NO Pre-Tribulation Rapture

Pastor Charlie Avila

www.spiritofrevelation.org www.teacherofthebible.org

Forward by Dr. Pete Bertolero

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Contents
Dedication Forward Preface 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. My Story The Questions & Confusion What the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Teaches Locating the Rapture The Parable of the Wheat and Tares The Last Trumpet The First Resurrection 1 Corinthians 15:50-55 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 The Thief in the Night The Great Tribulation Persecution Now! Who are the Elect & Saints? The Great Apostasy What About the Wrath of God? Why not the Pre-Wrath Rapture? Hes Only Coming Once The Second Coming of Jesus Its All Greek to Me The Day of the Lord The Days of Noah & Lot Thunders, Lightnings, Sounds, & an Earthquake Seals, Trumpets, & Bowls of Wrath Interpreting Revelation What Now? Contacting the Author Bibliography 4 5 7 8 12 18 25 30 38 42 47 52 59 65 70 76 83 90 91 95 99 104 110 128 136 140 146 151 155 156

The following Bible translations have been used in this book:

KJV Authorized King James Version of the Bible NAS New American Standard Bible, The Lockman Foundation, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, A Corporation Not For Profit, La Habra, California, All Right Reserved. NIV Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Dedication
This book is affectionately dedicated to the believers at Clovis Christian Center who first heard me teach these messages (and still kept me as their Pastor). They have a great love for me and I for them. May they continue to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Forward
Ive just read the book No Pre-tribulation Rapture by my good friend Charlie Avila. I can honestly say that I cannot remember reading a book about eschatology (the study of last things, or end-time themes) that so clearly and accurately explains the biblical teachings on the subject. Charlies grasp of Greek, along with his comprehensive studies of the available literature and materials on this topic, make for a compelling analysis on this subject that has been so popular these last 50 years. From the history of rapture theories, to the present day pop-theology spreading the pretribulation view; and from the martyrdom of Christians past, to the current, unprecedented mass persecutions of third world Christians; and from pre-tribulationalism to post-tribulationalism, Charlie fairly, yet passionately, deals with an accurate assessment of the apostolic teaching regarding the end of time and the second coming of Jesus Christ. There is a New Testament word for the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the Greek word kerygma. This word gives different vantage points to the gospel the Church of Jesus is to proclaim. For instance, it has a certain hindsight that undergirds its weightiness in that it refers to that which was spoken by the prophets or the age of fulfillment is at hand, etc. It also has a certain present tenseness to it, in terms of this present evil age, in which it contains the historical sequence of events leading up to the crucifixion, burial, resurrection, ascension and exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ. But there is also a major emphasis that points us toward a future, prophesied event, and the promise of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It then concludes its proclamation with an admonition for all people to repent and receive the forgiveness of their sins. The central theme of the gospel of Jesus is the kingdom of God. George Eldon Ladd, well-known and widely respected scholar on the subject of the end-times and the kingdom of God, saw the kingdom of God as having two different aspects that he termed the already and the not yet. In a certain sense, when Jesus preached or proclaimed the kingdom of God is near, or has come he was announcing that it was already present in Him (cf., Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:18-21). To the extent that demons fled when He commanded them to leave, and the blind saw, the deaf heard, the lame walked, the dead rose, and nature obeyed His imperatives; and to the extent that sinners received forgiveness from Him, and He received worship from them, truly the kingdom had already come among men. However, there was a disturbing aspect to all this, that seemed to ruin the whole glorious picture. There was certain evidence that the kingdom had not fully come in the person of Jesus, and was yet to come as it was prophesied. To the extent that men could resist the summons of Jesus to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15), and to the extent that He at times could do no mighty works due to the unbelief of those around Him (Mark 6:1-6), and when one observes those occasions when demons resisted His commands, attempting to bargain with Him before they obeyed (Mark 5:1-13), in this sense, it was obvious that the arrival of the kingdom of God had not fully come, and in this respect was not yet. Ladd went on to develop that premise that Jesus brought with Him a foretaste of the future kingdom in His person. That, in effect, was according to Ladd, the presence of the future. Another important point is that Jesus favorite title for Himself was the Son of man (Mark 2:28, 8:38). This was an apocalyptic, or end-time designation that pointed, not as some suppose, to His humanity, but to His divine role as the ultimate Judge of all men on that Day when He returns, in the words of the Nicene Creed to judge the living and the dead. (cf.,

Daniel 7:13). Contrary to the notion that this title points to His humanity, it actually is a title used in apocalyptic writings as a designation of Divine authority and the Lordship of Gods Messiah in His end-time role as king and judge. All this to say that Charlie Avilas wonderful book No Pre-tribulation Rapture serves not only to correct the popular, yet erroneous, notions of a pre-tribulation rapture, but aligns itself with basic apostolic teaching so desperately needed today if we are to proclaim with accuracy and power the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without Charlies common sense, yet scholarly reproof and correction on this controversial subject, the kerygma will suffer. An accurate, orthodox eschatology is so necessary, because it is such a vital part of the very heart of the gospel. This gospel not only points us back to the prophets, and to events that happened two thousand years ago, but more importantly, it points us and prepares us for future events that will inevitably happen as a precursor for the return of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Jews looked back at the Exodus, and looked to the future for their ultimate hope of the coming of the Messiah. Christians, on the other-hand, look back to the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ as the greatest event yet to take place in history, but look to the future for the ultimate event to be fulfilled, and do so with a blessed hope. That event will be the return of Jesus Christ. It is the good news of the Gospel that Jesus has come already. It is the great news of the gospel that He is coming back! I want to point people to Jesus. Im hungry for the souls of men, women, and childr en. Im a predator of sorts. I hunt for souls to save. I long to preach the gospel to people. I love to share the good news. When Im in a dry period, the cure-all is leading someone to Christ. When Im feeling like a piece of stale, moldy bread, leading someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus is all I need to be refreshed. Nothing else matters. There is no higher purpose, there is no better way to redeem the time, and there is no other mission or mandate than the successful handing off of the Christian faith to others. All I read and do is weighed in the balance of the great commission. I believe this ought to be true for all who follow Jesus. Its the legitimizer of genuine faith. Charlies book No Pre-tribulation Rapture passes this test. It makes the futuristic aspect of the gospel so simple to understand and explain that, in an era of heightened interest on the subject of end-times, it will provide a natural segue into leading people to Jesus, as I believe it was always meant to be. So get your Bible and your highlighter, find a quiet place, and prepare to get unconfused about this wonderful revelation. You will be stretched a bit, and you may find yourself getting a bit irate as your pre-conceived notions are challenged, scrutinized and exposed to the light of Gods Word. But keep your seat belt fastened and read on. Things will sort themselves out by about Chapter 7, The First Resurrection, and by Chapter 17, Hes Only Coming Once, youll be well on your way to pruning your library of end-time books, tapes, videos, and novels. My personal favorites are Chapters 6, The Last Trumpet, 7, 10, The Thief in the Night, 11, The Great Tribulation, 14, The Great Apostasy, 17, and 20, The Day of the Lord. In fact, Chapter 20 is worth the price of the whole book. And so without further ado, I heartily commend this book, written by my Latin scholar friend, Pastor Charlie Avila. Im going to quickly call our churchs bookstore and have them order a whole shelf full. Im afraid the other books on this subject will soon be Left Behind! Pete Bertolero, Ph.D., Th.D.

Preface
(Please read it will help you a lot) There are some very important statements I want to give right up front, that will help the reader get the most out of this study. 1) This book has been specifically written with two kinds of people in mind: To Christians who hold to what is popularly called the pre-tribulation rapture of the church; and to those who are finding themselves drawn more and more to the subject of future trends and possible end of the world scenarios. 2) Throughout this book I use the term pretribulationists. I define this term as any Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist or other minister who believes in and teaches the pretribulation rapture. While I am using it in a general sense, I have in mind the Bible prophecy teachers who have put out books, tapes, videos, or other materials that promote the rapture before the tribulation. 3) I have spent many hours organizing the material in this book. I have given a lot of thought to the order of the chapters. The chapters are structured so that each chapter builds upon the previous one. You will get the most out of the information in this book, if you do not skip around and choose those chapters that attract your interest or fancy. For example, if you immediately jump to Chapter 11, The Great Tribulation, without reading any of the previous ten chapters, you will be totally confused and may even become frustrated in your effort to understand the subject of the book. 4) All of the necessary information to contact me is found at the end of this book. 5) Please do not use the teachings in this book to cause divisions in the body of Christ and offenses with other believers and ministers contrary to the doctrine of Christ. We must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. If what I am writing is the truth, it must be shared with mercy, grace, and love. While doing the research and study for this book, I found an enormous amount of pride, arrogance, and haughtiness all in the name of Jesus. Some of the material on the Internet was embarrassing and offensive. Ive learned that Jesus hates pride no matter what you believe about endtime events. You are not the Holy Spirit and you cant convict others by unmercifully beating them with the teachings in this book or any other book. Always be humble in spirit and in mind. Let us heed the admonition of 1 Corinthians 8:1, Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 6) If you would like to receive my teaching newsletter, Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation, contact me at the mailing or e-mail address at the end of the book. 7) In Chapters 4-23 I have chosen to focus on the clear exposition of Scriptures to show my conclusions rather than pointing out whats wrong with pre-tribulation rapture books. To do the latter would take another book. 8) Thank you for reading the book. I hope that the instruction found here will help you in your walk with the Lord. Ephesians 6:24, Grace to all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

My Story

John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

Chapter

1
My Story

erhaps very much like you, the reader, I found myself years ago drawn to the subject of eschatology, or the study of end-time events. Due to my initial reading on this subject, I believed in the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church. That is, I believed that the Church would escape the great tribulation and go to be with Jesus until after the 7-years had run its course, then to return with Jesus at His real 2nd Coming. I did not learn this teaching because I came to its conclusions through any careful Bible study of my own. I learned it like so many others have done, by reading books, listening to tapes, going through a seminar, or watching a video. I dont know of anyone who, studying the Bible alone, without the help or influence of current prophecy books, can arrive at the teachings of dispensationalism1 or the pre-tribulation rapture. A few years before I gave my heart to Jesus Christ, I read the famous prophecy book The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey. This book scared me half to death. I was particularly afraid of someone the author called the AntiChrist2 who could be found in the Book of Revelation. This was my first introduction into Bible prophecy and I was still not a Christian. I received the Lord into my life while in college. I immediately immersed myself in Bible prophecy by reading books and listened to tapes that carefully explained the details of the pre-tribulation rapture and the great tribulation. I was greatly influenced by the end-time prophecy teachings of popular evangelists on television at that time. I did my own casual reading through the books of Daniel and Revelation. I studied the prophecies of Jesus in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 along with the end-time teachings in Pauls letters. I will never forget the day that I sat in my apartment with all of these notes, books, Bibles, and charts, many charts, that supposedly gave me all the quick and easy answers to endtime events. The plain and simple charts ultimately left me confused and bewildered. I stared at the charts and tried to follow along in the Book of Revelation, but I came up empty. Others could explain it, but I could not. In my discouragement and frustration, I abandoned my pursuit and even concluded that it was impossible to understand Revelation and it was only important to
1

This term will be defined for you in Chapter 3 of this book. It is a system of interpretation that breaks down the Bible into different dispensations or time periods where God deals with different persons and people groups to accomplish His purposes. 2 The AntiChrist is a man who will rise up in the last days as a world ruler and will terrorize the nations of the world and require complete allegiance and worship. He is described in many parts of the Bible, especially Revelation 13, Daniel 7, and 2 Thessalonians 2.

find principles for Christian living. In fact, I became cynical and closed my heart to end-time teachings and books for probably a dozen years. During this time I would occasionally utter a short prayer for the Holy Spirit to help me understand what seemed so confusing. I didnt want to live a cynical life or harden my heart to these important teachings of the Bible. But I genuinely didnt understand things and I couldnt lie about it. My heart was not at pea ce, and something was missing. It was as if a mist or dark cloud hung over me, and I could not make the end-time puzzle fit. I ultimately concluded that Jesus was coming back again, and I just had to continue seeking Him and living a godly life. For me, the pre-tribulation rapture teaching produced some very confusing charts. I simply had to hang on until I was raptured. For me, the charts prepared me for an escape from persecution, the very thing the Bible told me to expect. The truth is, I have met many Christians just like myself. To hear some of these sincere believers can drive you to tears. Some have tossed all of their prophecy books. Others have given up on the subject. Others simply pass around tapes by popular prophecy teachers because they really cant explain it themselves with any confidence. They invariably say, Ive not really studied this out; weve only heard this position and no others; or everyone else believes this way so it must be true. Its not that we cant make sense of a chart or table, but it just doesnt fit. There are so many scenarios that are difficult to believe. I often see and sense this uneasiness and lack of peace in Christians who believe the pre-tribulation rapture. In recent years, I began to do studies on key words in the Book of Revelation. I would read and re-read Revelation from different translations. However, my understanding proceeded at a snails pace for many years. I was able to fit a puzzle piece here and there, but nothing significant. Through Seminary training, many long hours on my own, and the Holy Spirits enabling, I learned biblical Greek. This knowledge helped me greatly and I began to study the Book of Revelation in the original Greek. Finally, I was reading an end-time prophecy book that was explaining 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and my understanding seemed to open up just a little. Shortly after this, I began to understand and piece together much of this end-time puzzle that seemed so complicated. It seemed that my hunger to understand these end-time events became insatiable. I was a starving and thirsty man in a desert. I began to research intensely the history of the pretribulation rapture. I bought books that were rare or out-of-print. I went to the largest Christian library in Central California and spent many hours doing research in books and magazines that are not available to the general Christian public. I contacted rare and used booksellers, professors, ministry directors, wrote letters, sent e-mail, met with Pastors, made phone calls, researched the Internet, etc., until I had accumulated a valuable library that helped me in my research. But ultimately, it was the teachings from the Bible that satisfied me. What you hold in your hand is what Ive learned about these end-time events. I will warn you: What you are about to read goes contrary to the popular and sensationalized prophecy teaching currently espoused in todays Bible bookstores, videos, and teaching tapes. However, this is not because these are new ideas or teachings. In fact, what you will read in this book is something that has been taught for many, many centuries by many, many godly and scholarly men. It is not exclusive. Many others believe it also. Many books have been written teaching the same things. I firmly believe that this book will help you sort out a lot of the confusion on end-time events. In the process, you will see many of the weaknesses of the pretribulation rapture teaching, and clarify your own understanding of end-time events.

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My Challenges to You Here are some challenges to all that will read this book:

Is all that you know about end-time events based on someone elses book, tape, or seminar, or is it based on your own careful study of the Scriptures and all of the related end-time words and events? You need to answer this question honestly. I believe, along with many other writers, that Christians do not come to the conclusions of the pre-tribulation rapture and dispensationalism through their own Bible study. Many arrive at this teaching after reading a book, listening to a tape, or going to a seminar. Thats the way I first learned it and thats the way you probably learned it and thats the way others have probably learned it. I have personally not met anyone who came up with the pre-tribulation rapture through their own careful study without the help of pre-tribulation books, charts or tapes. Books and tapes are OK, but you need to do your own study and be convinced yourself. If what you believe about end-time events is filled with Scriptural contradictions, then you may not have the truth. The Bible is the truth and its not filled with contradictions. I believe that the pre-tribulation rapture teaching is filled with scriptural contradictions; therefore, we must do our best to reconcile these contradictions to what the Scriptures plainly teach. If you disagree with something in this book, go home, do your own careful study and weigh your findings against those in these pages. If you read something that is not right, do your own research and study. We need the truth because it will set us free. We must all grow in the truth and be fully convinced in our hearts and minds. Eschatology is very important and occupies a large portion of the Scriptures. It determines our destiny. We are not waiting for an event to happen, we are waiting for a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is not focused on us escaping or being persecuted; its focused on us being alert, ready, holy, and vigilant. The end result of our doctrinal position on end-times should not be an end-time chart, but a lifestyle of personal holiness before God. I hope that the fruit of the teachings in this book will cause Christians to be alert, ready, vigilant and looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no time to be slack in our relationship with Jesus. We must be sold out to the truth that is in Jesus! He will keep those who belong to Him.

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The Questions & Confusion

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1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.
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Chapter

2
The Questions and Confusion

1) If the Church is going to be raptured before the tribulation, then why do the wheat and tares grow up together until the harvest, which is the end of the age (Matthew 13:29-30, 39-40)? Why is the wheat (Christians) still around until the end of the age? In fact, the wicked are separated first and thrown into the fire and then the wheat is gathered into His barn. 2) If the Church is going to be raptured before the tribulation, then why do the angels separate the wicked from the righteous, the bad fish from the good fish, at the end of the age (Matthew 13:47-50)? Why are the good fish (Christians) still around until the end of the age? 3) If the Church gets raptured at the last trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15:52, then how can there be another major trumpet sounded at the Lords return seven years later in Matthew 24:31? Jesus said that this trumpet is blown after the tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31). But last means last! There can be no more trumpets after the last trumpet. 4) 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 teaches that the coming of Jesus, the rapture, and the day of the Lord will not come until there is a great apostasy and the man of sin (AntiChrist) is revealed. The rapture takes place after the AntiChrist is revealed. How can there be a pre-tribulation, preAntiChrist rapture if Paul says that it occurs after the AntiChrist, or man of sin, is revealed? 5) When Paul teaches about the rapture in 1 Corinthians 15:50-55, he states in Verse 54 that at the rapture, Death is swallowed up in victory. But if the pre-tribulation rapture is true, then how can there be all this killing and death during the tribulation if death has already been swallowed up? Paul quotes death is swallowed up in victory directly from Isaiah 25:8. Here Isaiah prophesied that this time was when God will wipe away the tears from all faces. This occurs after the tribulation according to Revelation 7:17 and 21:4. 6) The pre-tribulation rapture teaches that the Lord is coming twice: once for the Church before the tribulation and again with the Church after the tribulation. These teachers say that these are two stages or two phases of the 2nd Coming. In the 1860s they actually taught that the first coming was the 2nd coming and the last coming was the 3rd coming. But Hebrews 9:28 is the only place in Scriptures that gives a numerical total on Jesus return. It says in this verse that Jesus is coming back one more time to bring salvation to those who

f you believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church, then here are fifteen questions to consider. These questions need biblical answers. Consider them carefully for they will reveal a lot of things about the pre-tribulation rapture:

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Edited by Foxit The Doctrine of theReader two comings was orginated by the Playmothe Brethren, among which Mr.Darby was the Copyright(C) by Foxit Corporation,2005-2010 chiefEvaluation pastor. For Only.

are waiting for Him. How can there be two comings when He is only coming once? How can He bring salvation to those waiting for Him if Christians are already in heaven? 7) The rapture that is taught by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 occurs on the day of the Lord. Yet, in 2 Peter 3:7-13, the apostle Peter says that on the day of the Lord, the day Jesus comes, is when there will be the destruction of ungodly men and the heavens and elements will be destroyed. This destruction matches the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 when he says, while people are saying, peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly. The day of the Lord is after the tribulation according to Peter and this is when the ungodly get destroyed. Paul says that the day of the Lord is when the Church gets raptured. Why does the pre-tribulation rapture have unbelievers going into the great tribulation at His Coming when this is the time they get destroyed? 8) Did you know that when angels of God, gifts, large sheets, fire, the Holy Spirit, and the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, it/they made it all the way down to earth? When Jesus descends from heaven in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, according to the pre-tribulation teaching, it will be the first time anything or anyone from heaven descended halfway down only to turn around in mid-air and go back into heaven. 9) The word rapture is not mentioned in the Bible. The Bible says that it is actually the bodily resurrection of all believers, dead or alive. The rapture is when we get our glorified body. Jesus taught in John 6:39, 40, 44, and 54 that His resurrection or rapture would occur on the last day. The last day is at the end of the tribulation when the Lord returns. How can the rapture occur seven years before the last day? 10) Along these same lines, Revelation 20:4-6 mentions the rapture as the first resurrection. This rapture includes those who have not worshipped the AntiChrist or his image and have not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. This resurrection is after the tribulation, and it is called the first resurrection. How can you have the pre-tribulation rapture seven years before and still have the first resurrection seven years later? C.I. Scofield, a key pre-tribulation teacher at the turn of the 20th century, said that the pretribulation rapture was the first phase of the first resurrection and the second phase was actually the first resurrection of Revelation 20. But first means first. How can we have other resurrections before this one that occurs after the tribulation? 11) The Greek word for tribulation, as in the great tribulation, is nearly always translated persecution or affliction. In forty New Testament verses, it is applied to Christian believers. Paul taught that Christians were destined to suffer persecution and that anyone who lived godly in Christ Jesus would be persecuted. Why does the pre-tribulation rapture have us escaping persecution when this is the very thing the Scriptures say we will go through? 12) 1 Thessalonians 5:2 teaches that Jesus comes as a thief in the night at the rapture. If the pre-tribulation rapture is true, then why does Revelation 16:15 teach that Jesus comes as a thief at the 6th bowl of Gods wrath at Armageddon? According to Revelation 16:15, the rapture is after the tribulation. 13) The pre-tribulation rapture was first proposed and taught in the 1830s. In other words, for 18 centuries Christians did not know about a secret rapture or secret coming of Jesus before the tribulation. There is no hint or suggestion through 1800 years of Church history about a pre-tribulation rapture of the Church. (However, there was plenty of encouragement for believers to pray for deliverance from tribulation, which the pretribulationalists use to support their doctrine). There are several books written that attempt to show the origins of

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Edited by Foxit Reader Copyright(C) by Foxit Corporation,2005-2010 For Evaluation Only.

the pre-tribulation rapture. Some say it was the Fox sisters, others Edward Irving, still others Margaret MacDonald. I concede that all of these made contributions to the secret rapture that is believed today. However, the person who really organized, formulated, and established a system of interpretation for the secret rapture was John Nelson Darby. Darby came up with this teaching to support his views of dispensationalism, which separates Israel and the Church in the last days. 14) Why did Jesus not speak about a pre-tribulation rapture? Jesus only spoke about a rapture that is after the tribulation. Also, the only coming that Jesus mentions is the glorious 2nd Coming to destroy His enemies. Why does the book of Revelation not mention the pretribulation rapture? Why does Revelation only mention one coming of Jesus? Why is the secret coming to get the Church not mentioned in Revelation? Often, the pretribulationalists argue for their position from silence. 15) Why are the three main Greek nouns used to describe the Lords coming (Parousia, Epiphany, Apocalypse) found at the Lords glorious coming after the tribulation? No verses can be found with these words before the tribulation. Why So Much Confusion? While meditating on end-time events, a very simple question came to my heart. Why am I so confused over end-time events? The honest truth was, I didnt know. This question by itself was a revelation. It became a key that would unlock many things later. It was true I didnt even know why I was confused. I didnt know why things didnt make sense. I could not begin to arrive at an answer if I didnt know the question. My ignorance and darkness was complete. I prayed to the Lord and asked, Why Lord? Why am I so confused? As I began to understand some of the end-time issues, I was able to sort out a lot of the confusion.
Rapture of the Church The Lords Return, AntiChrist & ungodly destroyed The Great Tribulation

Look at the diagram above. The pretribulationists believe that the Church gets raptured before the great tribulation. Christians go to heaven while the unsaved and Jews stay on earth to go through this seven-year period of tremendous trouble. After the tribulation, the Lord comes on the last day to destroy AntiChrist and his followers, and Jesus sets up His kingdom on earth ruling from Jerusalem. Lets get right to the point. Lets get to the source of all the confusion. If the above scenario is true, then we need two of everything. We need two last trumpets, one at the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:52), and one at the 2nd Coming (Matthew 24:31). We need Jesus to come twice, once at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15), and the other at the 2nd Coming (Matthew 24:27-39). We need two resurrections, one at the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:16), and one at the 2nd Coming (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54). We need two day of the Lord teachings, one where unbelievers stay alive, and another where unbelievers are destroyed. We need two gatherings or raptures of Gods people, one at the rapture

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(1 Thessalonians 5:2-4), and one at the 2nd Coming (Matthew 24:31, Mark 13:27). We need the thief in the night to come twice, once at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 5:2), and once at the 2nd Coming (Revelation 16:15, 2 Peter 3:10-12). We need two first resurrections, one before the tribulation (1 Corinthians 15:50-55), and one after the tribulation (Revelation 20:4-6). We need a coming of Jesus where AntiChrist is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3), and then a few verses later, we need another coming where AntiChrist is destroyed (2 Thessalonians 2:8)! We need Jesus showing up before the wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 5:9), and after the wrath of God (Revelation 16:15). Let me summarize: We need two last trumpets, two comings, two firstfruit resurrections, two day of the Lords, two gatherings, two raptures, two thieves in the night, two first resurrections, Jesus coming before the wrath and Jesus coming after the wrath, and a coming of Jesus when AntiChrist is revealed, followed by one in which AntiChrist is destroyed. In simple terms, we need two of everything. This is what I call the double-vision of eschatology. I often had trouble figuring out which verse applied to which coming, which verse applied to which resurrection, and which verse applied to which day of the Lord. As long as there was two of everything, I wasnt quite sure whether to place the timing of a verse at the rapture or at the 2nd Coming. As long as Christians maintain this double-vision of end-time events, they will not see what the Lord is saying. Our spiritual vision will be blurred. Its difficult to read with double vision. Heres a key. How did all of this double-vision come about? Ill give the answer now, but will explain it fully later. John Nelson Darby, the main inventor of dispensationalism and the pre-tribulation rapture, took the rapture of the Church from the last day or the end of the age, and moved it forward on Gods timetable by an undisclosed period of time (he thought it might be 70 years or even 100 years before the Lords glorious return). Why did he do this? He did not do this to get the Church to escape the great tribulation. He did it for one simple reason: To separate the Church from Israel and thus support his beliefs on dispensationalism. Darby said the Church had to be in heaven (heavenly places) so that God could once again work out His purposes with Israel/Jews on the earth. When we move the rapture from the last day or the glorious 2nd Coming at the end of the age, then we need two of everything. The pre-tribulation rapture has two of everything. Heres what I recommend that you do take the rapture of the Church and move it back to the end of the great tribulation when Jesus returns in glory and power, and it solves the double-vision problems. You will not find Scriptural contradictions and it will greatly help your understanding of end-time events. Just undo what John Nelson Darby did. Just move the rapture from before the tribulation to after the tribulation and things will be return to their proper place. This book shows that There are not two last trumpets; there is just one. There are not two comings of Christ; there is just one. There are not two day of the Lord teachings; there is just one. There are not two first resurrections; there is just one. There are not two gatherings or raptures; there is just one. There are not two thieves in the night; there is just one.

