I believe in the
pre-tribulation rapture of the true church, a period of 7 years of tribulation
on earth (DanielÕs 70th week) and an actual reign of Christ on earth
of 1,000 years before ÒeternityÓ begins.
Below are some of the thought processes I followed in coming to my
conclusion concerning the rapture.
1. A fact – Some believers will not die. They will instantly receive their glorified body and join the believers that have gone before them to be with Jesus forever.
1Cor. 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we
shall all be changed,
1Cor. 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.
1Cor. 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must
put on immortality.
1Th. 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th. 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord.
2. The question becomes when? I believe it will be before Antichrist is revealed.
2Th. 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th. 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be
troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the
day of Christ is at hand.
2Th. 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for
that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the
son of perdition;
2Th. 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be
revealed in his time.
2Th. 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th. 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of
his coming:
ÒlettethÓ = hold down, retain, withhold
(More on the
restrainer (Òhe who now
lettethÓ) and why I believe it is the Holy Spirit in the Church at question
#6.)
3. The question then becomes when is Antichrist revealed? In order to know when he is identified, letÕs see what scripture tells us about him.
Facts re Antichrist:
He will rule a kingdom of
ten parts after subduing three of the parts.
Rev. 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten
kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one
hour with the beast.
Dan. 7:20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before
whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great
things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
Dan. 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise
after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three
kings.
He will seek to change
Òtimes and laws.Ó
Dan. 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and
shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws:
He will have ultimate
control for 3.5 years.
Rev. 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking
great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty
and two months.
Dan. 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and
shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws:
and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing
of time.
He will come from the
people responsible for destroying Jerusalem and the temple—the empire of
Rome.
Dan. 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah
be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the
war desolations are determined.
He will confirm a covenant
(treaty, agreement) with many for one week (7 years). The word for ÒweekÓ is the Hebrew shabuwa which means Òliteral, sevened, i.e. a week (specifically, of years).Ó
Dan. 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for
one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the
consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The ÒmanyÓ
would be a reference to the Jews since the angel is telling Daniel about what
was determined upon his people, and the last half of the verse describes the
halting of sacrifices and oblation in the middle of that week; this would only
be pertinent to the people of Israel.
(This would also imply that there is a functioning temple at that time.)
He will
appear to be wounded unto death, yet will be healed.
Rev. 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to
death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the
beast.
Rev. 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by
the means of those
miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them
that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had
the wound by a sword, and did live.
He will blaspheme
God—His name, His tabernacle, and those that dwell in heaven.
Dan. 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and
he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak
marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the
indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
Rev. 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking
great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty
and two months.
Rev. 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,
to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
ALL the unbelievers will
worship him.
Rev. 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship
him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.
Those who refuse to
worship him will be punishable by death.
Rev. 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of
the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as
many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
He will control trade
with a mark—the name of the beast or the number of his name.
Rev. 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich
and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their
foreheads:
Rev. 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that
had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
He will desecrate the
temple as exemplified by Antiochus Epiphanes in Daniel 11:31.
Dan. 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall
pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination
that maketh desolate.
Matt. 24:15 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:)
He will claim that he is
God.
Dan. 11:37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,
nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above
all.
2Th. 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple
of God, shewing himself that he is God.
The King of the South
will rebel against him. (He is the
King of the North.)
Dan. 11:40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the
south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a
whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall
enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
He will eventually
establish Jerusalem as his base.
Dan. 11:45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace
between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end,
and none shall help him.
á
that would lend
credence to a mid- trib rapture since the abomination occurs in the middle of
the tribulation.
á
It would also negate
the treaty with Israel as something universally acknowledged.
Dan. 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two
weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Dan. 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah
be cut off,
Dan. 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many
for one week: and
in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for
the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and
that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The
first 69 weeks were for a specified period of time, and the only way to
identify the beginning of the 70th week scripturally is by the
signing of the covenant with Israel.
Therefore, I believe the Òconfirming of the covenantÓ with Israel is the
identifying factor that is to be recognized as the beginning of the 70th
week and identifying the man of sin.
God
puts information in the Bible for us to know and understand His will and His
plan. Jesus expressed great
consternation that the Pharisees didnÕt recognize who He was and the signs of the
times as given by the prophets of old.
