Defending the Rapture
Apr 6, 2022 16:20:00 #
ziggy88
Loc: quincy illinois 62301
Defending the Rapture
By Joel Joseph
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
Conclusion by Pastor Boyd
April 6th 2022
Introduction:
These are words of life!
This edition is a timely, important defence of the pre-tribulation rapture of the true church of the living God. It is a summary of some of the many important factors and includes some new material that I have never shared before.
The next edition continues the theme.
I have a lot of material on this and related subjects that I have not shared before and will do so as we move forward and as the Lord leads. Right now we are again in a bit of a prophetic impasse, so we just have to wait, which is not my style!
There are some exciting facts in this edition, don’t underestimate it! Some of these points are very strong and other less so. I’ve simply put them all together for your benefit.
As these end-time events roll on, the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture is coming under greater attack. That’s what we would expect from the world, but not from within the church. (Much of it) This, as always, has a negative influence upon new believers, and the weak.
In effectively examining these things, we also need to look at the contra-position. In other words, what evidence is there for a post-tribulation rapture and what would its effects be?
Although there is a growing attack on the pre-tribulation rapture, there is also a new acceptance of it by numerous teachers and ministries open to the truth of God’s word.
As the tribulation approaches, the faith of many will be rocked, hijacked and overthrown. The faith of others will grow stronger and stronger.
This edition is designed to strengthen your beliefs, hope and faith.
Why the big attack on the rapture?
The first big thing to understand is that Satan is not afraid of, or barred from using the church, or at least the church which has many demonic doors open to him.
Satan’s strategy:
●It is to nullify, negate and neutralise that which damages him and his despicable kingdom. ●It is to remove obstacles in his way and create obstacles for God's people. ●It is to keep his people in perpetual darkness. ●It is to prevent as many believers as possible from godly knowledge, victory and triumph. ●Satan’s big thing is to hide and obscure his position as god of the world. ●His plan is to mess up God’s plans for the church and Israel.
This is how Satan works:
He works to discredit the truth through the use of confusion, false teachers and messages. They then misrepresent error as truth, and you end up being misdirected and misinformed. Once you have swallowed the misconception that the pre-tribulation rapture is myth, you are ready to receive the replacement lie that you are going through the tribulation.
If you submit to Satan’s working, you will be supernaturally blinded to the truth. In place of your sight, you will receive blindness from the false authority of the half-seeing eye of the evil one, masquerading as an angel of light. You will be a victim of your own great miscalculation, because you rejected the leading of the Spirit of God.
Proverbs 24:20 “There will be no prospect for the evil man. The lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
The rapture separates, is exclusive and conditional. It will come as the compromised church’s biggest shock as they are excluded.
The compromised, half-baked church always attacks truth that offends it.
We must understand that the attack on the pre-tribulation rapture comes primarily from churches that believe in a post-tribulation rapture. (More on this in the next edition!)
Pre-tribulation rapture evidence:
►In the messages to the seven churches of the Revelation, Yeshua concludes each letter with: “He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. We see the same admonition in verses used to describe the tribulation period, but with an important exclusion. Revelation 13:9-10 “He, who has an ear, let him here.” “Churches” is omitted.
It’s strange that the word “churches” is missing for the same discourse but now in the tribulation. I wonder why that would be? It’s because the church is not in the tribulation.
►The dramatic opening verses of the book of Revelation sees our Lord walking majestically between seven lampstands (Menorahs) Revelation 1:20 “...These are the seven churches.”
Now, we come to the most enlightening rapture of John to heaven. Revelation 4:1 “Come up here,” is the word! Immediately John is caught up to heaven and he sees twenty four elders clothed in white, with gold crowns on their heads. (Being clothed in white and having crowns indicates rewards already given.)
At the same time John sees seven lamps blazing before the throne of God in heaven. (Revelation 4:5) Here, the seven lamps are called the seven Spirits of God. The Spirit of God is in the heart of the believer. These seven lamps are the seven churches, with the seven Spirits in their heart.