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 There are not two Parousias (Comings); there is just one. There are not two Epiphanies (Appearings); there is just one. There are not two Apocalypses (Revelations); there is just one. This book will show why I believe the above is true. Lets first go and see what pretribulationists believe and why they believe it.

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What the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Teaches

Secret

Rapture

???

Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
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Edited by Foxit Reader Copyright(C) by Foxit Corporation,2005-2010 For Evaluation Only.

Chapter

3
What the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Teaches

efore we look at some of the weaknesses with the pre-tribulation rapture teaching, I need to explain briefly its main points. To do that, I need to show one important chart. End-time charts have been the source of much confusion, but I need something basic so readers will understand what Ill write later. Take a minute or two and look over the basic chart of the pre-tribulation rapture teaching found on the next page. Lets start on the left-hand side of the chart and work our way over to the right. Lets look at each part individually: Imminence: This means simply that no other prophetic event must take place before Jesus comes to rapture His Church. Imminence means the rapture can occur at any moment. No tribulation, no AntiChrist, no heavenly sign; in other words, Jesus can come in the next few minutes, rapture the Church, and then the final tribulation begins. This is one of the foundation stones of this whole doctrine. If imminence is disproved, this whole scenario breaks down. Secret Rapture of the Church: At this up-arrow, I have the words 1st phase. The pretribulationists believe this rapture represents the 1st phase of the Lords Coming. Sometimes they use the term 1st stage. The 2nd phase or 2nd stage occurs seven years later at Armageddon. In the words of the foremost teacher of this doctrine, It is important to understand that there are two phases to Christs second coming, (1) the Rapture of the Church and (2) the glorious appearing.3 This is part of the double-vision I wrote about in the last chapter. This rapture is secret because all the unbelievers will be left behind to go through terrible tribulation at the hands of AntiChrist. The Christians receive their glorified bodies and they escape the great tribulation. The Lord can now resume His dealings with the nation of Israel. This is one of the most important elements of a whole system of interpretation called dispensationalism that I will discuss later in this chapter. Dispensationalism requires the separation of Israel/Jews and the Church/Christians in the last days. They believe, at the rapture, Christians that are living will be supernaturally transformed and transported to heaven to be with Jesus until the tribulation is over and we return with Him at His 2nd Coming. The Church thus escapes the wrath of God poured out during the tribulation period. AntiChrist on the earth: During the tribulation period a man supernaturally empowered and anointed by the devil himself will arise. The Bible describes him as the man of sin, man of lawlessness, and the beast. He is called AntiChrist because he will be against Christ.

From Revelation, Illustrated and made Plain, Dr. Tim LaHaye, copyright 1973, page 280.

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Secret Rapture of the Church 1st Phase

2nd Coming of Christ 2nd Phase

AntiChrist on earth during the 7-Year Tribulation

Imminence

Regathering Israel

Armageddon. AntiChrist, unbelievers destroyed. Earth laid bare. Christ on earth.

1st 3 Years

2nd 3 Years

7 Year Tribulation

The basic chart of the pre-tribulation rapture teaching

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According to the pretribulationist, he will make a covenant with Israel during the first 3 years of the tribulation and then break this covenant and begin his reign of worldwide terror during the last 3 years. The foundation for all of these time periods is the week (7 years) in Daniel 9:27, And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering. The AntiChrist will be worshipped by everyone in the world except those whose names are written in the Lambs book of life. He will kill those who do not receive the mark of the beast on their forehead or hand (see Revelation 13). Regathering of Israel or Jews to their homeland: At the 2nd Coming, pretribulationists believe that the Jews, known as the elect in Matthew 24:31, will be regathered to their homeland in the land of Palestine. The elect are also mentioned in Matthew 24:22, 24. They teach that these elect are Jews, not Christians. God will fulfill all of His promises to Israel regarding the land. 2nd Coming of Christ: This is the 2nd phase of the Coming of the Lord. This is the glorious 2nd Coming that is described in Revelation 19 and Matthew 24:29-30. This is when He returns to earth at the battle of Armageddon to destroy the AntiChrist and all those who have the mark of the beast. Jesus sets His feet on the Mount of Olives. The 7-Year Tribulation: This is the famous 70th week of Daniels prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27. This week is seven years and it is broken up by pretribulationists into two 3-year time periods. They teach that the first 3- year period is known as the beginning of birth pangs as described by Jesus in Matthew 24:8. The actual great tribulation is the last 3year time period when the AntiChrist will unleash his terror and God will pour out His wrath as spoken about in Revelation 16. These 3-year time periods are written as 1,260 days, 42 months, and time (1), times (2), and half a time () in the book of Daniel and Revelation. 4 Many lengthy books have been written about the pre-tribulation rapture. Obviously, my discussion here is not meant to be in-depth or exhaustive by any means. I just want to give the basics, the language, of this rapture doctrine so that you will know what Im talking about in subsequent chapters. The Basics of Dispensationalism The simple definition of the word dispensation is to manage, regulate, administer, and plan the affairs of a household.5 Pretribulationists use this term to show Gods administration or plan for the world as it unfolds over several ages or dispensations. For example, there is a dispensation before the Fall, one at the time of Noah, another with Abraham, then with Moses and Israel, and also the gospel of grace as seen in the New Testament. I dont think too many people have problems seeing that God was dealing differently with various men and people groups. For the discussion in this book, Im particularly concerned with how dispensationalism separates Gods people in the last days. There is some dispute over the origin of dispensationalism. Some people argue that this system of interpretation began in the early part of the 18th century in the writings of Pierre Poiret, John Edwards, and Isaac Watts. Though these men set forth dispensational schemes, it was the ministry and writings of John Nelson Darby in the 19th century that systematized the concept. His work was the foundation for later dispensationalists such as James H. Brookes, James M.

4 5

See for example, Daniel 7:25, 12:1 and Revelation 11:2, 11:3, 12:6, 12:14, and 13:5. From Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Walter A. Elwell, Editor, copyright 1984, page 321.

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Gray (Moody Bible Institute), C.I. Scofield (Scofield Reference Bible), and L.S. Chafer (Dallas Theological Seminary).6 I will not show all the detailed charts given to my congregation the first time I preached these messages, but let me give four very important concepts that are the heart and soul of Darbys dispensational system. It must be understood that dispensationalism is the foundation of the pre-tribulation rapture. Without dispensationalism, there is no pre-tribulation rapture. I will draw some important conclusions at the end of this discussion so please read this information carefully. Remember, this is what Darby believed. Gods Original Plan: In the Old Testament, God chose a man named Moses and gave him the Law. His dealings were with a nation called Israel. Israel, also known as the Jews, was Gods chosen people. Over the course of many centuries and through many prophets, the Lord told the Israelites that He was going to send someone called Messiah. Jesus, who is the Messiah, came to earth to bring salvation to these Jews and all of mankind. Under dispensational teachings, Jesus came to offer the Jews the kingdom of God. The kingdom was not for Gentiles or the Church or anyone else it was exclusively for the Jews (this is the heart and soul of Darbys beliefs). If the Jews accepted Jesus as the King of Gods kingdom, then Jesus would destroy the enemies of the Jews, return them to their homeland, and have Solomons temple rebuilt. The Davidic kingdom promised to King David would be reestablished, animal sacrifices would be reinstituted in Gods temple, and Christs earthly reign would begin. There was one big problem: The Jews rejected Jesus and His Kingdom. God had to come up with another plan! God Institutes a New Plan: Since the Jews rejected King Jesus and the Kingdom, God had to come up with a new plan. Remember, this was not Gods original plan, but the Lord quickly came up with another plan to overcome the rejection. Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, and a leading dispensationalist, used the word intercalation to describe what God did next. Intercalation means, to insert a day into a calendar. For example, suppose you requested a few days of vacation from work for Christmas and New Years and your boss initially gave you the approval. You submitted this request in October so you could do some early planning. Suppose also that your boss calls you into his office at the beginning of November and says that business will be busy at Christmas and New Years, and he needs you to work. He asks you to look for some other days that you could take off, possibly around Thanksgiving. You go back and talk it over with your wife and agree to take a week off at Thanksgiving. You pull out your John Nelson Darby, 1800-82, Father of calendar and insert several days of vacation that were not originally Dispensationalism planned. This is what a dispensationalist means by intercalation. God originally had a plan for Israel that was rejected, so He came up with a new plan that He inserted in His prophetic timetable. This new age or dispensation is called the Church age or the age of the gospel of grace. Heres the key: God stopped His dealings with Israel, and now He began a new age whereby He would allow Gentiles (and Jews) to receive the Messiah that was rejected by Israel. This new plan was called The Great Parenthesis by the dispensationalist teacher, C.I. Scofield. This means that God inserted a big
6

Ibid., page 322.

22

parenthesis like this ( ), where the parenthesis contained the Church age. Remember, according to the dispensationalists, this was not Gods original plan. He had to come up with this plan because the Jews rejected the Kingdom. This new plan is also called the Parenthetical Age, Interlude, Temporary Age, or Intercalation. In other words, the Church was really an afterthought in Gods great scheme for the world. Gospel of Grace vs. Gospel of the Kingdom: Under this new plan, dispensationalism teaches that there is a vast difference between the gospel of grace and the gospel of the Kingdom. The former is strictly for the Church/Christians, and the latter is strictly for Israel/Jews. To mix this up would mean that a believer was not rightly dividing the word (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV). This means that the Kingdom of heaven or the Kingdom of God preached by John the Baptist and Jesus was for the Jews only. Darby saw the whole book of Matthew as a Jewish book because of all the references to the Kingdom. Under the new plan, God revealed to the Apostle Paul the gospel of grace. This is for the Church so that the full number of Gentiles could get in. What Darby did, was separate the Church from Israel by moving the rapture forward from the last day, or the day that Jesus comes. He said that it could be anywhere from 70 to 100 years before the 2nd Coming. He did not do this so the Church would escape the great tribulation, but to separate Israel from the Church. In the last days, God will resume His dealings with the people who rejected the Kingdom 2,000 years ago. Today, under modern dispensationalism, Gods dealings with Israel will be during a 7-year tribulation period where all of Israel will get saved. But the Church will not be here because Darby taught that her home was in heavenly places not the land of Palestine on earth that was promised only to Israel. In the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24, the 14th Verse says, And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. When Darby saw the words, gospel of the kingdom, he said that only the Jews could be around in Matthew 24. Consequently, the elect in Matthew 24:22, 24, and 31 could not be the Church/Christians, it had to be the Jews. Keep this in mind, that if a Christian is going to use dispensationalism to interpret Scriptures, he must make a definite and distinct difference between the Church and Israel in the last days. In other words, Matthew 24:22 may not say that the elect is Israel, but you have to make it say that because of the words gospel of the kingdom in Verse 14. Kingdom means Jews/Israel and not the Church. It appears that the Scriptures must be bent or forced to fit this scheme of interpretation. The Apostate Church: Apostate means backslidden, rebellious, and rejecters of the truth. Darby was disgruntled, and rightly so, with the organized Church of his day. He looked over the dispensations and saw that every main figure and people group of every dispensation had failed God. Adam failed in the Garden. Abraham failed with Ishmael. Israel failed and rejected Gods Word and plan. Thus, Darby concluded that in the end, the Church would also fail. That is why dispensationalism equates the seven Churches in Revelation as representative of seven-time periods of Church history. Notice that the last Church, the lukewarm Laodicean Church, the one that Jesus would spew out of His mouth, was the last Church of this gospel age. This fit in perfectly with Darbys plans. Darby saw the ruins of the Church and figured God had to close out the Church age and start again with Israel. Darby put out his own translation of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. If you read through his New Testament translation, you will notice that everywhere translations use the word Church, he substitutes the word assembly. To him the word Church meant the organized, clerical, dead monstrosity of his day; while assembly was more like the early Church model found in the book of Acts. One of his favorite Scriptures was Matthew 18:20, For where two or three are
Scofiled's 7 Millennium of Mankind
23

gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. This was all that was required for an assembly. (Which is true). Some Conclusions A Christian may right away notice the complexity of this system of interpretation. To many, it is very complex and very confusing. Others can explain the genius of the system, but its filled with many assumptions and far-reaching ideas that stretch the imagination. I have concluded that believers cannot arrive at dispensationalism through their own Bible study. I have personally not met a Christian who came to the conclusions of this interpretation on their own without the help of pre-tribulation books, tapes, videos, or seminars. The real issue with the pre-tribulation rapture is not whether we escape the tribulation or not (which is the great emphasis today in so many end-time books). The heart of the matter is what one believes about the nature of the Church. I believe that the Church was Gods plan for the ages. It was not an intercalation or afterthought in Gods mind. The Church is made up of both Jews and Gentiles who have believed on Jesus Christ for their salvation. The key is to understand that God does not need to separate Israel and the Church just before the tribulation to fulfill His plans for both. It is important to understand that we cannot have a pre-tribulation rapture without the separation of Israel and the Church in the last days. Over the next 20 chapters, I want to show why the teachings of dispensationalism and the pre-tribulation rapture are filled with Scriptural contradictions.

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Locating the Rapture

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Dont 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.
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Chapter

4
Locating the Rapture

n this chapter, we will cover two important passages in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. I will cover 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 verse-by-verse in Chapter 9 so you can go there for full details. Lets get right down to the nitty-gritty. When does the rapture occur? The pre-tribulation rapture doctrine says that it occurs seven years prior to the glorious coming of Jesus Christ when He destroys AntiChrist and all of His enemies. There are three key phrases in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:2. In 1 Thessalonians 4:15, we see the phrase the coming of the Lord. In Verse 17, there is the phrase caught up together. This is the rapture. Then in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 we find the famous phrase, the day of the Lord. These three phrases go together in Pauls eschatology. Here are the three phrases: The coming of the Lord, caught up together (rapture), and the day of the Lord. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, these three phrases are mentioned again almost word-for-word. In Verse 1, we see the words the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This i s followed immediately by the phrase our gathering together unto Him. This is the rapture again. Then in Verse 2 we have the day of the Lord. So there they are again: The coming of the Lord, our gathering together unto Him (rapture), and the day of the Lord. Its quite simple! There is no contradiction between 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians. We have the same Church, same wording, same author, and same eschatology. What Paul said in the first book, he repeats in the second. Lets state it plainly: The coming of Jesus, the rapture of the Church, and the day of the Lord all happen on the same day. No one knows when Jesus will come (Matthew 24:36). But for the sake of illustration and to make sure that were talking about the same thing, lets suppose that Jesus comes on a Saturday. If the coming of Jesus is on a Saturday, when will the rapture occur according to these two books? Saturday, right? Thats right Saturday. If the coming of Jesus is on a Thursday, when will the rapture occur? Thursday, right? Thats right Thursday. If the coming of Jesus is on Saturday, and the rapture takes place on Saturday, when is the day of the Lord? Saturday, right? Thats right Saturday. The day of the Lord is the day that Jesus comes. So the conclusion is that the coming of Jesus, the rapture of the Church and the day of the Lord all occur on the same day. In other words, if Jesus comes on Tuesday, the rapture is not on Thursday, and the day of the Lord on Sunday. If Jesus comes on Monday, the rapture is on Monday and the day of the Lord is on Monday. Now go to 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3 and lets locate the rapture. In Verse 2, Paul was warning the Thessalonians not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report

26

or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Paul teaches them that the coming of Jesus, the rapture of the Church and the day of the Lord have not arrived yet. In Verse 3, he begins, Dont let anyone deceive you in any way. Its important that no one deceives us on the timing of the rapture. Heres the critical verse so read it carefully. Paul is now going to show us when the rapture will occur in the latter part of Verse 3. Lets read: For that day will not come until the apostasy occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. When Paul writes for that day, what day was he talking about? He was speaking of the day of the Lord that he just finished writing about in Verse 2. Paul says that the day of the Lord cannot come until two things occur: 1) the apostasy occurs and 2) the man of lawlessness is revealed. The day the Church gets raptured cannot come unless the apostasy and the man of lawlessness (AntiChrist) are revealed first. AntiChrist is revealed first, then the rapture, thats the order. How does a Christian justify the pre-tribulation rapture teaching? AntiChrist, the man of lawlessness, must be revealed first before the day of the Lord. Jesus comes at the end of the tribulation on the day of the Lord. Its on this same day that He raptures His Church. The confusion came in right from the beginning of the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine. John Nelson Darby, the main person to formulate and propagate the rapture teaching in the 1830s, was reading 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and concluded that there was a separate rapture occurring before the glorious 2nd Coming of Jesus. But how did he get that teaching out of these verses that weve just covered? F. F. Bruce, a great New Testament and Pauline scholar, wrote these words in his excellent commentary on 2 Thessalonians: It is difficult to suppose that the day of the Lord in this section (2 Thessalonians 2:2) belongs to a different time from that in view in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, as is held by the Darbyite school of dispensationalism. It is remarkable, nevertheless, that J. N. Darby recorded that it was 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 which, about 1830, made me understand the rapture of the saints before perhaps a considerable time before the day of the Lord (that is, before the judgment of the living). 7 John Nelson Darby was not sure when the rapture would occur. He speculated that it was 70 years or possibly 100 years before the glorious 2nd Coming of Jesus. This is impossible to justify. Now remember, this is the origin of the pre-tribulation rapture teaching. Let me give you the words of George Mller, the man who had a famous orphanage in the 1800s. Mller was a personal friend of John Nelson Darby at one time, until he rejected Darbys rapture teachings. Mller taught that Jesus was only coming once at the end of the age to rapture the Church. He believed there was no secret rapture or Coming before the tribulation. He expressed it this way: I know that on this subject there is great diversity of judgments, and I do not wish to force on other persons the light I have myself. The subject, however, is not new to me; for, having been a careful, diligent student of the Bible for nearly fifty years, my mind has long been settled on this point, and I have not the shadow of a doubt about it. George Mller, 1805-98 The Scripture declares plainly that the Lord Jesus will not come

Word Biblical Commentary, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, F. F. Bruce, Copyright 1982 by Word, Incorporated, Page 163.
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until the Apostasy shall have taken place and the Man of Sin, the son of perdition, shall have been revealed, as seen in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5.8 Jesus is not coming in a secret rapture 7 years, 70 years, or 100 years before His real 2 nd Coming when all eyes will behold Him. Mller taught that the AntiChrist would come before the Lords Coming and the rapture of the Church. The Rest of 2 Thessalonians We must look at the rest of 2 Thessalonians to reinforce the conclusions drawn here. Look again at Verse 1. Notice how Paul starts out, Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him Here the coming of Jesus and the rapture are connected. The pretribulationists teach that this is the secret rapture or catching away of the Church before the tribulation. This is not possible because Paul says that it occurs after the man of lawlessness (AntiChrist) is revealed. This is after the tribulation. The word coming in Verse 1 is the well-known Greek word Parousia. It means coming, arrival, presence or advent. (I will cover in detail all the Greek words related to the Lords Coming in Chapter 19) The word Parousia is mentioned 24 times in the Greek New Testament and 18 of these times regarding the glorious return of Jesus. Of these 18 times, 7 are found in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. The Parousia of Jesus is the same day as the rapture of the Church is the same day as the day of the Lord. Now go down to Verse 8. Paul writes, And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming. Notice the last word, coming. Its the Greek word Parousia, the same one used in Verse 1. This verse teaches that AntiChrist gets destroyed at the Parousia of Jesus. When does that occur? Before the tribulation or after? It is after the tribulation. If the coming of Jesus in Verse 8 is after the tribulation (and even the pretribulationists believe this), then the rapture is also after the tribulation because the Parousia in Verse 1 is the same as the Parousia in Verse 8. This makes sense because Verse 3 says that the rapture cannot occur until the AntiChrist is revealed. If there is a secret pre-tribulation rapture, then there must be two, separate comings or Parousias. The pre-tribulation rapture teachers say that there are two stages or two phases, not two comings. They often avoid using the word comings because they know that their pre-tribulation coming would be coming #2 and the glorious coming at the end of the tribulation would be coming #3. We have double vision again. Heres another important help. Paul did not begin writing about the coming of Jesus, rapture of the Church, and the day of the Lord in 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 2. He gave the full details in Chapter 1! This will show that the conclusions from Chapter 2 are correct. Read 2 Thessalonians 1:4-10. In Verses 4-6, you see the Thessalonians were suffering tremendous persecution and tribulation. They thought they were in the great tribulation. The same three phrases appear again (the coming of Jesus, rapture, and the day of the Lord). In Verse 7, we find these words, This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. Even the pretribulationists agree that this is the glorious coming of Jesus after the tribulation. Verses 8-9 teach the punishment of the ungodly that are persecuting the Church. When does this take place? Verse 10 gives the answer: On the day (the day of the
8

Cited by Frank H. White in The Saints Rest and Rapture.