I believe He expects the same from us. He was specific in identifying the first 69 weeks, and I
believe has given us the specifics to identify the 70th week. The Bible will still be here after the
church is gone. It will be
important for the people who are left to have access to His Word to learn the
truth about what is happening and understand how to respond to upcoming
events. Fulfillment of prophecy
will continue to be an affirmation from God that He is God.
a) There will be a falling away.
2Th. 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that
day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Is
this a falling away from faith or a physical departure, i.e., the rapture? The following explanation comes from
Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice and makes a lot of sense to me.
The
words Òfalling awayÓ were translated departure in the first 7 Bible
translations. In 11/15 uses the
root word for departure in the NT is used to reference departing from another
person or place, a physical departure.
The one time it is used re departing from the faith is 1Timothy 4:1,
which uses the qualifying words Òfrom the faith.Ó
ÒNow the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,Ó
The other uses are:
Luke 8:13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
Acts 5:37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him:
Acts 5:38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men,
John Sweigert adds this information: ÒThe history of translations of ÒapostasiaÓ varied little for the first 15 centuries. JeromeÕs Latin Vulgate contains the word ÒdiscessioÓ in 2Thess 2:3, meaning simply Òdeparture.Ó Other translations up to the KJV of 1611 use variations of Òdeparture.Ó
Though
I am convinced the Òfalling awayÓ is a physical departure, I believe the truth
of a departure from the faith is also true as I observe how ÒChristianÓ leaders
are putting their own spin on biblical truth, saying that the Bible doesnÕt
really mean what it says (i.e., homosexuality, etc.).
b) The withholder or restrainer will be removed before
the wicked [one] is revealed.
2Th. 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be
revealed in his time.
2Th. 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only he who now
letteth will let, until
he be taken out of the way.
2Th. 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the
Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the
brightness of his coming:
6. The question now becomes—Who is the restrainer that prevents Òthe WickedÓ from being identified?
The
restrainer is a He. It has to be
the Holy Spirit in the body of the true church. The Holy Spirit canÕt be taken away without our being taken
away. He lives in each one who is
a part of the true church. We are
the salt of the earth. Salt is a
preservative; it keeps things from spoiling/going bad. This also makes a more perfect fit for
the 70th week as stated in Daniel. The 70 weeks were determined upon DanielÕs
people, the Jews, and the holy city, Jerusalem—not the church.
Dan. 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and
upon thy holy city,
There was no church in DanielÕs time, which lends credence to the
idea of no church in the 70th week. The Holy Spirit didnÕt indwell every believer/man of faith
during the first 69 weeks, but He was at work in the lives of men of faith as
God directed. My first thoughts
are that He will function in the 70th week the same as He did in the
first 69. On the other hand, GodÕs
word stands forever, and the Bible (including the New Testament) will still be
available during the 70th week. I want to do a lot more study in this area.
The first 69 weeks ended when Messiah was cut off (crucified).
Dan. 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince
shall be seven weeks,
and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall,
even in troublous times.
Dan. 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah
be cut off,
Although God is
accomplishing His purpose for and through Israel during this 70th
week, it will also be the time that His wrath is poured out on planet
earth. It is a specific time, yet
future. The
letter to the church at Philadelphia gives some key words to the church
regarding this period of time.
Rev. 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.
Because the
believers in Philadelphia have held fast to and guarded the truth of the words
of Jesus with steadfastness and cheerful endurance, Jesus will keep them from
(ÒekÓ—out of) the hour of temptation (putting to proof) which shall
(future tense from JohnÕs perspective) come upon ALL the world, to try (put to
the test) them that dwell on earth.
Obviously, this time of testing will be appointed for a specific time,
of specific duration, to a specific generation.
Rev. 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who
shall be able to stand?
Zeph. 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the
mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Zeph. 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of
wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and
thick darkness,
Zeph. 1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the
fenced cities, and against the high towers.
Zeph. 1:17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they
shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their
blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
Is. 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both
with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the
sinners thereof out of it.
Is. 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations
thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going
forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Is. 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their
iniquity; and I will
cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of
the terrible.
Is. 13:12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold;
even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
Is. 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth
shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the
day of his fierce anger.
