What is the "Rapture"? When is it supposed to occur? Who is it referring to?

Believers and non-believers alike try to refute or ridicule the "rapture" ... but we are told not to treat prophesy with contempt, but to study the word and find out what is God's will. The "Rapture" or 'catching away of the church' is one of those topics Paul described as being for those believers 'of full age' .

This article will help you to see that the rapture is indeed a sure reality, and Yeshua (יהושע ) "Jesus" gave us many clear indications of the appropriate placement of significant events, so we can clearly know whether it occurs before, during or after the tribulation.

"Because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth." Rev 3:10 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near. Luke 21: 28 For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1Th 4:16 -18

Before we start, it is worth considering what Yahweh (Our LORD) has done in the past, in those times where He has specifically intervened with His judgment and wrath. Let us consider the judgement of Sodom, which we are told was an example of "future judgement".

"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?" (Genesis 18:25)

Wouldn't Abraham make an even stronger argument today? If any group is most likely to be spared from Yahweh's wrath, it is His 'blood bought' spotless and holy redeemed - those uniquely justified by faith in HIM, and who being baptised in the Holy Spirit, are called "the Bride of Christ" "the Body of Christ" and are accredited (by grace) as righteous? Abraham found that God would not destroy Sodom if only ten righteous could be found in the city.

Interestingly, Rabbis have taught that after being resurrected on the 'Feast of Trumpets', the righteous would enter the chupah, or 'wedding canopy' to spend seven years while the "day of trouble" - the seven years of judgment - occurs on earth.

By examining a traditional ancient Jewish wedding, as we will do, we can more clearly see the picture of the union of the church (the Bride) with the Messiah, and why Yeshua chose specific 'figures of speech' and idioms in referring to His return, and the schedule for fulfilment of major prophetical events.

"For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock" - Psalm 27:5

Mat 24:48 But if that bad servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delays His coming, :49 and shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken, :50 the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he does not look for Him, and in a season which he does not know.

Let's go over a few basics first.... then we'll get into the meat of the evidence. If you get stuck, please don't stop reading.... you may find the explanation you are looking for later in the article, or at one of the many links provided.

Where is the word "rapture" in the Bible?

Whenever anyone mentions "the rapture", someone will argue the word "rapture" isn't in scripture. This is often one of the favoured arguments used by those who disagree with the Rapture, so they must feel it is their most powerful argument.  In point of fact, there are no English words in (original) scripture, given the fact the Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic - in fact you won't find the name "Jesus" in the original text either: the true name of our Lord is Yeshua. What we need to consider, therefore, is whether this word (rapture) is an accurate translation and denotation of the original text from which it is derived.

The word "Rapture" is borrowed from the Latin (Vulgate Bible) word "Rapio" and appears in the English Bible as "caught up." "Caught up" in Greek is "harpázô", which means "to snatch or catch away...to seize, pluck up, pull, take to oneself by force." The specific usage of the verb "harpázô" in I Thessalonians 4:17 is harpagesometha, the future passive indicative tense. The verb "harpázô" is used a total of 17 times in the New Testament in a variety of ways, with several referring to the sudden forceful seizure of human beings. If you are a Messianic Jew and have a Hebrew New Testament you will find it there as the Hebrew word  "natzal" which means to "lift up, take up, carry".

The rapture of the church is sometimes paralleled to the "raptures" of Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2: 12). In each case, the individual disappeared and was 'caught up by force' into Heaven by God. At His ascension, our Lord Himself was "taken up" into Heaven (Acts 1:9).

The biblical description of the rapture, in the case we are now referring to, involves both the resurrection of deceased Spirit baptised believers and the translation of living spirit baptised believers into the air to meet the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:51 52) and then to Heaven (John 14: 1-3). Much more detail on this later...

As described in scripture, then, the Rapture means the physical forceful taking of the genuine Holy Spirit filled believers (into the air) by Yeshua - a major purpose of which is to remove the righteous [specifically the beloved Bride of Christ] from the beginning of God's wrath...  .... and to reserve the unjust unto the Day of Judgment to be punished" (2Peter 2:9)

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The Rapture is not another name for the common phrase "Second Coming". Alternatively, the second coming can be viewed as occurring in two stages: the first, which Paul called "a mystery", being to remove the Church/Congregation/Bride from the Earth to protect this specific elect group from The Tribulation. The other, widely known and revealed, being his physical return to Earth to defend Israel from destruction, and then set up his millennial kingdom, at the end of The Tribulation. Failing to understand this has led to much confusion.

Rapture passages (1 Thess. 4: 13-17; 1 Cor. 15: 51-53; Jn. 14: 1-3);

Second Coming passages (Joel 3: 12-16; Rev. 19: 11-21; Zech 14: 1-5; Matt. 24: 29-31).

• In Rapture, we meet Christ in the air and return with the Lord to heaven, whereas in the Second coming Yeshua/Christ descends to touch Mount of Olives and establish a Kingdom on Earth.
• No mention of millennial kingdom in Rapture passages, but it is emphasized in Second Coming verses.
• In Rapture verses believers receive glorified bodies, in Second Coming passages there is no reference to a glorified body.
• Rapture is seen as imminent (no specific signs preceding) Second Coming is after signs/tribulation.

[Link]> THE RAPTURE AND THE SECOND COMING - AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

As the Apostle Paul explains in 1 Thes. 4:15-17 (refer also John 14:1-3) the Rapture was a mystery -  something fully revealed to men for the first time. The time where Jesus/Yeshua comes part way to Earth to meet His Church/Congregation or Bride “in the air” and take us (a.k.a the 'Body of Christ', Ecclesia, or Qahal ) to be with Him where He is now, at an (as yet) undisclosed time.

J. Dwight Pentcost sums up the mystery like this: "The Church and Israel are two distinct groups with whom God has a divine plan. The Church is a mystery un-revealed in the Old Testament. This present mystery age intervenes within the program of God for Israel because of Israel's rejection of the Messiah at His first advent. This mystery program must be completed before God can resume His program with Israel and bring it to completion..."

Read more HERE...

Rev 1:7 Behold, He comes with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and those who pierced Him will see Him, and all the kindreds of the earth will wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.

*Heb 12:1 Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us..

Rev 19:14 And the armies in Heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

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Who is going to be taken?

