THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE ,BE READY !
By Marc Roy
THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH IS A
CONTREVERSIAL SUBJECT, BUT I BELIEVE WE ARE TO TAKE A LITERAL VIEW OF
SCRIPTURES, AND NOT A SYMBOLIC VIEW.
THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS THE ONLY BOOK OF THE BIBLE THAT PROMISES A SPECIAL BLESSING TO THEM WHO READ IT.
REV 1:3.
Blessed is he that readeth, and
they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which
are written therein: for the time is at hand.
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((( GOD’S WARNING )))
REV 22:18 AND 19.
18For I testify unto every man
that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall
add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written in this book.
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((( WHAT IS THE RAPTURE ? )))
THE OPPOSITION TO THE PRE-TRIB
RAPTURE ALWAYS LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THE WORD RAPTURE IS NOT EVEN IN
THE BIBLE. I’VE HEARD THAT SO MANY TIMES, THAT IT MAKES ME WONDER IF
ANYBODY REALLY STUDIES ANYMORE, OR IF THEY JUST PARROT WHAT THEY’VE
HEARD SOMEONE ELSE SAY.
THE ENGLISH WORD RAPTURE IS
NOT IN THE BIBLE, AND ALTHOUGH THAT’S TRUE, NEITHER IS THE WORD BIBLE,
OR TRINITY. THE LATIN TRANS;ATORS OF THE BIBLE USED THE WORD RAPTURO,
THE ROOT OF THE ENGLISH WORD RAPTURE. IN OUR BIBLES, THE SAME GREEK
WORD, HARPAZO IS TRANSLATED CAUGHT UP, WHICH MEANS TO BE SEIZE UPON WITH
FORCE, OR TO SNATCH UP.
AT THE RAPTURE, THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST ( DEAD OR LIVING ) WILL BE CHANGED INTO A NEW GLORIFIED BODY, IMMORTAL BODIES, AND THEN WE ARE CAUGHT UP INTO THE AIR TO MEET THE LORD, AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD. AMEN.
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1 THESS 4:16 AND 17.
For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
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.
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1 COR 15:51 AND 52.
51) Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52) 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.
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((( THE RAPTURE IS FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST )))
THE RAPTURE IS EXCLUSIVELY FOR
THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST, THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED THE LORD’S DEATH ON
THE CROSS TO REDEEM THEM, WEATHER THEY ARE JEW OR GENTILES.
1 COR 12:13.
For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be
bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
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THE RAPTURE IS NOT FOR THE NATION OF ISRAEL AS A WHOLE, OR THE INHABITANTS WHO HAVE REJECTED JESUS AS THEIR SAVIOR ( MESSIAH ) THEY ARE NOT IN CHRIST.
MANY PEOPLE WILL TURN TO
CHRIST DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD AND BECOME WHAT THE BIBLE CALLS
TRIBULATION SAINTS, AND THESE SAINTS WILL BE BEHEADED FOR THEIR FAITH,
AND THE REST OF THE UNSAVED PEOPLE DO NOT RECOGNIZE JESUS UNTIL HE COMES
BACK TO THE EARTH TO SMITE THE NATIONS AT HIS SECOND COMING. ( REV
19,15 )
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((( WE MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR )))
WHEN JESUS COMES TO RAPTURE THEM THAT ARE IN CHRIST,
HIS FEET WILL NOT TOUCH THE GROUND, FOR WE WILL MEET HIM IN THE AIR.
THE RAPTURE IS CHARACTERIZED AS A TRANSLATION COMING, FOR THE DEAD IN
CHRIST WILL RISE WITH RESURRECTED BODIES, AND WE WHO ARE ALIVE WILL BE
CHANGED IN A MOMENT, IN A TWINKLING OF AN EYE, WHICH GENERAL ELECTRIC
HAS MEASURED TO BE ELEVEN HUNDREDS OF A SECOND.