28

Lord) He comes to be glorified in His people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. Notice on the day is the day of the Lord, followed by the phrase He comes which is the coming of Jesus, and finally, to be glorified in His people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed is the resurrection to receive our glorious bodies (i.e. the rapture). Paul wrote all of this before he got to Chapter 2. The conclusions are the same! The coming of Jesus and the rapture of the Church all occur on the day of the Lord. This is very simple. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 is the glorious coming of Jesus with His powerful angels after the tribulation. In 2 Thessalonians 2:8 you have the glorious coming of Jesus to destroy AntiChrist after the tribulation. And in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 you have the glorious coming of Jesus to rapture the Church after the tribulation. Why do the pretribulationalists make this coming 7 years earlier? Conclusion: The Parousia (Coming) of Jesus, the rapture of the Church, and the day of the Lord all occur on the same day. The rapture takes place only after the apostasy occurs and the AntiChrist is revealed. The rapture occurs after the tribulation on the same day AntiChrist is destroyed by Jesus Himself.

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The Parable of the Wheat and Tares

Matthew 13:30 Let them both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the tares and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into My barn.
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Chapter

5
The Parable of the Wheat and Tares

n this chapter, we will spend most of our time in Matthew 13. Note: The NIV uses the word weeds while the KJV translation uses tares. I will be using the word weeds throughout this chapter. One area of Scripture that reveals a major weakness with the pre-tribulation rapture argument is the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds found in Matthew, Chapter 13. The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in His field, Jesus begins in Matthew 13:24. In summary, while everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and when everything sprang up, the weeds appeared with the wheat. The servants in the field came to the owner and asked how weeds could be present if only good seed had been planted. The owner immediately concluded that an enemy had sown the bad seed. Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds? they asked. The owner answered no, but to let them both grow together until the harvest. Then the weeds will be collected and tied into bundles and burned, while the wheat will be brought into the owners barn. Apparently, His disciples were very intrigued by this parable and wanted a fuller explanation. In Matthew 13:37-43, Jesus gives the true spiritual meaning to His simple example. The descriptions are self-evident: The one sowing the good seed The harvest is the end of the age. Matthew 13:39 is Jesus; the enemy is the devil; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the wicked one (the devil); the harvesters are angels; and finally, the harvest is the end of the age. Jesus concludes very forcefully in Matthew 13:40-41 with these words, As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. For the study in this chapter, lets concentrate on Matthew 13:30. Jesus says, Let both grow together until the harvest. Based on Verses 38-39, we interpret this literally as Let the sons of the kingdom and the sons of the wicked one grow together until the end of the age. This is the simple interpretation. Lets reflect on this for a moment. How can the pre -tribulation rapture teaching be true? This doctrine teaches that the sons of the kingdom Christian

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believers are rooted out before the tribulation, exactly seven years before the end of the age. But Jesus said to let them both grow together until the end of the age. When is the end of the age? It is when Jesus returns to earth to rule and reign. Thats the end of the a ge. The KJV translation uses the phrase the end of the world. The beginning of the tribulation is not the end of the world. Jesus said, The harvest is the end of the age (Verse 39). The language is clear. Jesus does not say anything about gathering the wheat into His barn before the tribulation. Both the wheat and the weeds, the righteous and the wicked, the children of God and the children of the devil, are harvested together. In fact, the wicked ones are collected first. In Verse 30 it says, At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned. This does not mention the rapture of the Church seven years in advance. We interpret it to say: At the end of the age Jesus will tell the angels: First collect the children of the wicked one (the devil) and tie them to be burned in the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. After this, then the Christian believers are gathered into the Lords barn. A pretribulationist may be tempted to say that these sons of the kingdom are the Jews/Israel and not the Church. But even the main teachers of the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine agree that the wheat represents Christians. John N. Darby, the very formulator and original author of the pre-tribulation rapture, said these words, The wheat (that is, the Church) is in the barn, and the tares in bundles on the earth.9 He also stated, During the absence of Jesus the result of His sowing will be marred by the work of the enemy. At the close He will bind all the enemys work in bundles; that is, He will prepare them in this world for judgment. He will then take away the Church.10 C.I. Scofield says the wheat gathered into the barn is the rapture of the Church according to 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 and John 14:3.11 While commenting on Matthew, Chapter 13, Scofield said further, the mingled tares and wheat, good fish and bad, is the sphere of Christian profession. It is Christendom.12 William Kelly, John N. Darbys official biographer C. I. Scofield, 1843-1921 and the compiler of his works, stated in his commentary on Matthew that the parable of the wheat and weeds is The Holy Ghost conveying fully Gods mind about the new testimony, commonly called Christianity, and even Christendom.13 He also says, The Lord evidently speaks of the vast field of Christian professionwhen the Lord Himself returns to judgment, and by His angels gathers the tares in bundles to burn them, while the wheat is gathered into the barn.14 Yet again, he adds, The harvest is the consummation of the age, that is, of the present gospel dispensation the time while the Lord is absent, and the gospel is being proclaimed over the earth. Grace is actively going forth now.15 These key teachers of the pre-tribulation rapture, Darby, Scofield, and Kelly, all agree that the wheat is the Church.

Taken from John Nelson Darbys Synopsis, page 96. If you read my discussion in chapter 3, you see that this is a contradiction on Darbys part. 10 Ibid., page 93. 11 From the Scofield Reference Bible, bottom margin notes, page 1016. 12 Ibid., page 1014. 13 Taken from William Kellys Commentary on Matthew, page 263. 14 Ibid., page 279. 15 Ibid., page 287.
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So lets ask the question How can you have a pre-tribulation rapture of the Church seven years before the end of the world if Jesus Himself said that the wheat grows up to the end? This is not possible. Also, did Jesus or the angels separate the wheat into two separate bundles, one a Jewish bundle and another the Church bundle? The Church stays on the earth until Jesus comes in glorious power with His angels. The Church is here to the end of the age. The Church will go through the great persecution (or tribulation). Matthew 13:43 helps you locate these events with the book of Daniel. Notice what it says: Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. This is a direct reference to Daniel 12:3. There it says, Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. This verse in Daniel is after the tribulation because Daniel 12:1 speaks about the great tribulation and Daniel 12:2 speaks about the rapture after the tribulation. Then Verse 3 comes along to reinforce that the sons of the kingdom shine like the sun with their new, glorified, resurrected bodies. So Matthew 13:43 helps us locate the end of the age after the tribulation. I discuss Daniel 12:1-2 in chapter 7, The First Resurrection. Just a brief comment about the phrase the end of the age. Its used in Matthew 13:39, The harvest is the end of the age. Also, in the next verse, As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. Its used a few verses later in the parable of the dragnet in Matthew 13:49-50, This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The disciples used this phrase to question Jesus just before His prophetic Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. Verse 3 says, Tell us when will this happen, and what will be the sign of Your Coming and the end of the age. Jesus then gives two full chapters on His glorious 2nd Coming with His powerful angels when all eyes shall behold Him. The end of the age in Matthew 24:3 is the day that Jesus returns. This is also the day that the wheat is gathered in the barn (rapture). Finally, this phrase is used in the great commission. Matthew 28:20 reads, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Jesus will be with us until the end of the age. That includes the tribulation. Each of these verses in Matthew teach that the end of the age is when everything gets wrapped up and Jesus comes to earth and inaugurates the new age. The Parable of the Dragnet Since the parable of the dragnet in Matthew 13:47-50 draws the same conclusions as the parable of the wheat and weeds, I will only make passing comments about it. The kingdom is likened to fishermen who caught all kinds of fish from the lake with their net. When the net was pulled to shore, the good fish were collected into baskets but the bad fish thrown away. You have another harvest but this time its a harvest of fish not wheat. Jesus then te aches that the angels are these fishermen who will separate the wicked (bad fish) from the righteous (good fish) at the end of the age. Matthew 13:49-50, This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. We have the same conclusion, but a different parable. Notice again, there is no separation of the good fish with good fish. In other words, the Jews/Israel are not separated from the Church. The good fish is the Church, made up of both Jews and Gentiles. And once again, Christians are on the earth until the end of the age.

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It means that the Church will go through the great persecution and the rapture occurs at the glorious 2nd Coming. The Two Harvests of Revelation 14 In Matthew 13:30 and 13:39, the word harvest is mentioned. Lets link the harvest here with the only harvest mentioned in the book of Revelation. Read Revelation 14:14-20. There are two harvests mentioned in these verses. The first harvest is found in Verses 14-16. This is the good harvest corresponding to the wheat and the good fish. The second harvest is found in Verses 17-20. This is the bad harvest corresponding to the weeds and the bad fish. Lets look first at the good harvest. Revelation 14:14 reads, I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. This Son of man matches the Son of Man of Matthew 13:37. Its also the Son of man that Daniel saw in Daniel 7:13, In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. The Son of Man is Jesu s and the clouds represent His glorious 2nd Coming. Revelation 1:7 states, Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him; even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. Matthew 24:30 describes Jesus return this way: They will see the Son of Man coming with clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. Mark 14:62 says, And Jesus said, I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. Luke 21:27 says, Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Paul writes, 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 finally, Acts 1:9-11, And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven. In Revelation 14:14, the Son of Man seated on a cloud with a sharp sickle in His hand is Jesus Christ. Now go to Verse 15. An angel comes from the temple and calls in a loud voice to Jesus saying, Take Your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe. This harvest is the same one mentioned in Matthew 13. Some commentators have had trouble believing that the Son of Man in Verse 14 is Jesus because this angel tells Jesus what to do in Verse 15. They conclude that no angel will order Jesus around. While this is a good question, its easy to answer. Notice in Verse 15 that the angel just came out of the temple of God in heaven. The angel, who is a messenger, was merely delivering a message from the Lord God in His temple. In other words, the angels words to reap the harvest were actually the words of the Father in heaven. In Verse 16, Jesus is seen sitting on the clouds and swinging His sickle over the earth to harvest the whole earth. This is the rapture. And this is the same harvest mentioned in Matthew 13. Now go to Verses 17-20. This is an entirely different harvest. The sickle is not in the hands of the Son of Man but another angel. Verse 17 says, Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. While we are not told what kind of harvest is

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involved in Verses 14-16, this harvest in Verses 18-19 is called a harvest of grapes from the earths vine. This is very important. Notice that the grapes are not reaped to the Lords barn or to be with the Lord, but they are thrown (violently in the original Greek) into the great winepress of Gods wrath (Verse 19). These grapes cannot be Christian believers because Jesus has saved us from Gods wrath. In Verse 20, notice that these grapes are trampled, and blood, not grape juice, flows out! Here the image clearly depicts these grapes as human beings (the wicked). Let me tell you about a winepress. It is a large vat or tub that is filled with grapes. A person called a treader was hired to get into the tub with his bare feet and begin crushing these grapes so the juice could flow out. At the bottom of these vats was a small hole that was fitted with a long, narrow pipe. This pipe flowed into another winepress just below that caught all the grape juice. These winepresses were called the upper winepress and the lower winepress because they were positioned one over the other. The man treaded the grapes until all the juice was crushed from them. The lower winepress with all the juice would then be emptied by large stone jars like those used at the wedding of Cana (John 2:6-7). So these grapes of wrath will connect us to other verses in Revelation, Isaiah, and Joel. Lets first go to Revelation, Chapter 19, then to Isaiah and Joel. Now read Revelation 19:11-16. Everyone, including the pretribulationists, agrees that this is the glorious 2nd Coming of Jesus at the end of the tribulation. Notice in Verse 15 that its the Lord Jesus who treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. We see that the grapes trampled in Revelation 14:19-20 are being trampled by Jesus Himself. Jesus is the treader and He is treading all of His enemies under His feet. Jesus is crushing all the wicked people. Now look at Verse 13. It says there that Jesus is dressed in a robe dipped (immersed) in blood. I had never paid much attention to these words. I just thought that His robe had His own blood. I thought it was the blood of Jesus that cleanses us of our sins. However, this blood in Revelation 19:13 is not His own blood but the blood of His enemies that are being crushed under His feet. This is the way its described by Isaiah the prophet. This is important. Read Isaiah 63:1-6. The connection with Revelation, Chapters 14 and 19 is obvious. Lets start with Verse 1: Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with His garments stained crimson (red)? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of His strength. This is none other than Jesus coming in great glory and power. The prophet Isaiah saw it thousands of years in advance. Verse 1 continues, It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save. Who can this be except Jesus? It goes on in Verse 2, Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? These red garments are Jesus garments and He is the One treading Gods winepress. Keep going to Verse 3, I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My wrath; their blood spattered My garments and I stained all My clothing . The robe immersed in blood in Revelation 19:13 is not immersed with the blood of Jesus. It is the blood of His enemies because Jesus will crush them under His feet. Verse 4 reveals that this is the Lords day of vengeance. Verse 6 concludes with these words: I trampled the nations in My anger; in My wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground. Lets review briefly before we go to the book of Joel. The two-fold harvest in Matthew 13 of wheat and weeds, good fish and bad fish, is found also in Revelation 14:14-20. The second harvest in Revelation 14 involves the wicked, not Christians. They are trodden under foot in the great winepress of Gods wrath. Jesus is the One who is trampling them under His feet and the blood of His enemies is making red His garments. Jesus alone will trample all

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of our enemies. When does this take place? It does not occur before the tribulation, but at the end of the tribulation or the end of the age! The harvests take place when the Son of Man appears in the clouds and then He proceeds to crush all of His enemies. He crushes the nations. This takes place at the end of the tribulation not seven years prior. These are contradictions that must be addressed. Now read Joel 3:9-16. Without going into a lot of detail, notice that Verses 9-11 clearly describe the battle of Armageddon. All the nations gather and assemble for war, and the Lord brings His warriors. In Verse 12 they advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat for judgment. Verse 13 is the key verse: Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow so great is their wickedness. The winepress is full of wickedness. Therefore, the second harvest in Revelation 14:17-20 is not for believers, but unbelievers. You have the sickle, harvest, grapes, and winepress all in one verse. When does this take place? Does it take place at the pre-tribulation rapture? Verse 14 says it takes place on the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is when the rapture takes place according to Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 (see chapter 4, Locating the Rapture). In Joel 3:15-16, you read the timing of this: The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. When are the sun and moon darkened, and the earth and sky shaken? At the glorious coming of Jesus after the tribulation. Notice Matthew 24:29-30, But 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 the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. Jesus Himself connects these verses in Joel with those of His glorious 2nd Coming in Matthew 24. I do not see two phases or two stages to the Lords Coming. He is coming once at the end of the age to gather His people into His barn and to trample His enemies under His feet. Conclusion: The wheat (believers) and the weeds (unbelievers) grow together until the end of the age. The good fish and the bad fish are caught together and separated at the end of the age. The harvest of the righteous and the unrighteous takes place on the day of the Lord when He crushes all of His enemies. Therefore, the rapture of the Church takes place at the end of the age after the tribulation. The Church will go through the great persecution and not be raptured until the Lord comes.

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The Last Trumpet

1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
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Chapter

6
The Last Trumpet

ets look at the trumpet mentioned at the time of the rapture. In 1 Corinthians 15:52, it is the last trumpet. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16, it is the trumpet sound of God. In Matthew 24:31, its a great sound of a trumpet, and finally, in Zephaniah 1:16, it reads a day of trumpet. The rapture of believers takes place at the last trumpet. This is what 1 Corinthians 15:50-55 is teaching. Look at the diagram below.
Rapture 2nd Coming

7-Year Tribulation Period

1 Corinthians 15:52 the last trumpet 1 Thessalonians 4:16 the trumpet sound Matthew 24:31 great sound of a trumpet Zephaniah 1:16 a day of trumpet

Heres the problem: The pre-tribulation doctrine teaches that the rapture occurs seven years prior to Christs glorious Second Coming. They teach that the trumpet sound in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are the same. However, there is another, separate, and distinct trumpet that sounds off seven years later. How can the 1 Corinthians 15:52 trumpet be the last trumpet if another trumpet is sounded in Matthew 24:31 at the Lords glorious appearing? Wouldnt this make the Matthew 24 trumpet the last trumpet? Do we have an error in the Bible? Did Paul make a mistake when he wrote last, the Greek word eschatos, e[scatoV, or did he really mean something else? I can find no one who says it better than Dr. Vern Poythress, a Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary, and an expert in biblical interpretation. He writes, The plain meaning of 1 Corinthians 15:52 seems to be that this is the last trumpet. Therefore there cannot be any more trumpets after that one. You (the dispensationalists) have told us to be literal; we cannot make it out as saying anything else if we are literal. Now when we turn to Matthew 24:31, and it speaks of a trumpet, we are bound to
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believe that Matthews trumpet is either the same one or an earlier one. After all, the one in 1 Corinthians 15:52 is the last trumpet (literally the last). Matthew 24:30 already speaks of the visible Second Coming. Hence it appears that the visible Second Coming is simultaneous with the transformation of believers bodies in the Rapture. Because you have told us to be literal in interpreting 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, we cannot believe in the seven-year distinction between the Rapture and the Second Coming. 1 I agree with Dr. Poythress conclusion. The last trumpet has to be the last one. We cannot have other trumpets after this one. Thus, I believe that the rapture and the Second Coming are not seven years apart but on the same day. The rapture occurs at the coming of the Lord Jesus when every eye shall see Him. So how do pre-tribulation rapture teachers get around this problem? Let me use the words of Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, a Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary, and one of the leading teachers of the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine. This is a quote from his famous 1958 book, Things to Come, which is considered one of the best books on endtime events by and for a dispensationalist. Here is what he wrote: The word last may signify that which concludes a program, but is not necessarily the last that will ever exist. Inasmuch as the program for the Church differs from that for Israel, each may be terminated by the blowing of a trumpet, properly called the last trumpet, without making the two last trumpets identical and synchronous as to time. 2 What Dr. Pentecost does is that he makes two trumpets, one for the Church and one for Israel. In other words, the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52 is for the rapture of the Church and the last trumpet of Matthew 24:31 is for the regathering (or rapture) of Israel/Jews. I think this is double vision again. 1 Corinthians 15:52 does not say that this trumpet is for the Church. Matthew 24:31 does not say this is a last trumpet or that it is the last trumpet for the Jews. The reason Dr. Pentecost arrives at his conclusion is because he has read into these verses his dispensational separation of Israel and the Church in the last days. The Bible does not naturally make this separation. Dr. Pentecost states further, The trumpet for the 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. The trumpet in 1 Thessalonians is distinctly for the Church. (In Matthew 24) Since God is dealing with Israel in particular, and the Gentiles in general, in the tribulation, this could not have reference to the Church without losing the distinctions between the Church and Israel. 3 The only way we can arrive at his conclusion is to first separate the Church from Israel, separate the rapture from the coming of the Lord, make it a seven-year separation, and then give the Church one last trumpet and Israel another last trumpet. You must read all of this into the text because it does not flow naturally. The last trumpet means last trumpet. If the Matthew 24:31 trumpet, which appears after the tribulation and at the glorious 2nd Coming of Jesus, is the last trumpet, then it has to be the same trumpet as in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Further complicating matters for the pretribulationist is the trumpet that sounds in Zephaniah 1:16. This is also the last trumpet. If we read Zephaniah 1:14-18, we see that it is blown on the day of the Lord (See Chapter 20), the day Jesus returns. Zephaniah 1:18 says that this day is a day when the Lord will consume the whole world in the fire of His jealousy and He will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth. I dont get out of these verses that there will be a quiet, secret rapture when Jesus returns. This trumpet is the same trumpet that is blown in
Taken from Understanding Dispensationalists, 2nd Edition, Dr. Vern S. Poythress, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, P.O. Box 817, Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865, copyright 1987, page 72. 2 From Things To Come, A Study in Biblical Eschatology, J. Dwight Pentecost, Zondervan Publishing House, page 189. 3 Ibid., page 190.
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1

Matthew 24:31, 1 Corinthians 15:52, and 1 Thessalonians 4:16. It is the last trumpet that brings about the rapture of believers, and heralds the return of King Jesus to destroy our enemies. There is only one last trumpet, not two. I noticed something interesting when I studied this trumpet in Matthew 24. I went to Mark 13:25-27 and Luke 21:26-28 because these gospel writers speak about the same things as Matthew 24:31. What struck me was that neither Mark nor Luke mentions the trumpet, but Luke says something very important. He tells believers, not Israel, that when we see the heavenly bodies shaken and the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory, then stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. If we are already raptured seven years earlier, what are Christians doing on earth, standing up and lifting up their heads? Thats because we are here on the earth during the tribulation and if we are not dead or killed before the Lords return then we will lift up our heads and see the coming King! Conclusion: The last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52 is the same trumpet as the Matthew 24:31 trumpet at the 2nd Coming. Therefore, the rapture of the Church takes place at the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ when every eye shall see Him.

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The First Resurrection

Revelation 20:5-6 This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
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Chapter

7
The First Resurrection

ets continue our study by reading Revelation 20:4-6. The word rapture is not in the Bible. The correct phrase is bodily resurrection. At the rapture, we will get our new, glorified, imperishable, and immortal bodies just like Jesus body (Philippians 3:19-20, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 50-55). We cannot inherit the kingdom of God without this new body. Thats why we need this resurrection that Christians call the rapture. The rapture was not to escape tribulation; it was to get a new body. That is an important conclusion. The rapture is the first resurrection. It is the only resurrection for believers, both dead and alive. There are not two first resurrections. The first resurrection is mentioned by name only in Revelation 20:4-6 and it is after the tribulation. And first means first. If the pretribulation rapture were the first resurrection, then this resurrection in Revelation 20 would be the second resurrection. But John says its the first. There is no resurrection until the first resurrection and it occurs after the tribulation. In Revelation 20:4, John states, And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded The souls, or people, that John saw had their heads chopped off. He gives two reasons for this: 1) Their testimony for Jesus, and 2) The Word of God. These same souls are mentioned in Revelation 6:9 at the opening of the 5th seal. John describes the opening of this seal as follows: When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. Notice the wording, slain because of the word of God and the testimony. These are the same people as Revelation 20:4. Now read carefully the end of Revelation 20:4, They had not worshiped the beast (AntiChrist) or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. First, lets ask this question: Is this before the tribulation or after? Its after the tribulation. Because these souls have been beheaded for not worshiping the Antichrist and for not receiving his mark. Now read Verses 5 and 6 which describe how these souls come to life. Heres what it says; This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. This is the only place in the Bible that mentions the phrase first resurrection. Other places may speak about this resurrection, but this is the only place that mentions the first resurrection. The first resurrection is after the tribulation. The rapture is the first resurrection and thus it is after the tribulation.

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A pretribulationist faces a real problem here. How can we have a resurrection that occurs seven years prior to the first resurrection and still call the Revelation 20 resurrection the first one? Wouldnt that make the first resurrection actually the second one? How do the pretribulationists get around this problem? C.I. Scofield, in his famous Scofield Reference Bible, said that the first resurrection was in two parts: The Church gets resurrected before the tribulation (part 1) and then the martyrs and Old Testament believers get resurrected after the tribulation (part 2). 4 Theres the double vision again. Does the Bible say that the first resurrection is split into two parts? There is no place in the Bible that teaches that the first resurrection is in two stages, 7 years apart. Revelation 20:5-6 should have called it the second resurrection and thus remove all doubts. The leading pre-tribulation rapture teacher in the world is Dr. Tim LaHaye. He says in one of his books, that there are actually three resurrections in three separate phases (see the chart below). He states that phase 1 is for the Church according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, phase 2 is for Old Testament saints sometime near the end of the tribulation, and phase 3 is for the tribulation saints according to Revelation 20:4-6. 5 His words are as follows: Revelation 20:4-6 is the only passage which labels the believers resurrection. It is important to understand that just as there are two phases to Christs second coming, (1) the Rapture of the Church and (2) the glorious appearing, so there are three phases to the resurrection of believers: (1) The Church, (2) seven years later the Old Testament saints, and finally (3) the tribulation saints. John merges them all together when he says, Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. 6 Dr. LaHaye says that these three phases make up the first resurrection. I cannot find this conclusion in the Bible. Can we find any mention of these three resurrections being merged together, as he teaches? His belief would require that the first resurrection be the third resurrection. I cannot justify three separate raptures occurring over a seven-year period. What Christians hear most from these teachers is the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church. But Dr. LaHaye actually teaches that there are three separate raptures. I think most Christians would be very surprised to know that he teaches this doctrine.
Phase 1 Church 1 Thessalonians 4:16 Glorious 2nd Coming Phase 2 OT Saints Daniel 12:1-2 Phase 3 Tribulation Saints Revelation 20:4-6

7-Year Tribulation Period Dr. Tim LaHaye believes that the first resurrection is made up of three separate phases.