But note that the rapture of John and his seeing of these things happens before the tribulation events begin with the first seal being opened, releasing the antichrist on earth.
►The Bible succinctly describes two end-time comings of the Lord. In the first, we are told that we will be caught up to “meet the Lord in the air” in a atomic split second. The second sees no such thing, as believers are seen by everyone, returning from heaven with our Lord at the Second Coming.
The reason for the big difference between the two comings is to identify two separate events, separated by a period of time (seven years in this case.) They cannot be the same event.
►The Bible teaches that the righteous are taken at the rapture and the wicked are left behind (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. But then we see that the wicked are taken to judgement and the righteous are left behind. (Matthew 13:30, 49)
Do we have a problem here? Relax, it is no problem because the former relates to the rapture and the latter relates to the Second Coming! Again, this is powerful proof of two distinct comings.
►Consider these facts: As born-again believers, we have the Holy Spirit “glued” into our hearts. We depend on Him, His leading, His provision, gifts, voice and more. There is a widely held consensus that the biblical “restrainer” to be taken out of the way at the start of the tribulation is the church filled with the Holy Spirit, which I believe. Some believe it is the Holy Spirit alone that will be removed, which I reject. Some believe that the restrainer is the Archangel Michael, which I reject.
But here is the point: If the church goes through the tribulation, it would then be the Holy Spirit that is the restrainer, which is to be removed. How do you get the Holy Spirit out of the believer’s heart? The tribulation is going to be the worst time mankind has ever seen, and now he has to go unprepared into the fray!
►The tribulation period is a judgement on the unsaved world. The true believer has God in his heart, through the new-birth, by the Holy Spirit. God cannot judge Himself. The true church has already been judged at the cross of Calvary and its future judgement at the “bema seat’” is exclusively for rewards.
►In relation to the above point, legally, a person cannot be judged twice for the same crime. True Christians have already been judged for all sin through the cross. If the church goes through the tribulation, which is judgement upon sin, it would mean we are judged twice.
►Enoch was raptured alive unto God. He was a Gentile and represents the mostly Gentile church. His name means “teaching”, which is of course the main ministry of the church. Enoch was raptured before the flood of Noah, a type of the tribulation.
If Enoch is a type of the rapture, as he is, then Jude seems to seal it. Jude 1:14 “Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgement on all.”
This verse above implies that “saints” who will be returning with the Lord are in fact the church, meaning that they have been in heaven with Him during the tribulation on earth.
►Lot was removed from Sodom, before the judgement fell on the city.
►Rahab the Gentile was removed to a camp outside the walls of Jericho before the city fell.
►Joseph, a type of Messiah, took a Gentile bride, before the seven years of famine, a type of the tribulation. He was married to her during the time he was rejected by his Jewish brothers.
►Moses married a Gentile bride after his rejection by his brethren and before their “tribulation in the wilderness.” (Exodus 2:21) She gave birth to their son named Gershom, which means: “Stranger in a foreign land.” The name could also mean, “Gentile.” This may be a reference to the Gentile church and a pre-tribulation rapture.
►The Feast of Trumpets: Jewish tradition holds that the gates of heaven are opened on Rosh Hashanah that the righteous may enter in. (Psalm 118:19-20) There is much to say about the Feast of Trumpets and the rapture – next edition!
►The rapture marks a required dispensation change, from the church age to the seven year tribulation, which is the closing of the Old Covenant dispensation, now on hold. The seven-year period is also called the seventieth week of Daniel. It still has to be fulfilled. No rapture, no dispensation change!
►The conditions on earth at that time of the seven-year tribulation are consistent with Old Covenant times, descriptions, dealing and operations by God. They are totally different to this dispensation. The church which is in the dispensation of grace, cannot be in this time period.
