or indications of a short-term countdown.

As Christians, we are required to remain on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week alert. If anyone therefore tells you not to bother about it, do not listen to him. Paying attention to such advice has caused many not-too-well-established believers to make a shipwreck of their faith. The rapture will take place very soon, very suddenly and without warning. Jesus will come in the air, catch up his Church (born again Christians) from the earth, and then return to heaven with them.

Does the Bible teach the imminence of the rapture? Listen to the Lord Himself in Luke 21:34-35, "Watch out! Don't let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don't let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world." The Lord makes it clear in those words that the rapture will take place suddenly, catching people unawares. It will be like the surprise attack of a thief in the night. The suddenness of his coming and the unpredictability of its timing provides the basis for the warning on the immanence of His return.

Timing of the rapture

Although the rapture of the Church is imminent, the Lord has chosen to keep us from knowing the exact date and hour when it will take place. The Lord Jesus Himself made it absolutely clear that: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). Paul puts it this way in chapter 5 of his first letter to the Thessalonian Christians: "Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" (1Thess 5:1-2).

The rapture will occur when no one is expecting it. However, it is sufficient for us to know that as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be when the rapture takes place. According to the Lord, "The world will be at ease – banquets and parties and weddings – just as it was in Noah's time before the sudden coming of the flood; people wouldn't believe what was going to happen until the flood actually arrived and took them all away. So shall My coming be. Two men will be working together in the fields, and one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be going about their household tasks, one will be taken, the other left. So be prepared, for you don't know what day your Lord is coming" (Matthew 24:37-42).

"The world will be as indifferent to the things of God as the people were in Noah's day. They ate and drank and married, everything just as usual right up to the day when Noah went into the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot: people went about their daily business – eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be 'business as usual' right up to the hour of my return" (Luke 17:26-35).

People will be living as normal: working, partying, buying and selling, planting and building. And just like in the days of Noah, they will not take notice of all the cries by their fellow men to repent and make peace with God. Then, out of nowhere and without any warning, millions of men, women and children will disappear, throwing the entire world into an unbelievable magnitude of chaos. People’s lives will be characterised by selfishness, love and worship of the good things of life, and a lack of interest in anything concerning God except where it promotes and encourages their selfishness and material needs. Does this look like the days we live in? I think it does.

Jesus Christ said: "And since you don't know when it will happen, stay alert. Be on the watch out for my return."

How should we live in times like this?

There is no question that no one can predict the timing of the rapture just as there is no doubt about the surprise which this event will be to the majority of people living in the world when it happens. Seeing that the rapture is imminent but the timing unpredictable, how should we be living our lives? There is a lot of warning about how we should live and how we should not live as we wait for the rapture of the Church to take place.

Watch out for His return: The Lord warns: "Don't let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don't let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world. Keep a constant watch." Don't be like the rest of the world who are asleep concerning these matters (1Thess. 5:6). You are not in darkness concerning it so as to allow that day to surprise you like a thief in the night. Instead, always be on the alert. Just as a man can prevent trouble from thieves by keeping watch for them, so you can avoid trouble by always being ready for My unannounced return, says the Lord" (Matthew 24:43-44; Mark 13:32).

Be on your guard, be on the alert: Peter warns us to always be self-controlled and alert. The reason is because our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to tear apart (1Peter 5:8). Live your life with a sense of urgency that the Lord could come any time. When we were growing up as Christians, we were taught to live our lives as though the Lord will return today. What a timely advice. That way, you are constantly aware of the temporary nature of your stay here on earth. You realise you are living in borrowed time and ought to make the best use of your time while you still have it.

I always use the illustration of a person who goes shopping at five minutes to closing time. If you are conscious of the fact that the shop closes in five minutes time, you do not start a long conversation with your friend whom you suddenly bumped into at the shop, even if you had not seen him or her for a very long time. You know it is not time to sample all the items displayed on the shelf. That is also no time to start enquiring about the different product ranges on offer. You simply and hurriedly go through the shelves picking up the most important things you need in other to make it on time to the counter before they close. Such practical response to a sense of urgency should characterise your approach to your every spiritual service you are engaged in.

Stay sober: Do not spend your life in wanton excesses and extravagance. Be free from inordinate passion. Learn to be quiet. Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do. Always be protected by the armour of faith and love, while wearing as your helmet the happy hope of your salvation.

Do not be deceived: Don't let anyone deceive you into believing that you should not be thinking about the rapture or be concerned about it. As Paul said, if we who are abiding in Christ have hope only in this life and that is all, then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied (1Corinthians 15:19). Whatever else you do here while we wait for the Lord to come for us, the most important thing is to be found ready when He comes. To be found worthy to be raptured should be the most preferred priority in your life.

