Part 18. The Rapture of the Church of Christ.
The possibility of
the rapture of the Church (believers) before the seven-year reign of the
Antichrist and, accordingly, before the active period of wars, famine, and
disease described in the Book of Revelation has long been hotly debated among
various Christian denominations. Some hold the view that God will not allow
troubles and problems to arise in the lives of those who believe in Him and
that He will prematurely rapture them to Heaven, leaving only sinners on earth
for their complete destruction.
This is a rather dangerous view, since it would prevent
believers from preparing for the coming of the Creator and the coming judgment
of all His creation. It is necessary to arm oneself with patience and faith
when God's judgment covers the entire earth.
According to the Bible, there was never a single instance of
God taking people to heaven because they were in mortal danger. On the
contrary, in difficult times for believers, God revealed His power and wisdom:
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The Flood: God gathers the chosen people into the ark and preserves
their lives, along with all the animals.
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Sodom and Gomorrah: God leads His people out before these cities are
burned.
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Exodus: God leads a huge number of people out of Egyptian captivity,
leading them through the sea, the desert, and to the Promised Land.
God has many ways of delivering His believers from danger.
Fleeing to heaven and then returning is not God's method. The main condition
for saving life is unconditional faith without
grumbling!
When troubles and problems come, will you keep your faith in
Christ the Savior? It is necessary to keep patience
and faith before the coming of the Lord, just as in the parable of the 10
virgins, 5 of whom were wise and managed to keep
oil for their lamps and met the bridegroom in the darkness (Matthew 25:1-12).
Hebrews 3:7.
Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To
day if ye will hear his voice, 8.
Harden not your hearts, as in the
provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness
Luke 18:8... Nevertheless when the Son
of man cometh, shall he find faith on
the earth?
The Rapture of the Church, as well as the resurrection of believers who died in Christ, will occur on the last day of the reign and life of the Antichrist, on the very day of the coming of Jesus, about which so much is written in the Bible.
Here it is
clearly and precisely stated that this will happen on the day of the coming of
Jesus Christ, on the Day of Judgment, when God and all the saints with Him will
come to judge the earth, on the day when the Lord will reveal Himself to all
creation on earth, on the day when the kingdom of the gentiles will end its
existence, and the earth will be handed over to the saints for the next 1000
years.
1
Corinthians 6:2. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge
the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge
the smallest matters?
Matthew 16:27.
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and
then he shall reward every man according to his works
Revelation
17:14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are
with him are called, and chosen, and faithful
The last trumpet will sound the Lord's coming! All who live on earth will hear the sound of the trumpet.
God will
save His people on earth, not in heaven!
1
Corinthians 15:52. 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
Below is a table explaining the chronology of events during the last seven years (the reign of the Antichrist) on earth and up until the day of Jesus Christ's return. It is important to understand that the opening of each seal is followed by a trumpet and a bowl of wrath. The final trumpet marks the Day of Judgment, the Lord's appearance to the world, the resurrection of the saints, and the enthronement of Jesus Christ to rule over all nations.
Revelation 10:7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets
Isaiah 18:3. All ye inhabitants of the world, and
dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains;
and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye
1 John 2:28.
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before
him at his coming
Matthew 24:30. And then
shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the
tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31. And he shall send his angels
with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from
the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other
We must
understand an important principle regarding the salvation of believers in the
last days.
Sinners who
have not accepted God's Word and Christ's sacrifice will be separated from His
chosen believers. This refers specifically to separation, not by the rapture to
Heaven.
Matthew 13:37.
He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38. The field is the world; the good seed are the
children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39. The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the
harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40. As therefore the tares are gathered and
burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41. The Son of man shall send forth his angels,
and they shall gather out of his kingdom
all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear
Matthew 13:49.
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth
The wicked
will be separated from the righteous! The righteous are not running away. The
earth belongs to them. All the wicked will perish.
Luke 17:34. I tell you, in that night there shall
be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35.
Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other
left. 36. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 37. And they answered
and said unto him, Where, Lord? And
he said unto them, Wheresoever the body
is, thither will the eagles be gathered together
The wicked
perish!
During the
Great Tribulation, which will come to earth and last 7 years (the reign of the
Antichrist), believers will have an important mission – keep preaching the Word
of God for the salvation of many people before the coming of Christ.
