Does
Christ return BEFORE, in the MIDDLE or at the END of the Tribulations
If you are a Christian, then you already believe
that Christ will return for His Believers.
The big debate is WHEN will He return. – This is
linked to the phenomena known as “The Rapture”,
or the “Fly Away Doctrine” – Can this doctrine even
be found in the Bible?
This study covers both sides of this fate debate.
A
mind is like a parachute; it must be OPEN to be of any value.
The Tribulations
·
The Return of Christ is synonymous
with the Tribulations and the Rapture of the Believer, so we can’t talk about
Christ’s return without talking about the Tribulations and the Rapture of the
Saints. – NYOBS 01.23 – RAPTURE
·
The Tribulation Period is the period of time
when God completes His plan for Israel; when He tests, purges and
purifies them and establishes His promised kingdom. It is derived from Daniel's 70th Week.
·
The Prophetic Clock stopped at the Cross – Sixty nine weeks of years have already passed and
time is on hold with one week of years remaining, or to say it another way;
SEVEN YEARS of Tribulations. – NYOBS
07.09 ESCHATOLOGY; THE RETURN OF CHRIST
·
The Great Tribulation occurs 3 ½ years into the
Tribulations, with wars, famine, pestilence and earthquakes with this being
only the beginning of the sorrows. – The tribulation is typically divided into two periods of 3.5
years each
- NYOBS 43.25
TRIBULATIONS
·
At the halfway point of the tribulation, the
Antichrist will erect a image of himself to be worshipped in the Holy of Holies
of the Temple that is yet to be built on what is called the Temple Mount; this
is called the "Abomination of Desolation". – This is a marker in time; a place holder. – NYOBS 07.78 ESCHATOLOGY - TEMPLES
·
The Fate Debate; will Christ return and
remove the Believer before the tribulations begin or in the middle of it all or
at the end. – Is there really “a Great
Escape”?
·
Note: Just to get your pants all in a wad; the phrase “Seven
Year Tribulation”, “Rapture” and Tribulation Saints” is NOT
found anywhere in scripture although many commentaries use it. – To mess with
you even further; God said, that in this world we would have tribulations,
that our days would be full of trouble – Not just Seven Years.
Matthew 24:5-8 – Wars, Famines, Pestilences, Earth Quakes
5 For many
shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 You shall
hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for
all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places.
8 All these are
the beginning of sorrows. (KJV)
John 16:33 - In the world you will have tribulation
33 I have
said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you
will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
(ESV)
Job 14:1 - Man’s days
are few and full of TROUBLE.
1 Man who is born of a woman is few
of days and full of trouble.
(ESV)
Dan 9:24-27 – (490 –49
–434) = 1 week or 7 years remaining
24 SEVENTY `sevens' (490) are decreed for your
people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin,
to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness,
to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
25 "Know and understand this: From the
issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,
the ruler, comes, there will be SEVEN `sevens,'(49) and SIXTY-TWO `sevens.' (434) - It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench,
but in times of trouble. (70
x7 =490) (49 +434 =483) (490
-483 =7)
26 After the sixty-two `sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off
and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the
city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until
the end, and desolations have been decreed.
27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one
`seven.' (7 years) In the middle of the `seven' (3 ½ years) he will put an end to
sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination
that causes desolation, (Anti-Christ Image) until the end that is
decreed is poured out on him." NIV
Rapture Side
Bar
·
Two Return Views
1. Final Resurrection View – One group of people;
none are left behind; Christ returns only a single time with the Rapture being
what happens to people during the final resurrection.
2. Fundamentalist View – Two groups of people;
those that are taken in the Rapture and those that are Left Behind to
endure the tribulations.
·
Many believe that
the return of Christ will be a public SINGLE event. - Others hold that the return of Christ to be TWO
distinct events, or one second coming in TWO stages. – The first
event is said to be PRIVATE and the second is PUBLIC.
·
Some
students embrace that the Believers will be gathered together on EARTH
and others hold that the gathering will be in HEAVEN; still others support
the gathering in the AIR; so there is a cornucopia of thoughts and
beliefs concerning the second coming of Christ.
·
There are notable authors, teachers and pastors who
support the three different views. I
will not mention their “published” names; as their popularity should not
determine your affirmation of a view. –
If the ”Fence Post” VIEW of a scripture does not line up with all the other “Fence
Post” of scripture; then either the Bible is wrong or the view is wrong.
·
The Doctrine of “The Rapture”
is only 185 years old, BUT we cannot scoff at it,
or dismiss it because the early church did not observe it. – There are no new
revelations, but there is new enlightenment of what has already been written in
the scriptures.
·
The Bible even tells us that there are things
that have been sealed up that are to be revealed only in the end times
when knowledge abounds. – We are there
-
Jude 1:18 – In the end times there will be scoffers
18 They said to you, “In the last
times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” (NIV2011)
Daniel 12:3-4 – Seal the words till the Time of
the End
3 And those who are wise shall
shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to
righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
4 But you, Daniel, shut up
the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (ESV)
Selective Rapture
·
Selective Rapture or partial Rapture
- Bet you never heard of that.
·
I
think it is noteworthy to mention that many hold that the rapture of the Saints
is directly proportional to when they became Believers in Jesus Christ.
·
When did their conversion
take place?
- Before the Tribulations began; During the Tribulations or at the end of the
Tribulations.
·
The Saints are raptured in
Groups.
– There is more than one Rapture. – Remember the Rapture includes the Believing
dead as well as the Believing living. – Some hold the view that many will
become “Believers” during the Tribulations only to lose their life; others not
so.
·
Selective Partial Rapture – Only those who have been faithful with
true fellowship with God will be raptured first. – The rest will be raptured
during the tribulation or at its end.
Time Out
·
As you study the Three Doctrines on the
return of Christ; look for a running theme called “The Wrath of God”
that is woven throughout the tapestry of each position. It’s the Key to understanding the reasons for
the three different views.
Romans 1:18 - The wrath of
God is revealed from heaven
18 For the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (ESV)
Colossians 3:5-6 – Wrath comes on the sons of
disobedience
5 Therefore consider the members of
your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and
greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6 For it is because of these things
that THE WRATH OF GOD will come upon the sons of disobedience, (NASB)
Left Behind
·
Ponder This – In the end times; the first to be gathered are
the unrighteous; the weeds, the tares; bundled up and
burned.
·
Left Behind is the good seed, the
wheat; they are left behind and gathered into God’s barn - The righteous will
never be removed.
Matthew 13:30 – Gather the Weeds first and burn
them
30 Let
both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the
reapers, Gather the weeds FIRST and bind them in bundles to be
burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (ESV)
Proverbs 10:30 - The
righteous will never be removed
30 The righteous will never be
removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
(ESV)
LEFT BEHIND WITH A TWIST - RABBIT TRAIL
- I have been
fascinated by the “LEFT BEHIND”
series of books and I decided to wander through the scriptures that the
novels are based on.
- Jesus is on the Mount
of Olives teaching the Disciples about the END TIMES. The smart people refer to this as the “Olivet Discourse”. – Jesus
does not mention the Church, so this is NOT a discussion about the Rapture
as the Church will have already been removed from the earth. - He is
talking about the destruction of mankind and His Millennial
Kingdom.