The thought of the rapture purifies the man who thinks about it. It provokes you into action seeing that you realise that time is short. It draws you closer to the Lord and sharpens your commitment to Him. Thinking about the rapture always provokes a sense of urgency in your attitude to His work and keeps you from being occupied with the problems of this life.

The Lord told His disciples when they were rejoicing that demons were subject to them in His name, that they should rather rejoice that their names were written in heaven. Your heavenly citizenship and your final arrival there should be the source of great joy in your life and the motivation for everything else that you do. It is our glorious hope.

"Occupy till I come." This is the attitude the Lord expects us to have as we wait for His coming. While we watch and wait for His coming, we are not to stay idle. We are to do business till He comes. We are to faithfully discharge our responsibilities, inspired by the knowledge of His coming. The Lord illustrated this point in the story taken from Luke 19:12-27, "A nobleman living in a certain province was called away to the distant capital of the empire to be crowned king of his province. Before he left he called together ten assistants and gave them each $2000 to invest while he was gone". The Lord has given us talents, gifts and abilities which He expects us to utilise wisely to promote His kingdom on earth till He comes. How are you trading?

"But some of his people hated him and sent him their declaration of independence, stating that they had rebelled and would not acknowledge him as their king". Does this sound like the lifestyle of some people today? I think so. We live in a power-crazy world today. In the mad race for power, everyone wants to be in control, to exercise power over others while recognising no authority over himself. The lust for fame, publicity, celebrity, awards and rewards, have forced many to break the boundary lines, remove the ancient land marks and openly but grotesquely declare themselves as gods. Even in the body of Christ – the Church – a lust for self-importance and self-recognition has resulted in unhealthy rivalry and competition among many leaders, to the extent that one wonders exactly which master they serve. How are you trading?

"Upon his return he called in the men to whom he had given the money, to find out what they had done with it, and what their profits were. The first man reported a tremendous gain – ten times as much as the original amount! 'Fine!' the king exclaimed. 'You are a good man. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, and as your reward, you shall be governor of ten cities'. The next man also reported a splendid gain five times the original amount. 'All right!' his master said. 'You can be governor over five cities’” (Luke 19:15-19).

The Lord encourages us to make an active investment into our treasury in heaven. By actively pursuing activities that promote the kingdom of God in the lives of other people here on earth, we are doing business for and with the Lord until He returns. And if the business of enriching our heavenly bank accounts appeals to us very strongly, our minds will rightly be preoccupied with and inspired by heaven-driven projects (Luke 12:33-34). This is what will keep us in constant readiness for the coming of our Lord.

Have your lamp trimmed: To trim means to put in order. The summary of all we have been saying is that you must be in constant readiness for the coming of the Lord for the Church, His bride. Make sure that everything around you and within you is ready and set to go when the Lord arrives. The Lord Himself illustrated the implications of readiness and unreadiness with the story of the ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. But only five of them were wise enough to fill their lamps with oil, while the other five were foolish and forgot.

So, when the bridegroom was delayed, they lay down to rest until midnight, when they were roused by the shout, 'The bridegroom is coming! Come out and welcome him!' All the girls jumped up and trimmed their lamps. Then the five who hadn't any oil begged the others to share with them, for their lamps were going out. But the others replied, 'We haven't enough. Go instead to the shops and buy some for yourselves'. But while they were gone, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five returned, they stood outside, calling, 'Sir, open the door for us!' But he called back, 'Go away! It is too late!' So stay awake and be prepared, for you do not know the date or moment of My return'.

Do not be like the five foolish virgins who had to go and get oil for their lamps when it was too late. See to it that you are living your life in obedience to the word of God, loving Him passionately and serving Him with adoration with all you are and all you have.

Dear reader, you have to understand that the rapture is only the first phase of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth. The first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ took place when He came as the sinless Lamb of God to take away the sins of the whole world. But you know that when He came the first time, the world rejected him. He came unto his own, the Scriptures say, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name (John 1:11-12). During that first visit, He promised to come again.

This time around, the Lord Jesus Christ is not coming as the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the whole world. He is coming as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is coming to take vengeance against his enemies – those who spoke harshly of Him and His people (Jude v. 15), and to establish His Kingdom for a one thousand-year reign on our planet earth.

A letter from the Rapture Force

Dear Reader,

One of the most profound realities of our time is the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom on earth. This event will be preceded by the rapture, or sudden departure, of true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ one of these days from this planet. However, neither the Second Coming of the Lord nor the rapture of the body of believers in Him receives the attention it deserves among Christians today.