We need to also understand that those saints who died before Acts 2 are not part of this distinct Holy Priestly multitude or one body of Christ , and those called "in Christ" whether alive or dead. Their resurrection occurs at different times in God's timetable. Similarly, those who die after the rapture - those referred to in the tribulation as the blessed dead and are also called saints (meaning sanctified), overcome by the false or "counterfeit" Christ - are also a different multitude [body] from the "Church" "Bride" or "body of Christ". See decoding Revelation..... [More on this later]

Membership into this 'body and/or bride of Christ' and therefore participation in the Rapture is contingent upon both having personally accepted the Lord's death as payment in full for your sins (failings with regard to 10 commandments) and thereby receive spirit baptism. While His death actually purchased full pardons for everyone, we each have to personally ask [wilfully consent] to have ours activated.  Everyone who asks for this salvation receives an unconditional, irrevocable "Yes!" however the period of building the Church has a specific end point, terminating at the end of the age of grace.... then begins an angelic harvest during the tribulation period, which we will discuss more later.

(Matt. 7:7-8, John 3:16, Ephes. 1:13-14)  For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. (2 Corinth. 1:20) or as it says in Romans 10:8-11 "The Word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart"; that is, the Word of Faith which we proclaim; Because if you confess the Lord Yeshua, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Everyone believing on Him shall not be put to shame." and again: John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His unique [monogenes] Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Joh 1:12 But as many as received Him, He gave to them authority to become the children of God, to those who believe on His name

"1Corinthians 12 :13 "For also by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, even all were made to drink into one Spirit."

Eph 1:13 in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of our salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Act 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those hearing the Word.

 

... And this body continues to grow to this very day.... but Acts 2 tells us when it began...

Acts 1: 5 "For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now." Acts 2: 1-4 "And in the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly a sound came out of the heaven as borne along by the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit" [See also Acts 10 and Acts 11: 15 showing this body consists of Jew and Gentile as one.]

Rom 12:5 so we the many are one body in Christ, and each one members of one another.

1Co 10:17 For we, the many, are one bread and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread.

1Co 12:12 For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.

1Co 12:13 For also by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, even all were made to drink into one Spirit.

1Co 12:20 But now indeed many are the members, yet only one body.

Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling,

Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you also are called in one body, and be thankful.

1Co 12:18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body as it has pleased Him. 19 And if they were all one member, where would be the body? 20 But now indeed many are the members, yet only one body.

Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. [Note seed is singular]

 .... till He (this one 'body of Christ', or 'seed of Abraham') is taken out of the way. After which, in Revelation 6, we see Deception, War, Famine and Death sweeping across the Earth without restraint as the FIRST part of YHWH's judgement and wrath. This period of judgement is clearly a FULL seven years. In fact, the number seven is repeatedly used as indicating a fully completed work.

For example, the tribulation or "time of trouble" is known specifically as "Jacob's trouble" (Jacob was later named Israel by the LORD in Genesis 35:10). There were two times of trouble in Jacob's life. The seven extra years he worked for his bride, and the seven years of famine that brought him into Egypt where Joseph set up the decree to observe the Feast of Trumpets.

Jer 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

During the time of Noah, the Lord uses a "seven day" framework (a shabua or week) to indicate a time of hiding of the righteous [in the rooms of the Ark] before the beginning of His  judgement.

Gen 7:1 And YHWH said to Noah, You and all your house come into the ark, for I have seen you righteous before Me in this generation.

 

Gen 7:2 You shall take with you every clean animal by sevens, the male and female. And take two of the animals that are not clean, the male and female

 

Gen 7:3 Also take of the fowls of the air by sevens, the male and the female, to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

 

Gen 7:4 For in seven more days I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

(Note: God's wrath officially began when it first started to rain, just as His wrath officially begins when the first seal of the scroll is opened, which begins the seven year tribulation.)

In Exodus chapters 12 and 13 the people of Israel were commanded to eat unleavened bread, "the bread of affliction," for seven days or be cut off from their people....

The coming together of God's people as "one man" occurred on the feast of trumpets after their exile.

Ezr 3:1 And when the seventh month had come, and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves as one man to Jerusalem.

The first three Holy days commanded by God taught of Christ's first coming and were all subsequently fulfilled by that coming. What of the remaining three holy days?

The nature of these days and the time of their observance, the seventh month and the time of the final harvest, reveal that they point to Christ's second advent and completion of his first harvest. (The frequent repetition of periods of seven—seven days forming a week, seven weeks preceding the Feast of Weeks, seven times seven years preceding the hallowed year of Jubilee, seven dispensations—reveal that the "period of seven" represents a completed cycle, sometimes generically referred to as a "Day".) You should probably be asking yourself how anyone gets any spiritual significance out of a three and a half year period of time.

A seven year period is also reflected directly to the pre trib rapture [regarding both timing and purpose] with regards to the anointing of a new priest. The new chosen priest went into the tabernacle for seven days, and then emerged before the congregation, just as will believers come out of heaven with Yeshua in Rev 19.  Believers are the newly crowned kings and priests [Rev 5], and the tabernacle represents Heaven from which they just came.  The purpose of the seven days and Daniel's 70 weeks is the same, Consecration (anoint) & Atonement (reconciliation).  The "door" is also highly figured here, as in the rapture in Rev. 4:1.

Lev 8:

33 And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you. 34 As he hath done this day, so the LORD hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you. 35 Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. [The tabernacle represents God's dwelling, or Heaven]

Note how consecration or "making Holy or complete" is featured as occurring to the wife of Christ (after seven years, at her return with Yeshua).

Rev 19:7 for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready

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Now let's go to the best known of the Rapture passages.

According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thes. 4:15-17)

Most of us are very familiar with these verses. We notice, however, they don't really tell us precisely when the rapture happens, only that it certainly does. Notice also that the Lord doesn't come all the way to Earth, as he does in the "second coming" after the tribulation.  Instead, we meet Him in the clouds and go back with Him where He came from.  If this verse was referring to the 2^nd coming, He would be coming here to be where we are, not coming to take us there to be where He is. (John 14 1-3 supports this fully, which we'll get to shortly.) Paul described the same event in 1 Cor 15:51-52.  "In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye the dead in Christ will rise and the living will be transformed". 

Paul said that he was disclosing a secret, but the resurrection of the dead was definitely not a secret. It can be found throughout the Old Testament.  The secret was that some would not die, but be taken alive into the Lord's presence following an instantaneous, purifying, energizing transformation. The rapture happens fast:  In one instant we're walking on Earth and in the very next, we're in the Kingdom - transformed. For flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption - 1Cor 15: 50.