This first resurrection is also described in Daniel 12:1-3. Notice the first part of Verse 1, At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise This is the same archangel Michael found warring against the great red dragon (Satan) in Revelation 12:7. The
4 5

Scofield Reference Bible, by C.I. Scofield, page 1214 in his footnote commentary of 1 Corinthians 15:52. From Revelation, Illustrated and Made Plain, Dr. Tim LaHaye, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506, pages 280-281. 6 Ibid., page 280.
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next words in Verse 1 speak about the great tribulation: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation until that time. Jesus describes this same tribulation in Matthew 24:21 when He said, For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. (See also Mark 13:19) So these words of Daniel match descriptions found in other prophetic Scriptures. Now we come to the key verse for our discussion. Verse 2 reads, And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. This is the rapture, or bodily resurrection. And notice, once again, that it is placed after this time of trouble or great tribulation. These that sleep in the dust of the earth and shall awake are the same people described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16, 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. 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. According to the Lords 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. The resurrection of Daniel 12:2 matches the resurrection of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16 which matches the first resurrection of Revelation 20:5-6. All of these resurrections are one and the same and they occur after the tribulation. Further, in Daniel 12:13 the prophet is told when his rapture or resurrection would take place. Verse 13, But as for you (Daniel), go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age (NAS). The NIV translation uses the phrase at the end of days instead of at the end of the age. Daniel is told that he will enter into rest, that is, he will fall asleep or die, then rise again, that is, he will be resurrected. This happens at the end of the age or at the end of days. When is that? It occurs at the Lords glorious appearing after the tribulation. The pre-tribulation rapture occurs seven years before the end of the age. There is only one rapture and it occurs on the last day! Lets see what Jesus said about the first resurrection. Jesus says four times in John, Chapter 6, that the bodily resurrection or rapture will occur at the last day. The first resurrection occurs on the last day. Notice these Scriptures: And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For My Fathers will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54). Four times Jesus says that the resurrection will take place at the last day. It is on the day that He comes in glorious power when every eye shall see Him. Martha understood that the resurrection or rapture would occur on the last day. Before Jesus raised her brother Lazarus from the dead, He told her in John 11:24, Your brother will rise again. Here is Marthas response in the next Verse, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. The first resurrection does not take place seven years prior to the last day. It takes place on the last day, the day Jesus comes. Jesus also spoke about the bodily resurrection in John 5:25, 28-29. Heres what He said, I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. Who are these people in the graves that rise to live? They are the same people as describe in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. They are the same people that Daniel saw in Daniel 12:2. These people in the grave are
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believers who have died in Christ and will rise to live when they hear the voice of the Son of God. This is the first resurrection that occurs on the last day. Notice further that Jesus said some would rise to be condemned. The wicked are condemned on the last day. Jesus said in John 12:48, There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. We see these events lining up and fitting the puzzle. It makes sense. The last day is when the rapture occurs. Now lets go back to the Old Testament and look at one final verse. Lets go to the allimportant prophetic book of Isaiah. Isaiah 26:19-21 reveals three important end-time events. They are: 1) The Rapture Verse 19, 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. This is a description of the rapture as seen in the New Testament. 2) Gods Wrath During the Tribulation Verse 20, Go, My people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by. As described in Chapter 11, The Great Tribulation, Christians will be here on earth during the great tribulation but we will be protected from Gods wrath. 3) The 2nd Coming Verse 21, See, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer. When does the Lord come out of His dwelling (heaven) to punish the world for their sins? Its after the tribulation. Remember that Isaiah 26:19 is the rapture of the Church. The minister who helped me see the importance of the first resurrection was Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon was a great preacher from the 19th century. He was known as the prince of preachers. He was a man of incredible intellect and great spiritual convictions. Though he had no formal college training, he had a personal library of over 10,000 books. He had a massive church building known as the Metropolitan Tabernacle built at Elephant and Castle streets in London, England. This 6,000-seat building was filled every Sunday for 30 years. Interestingly, in his first sermon at this Tabernacle on May 5, 1861, Spurgeon preached a message entitled The First Resurrection. 7 His text was Revelation 20:4-6. Spurgeon went through all of the Scriptures that we just covered. He said that the first resurrection at the end of the tribulation was described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. These are Charles Spurgeon, 1834-92 the very verses used by pretribulationists to justify the rapture seven years prior to the last day. Spurgeon also taught that Jesus spoke of this resurrection in John, Chapter 6, as the resurrection at the last day. His conclusions are the same as ours. Conclusion: The first resurrection of Revelation 20:5-6 occurs after the tribulation on the last day. It is the same resurrection as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:50-55 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and by Jesus in John 6:39, 40, 44, and 54. Since this is the first resurrection there can be no resurrections prior to it. The Church is raptured on the first resurrection on the last day.

From Spurgeons Sermons on the Second Coming, edited by David Otis Fuller, D.D., Zondervan Publishing House, copyright 1948, pages 5-27.
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1 Corinthians 15:50-55

1 Corinthians 15:54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory.

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Chapter

8
1 Corinthians 15:50-55

ets take a careful look at Pauls writings in 1 Corinthians 15 and connect it with Isaiah and Revelation. 1 Corinthians 15 is one of the great doctrinal chapters of the Bible. Its the resurrection chapter because it gives details on the resurrection of the dead. It describes fully Pauls words from Philippians 3:2021, But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. 1 Corinthians 15 explains how we get a new body like Jesus glorious body. Its a body that will never die. 1 Corinthians 15:50-55 is so important to our discussion that I want to take the time to examine these Scriptures verse-by-verse. The pretribulationists use these verses to justify their doctrine. However, these verses do not state that the rapture is before the tribulation or after the tribulation. Its important to understand that. But, in these verses, Paul will quote directly from two Old Testament Scriptures and these two quotes will help us locate the rapture after the tribulation. Also, notice again, like I said in the previous chapter on The First Resurrection, there is no mention of the word rapture. The rapture is really the event where the believers in Christ, both dead and alive, receive their new, glorified bodies. This first and final resurrection was not to escape tribulation but to inherit the kingdom of God. And we cannot inherit the kingdom with our corrupt body. So lets look at each verse closely. 1 Corinthians 15:50, Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Paul uses the phrase flesh and blood to denote our current physical body. He states simply that we cannot inherit Gods kingdom living in this body. Our body is corrupt, frail, weak, subject to sickness and disease, and will eventually die. Our perishable body cannot inherit an imperishable kingdom. The next few verses tell how our body will be transformed. 1 Corinthians 15:51, Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed The Greek word for behold is a shouting word. It means, look! see! listen! Its a word yelling at us (in a good way) to pay attention to what Paul is going to say. Here is the mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. The phrase we will not all sleep simply means that not every Christian is going to die before the Lords coming. This means also that many Christians are going to be alive when the Lord comes to rapture His people. Some believers will not die but will be instantly altered and transformed. Our corrupt body will be transformed into an incorrupt body.

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1 Corinthians 15:52, 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 will be changed. These first two statements, in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye, tell how long it will take the Lord to transform our bodies. First, Paul says it will be in a moment (KJV, flash). The Greek word for moment is atomos, a[tomo~ from which we get the English word atom. However, it did not originally mean atom, as we understand it. It meant indivisible. In other words, the rapture of your body will take place in the smallest, indivisible time possible. Once a scientist gets down to the smallest atom he cannot divide it any more. And once we get down to the smallest time increment we cannot divide it any further. Paul is using a word here that basically means it will happen instantaneously. The next phrase also confirms this understanding. He adds that the rapture will take place in the twinkling of an eye. The Greek word for twinkling also means, blinking. In the time that it takes to blink an eye, thats the time it will take the Lord to rapture all believers, dead or alive. I read recently that a company using time-lapse photography and video measured the time it takes to blink an eye. They reported that the average speed was 11/1000th of a second. Thats fast! So whether we use an atom or a blink, the rapture is going to happen fast. The next two phrases, at the last trumpet and for the trumpet will sound were already covered in detail in Chapter 6, The Last Trumpet. The last two phrases of Verse 52 describe two different kinds of people the living and the dead. Paul writes, the dead will be raised imperishable. These are the dead in Christ who have already gone on to be with the Lord. Their bodies may be in the grave but the Lord will resurrect that body and give them a new body. This is the subject of Pauls other main rapture passage in 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 4, which I will cover in the next chapter. Paul makes these four statements in 1 Thessalonians 4: Verse 13, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep. Verse 14, we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. Verse 15, we who are still alive will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. And finally, Verse 16, the dead in Christ will rise first. These are the same people Paul mentions here when he says, the dead will be raised imperishable. This word imperishable could also be translated immortal, or as the KJV translates it, incorruptible. It means that our body will be raised to never die again and to never experience corruption. Our new body will live forever. We were not destined to be disembodied spirits floating in outer space somewhere. He closes with the same words of Verse 51: We will be changed. Here he is referring to those who will be living at the Lords return but also those who are dead in Christ. We will all be totally changed. 1 Corinthians 15:53, For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. Your perishable body will clothe itself with an imperishable body. But now he adds something fantastic. He writes, and the mortal with immortality. Have you ever thought about this? We will be clothed with an immortal body! This word immortality is very rare in the New Testament. It appears here and again in the next verse, Verse 54. But, more importantly, its only other appearance is in 1 Timothy 6:16. Paul says this about Jesus: the blessed and only Ruler (Sovereign, Potentate), the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen. What a verse! Jesus alone possesses immortality. Jesus will never die again. At the time Paul wrote this, Jesus alone possessed an immortal body. And now, at the rapture, the believers in Christ will also possess an immortal body! We will never die! This is good news indeed!
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Now lets go to the verse that will help us locate the rapture described here in 1 Corinthians 15:50-55. Look at Verse 54: When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory. This is a very important verse for locating the rapture. In the first part of the verse, he basically repeats what he said in Verse 53. But now, he is going to describe what will happen to death at the rapture. He starts with the word when and transitions with the word then. When the perishable and mortal put on the imperishable and immortal, then, and only then, does death get swallowed up. Notice this phrase, then the saying that is written will come true. The words the saying that is written indicate that Paul is getting ready to quote from the Old Testament. Paul quotes Death has been swallowed up in victory directly from Isaiah 25:8. Paul did not come up with this statement; the prophet Isaiah wrote it perhaps 700-800 years before Pauls day. In other words, Isaiah was describing the rapture back there in his book. And when we go there, it will help us locate the timing of the rapture. Now go to Isaiah 25:8. (You should do some research into Verses 6-9 they are very insightful). Verse 8 says, He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. The KJV starts out with the words He will swallow up death in victory which more nearly matches the wording of 1 Corinthians 15:54. Did you notice the famous phrase The Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces? Do you remember where that is quoted in the New Testament? Its actually quoted twice in Revelation once in Revelation 7:17, and again in Revelation 21:4. Lets look at both of these verses. In Revelation 7:13, one of the twenty-four elders asks John, These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from? The answer is in Verse 14, These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Note that Ive highlighted the phrase, who have come out of the great tribulation. This is a post-tribulation scene. Its not a pre-tribulation scene. Verses 15-17 are comforting Scriptures saying that these tribulation saints serve God day and night in His temple and will never again have to hunger or thirst. It concludes with Isaiah 25:8 in Verse 17, And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. This occurs after the tribulation to fulfill all of the words in Revelation 7:13-17. Now lets read Revelation 21:3-4: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Heres the phrase again. Its a scene after the tribulation. And again, there is no more death, mourning, crying or pain. Death has been swallowed up at this point. It goes on to say, the old order of things has passed away. The new age is here. Jesus is on the earth dwelling among men. This is not a pre-tribulation scene. Lets follow the sequence. I started in 1 Corinthians 15:54 using a passage on the rapture. Paul quotes from Isaiah 25:8 in that verse. When I went to Isaiah 25:8 I noticed that is when God wipes away all tears from all faces. This statement is quoted in Revelation 7:17 and Revelation 21:4. Both of these verses in Revelation are after the tribulation. As you link all of these verses, we see that the rapture happens after the tribulation, not before. Were not done with 1 Corinthians 15:54. Lets read this quote from Isaiah again: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Death gets swallowed up in victory at the rapture. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true. It comes true at the rapture. Heres an important question:
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When does death get swallowed up? at a pre-tribulation rapture or post-tribulation rapture? During the great tribulation there is going to be massive killing everywhere including a lot of believers. Death is not swallowed up at a pre-tribulation rapture. Death is only swallowed up after the tribulation. Therefore, the rapture occurs after the tribulation. The Church will go through the great persecution and the rapture occurs at the glorious coming of the Lord Jesus. Lets close by reading 1 Corinthians 15:55. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? Paul again quotes from an Old Testament prophet. This time its from the prophet Hosea. Its Hosea 13:14: I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? Notice that the rapture is described in the first part of this verse: I will ransom them from the power of the grave. Thats the rapture. He says further, I will redeem them from death. This is the rapture again. This is where you get immortal, imperishable, and incorruptible body. Hosea spoke about the rapture around 750 years before Paul talked about it. Again, when does death lose its victory and the grave its sting? Is it at a pre-tribulation rapture? Because there is a lot of death and destruction during the great tribulation, it must occur after the tribulation. Conclusion: As we compare 1 Corinthians 15:54, Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 7:14, and Revelation 21:4, we see that the rapture occurs after the tribulation when God wipes all tears from our eyes. And the rapture takes place when death is finally swallowed up in victory. The grip of death over believers is only totally defeated after the Lord Jesus return s to rapture us.

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1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Jude 1:14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones.
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Chapter

9
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

will be covering 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 in this chapter. These verses are the main text in the Bible dealing with the rapture. They are very important and I want to cover them verse-by-verse like I did in the previous chapter with 1 Corinthians 15:50-55. Lets start with Verse 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. There was ignorance among the Thessalonian believers about what happens to people who have already died. Do they miss the rapture? Paul uses the familiar phrase fall asleep which simply means those who have died. 8 He will use this phrase in Verse 14, who have fallen asleep in Him, and again in Verse 15, those who have fallen asleep. Paul says in Verse 16 that these are the dead in Christ. Paul did not want the brothers to grieve over their loved ones who had died like unbelievers who have no hope. Our hope is in the resurrection of the dead. 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 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. Here is the heart of the gospel: We believe that Jesus died and rose again. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is our hope without it a Christians faith and preaching are totally useless (1 Corinthians 15:12-20). Because of Jesus bodily resurrection, we have faith that God will resurrect us too. Notice the last part of this verse: we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. Just who are these people? They are the believers who have died, right? This initial descent out of heaven does not include the believers who are still alive on earth. These are specifically those who have fallen asleep, not those who remain alive at the Lords Coming. As the pretribulationists believe, why should these people descend out of heaven with Jesus only to go right back up into heaven to stay seven more years? I will show at Verse 16 below that when Jesus descends from heaven, He makes it all the way down to earth, not halfway down and then back up like the secret rapture teaching. But lets look at other scriptures that speak of these believers who are coming with Jesus. The references are after the tribulation. Those coming with Jesus are also mentioned in Jude 1:14-15, Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones (saints) to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. If you believe the pre-tribulation rapture, then the people descending with
8

The term fallen asleep means death in the following Scriptures: Matthew 27:52-53; John 11:11-14; Acts 7:5960, 8:1; 1 Corinthians 11:29-30, 1 Corinthians 15:6, 17-20, 51; 2 Peter 3:3-4; and Daniel 12:2.
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Jesus in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 are coming halfway down, getting a glorified body, and then going back into heaven for seven more years. At this point, the tribulation begins and AntiChrist is revealed. Then Jesus comes with His saints to bring judgment at the end of the tribulation. But notice here in Jude that those thousands coming with the Lord come at a time when He executes judgment and deals in wrath with all the ungodly. The same event described in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 is seen here in Jude 1:14-15. We must not go back to the two phases or two stages of the Lords return. If we do, we go back to double-vision. Go also to the famous 2nd Coming scriptures of Jesus in Revelation 19:11-16. All interpreters agree that this is the Lords Coming after the tribulation. In Verse 11, with justice He judges and makes war. In Verse 14, we see the same people described in 1 Thessalonians 4 and Jude: The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Verse 15 reveals the execution of judgment that we saw in Jude 1:15. It reads, Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. Jesus is judging, making war, striking down nations, and treading the winepress of Gods wrath. This is when the armies of heaven come. The same people and same event described in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 and Jude 1:14-15 are mentioned here in Revelation 19:11-16. In 1 Thessalonians 3:13 it says, May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones. 9 Notice in this verse that there is a distinction between people on the earth who are still alive at the Lords Coming and those who have gone on, and are now in the presence of the Lord. This verse is used often by pretribulationists to prove their rapture teaching. This verse does not say that the rapture occurs before the tribulation. We have to compare this verse with other verses like Jude 1:14 and Revelation 19:14 to see that Jesus comes with all His holy ones after the tribulation. Read Zechariah 14:1-7 very carefully. We see all aspects of the Lords 2nd Coming and rapture happening on the day of the Lord. Verse 1 starts with a day of the LORD is coming. The next verse says, I (the Lord) will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it. This is the battle of Armageddon. Verse 3 continues, Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. When does this happen? Its on that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split(Verse 4). Verse 5 has the wording we are looking for: Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him. These holy ones that come with the Lord are the same believers described in 1 Thessalonians 4:14. The holy ones here in Zechariah 14:5 are coming after the tribulation because its when Jesus sets His feet on the Mount of Olives. Zechariah goes on to describe the day of the Lord as on that day there will be no light, no cold or frost and it will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime a day known to the LORD. This day that only the Lord knows about is the day of the Lord. Its the day Jesus returns to earth and the day the Church gets raptured. Back to the text in 1 Thessalonians 4. Verse 15 reads, According to the Lords 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. Paul answers the original concern of the Thessalonians. He states that not only are the dead (those fallen asleep) going to rise with a new
I recognize that some commentators interpret these holy ones or saints of 1 Thessalonians 4:14, Jude 1:14, and Zechariah 14:5 as other beings like angels. The Lord is coming with His holy angels according to Matthew 16:27, Matthew 25:31, Mark 8:38, and 2 Thessalonians 1:7. Each of these appearances is at the end of the tribulation.
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9

body, but they will precede those who are still living. I dont want to get ahead of myself, but the wording here in this verse is very important for some things Im going to say later in full detail. Notice that it says, we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord The KJV and NAS translations render this word left as remain. The great New Testament scholar F.F. Bruce translates it as survive. 10 Because I believe the Church will go through the tribulation, and Christians will be persecuted and killed by the AntiChrist and his followers, it makes good sense to translate this word as survive. If we survive all the killing that will take place in the great persecution, then we will be raptured alive from planet earth. More on this in Chapter 11, The Great Tribulation. Verse 16 is very important for our discussion. It says, For the Lord Himself will descend (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. The pretribulationists believe that the Lord descends halfway, raptures the Church, and then makes a supernaturally U-turn and goes back into heaven to wait seven years before He comes in power and glory. They teach that this is done secretly (Im thinking particularly of unbelievers). Lets see a weakness with the pre-tribulation rapture at this point. I did a careful study of this word(s) descend or come down. Its the Greek word katabain, katabaivnw. In nearly every instance, when someone descended out of heaven, he came all the way down to earth. There is no one in the Bible who came down to mid-heaven and then made a sharp U-turn back into heaven. Notice the table on the next page. This table shows New Testament verses in which someone or something descended out of heaven. Each time the word descend appears in bold print, its the Greek word katabain. Whether it was the Holy Spirit, the angel of the Lord, fire, angels of God, a large sheet, good and perfect gifts, or hail, if it left heaven, it made it down to earth. I have 1 Thessalonians 4:16 highlighted in this table with question marks under the column Arrives on Earth. Is Jesus Coming in this verse the only possible exception in the Bible? Does He descend halfway? I believe that the descent of Jesus in this famous verse is the same as all other descents. Jesus comes all the way down to earth to set His feet on the Mount of Olives! My conclusion again is that the rapture takes place on the same day that the Lord descends from heaven in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Simply put, the coming of the Lord in this verse is the glorious 2nd Coming when all eyes shall see Him and when He comes to execute judgment on all the wicked. Lets continue with the remainder of Verse 16. It says, with a loud command or with a shout. The Greek word used here is a military word of command that one might give during a battle. Its important to make a distinction in these next two phrases: With the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God. Notice that it does not say, an archangel blows a trumpet. It merely says, the voice of the archangel. Its the trumpet call or blast of God. I offer this thought only as a suggestion because Im not sure, but if Matthew 24:36 is true, No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father, then how can an archangel know when to blow the trumpet? This trumpet blast is of God not of an angel or archangel. That God can blow a trumpet is seen clearly in Zechariah 9:14 where the prophet says, and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet. The last part is simple enough, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Those who have fallen asleep are the dead in Christ. These will go ahead and be raised before those believers who are living.

From the Word Biblical Commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, F.F. Bruce, published by Word Incorporated, copyright 1982, page 99.
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What descends from Heaven?

Scripture Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:32-33 Matthew 28:2 Luke 9:54

Comment The heavens are opened and the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus at His water baptism. An angel of the Lord descends from heaven and rolls away the stone and sits on it. James and John want fire to descend from heaven and burn up the Samaritans on the earth. (Like Elijah did in 2 Kings 1:10-14) Jesus tells Nathaniel and Philip that they will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man. Jesus the Son of Man and the Bread of Life has descended from heaven to earth to do the Fathers will. Peter falls into a trance, heaven opens and a large sheet/cloth descends from heaven to the earth. Rise Peter, kill and eat. At Lystra, the Lord heals a crippled man through Paul and the people believe the gods had descended from heaven to them on earth. The Lord will descend from heaven with a shout Every good and perfect gift descends from the Father of lights. A strong angel descends out of heaven and puts his right foot on the sea and his left foot on land. The devil and his angels make war in heaven with Michael and his angels but are then thrown down and descend to the earth. Woe to earth and sea! The false prophet makes fire descend from heaven to the earth, performing great signs. God sends (descends) huge hailstones about 100 pounds each from heaven upon men. An angel having great authority descends from heaven and illuminates the whole earth. An angel descends from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and he has a chain in his hand. He binds Satan for 1,000 years. Fire descends out of heaven on the devil, Gog and Magog as they try to destroy the saints and the beloved city.