Many unbelievers are not aware of what the rapture is all about and some have not even heard of the word, least of all how it will affect them. They are not in any position to appreciate the individual and global implications of the event called the rapture before or when it takes place. More worrying is the fact that many Christians do not know even the most basic things about the rapture. Among some Christians who have heard some form of teaching on the topic, the rapture is considered a controversial and confusing topic which they would rather not discuss. This poor knowledge of a profound event like the rapture is a clear demonstration that Christians are no longer searching the Scriptures as they should (John 5:39; Acts 17:10-11).

In Africa, as in the rest of the world, there are about five major categories of responses to the topic of the rapture of the Church. These include:

1. The Christians who have clear knowledge of the rapture, believe what the Scriptures teach about it and live their lives in response to it.

2. The Christians who have never heard about the rapture, or do not have adequate knowledge of it and genuinely want more information to broaden their understanding, but lack access to useful information.

3. The Christians who are confused about the rapture or have been taught wrongly or have been persuaded by thoughtless statements from other Christians that they need not get concerned about the rapture. Consequently, they live their lives in ways that show that they are not expecting the Lord any time soon. To this category of Christians, discussions about the rapture is often seen as a controversial issue which should rather not be discussed in the normal conversations of daily life.

4. The non-Christians who have heard about the rapture but whose knowledge has not yet translated into an invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ into their lives as their Lord and personal Saviour.

5. The unbelievers who have never heard about the rapture.

Much of the indifference on the topic of the rapture among many Christians today is influenced by the invasive materialistic culture which is dictating the tone of society and setting the pace for our daily existence. The materialistic view of life in the world today makes survival and pleasure-seeking the hallmark of our existence. Any thought or consideration of life beyond here is drowned and perceived as irrelevant or fanatical.

Our aim at The Rapture Force is to actively target people in categories 2, 4 and 5. The reason is quite simple. The majority of the world's population is poor and lacks access to basic information. Although we live in an age of information explosion, the level of ignorance about major events that threaten the very existence of life on earth remains very high among the majority of the world's population. Or put the other way, information is still very poorly circulated with the result that many people are at best ignorant or at worst misinformed about issues that have very grave implications for their lives. Most people are much more preoccupied with how to provide the next meal for their families than to bother with how to get to heaven.

As a result, if the rapture should take place today, the majority of people left behind who would end up taking the mark of the Beast quite easily will be among those living in terrible poverty and those who never heard anything about the rapture before it took place. This latter category of people will be left behind and would be most vulnerable to the lies which the Antichrist would offer as an explanation for what had happened.

Many souls that could truly come to the Lord as a result of the rapture would be denied such opportunities because they did not know in the first place that the rapture was an act of God. Provision of pre-rapture information is an important way of increasing the number of those who could come to the Lord not only before but also after the rapture. We believe that Africa and the rest of the world deserve to have sufficient information on the rapture and the opportunity to decide either to accept or reject the message of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Presently, there are many Christians in Africa who will live their lives differently if they knew the truth about the rapture. But because of the opposition of those who have been lied to about the rapture, attempts to prepare Christians for the rapture have taken a back seat in many Church fellowships. The message of the rapture provokes people who receive it to holy living. Church leaders who want to encourage holy living among their lukewarm members – whose major interest is their economic and social well-being – can easily do so by placing emphasis on the rapture. As a result of the rapture not being taught in our Churches, many Christians depend on hearsay and only a few get access to good literature to improve their knowledge.

The unfortunate result of this poor level of information on the rapture is that many Christians in Africa do not have sufficient understanding of the rapture, or the warm and glorious encouragement that such knowledge provides for our daily walk with the Lord while we wait for Him to rapture us.

The more frightening reality is the people who actively oppose the rapture message in different ways. These are the sales agents of darkness. While Christians are busy arguing about whether the rapture will be a pre-, post- or even mid-tribulation event, these servants of the kingdom of darkness are out in full force dishing out lies and confusing and deceiving a lot more people and persuading them to reject the truth of the rapture.

Wherever the message of these deceivers is preached, it has had the effect of dampening the faith of many believers. They are unrelenting in their assault. You could see the result of their work in action in the lives of once zealous Christians who no longer see the need to contend for the faith. Regular Church attendance is the only shadow of their once vibrant commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Rapture Force will call the attention of all people living on this planet to this soon-to-take-place major event and alert the world to the shortness of time available to make a decision about Jesus Christ – the Son of God. We will assist those who require help to prepare for the rapture.

We will propagate the message of the rapture and harvest souls for the kingdom of God in the process. You are welcome to join our initiatives wherever you are by telling someone that Jesus is coming very soon. People should give their lives to Jesus, or regret not doing so sooner rather than later.

