By Bill Perkins
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
In that wonderful day the dead shall rise to be transformed into the eternal state to meet our Lord in the air as well as the living in Christ who are upon the earth. We will meet Jesus to be transported to heaven in the twinkling of an eye to forever be with the Lord. Corinthians 15:52, â 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.â
âThen we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lordâ (1Thess. 4:17).
Snatched Away
The upcoming Rapture, literally the âcatching away,â is to me, the most intriguing of all biblical doctrine. Nothing could be more exciting than thinking about not dying physically, but rather changing from earth to heaven, from this physical body of flesh and blood into the eternal state, forever young.
Everything seems normal, then very quickly everything changes forever.
The Greek word for this term âcaught upâ is âharpazoâ which means âto seize, catch up, snatch away by force.â
This is the same Greek word used to describe how the Spirit âsnatchedâ Philip away from the Ethiopian eunuch.
âWhen they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched (Greek-harpazo) Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotusâ (Acts 8:39-40).
Philip was miraculously transported by God from one place to another. (Imagine him telling that story to his family!)
The English word âRaptureâ comes from a Latin word, ârapio,â which means to seize or snatch in relation to being carried away in spirit or in body from one place to another.
Therefore the Rapture of the True Church is the forceful removal, or carrying away, of believers from earth to heaven.
Most believers living today sense the day of the Rapture is getting close. I think the current generations have an odds-on chance of being in this ultimately famous group if they live out a normal life span
We easily see that what was written prophetically about the end of the Church Age is happening all around us. How close we are to our exodus we donât really know. But most solid believers sense the end of this age could be upon us.
Just living in this time period is tough. We recoil when we see perversion flaunted. We cringe when we see sin exalted. And we know the Lord ranks lying up there in the same category as murder. Yet itâs commonplace and mostly unchallenged in our nation today. Our leaders lie to us, our pastor do not tell us the truth about the rapture, the ten commandments are not followed and we sink into a world of shallow existence.
âWoe to those who enact evil statutes and to those who constantly record unjust decisionsâ (Isaiah 10:1).
God Gave Us Prophecy for Comfort
We know the Bible warns of Godâs coming judgment on sin, but at the same time weâre COMFORTED by what we know about Bible prophecy. After discussing the Rapture of believers, Paul ends with this sentence:
âTherefore comfort one another with these words⦠(1 Thess. 4:18).
Godâs promise of the Rapture is comforting because itâs His promise and assurance that we will NOT be part of the earthâs horrific seven-year TribulationâGodâs horrific judgment on sinful mankind.
Godâs Purpose for the Rapture
Therefore, the purpose of the Rapture is to close the dispensation of the Church Age and remove believers before Godâs wrath comes on the earth.
âFor God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christâ (1 Thess. 5:9).
The Bible says others have been âcaught upâ to heaven in the past. So we can get a glimpse of what will transpire at that moment.
Enoch Was Raptured
The first to be raptured, or âtaken upâ to heaven before death, was Enoch, who lived prior to Abraham.
âEnoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took himâ (Genesis:24).
âBy faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to Godâ (Hebrews 11:5).
Paul Was Raptured
Paul was also Raptured, or âcaught upâ to heaven, when he was living on the earth.
âI know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago â whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows â such a man was caught up to the third heavenâ (2 Corinthians 12:2).
This âcatching awayâ to heaven left a lasting impression on Paul. So profound was the experience that the Lord had to give him a âthorn in the fleshâ to keep him humble back here on earth.
âBecause of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me to keep me from exalting myselfâ (2 Cor. 12:7).
God also forbade Paul from talking about what he saw in heaven, a fact that makes me heavily discount ANYTHING someone says he saw when he died briefly, went to heaven and came back.
ââ¦was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speakâ (2 Cor. 12:4).
The âLieâ in the Tribulation
Undoubtedly, there will have to be an explanation as to what happened to all the missing people in the actual rapture. The Bible calls it the âLie.â
âFor this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence (Greek= âactivity of errorâ) so that they will believe THE LIEâ¦â (2 Thess. 2:11).
Itâs quite possible that the great lie will be the explanation of what happened to all of the believers who suddenly disappeared. Millions will vanish without warning and without a trace of where they went.
The sudden disappearance of so many will cause massive disruptions. Cars wrecking and planes falling due to drivers who vanished are only the tip of the iceberg. Key business leaders, prison guards and born again pastors will be gone. And possibly even a politician might be missing.
Therefore âthe lieâ could be that people from another planet or universe removed those who were ruining the planet. Or they were taken to another planet for reprogramming.
Blessings from Studying the Rapture
The fact youâre interested in reading this article, looking forward to meeting Jesus in the air at the Rapture, puts you in a special category of people: those LOOKING for that incredible day to arrive.
ââ¦in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.â (2 Timothy 4:8).
Not to mention, the book of Revelation, which contains almost all prophecy, is the only book in the Bible promising a blessing for just reading it!
âBlessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecyâ¦â (Rev. 1:3)
So, youâre blessed for looking forward to the Rapture. Youâre blessed to be excluded from receiving Godâs wrath in the Tribulation. And youâre comforted too by the fact God is still in control! And throughout it all, when we die or are raptured, we win! Gotta love that!
We should pray always that the Lord will give us more and more occasions to explain what we know.
âConduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunityâ (Col. 4:5).
ââ¦he who turns a sinner from the error of his way [allows the Lord to use them] will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.â (James 5:20)
The bottom line is this: We are most likely living in the last of the last days, a special generation of believers who can be like Noah, testifying about biblical truth right up to the end!
Use us, Lord! Maranathaâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.
Since when did this become "One Religious Plaza?"