- Christ says He will
not return as a man, so don’t look for a man even if he performs miracles,
however that is exactly what the Antichrist will do.
- Jesus starts with sort
of a parable explaining in so many words about when He will return and
establish His kingdom in the end times. It will be totally unexpected; things
will be going on like normal with people getting married, having meals
together, sleeping and going to work, etc., and of course there is nothing
wrong with all these things.
- However in the days of Noah, people were
living their lives LIKE GOD DID NOT EXIST and that’s exactly
how it’s going to be when Christ returns. – LIKE IT
IS NOW.
Here’s how it all plays out
- Scripture says that two
men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left
and it says two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one
will be taken and the other left.
- Then it says two
people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left
and in another place it says two women will be grinding grain; one
will be taken and the other left."
- DID
YOU SEE IT? - The cool thing
about this scripture is that it smacks of the earth being ROUND as two are
sleeping in the NIGHTIME and two are grinding grain in the DAYTIME. When
Christ returns it will be all at once; all over the whole world;
day and night.
- THE REAL GRABBER is that the
Disciples asked Jesus, “Where
will they be taken?” Jesus replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather”.
- This does not seem to
be talking about the Rapture, but about Armageddon. - Vultures hovering above dead bodies is
clearly visible from a great distance and could mean that the Second
Coming will be when the fowls of the air are invited to a grand feast.
- The
return of Jesus Christ is in two phases – The FIRST is the Rapture of the
Believers, (The Church) out of the earth. – The SECOND happens after the rapture and tribulation period,
but just before the Millennium Reign of Christ begins. This is where EVIL is being purged out
of this earth. - (Pre-Trib View)
- I feel a need to say
that there are also two phases
to Armageddon. The FIRST
phase is a battle dealing with the Jewish Nation and the Muslims – The
SECOND phase is the total annihilation of what’s left. I only mention this because during the
tribulation period and the FIRST phase of the battle of Armageddon, many will come to Christ. New Believers; new Christian’s will now
be on the earth. - You can read about
it in NYOBS 22.02 ARMAGEDDON
- Those that are TAKEN
are in the SECOND phase of Christ’s return. They are the evil people; non-believers
and they are KILLED in the FIRST phase of Armageddon.
- Those that are LEFT BEHIND are the NEW Believers who will enter The Millennial
Kingdom. – GOOD GRIEF – That is sure NOT what I have been taught. –
Taken may also present the idea of Judgment which is the nature of
Christ’s second coming.
- NOTE: It was Noah that was LEFT BEHIND – It was
also Lot that was LEFT BEHIND.
- Scripture seems to
support that those that are LEFT
BEHIND are the good guys.
- There are many
opinions out there concerning the return of Christ; the Tribulations and
the Rapture. – Keeping my mind OPEN helps me to learn more about the different
possibilities.
Matt 24:3 – SIGNS - End of
the age – Olivet Discourse
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount
of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell
us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign
of your coming and of the end of the age?"
NIV
Matt 24:24-27 – All will
see His return – Olivet Discourse
24 For false Christ’s and false prophets will
appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that
were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
26 "So if anyone tells you, `There he is, out
in the desert,' do not go out; or, `Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not
believe it.
27 For as lightning that comes from the east
is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the
Son of Man.
NIV
Matt 24:28 – Birds eating
the DEAD – Olivet Discourse
28 Wherever there is a carcass, (THE DEAD), there the vultures will gather. NIV
Matt 24:36-41 – The flood
TOOK THEM - Olivet Discourse
36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not
even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it
will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38 For in the days before the flood, people were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered
the ark; 39 and they (the un-godly) knew nothing about what
would happen until the flood came and TOOK them all away. That is
how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Two men will be in the field; one will be
taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one
will be taken and the other left. NIV
Luke 17:26-27 – NOAH –
LEFT BEHIND – Evil are taken
26 "Just as it was in the days of NOAH,
so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.
27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and
being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood
came and destroyed them all. NIV
Luke 17:28-30 – LOT
– LEFT BEHIND – Evil are taken
28 "It was the same in the days of LOT. People were eating and drinking, buying and
selling, planting and building.
29 But the day Lot
left Sodom,
fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 "It will be just like this on the
day the Son of Man is revealed.
NIV
1 Thess 4:13-15 – FIRST Phase
of Christ’s return
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant
about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no
hope.
14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and
so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in
him.
15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you
that we who are still alive, WHO ARE
LEFT (behind) till the coming of the Lord, will
certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
NIV
1 Thess 4:16-17 – FIRST
phase of Christ’s return - RAPTURE
16 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.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are
left (behind) 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.
NIV
Luke 17:24 – SECOND phase of Christ return – ALL
SEE
24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like
the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the
other.
NIV
Matt 24:38-41 – One will
be taken and the other LEFT BEHIND
38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah
entered the ark; 39 and they (Unbelievers) knew nothing about what
would happen until the flood came and TOOK THEM (unbelievers) ALL AWAY. That is how it will be
at the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Two men will be in the field; one will
be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a
hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. NIV
Luke 17:34-35 – Two people
in bed – Two women grinding grain.
34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in
one bed; one will be TAKEN and the other LEFT.
35 Two women will be grinding grain
together; one will be TAKEN and the other LEFT." NIV
The Key - TAKEN
·
The
Disciples asked Jesus WHERE are those that are “taken” going?
·
JESUS
SAID that they are taken to be with the DEAD; where the vultures are gathering
to eat. – (To me it sounds like
Armageddon; The Wrath of God.)
Luke 17:37 – WHERE are those TAKEN?
37 "Where, Lord?" they asked. He
replied, "Where there is a DEAD body, there the VULTURES will gather."
NIV
Rev 19:17-18 – The
VULTURES are called at Armageddon.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who
cried in a loud voice to all the BIRDS flying in midair, "Come, gather
together for the great supper of God,
18 so that you may EAT
THE FLESH of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders,
and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." NIV
Revelation 19:21 – The fowl of the air gorged on
the flesh
21 And the rest were slain by the
sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the
birds were gorged with their flesh.
(ESV)
POST – MID – PRE
Return of Christ
Post-Tribulation
Return (after)
·
Post-Tribulationists believe that Christians will undergo the entire
Seven Year Tribulation period, but are spared the wrath of God. The
Rapture of the Believers will occur at the end of the last of the three and a
half years which is known as “The Great Tribulations”.
·
Understand that there is a
difference between The Tribulations and The Wrath of God. – The great
tribulations are the result of sin and the curses it brings, along with the
troubles that are cut loose by the Anti-Christ.
·
We will be delivered up and go through the tribulations and
many put to death, but the ones who endure to the end will be saved. – Nowhere in
scripture does it say that we will be raptured before things get bad in the
Tribulations.
·
The wrath of God comes AFTER the Tribulations
and we are raptured just before it begins
·
Jesus prayed, I
do NOT ask that you take them out of the world, but that you
keep them from the evil one”. His intention was the preserving of the
Believers during the WRATH.
·
Jesus says that when we see the Abomination of Desolation;
which is the Anti-Christ setting up an image of himself in the Holy of Holies
to be worshiped, we should all FLEE to the mountains - This introduces the next
3 ½ years called the Great Tribulations.
- Christ will shorten these days for the sake of the Believers that are
still on the earth; the Elect.