[True-believer]

Hi Luke.

Thanks so much for e-mailing to me the wonderful Biblical truth about the "Catching-up of believers (the rapture) in the Lord Jesus Christ." My soul and spirit leapt with joy as I read the article.

Praise the Lord for the truth the Lord, through His word, has spoken to you; I praise God for the wonderful, comforting truth God has spoken through you.

I remember, many years ago, when the Spirit of the Lord revealed this glorious, liberating truth to me. Consequently, the future I/we have as Christians is all pure joy as we look forward to the miracle of us and believers in Christ, being "caught up" to meet the Lord Jesus in the clouds, and we will forever be with the Lord.

So comfort one another with this lovely Biblical truth.

It would be to all Christians' advantage if we printed the article and gave it to them to also encourage them.

God bless you Luke.

Yours in Christ

Milton

[oldsailor29]

Well, that was interesting. That is probably the most I have ever read about "the rapture." It agrees with some things I have learned in my years of study. It happens before the millennium, is one point of agreement.

Seems the main points of disagreement are the timing of the tribulations and what happens during the millennium, in relationship to the rapture. And the question about the "thief in the night" appearance, as it relates to the coming when "every eye shall see." It will be interesting to sort out the time line of all these events which are parts of the end times.

And seems to me the main point of the "Rapture" message is that we should be ready for Jesus to return. Well, okay.

[nuff sed]

Unfortunately while the idea of the "Rapture" is all great and grandiose it is unfortunately false. I was in there cheering until the part about those "left behind" came up and the Kingdom of God being here for 1000 years.

My understanding of events is as follows and is in harmony with the understanding of the denomination of which I am a member. I do not seek to give "proof texts" nor quotations from EGW for each point. If you want to refute what I believe go to it. "Don't try to confuse me with facts...My mind is made up!"

1. At the time of the "Next Coming (2nd)" the righteous alive will be taken up. The righteous dead will be resurrected and join the alive ones ascending. There will be some of the unrighteous dead who will be resurrected to see our Lord's Coming.

2. The unrighteous will be struck dead from the brightness of His coming. Their judgement has been sealed. There is no more hope for them.

3. Satan and his angels will be the only ones on this earth during the 1000 yrs. (Millenium)

4. The righteous will be "In Heaven" during the Millenium doing whatever the Lord has for them to do during that time.( IMO It does not take 1000 years to look over the books and eat at the "great table".

5. At the end of the 1000 years the Holy City will descend to this earth . The unrighteous dead of all ages will have been resurrected to see it coming down. Satan (who has been here alive for the 1000 years) will then try to martial the "wicked" for one last try at taking the city and overcoming God's Kingdom. How long a period this will be we do not know. When God decides "Enough is enough" a panorama of life will unfold to each wicked person showing him exactly how it was his own decision that brought him to that place. Each person will acknowledge

that God has acted justly with him and fall in worship.

Satan will also bow and confess the justice of his sentence

but will determine not to yield. Though he tries to martial his forces in one last battle his forces see that they cannot prevail and turn upon him and those that deceived them.

6.Fire comes down from God out of heaven . Wickedness will be consumed. Satan is the last to be destroyed. When all is consumed the fire goes out....No 'eternal-burning Hell"...

And the earth will be remade.

Now, if you want to read it in its entirety just go read the last three chapters of "The Great Controversy"...'nuff sed

[BobRyan]

The Bible teaching on the resurrection and rapture event of 1Thess 4 is that it happens on this order -

1. Post trib "Immediately after the tribulation of those days... shall he gather his elect" Matt 24.

2. Pre-millennium (Rev 20:4-5 "This is the FIRST resurrection)

3. And is the event where Christ takes the saints to heaven John 14:1-3 as He promised. "I will come again and receive you unto Myself"

It is really that easy to understand.

Nothing complicated about it.

in Christ,

Bob

[BobRyan]

Having said that-- there IS a mid-trib counterfeit appearance of a false Christ as Paul predicts in 2Thess 2. Paul calls him the "man of sin" and he does not take the saints to heaven as promised in John 14. Instead of that - he attempts to setup a kingdom on earth.

in Christ,

Bob

[nuff sed]

I think that we might be in agreement But we differ from mainstream "rapturists" on the belief that after their "rapture" there will be those alive 'left behind' with still the opportunity for eventual salvation..... In "MY Rapture"

nobody is "left behind" but the devil and his angels etc, etc,

[phkrause]

I'm with you glad.

pk

[jasd]

>>3. And is the event where Christ takes the saints to heaven John 14:1-3 as He promised. "I will come again and receive you unto Myself"<<

...and Himself would be, at that time, within Earth’s atmosphere – where birds fly; after which, we are informed in Writ – those who are not already with Him in His Parousia, meet Him there – and escort Him to earth – where it is said that His feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives. The saints, together with Jesus Christ, inherit earth and begin

a Millennial Reign – wherein the child who dies at an hundred years of age is thought cursed, wherein men’s lives will be as the length of trees, wherein Gd sends plague and drought upon those who will not come up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, wherein the millennial Temple will be established, etc.

