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“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 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: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air….For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night….But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief,” (1 Thess. 4:15-17, 5:2-4).

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him….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,” (2 Thess. 2:1-3).

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!” (Philippians 3:20-4:1)

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord [the Tribulation] has already come.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

“ Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye 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).

“Behold, I show 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,” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds.” (Matthew 24:31)

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,” (2 Thessalonians 2:1)

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him,” (1 John 3:2)

“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come,” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

“Enoch walked with God three hundred years and… was not for God took him,” (Genesis 5:18-24). “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken (translated) he had this testimony, that he pleased God,” (Hebrews 11:5).

“Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven,” (2 Kings 2:11).

The Rapture Theology Explained

Titus 2:13, “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

The catching away of the saints is imminent, the first resurrection to gather together Gods people to Himself from the ends of the earth dead and alive to the marriage feast of the lamb. When we are raptured we will instantaneously be in heaven were we shall remain for eternity. The rapture will be followed by the seven year great tribulation and then the personal physical return of Christ in which we shall return with Him to fight the great battle of Armageddon and reign with Jesus during the millennium. The Rapture is the pre-millennial, pre-tribulation, blessed hope of the church, the consummation of the church age, the catching away or translation of the true church (the bride of Christ), to the the marriage supper of the lamb. The second coming of Christ follows seven years of tribulation that occur after the rapture of the saints, which will bring in the millennium, and the judgment of both the saved and the lost, in which all people shall stand before the judgment seat of God, and there receive eternal life or eternal torment. The rapture theology teaches that there is a Blessed Hope. The blessed Hope, is the hope that Christ, who has saved us, loves us enough to keep us from the tribulation and wrath of God upon the earth. He doesn’t want us to have to endure the pain and the trials of the greatest time of trial and tempting. At the end of the tribulation will occur the Glorious Appearing. During the Glorious Appear we the church are with Christ riding on horses headed to the battle of Armageddon. The word AND in English and in Greek is a word that separates two ideas, concepts or phrases: i.e. I walked home and called my friend on the phone. And is a divisive word. Here in the passage of Titus chapter two we see two events that are described happening in the end times. The Blessed Hope and The Glorious Appearing. The blessed hope can only be that if you are truly saved from the wrath to come otherwise it would be a blasted hopeless doctrine. The blessed hope refers to the hope and expectation that Christ will come to save His bride from the terrible wrath to come and after the time of the wedding celebration the Bride of Christ will return with Christ to fight in the battle of Armageddon. The Glorious Appearing is just that it is glorious because when the anti-Christ and his armies are marching upon Jerusalem in an attempt to stamp out the worship of the True God; Jesus, the Church and the Angels appear from heaven to battle and triumph over the devil and show forth the power and glory of God.

Rapture Theology is not a new doctrine.

Many have tried to claim that the rapture theology is a new one. However history does not agree with that assumption. Ephrem of Nisibis the Syrian, circa 350AD said, “Why therefore do we reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms the world? … For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins.” Hugh Latimer who was martyred for his faith in 1555 said, “peradventure it may come in my days, old as I am, or in my children’s day… the saints ‘shall be taken up to meet Christ in the air’ and so shall come down with Him again.” Reverend Morgan Edwards wrote the book, “Millennium, Last Days Novelties,” in 1788 which laid out his belief in a pre-tribulation rapture. Many claim that the rapture theology was started in the early 1800′s or in the early 1900′s with a girl or young women having a vision of a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. Many times the accounts do not agree however parts of the story are true. The story is based upon the account and teaching of John Darby circa 1830. The rapture theology has not always been taught in the church or at least there has not been allot of written teaching upon the subject. I believe the main reason for this being that there is enough scriptural evidence for it and that it was a widely assumed doctrine, that Christ would save His church from the wrath to come. We are not subject to wrath because of sin for we have passed from Darkness to light. Jesus has redeemed us for the curse of sin and brought us into His marvelous kingdom of light. We are no longer subject to the punishment of wrath or sin we are under the hand of Gods grace and mercy.

Were Did The Word Rapture Come From?