Leaves Heaven Yes

Arrives on Earth Yes

Yes -- Yes

Yes -- Yes

John 1:51

Yes

Yes

John 3:13, 6:33, 6:38, 6:41, 6:42, 6:50, 6:51, 6:58, Acts 10:11, 10:16, 11:5 Acts 14:11

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

-- Yes

-- Yes

1 Thessalonians 4:16 James 1:17 Revelation 10:1-2 Revelation 12:7-9, 12:12 Revelation 13:13 Revelation 16:21 Revelation 18:1 Revelation 20:1

Yes Yes Yes Yes

??? Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Revelation 20:9

Yes

Yes

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Lets move on now to 1 Thessalonians 4:17. It reads, 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. After the dead in Christ rise first, then those Christians that are still alive and survive the great persecution will be caught up together with them (those fallen asleep). The words caught up together represent the rapture. Lets look briefly at the words, in the clouds. Each reference, in both Old and New Testaments, reveals Jesus coming on clouds after the tribulation. I have not found any references supporting His Coming before the tribulation. Why should this verse be any different? Lets read: Daniel 7:13, In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. Matthew 24:30, At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. Matthew 26:64, Yes, it is as you say, Jesus replied. But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven. 11 Luke 21:27, At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Revelation 1:7, Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. Also, Revelation 14:14-16 has the Son of Man sitting on a cloud to reap the harvest (this was discussed in detail in Chapter 5, The Parable of the Wheat and Tares). These verses show Jesus coming when all the nations shall mourn and every eye shall behold Him. This cannot describe a secret coming of Jesus. If all of the other references in the Bible to Jesus coming in clouds are after the tribulation, then why should 1 Thessalonians 4:16 come before the tribulation? I believe this Coming in Verse 16 is after the tribulation. Dont resort to double vision. Lets look finally at the words, to meet the Lord in the air. Back at 1 Thessalonians 4:15 we have the phrase, the coming of the Lord. This word coming is the Greek word Parousia, parousiva (this word is discussed in Chapter 19, Its All Greek to Me). When a dignitary paid an official visit (a Parousia) to a city in Hellenistic times, the action of the leading citizens in going out to meet him and escort him back on the final stage of his journey was call the apantsis. 12 This is the exact word used for the word meet, as in meet the Lord in the air. At the rapture, the Church goes out to meet (apantsis) the Lord at His Coming (Parousia) and we escort Him into the city (in this case, Jerusalem or earth). 13 Jesus is that divine dignitary making an official visit to earth. Once again, you see Jesus coming all the way down. The Church will meet Him in the air as He makes His glorious descent to earth. The true believer will not be destroyed by the brightness of His coming, but rather he will be resurrected and transformed to be with the Lord forever. Paul closes out this chapter with these comforting words in 1 Thessalonians 4:18, Therefore encourage each other with these words.
See also Mark 14:62. This information was taken from F.F. Bruces commentary on 1 Thessalonians, page 102. This word in Greek is written as follows: ajpavnthsi. 13 I find it very interesting and confirming that the Greek word apantsis is also used in Acts 28:15. In Acts 28:14-16, some brothers living in Rome found out that Paul and his traveling companions were coming to their city. These brothers traveled outside of Rome as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. In Acts 28:16 they escort Paul and his companions into Rome. They did not stop at the Forum of Appius and turn back. They went all the way into Rome. So the use of this word is exactly what Ive been saying in the context of 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Jesus descends from heaven and is joined and escorted by the believers all the way down to earth. In other words, He does not come down halfway and then turn around and go back.
12 11

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I would like to end this chapter by quoting a great Bible commentator. His name was G. Campbell Morgan. He was known as the Prince of Expositors. Dr. Morgan once believed in the secret, pre-tribulation rapture, but later changed his mind. When asked if there will be a secret rapture, he responded, Emphatically not! I know that view well, for in the earlier years of my ministry I taught it, and incorporated it in one of my books entitled Gods Method with Man. But further study so convinced me of the error of this teaching that I actually went to the personal expense of buying the plates of that book from my own publisher and destroying them. The idea of a separate and secret coming of Christ to remove the Church prior to His coming in power and glory is a whim of prophetic interpretation without any Biblical basis whatsoever. 14 Conclusion: As weve examined 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 in great detail, we see through phrases like God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him, the coming of the G. Campbell Morgan Lord, the Lord will descend out of heaven, and to meet the 1863-1945 Lord in the air, that this coming is the glorious 2nd Coming of Jesus when all eyes shall behold Him. The rapture and the 2nd Coming both occur on the same day at the end of the tribulation.

14

Quoted in Backgrounds to Dispensationalism, Professor Clarence B. Bass, Eerdmans Publishing, page 17.
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The Thief in the Night

Matthew 24:43-44 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.
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Chapter

10
The Thief in the Night

he thief in the night teaching is very simple. It teaches that Jesus is coming at an unknown day and hour. If the owner of the house had known what time the thief was coming, then he could have been alert and waiting for him. The thief in the night symbolizes that the Christian needs to be ready at all times for the Lords return. The believer must be alert and vigilant. He must not be caught unaware when the Lord returns. But this thief in the night phrase also helps pinpoint the rapture of the Church. This thief, who represents Jesus, shows up in key Scriptures and it reveals when the Lord returns and when we get raptured. (Jesus is not a thief in a bad way, but as someone who will catch others off-guard and unaware). Lets study carefully some verses with this phrase and locate the rapture again. Well not find a pre-tribulation rapture. Lets start with 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4. After the famous rapture passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul continues with these words in Verses 1-2 of Chapter 5: Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Paul had previously instructed the Thessalonians about the Lords return. He did not need to write to them because they knew very well about the day of the Lord, the day of Jesus return. Paul states, the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. As we saw in Chapter 4, Locating the Rapture, the day of the Lord is the day that Jesus comes and the day the Church gets raptured. The Church gets raptured on this day that Jesus returns like a thief in the night. Paul says further in Verses 3-4: 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. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. Again, the word thief is mentioned at the end of Verse 4. Notice in Verse 3 the word destruction. The pretribulationists say that this destruction is the beginning of the tribulation under the reign of the AntiChrist after the Church gets raptured to heaven. But this understanding contradicts 2 Peter 3. My research and study show that the destruction is not the great tribulation. Just keep that thought in mind; well come back to it in a minute when we cover 2 Peter. Anyway, Paul again asserts in Verse 4 that the brothers at Thessalonica will not be in darkness that that day should catch them off-guard. They are sons of the light and sons of the day. They will be alert, prepared, and waiting for the Lord. As in 1 Corinthians 15:50-55, the verses of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 do not have the words this is before the tribulation or this is after the tribulation. But as we go to other verses in the New Testament we see that the thief appears after the tribulation. There is not
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one thief at the pre-tribulation rapture, and then another after the tribulation. Thats the double vision of eschatology. Jesus is coming once at the end of the age as a thief in the night. He is coming unexpectedly. A Look at Revelation 16 Lets turn to the book of Revelation and find out where the thief appears. Revelation 16 is the great chapter depicting the bowls (KJV, vials) of wrath poured out upon the sun, earth, and wicked. All seven bowls are poured in this one chapter. In Verse 2 a bowl is poured out on those who had the mark of the beast and worshipped his image. Ugly and painful sores break out on these people. In Verse 3 the second bowl is poured on the sea and it turns into blood and every living thing in the sea dies. In Verse 4 the third angel pours his bowl on the rivers and springs of water and they become blood. In Verse 8 the fourth bowl is poured on the sun and it is given power to scorch the wicked with fire, yet they refuse to repent. The fifth bowl is poured out in Verse 10 on the throne of the beast (AntiChrist), and his kingdom is plunged into darkness. Before going to the next two bowls, let me point out that the wrath of God is being poured out on the wicked but the thief has not yet appeared. Remember that the arrival of the thief coincides with the rapture of the Church. I mention this because a recent teaching has come into the Church that says the rapture takes place at a pre-wrath rapture; that is, the Church gets raptured before the wrath of God is poured out on this world. The pre-wrath rapture merely moves the rapture back before Gods wrath is poured out. The point of my book is that the rapture takes place at the Lords coming after the tribulation. (See Chapter 16, Why not the PreWrath Rapture?). Now lets look at the sixth bowl. This is the bowl that initiates Armageddon. This is now the last day and we are at the end of the tribulation. Even the pre-tribulation teachers agree that Armageddon is the final battle on the final day between the AntiChrist and his evil forces and Jesus and His followers (with Jesus doing all the fighting because the battle belongs to Him). In Verse 12 a bowl is poured on the great river Euphrates and its water is dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 15 John then sees three evil spirits like frogs that are actually spirits of demons performing miraculous signs. They go out to the kings of the whole world to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty (Verse 14). What day is this great day of God Almighty? Its the day of the Lord. The same day as 1 Thessalonians 5:2. Verse 16 teaches that the gathering together of the kings of the whole world for battle will occur at a place called Armageddon. So at this sixth bowl we are at the last day, the day of the Lord, at the battle of Armageddon. We are at the end of the tribulation. Now look at Verse 15: Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed. The thief has arrived. He arrives at Armageddon at the end of the tribulation. In fact, just combine the last few words of Verse 14 with the first words of Verse 15 and see what we get. On the great day of God Almightybehold, I come like a thief! This sounds like 1 Thessalonians 5:2, the day of the Lord will come like a thief. Jesus comes only once at the end of the tribulation. And He comes after the wrath has been poured out contrary to the pre-wrath rapture teaching. If you have a red-letter edition of the Bible that has the words of Jesus in red, you will note that
The word East is derived from two Greek words, anatols heliou, ajnatolh`V hJlivou. The word anatols means rising and heliou is the word for sun. Literally, it means the rising of the sun. The sun rises in the east.
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15

Verse 15 is entirely in red. Jesus Himself shows up at the sixth bowl and speaks. The seventh bowl is just a clear description of the destruction Jesus brings at His coming (I will cover this further in Chapters 22 and 23 of this book). The pretribulationists say that Verse 15 is the 2nd Coming of Jesus at the end of the tribulation. I agree. Its His only coming! Its this coming when the Church gets raptured. The pretribulationists have to put an extra, separate coming of Jesus seven years prior to rapture the Church and then another coming of Jesus at the end of the tribulation. Just connect the thief and rapture of 1 Thessalonians 5:2 with the thief of Revelation 16:15 and we have the rapture after the tribulation. A Look at 2 Peter 3 Lets find the thief in the writings of the Apostle Peter. Take the time to review 2 Peter 3:3-12. Peter is speaking about the day of the Lord. Thats the same day Paul spoke about in 1 Thessalonians 5:2. Peter actually uses the same words as Paul in Verse 10, the day of the Lord will come like a thief. Heres the thief again. Remember a few paragraphs ago, I pointed out Pauls use of the word destruction in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, destruction will come on them suddenly? Peter explains this destruction in the following five verses: 2 Peter 3:6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 2 Peter 3:7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 2 Peter 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? 2 Peter 3:12 Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat. Ive highlighted the words destroyed, destruction, destroyed, destroyed, and destroyed. The first destroyed was describing the flood at the time of Noah, but Peter was teaching that people have deliberately forgotten how God destroyed the whole world at one time. He is going to do it again at His 2nd Coming but with fire instead of with water (thats the context). The destruction that Paul mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 is not the great tribulation. Its the destruction brought about by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth. (For further details on this destruction see the all-important 20th Chapter entitled The Day of the Lord). Thats why I cannot find a secret rapture that is unknown to people. The rapture occurs when Jesus returns, and when He returns the whole world will be shaken to its foundations. Peter says in Verse 7, that the destruction of ungodly men happens because of the Lords fire and judgment at His Coming not the beginning of the great tribulation. To further establish this point, look at 2 Peter 3:10: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and
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the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Many people misunderstand this verse. According to the Old Testament prophets and many passages in the New Testament, the day of the Lord will bring about the following (again, read Chapter 20 for details): 1) The earth will be shaken by a worldwide earthquake: This is stated in Isaiah 2:19, Isaiah 2:21, Isaiah 13:13, Isaiah 24:18-20, Isaiah 29:6, Ezekiel 38:18-19, Joel 2:10, Haggai 2:6-7, Haggai 2:21, Zechariah 14:4, Hebrews 12:26-27, Revelation 6:12-14, Revelation 8:5, Revelation 11:19, and Revelation 16:18-20. This explains Peters words, The earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 2) The heavens, sky, and the stars will be shaken and fall from above: This is taught in Isaiah 13:10, Isaiah 13:13, Isaiah 24:21, Isaiah 34:4, Haggai 2:6, Haggai 2:21, Joel 2:10, Joel 3:16, Matthew 24:29-30, Mark 13:25-26, Luke 21:26-27, Hebrews 12:26, and Revelation 6:13-14. Jesus said in Mark 13:25-26, The stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. This explains Peters words, The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire. 3) The sun and moon will be darkened and not show their light: Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10, Joel 2:31, Joel 3:14-15, Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:24, Luke 21:25, Acts 2:20, Revelation 6:12-13. See also Isaiah 24:23 and Isaiah 32:7. These are great signs in the sky. This is not the beginning of the new heaven and new earth. Peter is careful to point out in 2 Peter 3:13, But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. Peter does not say that this is the time of the new heaven or new earth but that he is looking forward to a new heaven and new earth. Heres my conclusion about the rapture and the thief in the night: If Jesus comes like a thief in the night to rapture His people, and this day is marked by the destruction of the heavens and elements, and the earth is laid bare, how can we have a pre-tribulation rapture seven years in advance? The Church is raptured on the day of the Lord, and the day of the Lord is when there is worldwide destruction. It is not the beginning of the tribulation, but the end of the tribulation. The Words of Jesus in Matthew 24:42-44 Lets now listen to the Lords words. In Matthew 24:42-44 He says, Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Verse 42 mentions the day of the Lord with the expression what day your Lord will come. Verse 43 reveals the thief again with the words the thief was coming. And Verse 44 teaches us to be ready and alert because Hes coming at an hour no one is expecting. We have here all the elements of 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4, Revelation 16:12-16, and 2 Peter 3:6-12. Whats important for our discussion is when does Jesus say these words? Its after the tribulation. He talks about His glorious 2nd Coming in Verses 29-31. In Verse 36 He says that no one knows when that day, the day of the Lord, will come. Verse 37 mentions so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. This is the 2nd Coming. In Verse 39, That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Then He concludes Matthew 24 with the thief in the night teaching. This is after the tribulation, not before. Again, this is when the rapture occurs according to 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4.
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Jesus also teaches on the thief in the night in Luke 12:39-40, But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Conclusion: The thief in the night (Jesus) appears at the rapture. From Revelation 16:15 we see that the thief appears at Armageddon. In 2 Peter 3:10 we see the thief appears when the heavenly bodies are shaken and the earth is laid bare. In Matthew 24:42-44 the thief arrives at a post-tribulation scene. The rapture of the Church is after the tribulation. The Church goes through the great persecution.

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The Great Tribulation

Mark 13:19 Because those will be days of tribulation unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now and never to be equaled again.
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Chapter

11
The Great Tribulation

f you have been a pre-tribulation rapture believer all your life, then this chapter will be difficult for you for many reasons. We dont really like to hear about persecution, or that well ever be put in a situation where we might deny Jesus. Over the years when I heard the term the great tribulation, I immediately conjured up words like wrath of God, the terror of the AntiChrist, and death and destruction. Having once believed the pre-tribulation rapture teaching, I was sure glad that I was going to be raptured out of here before all of this trouble. But I had a serious misconception about this term. I looked up the words the great tribulation and found that they appear three times in the New Testament Matthew 24:21, Revelation 2:22, and Revelation 7:14. Revelation 2:22 does not apply to our discussion here. I found that the Greek word for tribulation in these verses means affliction, persecution, and suffering. In fact, the word tribulation (thlipsis, qli`yi~) is translated 40 out of 45 times as persecution or affliction. 1 And none of these 40 references mentions the wicked. They are all applied to believers suffering persecution. Then it really struck me: If the rapture occurs after the tribulation, then the Church will go through the great persecution. The tribulation period will not just be a time of wrath on the wicked; it will also be a time of persecution on the righteous. I could not find any verses where the righteous escapes persecution in the last days. Yet, pretribulationists write books concluding that Christians will escape persecution. Heres my conclusion: There is a large difference between being persecuted for righteousness/godliness and the wrath of God for disobedience/rebellion. During the great tribulation the righteous will be persecuted and protected, and the wicked will experience the wrath of God. We will be persecuted by the wicked and protected from Gods wrath during the great tribulation. We will be persecuted and protected. I will cover this further in Chapter 15, but let me state it now: All references to Gods wrath and anger in the New Testament fall on the wicked and not on Christians. Hallelujah! This is particularly true in the book of Revelation. Jesus will deliver us from the coming wrath. He will not deliver us from the coming persecution. We will go through it. But we will overcome and reign! I encourage you to do a word study on thlipsis, qli`yi~, but let me give an overview. When Acts 11:19 speaks of the persecution of Stephen who was stoned to death, the word for persecution is thlipsis. In Matthew 13:20-21 and Mark 4:16-17, Jesus says that some believers are like seed with no root who only endure for a short time because affliction and
1

The only exceptions are John 16:21, Romans 2:9, 1 Corinthians 7:28, James 1:27, and Revelation 2:22.
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persecution arises because of the Word. The word affliction is thlipsis. Jesus says in John 16:33, In the world you shall have tribulation, thlipsis but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. In Matthew 24:9 Jesus said, Then you will be handed over to be persecuted, thlipsis and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. In Acts 14:22, Paul says that through many tribulations, thlipsis, we must enter the kingdom of God. In Acts 20:22-24, Paul was warned in every city by the Holy Spirit that prison and afflictions, thlipsis were awaiting him. In Acts 7:10 we see Joseph rescued by God in all his afflictions, thlipsis while in Egypt. In Romans 5:3-4 Paul writes that we are to exult in our tribulations, thlipsis, knowing that tribulation, thlipsis brings perseverance. Romans 8:35 says, Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, thlipsis, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Persecution cannot separate us from the love of God. In Romans 12:12 we are told to rejoice in hope and persevere in tribulation, thlipsis. In 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 Paul and his companions were under such great afflictions, thlipsis that they even despaired for their very lives. The persecution was so extreme that they even felt the sentence of death. He would write later in 2 Corinthians 4:8, we are afflicted, thlibo on every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing, persecuted, but not forsaken. And in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 he gave his famous words: For momentary, light affliction, thlipsis is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. In 2 Corinthians 6:4-5 he was in much endurance, in afflictions, thlipsis, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments. In 2 Corinthians 7:4-6 he was overflowing with joy in all of his afflictions, thlipsis even though he was being afflicted, thlibo on every side. Now, without giving you all of the details, let me summarize the rest of the Scriptures. Paul was suffering tribulations, thlipsis on behalf of the believers in Ephesians 3:13. Colossians 1:24 speaks of suffering for Christians to fill up in his flesh what lacked of Christs afflictions, thlipsis. In 1 Thessalonians 3:2-4 and 2 Thessalonians 1:4-6 he mentions afflictions, thlipsis twice and afflict, thlibo once. In Hebrews 10:32-39, the believers were enduring afflictions, insults, and persecutions, thlipsis. In Revelation 1:9, John was a fellow partaker in the tribulation, thlipsis. John did not escape it; he was a partaker of it. In Revelation 2:9-10 Jesus uses the word tribulation, thlipsis twice to describe the persecution of the Church at Smyrna. Did you notice that all of the above references involve believers, not unbelievers, being persecuted and afflicted for following Jesus? Heres my conclusion: When pretribulationists say that we are going to escape the great tribulation, they are saying that we are going to escape persecution. This is contrary to the teaching of Scripture. The great tribulation is the great persecution. Remember 2 Timothy 3:10-12, You, however, know all about my persecutions and sufferings what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. And Matthew 5:11-12, Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. John 17:14-15 says, I have given them Your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. It seems that the pretribulation rapture teaching wants to take us out of the world, but Jesus says that the Father will
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instead protect us from the evil one (devil) as we stay in the world. Finally, what about 1 Thessalonians 3:2-4, And we sent Timothy, our brother and Gods fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions, thlipsis; for you know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. We were destined for afflictions. We will be persecuted. Heres the misconception that most of the evangelical community has accepted. The pretribulationists equate the great tribulation with the wrath of God. And then they quote verses like 1 Thessalonians 1:10, And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. Also, a verse like 1 Thessalonians 5:9 is quoted: For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is true. I believe that Jesus will save us from the coming wrath. But the great tribulation, by definition, is the great persecution. Jesus is not going to save us from the great tribulation. And again, every verse on Gods wrath and anger apply to the wicked, not to believers. So thats where the misunderstand comes in make the great tribulation a time of Gods wrath only, Christians escape the wrath of God, therefore, we must be raptured before the great tribulation. This is the false hope that is held out for many. A Look at Matthew 24:21-22 Matthew 24:21-22 says, For then there will be a great tribulation, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. The word here for tribulation is thlipsis or persecution/affliction/trouble. And it will be a persecution that has been unequaled since the beginning of the world and it will never be equaled again. The prophet Daniel spoke about this time of persecution in Daniel 12:1, At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of trouble such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered. Nothing can compare to the persecution of the great tribulation. Since the beginning of nations, no persecution will compare to the persecution under the AntiChrist. Verse 22 is also very important. Notice that it does not speak about the wrath of God, but about the persecution of the elect. Unless the Lord shortens those days, no Christian would survive, but for the sake of the Christian believers those days will be shortened. The elect is not Israel as will be shown in Chapter 13, Who are the Elect and Saints? Did you make the connection? The verse on the Great Tribulation is immediately followed by a verse on Gods people barely surviving all the killing and persecution. A Look at Revelation 7:13-14 Before we go to Revelation 7:13-14, lets find out who these people are in these verses. In Revelation 6:9-11, John writes, When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood? Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. These believers in white robes had been slain (persecuted to death) because of the Word of God and their testimony. They had to wait a
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short while until more brothers (Christians) were killed as they had been. Revelation 20:4 also speaks of these same people: And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands (see Chapter 7, The First Resurrection). These believers in Revelation 20:4 were also slain by beheading because of the same two things, the word of God and their testimony for Jesus. Now lets look at Revelation 7:13-14: Then one of the elders asked me, These in white robes who are they, and where did they come from? I answered, Sir, you know. And he said, These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. From Revelation 6:9-11 and Revelation 20:4, we have identified these people who are dressed in white robes. They are believers who have been slain or beheaded because they have not worshiped the beast or received his mark. Just like Matthew 24:21-22, we have here the words the great tribulation (thlipsis) connected with Christians who are persecuted to death. The ones dressed in white robes are the Christian elect of Matthew 24:22. Daniel has already warned us about the war and killing that the AntiChrist would do with believers. In Daniel 7:21 he wages war against the saints and defeats them. In Daniel 7:23 he devours the WHOLE earth and tramples and crushes it. In Daniel 7:25 he oppresses the saints and we get handed over to him for 3 years. John continues describing this killing in Revelation 11:7 when he attacks the two witnesses, overpowers them and kills them. In Revelation 13:7 he makes war against the saints and conquers them. In Revelation 13:10 we are told to have patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. The saints will be handed over to AntiChrist and we will see a worldwide slaughter of Christians. The bloodshed in the great tribulation will be overwhelming. In Revelation 6:9 we see under the altar of God the souls of those who had been slain because of the Word of God. In Revelation 6:10 these souls cry out how long, Lord, until You avenge our blood. The answer was to wait until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed (Verse 11). In Revelation 16:6, when justifying the bowls of wrath, it says For they shed the blood of Your saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink as they deserve. In Revelation 17:6 it says I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. In Revelation 18:24 it says In her (Babylon) was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth. In Revelation 19:2 it says He (God) has avenged on her (Babylon) the blood of His servants. In Revelation 20:4 it says And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus. Also, there are many passages in the prophets that speak of this bloodshed like Isaiah 26:21. I conclude that there will be massive killing and bloodshed of Christians during the tribulation. Let me close with the words of a famous Christian of yesteryear: The prevailing religious mood is not favorable to the doctrine of persecution (suffering), but anything that gets as much space as the doctrine of suffering gets in the Scriptures should certainly receive careful and reverent attention from the sons of the new creation. We cannot afford to neglect it, for whether we understand it or not we are going to experience some persecution. As human beings we cannot escape it. Conclusion: The words the great tribulation mean the great persecution. The two references to the great tribulation mention the killing of Christian believers. The Church will be persecuted and protected. Nearly all of the verses in the New Testament that use the Greek word thlipsis involve the persecution, affliction, and suffering of Christian believers.
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Persecution Now!