►If there is a post-tribulation rapture, the church saints have to become one with the saints of Israel, and there would be no dispensational difference or change. The destiny of church then becomes that of Israel too, which is an earthly kingdom, after going through the tribulation. This all contradicts numerous verses.
►If the rapture is a post-tribulation event, obviously the church becomes the tribulation saints together with Israel as one, and all will be raptured together at the Second Coming, leaving no believers on earth to re-populate the earth in the Millennium.
►As believers get to heaven in their new resurrection bodies, there will be no marrying or having children anymore. (Matthew 22:30) But the saints who go, saved into the Millennium will reproduce.
If there is a post-tribulation rapture all will come back in glorified, resurrected bodies and will not marry or have children. So who will repopulate the earth in the Millennium?
►”It was given to Satan to overcome the saints”! (Revelation 13:7) But how can this be? As born-again, Spirit-filled believers, Satan can’t get to “God in us.” Those being referred to here are a different sort of saint. These are the tribulation saints, who do not have the indwelling Spirit like the church. This is a pre-tribulation rapture proof.
►Romans 11:25-26 “I do not desire you to be ignorant brethren of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own opinion, that hardening in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved.”
The term “has come in” (Strong’s G1525) means: “To arise and enter in, and to begin to exist in a new place”. Note what happens next: “And so all Israel will be saved.” You just as accurately say, “And then all Israel will be saved.” This indicates a pre-tribulation rapture, just before the saving work of God begins with Israel in a big way.
►Isaiah 63:2-3 “Why is Your apparel red and Your garments like one who treads the winepress. I have trodden the winepress alone, in My anger and fury. Their blood is sprinkled upon My garment, and I have stained all My robes.”
A “tribulum,” (where we get the word tribulation from), is a Latin word for a threshing roller or board that was used in a winepress to crush the grapes.
Revelation 19:13-14 “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called, The Word of God, and the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean followed Him on white horses.”
We see the Isaiah description of our Lord’s clothing splattered with blood from the tribulation events, and the insightful description of our Lord with His robes splattered in blood, in the Revelation account. Do you see the parallel?
Note that in the Revelation account, we see armies from heaven following our Lord back to the earth at the Second Coming. Note that these armies are clothed in clean white linen. “Clean and white robes” speaks of imputed righteousness. (Revelation 19:8) These armies are the church and must have been in heaven already to be returning.
The church in heaven, the tribulation on earth:
►Jude 1:14 speaks of the Lord coming with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgement on the ungodly at the end of the tribulation period.
►Revelation 5:14 speaks of the twenty four elders falling down to worship the Lord as He takes the scroll and opens it, beginning the tribulation period on earth.
►Revelation 13:6 speaks of the antichrist and his followers “blaspheming those who are in heaven.” Who are those who are in heaven during the tribulation?
►Revelation 12:12 speaks of the rejoicing of those who dwell in heaven, while “woe” and “wrath” continue on earth.
►Revelation 3:10 “I will keep them from the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world.”
The original word used for “keep from” in the verse above, is “ek tereo.” This is a most insightful word! “Tereo” is where we get the word “terrain” from. It means the physical earth. The word “ek” means “clean out away from.”
Many post-tribbers claim that the church will be protected through the tribulation period. This word usage alone does not allow that interpretation! Besides, the tribulation saints (many of them) will be martyred in the tribulation and not protected.
The term “hour of trial” is accepted to mean the seven-year tribulation. There is no dispute.
We will be kept clean out away from the tribulation-terrain! Isn’t that good to know!
For those who believe in a post-tribulation rapture, a most important event is missing at the Second Coming! They are in for a big surprise.
►Revelation 19:11-21 describes the events of the Second Coming at the end of the tribulation. (Many other verses too)There is no rapture found here anywhere, except a “rapture” of unbelievers to the “feast of vultures” where they become vulture food. (Matthew 24:28, Ezekiel 39:17).
No mention is made of a post-tribulation rapture in relation to the Second Coming in any verse anywhere in the Bible.