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((( HAS ANYONE BEEN CAUGHT UP BEFORE ? )))
YES, GOD HAS REMOVED
INDIVIDUALS FROM THE EARTH FOR HIS OWN PARTICULAR REASONS, AND HE HAS
THE POWER TO CATCH UP THOSE HE CHOOSES AT THE APPOINTED TIME.
((( ENOCH )))
GENESIS 5:23 AND 24.
23) And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
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HEB 11:5.
By faith Enoch was translated that
he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated
him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased
God.
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((( ELIJAH )))
2 KINGS 2:11.
And it came to pass, as they still
went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire,
and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a
whirlwind into heaven.
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((( THE TWO WITNESSES )))
REV 11:12.
And they heard a great voice from
heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven
in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
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((( JESUS )))
ACTS 1:9.
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight..
JOHN 16:7.
Jesus was taken up to heaven to allow for the Holy Spirit to come indwell the believers at Pentecost.
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((( WHERE IS THE RAPTURE MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE ? )))
IN REVELATION 4:1 JOHN IS
TAKEN IN THE SPIRIT TO SEE THOSE THINGS WHICH MUST TAKE PLACE AFTER
THIS, MEANING AFTER THE CHURCH AGE DESCRIBED IN CHAPTERS 2 AND 3 OF
REVELATION.
REV 4:1 AND 2.
1) After this I looked, and,
behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard
was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither,
and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2) And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
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JOHN’S TRANSLATION TO THE THRONE
IN HEAVEN PICTURES THE CHURCH AT THE END OF THE AGE. IT OCCURS PRIOR TO
THE OPENING OF THE FIRST SEAL, AND THE APPEARANCE OF THE RIDER ON THE
WHITE HORSE ( REV 6,1 ).
THE COME UP HERE COMMAND HEARD
BY JOHN IS THE SAME COMMAND GIVEN TO THE TWO WITNESSES IN REVELATION
11,12 WHEN THEY WERE TRANSLATED BACK TO HEAVEN.
THERE ARE TOO MANY MISGUIDED CHRISTIANS WHO TRY TO RELATE THE LAST TRUMP OF 1 CORINTHIANS 15,52 WITH THE TRUMPET JUDGMENTS IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION.
IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR POST TRIBBERS, BUT EASILY RECTIFIED IF YOU UNDERSTAND THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE JEWISH FEASTS.
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REVELATION 11:12.
And they heard a great voice from
heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven
in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
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((( ARE THERE TWO COMINGS OF CHRIST ? )))
YES, LET’S LOOK AT TWO OF THE WAYS THE WORD COMING IS USED IN REFERENCE TO CHRIST’S RETURN.
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((( CHRIST’S SECOND COMING TO EARTH )))
COMING - PAROUSIA
( STRONG’S -) BEING NEAR, ADVENT ( OFTEN RETURN SPECIFIC OF CHRIST TO
PUNISH JERUSALEM, OR FINALY THE WICKED ) PHYSICAL ASPECT – COMING
PRESENCE.
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MAT 24:27.
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
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2 THESS 2:8.
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:
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AT CHRIST’S SECOND COMING, THE LORD APPEARS WITH HIS SAINTS, COMING FROM HEAVEN TO EARTH TO SET UP HIS MESSIANIC KINGDOM ( ZECHARIAH 14, 4 AND 5 AND MAT 24, 27 TO 31 ).
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((( THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH )))
COMING PAROUSIA ( VINE’S – # 3952 ) – LITERAL, A PRESENCE WITH. WHEN USED OF THE RETURN OF CHRIST, AT THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH,
IT SIGNIFIES, NOT MERELY HIS MOMENTARY COMING FOR HIS SAINTS, BUT HIS
PRESENCE WITH THEM FROM THAT MOMENT UNTIL HIS REVELATION AND
MANIFESTATION TO THE WORLD.
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1 CORINTHIANS 15:23.