Matthew 24:9 Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me.
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Chapter

12
Persecution Now!

ould you suffer persecution, poverty, and prison for Christ? Would you endure cruel tortures that take your mind and body to the very brink of death and beyond? Would you persevere? Would you hold fast the profession of your faith without wavering (Hebrews 10:23)? Would you stand boldly and without shame and confess Christ as Lord, to your own or to your familys peril? 2 These are the bold questions found in a very famous Christian book. Millions and millions of believers are being persecuted, killed, imprisoned and afflicted right now. Persecution is not coming in the future; its already here. It will just intensify greatly before the Lord returns. The Christian faith is a persecuted faith. I want to take you around the world today, and show you what kind of persecution our brothers and sisters are suffering in countries where there is no freedom. There were more Christians persecuted and killed during the 20th century than all other centuries combined. 3 In 1999, indigenous missionaries report that organized and systematic persecution is taking place in a staggering 103 countries! 4 Lets go around the world to a few hot spots and see how Christians are being severely persecuted now. Nepal: This country is the worlds only Hindu kingdom: 89% of the people are Hindu and Hinduism is the state religion. In March 1999, police attacked a crowd of Christians preparing for an Easter service, beating them and injuring more than 200. In 1998 Rev. Gopal Kham Magar and Rev. Kham Magar were killed by policemen. The government claimed the two had been mistaken for Communist activists, but other Christian pastors have been killed in similar mistakes. China: On Monday, October 11, 1999, officers of the Public Security Bureau attacked and virtually destroyed a shelter of house church leader Li De Xian. Along with Pastor Li, police arrested his wife and two fellow workers, Ah Yung and Ah Maan. One was beaten during their incarceration. The Chinese pastor of an unregistered church in Beijing was beaten to death and his body left on the streets of Beijing only hours after his arrest in May 1999. Hundreds of arrests, torture, and incidents of harassment have been reported, often in rural provinces. Leaders are being fined or sent to labor camps.

From The New Foxes Book of Martyrs, John Foxe, Rewritten and updated by Harold J. Chadwick, Bridge-Logos Publishers, North Brunswick, NJ, copyright 1997, back cover. 3 Voice of the Martyrs ministry, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. 4 From Christian Mission Magazine, Fall 1999 issue, in an article entitled Tribulation Now! page 18.
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Iran: Pastor Esmail Dezhbod took leadership of a church in Tehran, Iran. Threatening phone calls were a regular part of his life. The threats expanded to include the kidnapping of his wife and children. Pastor Dezhbod reports that many Iranian pastors are killed or simply disappear. Two of these pastors, Mehdi Dibaj and Haik Hovsepian-Hehr, were martyred in 1994. The Bible Society of Iran, which had been operating for 200 years, was closed in 1990. Known Christians are often fired from their jobs or are prevented from getting an education. Any outreach to convert Muslims to Christianity is seen as apostasy and is severely opposed. Services or Scriptures in the Farsi language are forbidden. In 1998, Pastor Dezhbod and his family fled from their homeland because of imminent death. He left behind many believers who will not or cannot get away from the radical Islamic government. Pakistan: More than 200 people have been sentenced to die in Pakistan for breaking Law 295c, a statute against blaspheming the prophet Mohammed. Christians live in constant fear of violence by Muslim mobs, and their children are trained to cope with possible kidnapping by Islamic radicals. Ayoob Masih, a Pakistani Christian, was arrested in October of 1996 after being beaten by a Muslim mob. In May of 1997 he was sentenced to death, and already an attempt has been made on his life on the way to a court hearing. In early 1999, a young 23-year old pastor with Pakistan Gospel Assemblies was killed by a 15-year old Muslim fanatic. A 12year old girl named Zeba was forced to work as a servant for a wealthy Muslim family. While she was working, the Muslim head of household began trying to teach her about Islam, and to get her to memorize Koranic verses. Zeba refused, telling the man that she was a Christian, and would always be a Christian. Three times he beat her for her obedient witness. When Zebas mother found out about it, she went to see the man to urge him to stop trying to convert her daughter. The man was not receptive and attacked Zebas mother, slapping and kicking her until she lay in an unconscious heap on the dusty ground. But the man was not finished. Going to his work area, he grabbed a can of fuel and doused the crumpled body of the woman. Then he struck a match, and lit her on fire. Zebas mother never returned home. She died grotesquely in the flames of Islamic hatred. Indonesia: This is the most populous Muslim country in the world. In the last decade more than 500 churches have been burned and many Christians have been killed, raped, and injured by Muslim groups. As I am writing this I just read a news report on CNN that 10,000 Muslims marched in the streets insisting that the Muslim President declare jihad, or holy war, against all Christians. They mocked the Lords sacrifice by killing a rabbit and nailing it to a cross. Christians are barbaric, many shouted. Pastor Peter of the Pentakosta di Indonesia church in Banjarsari village, West Java awoke to the shouts of a violent mob and the sound of doors being broken down. When the mob left, Pastor Peter went outside to find that the church and the parsonage had been completely ransacked. The church was now a ruined shell. After destroying the first church, the Islamic mob moved on to the Bethel Indonesia church, leaving only a shell and piles of rubble. Bethel church members planned to rebuild, but Islamic radicals threatened to attack again if rebuilding began. Sudan: James Jeda watched as the Islamic solders killed his mother, father, and four brothers and sisters. He was nine years old. The soldiers did not kill James, but they did take him as a prisoner. The soldiers told him that he must become a Muslim and bow to Allah. James, still in shock from seeing his parents killed, told them bravely that this is not possible. He simply declared, I am a Christian. Infuriated, the soldiers picked up the young boys body and hurled him into the flames of a fire. Thinking him dead, they packed up their weapons and left the area. James was not dead, though. Somehow he rolled out of the flames and ran into the bush to safety. Today, his abdomen is scarred and his arm is partially deformed due to his torture. Clearly visible on his body are the places where doctors grafted skin over his third72

degree burns. He still grieves the deaths of his parents and siblings. He still feels the pain of their loss, and looking into his eyes you see a boy who has suffered unspeakable things. Yet, his faith remains strong. He continues to declare: I am a Christian. In Sudan, the children are kidnapped from Christian families and indoctrinated in the Koran and faith of Islam. Many of these children become slaves to Muslim masters. One of these slaves, a 16-year girl was owned by two different men. Forced to have sexual relations with them, she had a child by each of them, one two years old, the other just a baby that she carries with her. Estimates indicate that between 2-3 million Sudanese have been killed in the recent genocide. Vietnam/Laos: While Im typing this paragraph, directly in front of me is a letter from a ministry supported by our church. Its from the ministry Vietnamese Evangelical Churches. The heading of the letter reads: CHURCH LEADERS IN PRISON IN VIETNAM. The subtitle is HMONG CHURCH LEADERS. On the front and backside of this letter are the names of fortytwo Hmong pastors that are currently in filthy, rat-infested prisons of Vietnam. Their crime is preaching the gospel. I cannot pronounce most of the names. I dont have pictures of their faces. I just know that they are real believers suffering real persecution at the hands of a real enemy. You and I may never know what Giang A Vang is suffering, or Sung Phai Dia. Or Thao A Lia who was arrested in November of 1997 and sentenced for 3 years at Dien Bien Phu prison. What about Hre church leaders, Dinh Hai and Dinh Bim? What about Bru church leaders, Ho Van Trung, Ho Van Xip, Ho Van Truong, and Ho Van Bun? Many are being tortured for their faith in Jesus Christ. India: In January of 1999, Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned to death by Hindus in the northeastern state of Orissa. This action seems to introduce an epidemic of Christian persecution in parts of India spearheaded by Hindu radicals. Recently a mob of Hindu fanatics uses sharp razor blades to attack a Gospel for Asia native missionary. He is near death when taken to a hospital. Hindus who convert to Christianity are often cast out of their families and face poverty and ostracism. In 1999 there have been reports of pastors and priests beaten, nuns harassed and raped, and other violence directed at Christians in Orissa and Gujurat. Christianity has made little inroads in a nation with 777 million Hindus. Mexico (Chiapas): Numerous incidents have been reported recently of traditionalist Catholics attacking evangelical churches in the Chiapas region. In one attack, Catholics wielding chain saws, machetes, and clubs destroyed two evangelical churches in Paraiso. Caciques (local mafia-like bosses) incited a mob of some 100 villagers on June 3, 1999, to attack the Presbyterian Missionary and Christian Renewal churches. In other areas, Christians have been threatened with expulsion from their villages because of their active faith. Bangladesh: In a country with 125 million people, 83% of which are Muslim, persecution is common place. Converts to Christianity are no longer able to use the village communal well for drinking and washing. In the eyes of the Muslims, if these natives, who have rejected Islam, even touch the water they would pollute it. Many must carry water up to two miles from a river or silt-filled pond. Twenty-one Christian students had chains welded on their legs in a Muslim Koranic school. Some had ten pound weights added to their chains. They were forced to memorize the Koran in Arabic, which is not their language. Abdul R. tells of being beaten so badly that he was bedridden for a month. He and his wife are kept isolated from others since their conversion to Christ. They also cannot get agricultural loans for their rice fields. Milon G. shares of being threatened by groups of Muslims that they would cut off his feet if he does not stop distributing Christian literature in the villages. Abdul and Mjurar M. tell of losing their inheritance when they converted to Christianity. Christians may be dismissed from their jobs, have their houses burned, their children expelled from school, their possessions stolen or even receive physical beatings. During the month of Ramadan, the lunar month when Muslims fast
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from sun up to sun set, the persecution of Christians becomes particularly strong as the converts refuse to join in the special ceremonies. If I had the time and space I could write about the Comorro Islands, Nigeria, Somalia, Cuba, Cyprus, Equatorial Guinea, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Tibet, Laos, North Korea, Afghanistan, Brunei, Malaysia, Maldives, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Columbia. Christians in these countries are being maimed, tortured, imprisoned, raped, injured, abused, and killed. The words of Hebrews 11:35-38 fit these courageous believers of today: Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These truly are sheep sent forth in the midst of wolves. I asked the Lord once, The vast majority of Christians have only heard the pretribulation rapture teaching. Possibly as much as 90% of evangelical Christians believe that its true. We cant win against a doctrine entrenched in so many churches and denominations. How are You going to change the hearts and minds of these believers? I keep hearing only one word: PERSECUTION. We really dont have persecution in America. And, in this setting, a teaching like the pre-tribulation rapture can easily thrive. When I first taught these messages at my church, I told them that the person who is going to lose the most in all of this is me, the Pastor. Ive studied the books, read the magazine articles, and seen the videos. The people that are persecuted the most, the ones that are targeted first, the Christians killed most often, are the Pastors. I was not preaching about the coming persecution because I wanted it. I dont want my wife raped. I dont want my daughter abused. But persecution is coming. Beloved, you must prepare yourself for persecution. Jesus said in John 15:20, If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. Will we take a serious look at the persecuted peoples of the New Testament? John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded. Jesus was persecuted and crucified (but now He is alive!). Religious fanatics stoned Stephen to death. Peter was hung upside down on a cross. The Apostle Paul died a martyrs death. King Herod ordered James killed by the sword. Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into a Philippian jail. Matthew was martyred in Ethiopia as he was pinned to the ground and beheaded. According to Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian, James the Less, the brother of Jesus and the writer of the epistle, was ordered stoned to death by the high priest Ananus. Matthias, who replaced Judas, was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded. Andrew, the brother of Peter, was martyred in Edessa, an ancient city of Mesopotamia, by being crucified on an X-shaped cross, which came to be known as St. Andrews cross. Tradition tells you that John Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria when he spoke out against an idol. Jude, the brother of James, was also crucified in Edessa in A.D. 72. Bartholomew was cruelly beaten and crucified by pagan idolaters. Thomas the doubter was tortured in Calamina, India, by angry pagans, run through with spears, and thrown into the flames of an oven. The persecution lives on! Recall the words of Acts 8:1, On that day a great persecution broke out against the Church at Jerusalem. Will we take a serious look at the persecuted peoples of the first three centuries? Under the Roman emperor Nero, cruel persecution spread throughout the Roman Empire, but it only succeeded in strengthening the spirit of Christianity rather than killing it. Nero had Paul and Peter put to death. Also, Biblical personalities like Erastus, Aristarchus, Trophimus, Barsabas,
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and Ananias were killed. In A.D. 97 Ephesian pagans were angered when Timothy rebuked them for their idolatry. They attacked him with clubs and beat him so badly that he died of his injuries two days later. Under the Emperor Trajan, Ignatius was fed to lions in A.D. 110. Emperor Adrian had ten thousand Christians martyred during his reign. Many were crowned with thorns, crucified, and had spears thrust into their sides in cruel imitation of Jesus death. Under Emperor Marcus in A.D. 162-180, Polycarp was burned to death. Felicitatis, a devout Christian, and her seven sons were martyred. Januarius was scourged and pressed to death with weights. Felix and Philip were clubbed to death. Alexander, Vitalis, and Martial were beheaded with the sword. A Christian woman named Rhais had boiling tar poured upon her head and then burned under Emperor Lucius. Her mother Marcella and sister Potainiena met the same fate. Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons, was beheaded in A.D. 202. Under another Emperor Marcus, 164238, a Roman senator Pammachius and his family and forty-two other Christians were beheaded the same day and their heads displayed on the city gates. A Christian minister, Calepodius, was dragged through the streets of Rome and then thrown into the Tiber River with a millstone tied around his neck. Hippolitus, a Christian minister, was tied to wild horses and dragged along the ground until he died. During A.D. 249-251, under Emperor Decius, Julian, a Cilician, was arrested for being a Christian, put into a leather bag with several snakes and scorpions, and then thrown into the sea. 5 Hebrews 13:3 reads, Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. If we went through the Middle Ages, we would see the papal persecutions and inquisition, the persecution of John Wycliffe and martyrdom of John Huss and Jerome of Prague. What about the martyrdom of William Tyndale and persecution of Martin Luther? The list is very long of those who have suffered much for the sake of Christ. And just to think, the persecution of the last days will be great tribulation (persecution), unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Escape persecution and tribulation? It will not happen! It sounds good in America. It looks good to Christians in the United States. But its not the truth. The pre-tribulation rapture works well in free countries like America. It does not work in countries where there is a lot of persecution. Wherever the pre-tribulation rapture teaching has already been preached in persecuting countries, it has failed. Go tell a Pakistani woman that has just seen her husband killed that she is going to escape the great tribulation. It doesnt make any sense. It makes a lot of sense here because we dont have persecution. Corrie ten Boom, who was persecuted by the Nazis, once said, There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution. In China the Christians were told, Dont worry, before the tribulation comes, you will be translated raptured. Then came a terrible persecution. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly, We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution rather than telling them Jesus would come first. 6 Corrie Ten Boom, 1892-1983
5 6

Nearly all of the information was taken from The New Foxes Books of Martyrs, pages 3-22. From Logos Journal, Nov-Dec 1974, Volume 4, Number 6, article entitled The Coming Tribulation by Corrie Ten Boom, page 20.
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Who are the Elect & Saints?

Revelation 13:7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. Mark 13:20 If the Lord had not shortened those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has shortened them.
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Chapter

13
Who are the Elect & Saints?

any of the problems and confusion with the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine has come from the identification of the elect and saints in the prophetic Scriptures. In this chapter I want to do two things: 1) Identify clearly who are the elect of Matthew 24:22-24, 31 and 2) who are the saints in Daniel and Revelation. Lets focus on identifying the elect first. Who are the Elect? Lets get right to the heart of the issue: The pretribulationists say that the elect of Matthew 24:22, 24, and 31 are the Jews/Israel. Lets read the three verses: If those days had not been shortened, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect if that were possible. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. First, the elect are never identified anywhere in Chapter 24 of Matthew as the Jews or Israel. It does not say, but for the sake of the elect, which is Israel. How does a pretribulationist arrive at such a conclusion? I answered this question back in Chapter 3, What the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Teaches, but lets review. There is one primary reason why the pre-tribulation rapture teaching makes the Jews the elect of Matthew 24. John Nelson Darby, the person who formulated and first systematically preached this rapture, believed that the entire gospel of Matthew was Jewish. 7 He believed it was not a book written to Gentile believers because it had so many references to the kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God. Darby believed that the kingdom was applicable only to the nation of Israel. So when Darby saw verses like Matthew 24:14, And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come, he believed that this was the Jews (like the 144,000 of Revelation) doing the preaching. Dispensationalism teaches that the revelation given to the apostle Paul was the gospel of grace and is for the Church age only. The revelation of the gospel of the kingdom is for the dispensation of the nation of Israel. Darby separated the Church from Israel at the end of the age by moving the rapture of the Church forward 70 to 100 years (he wasnt sure). This
7

See John Nelson Darbys Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, Part 2, New Testament, especially his commentary on the Matthew, pages 6-137. His discussion on nearly every page applies everything to Israel or the Jews and distinctly eliminates any association with the Church or Gentile believers.
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automatically places the Jews in the tribulation. To Darby, since Matthew 24 spoke about the great tribulation, these elect in Matthew 24:22, 24, and 31 had to be Jews. Since they were Gods chosen or elect people in the Old Testament, here is another reference to them as Gods elect in the New Testament. He said that the elect could not be the Church. I do not believe a Christian can arrive at these conclusions from a simple, exegetical interpretation of Scripture. This is poor hermeneutics. 8 It seems that we must read into the text all of the conclusions of dispensationalism. Since Matthew 24:22-24 does not say who the elect are, why dont we go look at every reference in the New Testament that mentions the word elect. The Greek word is eklektos, ejklektov~. Its where we get the English word election which is when we choose our government leaders. Eklektos simply means those who have been chosen or elected by God. This word appears twenty-two times in the Greek New Testament and is sometimes applied to Jesus as Gods elect (Luke 23:35, 1 Peter 2:4, 6) and to elect angels (1 Timothy 5:21). But every other reference is applied to Christians/the Church. Paul says in Romans 8:33, Who shall lay anything to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that justifies. He was speaking of the Church. In Romans 16:13, Paul calls Rufus, a Christian, the chosen in the Lord. He writes to the Church at Colosse and says, Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of John Nelson Darby, 1800-82 mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering (Colossians 3:12). This is the Church. Paul, the preacher of the gospel of grace, says in 2 Timothy 2:10, Therefore I endure all things for the elects sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Paul endured everything for the sake of the Church, Gods elect. The apostle called the Christians, Gods elect in Titus 1:1. Peter said that Christians were Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ in 1 Peter 1:2. The apostle John called a Christian woman the elect lady and the elect sister in 2 John 1:1 and 2 John 1:13, respectively. He wrote in Revelation 17:14 that those Christians with Jesus, the Lord of lords, were called, chosen, and faithful. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 20:16 and Matthew 22:14 that many are called, but few chosen. Jesus gave us the parable of the widow woman in Luke 18 to teach believers everywhere that we ought always to pray and not give up. He concludes in Luke 18:7-8, And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? This parable is for Christians. We are His own elect. Notice that it also talks about the coming of the Lord at the end of Verse 8 and He asks if He will find faith like that of the widow woman. Here the coming of Jesus is one in which He has to come all the way down to the earth. Probably the passage of Scripture that most clearly identifies the elect with the Christian believer is 1 Peter 2:9-10. Lets read Verse 9: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him, who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Is this for the Jews only? Are they the only ones that are a chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation, and a peculiar
8

Hermeneutics is the science and interpretation of Scriptures.

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people? No, its for the Christians! Verse 10 tells us exactly who they are Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Who is the group of people that were once not Gods people and once had not received mercy? Its the Gentiles! Now we are Gods people and have received mercy. Praise God! What did Paul write in Romans 9:24-26, Even us, whom He also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As He says in Hosea: I will call them My people who are not My people; and I will call her my loved one who is not My loved one, and, It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, You are not My people, they will be called sons of the living God. Paul specifically calls these people the Gentiles. The same people that Peter called a chosen generation. From the simple teachings of the Bible, and not dispensational theories of Jews and the Church, we see that the elect are the Christians. Lets now look carefully at the three verses in Matthew 24 that mention the elect. Verse 22, If those days had not been shortened, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.9 When Jesus says those days, Hes referring to the time of the great tribulation of the previous verse, Verse 21. It reads, For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. If Jesus does not cut short these days, no one would survive. There will be so much killing and calamity during the great tribulation under the reign of AntiChrist, that if it were to continue beyond its days, everyone would be killed off. How terrible! But its because of Gods elect, the Christians, that He will shorten the days. This verse again confirms that the Church will go through the great persecution. And, as noted in Chapter 11, I have not found any scripture showing that the righteous will escape persecution in the last days. Yet, many pretribulationists write books showing that Christians will escape persecution. Now to Verse 24, For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect if that were possible. Christians will not only face big-time persecution; they will have to deal with big-time deception. Notice carefully what Satan uses to deceive not doctrine but supernatural lying signs and wonders. Remember what Paul said about the AntiChrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11, The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. We must ask ourselves, Do we love the truth? Its the Christians who will be confronted with false Christs and false prophets. This is not the exclusive domain of the Jews. Finally, Verse 31, And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 10 This is the glorious 2nd Coming of Jesus at the last trumpet, described here as a great trumpet. This is the same trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 1 Corinthians 15:52. Notice here that it is the angels that will gather together the Christians. Matthew 13:30 and 13:39 confirm this: At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Also, Matthew 13:48-49, When the net was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and gathered the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the
9

10

These words are also found in Mark 13:20. These words are also found in Mark 13:27.
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righteous. I like this wording in Matthew 24:31, gather together. It matches the rapture language of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1: 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 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him. Matthew 24:31 is a good description of the rapture. It is not a regathering of the Jews to their homeland. In Matthew 24:22 the Christians are in the great tribulation, in 24:24 they are battling deception, and in 24:31 they are being raptured after the tribulation. Who Are the Saints? One of the leaders of the Plymouth Brethren movement that opposed Darbys end-time views was Benjamin W. Newton. Newtons argument is described as follows: If the Church were to be removed before the persecutions of AntiChrist started who then would be the faithful ones who would suffer at his hands? Newton objection was a forcible one: if they were not of the Church, it was necessary to postulate another people of God, apart from the Church. Since, by his definition, the Church included all who were redeemed by Christ, this remnant must therefore be the fruits of a redemptive act of God other than the redemption through Christ. Thus, in Newtons view, the idea struck at the very heart of the orthodox doctrine of salvation, and was perilously near to postulating another Gospel and incurring the condemnation pronounced in Pauls letter to the Galatians. 11 The pre-tribulation rapture doctrine teaches that the saints in Daniel, Chapter 7 are the Jews/Israel, the saints in the epistles of Paul are Christians, and the saints in Revelation 13:7 and 13:10 are quasi-saints, semi-saints, or tribulation saints that get saved under the ministry of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. They believe the same word, saints, but three different people Jews, Christians, and tribulation saints. Is it any wonder so many evangelicals have been confused with end-time events? I noticed how many multiple phases, stages, and people groups are in this teaching. Lets go to Daniel, Chapter 7. Daniel had a dream (Verse 1) that unfolded in his mind as a night vision. He saw four beasts arise out of the sea. When Daniel was given the interpretation of these beasts, he was told, the four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth (Verse 17). The word saints appears six times in Daniel 7:18-27. The first mention of the saints is in Daniel 7:18, But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever yes, for ever and ever. First of all, this chapter does not say that the saints are Israel or the Jews. It just says that the saints receive and possess the kingdom forever. In Daniel 7:27, the saints are again pictured receiving the kingdom: Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. What a tremendous eternal reward and inheritance! Daniel 7:21 reveals the persecution of the AntiChrist against the Church. First lets quote Daniel and then go to Revelation for confirmation. Daniel 7:21 says, As I watched, this horn (AntiChrist) was waging war against the saints and defeating them. Some translations say prevailing, others use overpowering. Revelation 13:7 describes this same scene with these words, He (beast, AntiChrist) was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. No one likes
11