Be careful who you receive from:
For rest of article go to https://garyboyd2244.blogspot.com
By Joel Joseph
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
Conclusion by Pastor Boyd
April 6th 2022
Introduction:
These are words of life!
This edition is a timely, important defence of the pre-tribulation rapture of the true church of the living God. It is a summary of some of the many important factors and includes some new material that I have never shared before.
The next edition continues the theme.
I have a lot of material on this and related subjects that I have not shared before and will do so as we move forward and as the Lord leads. Right now we are again in a bit of a prophetic impasse, so we just have to wait, which is not my style!
There are some exciting facts in this edition, don’t underestimate it! Some of these points are very strong and other less so. I’ve simply put them all together for your benefit.
As these end-time events roll on, the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture is coming under greater attack. That’s what we would expect from the world, but not from within the church. (Much of it) This, as always, has a negative influence upon new believers, and the weak.
In effectively examining these things, we also need to look at the contra-position. In other words, what evidence is there for a post-tribulation rapture and what would its effects be?
Although there is a growing attack on the pre-tribulation rapture, there is also a new acceptance of it by numerous teachers and ministries open to the truth of God’s word.
As the tribulation approaches, the faith of many will be rocked, hijacked and overthrown. The faith of others will grow stronger and stronger.
This edition is designed to strengthen your beliefs, hope and faith.
Why the big attack on the rapture?
The first big thing to understand is that Satan is not afraid of, or barred from using the church, or at least the church which has many demonic doors open to him.
Satan’s strategy:
●It is to nullify, negate and neutralise that which damages him and his despicable kingdom. ●It is to remove obstacles in his way and create obstacles for God's people. ●It is to keep his people in perpetual darkness. ●It is to prevent as many believers as possible from godly knowledge, victory and triumph. ●Satan’s big thing is to hide and obscure his position as god of the world. ●His plan is to mess up God’s plans for the church and Israel.
This is how Satan works:
He works to discredit the truth through the use of confusion, false teachers and messages. They then misrepresent error as truth, and you end up being misdirected and misinformed. Once you have swallowed the misconception that the pre-tribulation rapture is myth, you are ready to receive the replacement lie that you are going through the tribulation.
If you submit to Satan’s working, you will be supernaturally blinded to the truth. In place of your sight, you will receive blindness from the false authority of the half-seeing eye of the evil one, masquerading as an angel of light. You will be a victim of your own great miscalculation, because you rejected the leading of the Spirit of God.
Proverbs 24:20 “There will be no prospect for the evil man. The lamp of the wicked will be put out.”
The rapture separates, is exclusive and conditional. It will come as the compromised church’s biggest shock as they are excluded.
The compromised, half-baked church always attacks truth that offends it.
We must understand that the attack on the pre-tribulation rapture comes primarily from churches that believe in a post-tribulation rapture. (More on this in the next edition!)
Pre-tribulation rapture evidence:
►In the messages to the seven churches of the Revelation, Yeshua concludes each letter with: “He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. We see the same admonition in verses used to describe the tribulation period, but with an important exclusion. Revelation 13:9-10 “He, who has an ear, let him here.” “Churches” is omitted.
It’s strange that the word “churches” is missing for the same discourse but now in the tribulation. I wonder why that would be? It’s because the church is not in the tribulation.
►The dramatic opening verses of the book of Revelation sees our Lord walking majestically between seven lampstands (Menorahs) Revelation 1:20 “...These are the seven churches.”
Now, we come to the most enlightening rapture of John to heaven. Revelation 4:1 “Come up here,” is the word! Immediately John is caught up to heaven and he sees twenty four elders clothed in white, with gold crowns on their heads. (Being clothed in white and having crowns indicates rewards already given.)
At the same time John sees seven lamps blazing before the throne of God in heaven. (Revelation 4:5) Here, the seven lamps are called the seven Spirits of God. The Spirit of God is in the heart of the believer. These seven lamps are the seven churches, with the seven Spirits in their heart.
