tribulation

The unexpected debate: Part 1

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Last week it was impressed upon me to speak of the Rapture. Upon release of this article I encountered a debate I did not expect to encounter. The core of the debate? When is the Rapture per the Bible?
Is there a pre-tribulation Rapture, a mid-tribulation Rapture, a pre-wrath Rapture or a post-tribulation Rapture?
What is the saddest point about this rupture in understanding of the Bible is that people would actually wish to silence someone with a differing point of view about when this is to occur. That topic has already been addressed in a previous article. So there is no need to rehash that sad point once again. It is still something that should not transpire none the less.
Being able to understand when the Rapture is to befall is something that should not be questioned or even allowed to have doubt creep into, but by not knowing for sure when allows this to take place. What is the most important thing to note is that a no time within the book of Revelation is there any mention of what can be characterized as a Rapture. Does this mean there is not one? No. For within Revelation there are resurrections that do take place, but do they meet the criteria of a “Rapture?” Personally I do not see it.
The First three Chapters of the book of Revelation deal with John being visited about Patmos by the Glorified Jesus Christ. Here Christ instructs John to write the seven letter to the seven churches. At the beginning of chapter 4 of Revelation John is called up to heaven to witness the events that are to transpire before the beginning of the Tribulation.
Here is one element that needs to be looked at. John finishes the letters and then, being a Christian himself, or more accurately a Messianic Jew, finds himself in heaven after addressing the earthly church. This in itself could be seen as a reflection of the Rapture since it was not a true Rapture since John did not die at this time. He was merely taken into heaven to witness the events that are written within the last book of the Bible. I wish to quote from the book “Revelation” by John F. Walvoord, which is part of the John Walvoord Prophrcy Commentaries:
“The invitation to John to “come up here” is similar to that which the church anticipates at the rapture that many have connected the two expressions. It is clear from the context that this is not an explicit reference to the rapture of the church as John was not actually translated; in fact, he was still in his natural body on the island of Patmos. He was translated into scenes of heaven only temporarily. Though there is no authority for connecting the rapture with this expression, this sequence does seem to typify the order of events: that is, the church age first, then the rapture, then the church in heaven.
“Though the rapture is mentioned in letters to two of the churches (Revelation 2:25; 3:11), the rapture as a doctrine is not a part of the prophetic foreview of the book of Revelation. This is keeping with the fact that the book as a whole is not occupied primarily with God’s program for the church. Instead, the primary objective is to portray the events leading up to and climaxing in the second coming of Christ and the prophetic kingdom and the eternal state that ultimately will follow.”
The primary focus of the book of Revelation is the seconding coming of Christ. Placing the focus on Jesus and it should be. Any that place it more upon the church is not glorifying Jesus Christ and His Father are making it about themselves and so are being self-centered and self-serving not God serving. I will continue with the next paragraph form the already mentioned book:
“From a practical standpoint, however, the rapture may be viewed as having already occurred before the events of chapter 4 and following chapters of Revelation unfold. The word “church,” so prominent in chapters 2 and 3, does not occur again until 22:16, though the church is undoubtedly in view as the wife of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7. She is not a participant in the scenes of the tribulation that form the major content of Revelation.”
So when you take just the mere fact of the mention of the “church” does not occur in any form after the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation until 22:16 is significant.
How can something that is so important to the Glorified Christ that he spends time to have letters written unto them and then after that it becomes trivial? Because they are out of the picture, a non-factor. This points toward a pre-Tribulation rapture.