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. (rapture).
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1 THESSALONIANS 4:15 TO 17.
15) For this we say unto you by
the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming
of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
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16) For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
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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.
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2 THESSALONIANS 2:1 AND 2
1) Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2That 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.
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THE MOVEMENT OF THE BELIEVER AT THE RAPTURE IS FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN IN
WHICH THE LORD COMES TO CALL HIS BRIDE UP TO HIS FATHER’S HOUSE ( JOHN 14,3 ).
1.The falling away
The Bible states that “the” falling away will come first. The phrase falling away may also be translated ‘apostasy’ or the ‘falling away from God’s truth’. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3
it specifically refers to the final apostasy (revolt), indicating that
many will fall away from God’s truth. If you look at the condition of
the world we live in today, I’d say we’re there now. When you look at
Christianity today, you may just wonder, “Where is the Bible?” The decay
of Biblical truths within the church is overwhelming.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 3Let 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;
4 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.
2. The restrainer is removed
The Bible then states, “He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way”
2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 7For the
mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will
let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 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:
The ‘He‘
that Paul is referring to in these verses is not the person of the Holy
Spirit. Translated from the Greek noun pneuma, ‘He’ is not gender
specific – it is used in the neutered sense – being neither male nor
female. The person of the Holy Spirit is the pronoun ekeinos – in the masculine.
Jesus in the flesh [his body], had to be taken to heaven to allow the Holy Spirit to come indwell the believers (John 16:7).
In the same way, the church [his body] must be taken to heaven to
remove the indwelling Holy Spirit from the earth. It will be like
Pentecost in reverse.
The Greek word for taken
(ginomai) means awakened, altered, to arise, be removed, be assembled,
and be married to. It describes what happens to the church [the bride of Christ] not the Holy Spirit. When the bride of Christ is removed, things will go back to the way they were before Pentecost. The
Holy Spirit will be here on earth so that He can lead people to Christ,
but the Holy Spirit-filled Christians won’t be here – just as it was
prior to Pentecost. Right now, the
body of Christ is restraining the man of sin, and we are not about to
roll over and play dead. We know by looking at the Old Testament that
the presence of the Holy Spirit on earth doesn’t restrain sin. The body of Christ must be removed before the Antichrist can be revealed to the world.
3. Then, the lawless one is revealed
Now that the restrainer (the Body of Christ) has been taken out of the
way, the man of sin (Antichrist) is able to make his grand entrance on a
white horse. As Jesus opens the first seal in Revelation 6:1, the
Antichrist goes out “conquering and to conquer.”
Revelation 6:1-2 1And I saw
when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise
of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2And I saw, and behold a white
horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto
him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Our Blessed Expectation
There are several passages
that tell us that the faithful believer (those not in darkness) will not
be caught by surprise. See Elijah Wasn’t Surprised! We are expected to
know the signs of the times. Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders for not
knowing the day of their visitation!
Luke 21:28 28And when these
things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for
your redemption draweth nigh.
1 Thessalonians 5:4 4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Why is this all happening?
Daniel wanted to know what was meant by the prophecy in the book of Jeremiah, that said God “would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem” (Dan. 9:2). The angel Gabriel came to Daniel and told him what it meant.
Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks (of years) are determined for your people [Israel] and
for your holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, to make an
end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in
everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint
the Most Holy.
Gabriel told Daniel that
seventy weeks would be determined upon your people, the people of Judah,
and your holy city, Jerusalem. The seventy years is the time that God
has specifically set aside for dealing with His people – the nation of
Israel. Since one week signifies seven years in the Bible, seventy weeks
is 490 years.
The prophecy in Daniel 9:24
states that at the end of 490 years, the transgression would be
finished, sins would end, reconciliation for iniquity would be made
forever, everlasting righteousness would be brought in, visions and
prophecies would be sealed, and the most Holy - the Messiah, would come back to redeem the world. Gabriel also told Daniel when the Messiah would come to earth the first time.