“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: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air….For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night….But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief,” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 5:2-4). The Latin Vulgate uses the word “rapiemur” to translate the Greek word Harpodzo. This is were many derive the English word rapture to describe the great snatching away of the church. Many argue that because the word rapture is not in the bible that the rapture is a contrived doctrine. Just because the word Church Pew isn’t in the bible doesn’t meant that we shouldn’t have one. Or because you do not read about the New Testament Church having a Sunday School doesn’t mean we should have Sunday School. If scripture sets a pattern and a principle that backs up the doctrine or practice then we consider it a biblical doctrine. For example scripture tells us to teach, equip and train people so modern Christians have established Sunday School to do this. The bible supports the doctrine of the rapture however if it offends you to use the word rapture you can call it the resurrection of the Body of Christ or The Catching Away whatever makes you feel comfortable. What you call it is not as important as understand the biblical principles and precepts.

The Tribulation According To Matthew

Matthew has allot to say about the tribulation and the end time probably the most of any non apocalyptic book. According to Matthews account of Jesus actual teaching at the beginning of the tribulation the elect are saved from that time period of time. Matthew 24:20-22 says, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” Not everyone will be saved from the tribulation however the elect of God will be saved from those days. This is the blessed hope that Christ who redeemed us cares for us enough to hide us away from His wrath upon the earth. We know that we are deserving of the wrath however we are freely accepted into the beloved and wholly forgiven. We know that not everyone is saved from those days or that time period. The accounts of Revelation and Daniel make it plain that there are those that must endure the great tribulation. Only the elect are saved from those days everyone else will have to survive those days. During this time period they will have to choose whether to live for Christ or die for the anti-Christ. Notice that in Matthews Accounts the description of the tribulation comes after elect are saved from this time period.

At the end of the tribulation will come the Glorious Appearing. Matthew 24:27-31, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 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. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthews Tribulation account ends with Judgment day upon all the wicked and those who came to Christ during the tribulation. There are two things that occur according to Matthew first the elect of God are spoken of as being saved from the Tribulation before he describes what is to come. Then he describes a tribulation. We know according to Revelation that during the tribulation time frame many come to Christ including 144,000 Jews and the nation of Israel. After the Tribulation there is the great war of Armageddon were God comes to judge the earth with the church of God, saints who were saved prior to the tribulation come back with Jesus to avenge the saint and pour out the wrath of God on the anti-Christ and his followers. During this time the angels of God will gather the elect that gave their lives to Christ or recommitted their lives during the tribulation.

Were Did They Go?

Matthew 24:35-44, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” The rapture is a sudden and unexpected. Know one can know or predict that day. People will be living their lives as usual and then suddenly, in the blink of an eye millions will disappear. Many will be left in awe wondering were there loved ones went while billions will be in chaos, filled with fear, rioting and rampaging. Confusion will cover the earth, as planes crash without pilots, cars running into each without drivers. Gas trucks will go hurling down the road causing massive explosions. Mass hysteria will ensue as many have lost their loved ones their bodies laying limp on the ground. The only way to end it will be for the UN to declare a state of emergency and take control of the earth. The UN will bring order and peace and the Anti-Christ will be a major leader and will be heralded as a peace keeper and will receive the noble peace prize. Many will wonder about the millions dead, they will be asking themselves why did this happen? When the rapture occurs the Lord will rapture our spirits and give us new bodies leaving the old behind. For we shall all be changed, the corruptible shall put on incorruptible. We will lay aside this earthly body for a heavenly body. The bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That is why Matthew says that the vultures will gather at the rapture of the church. “wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together,” (Matthew 24:28).

The Great Escape

Luke 21:36, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” It is the Christians Hope that because Christ loved them that if they stay faithful and keep the lamps trimmed, Christ will come and take the away to keep them from the period of temptation that shall come upon the whole earth. Revelation 3:10 says, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from [Greek: EK - out of] the hour of temptation [testing], which shall come upon all the world, to try [test] them that dwell upon the earth.” The bible makes it clear that those who are saved before the tribulation are exempt from the wrath (the judgment of God upon unsaved sinners for the rebellion and the final over throw of the devil) of God, which is the Tribulation prophesied to come, (Romans 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9, Romans 2:5-9, Revelation 6:16,17). Are we saved or not? The bible makes it clear that for a Christian that is saved that there is a sure and certain escape from the Tribulation, (2 Peter 2:4-9, 2 Timothy 4:18, Psalm 97:10, Revelation 3:10). We do not escape the regular trials of life but God will protect us from the fiery Tribulation to come. Jesus said it will be as in the days of Noah and Lot who were brought to safety before the judgment began, (Luke 17:26-30, Matthew 24:37-41).

Were is the Church in Revelation?

