Report Date: April 5, 2011
Special Report: The Rapture & The Resurrection
Today's report is a dual report. I was asked by my wife to put together a simple Bible study on the rapture of the church that she could e-mail out to friends. I felt like this study would make a great report for an event that I believe the Bible tells us is in our futures as believers in Yeshua The Messiah. At the end of this report is an article that I think you will really like. It's a good thought provoking article on the Resurrection by Dr. David Reagan. I hope you enjoy it. The Rapture of The Church or the catching away into the clouds as some refer to it, is a sticking point for a lot in the body of Christ. Some say that it's shortsighted to think that we will not go through the Tribulation, while others say the Pre-Trib Rapture folks like me are just not going to be prepared when the worse comes. I must say however, because I believe in the Pre-Trib Rapture of the Body of Christ, Christ could return for us at any moment, this doctrine has always caused within me a sense of urgency to be all I can be in Christ our Messiah. I would say I'm more ready for the Lord's return then ever before in my 36 years of walking with Yeshua because of the study of Prophecy, End-Times and the Rapture. I have looked at both sides of the debate and for me, the rapture of the church just makes sense when weighed against the context of scripture. Each believer must bring the issue to the Lord in prayer and God what the truth is after reading and studying the scriptures relating to the subject. All believers must take a stand and then be ready to give a reason for why the believe the way they do. Study the topic and for heaven sakes make a decision based in the Bible and stand on your convictions. This study is my answer to the critics of the rapture. This is why I believe the way I do: 1Peter 3:15: 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; The Rapture of The Church
The doctrine of the Rapture of the Church or the
Body of Christ is the removal of those faithful
servants from the earth prior to "Seven Years of
Tribulation" on earth. Simply put, we will hear the
last trumpet sound, we will hear Yeshua shout, "Come Up Here,"
Rev. 4 and the dead in Christ rise first and we who are alive
are changed into the likeness of Christ (immortal) and follow
them to meet the Lord in the Air or the first heaven, the
atmosphere. This study will develop why I believe in the rapture
of believers. It should be noted that “old testament” Jews
believed in the resurrection of the dead. You can find
interesting articles on this at the
Jewish
Encyclopedia ;
Jewish Eschatology and
The Resurrection of The Dead. The concept of the
Resurrection of The Dead was not foreign to the Jews at
all. I bring this up because the teaching of the "Rapture"
includes
The Resurrection of The Dead. The dead rise first, then we
who are alive and remain follow them...
1
Thessalonians 4:14-18
Just an interesting factoid to get us started.
Scriptural Basis:
My Synopsis:
Here's a brief synopsis on it...The
groom and the bride are betrothed for a year or so and then at
the appointed time, the Father tells his son, the groom, to go
get His Bride. The groom's precession is huge and the trumpets
are blown. Everyone knows the groom is coming! The Bride is
dressed in the finest of
pure white linen. The Groom takes His bride back to His
Father’s house where they are joined in marriage and for seven
days there is a feast.
When the last trumpet is blown the Lord (groom) will come on the
Shekinah Glory (clouds) and call us (Bride) to join Him. We will
meet Him in the clouds of glory and He (the groom) will take us
(The Bride) to His Father's house where we will be joined to Him
and for seven years we enjoy His presence and have a feast.
After the wedding feast
Rev 19:5-9
is over we return with Him to stop the madness on planet earth.
In Rev 19:1-3 we see the saints that are speaking have an acute
awareness of what the word SALVATION engenders. The church knows
from personal experience what it means to be “saved” from ones
sins by personal experience, hence, the church or bride is
proclaiming this in this heavenly scene. Furthermore, His bride
is adorned in the pure white linen that represents the righteous
acts of the saints. When Yeshua went to the cross His
righteousness was inputted to us. We are righteous because He
is:
Rev 19
- After these things (Rev 18 pronouncements) I heard a loud
voice of a great
multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia!
Salvation and
glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!
2
For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged
the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication;
and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by
her."
3
Again they said, "Alleluia!
1Thessalonians 4:16-18
1Corinthians 15:50-58
Revelation 19:14 - 14 And the armies in heaven (Old Testament
Saints, Church and Angels), clothed in fine linen, white and
clean, followed Him on white horses. (Note: If we were here
through and after the
Tribulation, we’d then have
to go to up to heaven and
come right back again to assist the
Lord. This is called the Yo-Yo theory.)