·
The Return of Christ is in the AIR when the LOUD LAST TRUMPET sounds at the
end of the seven years of Tribulations. – This is the Seventh Last Trumpet of
Revelation known as the LAST TRUMP. - It’s
not SECRET; Jews and Gentile alike will hear the loud trumpet blast and will
see Him as the lightning flashes from the East to the West.
·
God's Elect from all ages will be translated from mortal
bodies into immortal glorified bodies at the end of the 70th Week of Daniel,
the final seven years of this present age.
·
U-TURN BACK – After the Battle of Armageddon is finished,
Christ returns ON the EARTH with the raptured Believers and ushers in
the new Millennium; the thousand year reign of Christ on earth. – NYOBS
25.28 – MILLENNIUM REIGN PURPOSE
·
In essence, the
second coming of Christ and the rapture are combined and occur simultaneously.
The Believers will meet him in the air and will then will accompany him as He
returns to Earth.
·
Only
the Battle of Armageddon separates the rapture and Christ’s return.
·
The "Counsel of Scripture" seems to teach
that the resurrection and rapture of the Church will be the result of the
VISIBLE and PHYSICAL Second Coming of Jesus Christ to EARTH and that Christians
are to look and watch for this event.
·
A Two Phase coming of Christ is not mentioned explicitly in
scripture. – There is NO third return as held by the Mid and Pre-Tribulation
doctrines.
Matthew 24:6-9 – Believers will be delivered TO
the Tribulations
6 And you will hear of wars and
rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the
end is not yet.
7 For nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes
in various places.
8 All these are but the beginning
of the birth pains.
9 Then they will deliver you up
to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by
all nations for my name’s sake.
(ESV)
John 17:15 –I do not ask that you take them out of
the World
15 I
do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you
keep them from the evil one.
(ESV)
Matthew 24:13 - The one who
endures to the end will be saved.
13 But
the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:14-20 – Abomination Desolation – Flee
to mountains
14 And this gospel of the kingdom
will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come.
15 So when you see the
abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the
holy place (let the reader understand),
16 then let those who are in Judea flee
to the mountains.
17 Let the one who is on the
housetop not go down to take what is in his house,
18 and let the one who is in
the field not turn back to take his cloak.
19 And alas for women who are
pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
20 Pray that your flight may not be
in winter or on a Sabbath.
Matthew 24:21-22 - GREAT tribulations – Days cut
short
21 For then there will be great
tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until
now, no, and never will be.
22 And if those days had not
been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of
the elect those days will be cut short.
Matthew 24:29-31 – Christ returns IMMEDIATELY
after Trib
29 Immediately
AFTER the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers
of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And
then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall ALL the
tribes of the earth mourn, and they SHALL SEE the Son of man coming in the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he
shall send his angels with a GREAT SOUND of a TRUMPET, and they shall gather
together his elect from the four winds, (four corners of the earth) from
one end of heaven to the other.
(KJV)
Matthew 24:28-29 – The un-righteous weeds are gathered
first
28 Wherever the corpse is, there
the vultures will gather.
29 Immediately after the
tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens will be shaken.
Matthew 24:30-31 – Then the Elect are gathered
N-E-S-W
30 Then will appear in heaven the
sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power
and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels
with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 – Lord returns at the
TRUMPET sound
15 For this we declare to you by a
word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming
of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the sound of the TRUMPET of God. And the dead in Christ
will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive, who
are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
(ESV)
1 Corinthians 15:51-52- At the end – LAST TRUMPET
- Rapture
51 Behold, I shew you a
mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
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. (KJV)
Revelation 20:4-6 - First Resurrection just before
the Millennium
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the
souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word
of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had
received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived
not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the
FIRST RESURRECTION.
6 Blessed and holy is he
that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him
a thousand years. (KJV)
Warning
– Post
Tribulation Return
·
Warning: Jesus said to take
heed that no one deceives you. – Could it be that the Pre and
Mid-Tribulation teachings are deceiving the nations? – Does God send a strong
delusion to those who chose to NOT receive His truth? – (something to just ponder)
·
When Christ does not
come back before the Tribulations begin, many will lose their faith and fall
away because they expected to be rescued. - Lawlessness will increase
because of the false teachings of well-meaning Christians and Pastors.
·
Scripture holds that
the falling away is a rebellion against Christ and it happens in the first
3 ½ years just before the Anti-Christ is revealed at the middle point of the
Tribulations.
·
Understand; only “once” believing Christians can
rebel. – Christ WILL NOT RETURN until there is a rebellion and the Anti-Christ
is revealed.
·
The Holy Spirit; the restraining force of the Anti-Christ, IS
NOT removed from the earth before the tribulations, as embraced by the Pre
–Tribulationist. – If the Holy Spirit has been removed from the earth, then how
can the Tribulation Saints be saved? – There will be Believers that scripture
calls “Brethren” that will come out of the Tribulations.
·
There is NO SECOND CHANCE as the Pre-Trib-ers teach – When Christ
returns, He will separate the wheat from the weeds, the Believing Sheep
from the unbelieving Goats; who will weep and gnash their teeth as they
are cut into pieces and cast into the fiery furnace.
Matthew 24:10-12 – When Christ doesn’t return many
fall away
10 And then many will FALL AWAY
and betray one another and hate one another.
11 And many false prophets (Teachers and Pastors) will arise and lead many astray.
12 And because lawlessness will
be increased, the love of many will grow cold. (ESV)
Matthew 24:4-5 - Take heed that no one deceives you.
4 And Jesus answered and said to
them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I
am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
(NKJV)
Matthew 24:23-27 – Don’t believe about a SECRET
Rapture
23Then if anyone says to you,
‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ DO NOT BELIEVE IT.
24 For false Christs and false
prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray,
if possible, even the elect.
25 See, I have told you
beforehand.
26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look,
he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner
rooms,’ DO NOT BELIEVE IT.
27 For as the LIGHTNING
comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the
coming of the Son of Man.
(ESV)
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 – Rebellion first then
Anti-Christ revealed
1 Now concerning the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,
2 not to be quickly shaken in mind
or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from
us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
3 LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU in any
way. For that day will not come, unless the REBELLION comes first, and
the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
4 who opposes and exalts
himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes
his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
(ESV)
Matthew 25:31-46 – Christ returns separates sheep
from goats
31 When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will
sit on his glorious throne.
32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will
separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats.
33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the
left.
41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from
me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels.
46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the
righteous into eternal life.” (ESV)
Matthew 13:37-43 – The weeds are TAKEN first and
burned
37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 The field
is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are
the sons of the evil one,
39 and the
enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and
the reapers are angels.
40 Just as the
weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the
age.
41 The Son
of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all
causes of sin and all law-breakers,
42 and throw
them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the
righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. HE WHO HAS
EARS, LET HIM HEAR.
(ESV)
Matthew 24:50-51 – Cut to pieces weeping and gnashing of teeth
50The
master of that servant will come on a day
when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know
51 and will cut
him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth. (ESV)
Revelation 6:10-11 – Tribulation Saints – LEFT
BEHIND Brethren
10 And they cried with a loud
voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and
avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
11 Then a white robe was given to
each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while
longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their
BRETHREN, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
(NKJV)
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 – Is Pre-Trib a delusion
from God?
