Rapture (Part 5)
Mar 2, 2021 11:27:59 #
ziggy88
Loc: quincy illinois 62301
Rapture (Part 5):
By Joel Joseph
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
March 2nd 2021
The rapture will instantly cause, amongst the people, great jealousy, great anger, great regret and great hatred. No one will be neutral towards it. Those left behind who are wise, will fall in immediate, humble surrender to God.
The nature of the church:
The true church will be raptured just before at the start of the tribulation period. To fully understand why the tribulation will be such a terror, we need to understand just what the church is.
The heart of the true, born-again church is: ●The dwelling place of God. ●The church is the restrainer of evil in the world. ●The church is a haven of love and truth. ●The church is a place of comfort for the lost to run to. ●The church is a refuge of rest, joy, peace and more in holiness. ●The church is the place of the manifestation of the spiritual gifts, which includes weapons of warfare to restrict and conquer the demonic. ●The church is the place of already completed judgement of sin – through the cross of Calvary. ●The church is the lover of Israel and God’s plans for her.
There are many more benefits and characteristics of the true-Spirit – indwelt church.
So if all of these things are suddenly gone in a blinding flash at the rapture, do you see why the world will immediately become such a living terror?
Horror, terror, trembling or great rewards:
There are no words that can be used to describe the full horror of the tribulation period.
The world has fallen. If you are unsaved, your hero, the world has fallen. Not will fall - has fallen. It is judged! (1 John 5:19, John 12:31).
Here is the lot for the unsaved who will go through the tribulation, Go to https://www.biblegateway.com/ then put scripture in you want to find:
Jeremiah 30:5-7, Matthew 24:21, Daniel 12:1, Joel 2:2
But for those who, through the grace of God, have been saved, the future is one of great glory with great eternal rewards.
After fire hits a pile of gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and straw, what will be left is smoke and refined gold, silver and precious stones. (1 Corinthians 3:12-13)
For some, they will receive no reward but still be “saved, so as through fire.” They will only have smoke left – smoked turkey! (1 Corinthians 3:15)
It is God’s fire that hits man’s works. Your presumption of what was good works matters nothing. Let me add that no one is saved by works – it is rewarded by works after you have been saved.
1 Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that those who run a race, all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”
The following verses all speak of great reward coming for the believer. There are many more including the five crowns. Read of them here using Biblegateway:
Psalm 19:11, Matthew 10:41, Hebrews 10:35, 2 John 1:8, Philippians 3:14, 1 Corinthians 3:8.
Differences between the rapture and Second Coming:
At the Second Advent our Lord returns to the Mount of Olives in the same manner as he left which was a slow ascent. (Acts 1:11) At the pre tribulation rapture we are caught up, not come down! We are caught up in a “moment, in a twinkling of an eye” (Atomo” is the original word, which means the shortest division of time possible.)
According to the Bible the rapture will occur in a flash. This is not the description of the Second Advent at all.
The two can’t be the same event by any stretch of the imagination as many claim!
The post-trib rapture is impossible:
►1 Thessalonians 1:10 “He delivers us from the wrath to come.”
If we are to have a post- trib rapture, what “wrath to come” is this? A post-trib rapture is followed immediately by the Millennium and not wrath! So, is the Millennium the “wrath to come?” Of course not!
►Revelation 3:10 “Because you have kept My word to persevere, I also will keep you from (Lit = clean out away from) the hour (Lit =- wider time period) of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth.”
If we have a post-trib rapture, what trial is this? A post-trib rapture would mean that believers are kept clean out away from the trial which is the Millennium!
►2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 “Now concerning the coming of the Lord and our gathering together to him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the Day of the Lord had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away (departure of the church) comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”
Due to persecution, the believers at Thessalonica thought they were in the tribulation and had missed the rapture. If we have a post- trib rapture, why would that be an issue, why would you be troubled by a letter saying that you are going through the tribulation at the end of the tribulation?
►If we have a post- trib rapture, sinners are cast into hell and all believers raptured at the Second Advent, therefore we will have an empty earth. Who then are the believers on earth in natural bodies during the Millennium?
►1 Corinthians 15:22-24 “As in Adam all die, even so in Messiah all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those who are Messiah’s at His coming. Then the end shall come...”
The above verse shows a rapture order. First are the first fruits, who are the Church, afterwards comes another group of believers. These are the tribulation saints and are His at His 2nd coming. This very clearly speaks of two groups of believers. If we extrapolate this to a post- trib rapture, nothing makes sense or fits together! There would be no “order” of events in a post- trib scenario.