1Pe 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.

[Note Chapter 4 of Revelation where "24 elders" place crowns at the feet of Yeshua.]

Reviewing briefly: Rapture involves instantaneous transformation (glorification) of living (and departed) believers who have, as a result of believing, been baptised in the Holy Spirit, and involves being swept into his presence.

1Jo 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He shall be revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Phi 3:20 For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we are looking for the Saviour, the Lord Yeshua Christ,

John 14: 1-3 Yeshua states it this way......

Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

This passage fits perfectly with rapture doctrine, as we see Jesus/Yeshua speaks expressly of a time where he will return for the express purpose of receiving us to be where He is now, after He has finished "preparing a place [in Heaven] for us".

THE THREE TRUMPETS OF GOD ...

Many try to use the trumpet reference in verse 52 of Corinthians chapter 15 to pin the timing down, and then confuse the context of Paul's clear reference to the "last trump". 

There are three primary trumpets that mark major events in the redemptive plan of God, and these three trumpets are associated with specific days (feasts) in the year.

These three trumpets are:

1. "The First Trump" blown and associated with Pentecost
2. "The Last Trump" blown and associated with Rosh HaShanah, the Feast of Trumpets
3. "The Great Trump" blown and associated with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement

The three trumpets that mark major events in the redemptive plan of God are associated with days in the biblical calendar.  The first trump is associated with and was blown by God on the Feast of Pentecost when God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:19).

The 'last trump' is associated with and is blown on Rosh HaShanah.  The biblical name for Rosh HaShanah is Yom Teruah, which in Hebrew means "the day of the awakening blast."  Teruah can also be translated "shout", and in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 the Lord shall also descend in the Rapture with a shout.

This trump is specifically mentioned by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. Due to the fact the last trump is only blown on Rosh HaShanah, and because the apostle Paul specifically mentions that the rapture of the believers in Christ will take place at the last trump, Paul was giving a clear understanding that the rapture of the believers in Christ will happen on a Rosh HaShanah, and that the rapture will occur before the Day of Atonement or "tribulation", which is associated with the "great trump".

The great trump is blown on Yom Kippur, and Yeshua said that He would return at His second coming at the sound of the great trump (Matthew 24:30-31).  Because the great trump is only blown on Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) and because Yeshua said that He would return with the sound of a great trump, Yeshua was stating very clearly that He would return on a Yom Kippur

The blowing of the trumpet in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 is a trump of victory, and is not to be confused with the trumpets of Revelation 8:13, which are trumpets of woe and judgement. Too many Christians oddly confuse and combine these trumpets.

Here is a list of the differences between these two separate trumpets:

(1) The trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52, . . . sounds before the wrath of God descends, while, . . . the chronology of Revelation indicates that the trumpet in Revelation 11:15 sounds at the end of the time of wrath. . . .

(2) The trumpet that summons the church is called the trump of God, while the seventh trump in Revelation is an angel's trumpet. . . .

(3) The trumpet for the Bride/Church is singular. No trumpets have preceded it so that it can not be said to be the last of a series. The trumpet that closes the tribulation period is clearly the last of a series of seven.

(4) In 1 Thessalonians 4 the voice associated with the sounding of the trumpet summons the dead and the living and consequently is heard before the resurrection. In the Revelation, while a resurrection is mentioned (11:12), the trumpet does not sound until after the resurrection, showing us that two different events must be in view.

(5) The trumpet in 1 Thessalonians issues in blessing, life, glory; while the trumpet in Revelation issues in bitter judgment upon the enemies of God.

(6) In the Thessalonian passage the trumpet sounds "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." In Revelation 10:7 the indication is that the seventh trumpet shall sound over a continued period of time, probably for the duration of the judgments that fall under it, for John speaks of the angel that shall "begin to sound." . . .

(7) The trumpet in 1 Thessalonians is distinctly for the Bride/Church. Since God is dealing with Israel in particular, and Gentiles in general, in the tribulation, this seventh trumpet, which falls in the period of the tribulation, could not have reference to the church without losing the distinctions between the church and Israel.

(8) The passage in Revelation depicts a great earthquake in which thousands are slain, and the believing remnant that worships God is stricken with fear. In the "last trump" Thessalonian passage there is no earth quake mentioned. . . .

(9) While the Church will be rewarded at the time of the rapture, yet the reward given to "thy servants the prophets, and to the saints" can not be that event. The rewarding mentioned in Revelation 11:18 is seen to take place on the earth after the second advent of Christ, following the judgment on His enemies. Since the church is rewarded in the air, and following the rapture, these must be two distinct events

Paul (a man very familiar with Jewish custom and law) used several of the Jewish festivals as descriptions of very real events and their set times, all throughout his letter to the Corinthians.

All these feasts [shadows of real events] have a specific order with reference to their corresponding real event.

Col 2:16 Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in respect of a feast, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths. Col 2:17 For these are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.

Paul correlates the fulfilling of the following feasts as follows:

1. Passover  - Death of the Lamb [Messiah] 1Cor. 5 v6-7

2. Unleavened Bread - cleansing by Blood of Messiah  1Cor.5 v8

3. First Fruits - Resurrection of Yeshua - Yeshua is first fruit. 1Cor. 15 v 20-23

4. Pentecost [Weeks] - Creation of Body [of Messiah] harvest season 1Cor. 15 v11-14

5. Trumpets - Rapture 1Cor. 15 v52

In between the spring and fall feasts is the summer season. This corresponds to the church age we now are in (Jn.4:35 Yeshua tells us there is yet 4 months to harvest, the fall season, but the fields are already white for harvest).

Joh 4:35 Do you not say, It is yet four months, and the harvest comes? Behold, I say to you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white to harvest already.

The first fall feast, noting the end of summer [church age harvest], is the Feast of Trumpets....

The Feast of Trumpets is also known as the Wedding of the Messiah, and the "Church" is the Bride of Christ, and the rapture is when the Church is caught up to heaven to be wed with Christ, whereby the Groom snatches his bride away 'like a thief in the night'.