From A History of the Brethren Movement, Roy Coad, Exeter: The Paternoster Press, Ltd., copyright 1968, page 130.
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to hear that the AntiChrist will be given authority and power by the devil himself to defeat and conquer the saints. UNTIL, and there is a big UNTIL immediately following Daniel 7:21. Daniel 7:22, Until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. These saints did not deny the Lord. These saints did not cease to be Gods chosen and holy people because they were defeated by the AntiChrist. They may have been killed, but they obtained a better resurrection. The world was not worthy of them. The Lord, the Ancient of Days, is going to come and pronounce judgment in our favor! Thats bad news for the little horn that has persecuted us! The oppression and persecution of AntiChrist is most clearly seen in Daniel 7:25, He will speak against the Most High and oppress His saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. First, AntiChrist will come speaking against the Lord. Second, he will oppress or wear out the saints. He will try to change set times and laws because he will become the law itself. Thirdly, the saints are handed over to AntiChrist for a time, times, and half a time. This is the prophetic expression for 3 years found only in Daniel and Revelation. Time = 1, Times =2, Half a Time = . When Christians are handed over to the AntiChrist, then Revelation 13:10 will ring true, This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. But dont stop at Verse 25. The Lord and His Church will have the last laugh. Daniel 7:26 reads, But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. AntiChrist will be completely destroyed forever. This destruction takes place at the coming of Jesus according to 2 Thessalonians 2:8. When you go to the book of Revelation, most of the references to the saints involve clear pictures of persecution and bloodshed. Revelation 16:6 says, For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. Revelation 17:6 describes the great harlot as follows: I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. When the Lord judges Babylon in one day (the day of the Lord), the saints are told, Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you (Revelation 18:20). Verse 24 continues with these words, In her (Babylon) was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth. In the midst of wrath and persecution the saints are told to persevere and endure: This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey Gods commandments, and remain faithful to Jesus (Revelation 14:12). Revelation 13:10, quoted earlier, reads, If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. What causes the saints to prevail and overcome is prayer: Revelation 5:8, 8:3, and 8:4. The Greek word for saint is simply the common word holy. It appears 233 times in 221 verses of the New Testament. I looked up every occurrence to understand who these people are that are called saints. The Christians are called saints in the following verses: Romans 1:7, 8:27, 12:13, 15:25, 15:26, 15:31, 16:2, 16:15; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 3:17 (holy temple), 6:1, 6:2, 7:14, 14:33, 16:1, 16:15; 2 Corinthians 1:1; 8:4, 9:1, 9:12, 13:13; Ephesians 1:1, 1:4 (holy), 1:15, 1:18, 2:19, 3:8, 3:18, 4:12, 5:3, 5:27 (holy Church), 6:18; Philippians 1:1, 4:21, 4:22; Colossians 1:2, 1:4, 1:12, 1:22 (holy), 1:26, 3:12 (holy); 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 5:27 (holy brethren); 2 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Timothy 5:10; Philemon 1:5, 1:7; Hebrews 3:1 (holy brethren), 6:10, 13:24; 1 Peter 1:15 (holy), 2:5 (holy priesthood), 2:9 (holy nation), 2 Peter 3:11 (holy lifestyle),
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Jude 1:3, 1:14. The Church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, is the saints of Daniel, Revelation, and the epistles of Paul. I hope the reader can hear me in this concluding paragraph. The elect and saints of God in Matthew 24, Daniel 7, and Revelation 13 are being persecuted and killed. But as we saw in the last chapter, that is the long and established history of Gods Church. Someone once said, Dont turn any verse that is unpleasant into a Jewish wastepaper basket. Why do many pretribulation rapture interpreters throw the Jews and others into the furnace of affliction and persecution, while the Church escapes without a scratch? The Church will suffer and be greatly persecuted. We may deny its truth now; but we will not deny its reality later.

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The Great Apostasy

Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss

1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
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Chapter

14
The Great Apostasy

uring the great tribulation, there will be a great apostasy among Christian believers. Christian believers will abandon the faith, turn away from the truth, apostatize, and betray and hate other Christians. Lets see why! Go with me to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3. Ive covered these verses in other chapters so let me get right to the point. Paul says that the coming of Jesus, the rapture of the Church, and the day of the Lord will not happen until the apostasy occurs first. This word apostasy is important. Here is how different translations render this word: except there come a falling away first(KJV), unless the rebellion comes first(RSV), until the turning away from God happens (ICB), for it will not come until the apostasy comes first(NAS). The NIV uses the word rebellion. Our English word apostasy is a transliteration of the Greek word apostasia, ajpostasiva found here in this verse. This word means apostasy, rebellion, to move away from the truth, to desert, or abandon. In essence, the ICB translation gets it right when it uses the words turning away from God. Many preachers interpret this apostasy as the evil acts of unbelievers. They attribute this rebellion to wicked people who have not known the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I believe that this is erroneous. Let me illustrate. The Dumb Illustration Suppose that you are at home minding your own business, when all of a sudden you hear a loud knock at the door. You look through the side window or peephole and notice that several people in military uniform are standing outside. They look like they are on official business ready to deliver some important news. You open the door and they identify themselves as military police from the nearest base. One of them calmly but firmly announces that you are under arrest. You are charged with being AWOL. That is, Absent WithOut Leave. You have failed to report to your duty station and you are in serious trouble. This is the most serious charge that can be brought against any member of the Armed Services. You stand there totally dumbfounded. You immediately reply that there must be a grave mistake. You are not in the military. You have never been a member of the Navy, Army, Air Force, or Marines. How can anyone from the government want your arrest for desertion when you have never been a part of any military service to begin with? Of course, this example is ridiculous. No military personnel ever go to the house of someone who has never been in the military and arrest them for deserting their unit or duty. But
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this is what many preachers, including pre-tribulation rapture preachers, teach when they say that the great apostasy of the end-times will be among unbelievers! How can I abandon the faith, if I was never in the faith? How can I turn away from the truth, if I was never in the truth? How can I apostatize, if Ive never known Jesus? The only one who can do this is a Christian. Its someone who has had faith in the Lord and has known the truth. Why do pretribulationists keep charging non-members (unbelievers) with AWOL when they have never been a part of the Lords army? Lets go to the Scriptures The Greek word apostasia is only used twice in the New Testament. Once in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and again in Acts 21:21. In the book of Acts it says, They have been informed that you (Paul) teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. The word apostasia is translated with the words to turn away from. A false report about Paul had circulated among newly converted Jews that he was teaching them to apostatize from Moses. Paul could not have been accused of telling Gentiles to apostatize from the Jewish law or Moses the Jewish leader. Gentiles are not members of the Jewish nation or race. The context in this verse confirms what I said in the previous paragraphs. Go now to 1 Timothy 4:1. It says, The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. This verse is important for our discussion. It starts, The Spirit clearly says that in the later times The Holy Spirit is teaching through Paul very clearly and specifically that in the last days these things will take place. We are in the last days and this is already happening. Paul teaches that three things will happen: 1) Some will abandon the faith, 2) some will follow seducing or deceiving spirits and 3) some will follow things taught by demons! This is bad stuff! Some will abandon the faith, Paul says. The Greek word here for abandon is apostsontai which means to leave, go away, desert, commit apostasy, incite a revolt, or go AWOL. We see the word apostasy in apostsontai. The word is translated by various translations as abandon, depart, fall away, apostatize, and stop believing. Again, how can someone desert or go AWOL from the faith unless they were in the faith? Unbelievers are already seduced, deceived, and taught by demons. Its the believer that needs to be seduced away from the faith and the truth. Lets go to the words of Jesus Christ. When speaking of what would happen during the great tribulation (persecution), Jesus used these words in Matthew 24:9-13, Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of many will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. These verses are written to believers, and they are about believers. These words are not for unbelievers. Are unbelievers persecuted and hated because of Jesus name? Do unbelievers allow the agape love of God to grow cold? How can an unbeliever face persecution and be encouraged to stand firm to the end to be saved? These verses are dealing with believers. Verse 10 says, At that time many will turn away from the faith. I know Im repeating myself, but how can I turn away from the faith, if I was never in the faith? It goes on to say that these believers who turn away from the faith will betray and hate others. To betray implies having once been a friend. Judas could betray Jesus because he was a part of the original twelve
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apostles. In fact, the Greek word here for betray is the same one used throughout the New Testament for the betrayal of Judas. 12 The words will turn away from are one word in Greek skandaliz. Its where we get the English word scandalize. But English words dont define Greek words. One Greek dictionary defines this word as to cause someone to give up his faith; to desert. 13 Remember that all of these words are in the famous Olivet Discourse specifically addressing end-time events. Also, lets look at the Lords words in Luke 21:16-19: But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives. Not only are other Christian believers going to betray you, but maybe even more painful, your own family and relatives will betray you also. No wonder Jesus repeatedly tells us that by enduring to the end we will be saved. During the great persecution, enduring to the end will be the key. Mark 13:12-13 uses the same words, Brother will betray brother to death and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. During the great apostasy, children will rise up against their parents and have them put to death! These words from Jesus in Matthew, Luke, and Mark involve the persecution of Christians. And the context of these verses is always the time period of the great tribulation. Who are these people being persecuted? Is it the Jews only, like pretribulationists tell us? No, its the Christian believers. Is it Possible for a Christian to Backslide and Apostatize? The answer is yes! Why do we see verses like 2 Peter 2:20-22, If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit, and, A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud. Why did the writer of Hebrews say, It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace (Hebrews 6:4-6). He had written a few chapters earlier these words in Hebrews 3:12, See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. In Acts 20:29-31 Paul told the elders of Ephesus that I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. Christians from your own selves will speak perverse things to draw away disciples. What about the Church in
Some examples of the betrayal of Judas include the following Verses: Matthew 10:4, 26:5, 27:3-4; Mark 3:19, 14:10-11, 14:18, and 14:21; Luke 22:4-6, 22:21-22, and 22:48; John 6:71, 12:4, 13:2, 13:21, and 18:2. 13 A Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament, Barclay M. Newman, Jr., German Bible Society, Stuttgart, copyright 1993. The word skandaliz, skandalivzw is defined on page 163.
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12

Ephesus that was once in love with Jesus but had forsaken your first love (Revelation 2:4)? Or the Church in Sardis that was once alive but now was dead (Revelation 3:1-3)? Or the lukewarm Church at Laodicea that Jesus was going to spit out of His mouth? There are many verses in the Bible on backsliding and apostasy. Ive just used a few verses from the New Testament. Biblical Examples & Instruction John 6:66 is a scary verse. It reads, From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him. What caused this desertion? In John 6:61, Jesus asks, Does this offend you? The word here for offend is skandaliz. They were scandalized by Jesus words. Many in the last days will be scandalized by what Jesus said about the end-times. Demas was a Christian believer and one of Pauls fellow workers. In Philemon 1:24 and Colossians 4:14 we see him with Paul. However, in 2 Timothy 4:9 we read these awful words: Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved (agape) this world, has deserted me. This word desert is the word to forsake or to abandon in Greek. What about these verses from 1 and 2 Timothy: 2 Timothy 1:15, You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 2 Timothy 2:17-18, Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. These two men had wandered from the truth. By the way, this resurrection mentioned here is the rapture. 2 Timothy 4:16, At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. Paul started in 2 Timothy 1:15 with everyone in the province of Asia and he ends up with everyone in 2 Timothy 4:16. 1 Timothy 1:19-20, Holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. Notice the wording here, some have shipwrecked their faith. A ship gets wrecked when it loses its way and drives itself into land. So it was with Hymenaeus and Alexander. They had to be believers because they had faith and Paul turned them over to Satan. This cannot be done with unbelievers. Just from looking at the letters to Timothy I see that apostasy existed in the early Church. There is nothing new under the sun. We had apostasy in Moses day and Pauls day. We will have a great apostasy in the last days during the great tribulation. Apostasy Now! I believe that Richard Wurmbrands book, Tortured for Christ should be mandatory reading for those who will prepare for the great tribulation. 14 Brother Wurmbrand founded the ministry Voice of the Martyrs. He was imprisoned and tortured for fourteen years in Romania under communist rule. If you dont believe in apostasy by believers, then just read his book. The ugly compromise of ministers is heartbreaking! I quote from his book: From the very day of my release, I was faced with aspects of communism more ugly than all the tortures of my imprisonment had been. One after the other I met great preachers and pastors of the different churches, and even bishops, who simply confessed with great sorrow that they were informers for the secret police against their own flocks. I asked them if they were prepared to give up being informers, even at the risk of being imprisoned themselves. All answered no. They said
14

Tortured for Christ, Richard Wurmbrand, copyright 1967, 1998 by the Voice of the Martyrs, Living Sacrifice Book Company, P.O. Box 2273, Bartlesville, OK 74005-2273.
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that to refuse to be an informer could mean the closing of the church. He concludes by saying, Most ministers gave information to the secret police. 15 The reason brother Wurmbrand was sent to prison the second time in 1959 was because one of the associate ministers in the underground church turned him in to the secret police! Brothers and sisters, if ministers were compromising their own congregations under the puny threats of the communists, what do we think is going to happen when the AntiChrist appears and there is terrible persecution that has never been seen in all of human history?! The apostasy will be great! You may disagree with the apostasy, but I want you to know that every day, right now, all over the world, many Christians are betraying fellow believers and causing them to be sent to prison because of their betrayal and compromise. Many are no longer following Christ. Many have quit enduring and are no longer running the race. What will you do? The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Teaching Ask yourself honestly this question: What is going to happen to millions of Christian believers who have been taught through tapes, TV, seminars, books, and their Pastors, that the Church is raptured before the tribulation? These believers are being taught that they will escape persecution and not have to face denying Christ. What is going to happen when the great tribulation begins and Christians see AntiChrist on TV? What are these believers going to say to their Pastor who taught them the great escape? What will happen to them when they find out that they are left behind? I honestly believe many of these believers are going to be filled with confusion, doubt, unbelief, and fear. They will be totally unprepared for the coming persecution. Many will backslide and turn away from the Lord and other believers. I will never forget 1988. The pre-tribulation rapture teacher and mathematician, Edgar Whisenant, wrote the book 88 Reasons Why Jesus is Coming in 1988. This book sent a great scare through many churches all over the United States. 1988 came and went and Whisenant decided to write another book entitled 89 Reasons Why Jesus is Coming in 1989! He said that some of his calculations were off by one year. But thats not the bad part! Several Christians I knew went into a state of panic as the month of September rolled around (the same month that Whisenant predicted the rapture would happen). One man in our church, a new believer, began to announce to people everywhere that the world was coming to an end and gave people copies of Whisenants book as they walked by. When nothing happened, this man backslid from God. I use this small example to show what is going to take place on a worldwide scale. Wait until millions of Christians find out that there is no pre-tribulation rapture and that they will go through the great tribulation. Christians immersed in these teachings will be disillusioned at the rapture that never was. I have a feeling that many Christians are going to turn against their Pastors for all the false teachings they have heard about the end-times. Who are the people in 2 Peter 3:3-4? Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. Do you think it is unbelievers that are going to come up and ask us, Where is the promise of His coming? When I was an unbeliever, I didnt even know there was a Coming! Many unbelievers believe evolution. Who else but believers could say, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation? Were the ones that believe in the
15

Ibid, pages 70-71.

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creation. I wonder how many pre-tribulation rapture believers are going to say, where is the promise of His coming to rapture us when the tribulation starts and they are facing intense persecution. Let me close with this thought. When I first understood the great apostasy in light of the great persecution, it caused me to rejoice a little in my heart because I felt I had discovered some truth. But since that initial euphoria of discovering truth in the Bible, I have come to be deeply grieved, even to the point of weeping, as I realize that millions of Christians are going to be completely overwhelmed and caught off guard when persecution breaks out. This is especially true in the United States. Our Christian bookstores are flooded with pre-tribulation rapture books and tapes. Other end-time viewpoints are not allowed to prevail. I recently surveyed a large section of prophecy books at a Christian bookstore. I counted until I got to the number 100. I found that out of these 100 books, 98 were books based on the pre-tribulation rapture. The other two were insignificant books that few will buy. In many denominations and Christian movements, the confusion over end-time events is great. This pre-tribulation rapture teaching is a big deal and it is going to cause multitudes to stumble and fall. Will we pray for these believers? We need to cry out to God on their behalf. Conclusion: In examining Scriptures like 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 1 Timothy 4:1, Matthew 24:9-13, and many verses in 2 Timothy, we see that there is going to be a great apostasy among believers who will abandon the faith, turn from the truth, and fall away from God as persecution comes from AntiChrist and his followers.

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What About the Wrath of God?

Revelation 6:16-17 They called to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who can stand?
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Chapter

15
What About the Wrath of God?

ne of the big questions you may have right now is the whole issue of the wrath of God. You may ask, but I thought Jesus came to save me from Gods wrath? How can I go through the great tribulation, where there will be a lot of wrath, if the Bible says He will deliver me from His wrath? These are good questions. Let me say plainly: I believe that true Christian believers will be saved from the wrath of God. This is the testimony of the Bible. The pre-tribulation rapture teaching has Christians escaping persecution and the wrath of God. I believe Christians will go through persecution but be protected from Gods wrath. Lets get right to the point. The pretribulationist will use the following three verses to show that Christians will be raptured before the great tribulation: 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 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 Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. 1 Thessalonians 5:9, For God did not appoint (destine) us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:9, Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. These verses are true! We dont need to be a Bible scholar to understand what the Word of God is saying. Heres the issue that Ive alluded to before: The pretribulationist often equates the great tribulation with the wrath of God. So if God is going to save us from His wrath, then we could conclude that Christians must be gone before the great tribulation. This understanding would justify the pre-tribulation rapture. But, as I taught in Chapter 11, forty times in the New Testament the word for tribulation means persecution, affliction, and suffering. In these forty instances we do not find the wicked going through this kind of tribulation. Forty times it speaks of believers suffering persecution and affliction. So when I say that Christians will go through the great tribulation, Im saying that we will go through persecution and affliction. I am also saying, that Christians will be protected and shielded supernaturally from the wrath of God, both now and through any future tribulation. The bottomline: We escape His wrath, but go through persecution. Lets look at the Word of God to make these distinctions clear. The Wrath of God in the New Testament I found that every reference in the New Testament in which the wrath or anger of God is being poured out falls on the disobedient and rebellious. I have not found a verse in the New Testament that shows a true Christian believer suffering the wrath of God. Lets go through the
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verses. John 3:36 says that anyone who does not believe or obey the Son of God will not see life but the wrath of God will remain on him. Romans 1:18 says, The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. His wrath is against wickedness. Romans 2:5, 8-9 shows that stubborn and unrepentant people are storing up wrath for the day of Gods wrath. This is the day of the Lord. Wrath and anger will be for anyone who is self-seeking and rejects the truth. In Matthew 3:7 and Luke 3:7, John the Baptist warned the religious leaders of his day to flee from the wrath to come. He called these people a brood of vipers (snakes). In Ephesians 2:3, Paul said that we were once formerly living in the lusts of our flesh and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. In Ephesians 5:6 and Colossians 3:6, Paul says, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 teaches that the wrath of God has come upon the Jews to the utmost because they killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and are now persecuting the Church. In all of these verses, Gods wrath is coming on the wicked, not the righteous. The Wrath of God in Revelation One of the things that makes the book of Revelation so frightening, is all the references to the wrath of Almighty God. I studied carefully every verse that mentions the anger or wrath of God in this book. I found that every verse shows His anger and wrath poured out upon the ungodly and wicked. I could not find a single verse that shows Gods wrath on those who belong to Him. Hear the words of the unrepentant in Revelation 6:16-17, They called to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who can stand? In Revelation 14:9-11, anyone who worships the beast and his image or receives a mark on his forehead or hand is made to drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Revelation 16 is the great chapter on Gods wrath. Lets read from that chapter and notice that the bowls of wrath are poured out on the wicked. Revelation 16:1-2, Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. Revelation 16:8-9, The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they blasphemed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify Him. Revelation 16:10-11, The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done. Revelation 16:17, 19, 21, The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, It is finished! The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of His wrath. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they blasphemed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible. In Revelation 18 we see the great judgment upon Babylon. In Revelation 19:15 we see Jesus treading the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And finally, we read that the devil, the beast, the false prophet, and everyone who is not found written in the Lambs
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book of life are thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented forever and ever. Once again, there is no mention of the righteous experiencing the wrath of God. Examples from the Old Testament Noah and his family escaped the wrath of God in Genesis 6-8 because he was found righteous. Lot and his daughters escaped the wrath of God because of Abrahams intercession and Gods mercy. Abraham even asked in Genesis 18:25, Far be it from You to do such a thing to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right? Joshua and Caleb escaped Gods wrath because they followed the Lord wholeheartedly. But perhaps the clearest teaching of the Lords protection from His wrath is with the children of Israel in Egypt. During the plague of flies in Exodus 8:21-23, we read, If you do not let My people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground where they are. But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land. I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow. God made a distinction between Israel and Egypt. Goshen was where Israel lived and no swarms of flies were sent there. During the plague on the livestock in Exodus 9:6-7 we read, And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Praise the Lord! Not one animal belonging to the Israelites died! He protects those who are His! The plague of hail is also described for us in Exodus, Chapter 9. Egypt had never experienced such a severe storm in all of its history. Exodus 9:23-26 describes it this way: When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were. Did you hear that? The only place free of the hailstorm was where Gods people lived. Isnt it interesting that in Revelation God also pours out hail on the wicked (Revelation 11:19, 16:21)? When the judgments of God fall during these last days, who will you be serving? Consider also the plague on the firstborn in Exodus 11:4-7: This is what the Lord says: About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal. Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. This last sentence sums it up ...the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. What I am saying is this: We can be present here on earth and be completely protected from Gods wrath if we belong to Him. The Lord has done it before and He will do it again. Some of the bowls of wrath in Revelation 16 match the type of plagues that came on the Egyptians. What happened 1,000s of years ago in Egypt will happen again, except this time it
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will impact the whole world. Some pretribulationists do not believe that a Christian can be supernaturally protected from Gods wrath during the great tribulation. They say there will be just too much devastation, and theres no way that Christians can escape if they remain on earth during these terrible days. But just as God protected Israel when the plagues fell on the Egyptians, the Lord can protect His own people. The arm of the Lord is not too short that He cannot save. My conclusion, as Ive iterated in other parts of this book, is that Christians will be persecuted and protected. We will be persecuted by the wicked, but we will be protected from Gods wrath. So can I still maintain the truthfulness of 1 Thessalonians 5:9, For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, while believing that the Church will go through the great tribulation? Yes, I believe I can. I dont see a contradiction. Tribulation does not equal wrath! My mathematical formula is persecution on the righteous + Gods wrath on the wicked = the great tribulation. Conclusion: God will protect Christians during the great tribulation from His wrath. The wrath of God is poured out upon the disobedient and wicked. Christians will be persecuted and protected.

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Why not the Pre-Wrath Rapture?

Pre Wrath Rapture?