10 and with all wicked deception
for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and
so be saved.
11 Therefore God sends them a
strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
12 in order that all may be
condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness. (ESV)
The Date
– Post Tribulation Return
·
The Date – Christ said we would
NOT know the day nor the hour, but we can know the season. – Scripture says
will see His sign in the heavens, so the teaching that His return could be today
at any moment is in ERROR; we will see His sign first.
·
Non-believers are of the night; they
are not ready, and if they do not wake up; He will come unexpectedly
as a thief in the night to steal, kill and destroy them.
·
Believers do not live in darkness, there
will be NO SURPRISE; there will be NO SECRET Rapture.
·
The four horsemen of the Apocalypse have
already been let out. – The Anti-Christ on the White horse is already at
work – The Red horse has taken peace for the last 100 years – The Black
horse of economic distress already exists; look around. – The Pale horse of suffering, famine and
plagues has already taken its toll over ¼ of the earth. – Look Around -
Revelation 3:3 – If you do not wake up – Come like
a thief
3 Remember,
then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake
up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I
will come against you. (ESV)
John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy
10 The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have
life and have it abundantly.
(ESV)
2 Peter 3:10-14 - Wicked Spiritually unprepared - SURPRISED
10 But the day of the Lord
will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar,
and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the
earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are
thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of
holiness and godliness,
12 waiting for and hastening
the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set
on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
13 But according to his promise we
are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you
are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or
blemish, and at peace.
(ESV)
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 - Believers not in darkness;
NO Surprise
1 Now concerning the times and
the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
2 For you yourselves are FULLY
AWARE that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
3 While people are saying, “There
is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor
pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you are not in darkness,
brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
5 For you are all children of
light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
6 So then let us not sleep, as
others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at
night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.
8 But since we belong to the day,
let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a
helmet the hope of salvation.
9 For GOD HAS NOT DESTINED
US FOR WRATH, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us so that
whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
11 Therefore encourage one another
and build one another up, just as you are doing. (ESV)
Mid-Tribulation
Return
·
There are two scrolls mentioned in Revelation; the “first scroll”
describes the first half of the tribulations as the SIGNS of the end; and
the second or “the little scroll” describes the second half of the tribulation
period; the EVENTS of the end.
·
Note; the Bible uses the word "tribulation" to refer only
to the second half of Daniel's 70th week. - The Mid-Tribulationist holds
that the FIRST 3 ½ years is only the “Travail” or the “Beginning of
Sorrows”. - The LAST 3 ½ years is the Great Tribulations when “the
wicked shall be given into his hand”.
·
The tribulation is divided into two periods of 3.5
years each. – The first half is the wrath of the Anti-Christ and the
second half is reserved for the Wrath of God.
·
Scripture draws a clear distinction between the “Tribulations Trouble” and the
“Wrath of God”.
·
The Second coming is also referred to as “Pre Wrath”, the snatching away
before the final Wrath of God is released.
·
The Word Wrath is not mentioned in the
first half of the tribulations, but is reserved only for the second half. In
scripture it occurs just after the sixth seal of revelation is opened; with the
seventh seal unfolding the last 3 ½ years of the “great” tribulations.
·
Mid-Trib is based on three
verses in scripture about the WHEN the LAST trumpet of God is sounded; it’s
about the Last Trumpet and God’s Wrath.
·
The Sixth Seal is opened and there is an EARTHQUAKE; every Island and
Mountain is displaced, the sun is darkened, the moon turns red, the stars do
not give light – It releases; Darkness – Blackness – Fire
- Billows of Smoke – Roaring
Seas - Famine – Blood – Gloom - Anguish and Perplexity.
– The Atmosphere rolls back like a scroll.
(sound NUCLEAR to me) - We should Watch and
Pray to escape all these things and endure to the end.
·
The opening of the Seventh
Seal
of revelation releases the sounding of the six trumpets that takes place during
the first 3 ½ years; then beginning with the SEVENTH TRUMPET the second half of
the tribulations commences and the Believers are now in heaven.
·
The Mid-Tribulation view holds that the Believers
will go through the first 3 ½ years of “TRAVAIL”, but
will be raptured into Heaven before the severe outpouring of God's WRATH
during the second half known as the “Great” Tribulation. - The days of the tribulation are cut short
for the Believer by 3 ½ years.
·
The Rapture of the Saints is a logical necessity as well as a scriptural
promise. – God has promised to keep the Believer from the hour of trial. –
The saints are pictured as Raptured; coming out of the Great Tribulation
and washing their robes in the blood of the Lamb.
·
When the Anti-Christ SIGNS the Peace Treaty
with Israel, then the Rapture will come 3 ½ years later when he BREAKS the
treaty. – This is proof that the Pre-Trib people who believe that Christ can
come at any moment is FALSE.
·
It’s the last 3 ½ years; the middle of the Tribulations that the
Anti-Christ is revealed, setting the stage for the final return of
Christ. – It begins with the Anti-Christ
setting up an image of himself to be worshipped in the Holy of Holies of the
Temple; this is known as the Abomination of Desolation.
·
Christ returns for the last time after the Great Tribulation
to perform His final judgments; establish His millennial reign and usher in the
eternal destinies of people to heaven or hell.
·
There are two reaping’s; one for the saved and one for those bound for
wrath.
·
Note: (Mid- Trib) - Christ will return a third time, at the end of the
tribulation period. - There
is 3 ½ years between the two stages
of Christ’s second coming.
Daniel 7:25 – Time – Times & Half time; 1 + 2
+ ½ = 3.5 years
25 He shall speak words
against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the
Most High, and shall think to change the times and
the law; and THEY SHALL BE GIVEN INTO HIS HAND
for a time, times, and half a time.
(ESV)
Matthew 24:7-8 – Tribulation First Half - Beginning of Sorrows
7 For nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be
famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are
the beginning of sorrows.
(KJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:3 –Tribulation First Half -
Travail
3 for when they may say, Peace and
surety, then sudden destruction doth stand by them, as the travail
doth her who is with child, and they shall not escape; (YLT)
Luke 21:35-36 – Watch, pray to escape all these things
35 For as a
snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
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. (KJV)
Matthew 24:22 - Those days will be shortened for the Believer
22 And
except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for
the elect's sake those days shall be shortened (KJV)
Mark 13:13 - He that endures unto the end will be saved
13 And ye
shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure
unto the end, the same shall be saved. (KJV)
Revelation 3:10 - I will keep you from the hour of trial
10 Because
you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour
of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the
earth. (ESV)
Revelation 7:14 – Raptured out of the great
Tribulation
14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (ESV)
Zephaniah 2:3
- Humble yourself – God may hide you from wrath 3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek
righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be
hidden on the day of the anger of the
LORD. (ESV)
2 Thessalonians 2:3 – Christ not come till
Anti-Christ revealed
3 Don’t let anyone deceive you
in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the
man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. (NIV2011)
Daniel 9:27 – Abomination of Desolation 3 ½ years
middle Trib.
27And he shall make a strong
covenant with many for one week (7 years), and for half of the
week (3 ½ years) he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing (Temple) of abominations
shall come one (Anti-Christ) who makes desolate,
until the decreed end is poured out (Wrath of God) on the desolator (Anti-Christ).” (ESV)
Rev 6:12-14 - Sixth Seal –
Earthquake – Sun Black – Moon Red
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal.