But note that the rapture of John and his seeing of these things happens before the tribulation events begin with the first seal being opened, releasing the antichrist on earth.
►The Bible succinctly describes two end-time comings of the Lord. In the first, we are told that we will be caught up to “meet the Lord in the air” in a atomic split second. The second sees no such thing, as believers are seen by everyone, returning from heaven with our Lord at the Second Coming.
The reason for the big difference between the two comings is to identify two separate events, separated by a period of time (seven years in this case.) They cannot be the same event.
►The Bible teaches that the righteous are taken at the rapture and the wicked are left behind (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. But then we see that the wicked are taken to judgement and the righteous are left behind. (Matthew 13:30, 49)
Do we have a problem here? Relax, it is no problem because the former relates to the rapture and the latter relates to the Second Coming! Again, this is powerful proof of two distinct comings.
►Consider these facts: As born-again believers, we have the Holy Spirit “glued” into our hearts. We depend on Him, His leading, His provision, gifts, voice and more. There is a widely held consensus that the biblical “restrainer” to be taken out of the way at the start of the tribulation is the church filled with the Holy Spirit, which I believe. Some believe it is the Holy Spirit alone that will be removed, which I reject. Some believe that the restrainer is the Archangel Michael, which I reject.
But here is the point: If the church goes through the tribulation, it would then be the Holy Spirit that is the restrainer, which is to be removed. How do you get the Holy Spirit out of the believer’s heart? The tribulation is going to be the worst time mankind has ever seen, and now he has to go unprepared into the fray!
►The tribulation period is a judgement on the unsaved world. The true believer has God in his heart, through the new-birth, by the Holy Spirit. God cannot judge Himself. The true church has already been judged at the cross of Calvary and its future judgement at the “bema seat’” is exclusively for rewards.
►In relation to the above point, legally, a person cannot be judged twice for the same crime. True Christians have already been judged for all sin through the cross. If the church goes through the tribulation, which is judgement upon sin, it would mean we are judged twice.
►Enoch was raptured alive unto God. He was a Gentile and represents the mostly Gentile church. His name means “teaching”, which is of course the main ministry of the church. Enoch was raptured before the flood of Noah, a type of the tribulation.
If Enoch is a type of the rapture, as he is, then Jude seems to seal it. Jude 1:14 “Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgement on all.”
This verse above implies that “saints” who will be returning with the Lord are in fact the church, meaning that they have been in heaven with Him during the tribulation on earth.
►Lot was removed from Sodom, before the judgement fell on the city.
►Rahab the Gentile was removed to a camp outside the walls of Jericho before the city fell.
►Joseph, a type of Messiah, took a Gentile bride, before the seven years of famine, a type of the tribulation. He was married to her during the time he was rejected by his Jewish brothers.
►Moses married a Gentile bride after his rejection by his brethren and before their “tribulation in the wilderness.” (Exodus 2:21) She gave birth to their son named Gershom, which means: “Stranger in a foreign land.” The name could also mean, “Gentile.” This may be a reference to the Gentile church and a pre-tribulation rapture.
►The Feast of Trumpets: Jewish tradition holds that the gates of heaven are opened on Rosh Hashanah that the righteous may enter in. (Psalm 118:19-20) There is much to say about the Feast of Trumpets and the rapture – next edition!
►The rapture marks a required dispensation change, from the church age to the seven year tribulation, which is the closing of the Old Covenant dispensation, now on hold. The seven-year period is also called the seventieth week of Daniel. It still has to be fulfilled. No rapture, no dispensation change!
►The conditions on earth at that time of the seven-year tribulation are consistent with Old Covenant times, descriptions, dealing and operations by God. They are totally different to this dispensation. The church which is in the dispensation of grace, cannot be in this time period.
►If there is a post-tribulation rapture, the church saints have to become one with the saints of Israel, and there would be no dispensational difference or change. The destiny of church then becomes that of Israel too, which is an earthly kingdom, after going through the tribulation. This all contradicts numerous verses.