The Church is missing in the Book of Revelation during the tribulation. In Revelation Chapter four John hears the angel of God say, “Come up Here.” Before this time the church is mention frequently however after this point the church is not spoken of again until the end. The angel calling John to come up into heaven is a prophetic symbol of the rapture of the church. Notice that the Church is not heard of nor spoken of again until Revelation 19:11. When the Church is mentioned again we see the armies of Christ, the Church coming down to fight the battle of Armageddon with Jesus. An angel called John to “Come up here,” and immediately he was in heaven. The words “Come up here” are spoken to the two witnesses who are killed in the middle of the Tribulation, who are resurrected and taken into heaven (Rev. 11:12). The phrase “Come up here” is a symbol of the church bring raptured. It is important to note that the word “church” (ecclesia) is mentioned 22 times in Rev. 1-3, however it is not mentioned again until the end of the Tribulation account in Revelation. I find this an interesting and valid question, why the church is mentioned so much and during the tribulation account in Revelation the church is missing until the end.

The Resurrection Of the Saints

The account in Isaiah 26:19-21 illustrates the Resurrection/Rapture of the saints, followed by the Tribulation. To be saved from, out of and to be kept from means you are not there when the event goes down. According to scripture their is a Rapture of the Church and it must occur prior to the Day of the Lord, (Malachi 3:16-4:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:4). Revelation 20:5-6 says concerning the pre-tribulation church, that “they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” The bible is clear their will be a resurrection of the church before the Tribulation and those that are raptured shall reign over all those who lived before Christ and those who got saved during the tribulation.

The Church is Restraining The Anti-Christ.

“And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming,” ( 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8). ” On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it,” ( Matthew 16:18). The church is more powerful than the gates of hell. The Anti-Christ can not be revealed as long as the church is on the earth. The Church must be removed from the earth for the Anti-Christ to Prevail. This proves that the church must be taken in the rapture prior to the tribulation.

Understanding The Known and The Unknown

Mark 13:33 says, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” The word “time” here is the same Greek word that translates into the word “season” can also can be translated time period. We can not know the day nor the hour that Christ comes however we are commended to read the signs of the time. The Blessed Hope is unexpected, no matter how must you search. However the day of the Lord is an expected and even an anticipated event. Once the 7 year covenant of peace is signed, we can mark it upon our calendars the exact day that the end shall come to pass. The rapture of the church happens quick and unexpected it leaved the world in total fear, panic, wonder and awe.

“But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matthew 25:36)

“In such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes,” (Matthew 25:44)

“In such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes” (Matthew 25:44).

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 24:44

“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” Mark 13:33

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back –whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:32-37)

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (Revelation 3:11)

“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” (Revelation 22:7)

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12)

“He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)

Expecting the Expected

The Glorious Appearing can not be the same day as the rapture. The comes unexpectedly, “as a thief in the night.” The Bible makes it clear that there is a day we can’t know when Christ will return for Hs bride and a day we can know that the end is sure. Matthew 25:13 says that Jesus will return at an unknown time, however Revelation 12:6 says the Jews will have to wait three and a half years or 1,260 days for the Lord to return. Therefore the rapture and the glorious appearing must happen on separate days. Let the word of God be true and every man a liar. The Rapture has to occur before the Antichrist is revealed. The anti-Christ rules during the Tribulation and is the one that stands up and declares himself as God during the Tribulation. For scripture to be true the church had to be rapture before the Tribulation. (2 Thessalonians 2:6,7; Daniel 7:24; 9:27).

A Sure And Certain End

According to the bible you can know when the tribulation ends however you can not know the day nor the hour that the Lord will rapture his church. We know that the Tribulation will end at the battle of Armageddon and the consummation of the millennial reign of Christ. Which will occur after the anti-Christ signs a seven year covenant of peace and in the middle of that covenant declares himself to be God in the temple of God. Daniel 9:27 says, “And he shall confirm a covenant with the many for one week. And in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease; and on the corner of the altar, desolating abominations, even until the end.” Notice is says “Even until the end.” This is the last of the last of the end times. This prophecy is the last of the last of the last things to happen before the physical return of Christ. Whether it is a literal week or seven years this week is concerning the end time. This week could not have occurred when Jesus was on the cross because the end was yet to come. These seven times last up to the day of judgment. This is the last seven times before the destruction of the earth in fire. It is clear in scripture that the Tribulation will last for seven years. The middle of this seven years, at three and a half years, will mark the begin of the Great Tribulation, ( Revelation 12:6,14; 13:5). The time span from the mid point of revelation until the end of days is stated three different ways; as days, months and years, (Matthew 24:15-16; Revelation 19:20). This is the beginning of the sorrows that will cover the whole earth and it begins with the abomination of desolation, and it culminates with the physical and visible return of Christ. The three and a half years starts mid point in the tribulation and is the beginning of the Great Tribulations. This is the mid point of the tribulation and is marked by the Antichrist standing in the Temple of God, declaring himself to be God, (Matthew 24:15-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Daniel 9:27). The Antichrist has authority to rule for 42 months, which is three and a half years, (Revelation 13:4). This will all end when Jesus returns with His Church to fight the battle of Armageddon, (Revelation 19:20, 2 Thessalonians 2:8). This is the known day. Scripture makes is clear that the Day of the Lord will be predictable however the rapture of the church is imminent. Until the Rapture occurs no man can know the day nor the hour, the rapture will happen suddenly and unexpectedly.