Daniel 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 [years], and threescore and two weeks:
[years]. (69 weeks of years)
The End of the 69th Week of Daniel
On April 6, A.D. 32, sixty-nine weeks or 483 years (this includes leap years) after Gabriel gave Daniel the meaning of the prophecy (Daniel 9:25) Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, so the prophecy was fulfilled precisely. (Prophecy has ALWAYS been fulfilled precisely and will continue to be fulfilled precisely.)
John 1:11 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and
rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we
hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not
esteem Him.
Sixty-nine out of the
prophesied seventy weeks ended that day when the nation of Israel
rejected their Messiah. And because they rejected Him, God concealed the
truth from them.
Luke 19:41-42 41And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst
known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto
thy peace! but now they are hid from thin e eyes.
Romans 11:8 8 (According as it
is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they
should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
Psalm 69:23 23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not;
When Israel rejected their Messiah, God’s ‘clock’ stopped, marking the end of the sixty-ninth week.
From that time through the present day, we have been in an unspecified
period of time, uncertain when the seventieth week would begin.
What happens between the 69th and 70th weeks?
God offers the gift of salvation to the Gentiles to provoke Israel to jealousy.
Romans 11:11 11I say then,
Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through
their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to
jealousy.
Romans 11:25 25For I would
not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye
should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened
to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
On the day of Pentecost the church was born, and God switched His attention from the age of Law [Israel], to the age of Grace [the Church]. But He is not finished with Israel!
Romans 10:1-4 1Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of
God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of
God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Ephesians 1:9-10 9 Having made
known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure
which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of
the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
The ‘fullness of the times’ is
when Christ gathers together those who are in Him, both in heaven
(dead) and on the earth (living) – the rapture of the church.
When does the 70th Week begin?
It begins when the Antichrist confirms the covenant (treaty) with Israel, and God starts His ‘clock’ up again.
Daniel 9:27 27 And he shall
confirm the covenant with many for one week (7 years): and in the midst
of the week (3 ½ years) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease.
Confirm, literally translated
means, he will ‘enforce the covenant upon the many.’ The question is
when does he do that? Keep your eyes open for Israel to sign a 7-year peace treaty.
First, there will be much
speculation as to the whereabouts of the ones who vanished (when the
church is raptured). People will come up with all sorts of explanations
for it; UFO’s invaded the earth (look what’s happening with the Raelian
Movement) or, Mother Earth has purged herself of the intolerant
religious fanatics who were hindering the movement to a peaceful ‘One
World’ order. I believe that the Antichrist will use this unique
opportunity to offer consolation and peace to the world. He will rise in power sufficient enough to enforce the covenant with Israel for seven years.
Matthew 24: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
What happens during the 70th Week?
Beginning with the opening of the first seal in Revelation 6, and continuing through the opening of all seven seals, God exhorts the Jews, His chosen people, to repent. This ‘week’ is sometimes referred to as ‘Jacob’s trouble’, which pertains to the descendents of Jacob/Israel (God renamed Jacob ‘Israel’ after He struggled with him, Gen. 32:28). This
is a period of time for God to deal with Israel as a nation, and all
who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. It is NOT a time for the Church
to be purified through persecution, as many in the church like to
think. The precious blood of Jesus has already fully purified His true
bride.
Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! For that
day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s
trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. (A remnant will be saved –
Jeremiah 13:8)
This 7-year period [known as The Tribulation] is actually two 3 ½ year periods.
At the end of 3 ½ years, the Antichrist breaks the covenant with
Israel, takes away the daily sacrifice, and places there the abomination
of desolation, thereby ushering in the second 3-½ years – called the Great Tribulation.
Daniel 11:36 Then the king
(Antichrist) shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and
magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God
of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for
what has been determined shall be done.
Matthew 24:15-16, “Therefore
when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand),
then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”
For those still on the earth when the first 3 ½ years (1260 days) have ended, you could literally count the days until Christ returns with His saints.