There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth
made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red,
13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth,
as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.
14 The sky receded like a scroll,
rolling up, (NUCLEAR?) and every mountain and
island was removed from its place.
Revelation 5:9 – The Scroll – SIGNS of the End
9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take THE SCROLL and to open its seals, for you were
slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, (ESV)
Revelation 10:1-7 - The Little Scroll – EVENTS of the End
1 Then I saw
another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a
rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars
of fire.
2 He had A
LITTLE SCROLL open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and
his left foot on the land,
5 And the angel whom I saw standing
on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven
6 and swore by him who lives
forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is
in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay,
7 but that in the days of the
trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God
would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. (ESV)
1 - 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16
– God descends with the Trumpet sound
15 For this we declare to you by a
word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the
Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the sound of the TRUMPET of God. And the dead in Christ will
rise first. (ESV)
2 - 1 Corinthians 15:50-52
– We will all be changed LAST Trumpet
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit
the imperishable.
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 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. (ESV)
3 - Revelation 10:7 – The
Seventh Trumpet of the Seventh Angel
7 but that in the days of the
trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would
be FULFILLED, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. (ESV)
Pre-Tribulation
Return
·
The Pre-Tribulation
position
advocates that the second return of Christ is in two stages, the first stage is
the Secret rapture which will occur before the beginning of the
seven-year tribulation period; and the second stage will occur at the end
of the seven-year tribulation period; just before the WRATH of God and the
battle of Armageddon.
·
Pre-tribulationists embrace the Pre-Wrath
view that is often described as Jesus coming back FOR the church in the 1st stage of the rapture and then
coming back WITH the
church in the 2nd stage, after the rapture. – All of the entire
tribulation is the “Wrath of God”; not just “half” as the Mid-Tribers
believe nor “none” as the Post-Tribers believe.
·
The Judgment Seals of
Revelation are opened by Jesus
Christ, the Lamb of God. - This is the beginning of The Wrath of God being
poured out. - Jesus Christ is the one who gives the power of this wrath to the
Anti-Christ. - The Wrath of God flows the entire period of the Tribulation
period all the way through Armageddon.
- Scripture
supports the view that those who love the lord will be delivered from “His
Holy Judgments”. - Lot was delivered from the extermination
of Sodom and Gomorrah and “Noah” and his family was snatched away during
the flood. - These examples are of God’s loving extraction before His
judgment begins.
- Jesus
clearly states He is coming back for us and will meet us in the
air and we will receive a crown of glory. Christians refer to this as the catching
away or rapture of the Saints.
- The
Disciple John states that he was in the Spirit in Heaven and sees
Jesus Christ on the Throne. John’s
body was not yet glorified, so only his spirit was allowed before the
throne. Sounds like he was
raptured to me. – Just saying.
- Beginning
with the fourth chapter of Revelation; the Church is not mentioned again
till chapter nineteen when we are at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
- Interestingly, there were some
raptures in the Old Testament too.
Enoch zapped into the heavens as well as Elijah, and later Paul’s
spirit was caught up there
also.
- Notice: Twice, Paul says
“Caught Up” in the scripture, so this seems to be an important point.
·
Note: (Pre-Trib) - Christ must return a third time, at the end of the
tribulation period.
·
There
is SEVEN years between the two stages of Christ’s return.
Rev 4:2 – JOHN’S spirit
“raptured”; taken before the throne
2 And immediately I was
in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat
on the throne. KJV
1 Thess 5:9 – The Believer will not receive The WRATH of GOD
9 For God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
KJV
Gen 19:29 – Lot brought out of the Tribulations
29 So when God destroyed
the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities
where Lot had lived. NIV
Gen 19:16 – Only LOT and his family – The Believers
16 When he (Lot)
hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his
two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. NIV
Gen 7:1 – NOAH is delivered
1 The LORD then said to
Noah, "Go into the ark,
you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this
generation.
NIV
Gen 7:23 – Only NOAH and his family – The Believers
23 Every living thing on
the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that
move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only
Noah was LEFT, and those with him in the ark. NIV
2 Cor 12:2-4 – PAUL Caught Up - Raptured
2 I know a man in Christ
who fourteen years ago was CAUGHT UP to the third heaven. Whether it was
in the body or out of the body I do not know-God knows.
3 And I know that this
man-whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows-
4 was CAUGHT UP to
paradise. NIV
Heb 11:5 – ENOCH Taken - Raptured
5 By faith Enoch was taken
from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found,
because God had taken him away. NIV
2 Kings 2:11-12 – ELIJAH Went Up - Raptured
11 As they were walking
along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire
appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a
whirlwind. NIV
Acts 1:9-11 - Jesus will return
the same way He went to heaven
9 And
when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up,
and a cloud took him out of their sight.
10 And while they were gazing into
heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,
11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why
do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you
into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (ESV)
Matt 24:37-41 – Things will be going on as Usual – Then BAM
37 As it was in the
days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38 For in the days before
the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day Noah entered the ark;
39 and they knew nothing
about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is
how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Two men will be
in the field; one will be taken and the other left
41 Two women will
be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. NIV
1 Thessalonians 4:16 – Christ will descend from
Heaven
16 For the Lord himself will
descend from heaven with a (shout)
cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (ESV)
1 Thessalonians 4:16 – Dead in Christ Meet Him in
the Air first
16 For the Lord himself will
descend from heaven with a (shout)
cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
(ESV)
1 Thessalonians 4:17 – Alive in Christ will Meet them
in the Air
17 Then we who are alive,
who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (ESV)
Revelation 6:1-2- JESUS opens Seals; Gives power
to Anti-Christ
1 And I saw when
the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four
living creatures saying, as it were a voice of thunder, `Come and behold!'
2 and I saw, and
lo, a white horse, and he who is sitting upon it is having a bow, and there was
given to him a crown, and he went forth overcoming, and that he may
overcome. (YLT)
Fly Away Doctrine – Rabbit Trail
·
Rapture Origin – In the mid 1800’s Minister
Edward Irving of a church in Scotland had a young girl named Margaret
MacDonald, who fell into a trance and had several hours of visions and
prophecy. – She revealed that Christ would return in two phases; one visibly
only to the righteous and a second time to execute wrath on the unrighteous. – John
Darby of the Plymouth Brethren traveled to Scotland and developed
the doctrine of the Rapture.
·
Before 1830, no one had ever heard of a “Secret
Rapture” or the Fly Away Doctrine. - No
Church had taught it in their creed, catechism or statement of Faith until John Nelson Darby preached about
it in 1830. - So at this writing this
doctrine is NOT predated by 2,000 years, but is of recent origin; only 185
years old.
·
The phrase “Caught Up” is in the Bible, but
the word RAPTURE is not found anywhere in Scripture.
·
Those that oppose the concept of the
Rapture, call it the “Escape Doctrine” or “Escapism”; the belief that
there is a Great Escape from the Tribulations – The opponents point to
the writings of the Prophet Ezekiel, Chapter 13 as their main source of
opposition.