Kept From That Hour

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from [out of] the hour of temptation [testing], which shall come upon all the world, to try [test] them that dwell upon the earth.” Revelation 3:1

“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now –and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21)

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

“and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead–Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9)

“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.” (Revelation 3:10)

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)– if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” (2 Peter 2:4-9)

Concerning The Wedding Feast Of The Lamb

Luke 12:36, “And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.” The Rapture is followed by the wedding feast of the lamb, which will last an entire seven years. The Jewish wedding feast lasted for an entire week, seven days. If you apply the prophetic interpretive principle that a day is as a year then this wedding would last the entire, seven years of the tribulation that Daniel and John the beloved prophesied would come. The bible makes it clear that we are the bride of Christ and illustrates this in words that parallel the Jewish Betrothal. The Jewish Betrothal is marked by a proposal period were the bridegroom goes to prepare a bridal chamber. Jesus proposed to us, through the new covenant and gave us the seal of the Holy Ghost as an engagement ring. The Bridal Chamber that Jesus went away to prepare for us is our new home, Heaven.

John 14:2-3, “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.”

Jewish marriage is consummated on a night when no one is expecting the bridegroom to come. The bridegroom comes with all his friends and snatches the bride from her house and takes here and makes love to her for seven days. During this seven days the family has a wedding feast that last for seven days. The 7 Days/Times correlates with the seven years of Daniel. We know that Daniel and Revelation accounts coincide that the mid point of this week is actually Three and One Half years. That means this week of Tribulation last for seven years, (Revelation 12:6; 13:4). The Bibles says that a day is as a year, this is a prophetic key to interpreting and understanding the passages pertaining to the end.

We Shall Return With Him

Colossians 3:4, “When Christ… shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” To be with Him we must have been raptured before this point and we are now coming back with hem. When Jesus returns, there is an army that follows Him riding on white horses. The saints of God saved prior to the Tribulation make up this army. If the saints of God are returning with Christ, to wage war on the Antichrist, then it is impossible for there to be a post-tribulation rapture. (Revelations 19:8,14).

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Pet 3:8-13 KJV)

The Last Trumpet Argument Explored

There has been much confusion over which trumpet sounds when in scripture which is the last trumpet and what does it mean to us. Scripture states that the saint of God will be raptured at the sounding of a trumpet. Pre-wrath proponents teach that the rapture trumps are the seven trumpets spoken of in the book of Revelation. They say that the Seventh Trumpet blown in Revelation is the same last trump Paul spoke of in First Corinthians. However, history disproves that theory because the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, in prison from the isle of Patmos, some thirty years after Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthian Church. It is not possible that the apostle Paul was be referring to the Revelation account since it happened many years latter. (Joel 2:1; Matthew 24:31; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 11:15-18).

There is No Secret Rapture

The Blessed Hope is not a secret rapture as some theologians would have you believe. However, when over a million Christians are raptured and their bodies lay limp on the ground. There is no secret to it, the whole world will know. The bible says we can not know that day will be but when that day occurs the whole world will know what happened. Along with the fact that when it happens the whole world will know there is a major push to let the whole world know Jesus is coming and their will be a rapture. Rapture theologians do not try to hide the truth. One of the best selling books of all time is Tim Lahayes, “Left Behind” series about the rapture and the tribulation. Along with that there are many Christian production companies directing and producing movies about the rapture. After the rapture occurs, with all the train wrecks, car wrecks, plane crashes, and millions of dead bodies laying on the ground, their will be no small stir. The rapture is not a secret doctrine and it will not be a secret event.