Revelation 13:5 He was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. (1260 days)
(Why then are there an additional 30 days mentioned in Daniel 12:11? And why does Daniel 12:12 say “Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days”?
Although Daniel does not explain these varying durations, it does not
alter the timing of Christ’s return. The establishment of Christ’s
millennial kingdom requires time, and His Advent may be followed by
several divine judgments (Matt. 25:31-46) and the regathering and judgment of Israel (Ezek. 20:34-38).
For the Gentiles, this will be a period in which they betray Jesus and go through torment and destruction to the end. Some
assume that this is an all out attack by Satan, when in reality it is
God who has granted him the authority to do so, just as He did with Job.
As Jesus opens each seal of the scroll, another form of destruction is
permitted to come upon the inhabitants of the earth. Power is also given
to the angels to bring famine, disease, death, and to torture the
unrepentant ungodly people. Although
the Lord desires for more people to turn to Him for forgiveness, many
continue to blaspheme Him. Only a few will survive the final 3 ½ years.
Revelation 13:7 It was granted
to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority
was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
The saints? Yes, don’t forget, the Holy Spirit is still leading people
to salvation during the 70th week. These saints are specifically called
the “Tribulation Saints” because they have become believers during the
tribulation period. The Bible says that these saints are beheaded for
their testimony of Christ. They
are NOT the church (the Bride of Christ) – the Church Age will have
already ended and the Bride is already with her Jewish Bridegroom.
Colossians 3:6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.
God will save His remnant out of Israel.
Zechariah 13:8-9 “and it shall
come to pass in all the land,” says the Lord, “that two-thirds in it
shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it; I will
bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is
refined, and test them as gold is tested. They
will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My
people’; and each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
The church will not be present for the seventieth week, as it was not
present during the first sixty-nine weeks [Remember the church wasn't
born until Pentecost, which was after Israel rejected their Messiah].
Where is the church during the 70th Week?
We spend the ‘week’ in the marriage chamber, according to Jewish
tradition. Our bridegroom is Jewish and has taken us to His Father’s
house for the weeklong marriage celebration
John 14:2 “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 to Myself; that where I am, there you
may be also.”
Jewish customs are often used as illustrations in the Bible. It is not coincidence that in John 14:2,
Jesus chooses the precise words that a Jewish bridegroom would use when
addressing his future bride. He tells her he is going to prepare a
place for her. Then he leaves to go back to his father’s house to prepare the marriage chamber. When He returns for his bride she is supposed to be ready and waiting for him.
He takes her back to his father’s house where they enter the bridal
chamber – the marriage is consummated – and the bridal week begins.
Isaiah 27:20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors
behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the
indignation is past. For behold, the LORD comes out of His place to
punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will
also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.
Based on Jewish tradition, the bride and groom remain in the bridal
chamber for one week during the wedding celebration. This is more than
just an interesting parallel; it is a direct foreshadowing of things
that will happen. Jesus will come to take His bride to His Father’s
mansion, where we will enjoy a seven-year wedding “week”.
Ephesians 5:31-32 For this
reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his
wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
At the end of the seven-year [tribulation], the bride of Christ is no longer referred to as the bride, but rather His wife! (Rev. 19:7).
After Christ and the church are married, we return to earth with Him (Rev 19:14). We will watch Him, as He alone, strikes the nations.
(I can’t understand why
Christians think Jesus would hurt His own “BRIDE”!) Can you imagine
Jesus saying something like, “I will be back to marry you. But first I
am going to beat the life out of you.”
It’s worth briefly mentioning, that Israel cannot be the bride of
Christ. As the law was set forth in Leviticus, a High Priest cannot
marry someone who is divorced or widowed. Jesus is OUR (the church’s)
High Priest.
Leviticus 21:13-14 And he [the high priest] shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot - these he shall not marry.