Behold, He cometh with much destruction...

[BobRyan]

John 14.

"In my Fathers house - ARE many mansions"

"I GO to prepare a place for you"

"I GO to the Father"

"I will come again and RECEIVE you to myself so that where I am THERE you may be also".

Jesus promises to come here and take us to that place He has prepared for us in His Father's house.

1Thess 4

"We will be caught up together them the in the air - and so shall we ever be WITH the Lord"

The resurrection that you see in 1Thess 4 - is the resurrection of the saints.

It is what John calls the "FIRST resurrection" Rev 20:5 (Which happens at the Rev 19-20 second coming event). It is not the SECOND resurrection - because the second one happens only after the millennium.

In Christ,

Bob

[TreeOfLife]

Rapture? In What Sense?

- A Look at the Basics

The Rapture Explained

By Golda Chimere-Dan

The Rapture is a publication of The Rapture Force of Gauteng, South Africa...

[jasd]

>>"In my Fathers house - ARE many mansions"<<

Jn 2:16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

Of course, one might think the Biblical definition for “my Father’s house” – is more expansive...

>>"I GO to prepare a place for you"<< [ed.jasd]

Strong’s #5117; topos

2) metaph.

a) the condition or station held by one in any company or assembly

opportunity, power, occasion for acting

It may be that Jesus Christ was informing His listeners that He was ‘preparing’ the position which the saints would inherit – that is, the position of co-inheritors with Jesus Christ, priests and kings, etc.

>>"I GO to the Father"<<

It would be with the Father, where the issues obtaining the ‘position/place’ re the saints would be resolved...

>>"I will come again and RECEIVE you to myself so that where I am THERE you may be also".<<

To begin, Jesus Christ “RECEIVES” the NT believer upon his or her belief and repentance. Second, the saints post-crucifixion arrive with Jesus Christ, Gd – in the Parousia – and thereafter, dwell with Jesus Christ upon the earth.

>>Jesus promises to come here and take us to that place He has prepared for us in His Father's house.<<

The above requires a reading upon the words to meet – following in my next post...

>>1Thess 4

"We will be caught up together them the in the air - and so shall we ever be WITH the Lord"<<

I believe 1 Thessalonians 4 is addressing per your above quote – those who died in Christ, and those remaining alive at the Parousia.

>>The resurrection that you see in 1Thess 4 - is the resurrection of the saints.<<

I believe the exact words in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are “and the dead in Christ shall rise first”. Those who sleep in Jesus Christ arrive with Him in the clouds with the remaining saints who are alive upon earth are caught up – following those who’ve died in Christ.

[jasd]

The following has been cut from another thread:

Re: Earth as metaphoric ‘prison’, per appeal to Jeremiah 4…

and a small treat of ‘to meet’

1 Thess 4:17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

There are only four times in the NT that the word meet, in its particularly referenced form and intent (cf 1 Thessalonians 4:17), are used.

James Strong identifies the word meet in these instances as #529 (apantesis; a {friendly} encounter:--meet.) –ed].

Following, are the four times that the NT used #529 apantesis – to meet --with the sense mentioned above, that is, that of 1 Thessalonians 4:17. None of these texts possess material from which to legitimately configure a doctrine for a ‘resurrection and translation’ of saints to the heavenlies --for a ‘millennial rest’, at the Advent of Jesus; rather, there can be parsed only a contradictory meaning.

A simple reading of these four texts yields --another viewpoint. To accept instead, the matter as it is currently being put forward doctrinally, is to, well…, embrace suspect constructives.

Compare: John 12:13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.

After going out to meet Christ, all that greeted Him, as well, those with Him, --returned to the city of Jerusalem.

Compare: Mt 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet, the bridegroom. …v6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. … v10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. v11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

Verse 10 is clear regards the process involved to meet; there is no indication that the foolish virgins also found themselves ‘caught up’ and hied to the gates of heaven to plead --Lord, Lord, open to us! (v11).