The Rapture

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There are still those that do not belief in this word. Many call themselves “Christian.” They belief in the Utopian theory that all humanity will finally suddenly see the light and turn to God as His Son descends from heaven to set foot upon the Mount of Olives.
Jesus setting foot upon the Mount of Olives comes at the end of the great Tribulation though. A time that will include the death of well over half the population of this planet in natural disasters and genocide committed mainly by those that willingly reject God.
There are warning signs given to all within the Bible. Wars and rumors of wars, a great falling away from the teachings of the Bible and the return to openly showing the world sin, due to the belief that humanity does not need its Creator. These things are now more evident than they have ever been before.
There is an ultimate sign that the Bible teaches all will be a sign that the great Tribulation is beginning. That sign is the Rapture.
1 Thessalonians 4:15 – We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.
John 14:1 – “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
1 Corinthians 15:50 – What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
Now in the early Church there is strong evidence that there is not just one Rapture, but multiple Raptures. This can be seen above. In 1 Thessalonians there is reference to “a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.” While in 1 Corinthians it states “when the last trumpet is blown.”
Is this the same event at the end of the Tribulation or is it the first and the last trumpet?
Here is a quotes from the John Walvoord Prophecy Commentaries. 1&2 Thessalonians:
“It is evident that Paul had taught them that there would be a number of resurrections in a chronological order as the Scriptures portray – not just one general resurrection as some believe today. The question I their minds was: In the order of the various resurrections, when would there deceased loved ones in Christ be raised? Apparently they thought they would be caught up to be with the Lord at any time and that the resurrection of the loved ones would be delayed. Possibly until after the great tribulation when Christ comes back to establish His kingdom. They wondered if those who died before the Lord’s coming would miss out on this great event. They wanted some instruction on this point, so Paul wrote to answer this nagging question.”
The response to this question is in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.”
I happen to agree with that there will be multiple resurrections. For when you read Revelation there is enough evidence to support not only multiple ones but they are given to separate groups as well. Those that sinned and denied God, or never knew of God being the last of these when they stand before the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ.
There is a major difference with the event of the first Rapture though. It is the calling card from Jesus to the world. It is stating and announcing a clear message. It has three major audible events. It is designed as a noticeable seal to all, so none can question that the event took place, yet many will anyway out of closeminded denial of what has just occurred.
It is made clear in the wording of 1 Thessalonians that those that died will be raised first and then in the blink of an eye those that have been faithful to God will be taken up. It will happen with three sounds coming from the sky and everywhere. The voice of Jesus Christ Himself accompanied by an angel and a trumpet. This is the first Rapture and the sign to the world that judgment has begun upon those that are left. Including those that thought they were right with God and are left behind.
Why they were left behind is made clear in the seventh letter to the churches in Revelation 3
“15 ‘I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
20 ‘Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.
22 ‘Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.’”
They are left here because they are lukewarm. Saying on Sunday they are for God but living in and loving the world when they are not within the structure they call “church.” Speaking more about sports and the actions of people they see upon the television. Living in and driving their worldly rewards than preparing themselves for this event they just missed. The Rapture.

What will the Rapture cause to happen?

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To answer this question we must come to realize an important point. That being: that far fewer people will vanish from the earth then people think will disappear. Yet it will still be a noticeable event. It is the fact that it will not go un-noticed and those that were fully sure of themselves that they were going will cause two things to occur.
This first of this will be a falling away from the belief in God. For there will be many that thought themselves pure to find they were unclean and they will find that they prefer the live of a sinner over the life of a follower of God. Who in their mind abandoned them, not realizing that it is not God that abandoned them, but it was they that abandoned God.

In the same token there will be many that have the same realization that they were too were not as pure in their faith to God as they had thought. They will come to realize that certain man-made doctrines that had placed them on the wrong path were just that, man-made and need to be left where they started with humanity. They will then realize that you must take the entire Bible literally and you must read it and come to understand that all the books of the New Testament were written to a believing church body. They must then realize that it was not taking the Bible literally that got them to be left out of the Rapture.
Once then enlightenment takes place they will then go the next step which is to truly follow the teaching of the Bible. It is made clear that billions will do this and that it will most likely lead to a martyr’s death. They will know that they cannot take the mark or allow the chip to be implanted into their body. It will result in starvation, and they will be forced into a horrible time before they are removed from the earth.
Then as the last Christian is killed, the antichrist will show his true face. He will break his peace with Israel and the 144,000 will be spirited away to a safe haven. This will happen when the first three and half years of the Tribulation comes to an end. Then the two prophets shall appear who I still believe to be Enoch and Elijah. For to have them to be true witnesses. They must be able to attest for all of the actions of humanity and they must preach this unto those that do not wish to hear the word of God for the last half of the Tribulation. But all of that is another issue all together.
So the Rapture is the true awakening that will cause billions to come to God and He will receive them.

The duel edge sword.