Post tribbers believe that the church will be protected through the tribulation.
Many will be tortured and savagely killed just like they were by the Catholic popes in the inquisitions.
Revelation 13:7 “It was granted to him (antichrist) to make war with the saints and overcome them.” Where does protection fit into this?
Many don’t have eyes for the rapture?
Luke 19:42-44 “If you had known, even you (Jews), especially in this your day, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes...They will not leave one stone standing upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Note one very important fact in this discourse above. The Jews were not only rebuked by our Lord for not knowing the time, but they were told that because they did not know their Messiah or the time, they would now not be able to know the time because they were blinded!
The “what if you’re wrong” crowd:
Don’t you just love the Christian sceptics who repeatedly point out that people have been wrong trying to time the rapture?
Here’s a good example: If a train is due at the station at 9am and you get ready, and go to the station. The train doesn’t arrive at 9am. You can now do one of two things:
(1) You can go home and say, the train is never coming or at least I have no idea when it’s coming so let’s just carry on with our lives.
(2) You can say, well the train will now be here very soon. It may be in the next 15 minutes. So let’s just watch and wait.
Unfortunately very few choose the latter, because they’ve got no brains.
The Bible does not say “no one knows the time.” It says, “no one knows the day and the hour of His coming.” There’s a very big difference. If I were to say to you that next year we will go to the game reserve in the winter, but I don’t know the day or hour yet. You would know exactly what I mean.
The “day and hour”means a very specific point in time. It does not mean month or year.
Besides, there is another very real and powerful possibility hidden in these words. Let’s look below the surface.
No one knows the day and hour = Strong’s for “know” = eido, and is used only in the past tense. In other words no one has known (at that time)
It does not speak of a future knowing. Besides, we are commanded to know the time and season. That does not imply years. I have always maintained that as the time approaches we will see it much more clearly, in spite of all the false rapture watchers out there.
Different destinies of the churches revealed in the book of Revelation:
The seven letters to the churches of Revelation chapters two and three are of incredible importance. They are God’s assessment of the body of Messiah. They contain three overall purposes. ●Firstly, they were addressed to seven literal churches in Asia Minor (Turkey today) ●Secondly, they speak to us today. ●Thirdly, they plot the course of church history.
There are three destinies of importance that we need to take note of in these letters. They are ● “Kept from the tribulation.” (Revelation 3:10) ●“Cast into great tribulation.” (Revelation 2:22) And ●Spewed out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)
The term, “spewed out” implies a permanent spewing. In other words, these luke-warm Christians get spat out into the tribulation as well.
Don’t think that you are a Christian because you’re just like other half-baked churches who simply go by the title, “Christian.” If you compare yourself with them, you’re lacking discernment, that means you must pray for wisdom to discern. (1 Corinthians 1:10-11)
You can still be saved in the tribulation period, but you won’t miss the tribulation. You will go though in natural bodies into the Millennium.
Doctrines that lead to the tribulation:
There are many false doctrines or doctrines of error that are no big deal and eventually come right with most people who have an open heart to the Lord. But there are some that are deadly and will lead you right into the tribulation.
All those of replacement theology are on very thin ice. Those who reject dispensations are on thin ice. Those of the A-Millennium doctrine are doomed.
Any and every doctrine that nullifies or waters down the work of the cross is doomed.
Post - tribbers are in trouble, but not doomed like some of the others.
The Pre-trib example of Lot:
We know the story of Lot and his wife being removed from the evil city, Sodom, before the judgement of fire fell upon it. This is a type of a pre-tribulation rapture. Lot was not protected through the fiery judgement but removed completely to another town called Zoar.
Now look at these two astounding verses below. Note that God says He can’t even begin the judgement while Lot is still there in Sodom.
Genesis 19:22-23 “Hurry, escape there (from Sodom). For I can’t do anything until you arrive there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun had risen when Lot entered Zoar.”
Genesis 18:25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Do you see the powerful pre-trib rapture typology here?
The Pre-trib example of Jericho:
Many use this story to prove a post-tribulation rapture. But if we look a little deeper into what actually happened there is no argument.
In Joshua 2 we see the story of the Gentile, Rahab, hiding two Israeli spies from Jericho's Gentile army who wanted to kill them. She rescues them and is told by the two spies to put a scarlet thread in her window so the invading Israeli army would spare her and her family from destruction when Jericho falls and is consumed by the fire of judgement.