Compare: 1 Thess 4:17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

There is no indication here that the redeemed _‘ever being with the Lord in the air’_ are

raptured, in its Fundamental Evangelical sense, as the first step of an ensuing journey, which has its culmination in the dwelling place of Gd, that is, the heavenlies; nor does it imply that the saints _are ever to dwell in the air; however, the application by St Paul of #109 aer as in, breathable, circumambient air --in the text, --proves interesting, of itself.

The redeemed, _ever being with the Lord_, implies only that the redeemed shall have their dwelling with the Lord, and to meet in the air is, if for reason other that there is something else being performed upon earth while the redeemed are in the clouds, --perhaps a simple matter of protocol. Can one imagine Gd and the hosts of heaven arriving at earth having no protocol in place, the matter of honour and glory neglected?

Lastly,

Compare: Acts 28:15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. v16 And when we came to Rome, …

There were in and about Rome taverns, usually at crossroads, that were similar to what our Granges and Union Halls are today. St Paul, upon having been met by the brethren, did not turn about to return to the Levant but rather, the entire company continued onward to --from whence they who had come to greet St Paul, that is, Rome.

To meet, as utilized in NT Writ, establishes that those ‘caught up’ to meet the Lord in the air do so to ‘effectively’ provide an ‘escort’ of the redeemed for the Lord; immediately returning to --earth with the Lord, --to begin a millennial reign.

Addendum:

Mt 8:34 utilizes ‘to meet’ but bears no relevance

Lu 14:31 also shares no affinity in its use of ‘to meet’

Mk 14:13 employs ‘there shall meet’ with, upon first glance, a slight but insufficient nod to relevance

I am again, compelled to ask,

where, are the texts that say that the earth will be covered in darkness for one thousand years, this same earth, upon which the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan will be bound with chains of circumstance (as per orthodoxy), instead of cast into the bottomless pit, --symbolism, notwithstanding?

Why then should we expect that 1 Thessalonians 4:17 indicates a different scenario than that, which comparison of scripture and precept establishes? Simply, we can’t.

[True-believer]

1. The Christians who have clear knowledge of the rapture, believe what the Scriptures teach about it and live their lives in response to it.

2. The Christians who have never heard about the rapture, or do not have adequate knowledge of it and genuinely want more information to broaden their understanding, but lack access to useful information.

3. The Christians who are confused about the rapture or have been taught wrongly or have been persuaded by thoughtless statements from other Christians that they need not get concerned about the rapture. Consequently, they live their lives in ways that show that they are not expecting the Lord any time soon. To this category of Christians, discussions about the rapture is often seen as a controversial issue which should rather not be discussed in the normal conversations of daily life.

4. The non-Christians who have heard about the rapture but whose knowledge has not yet translated into an invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ into their lives as their Lord and personal Saviour.

5. The unbelievers who have never heard about the rapture.

[BobRyan]

>>3. And is the event where Christ takes the saints to heaven John 14:1-3 as He promised. "I will come again and receive you unto Myself"<<

...and Himself would be, at that time, within Earth’s atmosphere – where birds fly; after which, we are informed in Writ – those who are not already with Him in His Parousia, meet Him there – and escort Him to earth

There is no "escort Him to earth" statement in scripture for the 2nd coming.

in Christ,

Bob

[BobRyan]

While there are many flaws in the popular view of the doctrine on the rapture -- some aspects are actually true.

1. It is pre-millennial.

2.It involves the resurrection of the saints as well as the living caught up to meet Christ in the air. (John tells us that this is the "FIRST resurrection" and that over these "Blessed and holy ones" the "Second death has no power")

3. It fulfills the promise of John 14 where Christ takes the saints back to heaven with Him - TO that place "in My Father's house" that He has been preparing for us.

The Bible teaching on the resurrection and rapture event of 1Thess 4 is that it happens on this order -

1. Post trib "Immediately after the tribulation of those days... shall he gather his elect" Matt 24.

2. Pre-millennium (Rev 20:4-5 "This is the FIRST resurrection)

3. And is the event where Christ takes the saints to heaven John 14:1-3 as He promised. "I will come again and receive you unto Myself"

It is really that easy to understand.

Nothing complicated about it.

in Christ,

Bob

[Musicman1228]

If you want to call what happens at the end of the Great Tribulation where the Righteous (resurrected and living) ascend to God and His throne and call that the Rapture that is fine with me. In that case it is just a difference of terms.

However, the only pre-trib "rapture" that is spoken of by Jesus Christ or talked about in Revelation is where the 144,000 are sealed and then seen on Mt.Zion. It does not say where Mt. Zion is located but it is sure that these bondservants of Jesus Christ are sealed in righteousness BEFORE the Great Tribulation begins (Rev.7:1-4). Even EGW (should you trust her testimony) agrees by saying, "There we were sealed and perfectly united, and then we entered it" (the Great Tribulation).