The Testimony of the Festivals Of the Tanakh

“The LORD spoke to Moshe, saying, Speak to the children of Yisra’el, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest to you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no servile work; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.

The LORD spoke to Moshe, saying, However on the tenth day of this seventh month is Yom Kippur: it shall be a holy convocation to you, and you shall afflict your souls; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. You shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is Yom Kippura day of atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. For whatever soul it be who shall not be afflicted in that same day; he shall be cut off from his people. Whatever soul it be who does any manner of work in that same day, that soul will I destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a Shabbat of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even to even, shall you keep your Shabbat.

The LORD spoke to Moshe, saying, Speak to the children of Yisra’el, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of booths for seven days to the LORD. On the first day shall be a holy convocation: you shall do no servile work. Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation to you; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; you shall do no servile work. These are the set feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meal-offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, each on its own day; besides the Shabbatot of the LORD, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill-offerings, which you give to the LORD. However on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. You shall take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. You shall keep it a feast to the LORD seven days in the year: it is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall keep it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths seven days; all who are home-born in Yisra’el shall dwell in booths; that your generations may know that I made the children of Yisra’el to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Mitzrayim: I am the LORD your God. Moshe declared to the children of Yisra’el the set feasts of the LORD.” Leviticus 23:23-44

These are set feasts that are a statue forever. Yeshua has fulfilled the spring feast and has yet to fulfill the fall feast according to most prophetic interpretters of scripture. There are ten days between Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), then five days until Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles-Booths) which is an eight day feast, much like Passover, when you include the first day, they end up being eight day feast. It is said to be a seven day feast but you conclude it on the eighth day with a solem assembly. If we look at the difference between the Blessed Hope and the Glorious Appearing and tie in the picture of a Jewish Marriage the distance in time between the feasts, the testimony is clear, that the catching away and the day of judgment have a span of time between them. Whether mid-tribulation (three and a half years), whether ten days, whether seven years, whether eight days, or what have you there are separate events. One happens before the other. The distance of time may be debated however I believe I’ve provided enough evidence that the elect are saved from these days, hours, months, years, etcetera…  The holiness Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur prepare you for the joy of Sukkot, repentance leads to good camping “Tabernacling” with Yeshua in the Millenium. It takes preparation to come in to Adonai’s presence and have a time of joy trust me even spending hours in prayer takes perparation. It doesn’t happen the same second, it takes a process to prepare one to repent and give him time to possibly know the month and year, but not the day nor the hour. Adonai’s will is outside our understanding and time. The joy of the release of your sisn makes the excitement of camping “Tabernacling” with Yeshua for eternity or any time period is so much more fulfilling and free. The separation of Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) clearly point to the catching away of the remnant of true saints as being separate from judgment. On Yom Teruah Adonai remembers the right-just as save them from that hour, on Yom Kippur Adonai judges them, on Sukkot He spends a thousand years resting with them, in the prophetic-futuristic fulfilment. There are ten days between Yom Teruah the Trumpets & Yom Kippur the day of Judgment, if Adonai follows his feast the rapture is prejudgment as He has and will always do. Yeshua died on (Pesach) Passover, and the Holy Spirit feel on Shavuot (Pentecost), the day Adonai first gave the law to Moshe, now all can worship in Spirit (Ruach) and Truth (Torah-Instruction in Right-Just-ness). These are no mere coincidences. We must understand the times and seasons of Adonai. They tell us our future. The are repeatedly done to ingrain in us faith to trust when He does come or when He doesn’t appear when we would like Him. We must do these feast every year to remember and relearn the ways of Adonai. The Rapture-The Blessed Hope (the Feast of Trumpets-Yom Teruah) and Judgment Day-The Glorious Appearing (The Day of Atonement-Yom Kippur) lead to the Millennial Rest of Sukkot, as Adonai Tabernacles with us.

The main reasons I believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture…

• …the rapture is imminent however Armageddon is predictable
• …the church is more powerful than the anti-Christ and must be removed for the lawless one to be revealed
• …the church is missing during the revelation account
• …God did not appoint us to wrath but promises to keep us from the great tribulation
• …the Jewish wedding takes seven days symbolic of the seven year years of tribulation
• … the Jewish feast of Trumpets (Remembering) is separate from the Day of Atonement (Judgment) which is followed by the feast of Tabernacles (Millenial Rest)
• …we will return with Christ to avenge the blood of all the saints
• …scripture backs it up

More About The Tribulation

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