Zechariah 14:5
Conclusion;
while the people of the earth are undergoing the seven years of
Tribulation because they chose not to believe in Yeshua prior to
the Tribulation, we (church/Saints) are in heaven with the Lord,
our just reward for believing prior to the days of Tribulation,
and we are enjoying being in His presence and I believe we will
receive our marching orders when we return with Him after the
Tribulation concludes. Yeshua and His Bride (church) finally
joined, the event of the ages has finally been consummated!
Romans 8: Finally, I should mention that under The Law of First Mention, it seems clear to me, as we examine Noah and Lot, that we can see that when the “final” Judgment of God comes He never judges the righteous and the unrighteous together. In the story of Noah we all know that God separated His people from those who were to perish and to be judged. In Lot’s case the same was true. Lot and his family were told by the Angels to make ready and leave. The language used was not a suggestion but a command to leave and leave fast. The point was, Lot and his family were separated and removed from the “final” Judgment of God. The Angels made it clear that they could not do what they had come to do until Lot and his loved ones were a safe distance away. Interesting that as Lot’s wife looked back, back at the world of sin and corruption, she was turned into a pillar of salt. Our Lord instructed us not to allow the cares of life to choke out the word of God in our lives (Mark 4:19). As we turn to Christ we are to look forward to a new life with and in Him. If we look back at our old life, the power of the spirit can be greatly diminished in our lives and it can have devastating repercussions in our lives. Many a people have backslidden because they looked back and desired what once was. To bring this thought to a close, The Law of First Mention teaches that when something appears in the Bible for the first time it continues to be true throughout all of scripture. It seems to me that the examples given to us in Noah and Lot show us the nature of God’s grace and love for His children. I believe that our Lord desires to spare us from the pain and suffering that the unbelieving world must endure (1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9). This thought falls within the parameters of the Law of First Mention. There are those who will argue, well, what about the Tribulation saints who believed after the Antichrist came to power, don’t they suffer with the unbelievers? Yes they do, however, they were given ample time to accept Christ prior to the Tribulation and chose not to accept Him prior to the Tribulation. The consequences for that choice were well known to them. Unfortunately, they will need to accept those consequences with courage and faith in Yeshua. Also, God does provide a very special reward for the Tribulation saints; see Rev. 7:9-17. I should mention that even during the Tribulation God sets aside a remnant who He protects from the horrors of that day! Even in this we see the grace of God at work. As well, I have been asked, Stephan what about the people who are not part of the Church or the Bride of Christ, won't they feel left out or set a side. My answer to this is two fold, first, this thought process is human in nature, this is not how we will think when we are with the Lord. Secondly, the Old Testament Saints where set free from Hades, the Lord led captivity captive see Eph 4:8. What a gift that was to them to see the long awaited Messiah spend 3 days with them and lead them into heaven, Wow how wonderful! The Tribulation Saints, as well as the Martyrs , as we discussed prior, will server the Lord while He is on His throne and they will never leave His side, nor will they ever suffer again. The point here, God rewards everyone in every dispensation fairly and no one will feel left out. God is good and everyone's needs will be perfectly met. No need to be concerned about hurt feelings in heaven... A dditionally, Yeshua our Messiah, took upon Himself the judgment for our sins. With this in mind, the Tribulation (Jeremiah 30) is God's judgment for sin on those left behind because they have refused to turn from their sin. Because Christ took that judgment in our place we will not have to face His judgment that will be poured out against an unbelieving world. Our great hope then is to hear the shout of God, "Come Up Here!" How wonderful it will be to meet our Messiah (Groom) in the air and then be escorted by Him to the Fathers house where we will forever be with Him! Thank God that He made a way of escape for us who love Yeshua! There is now no condemnation for those that love Christ Jesus. When God sees us He sees the Righteousness of Christ. If we then are seen as Righteous, there is no judgment necessary for us to endure concerning heaven or hell, the price has been paid through the blood of Jesus Christ. If we do not see that the Tribulation is a time of judgment for sin and the unrighteous then we will not be able to grasp the doctrine of the Rapture of The Church.[Please read all of 2 Corinthians 5; verse 21 is the capstone] When you take into consideration the examples provided by the context of scripture Old and New, it is clear that the Rapture of The Church is an event that is in our very near future! The prophecy of the Rapture of The Church will be fulfilled... Please read the 2nd part of this report:
What are the three greatest miracles in history?
Thank you for being a valued subscriber...Share our reports with a friend. Here "Many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. - Mic 4:2 "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." Psalm 137:5,6
Shalom v'ahava
b'Yeshua HaMashiach Bro Stef
MSN Messenger:
'But if
the watchman sees the sword
Then those who feared the Lord spoke to
E-Alerts Archive Web Link… |