►If the rapture is a post-tribulation event, obviously the church becomes the tribulation saints together with Israel as one, and all will be raptured together at the Second Coming, leaving no believers on earth to re-populate the earth in the Millennium.
►As believers get to heaven in their new resurrection bodies, there will be no marrying or having children anymore. (Matthew 22:30) But the saints who go, saved into the Millennium will reproduce.
If there is a post-tribulation rapture all will come back in glorified, resurrected bodies and will not marry or have children. So who will repopulate the earth in the Millennium?
►”It was given to Satan to overcome the saints”! (Revelation 13:7) But how can this be? As born-again, Spirit-filled believers, Satan can’t get to “God in us.” Those being referred to here are a different sort of saint. These are the tribulation saints, who do not have the indwelling Spirit like the church. This is a pre-tribulation rapture proof.
►Romans 11:25-26 “I do not desire you to be ignorant brethren of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own opinion, that hardening in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved.”
The term “has come in” (Strong’s G1525) means: “To arise and enter in, and to begin to exist in a new place”. Note what happens next: “And so all Israel will be saved.” You just as accurately say, “And then all Israel will be saved.” This indicates a pre-tribulation rapture, just before the saving work of God begins with Israel in a big way.
►Isaiah 63:2-3 “Why is Your apparel red and Your garments like one who treads the winepress. I have trodden the winepress alone, in My anger and fury. Their blood is sprinkled upon My garment, and I have stained all My robes.”
A “tribulum,” (where we get the word tribulation from), is a Latin word for a threshing roller or board that was used in a winepress to crush the grapes.
Revelation 19:13-14 “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called, The Word of God, and the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean followed Him on white horses.”
We see the Isaiah description of our Lord’s clothing splattered with blood from the tribulation events, and the insightful description of our Lord with His robes splattered in blood, in the Revelation account. Do you see the parallel?
Note that in the Revelation account, we see armies from heaven following our Lord back to the earth at the Second Coming. Note that these armies are clothed in clean white linen. “Clean and white robes” speaks of imputed righteousness. (Revelation 19:8) These armies are the church and must have been in heaven already to be returning.
The church in heaven, the tribulation on earth:
►Jude 1:14 speaks of the Lord coming with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgement on the ungodly at the end of the tribulation period.
►Revelation 5:14 speaks of the twenty four elders falling down to worship the Lord as He takes the scroll and opens it, beginning the tribulation period on earth.
►Revelation 13:6 speaks of the antichrist and his followers “blaspheming those who are in heaven.” Who are those who are in heaven during the tribulation?
►Revelation 12:12 speaks of the rejoicing of those who dwell in heaven, while “woe” and “wrath” continue on earth.
►Revelation 3:10 “I will keep them from the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world.”
The original word used for “keep from” in the verse above, is “ek tereo.” This is a most insightful word! “Tereo” is where we get the word “terrain” from. It means the physical earth. The word “ek” means “clean out away from.”
Many post-tribbers claim that the church will be protected through the tribulation period. This word usage alone does not allow that interpretation! Besides, the tribulation saints (many of them) will be martyred in the tribulation and not protected.
The term “hour of trial” is accepted to mean the seven-year tribulation. There is no dispute.
We will be kept clean out away from the tribulation-terrain! Isn’t that good to know!
For those who believe in a post-tribulation rapture, a most important event is missing at the Second Coming! They are in for a big surprise.
►Revelation 19:11-21 describes the events of the Second Coming at the end of the tribulation. (Many other verses too)There is no rapture found here anywhere, except a “rapture” of unbelievers to the “feast of vultures” where they become vulture food. (Matthew 24:28, Ezekiel 39:17).
No mention is made of a post-tribulation rapture in relation to the Second Coming in any verse anywhere in the Bible.
Be careful who you receive from:
For rest of article go to https://garyboyd2244.blogspot.com
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