According to [Mid] Eastern marriage customs the marriage has three phases. Walvoord explains it this way:

Though marriage customs varied in the ancient world, usually there were three major aspects: (1) The marriage contract was often consummated by the parents when the parties to the marriage were still children and not ready to assume adult responsibility. The payment of a suitable dowry was often a feature of the contract. When consummated, the contract meant that the couple were legally married. (2) At a later time when a couple had reached a suitable age, the second step in the wedding took place. This was a ceremony in which the bridegroom accompanied by his friends would go to the house of the bride and escort her to his home. This is the background of the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25:1–13. (3) Then the bridegroom would bring his bride to his home and the marriage supper, to which guests were invited, would take place. It was such a wedding feast that Christ attended at Cana as recorded in John 2:1–12.

The marriage symbolism is beautifully fulfilled in the relationship of Christ to His church. The wedding contract is consummated at the time the church is redeemed. Every true Christian is joined to Christ in a legal marriage. When Christ comes for His church at the rapture, the second phase of the wedding is fulfilled, namely, the Bridegroom goes to receive His bride. The third phase then follows, that is, the wedding feast.¹

1. John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chicago: Moody Press, 1966), p. 271.

So likewise the marriage framed within the Bible has three phases, the betrothal, the processional, and the feast. We are in the betrothal stage now, the rapture-processional is what Luke 12:36 refers to ("return from the wedding"), and the feast is what Revelation 19 refers to.

The Wedding Analogy shows exquisitely the Pre Tribulation Rapture because the union of the bride and groom (the rapture) takes place at the start of the Bridal Week, which coincides with the Tribulation Week.  The word for bridal week as used in Genesis 29 & Judges 14  is the same word used in Daniel 9:27.  The word "week", or  Shabua in Hebrew, simply means 'to seven', it means seven days or seven years.  There are two Old Testament examples where a day from a prophetic type turns into a year of judgment.  Num 14:34 & Ezek 4:6.

"Of that day or hour no man knows, but my Father only" is likewise an expression used by a groom when asked when his wedding will be.  He says this because it is his Father that will tell him when his preparations on the bridal chamber are completed and it is time.  In the Jewish Wedding, the groom comes for his bride "like a thief in the night" to take (seize / rapture) her away and into the bridal chamber for the bridal week at his Father's house. At the end of this bridal week, the bride and groom emerge at the wedding feast or marriage supper - See: Rev.19.9. 

2Cor 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Ephesians 5: 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (The rapture & translation of the living is also a mystery. 1Cor 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed..)

Click here for more info on Marriage of the Bride of Christ

Consider furthermore, the Feast of Trumpets happens on the "new moon", which is 29.5 days after the last one, meaning it might occur on the 29th or 30th day, nobody knew for sure because it happens on the day of the new visible crescent moon of the 7th month.  "Of that day or hour no man knows" was a common expression (idiom) referring to this feast, and thus once AGAIN, the rapture.

The "Open Door" of the rapture in Matt 25, and Rev 3, & Rev 4:1 is also a symbol of the Feast of Trumpets.  [Ezek 46:1] "Thus says the Lord GOD: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days; but on the sabbath day it shall be opened and on the day of the new moon it shall be opened."

We are told that the new moon and the Feasts of the Lord are a shadow of things to come in Col 2:16,17.  The Feast of Trumpets is the only Feast of the Lord that falls on a new moon, so we should take particular note of this fact.

The Feast of Trumpets is also known as the coronation of the Messiah, when He will start reigning as King over Earth, thus the beginning of the "Day of the Lord", which includes the tribulation, "Day of his wrath".

Rev 11:15,17 And the seventh angel sounded. And there were great voices in Heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ. And He will reign forever and ever. And the twenty-four elders sitting before God on their thrones, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, We thank You, O Lord God Almighty, who are, and who was, and who is coming, because You took Your great power and reigned.

There are seven days of awe in between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement.  These echo the seven years of tribulation.

Thus, if timing is indeed to be gleaned from the phrase "last trump" [which refers to the feast of trumpets where the trumpet (shofar) or ram's horn is blown to warn the people to repent and return to God] it indicates very clearly that the rapture occurs BEFORE the day of judgement, not after nor during.

"Blow the Shofar in Zion,
Proclaim a Sanctified Day of Fasting;
Call for an Assembly."

"Gather the People, Sanctify the Congregation,
Assemble the Elders;
Gather the Children and those who Nurse from the breast;
Let the Groom go out of his room, and the Bride,
From her Bridal-Canopy."

(Yoel 2:15-16)

All the Spring Feasts were fulfilled at Christ's first coming, and on the exact day of the feast.  All the Fall Feasts picture the second advent, and the Feast of Trumpets is the first of the fall feasts, picturing the rapture. The second advent [also referred to as "last days"] includes both the rapture and second coming. It is tempting and quite logical to speculate, therefore, as to whether the rapture will also occur on some future "exact day" of the feast of Trumpets. We are also told the timing of this great moment is linked to the completion of the "fullness of the gentiles" entering in to the fold of Spirit filled believers, or Bride. [Romans 11:25].

Feast of Trumpets in Scripture - list.

Another strong indication we get with regards to timing is found in 1 Thes. 1:9-10. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Yeshua, who rescues us from the coming wrath. The Greek word translated "from" in this passage is "apo."  Taken literally, it means we're to be rescued away from the time, the place, or any relation to wrath.  It denotes both departure and separation.  This is supported by 1 Thes. 5:9 that declares, "God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Yeshua Christ."  This verse (1 Thes. 1:9-10) also distinguishes the period in question as the time of coming wrath.... from which rescue is provided.

Heb 9:28 so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many. And to those who look for Him He shall appear the second time without sin to soteria. (The Greek word used here 'soteria', in this context, means 'rescue' or 'preserve'. It is the feminine form of the word 'soter' meaning deliverer, which is from the root word 'sos' (from the obsolete word 'saos') which means 'safe' 'to save' or 'preserve')

Now note the structure of the following word Apostacia... which also shares the root for the word apostle, meaning one sent away or separated.

apo- or ap-
pref.

1. 1. Away from;  
   2. apocope (a cutting off)
   3. apostate, apostle (one sent away), apocarpous.
   4. apokruptein 'hide away,'

2Th 2:3 Let not anyone deceive you by any means. For that Day shall not come unless there first comes apostacia, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition.

These scriptures by Paul were no doubt originally written in Hebrew, as Paul was a strict Hebrew teacher of the Law. Here the English translators chose to interpret this likewise interpreted Greek word as 'falling away' when in fact in this context it clearly represents a taking away (departure and separation) of the Bride of Christ, who during her ministry on Earth restrains THE (single, final) false christ from making his appearance.