·
The most prominent opponent to the Rapture Doctrine is Dr. Arnold Murray who
has a 24 hour satellite program called “Shepherds
Chapel”. – I have paraphrased his comments:
·
God tells Ezekiel to prophecy that
there are some people who are coming up with prophesies from out of their
own hearts, they are foolish and are following their own spirit. Their vision is a vain lying spirit
and God has NOT spoken. God is
against those who would hunt the souls of ignorant people and teach
them the Fly Away Doctrine
just to get them to join and grow their church. - (Example; John Nelson
Darby.) – NYOBS
01.23 - RAPTURE
·
NOTE: In the 5th
Century before Christ, the women of Israel were involved in false religions and
lying to the people by telling them that there would be peace; that judgement
would NOT come from God. - They were selling amulets to keep a person
from getting sick and to protect them from getting harmed. It was on these
women that God told Ezekiel to pronounce HIS judgment.
·
God was against the magic charms that had
ensnared His people like caged birds and He would set them free and let
THEM FLY AWAY. – Read the ENTIRE chapter
for yourself.
·
In my opinion; I might say the same thing about
Shepard’s Chapel using “The Fly Away” doctrine to knit unsuspecting people to
his own organization. – (Just
my opinion) – I must admit that I have watched his program for
many years and believe he is a very smart man, BUT he has some very far out theories; such as Satan having sex
with Eve producing the child Cain, who became the father of the “Cainites”. -
These Cainites still exist in the hidden dynasties that control the world
government today. – You can read about the Gnostic Cainites in the
Apocrypha, The Gospel of Judas, but
it’s not found in the Bible.
FLY AWAY DOCTRINE SCRIPTURES
Ezekiel 13:2-3 – You prophecy, but you have seen
nothing
2 Son of man, prophesy against the
prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of
their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
3 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto
the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen
nothing!
(KJV)
Ezekiel 13:7-8 – It’s a lying prophecy – God has
not spoken
7 Have ye not seen a vain vision,
and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have
not spoken?
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord
GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I
am against you, saith the Lord GOD. (KJV)
Ezekiel 13:20 - God is against Fly Away doctrine – The
Rapture
20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord
GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt
the souls to make them FLY, and I will tear them from your arms, and
will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them
FLY.
(KJV)
WHAT EZEKIEL ACTUALLY SAYS
Ezekiel 13:17 – Prophesy against the Women
17 Likewise, thou son of man, set
thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of
their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,
(KJV)
Ezekiel 13:10 – Saying there will be peace and
there is none
10 Because, even because they have
seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one
built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar:
(KJV)
Ezekiel 13:18 – Women SELLING amulets for the
people to wear
18 And say, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; WOE TO THE WOMEN that sew pillows to all armholes, and make
kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the
souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?
(KJV)
Ezekiel 13:20a – I am AGAINST your good luck charms
20 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am AGAINST your magic
bands with which you hunt the souls like birds, and I will tear them
from your arms, and
Ezekiel 13:20b – I will let the souls FLY AWAY
like Birds
I will let the souls whom you hunt go free, the
souls like birds.
(ESV)
Gospel of Judas - Rabbit Trail
·
First Word - There are many writing
out there that were not included in the Bible, because their FENSE POST did not
line up with the Fence Post of the other writers of the Bible. These writings are known as; The Apocrypha,
The Forgotten Books of Adam and Eve, The Lost Books of the Bible, The Missing
Books of the Bible, The Gospels of The Dead Sea Scrolls, and The Gospel according
to Whoever. – It was the practice and custom of the day, to write on a subject
and attach someone else’s name of notoriety to it, just to give it some form of
credibility.
·
The Gospel of Judas like many Gnostic
works, is a Gnostic gospel whose content refers to itself
specifically as "The Secret Account of the revelation that Jesus
spoke in conversations with Judas Iscariot. - Since it contains late 2nd
century theology, it is thought to have been composed in the second century
by Gnostic Christians, NOT by Judas himself. - It was originally 31
pages, but only 13 pages have survived.
It has 16 chapters teaching about spiritual matters and COSMOLOGY.
·
Gnosticism – The term comes from the Ancient Greek word: γνωστικόςgnostikos,
meaning; Having Knowledge, Enlightenment, Salvation, Emancipation or
“Oneness with God”.
- Gnostics
–
The “People In The Know” – Taught Secret Revelations
combined with a mixing of myths and rites drawn from a
variety of religious traditions.
They believe we are all in a TIME CONTINUUM and that Jesus had
taught Secret Teachings to the Apostles that moved them along this
continuum.
- The Gnostics maintained that this material
world and all that’s in it is the result of a Cosmic Catastrophe, and was created by an evil lesser god
and our SOUL needs to escape this material world and return
to the world of the spirit.
·
The gospel of Judas seems to argue that unlike
the SOUL, the PHYSICAL BODY is NOT a prison which needs to be escaped from.
(The Rapture; The Fly Away Doctrine)
·
Jesus was sent as the Son of the true God, not of one
of the lesser gods. - His mission was to show that salvation lies in connecting
with THE GOD WITHIN THE MAN. -
Through embracing THE INTERNAL GOD, the man can then return to the
imperishable realm.
- Women - If you can just
comprehend the Gnostic thinking, that women were just a part of a Time
Continuum that begins with plants, then evolves to bugs, then animals,
then women, then men and finally to a god.
- So, ultimately as you progress along the Time Continuum, you
would be like the gods. (This
was the very lie that Satan taught in the Garden of Eden)
- A “female” in the Time Continuum, was
actually a “male” that had just not yet “arrived”. – So a female
was considered a “Second Class Person”; an inferior human being –
Inferior to her father, her brothers and her husband and to all men.
- This
is why Mary Magdalene was not believed about the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. - Jesus would not have revealed His secrets privately to a
woman rather than publicly to the men; specifically His Disciples. – Read “The Gospel of Mary” about the jealousy
between Peter and Mary.
- This thought process had to do with domination. The top denominates downward like a
master over his slave. The more
powerful Male is SUPPOSED to dominate the less powerful female. - Far out stuff, huh !
- Salvation cannot be obtained until
ALL souls have
returned to the spiritual realm.
- But, we can’t escape as long as “WOMEN” keep having babies. – So
avoid procreation; -Don’t participate.
- A non-reproductive woman is “on her way” to becoming a
“man” and thus entering the kingdom of heaven. – Today we see women
marring women and they cannot reproduce and they dress themselves like a
man. - Is this some far out, messed
up stuff or what?
·
You
can go to any Catholic bookstore and pick up a
copy of the Gnostic Gospels, there is no attempt to hide them. – You can also
go on line, on the internet. - Christians may or may not believe these
additional books to be true, but they do give you a flavor of what they were thinking
during that time.
·
The Gospel of Judas portrays Judas's
actions as done in obedience to instructions given to him by Christ.
- He is portrayed as the only one of Jesus's disciples who
accurately understood the words of his master. – He was a Divinely
Appointed Instrument of a grand and predetermined purpose. – He was
PREDESTINED. - It
asserts that the other Disciples had not learned the true Gospel which Jesus
taught only to Judas Iscariot, who is the SOLE follower belonging to the "holy
generation" among the disciples.
·
Elsewhere in the
manuscript,
Jesus favors Judas above the other disciples by saying, "Step away from
the others and I shall tell you the mysteries of the kingdom", and
"Look, you have been told everything. Lift up your eyes and look at the cloud and
the light within it and the stars surrounding it. The star that leads
the way IS YOUR STAR." – (Wikipedia) -
I wonder if it was a BURNING star like the sun.