We know that Israel is an adulterous wife, already married to the God the Father.
Isaiah 54:5 For your Maker is your husband.
Jeremiah 3:14 “Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord, “for I am married to you.
Jesus returns to earth!
Yes, and we come with Him for a thousand year ‘honeymoon’.
When Jesus returns to earth with His heavenly armies and His saints, He
is coming to smite the nations, and to set up His millennial kingdom. It is at this time that rebellious Israel and all unbelievers will realize that He is the Messiah – The King of Kings.
Israel Will Mourn For Him
Zechariah 12:10 And I will
pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Sprit
of grace and supplication; then they will look upon Me whom they
pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son,
and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Every Eye Will See Him
Rev. 1:7 Behold, He is coming
with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him
[Israel]. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.
Matthew. 24:30 “Then the sign
of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the
earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds
of heaven with power and great glory.”
His Feet Will Touch The Ground
Zechariah 14:3-4 Then the Lord
will go forth and fight against those nations, and He fights in the day
of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
which faces Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be
split in two.
The Saints Come With Him
Zechariah 14:5 Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with You.
Colossians 3:4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
The oldest prophecy in the
Bible was by Enoch regarding Christ’s return to earth. He said it was a
time to execute judgment on all. For God to include the redeemed during
His execution of judgment on the people of the world would mean that the
blood Jesus shed on the cross wasn’t sufficient to justify us. Once we have been made the righteousness of God, we cannot be judged for sin a second time.
Jude 14 Now Enoch, the seventh
from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord
comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all.”
Exhortation
A post tribulation perspective
would lead us to store up food and survival equipment out of fear. How
can our children grow in their love for the Lord when they believe that
He will make them endure years of undeserved judgment and punishment?
They would be subjected to seeing their friends, neighbors and relatives
dying all around them.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We would be teaching our
precious little ones that God punishes His obedient and SAVED children.
Fear is ALWAYS from Satan, and our children should never be living with
it.
2 Timothy For God has not given us spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
When we take God’s Word literally, we know that the true believer must
be escorted to heaven before the 70th week of Daniel can begin. We don’t
fear the future when we understand and believe what God has said to us –
and we can focus on spreading the truth. If you need help understanding, there is One you can ask.
John 14:26 The Helper, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all
things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Don’t let the devil steal the
truth from you. Don’t let him kill your hope. And don’t let him destroy
your faith. Jesus has come that you may have an abundant life!
John 10:10 The thief does not
come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they
may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
I
share this with you in the hope that it will renew your hope for the
future and to remind you that God’s promises are true and His words are
everlasting. Everything that He said would happen WILL happen exactly at
the appointed time. This note is not meant to be the final word. Only
God’s Word is final, so get in it and run to and fro!
But you, O Daniel, shut up the
words and seal the Book until the time of the end. [Then] many shall
run to and fro and search anxiously [through the Book], and knowledge
[of God's purposes as revealed by His prophets] shall be increased and
become great. (Dan. 12:4.)
EVERY MAN THAT HAS THIS HOPE IN HIM ( THE RAPTURE ), PURIFIES HIMSELF, EVEN AS HE IS PURE 1 JOHN 3:3. DO YOU HAVE THIS HOPE IN YOU ? IF SO, YOU ARE PURIFYING YOURSELF, AND LIVING A HOLY OBEDIENT LIFE AWAITING HIS SOON COMING.
LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE, AND THE GLORIOUS APPEARING OF THE GREAT GOD AND OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. TITUS 2:13.
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 JOHN 14:1 TO 3.
WATCH THEREFORE, AND PRAY
ALWAYS, THAT YOU MAY BE ACCOUNTED WORTHY TO ESCAPE ALL THESE THINGS THAT
SHALL COME TO PASS, AND TO STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN. LUKE 21:36.
INGS THAT SHALL COME TO PASS, AND TO STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN. LUKE 21:36.
- Rapture (Photo credit: ChuckHolton)
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