Fortunately this point is re-emphasised in the following verse, so as to eliminate confusion..

2Th 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed..  (more on this shortly)

The Bible clearly teaches that Yeshua's anointed Church has authority over Satan, so this too, highlights the distinction between the "saints" referred to as going through the tribulation, and being overcome, and the Church, who's power and authority we are told is now restraining the anti-christ.

Joh 19:11 Yeshua answered, You could have no authority against Me unless it were given to you from above
Mat 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Luk 24:49 And behold, I send the promise of My father on you. But you sit in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.

Related link: The Holy Spirit and the Pretribulational Rapture

For those that believe 2Th 2:3 refers to a mass falling away from The Faith, they should explain how such a notable "falling" would in any way serve to restrain the anti-christ?

Or how such an interpretation fits with Matthew 13:31-33, where Yeshua refers to His Kingdom as a mustard seed which steadily grows to becomes a fully grown tree, and likewise to leaven that grows [in impact] until the entire lump of meal is leavened? We know from the parable of the 'sower of the word' that it has always been the case for some to fall away, so this is hardly a present day phenomenon.

Kenneth Latourette has published a major set of volumes entitled "History of the Expansion of Christianity." The reason for the title is that Christianity has been steadily expanding over the centuries. The last 200 years have seen a dramatic global expansion of evangelical Christianity, particularly in the Third World. Faith based missionary work continues to increase, as too does the number of Christians world-wide.

As mentioned briefly already, we have additional help in understanding the context of this passage, by the fact the Thessalonians are informed (in same paragraph) that it is known what "holds back" and that this restraining waits until "it comes out of the midst". Does this still sound like a "falling from the faith"?

As Christians filled with the Holy Spirit we are as salt and light in the midst of a depraved and darkened generation. When the Bride is removed in the rapture, shortly thereafter comes the first Horseman, who is none other than anti-christ riding on a white horse, and goes out conquering mainly through deception. We see this timeline precisely outlined in Revelation chapter 4, 5, and 6.

2Th 2:6 And now you know what holds back, for him to be revealed in his own time.

2Th 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only he is now holding back until it comes out of the midst.

2Th 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed

See Also: The Relation of the Holy Spirit to the Tribulation

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It would be highly probable, that given the rapture has occurred shortly before the "grand appearance" of the false, anti, counterfeit, "Christ" - that one of his favourite topics of deception will be his untruthful explanation for what happened to the millions of vanished Spirit born Christians. Not surprisingly, we find an example of this very occurrence in Revelation 13.

  6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Some have surmised that after the disappearance of millions of spirit born Christians, the false "Christ" will declare that the Earth has been purged (or attacked) by "aliens" and that such a scenario will also springboard the global "elite's" plan for a one world government and religion under their false "Christ". After all, what could be more likely to cause a sense of "world brotherhood of man" than the realization (whether real or manufactured) of "alien invaders". Millions of people around the world already believe in the existence of "aliens" or "space brothers", so how much more when the rapture takes place, and is explained with such a deception as to its origin?

Ronald Reagan even gave a speech before the UN outlining this exact scenario. Click below YouTube link for video of this speech.

"In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world."
—Ronald Reagan, September 1987 - address to the United Nations

www.youtube.com/?v=2iDmaB5BxzA <(You Tube of Reagan Speech to UN. Regan gave a similar speech on five other occasions during his presidency.)

Cults now setting the stage for explanation of the rapture...

"There is to come a separation of those that accept the gift that the visitors are bringing, and are willing to move into the new world enlightenment and those that do not choose to accept the plan. Those that do not accept the plan are to be moved to another planet until they progress to a point where they will accept it." - - representative of the Aetherius Organization

The book of Daniel speaks of a battle between these very heavenly deceivers themselves, as they position themselves to feast on the souls of men - those who willingly bow down to them as "gods", either in exchange for wealth and power, or perhaps even for a loaf of bread to satisfy their temporal flesh.

"…it (the antichrist) waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars (watchers, angels) to the ground, and stamped upon them." Daniel 8: 10-11

 

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth." -Isaiah 24:21
 

"People of Israel, listen to the message that the Lord has for you. He says do not follow the ways of other nations, do not be disturbed by unusual sights in the sky even though other nations are terrified." Jeremiah 10: 1,2 (GNB)

Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens - AP May 13/08

Nasa sponsors course on how to talk to aliens - London Telegraph, May 19/08

Aliens Among Us - by Andy Butcher (article from the April 2001 issue of Charisma)

Also see this documentary presentation 'Genesis 6 hybrids, Sons of God, Nephilim'. It explores the explanation of who they are, and why they are here.

Romans 8:19 For the creation watches with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God.

___

Further support of this physical "taking away" (disappearance, separation, departure, hiding) of Spirit born believers BEFORE the Tribulation, comes from Revelation Chapter 3 v10. In His message to the Church of Philadelphia (meaning Brotherly love) Yeshua states: "Because you have kept the Word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation which will come upon all* the habitable world, to try those who dwell upon the earth. " Clearly, the only escape from the hour of temptation (tribulation), which comes upon ALL the habitable world, is to be removed from the habitable world, which is again the purpose and result of the Rapture. *(all: hol'-os 3650 all, altogether, every whit, + throughout, whole)

Those who miss the Rapture, but then turn their hearts to Yeshua will not be physically safe during the tribulation, as we clearly see in Chapters 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18 of Revelation. In these Chapters we see these new tribulation saints overcome and killed. After the tribulation runs its course the Church is mentioned again in chapters 19-22. But throughout chapters 6-18, which describe the seven year tribulation period, the Church is not even mentioned once!!!

After the translation of the Church into heaven, whom we see perfectly described in Chapter 5, we see an Angel (Chapter 14) bringing the "everlasting gospel" to the remaining inhabitants of the Earth. Out of these inhabitants will come another "multitude" who are saved (spiritually) as a result of that angelic message - a message that fulfils the scripture which reads "This gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness, and then the end shall come". It is these saints (believers) that the Angel curiously asks John "who are these who are arrayed in white robes, and from where do they come?" We are then told these people "came out of the great tribulation" and are different from those kept away from the hour of temptation, who we saw in Chapter 5. This multitude is later called "the blessed dead" in Chapter 14 v.13 and we see them standing and singing on a tranquil "sea of glass" in Chapter 15. This is likely the same "sea of glass" that was empty in verse 6 of Chapter 4, but is now inhabited.