The Òday of the LordÓ is
also a term used concerning GodÕs wrath.
Is. 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one
that is lifted up;
and he shall be brought low:
Ezek. 30:3 For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the
time of the heathen.
Obad. 1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou
hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own
head.
These passages all
reference the kind of people who will suffer the wrath of God whenever He
chooses to exercise that wrath.
His character never changes.
Mal. 3:6 For I am the LORD, I
change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not
consumed.
The
wording of Revelation 6:16-17 has given me some food for thought.
Rev. 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us,
and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath
of the Lamb:
Rev. 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Is it possible that the tribulation starts here? Are the first seals just the labor
pains of Matthew 24? I want to
keep an open heart, but the signing of the treaty is still the most obvious
defining factor of the 70th week—and the whole week has been
set aside to accomplish the LordÕs purpose for Israel. Does it necessarily mean that His time
of wrath and judgment on the world coincides with the whole 70th
week? I still need to do quite a
bit more study in this area.
(6/06) Seal 1 doesnÕt necessarily coincide with the signing of the
7-year covenant. Revelation 6:17
could precede or coincide with the signing.
1Th. 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th. 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he
raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Rom. 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rev. 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.
Is. 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.
Is. 26:21 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.
Is. 57:1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the
righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
Zeph. 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which
have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye
shall be hid in the day of the LORDÕS anger.
Luke is
talking about the tribulation and Jesus 2nd coming in chapter
21. He indicates that some will be
accounted worthy to escape the terrible judgments he has just described.
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may
be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to
stand before the Son of man.
I think the phrase Òaccounted worthyÓ is a reference to those who have truly accepted Jesus as Lord. Nothing we can do makes us Òworthy.Ó Only the blood of Jesus can do that.
Rev. 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have
not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
Rev. 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed
in white raiment; and
I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his
name before my Father, and before his angels.
1John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that
believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Types that give support to people of faith not experiencing GodÕs wrath:
Lot, a righteous man, was
removed from Sodom and Gomorrah before they were destroyed by GodÕs wrath.
Gen. 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also
destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Gen. 18:24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the
city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous
that are therein?
Gen. 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this
manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be
far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Gen. 18:26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty
righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
Gen. 19:15 And when the morning arose, then the angels
hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are
here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
Gen. 19:16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon
his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two
daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and
set him without the city.
2Pet. 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy
conversation of the wicked:
2Pet. 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in
seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
2Pet. 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of
temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
Observations:
Luke 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of
Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
(6/06)
An excerpt from my journal in Genesis applies here.
Gen.
19:29ˆ ÒI think you could say that Abraham is a type of
Christ in this situation. Just as
God remembered Abraham and delivered his brethren, so too will He remember
Christ and deliver His brethren from coming judgment.
I once thought of Noah as
another type of the rapture. He
has since been presented (Jon Courson) as a type of the Jewish remnant being
preserved through the judgment, which I had to admit made better sense.
The Jewish wedding also has some wonderful parallels to the church
and the coming of Christ for His bride.
The information below is from an article by William Risk, with added
notes from Mayim Hayim and a few additions/corrections of my own.
Shiddukhin = The Match
Initiated by the father
of the groom
Agent may be used
Consent of the bride
The Father chooses the
bride, John 6:37 ÒAll that the Father giveth me shall come to me.Ó
Holy Spirit acts as
agent of Father in the world today,
1Corinthians 2:12, ÒNow we have received, not the
spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the
things that are freely given to us of God.Ó
We respond to Christ's
love and accept Him, 1John 4:19,
ÒWe love him, because he first loved us.Ó
Mohar = The Bride
Price
Required by law
Paid by the father of the
groom
Reflects the value of the
bride
Our mohar was the life
of the Son, 2Corinthians 5:21, ÒFor he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him.Ó
The price was required
by the Law, Romans 8:3-4, ÒFor what the law could not do, in that it was weak through
the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for
sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.Ó
The mohar was paid, as
required, lCorinthians 6:20, ÒFor ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in
your body, and in your spirit, which are GodÕs.Ó
The value placed on
the bride was high, Matthew
13:45-46, ÒAgain, the kingdom of heaven is like unto
a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of
great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.Ó
Ketubah = The Marriage Contract &n