The only way to get the church as a whole into Heaven before the Tribulation is to cut and paste the last 7 years of the prophecy in Dan.9:24 from 27 C.E. (the beginning year of the last week of years) until whenever the Tribulation begins.

Now aside from the problems that are caused by changing prophecy to forward a personal agenda there is a big problem with the fact that Jesus fulfilled His part of the prophecy during the middle of the final week in 30 C.E. when He was crucified to fulfill the prophecy. Israel failed to fulfill their part of the prophecy so now that prophecy is done, finished, ended. Israel lost the trusteeship of the Covenant in 33 C.E. at the end of the 490 years. Prophecy cannot be fulfilled in two different times and places. It is either fulfilled completely at the proper time or it will never be fulfilled. There are no partial, multiple or types of fulfillments, its either all or nothing. So if the end of the prophecy is moved to the end of time that would have to mean that Jesus needs to come to earth before His coming in the clouds so that He can be crucified again during the middle of the week, in order to fulfill the prophecy. Prophecy is either fulfilled or it isn't. You can't have it both ways.

Summary:

If Jesus Christ died at the correct time according to the Dan. 9 prophecy in 30 C.E. then that puts an end to that prophecy. Therefore, moving the final week of years to the end of time is a meaningless exercise, and the pre-trib rapture has to be a lie and a hoax.

Check out the 7 Rules for Prophetic Interpretation:

7 Rules for Prophetic Interpretation

[Guest WilloMar]

The rapture, as believed by much of the Christian community today, is very dangerous. It’s dangerous because it teaches that those who weren’t caught up, or raptured, before the tribulation will have a second chance during the tribulation. And another thing that’s dangerous in not knowing that Jesus’ Kingdom will not be upon this earth until after the thousand years. This is important to know because Satan is going to impersonate Christ upon this earth. That will be his greatest deception and if people think Jesus is in His kingdom here, they will be deceived. But, let’s concentrate on Matt. 24:37-41: “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Verse 38: “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating...etc. until the day that Noe entered into the ark,” Verse 39: “And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Verse 40: “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Verse 41: “Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Let’s concentrate on verse 39: “And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away.” They were drowned. They were taken by destruction! For verses 40 and 41, let’s go to Luke 17:34-37: “I tell you, in the night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.” Verse 35: “Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Verse 36: “Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Now, what were the disciples asking Jesus in verse 37? “And they answered and said unto Him, ‘Where Lord?’” Now, were they asking, where were they left? No, that couldn’t be a mystery to them, because if two were in a bed together, or grinding together, or in the field together, that’s where the one left would still be. So, what they were really wondering was, Where were they taken, Lord? Now for the rest of verse 37: “And He said unto them, ‘Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles (vultures) be gathered together.” In other words, they are taken like those of the flood when they drowned, they were taken by death.

Prepare for Jesus!

[BobRyan]

If you want to call what happens at the end of the Great Tribulation where the Righteous (resurrected and living) ascend to God and His throne and call that the Rapture that is fine with me. In that case it is just a difference of terms.

However, the only pre-trib "rapture" that is spoken of by Jesus Christ or talked about in Revelation is where the 144,000 are sealed and then seen on Mt.Zion. It does not say where Mt. Zion is located but it is sure that these bondservants of Jesus Christ are sealed in righteousness BEFORE the Great Tribulation begins (Rev.7:1-4). Even EGW (should you trust her testimony) agrees by saying, "There we were sealed and perfectly united, and then we entered it" (the Great Tribulation).

1. In my post I point to the rapture as pre-millennial - not pre-trib.

2. Some group of saints are sealed before the "shaking" (Maranatha 200) which Ellen White sometimes calls "The little time of trouble".

in Christ,

Bob

[jasd]

>>There is no "escort Him to earth" statement in scripture for the 2nd coming.<<

There is no “trinity” in Writ either; however, though it may be

that I could have phrased it better, I believe it portrays the fact well – and Biblically. Otherwise, exposition has Jesus Christ descending to earth in the Parousia with the saints still suspended in the circumambient atmosphere (read: my above ”meet”).

Zech 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives,

What “day” is Zechariah speaking of in the above? Is not Zechariah speaking of the Parousia – that day of much destruction?

[jasd]

Other than a very questionable exegesis upon one text re a ‘place’ in the Father’s House, there is no Biblical evidence that the saints are hied to the heaven of heavens après Parousia. That said, it appears that it is error to

foundationally assign to the saints a storied journey through the constellation Orion based upon an extraBiblical source. imho

[jasd]

Aside from the fact that the seventy-weeks prophecy nowhere has “all Israel” in view, and aside from the fact that almost every exposition of Daniel 9 dates the inception of its formulation centuries ago – thereby wresting from that which Gd sealed – one has a very serious problem with verses 25-27, to wit:

Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:

There is in Daniel 25 two time frames – one of an initial seven weeks and one of a following sixty-two weeks.

Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

After the “following” sixty-two weeks Messiah is “cut off”. There has, at this point, been a fulfillment of a period of sixty-nine weeks.

One is hard-pressed to attribute to other than the Romans – the “destruction of the city and the sanctuary”. So, one asks, what time-frame was actualized by the Romans, circa AD 70? Yet we find in

Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, ...

Ahh, another frame of “one week”... What’s with the insertion, juxtaposition, prophecy of the “people of the prince that shall come” between the “threescore and two weeks” of verse 26 and the “with many for one week” of verse 27?

Discombobulation on the part of Gd’s prophet? Impossible.

Lastly, after the “destruction of the city and the sanctuary” ”he shall confirm the covenant for one week”... The antecedent for “he” appears to be either the “people of the prince” or the “prince”. Either way,

Jesus Christ had ascended after accomplishing the requirements of the first clause of verse 26 and prior to the coming of the “people of the prince”. After that,

one encounters the final week of the prophecy in verse 27. When did “he confirm the covenant...”? The answer is,

never – yet.

Ipso facto, a parenthetical 'gap'.

[BobRyan]

Other than a very questionable exegesis upon one text re a ‘place’ in the Father’s House, there is no Biblical evidence that the saints are hied to the heaven of heavens après Parousia.

"In My Father's house are many mansions -- I GO to prepare a PLACE for you -- I will come again to RECEIVE you to Myself that WHERE I am THERE you may be also" John 14 makes it clear that the PLACE WHERE Christ went (hint: Heaven Heb 9:24 -- ) is the place that he will be taking us.

This is where we are taking after we are "caught up in the air".

Which means that instead of experiencing the "big bounce" at the 2nd coming where saints zoom up into the air and then land smoothly back down on earth again - we are actually being "taken TO" the place IN His Father's house WHERE He went and WHERE He has prepared a PLACE for us.

(Notice all the location terms Christ uses in John 14 to convey the point without fail.)

in Christ,

Bob

[BobRyan]

>>There is no "escort Him to earth" statement in scripture for the 2nd coming.<<

There is no “trinity” in Writ either; however, though it may be

that I could have phrased it better, I believe it portrays the fact well – and Biblically. Otherwise, exposition has Jesus Christ descending to earth in the Parousia with the saints still suspended

[jasd]

>>"In My Father's house are many mansions<<

Indeed. However, what does that mean? Does that statement find a parallel in the Temple with its many rooms? After all, Jesus Christ did call the Temple His Father’s House. Or does it find its parallel in the manner by which “house(s)” are used in Writ? that is, the house of Ephraim, the house of Judah, the house of David, etc? Should the latter obtain, one can understand the statement as Jesus Christ saying, “The ‘houses’ within my Father’s are as mansions – compared to those ‘houses’ of earth.”

>>-- I GO to prepare a PLACE for you --<<

Strong’s #5117 place; topos

2) metaph.

a) the condition or station held by one in any company or assembly

opportunity, power, occasion for acting

It may be that Jesus Christ was informing His listeners that He was ‘preparing’ the position which the saints would inherit – that is, the position of co-inheritors with Jesus Christ, priests and kings, etc.

THE HOUSE OF EARTH

>>I will come again to RECEIVE you to Myself that WHERE I am THERE you may be also"<<

Where, exactly, will Jesus Christ be when He RECEIVES His saints to Himself – not simply this or that portion of them – but the entirety of His saints? They assemble together in the circumambient atmosphere of earth – where birds fly...

>>John 14 makes it clear that the PLACE WHERE Christ went (hint: Heaven Heb 9:24 -- )<<

Indeed, He did say He was going – but He also said that He was returning – to place His feet upon the mount of Olives. Writ does not say anything about Him again leaving afterwards...

>>...is the place that he will be taking us.<<

Where Writ should advise the saints per that position, there is lacuna.

>>This is where we are taking after we are "caught up in the air".<<

I submit that that is unsustainable by Writ.

>>(Notice all the location terms Christ uses in John 14 to convey the point without fail.)<<

No one is attempting to refute that Jesus Christ went to heaven and is now with the Father upon His throne; that being so in no way supports the notion that we will be likewise going there après Parousia. That said, and speaking of location, what of that of verse 28 chapter 14?

“I go away, and come [again] unto you.” Note: not “for you”, but “unto you”.