Some folks are fond of pointing out that you can't use God's wrath interchangeably with the "Great Tribulation". They're not the same, they say, and they're right, the two terms are not synonymous.  The Great Tribulation [which includes the wrath of Satan] is 3 ½ years long and begins in Rev. 11-13.  God's wrath is much longer, beginning in Rev. 6, as verse 17 explains, when the scroll is first opened.  Post-trib. and "pre-wrath" rapture advocates try to deny this, but the Scripture is clear. The time of God's wrath begins with the Seal Judgments of chapter 6.  The Bowl Judgments that come later don't begin the time of His wrath, they intensify and END it (Rev. 15:1). Being rescued [departed and separated] from the time, the place and any relation to God's Wrath means the Church has to disappear before Rev. 6, and that's why we believe the Rapture takes place in Rev. 4 and "the Church" is clearly the group of believers in view in heaven in Rev. 5. The elders have crowns, and crowns are promised to the Church. Crowns come when Christ comes, and Chapter five of Revelation is clearly before the tribulation. (2 Timothy 4:8, 1 Peter 5:4, Revelation 22:12)

2Ti 4:8 Now there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that Day; and not to me only, but also to all those who love His appearing.

1Pe 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.

All Christians face a form of "tribulation" through the working of Satan (the accuser of the brethren) but Spirit born Christians are never targets of God's wrath, since our Lord Yeshua bore this on the cross, and we are fully reconciled to God through his shed blood. To suggest the spirit born Church/congregation is still going to be targets of God's wrath is to in effect say that the blood of Yeshua is insufficient or "an unholy thing" in  purging our sin debt. God's discipline and correction as a Father is not the same thing as his wrath.

Further supporting scriptural evidence of the "24 elders" seen in Chapter 5 of Revelation representing a larger host, in this case the congregation (Church, Ecclesia, or Qahal), can be found in 1 Chronicles chapter 24, where the house of Levite (God's priestly order on Earth) was represented by 24 sons.

Rev 5:8 And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having harps and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals, for You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. 10 And You made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign over the earth.

Here, in Luke 21, we see a warning from Yeshua that has us escaping the "hour of temptation which will come upon all the habitable world" and standing (as in Revelation chapter 5 indicates) before the Son of man....

"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" (Luke 21:36).

____

Like everything else in God's plan, you'll find strong hints of the Rapture even in the Old Testament. 

Look at this passage from Isaiah 26:19-21. "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.   Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins."

Notice how the pronouns change from second person when God speaks of His people to third person when He speaks of the people of the Earth. It means the two groups are different.  Those called "my people" are told to "enter your rooms" (the rooms of John 14:1-3) because the others, called "the people of Earth" are going to be punished for their sins in a period of time called His Wrath.  Sound familiar?  (Note: the Hebrew word (YALAK) translated "go" in the phrase "Go my people" is translated "come" in some translations, recalling the command to John in Revelation 4, "Come up here!" But the word has another primary meaning which is most interesting.... It means vanish. "Vanish, my people!" Indeed vanishing from the earth is what we will do, from the point of view of those left to endure the 7 years of trouble and testing. If you have a Latin Bible, this word is translated as 'Vade' meaning "disappear" or "vanish".)

Not by any stretch of the imagination has this passage (as of yet) been literally fulfilled.  It's an End Times prophecy that promises a resurrection of the dead AND hiding of God's people while God's Wrath is incrementally unleashed on the people of Earth for their sins - and it was written 2750 years ago.  The hiding of the Jews in the desert on Earth at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 12:14) cannot be considered as a fulfillment of this passage because no resurrection accompanies it. The resurrection of Old Testament believers takes place at the end of the Great Tribulation. (Daniel 12:2).

Let us compare more closely......

Isaiah : But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.

Paul: The dead in Christ will rise first.
   
Isaiah : Go [Vanish], my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.

Paul: After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
 
Isaiah :  See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins.

Paul: While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

In Isaiah 40: 9 -10 of the Good News Bible, which translate in a "though for thought" format, rather than a simple word for word method, we find the following:

Tell the towns of Judah that their God is coming! 10 The Sovereign Lord is coming to rule with power, bringing with him the people he has rescued. (GNB)

Yet another Old Testament reference of interest is from Zephaniah.

Zep 2:3 Seek YHWH, all the meek of the earth who have done His justice; seek righteousness; seek meekness. It may be you shall be hidden in the day of YHWH's anger.

Still other old testament versus appear to allude to the rapture, resulting in a period of strife and violence thereafter.

“The godly people have all disappeared; not one honest person is left on the earth. They are all murderers, setting traps even for their own brothers.…” Micah 7:2 (NLT)

"Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth." Ps. 12:1 (NLT)

So too does the book of Enoch refer to the rapture and tribulation... Chapter 45 states: [emp add]

1 And this is the second Parable concerning those who deny the name of the dwelling of the holy ones and the Lord of Spirits.

2 And into the heaven they shall not ascend, And on the earth they shall not come:
Such shall be the lot of the sinners who have denied the name of the Lord of Spirits,
Who are thus preserved for the day of suffering and tribulation.

3 On that day Mine Elect One shall sit on the throne of glory
And shall try their works, And their places of rest shall be innumerable.

And their souls shall grow strong within them when they see Mine Elect Ones,
And those who have called upon My glorious name:

4 Then will I cause Mine Elect One to dwell among them.

.......
 

Let us again take a closer look at Revelation 3&4 in the context we have already discussed:

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.

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately [twinkling of an eye] I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne [of judgment] was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. [the coronation of the Messiah, that is represented in the feast of Trumpets.]

Thereafter, in Revelation 19 it is also worth noting that we see the "marriage of the Lamb" is come [completed]... followed by another "opening in Heaven" by which comes the descent of the Church and calling of "wedding guests" with Yeshua back to the Earth.. (Revelation 4 - Church goes up.... Revelation 19, Church comes down).

Could this message of "separation and departure" before the tribulation be any more clearly understood?
 

__

Another definite indicator of the imminent nature of the rapture, as well as reality of the Rapture itself, are hidden in a scripture never before thought by most to have been referring to the rapture. This is the case with Paul's reference in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. What does Paul mean when he speaks in verse 3 of not wanting to be found "naked"? Why is our current physical body called a "tent," while our future resurrected body is described as a "building."