No offense, but.....
ziggy88 wrote:
By Bill Perkins
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
In that wonderful day the dead shall rise to be transformed into the eternal state to meet our Lord in the air as well as the living in Christ who are upon the earth. We will meet Jesus to be transported to heaven in the twinkling of an eye to forever be with the Lord. Corinthians 15:52, â 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.â
âThen we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lordâ (1Thess. 4:17).
Snatched Away
The upcoming Rapture, literally the âcatching away,â is to me, the most intriguing of all biblical doctrine. Nothing could be more exciting than thinking about not dying physically, but rather changing from earth to heaven, from this physical body of flesh and blood into the eternal state, forever young.
Everything seems normal, then very quickly everything changes forever.
The Greek word for this term âcaught upâ is âharpazoâ which means âto seize, catch up, snatch away by force.â
This is the same Greek word used to describe how the Spirit âsnatchedâ Philip away from the Ethiopian eunuch.
âWhen they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched (Greek-harpazo) Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotusâ (Acts 8:39-40).
Philip was miraculously transported by God from one place to another. (Imagine him telling that story to his family!)
The English word âRaptureâ comes from a Latin word, ârapio,â which means to seize or snatch in relation to being carried away in spirit or in body from one place to another.
Therefore the Rapture of the True Church is the forceful removal, or carrying away, of believers from earth to heaven.
Most believers living today sense the day of the Rapture is getting close. I think the current generations have an odds-on chance of being in this ultimately famous group if they live out a normal life span
We easily see that what was written prophetically about the end of the Church Age is happening all around us. How close we are to our exodus we donât really know. But most solid believers sense the end of this age could be upon us.
Just living in this time period is tough. We recoil when we see perversion flaunted. We cringe when we see sin exalted. And we know the Lord ranks lying up there in the same category as murder. Yet itâs commonplace and mostly unchallenged in our nation today. Our leaders lie to us, our pastor do not tell us the truth about the rapture, the ten commandments are not followed and we sink into a world of shallow existence.
âWoe to those who enact evil statutes and to those who constantly record unjust decisionsâ (Isaiah 10:1).
God Gave Us Prophecy for Comfort
We know the Bible warns of Godâs coming judgment on sin, but at the same time weâre COMFORTED by what we know about Bible prophecy. After discussing the Rapture of believers, Paul ends with this sentence:
âTherefore comfort one another with these words⦠(1 Thess. 4:18).
Godâs promise of the Rapture is comforting because itâs His promise and assurance that we will NOT be part of the earthâs horrific seven-year TribulationâGodâs horrific judgment on sinful mankind.
Godâs Purpose for the Rapture
Therefore, the purpose of the Rapture is to close the dispensation of the Church Age and remove believers before Godâs wrath comes on the earth.
âFor God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christâ (1 Thess. 5:9).
The Bible says others have been âcaught upâ to heaven in the past. So we can get a glimpse of what will transpire at that moment.
Enoch Was Raptured
The first to be raptured, or âtaken upâ to heaven before death, was Enoch, who lived prior to Abraham.
âEnoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took himâ (Genesis:24).
âBy faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to Godâ (Hebrews 11:5).
Paul Was Raptured
Paul was also Raptured, or âcaught upâ to heaven, when he was living on the earth.
âI know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago â whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows â such a man was caught up to the third heavenâ (2 Corinthians 12:2).
This âcatching awayâ to heaven left a lasting impression on Paul. So profound was the experience that the Lord had to give him a âthorn in the fleshâ to keep him humble back here on earth.
âBecause of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me to keep me from exalting myselfâ (2 Cor. 12:7).
God also forbade Paul from talking about what he saw in heaven, a fact that makes me heavily discount ANYTHING someone says he saw when he died briefly, went to heaven and came back.
ââ¦was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speakâ (2 Cor. 12:4).
The âLieâ in the Tribulation
Undoubtedly, there will have to be an explanation as to what happened to all the missing people in the actual rapture. The Bible calls it the âLie.â
âFor this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence (Greek= âactivity of errorâ) so that they will believe THE LIEâ¦â (2 Thess. 2:11).
Itâs quite possible that the great lie will be the explanation of what happened to all of the believers who suddenly disappeared. Millions will vanish without warning and without a trace of where they went.
The sudden disappearance of so many will cause massive disruptions. Cars wrecking and planes falling due to drivers who vanished are only the tip of the iceberg. Key business leaders, prison guards and born again pastors will be gone. And possibly even a politician might be missing.
Therefore âthe lieâ could be that people from another planet or universe removed those who were ruining the planet. Or they were taken to another planet for reprogramming.
Blessings from Studying the Rapture
The fact youâre interested in reading this article, looking forward to meeting Jesus in the air at the Rapture, puts you in a special category of people: those LOOKING for that incredible day to arrive.
ââ¦in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.â (2 Timothy 4:8).
Not to mention, the book of Revelation, which contains almost all prophecy, is the only book in the Bible promising a blessing for just reading it!
âBlessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecyâ¦â (Rev. 1:3)
So, youâre blessed for looking forward to the Rapture. Youâre blessed to be excluded from receiving Godâs wrath in the Tribulation. And youâre comforted too by the fact God is still in control! And throughout it all, when we die or are raptured, we win! Gotta love that!
We should pray always that the Lord will give us more and more occasions to explain what we know.
âConduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunityâ (Col. 4:5).
ââ¦he who turns a sinner from the error of his way [allows the Lord to use them] will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.â (James 5:20)
The bottom line is this: We are most likely living in the last of the last days, a special generation of believers who can be like Noah, testifying about biblical truth right up to the end!
Use us, Lord! Maranathaâ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦.
By Bill Perkins br Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd ... (
show quote)
Good stuff!! Keep it coming.
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