·
Interestingly, The Bible does not say
that Judas went to Hell or the Lake of Fire, it just says he went to his own
place. – SELAH - Think
about that - NYOBS 10.34 - JUDAS
CONSPIRACY
Genesis 3:5 – Satan teaches; You will be just like
the gods
5 For God doth know that in the day
ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil. (KJV)
Acts 1:25- Judas went to his own
place
25 That he may take part
of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression
fell, that he might go to his own place.
KJV
Mark 14:21 – It would
be better for him if he had not been born.
21 The Son of Man will go
just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of
Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." NIV
Escapism – The Great Escape
·
Is the Doctrine of ESCAPISM found in the Bible? – I
hope to smile it is…. The Believer will escape the Tribulations. – It’s an Old
Testament concept as well as New Testament.
·
God knows how to rescue
the Believer
and will not allow The Tribulations to come until He has given us a way out - He
tells the Believer to pray for strength to go through what is to come, that He
has provided a WAY OF ESCAPE.
·
He
provided a way for Noah and
his family as well as Lot
and his family. God says He will
do nothing till His family has escaped.
OT - Psalm 71:2 - Deliver me and rescue me
2 In your righteousness deliver
me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! (ESV)
OT - Psalm 141:10 – I will
pass safely
10 Let the wicked fall into their
own nets, while I pass by safely. (ESV)
NT - Luke 21:36 – Be
vigilant - Pray to Escape all these things
36 But stay awake at all
times, praying that you may have strength to ESCAPE all these things
that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (ESV)
NT - 1 Corinthians 10:13 –
God provides a way of ESCAPE
13 No temptation has overtaken you
that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted
beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of
escape, that you may be able to endure it. (ESV)
NT - Revelation 3:10-11 –
I will keep you from the hour of trial.
10 Because
you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour
of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the
earth.
11 I am
coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. (ESV)
OT - Genesis 19:16-17 –
God provided Lot a WAY OF ESCAPE
16 But he (Lot) lingered. So the men seized him and his wife
and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD
being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
17 And as they brought them out,
one said, “ESCAPE for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the
valley. ESCAPE to the hills, lest you be swept away.” (ESV)
OT - Exodus 12:23 - I will pass over you – You will ESCAPE death
23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he
sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and
will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. (ESV)
NT - Hebrews 11:7 – God provided
Noah a WAY OF ESCAPE
7 By faith Noah, being warned by God
concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for
the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and
became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (ESV)
OT - Genesis 19:22 – I will
do nothing till Lot’s family ESCAPES
22 Escape there quickly, for
I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was
called Zoar. (ESV)
NT - 2 Peter 2:9 - Lord knows how to rescue the Godly from trials
9 then the Lord knows how to
rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment
until the Day of Judgment,
NT - Revelation 7:3 –
144,000 sealed and ESCAPE the tribulations
3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or
the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on
their foreheads.” (ESV)
OT - Isaiah 37:32– A Band
of Survivors– God will see to it
32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a
remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the
LORD of hosts will do this. (ESV)
(ESV)
OT - Ezekiel 14:13-14 –
God will deliver the righteous even just three
13 Son of man, when a land sins
against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and
break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man
and beast,
14 even if these THREE men, Noah,
Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver, but their
own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD. (ESV)
NT - Hebrews 11:31 – The Prostitute
Rahab ESCAPED death by Faith
31 By faith Rahab the
prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she
had given a friendly welcome to the spies. (ESV)
NT - Luke 21:21 – Flee to the mountains – A way out - ESCAPE
21 Then let
those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are
inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, (ESV)
OT - Daniel 11:41 – Believers shall be delivered ESCAPE the Antichrist
41 He shall come into the
glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be
delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the
Ammonites. (ESV)
Old Testament Pattern
·
The Old Testament is a SHADOW of “The Return” in the New Testament, it is
a PATTERN of the Rapture. – If you are Jewish and only follow The Torah, then here is the
proof that the Old Testament is linked to the New Testament and the Return of
the Messiah.
OT - Exodus 19:11 - The LORD will
come down on Mount of Sinai
11 and be ready for the
third day. For on the third day the LORD
will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. (ESV)
OT - Exodus 19:18- The LORD descended
in fire and smoke
18 Now
Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD
had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke
of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. (ESV)
NT - Acts 1:9-11 - He will return the same way He went to heaven
9 And
when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up,
and a cloud took him out of their sight.
10 And while they were gazing into
heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,
11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why
do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you
into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (ESV)
OT - Exodus 19:19 – God’s
voice was in the Thunder
19 And as the sound of the trumpet
grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.
(ESV)
OT - Exodus 19:16 -Thunder,
Lightning and a Trumpet Blast
16 On the morning of the third day
there were thunders and lightning’s and a thick cloud on the
mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the
camp trembled. (ESV)
NT - 1 Thessalonians 4:16 –
Christ’s Voice - Trumpet
16 For the Lord himself will
descend from heaven with A CRY of command, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in
Christ will rise first. (ESV)
OT - Nehemiah 1:1-2 – The
Jews ESCAPED
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of
Hacaliah.
2 that Hanani, one of my brothers,
came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who
escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. (ESV)
OT - Jeremiah 30:7 – He
will be saved – ESCAPE out of it
7 Alas! That day is so great there
is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be
saved out of it. (ESV)
NT - 1 Corinthians 10:13 –
God provides a way of ESCAPE
13 No temptation has overtaken you
that +is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted
beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of
escape, that you may be able to endure it. (ESV)
OT - Isaiah 13:9 –
Judgment – Sinners face cruel wrath, fierce anger
9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath
and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its
sinners from it. (ESV)
NT - 2 Thessalonians
1:7-10 – Inflict Judgment – BUT - Give us relief
7 and to grant relief to you
who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven
with his mighty angels
8 in flaming fire, inflicting
vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the
gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will suffer the
punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of his might,
10 when he comes on that day to be
glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed,
because our testimony to you was believed. (ESV)
The Return
·
When
Christ returns things will seem normal, we will be marrying,
eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting
and building, just like in the times of Noah and Lot.
·
He
will come as the showers, as the spring rains water the earth.
·
He
will come back the same way He left. He
will come down in the clouds on The Mount of Olives. – There will be Thunder,
Lightning and a loud Trumpet Blast
- NOTE: (Pre-Trib) - At the Rapture, the
Believers will hear “a single sound”, described three different ways. Only the Believers will hear this
sound. A Shout – The Voice of an Archangel – A Trumpet – NYOBS 01.23 - RAPTURE
Matthew 24:37 - As the days
of Noah, so the coming of Christ
37 For as were the days of Noah,
so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (ESV)
Luke 17:27-30 - Things will be running normal when
He returns
27 They were
eating and drinking and marrying and being given in
marriage, until the day when NOAH entered the ark, and the flood came and
destroyed them all.