 2 Corinthians 3:1-2 says, "For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven." Since verse 3 is based upon Paul's statements in verses one and two, we need to know what he is saying there. Paul tells the Corinthian believers that their current body is like an "earthly tent." Why did he choose the word "tent?" He most likely uses the word "tent" because it is a temporary dwelling for a person who is on a trip away from home.

So our current physical body is called a "tent," while our future resurrected body is described as a "building." But what does Paul mean when he speaks in verse 3 of not wanting to be found "naked" in verse 3?

Paul speaks of the interval between a believer's death and the resurrection. Robert Gromacki says, "This period between the physical death of a believer and his resurrection is designated as the time of nakedness. It is when the self has neither its old body or its new body, but nevertheless is present with the Lord as 2 Cor. 5:8 states.

Paul was, then, clearly longing for the rapture to occur before he died, since the interval between Paul's death and the obtaining of his resurrection body would come at the time of the rapture (1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-58). Thus, 2 Corinthians 5 is a rapture passage. "It is the resurrection and the rapture which the new desire longs for," says Roy Laurin, "because the resurrection and the rapture will bring us this building which is "an house not made with hands."

This passage seems to teach that a believer during the church age who dies before the rapture is with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), but do not yet have their new resurrection body. This seems to also imply that there is no New Testament basis for those who teach that we have an intermediate body (i.e. not a resurrection body) during the interval between death and the resurrection as we dwell in the presence of the Lord. Otherwise, how do they explain Paul's desire to not be naked? Further, this passage does not allow for "soul sleep" since the person is very much alive during the interval, it is the body that is "sleeping."

Rapture Implications of 2 Corinthians 5

There are a number implications that flow from the fact that Paul clearly says in 2 Corinthians 5 that he personally desired to be taken in the rapture rather than die.

First, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat [bema] of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." This is significant in that the "judgment seat," or "bema" is the special judgment for church age believers only, not the end of the millennium great white throne judgment of unbelievers. Since verse 10 is part of Paul's passage where he has expressed his desire to be taken in the rapture, it supports the notion of pretribulationism since the bema will take place after the rapture of the church, while in heaven, in order to prepare (beforehand) the church for her return with Christ at the second coming (Rev. 19:1-10).

Second, Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 the following: "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed." Here Paul taught the doctrine of the resurrection, while in 2 Corinthians 5 he links resurrection with the rapture. Although 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 stands on its own as a rapture passage, it is further strengthened by Paul's rapture teachings in 2 Corinthians 5. Paul is writing to the same church in both epistles, thus, he is speaking of the same subject - the rapture - both times when he addresses the subject of the resurrection.

Third, we learn from 2 Corinthians 5 that it is indeed a godly attitude to desire for the rapture to occur in one's lifetime. Since Paul desired to be taken to be with the Lord via translation so that he would not be naked, it is clear that he is modeling a godly attitude to be emulated throughout the remainder of the church age by subsequent generations. Yet, many Christians in our day disdain the rapture, rather than gladly proclaim it as the blessed event (blessed hope) it is.

and still more clues...

What is Yeshua doing that keeps him from returning this very minute? Well, firstly, the work of building [birthing] the body must be finished, but we can also answer that question by studying John 14:1-3 again. Yeshua said he was leaving to "go to prepare a place for [us]".... Then what happens when this place is finished? "And if I go and prepare a place for you (the BRIDE), I will come again and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also." [emp. add] Nowhere in Chapter 4 of the Revelation, or thereafter, do we see any reference to Yeshua preparing a place for us in heaven.. rather, we see Him opening the scroll, sitting on His Throne, and judging the inhabitants of the Earth, which is being purged of evil.

Do you recall the other clues? A quick review of some we mentioned...

"Last trump" - refers to Feast of Trumpets

"day and hour unknown" - refers to Feast of Trumpets

"knows my Father only" - refers to Feast of Trumpets

"like a thief in the night" - refers to Feast of Trumpets

"end of Pentecost (church age) harvest" - refers to Feast of Trumpets

The 'Feast of Trumpets' is the feast preceding the 'Day of Atonement' which is representative of the tribulation.... Still wondering when the rapture is? Do you remember these facts we found?

'church pictured in heaven' - before (tribulation) seals are broken [Rev. 5]

"he (body of Christ) is taken out of the midst" - required before anti-christ can appear

"who are these arrayed in white robes, and from where do they come" - John could not identify the "saints" who went through the tribulation. They are a completely separate group not in any way identified with or as the Church or Body of Christ. The term "saints" is a general term also used of the old testament believers, and so does not specifically identify Church members, who are distinguished by Spirit baptism noted in the book of Acts. (Or put in other words: All Church members are "saints", but not all "saints" are Church members... )

Despite containing numerous mentions of the Church, no verse in Revelation of the tribulation events exists which refers to the Church.

See a pattern here yet? Truly the Rapture could take place any year now...

Regarding the issue of rapture imminence, Yeshua himself shared some parables that pointed to his imminent return, which we've already explained could not be referring to the "second coming". The second coming occurs at a specific date (The Great Trump) at the end of the 7 year tribulation, which begins with the false christ entering a covenant with Israel, and can also be measured as 1260 days after the abomination in the temple located in Jerusalem. If something else (like building a temple, the appearance of a global leader, the mark of the beast, etc) must take place before an event can happen, then that event is not imminent. If the Rapture is to take place mid-trib or post-trib, as some believe, then we would still be looking for the antichrist's appearing first and not for the appearing of our Lord.

Mathew 24 states.....

Mat 24:48 But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delays His coming,

Mat 24:49 and shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken,

Mat 24:50 the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he does not look for Him, and in an hour which he does not know.

Note the above word translated here as "hour" comes from the Greek word "ho'-rah" which also means a set season or period of time.

Another interesting parable concerning the imminent return of Yeshua (the Bridegroom in the context we have already examined) is that of the Ten Virgins. The parable differentiates the difference between half who were wise, and the others foolish.

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

..8. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out.

Their lamps had gone out, because they were not really expecting to have to meet the Bridegroom. Perhaps they all thought they had at least another week before his return. At the close of the parable (v.13) the message "therefore watch" is the primary message of the parable.

Most, if not all, spiritually vibrant churches believe in the imminent or "pre-trib" rapture, whereas more "liberal" churches tend to believe in a mid or post trib rapture, if indeed they believe in the rapture at all.

We leave it up to you to decide how to best interpret the saying "but if that evil servant (note we are not talking about unbelievers) shall say in his heart, My Lord delays His coming..."