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There are times we go through trials and tribulations. As I have said before some may be a pruning by God to allow you to become a better tool for His glory. There will be some trials that confound and confuse you because they come at you from a direction you did not expect. Usually in these instances, there is another party involved. Someone outside that you do not know how or why they crossed your path and sent you into a trail and tribulation. When there is others involved it is always a test upon both parties or all those involved.
In many cases, it will be something that is testing you to see if you grow in your faith, and let me say on a personal note, that all our faiths including mine own have room to grow.
Here is my point of this post. Even though we end up growing and become closer to God in this time of tribulation we may not be the may target. I could be the other person in the situation that is being tested. It may be the other person having their faith in God worked upon by Him.
Our responses and actions to this person might be something that God can use to make this other person realize they need to change and come closer to God. Or they may just need to go through this trial in their own way, but still your reaction is important.
An example:
The other day I was behind a person on the road that was driving erratically. I noticed that he was more interested in looking on the screen of his cellphone then upon the road. I come to this conclusion by the mere fact that he crossed the double yellow line and had to come to a near stop several time to make a simple corner. I have seen drunk drives drive better. So as I get to a stop light I start honking my horn.
He jumps out of his car comes running to my window and proceeds to curse and me.
My respond. “Yes I have a problem with you. You are texting. Read Titus 3:1”
This reference to the Bible made his eyes widen, step back and then turn and leave to his car, which he suddenly started running to as it rolled driverless toward the car in front of it.
Was I being given a trail? I would say yes, if you knew me before Christ you would understand.
Was he being tested? I would say definitely.

My post rapture dream

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It was about a year or so after I was born-again. It was another of what is called a vivid dream. I have many of them, most not able to be typed, but this one was.
I found myself inside of a store, but the racks and shelves were ransacked. I was in chains and in a line. In front of me and behind were others, they all wore a grey jumper. I looked down and found myself to be wearing the same.
Several half-naked people that were mostly tattooed and pierced were directing us. One stood upon the top of the shelves shout and laughing as he lashed out with a whip. As it snapped, I heard him say:
“Where is your God now? Why doesn’t He come and get you?” He said things like this repeatedly as he herded the line toward the back of the store. Soon after a twelve year old boy, tattooed as the others, came running down one of the hallways made by the shelves. He stopped, as he laughed and held up by the hair the head of a woman and all those that were herding those in chains roared with laughter.
Once we reached our goal, I saw a line of cots set against the back wall and we those chained together were placed into these cots. After a time one by one the cots to my left were emptied, then it was my time. They made me get up and walk through a door at the back of the store. All went black.
Revelation 20:4
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Special note: I had this dream in the late 1980s. At that time tattoos had not become as prevalent as they are today. In addition, I had never heard of any other type of piercing then the ear

The forever place.

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For centuries, it has been heaven, and it is understandable that people think and believe that once they die it is heaven that they will go to. That is true, but it is only a temporary place that we are to visit. Call it a waiting room if you like.

The real forever place will be the entire universe. Why else is it so large. We are promised that there will be a rapture of those that are present when the time of the Tribulation begins. Then there is the White Throne Judgment where the people that go through it will have their life’s seen like an open book for all to see. Those that pass this judgment will be like those that were at the rapture. Given an immortal and perfect body in place of the corruptible one, we now live within. An immortal body, can you grasp the meaning in those words. A human body that will not suffer illness or age and will last for billions of years.

What we will do in these bodies is only speculation, but it is certain for those that either make it past the White Throne, or accepted Christ into their heart before the rapture will have a glorious and wonderful life. Why? Because we will be serving the Lord our God and fulfilling those tasks that he assigns to us. That is the true forever and ever, which is said as you say the Lord’s pray if you read it fully and completely.

Then there is the other side of the coin. For in actuality God has promised all the children of Adam an eternal life in an immortal body. Those that do not make it past the White Throne Judgment have another destiny. It is one that is too terrible to put into words. Why? Because when those that fail realize that they too have an immortal body. A body that cannot die. A body that will last billions of years just like those that did make it past the judgment, but they have a different fate. A fate that will last as long as their bodies do. They will never sleep, for what they will go through will be beyond comprehension. They will beg to die because of it, but it will never happen. All because they turned their backs on God, and if they did not know of God then it was due to some horrible deeds they did within this corruptible life that made it impossible for them to be welcome before the Throne of God.

Those that know that their actions and behavior is something God has said not to do yet they do it. Some even do it joyfully. If you live a life that is considered a sin to God, I beg you turn away from it. Seek out the Son of God. Turn to Jesus and ask Him into your life even if you have to fall to your knees and beg for your forgiveness. Know that there will be times when you will falter and fall, but pick yourself up and continue upon the journey that will lead you to ultimately stand before God in joy, singing and praise of the One Most High. Then you too can come to enjoy that forever place.