28 Likewise,
just as it was in the days of LOT—they were eating and drinking, buying
and selling, planting and building,
29 but
on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and
destroyed them all—
30 so
will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
(ESV)
Matthew 25:13 – We know neither the day nor the
hour
13 Watch therefore,
for you know neither the day nor the hour. (ESV)
Matthew 24:30 – He will come in the clouds
30 Then will
appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the
earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds
of heaven with power and great glory. (ESV)
1 Thessalonians 4:17 – We will be caught up to
meet the Lord
17 Then we who are alive, who are
left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (ESV)
Hosea 6:1-3 – He comes as spring rain; revive,
heal, raise us up
1 Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal
us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
2 After two days he will revive
us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before
him.
3 Let us know; let us press on to
know the LORD; his going out is
sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring
rains that water the earth.” (ESV)
Rapture
Benefits
·
The Believer will escape the time of the
Tribulations – God has not appointed us to Wrath, but to keep us from the hour
of trial.
·
The Believer will be judged
at the Bema Seat of Christ and receive Rewards - The Evil will be judged at the
Great White Throne and face cruel, fierce anger.
·
The Believer will eat the good
of the land and the evil will be eaten by the Sword.
·
The Believer will enter into God’s
Sabbath Rest.
·
The Believer will be God’s Treasure,
a chosen
race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession.
·
The Believer will be
Translated
- When someone speaks to you in a different language, it needs to be translated into English in order for
you to understand it.
·
When
Jesus came to earth, His spiritual attributes were translated into physical attributes, which is what we see in
Him as a physical mortal man.
·
Man
was made with physical attributes like Christ, and at the rapture we are
translated, receiving spiritual attributes. - We will be like Him and we shall
see him as He is.
1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 - God has not destined us for wrath
8 But since we belong to the day,
let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a
helmet the hope of salvation.
9 For God has not destined us
for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (ESV)
Revelation 3:10 - I will keep you from the hour of trial
10 Because
you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour
of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the
earth. (ESV)
1 Thess 1:10 – We are delivered from the Wrath that is to come
10 Wait for his Son
from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us
from the wrath to come. KJV
John 14:2-3 – Jesus promised – I will come again
2 In my Father's house are
many mansions: (ROOMS) if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again,
and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. KJV
1 John 3:2 - We shall
be like him; for we shall see him as he is
2 Beloved, now we are the sons
of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is.
KJV
Revelation 11:18 – Judgment – Saints Rewarded –
Bema Seat
18 The nations raged, but
your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding
your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear
your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the
earth.”
(ESV)
Isaiah 1:19-20 – Saints eat
the good of land - Evil eaten by sword
19 If
you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (ESV)
Hebrews 4:9-10 – We will enter into God’s Sabbath
Rest
9 So then, there remains a
Sabbath rest for the people of God,
10 for whoever has entered God’s
rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. (ESV)
Exodus 19:4 – We will be brought
to God on eagles’ wings
4 You yourselves have seen what I
did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to
myself.
Exodus 19:5 – We will be
God’s treasured possession
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed
obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession
among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; (ESV)
1 Peter 2:9 – We become a chosen race, a Royal
Priesthood
9 But you are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own
possession, that you may proclaim the Excellencies of him who called you
out of darkness into his marvelous light. (ESV)
Exodus 19:6 – We become a kingdom of Priest
6 and you shall be to me a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall
speak to the people of Israel.” (ESV)
Timing
of Christ’s Return – THE DATE
·
Concerning that day and hour no one knows,
not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only – He will come like a thief in the night to
the unbeliever; totally unexpected.
·
Israel is referred to as a fig tree
in scripture or figs. (The Olivet
Discourse.) The parable
of the fig tree is proposed as the key that unlocks the understanding of
the general timing of the Rapture, the Tribulations and the
Return as well as the surrounding prophecies.
·
The Timing is known as “THE
SEASON” of the Fig Tree – Could we now be in that season?
·
In 1948 Israel (The fig Tree)
became a Nation – Scripture says that when the “FIG TREE”
branches become tender and puts out its leaves (becomes mature) you can know that Jesus Christ is
near and one full GENERATION will not pass away until He returns.
·
A Generation is counted by most to
be 50 years not counting those under 20 as noted in the Bible. This year 2015, subtract 1948
would equal 67 years; so with me being in my 70’s, I “might” just be a
part of witnessing Christ’s return. – If you consider yourself a Pre-Triber;
then nothing else has to happen before Christ returns. - I may
not even get to finish this Word Study - SELAH
Hosea 9:10 – Israel is like figs on a fig tree
10 Like grapes in the wilderness, I
found Israel. Like the first fruit on the FIG TREE in its first
season, (ESV)
Matthew 24:32-34 - These things
take place in one generation
32 From the FIG TREE learn
its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves,
you know that summer is near.
33 So also, when you see all
these things, you know that he is near.
34 Truly, I say to you, THIS
GENERATION (that sees this) will
not pass away until all these things take place. (ESV)
Matthew 24:36 - Concerning
that day and hour no one knows
36 But concerning that day and hour
no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the
Father only. (ESV)
2 Peter 3:10 – The Return will be totally
unexpected
10 The day of the Lord will
come like a thief, and the heavens will pass away with a roar; the heavenly
bodies will be burned up and dissolved.
Revelation 19:11 – He comes to judge and make war.
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and
behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and
in righteousness he judges and makes war. (ESV)
1 Thessalonians 4:16 - Shout - Voice Archangel –
Trumpet
16 For the Lord himself will
descend from heaven with a (shout)
cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound
of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
LAST THOUGHTS
During the tribulations, all Hell will break loose and will last for
seven years.
God will select 144,000 Jews and they will preach
to those that are “Left Behind”.
All that’s left on earth will be the wicked
unsaved, demons, fallen angels and Satan.
Not much love is left behind except for the
144,000 Evangelist. - NYOBS 35.16 144,000 – THE
MARK
We return with Christ to rule and reign with Him for
one thousand years,
then we get a new heaven and a new earth and then
eternity begins.
Pre-Trib – The “Wrath of God” is
poured out during the entire 7
years of the Tribulations.
Mid-Trib – The “Wrath of God” is
poured out during the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulations.
Post-Trib – The “Wrath of God” is
poured out at the end; after the 7 years of Tribulations.
It’s not of very much importance to your
SALAVATION whether or not you embrace the
Pre, Mid or Post return of Jesus Christ as the
Messiah. - The main point is to embrace HIM.
You should PRAY that the Lord comes back
before the Tribulations begin, but PLAN in case He comes back at the
end. – Life is Choice Driven - NYOBS
39.02 - CASE FOR CHRISTIANITY
The Blood of Jesus Christ can either blot out your
sins or blot out your name.
Everyone will spend
eternity somewhere and that decision is made by you before you die.
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white
garments,
and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life;
but I will confess
his name before My Father
and before His
angels. Revelation 3:5
(NKJV)
In the multitude of
counselors,
there is wisdom.
Proverbs 11:14
I
am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical
information, and scripture verses.
Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further that I
otherwise ever could have.
Case for
Mid-Tribulationalism – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
English
Standard Version Bible – ESV
Ezekiel – Thru
the Bible – J. Vernon McGee
Fly Away
Doctrine; Shepherd’s Chapel – Dr. Arnold
Murray
Gospel of
Judas; The - Wikipedia
Manna Fest;
Post Trib Return – Perry Stone
Message
Bible; The – MES
New
International Version Bible – NIV
New King James Bible - NKJV
Rapture; Pre
Tribulation or Post – Daniel’s Timeline
Wikipedia