Daniel 11:32.
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall
be strong, and do exploits. 33.
And they that understand among the people shall instruct many:
yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil,
many days. 34.
Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many
shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35.
And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to
make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time
appointed
Daniel 12:3. And they that be wise
shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever
This is the
most important and crucial period on earth - the harvest of souls.
If all
believers were removed from the earth before this, what would happen, and who
would be saved?
Hard times
will come for all inhabitants of the earth. Believers will be persecuted,
imprisoned or killed.
Matthew 24:6.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for
all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7. For nation shall
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8. All these are the
beginning of sorrows. 9. Then shall they
deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of
all nations for my name's sake. 10. And then shall many be offended, and
shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11. And many false
prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12. And because iniquity shall
abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13. But he that shall endure unto the
end, the same shall be saved. 14. And
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness
unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15. When ye therefore shall
see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in
the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16. Then let them which be
in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17. Let him which is on the housetop not
come down to take any thing out of his house: 18. Neither let him which is in
the field return back to take his clothes. 19. And woe unto them that are with
child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20. But pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21. For then shall be
great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor ever shall be. 22. And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be
shortened. 23. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there;
believe it not. 24. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect. 25. Behold, I have told you before. 26.
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not
forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27. For as the
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be. 28. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will
the eagles be gathered together. 29. Immediately after the tribulation of those
days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the
stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30.
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all
the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to
the other
A brief chronology of the events of the end of the age
according to the words of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24):
1. Completion of preaching the Gospel throughout the world
2. The temptations and deceptions of the age (deception)
3. The onset of wars, famine, disease, and natural
disasters.
4. Persecution of believers
5. The capture of Jerusalem and the desecration of the
Temple of God by the Antichrist (3.5 years before the coming of Christ)
6. False prophets, false teachings
7. The Great Tribulation
8. Terrible phenomena in the sky
9. The appearance of Christ to people, the rapture of
believers.
Below are additional biblical testimonies indicating that in
the last days, believers will be especially persecuted.
Daniel 8:23. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when
the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and
understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 24. And his power shall
be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and
shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy
people
Revelation 6:9. And when he had opened
the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the
souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which
they held: 10.
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost
thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11. And white robes were given unto every one of
them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season,
until their fellowservants also and
their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled
Revelation
13:7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome
them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations
It is difficult to imagine such an event if the Rapture of
Saints occurs before the coming of the Antichrist.
Who will the
Antichrist fight if all the saints are already in heaven?
Revelation
12:12. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe
to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto
you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time
Revelation 12:17. And the dragon was
wroth with the woman, and went to make
war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have
the testimony of Jesus Christ
Revelation
14:12. Here is the patience of the
saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus. 13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,
Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea,
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do
follow them
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 worshipped 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. 5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until
the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection
Yes, after the death of the Antichrist comes the first resurrection!
Ultimately,
it's important to understand that God is giving the earth as an inheritance to
believers. All sinners and the fruits of their deeds will perish. God will
protect and save His people, those who believe in Him, even in the most
difficult times. Some believers will die, but for their own testing and
purification. Death has no power over believers. Those who killed for their
witness to God, will be resurrected and returned to the earth. All losses will
be compensated.
People
simply need to maintain faith and not be tempted (or afraid) by the
Antichrist's conditions or threats. The Lord Himself will do the rest.
Jesus'
parable about the fate of people who built their houses on sand or rock
has a hidden secret and meaning of coming disasters.
Matthew 7:24.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25. And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it
fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26. And every one that heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his
house upon the sand: 27.
And the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall
of it
Disasters of
enormous proportions will inevitably come and to everyone living on earth.
But the point is that even in the most terrible times, God will preserve the
lives of those faithful to Him.
Proverbs 3:25. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither
of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being
taken
Isaiah 17:7.
At that day shall a man look to his
Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel
Isaiah 29:18.
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the
blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. 19. The meek also shall increase their joy in the
LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20. For
the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all
that watch for iniquity are cut off
Revelation 3:10. Because thou hast kept the word of my
patience, I also will keep thee from the
hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth
Philippians
1:28. And in nothing
terrified by your adversaries: which is
to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of
God
Isaiah 26:20. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
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