Joshua 6:4-5 “Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram’s horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times and the priests shall blow the trumpets. Then it shall come to pass when they make a long blast on the ram’s horns, and when you hear the sound of the trumpets, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city shall fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
Rahab, is a type of the church. She and her family were removed from the city before it fell to the ground in judgment. Here it is:
Joshua 6:22-24 “But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, ‘Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.’ The young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel. Then they burned the city and all that was in it with fire...”
In verse 23 we see Rahab being brought out of Jericho and left outside the camp of Israel.
By faith she was made clean and delivered from God’s wrath seven days before judgment. This is a powerful type of the pre-tribulation rapture of the church.
There is another very powerful example in this story that believers would do well to take heed of. Rahab was a Gentile who helped Israel fulfil her calling. She hid the spies in her home thereby facilitating the God-inspired journey of the Jews to the Promised Land. This simple act brought God’s favour to her and her family.
Today we are in a similar situation. Do you want God’s blessing or cursing on your life?
I’ve wandered around the ruins of Jericho, not far from the modern town. I had an eerie feeling alright. My mind went back to the days of the fall of Jericho and forward to the rapture of the church – closely related by those ancient stones of Jericho’s walls!
ThePre-trib type of Enoch:
Enoch is a type of the Church. He was a Gentile, being born before the official formation of the Jews. He was the seventh from Adam.
Enoch was born on the day of Pentecost, further entrenching his type of the church.
Enoch was taken by rapture before the flood of Noah. He was not protected through it, but raptured to heaven. His rapture is consistent with the other types I have referred to in this edition and numerous others that you’ll find in other editions.
If Enoch is a type of the rapture of the Church, isn’t this interesting: Jude 1:14 “Now Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about these men also saying, Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints...” When does this occur? It is right at the end of the tribulation period – the Second Coming. And note who it is coming back with our Lord. It is a great company of “His saints.”
Finally
I have so much more on this subject, but I’ll share more as we go.
I don’t know which is more important, knowing more or less when the rapture will take place or knowing that it will be a pre-tribulation rapture. Both are very important.
In these last five editions, I’ve dealt mainly with the pre-trib position, which I hope gives you hope and a fresh anchor for your faith.
By Joel Joseph
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
March 2nd 2021
The rapture will instantly cause, amongst the people, great jealousy, great anger, great regret and great hatred. No one will be neutral towards it. Those left behind who are wise, will fall in immediate, humble surrender to God.
The nature of the church:
The true church will be raptured just before at the start of the tribulation period. To fully understand why the tribulation will be such a terror, we need to understand just what the church is.
The heart of the true, born-again church is: ●The dwelling place of God. ●The church is the restrainer of evil in the world. ●The church is a haven of love and truth. ●The church is a place of comfort for the lost to run to. ●The church is a refuge of rest, joy, peace and more in holiness. ●The church is the place of the manifestation of the spiritual gifts, which includes weapons of warfare to restrict and conquer the demonic. ●The church is the place of already completed judgement of sin – through the cross of Calvary. ●The church is the lover of Israel and God’s plans for her.
There are many more benefits and characteristics of the true-Spirit – indwelt church.
So if all of these things are suddenly gone in a blinding flash at the rapture, do you see why the world will immediately become such a living terror?
Horror, terror, trembling or great rewards:
There are no words that can be used to describe the full horror of the tribulation period.
The world has fallen. If you are unsaved, your hero, the world has fallen. Not will fall - has fallen. It is judged! (1 John 5:19, John 12:31).
Here is the lot for the unsaved who will go through the tribulation, Go to https://www.biblegateway.com/ then put scripture in you want to find:
Jeremiah 30:5-7, Matthew 24:21, Daniel 12:1, Joel 2:2
But for those who, through the grace of God, have been saved, the future is one of great glory with great eternal rewards.
After fire hits a pile of gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and straw, what will be left is smoke and refined gold, silver and precious stones. (1 Corinthians 3:12-13)
For some, they will receive no reward but still be “saved, so as through fire.” They will only have smoke left – smoked turkey! (1 Corinthians 3:15)
It is God’s fire that hits man’s works. Your presumption of what was good works matters nothing. Let me add that no one is saved by works – it is rewarded by works after you have been saved.
1 Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that those who run a race, all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”
The following verses all speak of great reward coming for the believer. There are many more including the five crowns. Read of them here using Biblegateway:
Psalm 19:11, Matthew 10:41, Hebrews 10:35, 2 John 1:8, Philippians 3:14, 1 Corinthians 3:8.