Paul writes to the Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

The post tribulation scheme destroys such imminence, and is very much like saying the Lord will delay his coming until a certain seven years pass first. Paul writes as though they should be so familiar with the "times and seasons" that they "know perfectly well" when the "Day of the Lord" will begin in God's timetable, and uses the phrase we just alluded to as referring to the Feast of Trumpets, which is well known to be before the Day of Atonement or Judgement.

Contrast the parable of the evil servant, who mocks the idea of the imminent return of the Master, with that of the faithful servant who is ever watching and waiting expectantly...

See also: Jesus comes for his Bride 'as a Thief '
http://www.bibleprophesy.org/wedding12.htm

Imminence passages support the idea of the pre-trib rapture, and ONLY the pre-trib rapture, and are amongst the strongest supportive proofs of its timing before the tribulation.

IMMANENCY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT (Link)

The fact that Christ could return, at any moment, yet without the necessity of signs preceding His return, requires the kind of imminence taught by pretribulationism.

What New Testament passages teach this truth? Those verses stating that Christ could return at any moment without warning, and those instructing believers to wait and look [now] for the Lord's coming teach the doctrine of imminence. Note the following New Testament passages:
 

. 1 Corinthians 1:7-"awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Yeshua Christ,"

. 1 Corinthians 16:22-"Maranatha."

. Philippians 3:20-"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Saviour, the Lord Yeshua Christ;"

. Titus 2:13-"looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Christ Yeshua;"

. Hebrews 9:28-"so Christ . . . shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."

. James 5:7-9-"Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. . . . for the coming of the Lord is at hand. . . . behold, the Judge is standing right at the door."

. 1 Peter 1:13 -"fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Yeshua Christ."

. Jude 21-"waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Yeshua Christ to eternal life."

. Revelation 22:17, 20-"And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.'"

All of the above passages relate to the rapture and speak of the Lord's coming as something that could occur at any-moment, that it is imminent.

Related link: Why God's Purpose for the Tribulation excludes the Church

The Church was purified at the cross at which time all the punishment due us was born by the Lord Himself.  From that time forward the Church [created as recorded in Acts 2: 1- 4 (also see Math: 16)] is considered by God to be as righteous as He is (2 Cor 5:17 & 21) The idea that the Church needs to undergo some discipline to become worthy to dwell with God is unscriptural and denies the Lord's completed work on the cross.

The stated purpose of the Tribulation is twofold, to purify Israel and destroy the unbelieving nations. (Jeremiah 30:1-11) The Church isn't destined for either of these outcomes.

In citing only verses that didn't require any "prior knowledge" we note again two that are the clearest, 1 Thes. 1:9-10 and Isaiah 26: 19-21. And by the testimony of these two witnesses, one in the Old Testament and one in the New, we clearly see the physical separation of believers from non-believers preceding the time of Judgment. 
 

There are some teachers of the Bible in this lukewarm generation that are falsely teaching that the Rapture will come during, near the end, or after the Tribulation. The Scriptures have shown, beyond any doubt, that this teaching is false. It nullifies God's Word. It throws people into confusion. It nullifies the Jewish marriage customs and the seven feasts of the LORD. It teaches a theory totally out of context with prophetic scriptures. Such teaching leaves some open to looking for an earthy appearance of Christ before the appointed time, which is the role of "Anti-Christ" (a.k.a. false or counterfeit christ). Believers in the rapture are instead even now looking for the blessed appearing of Christ in the air, where the redeemed will be ushered to our dwelling in the "Fathers House".

Since the days of Paul, the Rapture has always been viewed as an event that could happen at any time. The saints were admonished to watch and be ready, for the imminent return of Yeshua Christ. No great event was to precede it, such as the Tribulation, which would mean to them to place the seasons out of proper order - the next feast (which is imminent in our schedule) is the Feast of Trumpets.

We are called to be ready at all times for we do not know exactly when Yeshua will return for us. What is known is that He promised to return. The Lord always keeps His promises.

Parts of the book of Daniel that were closed, until the time of the end, have been opened and are now understood. Other prophecies are also understood. These include Israel's rebirth, a great military power existing in the land of Magog, and the European Economic Community (also called the revived Roman Empire) which will soon expand into a 10 super-nation global government from which the coming Anti-Christ will rule.

These events, in light of other prophecies as well, all indicate the Tribulation is very close. The identifiable Tribulation is first preceded by the mystery of the Rapture - are you ready, are you watching, are you hoping?
 

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Hos 6:2 After two days He will bring us to life; in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.

 

"And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?" (Luke 12:54-56).

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Want more details and evidence concerning this Blessed Event? We encourage you to check out this external link.

Does the pre-trib rapture conflict with the idea of their being "only two resurrections"? One for the just and one for the unjust?

Not at all - the word translated as 'first' does not indicate 'at the same exact moment in time' but comes from the Greek word pro'- tos which means "best", "foremost" or "chief" and does not in any way limit the 'first resurrection' to a single point in time'.... This being one of the arguments often used by those who believe in the alternate viewpoints on the timing of the Rapture. Both born again 'body-of-Christ' believers, old testament and tribulation saints will take part in the 'so-called first' resurrection, but these occur at separate times, as a careful study of the book of Revelation clearly shows.

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years.

Please see these other links below...

http://www.arielcanada.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=59&Itemid=1 [See "The Rapture of the Church" near bottom of page. Go to part four for 'timing of Rapture' lecture.]

16 Proofs of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture by Kent Crockett

How will Yeshua (Jesus) fulfill the Fall Feasts?

Israel / Church Distinction: The 4th Foundation - by Thomas Ice

The Rapture Chuck Missler's Five Part Audio Series - (RealPlayer needed)

There continue to be many questions concerning the "Rapture" of the Church and its apparent contrast with the "Second Coming" of Yeshua Christ.

• Where does this strange view come from?

• Is the term "rapture" even in the Bible?

• What is the difference between rapture and the second coming?

http://www.khouse.org/6640/BP101/ (Audio files and articles)

The Parable of the Ten Virgins... Are you among the wise or foolish?

Want to listen to the Bible? Try this audio Bible page...

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in 'high places' [the skies].

Gal 1:8 But even if we or an angel (messenger) from Heaven (sky/space) preach a gospel to you beside what we preached to you, let him be accursed.

More on the Rapture on our next page....

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Gal 6:6 But let him who is taught in the Word share with the one teaching in all good things.