Differences between the rapture and Second Coming:
At the Second Advent our Lord returns to the Mount of Olives in the same manner as he left which was a slow ascent. (Acts 1:11) At the pre tribulation rapture we are caught up, not come down! We are caught up in a “moment, in a twinkling of an eye” (Atomo” is the original word, which means the shortest division of time possible.)
According to the Bible the rapture will occur in a flash. This is not the description of the Second Advent at all.
The two can’t be the same event by any stretch of the imagination as many claim!
The post-trib rapture is impossible:
►1 Thessalonians 1:10 “He delivers us from the wrath to come.”
If we are to have a post- trib rapture, what “wrath to come” is this? A post-trib rapture is followed immediately by the Millennium and not wrath! So, is the Millennium the “wrath to come?” Of course not!
►Revelation 3:10 “Because you have kept My word to persevere, I also will keep you from (Lit = clean out away from) the hour (Lit =- wider time period) of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth.”
If we have a post-trib rapture, what trial is this? A post-trib rapture would mean that believers are kept clean out away from the trial which is the Millennium!
►2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 “Now concerning the coming of the Lord and our gathering together to him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the Day of the Lord had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away (departure of the church) comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”
Due to persecution, the believers at Thessalonica thought they were in the tribulation and had missed the rapture. If we have a post- trib rapture, why would that be an issue, why would you be troubled by a letter saying that you are going through the tribulation at the end of the tribulation?
►If we have a post- trib rapture, sinners are cast into hell and all believers raptured at the Second Advent, therefore we will have an empty earth. Who then are the believers on earth in natural bodies during the Millennium?
►1 Corinthians 15:22-24 “As in Adam all die, even so in Messiah all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those who are Messiah’s at His coming. Then the end shall come...”
The above verse shows a rapture order. First are the first fruits, who are the Church, afterwards comes another group of believers. These are the tribulation saints and are His at His 2nd coming. This very clearly speaks of two groups of believers. If we extrapolate this to a post- trib rapture, nothing makes sense or fits together! There would be no “order” of events in a post- trib scenario.
Post tribbers believe that the church will be protected through the tribulation.
Many will be tortured and savagely killed just like they were by the Catholic popes in the inquisitions.
Revelation 13:7 “It was granted to him (antichrist) to make war with the saints and overcome them.” Where does protection fit into this?
Many don’t have eyes for the rapture?
Luke 19:42-44 “If you had known, even you (Jews), especially in this your day, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes...They will not leave one stone standing upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Note one very important fact in this discourse above. The Jews were not only rebuked by our Lord for not knowing the time, but they were told that because they did not know their Messiah or the time, they would now not be able to know the time because they were blinded!
The “what if you’re wrong” crowd:
Don’t you just love the Christian sceptics who repeatedly point out that people have been wrong trying to time the rapture?
Here’s a good example: If a train is due at the station at 9am and you get ready, and go to the station. The train doesn’t arrive at 9am. You can now do one of two things:
(1) You can go home and say, the train is never coming or at least I have no idea when it’s coming so let’s just carry on with our lives.
(2) You can say, well the train will now be here very soon. It may be in the next 15 minutes. So let’s just watch and wait.
Unfortunately very few choose the latter, because they’ve got no brains.
The Bible does not say “no one knows the time.” It says, “no one knows the day and the hour of His coming.” There’s a very big difference. If I were to say to you that next year we will go to the game reserve in the winter, but I don’t know the day or hour yet. You would know exactly what I mean.
The “day and hour”means a very specific point in time. It does not mean month or year.
Besides, there is another very real and powerful possibility hidden in these words. Let’s look below the surface.
No one knows the day and hour = Strong’s for “know” = eido, and is used only in the past tense. In other words no one has known (at that time)
It does not speak of a future knowing. Besides, we are commanded to know the time and season. That does not imply years. I have always maintained that as the time approaches we will see it much more clearly, in spite of all the false rapture watchers out there.
Different destinies of the churches revealed in the book of Revelation:
The seven letters to the churches of Revelation chapters two and three are of incredible importance. They are God’s assessment of the body of Messiah. They contain three overall purposes. ●Firstly, they were addressed to seven literal churches in Asia Minor (Turkey today) ●Secondly, they speak to us today. ●Thirdly, they plot the course of church history.
There are three destinies of importance that we need to take note of in these letters. They are ● “Kept from the tribulation.” (Revelation 3:10) ●“Cast into great tribulation.” (Revelation 2:22) And ●Spewed out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)
The term, “spewed out” implies a permanent spewing. In other words, these luke-warm Christians get spat out into the tribulation as well.
Don’t think that you are a Christian because you’re just like other half-baked churches who simply go by the title, “Christian.” If you compare yourself with them, you’re lacking discernment, that means you must pray for wisdom to discern. (1 Corinthians 1:10-11)
You can still be saved in the tribulation period, but you won’t miss the tribulation. You will go though in natural bodies into the Millennium.
Doctrines that lead to the tribulation:
There are many false doctrines or doctrines of error that are no big deal and eventually come right with most people who have an open heart to the Lord. But there are some that are deadly and will lead you right into the tribulation.
All those of replacement theology are on very thin ice. Those who reject dispensations are on thin ice. Those of the A-Millennium doctrine are doomed.
Any and every doctrine that nullifies or waters down the work of the cross is doomed.
Post - tribbers are in trouble, but not doomed like some of the others.
The Pre-trib example of Lot:
We know the story of Lot and his wife being removed from the evil city, Sodom, before the judgement of fire fell upon it. This is a type of a pre-tribulation rapture. Lot was not protected through the fiery judgement but removed completely to another town called Zoar.
Now look at these two astounding verses below. Note that God says He can’t even begin the judgement while Lot is still there in Sodom.
Genesis 19:22-23 “Hurry, escape there (from Sodom). For I can’t do anything until you arrive there. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun had risen when Lot entered Zoar.”
Genesis 18:25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Do you see the powerful pre-trib rapture typology here?
The Pre-trib example of Jericho:
Many use this story to prove a post-tribulation rapture. But if we look a little deeper into what actually happened there is no argument.
In Joshua 2 we see the story of the Gentile, Rahab, hiding two Israeli spies from Jericho's Gentile army who wanted to kill them. She rescues them and is told by the two spies to put a scarlet thread in her window so the invading Israeli army would spare her and her family from destruction when Jericho falls and is consumed by the fire of judgement.
Joshua 6:4-5 “Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram’s horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times and the priests shall blow the trumpets. Then it shall come to pass when they make a long blast on the ram’s horns, and when you hear the sound of the trumpets, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city shall fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
Rahab, is a type of the church. She and her family were removed from the city before it fell to the ground in judgment. Here it is:
Joshua 6:22-24 “But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, ‘Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.’ The young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel. Then they burned the city and all that was in it with fire...”
In verse 23 we see Rahab being brought out of Jericho and left outside the camp of Israel.
By faith she was made clean and delivered from God’s wrath seven days before judgment. This is a powerful type of the pre-tribulation rapture of the church.
There is another very powerful example in this story that believers would do well to take heed of. Rahab was a Gentile who helped Israel fulfil her calling. She hid the spies in her home thereby facilitating the God-inspired journey of the Jews to the Promised Land. This simple act brought God’s favour to her and her family.
Today we are in a similar situation. Do you want God’s blessing or cursing on your life?
I’ve wandered around the ruins of Jericho, not far from the modern town. I had an eerie feeling alright. My mind went back to the days of the fall of Jericho and forward to the rapture of the church – closely related by those ancient stones of Jericho’s walls!
ThePre-trib type of Enoch:
Enoch is a type of the Church. He was a Gentile, being born before the official formation of the Jews. He was the seventh from Adam.
Enoch was born on the day of Pentecost, further entrenching his type of the church.
Enoch was taken by rapture before the flood of Noah. He was not protected through it, but raptured to heaven. His rapture is consistent with the other types I have referred to in this edition and numerous others that you’ll find in other editions.
If Enoch is a type of the rapture of the Church, isn’t this interesting: Jude 1:14 “Now Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about these men also saying, Behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints...” When does this occur? It is right at the end of the tribulation period – the Second Coming. And note who it is coming back with our Lord. It is a great company of “His saints.”
Finally
I have so much more on this subject, but I’ll share more as we go.
I don’t know which is more important, knowing more or less when the rapture will take place or knowing that it will be a pre-tribulation rapture. Both are very important.
In these last five editions, I’ve dealt mainly with the pre-trib position, which I hope gives you hope and a fresh anchor for your faith.
Mar 2, 2021 11:52:51 #
Mar 2, 2021 12:01:30 #
proud republican
Loc: RED CALIFORNIA
kemmer wrote:
What does this have to do with the “divine” Trump? 😂
Why are you so obsessed with President Trump ???There was no mention of President Trump in his post . ....You seriously need mental help...
Mar 2, 2021 12:04:41 #
proud republican wrote:
Why are you so obsessed with President Trump ???There was no mention of President Trump in his post . ....You seriously need mental help...
This is the first time the quackish pastor hasn’t given a loving nod to Trump.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.