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Chapter

16
Why not the Pre-Wrath Rapture?

ince the pre-wrath rapture is not the main subject of the book, I will not spend a lot of space discussing its details. I just want to point out what those who believe this position teach and show where it differs from me. The person responsible for first postulating this position was Robert Van Kampen. He wrote an end-times book called The Sign in 1992 that became an instant bestseller. It was followed in 1997 by a book entitled The Rapture Question Answered, Plain & Simple. It was Van Kampen who convinced Marvin Rosenthal, the former executive director of the ministry Friends of Israel, to this pre-wrath rapture view. Rosenthal in turn wrote a book called The PreWrath Rapture of the Church available from Thomas Nelson Publishers. First, let me say that I learned a great deal about the end-times and the weaknesses of the pre-tribulation rapture position from Van Kampen. I dont agree with everything that he says, but he has done a lot of research and investigation to arrive at his conclusions, and I respect anyone that takes the time and effort to study thoroughly his beliefs. I believe that he is sincere, loves the Lord, and has a great desire to know the truth. He believes like I do that the elect and saints are the Church. He believes in only one coming of Jesus and one day of the Lord. And he believes that the rapture occurs at this one coming. Let me quote his exact words so that you can hear his position: The persecution by AntiChrist during the great tribulation will be the wrath of Satan, not the wrath of God. When the sign of the sun, moon, and stars is given in the heavens, the wrath of Satan against the elect of God will be terminated, the faithful of God will be raptured, and then the wrath of God will begin against the wicked who remain, ending with the battle of Armageddon. Thus, the Rapture of Gods saints has to occur sometime during the second half of the tribulation period, during AntiChrists persecution of Gods elect. Plain and simple! No more, no less. Once you get that right, everything else falls together perfectly! 1 A simple diagram of this position is shown on the next page.

From The Rapture Question Answered, by Robert D. Van Kampen, Fleming H Revell Publishers, copyright 1997, pages 47-48.
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Rapture of Church

Wrath of Satan

Wrath of God

First 3 Years

Second 3 Years

Armageddon

Notice that for Van Kampen the rapture of the Church initiates Gods wrath. He definitely sees the day of the Lord and describes much of its details. But theres one area that I believe Van Kampen has missed and it throws off his whole interpretation. He makes the day of the Lord an unknown time period. In one place he says, The wrath of God will be played out during a specific time period called the day of the Lord. 2 Later he writes, The wrath of God that will be poured out upon the wicked in end times is called the Day of the Lord, the end, the end of the age. This will be an extended period of time when God, not AntiChrist, alone will be exalted, when He will systematically destroy the unrighteous who remain on earth after the faithful have been removed. 3 If we look at Van Kampens own drawing on page 39 of his rapture book, were led to believe that the day of the Lord can be anything from roughly six months to two years. So a day grows into months, possibly years. The day of the Lord will be a unique day without day or night, a day known only to the Lord (Zechariah 14:6-7). Why didnt God just come out and say, The week of the Lord, or The month of the Lord, or The years of the Lord? He always uses the word day. Its the day of the Lord. Think about this: 1 Thessalonians 5:2 says that Jesus comes on the day of the Lord. Jesus is not going to take an extended period of time to come down from heaven. It will not take Him six months to come down. He raptures the Church on the same day He returns and this is called the day of the Lord. The pre-wrath rapture violates the parable of the wheat and tares. The wicked are gathered first, then the wheat at the end of the age. Under this teaching, the wheat are gathered first, then the tares some time later. Also, the end means the end. The end of a movie is when everyone gets up and leaves because its over. They do not stay around for an extended period of time to watch more action. The pre-wrath rapture violates the resurrection on the last day. Jesus said that the rapture was on the last day. Last means last. The rapture of the Church a few weeks or six months or two years before the last day is not the right timing of the rapture. The last day is the day of the Lord. The pre-wrath rapture violates the arrival of the thief in the night. The thief appears at Armageddon after the sixth bowl of wrath is poured out. Under the pre-wrath teaching, the thief should appear before the first bowl is poured, but this is not the case. The pre-wrath rapture violates all of the specifics of the day of the Lord seen in the Old Testament prophets. On the day of the Lord, the sun will be darkened and the moon will be turned to blood. This does not take place over a six-month or one year time period. On the day of the Lord, there will be a worldwide earthquake that shakes all of the mountains flat and removes all islands. God doesnt need a few weeks or an extended period of time to do this.
2 3

Ibid., page 52. Ibid., page 64.

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Most earthquakes today are less than a minute and can cause incredible devastation. On the day of the Lord, the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. How can this possibly go on for a year and a half? If you will recall the conclusions I made in Chapters 6-10 of this book, and study carefully the particulars on the day of the Lord in Chapter 20, I believe we have to conclude that the day of the Lord is the day the Church gets raptured and Jesus comes to earth. I believe that the rapture of the Church occurs on the same day that Armageddon ends. Jesus comes and destroys all of His enemies on this day. It will not take Jesus an extended period of time to do this. So thats the fundamental difference between what Im teaching on the rapture and what Van Kampen is teaching. He makes the day of the Lord something more than a day. His books also maintain some of the teachings of dispensationalism which I do not believe.

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Hes Only Coming Once

Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
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Chapter

17
Hes Only Coming Once

his may be one of the shortest chapters in this book, but one of the most important. It will answer the critical question: Just how many times does Jesus return at the end of the age? We will spend most of our time in the book of Hebrews. I believe that the simple testimony of Scriptures is that the Lord is coming back once. I cannot find where He is coming back twice. Nor do I see Him coming back in two phases or two stages. The pretribulationists say that He is coming back twice, seven years apart, in two different stages. The mid-tribulation rapture position has Jesus coming back twice, 3 years apart. Is this biblical? There is only one verse in the New Testament that gives us a numerical total on the Lords returns. This verse is Hebrews 9:28. Lets go there and see what we find. When I first understood this verse, it really helped me. Lets start with the second sentence in Hebrews 9:26, But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. As we study Hebrews 9, we learn that in the Old Testament the high priest had to enter the Most Holy Place every year, again and again, over and over, offering the same sacrifices. The blood of bulls and goats had to be offered continually. This blood was not perfect and only made Gods people outwardly clean (Hebrews 9:13). But the blood of Christ was perfect and blameless, and He only had to die once and offer His blood once as an eternal sacrifice. He does not have to offer the blood of animals again and again. He has offered His blood once for all time to do away with sin. This is what Hebrews 9:26 teaches. Now lets look at Hebrews 9:27 and the first part of Hebrews 9:28. It reads, Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. First of all, ministers generally applied Hebrews 9:27 to people at funerals, but in context, it was written to show that Christ could only die once. Jesus, the divine and eternal Son of God, was manifested in the flesh as a man. He too could only die once like man. Notice further that the word once is written twice. Man is destined to die once and Christ was sacrificed once. We saw in Verse 26 that He has appeared once for all. Once is written three times in three verses to show emphasis. We know that this once, as it relates to Christ, was accomplished nearly 2,000 years ago when Jesus died for our sins at the cross. Now lets read the last part of Hebrews 9:28. Here we will find out how many times Jesus is coming. Is He coming once for the Church before the tribulation, and then again after the tribulation seven years later? Do we accept the old saying among pretribulationists that
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Jesus is coming for His Church at the rapture, then He is coming with His Church at His 2nd Coming? Is it biblical to have Jesus come a total of three times, once at the cross, and twice at the end of the age? 4 Or does Jesus come a total of two times, once at Calvary, and once at the end of the age? Lets see the answer. Verse 28, and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. Lets examine all three parts of this statement because they are very important. And He will appear a second time. Jesus Christ is only coming back once! The first time He came to earth was nearly 2,000 years ago. He is going to come a second time in glorious power with His mighty angels. This verse does not say a second and third time. The Greek word is one that we should know. Its the word deuteros, deuvteroV, which means second. You get the word Deuteronomy from this word. Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Bible and means literally second law. The same law (nomos) had to be given twice because Moses broke the first tablets. Jesus is coming a second time which means one more time. Not to bear sin. The next time Jesus comes it will not be for the purpose of bearing sin like He did at the cross. Jesus sacrifice was perfect and He does not need to offer Himself again. He only died once; and He will only return once. His blood satisfied all the demands of a righteous and holy God. But to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. Jesus will not come to bear sin but to bring salvation! He is going to deliver those who have been through the great tribulation and He is going to rapture us when He comes! How can we be waiting for Him on earth if weve already been raptured 7 years prior? Under the pre-tribulation rapture teaching, we should be in heaven with Him. But were not in heaven during the great persecution; we are here on earth waiting for Him (if were still alive). This verse matches Luke 21:27-28, At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. How can we stand up and lift up our heads if we are already in heaven from a pre-tribulation rapture? Hebrews 9:28 also matches Hebrews 12:26-27. Heres what He is coming once it says: At that time, His voice shook the earth, but now He has more to shake the promised, Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. heavens. The words once more indicate the removing of what can be shaken that is, created things so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Notice again the word once written twice. And as we will see in Chapter 20, this is the day of the Lord, the day that Jesus returns. God shook the earth when He came the first time to Mount Sinai in Exodus 19:10-25, but now He is coming a second time, once more, to shake not only the earth but also the heavens. There is no mention of Jesus coming twice in these verses.
In the mid-1800s when the pre-tribulation rapture teaching was beginning to spread like wildfire over the continent of Europe, Dr. Samuel P. Tregelles (1813-75) was a contemporary of John Nelson Darby. Dr. Tregelles was a first-rate Biblical scholar. He disagreed sharply with Darbys end-time views on the secret rapture. I have a personal reprinted copy of Dr. Tregelles 1864 book The Hope of Christs Second Coming (I have also looked through an original copy of this book from a local Christian library). On page 36 he writes, In 1863 I heard it publicly and definitely maintained, that the secret coming is the second coming promised in Scripture, and that the manifest appearing of our Lord is His third coming. Many seem to think those who do not say so in definite words. But a third coming is something very different from His coming again.
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4

Notice that the writer of Hebrews quoted from the Old Testament when he wrote, but now He has promised, Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. He was quoting from the prophet Haggai. What does Haggai 2:6-7 say? This is what the LORD Almighty says: In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD Almighty. Haggai quotes the Lord saying He will once more shake the heavens and the earth. Again, Jesus is coming once more, or a second time, to shake the heavens and the earth. Remember Jesus words in Matthew 24:29-30, 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: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the nations of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Jesus said it was after the tribulation that the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then all the people of the earth will see Him. Conclusion: Hebrews 9:28, Hebrews 12:26-27, and Haggai 2:6-7 all teach that Jesus is coming back once, a second time, at the end of the age. His 2nd Coming will bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him, and it will also shake the heavens and the earth. Jesus is only coming once!

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The Second Coming of Jesus

Revelation 1:7 Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
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Chapter

18
The Second Coming of Jesus

r. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once wrote, For every one reference to the first coming of Christ as the baby of Bethlehem, there are eight references to His final, His second, coming. 5 The 2nd Coming of Jesus is a tremendously important subject and all Christians should devote a great deal of time to its study. During World War II, General Douglas MacArthur was commander of the Army forces in the Far East. As the Japanese were attacking the Philippines, MacArthur and his family left Corregidor Island in Manila Bay in March of 1942 under orders from President Franklin Roosevelt. Soon afterward, he flew to Australia. Upon arriving there he made his famous pledge: I shall return. It wasnt until October 20, 1944 that MacArthur and his forces landed on the Philippine island of Leyte, thus carrying out his pledge. 6 The Christian believer has a greater pledge from the Supreme Commander of the Universe, Jesus Christ the Lord. Jesus said, I shall return long before General MacArthur. If MacArthur can keep his pledge, how much more Jesus who is Lord of all! Life on earth is not going to proceed as it currently is for thousands of years. Jesus is Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964 coming soon to usher in a new age. I have been emphasizing throughout this book, and especially in the last chapter, that Jesus Christ is only coming once at the end of the age. I cannot find anywhere in the Scriptures a secret coming that only Christians know about. Every coming mentioned in Revelation, Daniel, and the gospels, is a glorious coming that will shake the heavens and the earth. Not once did Jesus say He was coming on two separate occasions. Not once did Jesus mention a secret coming that will be known or seen by believers only. Dr. Lloyd-Jones stresses this when he says, There are some who would teach that our Lords presence, His Parousia (coming), will be secret and nobody will see Him except His own. Yet I suggest to you that if you go through all

From The Church and the Last Things, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, published by Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois, copyright 1998, page 83. 6 From The World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 13, page 3.
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the passages describing His Second Coming, you will find they all emphasize its visibility. 7 I agree with this conclusion! Jesus is coming in great power and glory, and every eye shall see Him and all the nations shall mourn. I now want to go through several of the more famous passages on the 2nd Coming of Jesus. Lets start with the book of Acts. The first instruction given to the apostles when Jesus physically left earth after His resurrection concerned His 2nd Coming. Acts 1:9 says, After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. This event is also described in Mark 16:19 and Luke 24:51. Jesus was taken up in a cloud back into heaven. Suddenly two angelic beings appearing as men came to the disciples. Acts 1:10 continues, They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. Jesus didnt need a rocket to lift off from planet earth! These two men in white made this promise: Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven. The words that caught my eye were will come back in the same way. I also noticed in Verse 9 the word cloud. One of the main features of the Lords return, is His return in the clouds. Please read these verses carefully because Im going to make an important conclusion: Daniel 7:13, In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. Matthew 24:30, And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 26:64, In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven. Mark 13:26, At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Mark 14:62, And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven. Luke 21:27, At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 1 Thessalonians 4:17, 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. Revelation 1:7, Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him. Revelation 14:14, I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a Son of Man with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. Ignore 1 Thessalonians 4:17 for a moment. Heres my conclusion: Every one of the above references is clearly in a setting after the tribulation. None of these verses is even remotely tied to a pre-tribulation coming to rapture the Church. When Jesus comes in the clouds it will be His glorious 2nd Coming at the end of the age. This is the same way His Coming is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, the verse used to teach a pre-tribulation rapture. The men dressed in white said nothing about Him coming twice on different clouds seven years apart.

The Church and the Last Things, pages 92-93.

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Jesus is coming once, the same way, in the clouds to rapture the Church and set up His reign on earth. Lets look at one of the above verses more closely. Revelation 1:7 reads, Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn over Him. So shall it be. Amen! The pre-tribulation rapture is not mentioned in the book of Revelation. The secret coming of Jesus to rapture the Church before the tribulation is also not mentioned. I would have thought that the greatest book on prophecy would say something about what pretribulationists argue so vehemently about. The only coming of Jesus thats mentioned in Revelation is His glorious coming at the end of the age. It starts right here in Chapter 1. John says, Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye shall see Himand all the peoples of the earth will mourn over Him. This is not a pre-tribulation coming. Every eye sees Him. All peoples of the earth mourn over Him. Its going to happen. So shall it be! All believers will say Amen. I believe! Go to Matthew 24:30. Jesus said, At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. We see again what we saw in Revelation 1:7. We see the clouds and all the nations of the earth will mourn. This is after the tribulation as Matthew 24:29, the previous verse, declares: 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. This verse includes the well-used phrase, with power and great glory. Mark 13:26 also uses these words: Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Luke 21:27 says the same thing: And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Titus 2:13 reads, while we wait for the blessed hope the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus is only coming once. He will come in power and great glory! 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 describes His coming this way: This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power. There are many things in these verses that can be pointed out, but lets focus on three. First, when He comes from heaven, it will be in blazing fire. If I understand Revelation right, I think that this blazing fire is the judgment seen in the Lords eyes. Revelation 1:14, His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire. Revelation 2:18, These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire. The great coming of Jesus described in Revelation 19 starts out like this in Verses 11-12, I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. Hebrews 12:29 concludes verses on the Lords coming with these words, Our God is a consuming fire. The second thing I see in these verses is that Jesus is coming with His powerful angels. The clear testimony of the Scriptures is that Jesus definitely comes back with powerful angels. Consider these verses: Matthew 16:27, For the Son of Man is going to come in His Fathers glory with His angels. Matthew 25:31, But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Do we hear what Jesus is saying here? He said that all of the angels would come when He returns! Millions and millions of angels will accompany Him at His return. This will not be an invisible, secret coming. Mark 8:38, If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation,
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the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His Fathers glory with the holy angels. There are holy angels and unholy angels. Those coming with Him will be holy angels. Thirdly, when Jesus comes, He will punish with everlasting destruction the unbelievers and the rebellious. This was prophesied by Enoch according to Jude 1:14-15, Behold, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. All the harsh words spoken against Jesus will be dealt with at His coming. What a fearful day! I wrote all of that to say this: In none of the verses quoted above do we see a secret rapture or coming that no one sees. Its a powerful, glorious, fearful coming of judgment with millions of angels that is going to bring destruction to the ungodly people of the earth. Lets stay in 2 Thessalonians. Look at Chapter 2, Verse 8. It says, And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming. Jesus will slay (NAS), consume (KJV), or overthrow (NIV) the AntiChrist when He returns. Just the splendor of the Lord will destroy him. As powerful as the AntiChrist will appear to men, he is absolutely no match for Jesus. So much for the words of Revelation 13:4, Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him? Jesus will make war against him and destroy him! Notice the last words of 2 Thessalonians 2:8. It says, of His coming. The Greek word here is Parousia which is the main noun used to describe the Lords coming. Now go back eight verses to 2 Thessalonians 2:1. It reads, Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto Him In one verse we have the coming of the Lord Jesus and the rapture (gathering together). The Greek word here for coming is also Parousia. Lets make the connection. The same coming in Verse 8 to destroy the AntiChrist is the one in Verse 1 to rapture the Church. AntiChrist is destroyed at the end of the tribulation and the Church is raptured at that same time. Lets look at James 5:7-8, Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lords coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the early (autumn) and latter (spring) rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lords coming is near. James teaches us to be patient and stand firm until Jesus comes. This phrase is important: The Lords coming is near. It may be a well-worn clich, but Jesus is coming soon! This world has nothing to offer the believer that is of any value. Jesus Himself said in Revelation 22:12, Behold, I am coming soon. And, the next to the last verse in the Bible says this, Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 1 Corinthians 16:22 uses the word Maranatha. Its of Aramaic origin and means, Our Lord has come, or Our Lord will come. The prayer and declaration of every sincere Christian should be the NIVs translation of this word: Come, O Lord!

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Its All Greek to Me

ajpokavluyi~

Titus 2:13 While we wait for the blessed hope the glorious appearing (epiphaneia) of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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19
Its All Greek to Me

lease do not skip this chapter because it may appear to be too technical. It has very important information. I will answer the question, What is the blessed hope? The three Greek words I will use you probably have already heard at some point in your Christian life, and two of the words have come into the English language. I wrote this chapter for one reason: It shows that the three main Greek nouns that describe the Lords 2nd Coming, all describe His coming after the tribulation. We will also see, by examining the Greek word epiphany, that the blessed hope is at the end of the tribulation on the day the Lord. Its my conclusion that the blessed hope is not the pre-tribulation rapture. I will give you three more views of the rapture and each view locates the rapture after the tribulation. We cannot find a pre-tribulation rapture when we look at the Greek. So lets look at these three Greek words. I hope to make it simple and easy to understand. The Greek Word Parousia The first, and most important, noun on the Lords coming is the Greek word Parousia, parousiva, which means coming, arrival, presence, or advent. It was used to describe the arrival of a king or an important government official to a city. 8 Its the main Greek noun for the Lords coming and it appears 24 times in the Greek New Testament, 18 times specifically describing the return of Jesus. We will find it seven times in the critical books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Its used of the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus in 1 Corinthians 16:7, the coming of Titus in 2 Corinthians 7:6-7, the presence of Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:10 and Philippians 2:12, the coming of Paul in Philippians 1:26, and finally, the coming of AntiChrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:9. Lets get to the point: Can we find two, separate comings of Jesus in the Bible like the pretribulationists say? Or is there only one coming of Jesus at the end of the age? We will only find one and each verse that describes the Parousia of Jesus describes it happening after the tribulation. Lets now go systematically through several verses of the New Testament and see where this word appears. Does it describe a coming of Jesus before the tribulation or after?
See Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Editors: Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, Volume V, page 859, in the explanation of the word parousia by Professor Albrecht Oepke.
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8

Lets start with Matthew 24:27: For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming (Parousia) of the Son of Man. Is this a coming of Jesus that is secret and no one knows about? No. This describes His 2nd Coming as lightning that is visible even from the west. This is not a secret coming. Matthew 24:37-39, As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming (Parousia) of the Son of Man. 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; 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 (Parousia) of the Son of Man. These verses will be covered in Chapter 21, The Days of Noah & Lot. Is this coming before or after the tribulation? Its after, as Jesus just described in Verses 29-31. Besides, it was the day that Noah entered the ark when the flood swept away the ungodly; so it will be the day that Jesus comes that the ungodly will be destroyed. This only fits a coming of Jesus after the tribulation. Matthew 24:3, 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 (Parousia) and of the end of the age? Jesus takes all of Chapters 24 and 25 to answer these questions. And the only coming described in these chapters is His Coming after the tribulation the pretribulationists also acknowledge this. As we saw in the previous chapter on The Second Coming of Jesus, there is no pre-tribulation rapture or coming taught by Jesus in any of His teachings, including here in Matthew 24 and 25. 1 Corinthians 15:23-26, But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christs at His coming (Parousia), then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. This chapter is on the resurrection (discussed in Chapter 7, The First Resurrection and Chapter 8, 1 Corinthians 15:50-55). This verse tells us when the rapture will occur. Notice the order of the bodily resurrection (rapture). First it calls Christ the first fruits. In other words, Christ was the first person to receive the glorified, immortal body that will never die. Then, after that, those who are Christs at His coming. When do we get the resurrected, imperishable body? at His coming. Then we notice the words, then the end will come, which is the end of the age. This does not occur at the pre-tribulation rapture. The end is the end! This coming is also after the tribulation and that is when we get raptured. Lets go now to 2 Thessalonians 2:8: Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming (Parousia). When does the Lord come to destroy the Antichrist, before or after the tribulation? Of course, its after! Even the pretribulationists agree. Again, here is the one and only coming of Jesus and its at this coming that we are raptured. There is not a second, separate coming seven years prior. Lets first go to 2 Peter 3:12 and then back to 2 Peter 3:4. Verse 12, As you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming (Parousia). That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. I have covered this verse in Chapters 10 and 20 of this book. This is the day of the Lord. Its the day when Jesus comes to shake the heavens and the earth. This is after the tribulation and here we see the Parousia again. The coming of the day of God means the coming of Jesus with His powerful angels. Now back to 2 Peter 3:4, They will say, Where is this coming (Parousia) He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. Chapter 3 of 2 Peter is about the day of the Lord. As we read this chapter we know it is
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describing events happening at the end of the tribulation. Mockers are going to questions the reality of His coming. As a final Scripture go to 1 Thessalonians 4:15, According to the Lords own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming (Parousia) of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. I covered this verse in Chapter 9, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. We saw that persons and things coming down out of heaven made it all the way to earth. This verse is no exception. Jesus comes all the way down at His coming and this is when we get raptured. Heres the bottomline: If Jesus comes two different times like the pretribulationists believe, then we must have two different, separate Parousias. The Parousia in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 to destroy the AntiChrist would have to be entirely different from the Parousia in 1 Thessalonians 4:15, seven years prior, to rapture the Church. What I disagree with is the wording used by pretribulationists. They use the words two stages or two phases when the Greek text, under their interpretation, would say two Parousias. The New Testament does not teach two separate comings of Jesus. We have here again the double vision of eschatology. They need to come out and say two comings not two stages or two phases. In other words, the rapture for them would be the 2nd Coming (Parousia) and the glorious Coming would be the 3rd Coming (Parousia). They avoid using the word coming and instead replace it with stage or phase. From my research of their books, this is language they are trying to avoid. I think they know that Christians would reject the wording third coming, but this is what they are teaching when we look at the Greek. I want to list all the other appearances of this word Parousia: 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 3:13, 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; James 5:7-8; 2 Peter 1:16; and 1 John 2:28. The Greek Word Epiphany This word is a little easier to handle because it only appears seven times, six as a noun and once as an adjective. The Greek words are epiphaneia, ejpifavneia, (noun) and epiphans, ejpifanhvV, (adjective). Its where we get the English word, Epiphany. Many churches have this word in the name of their church. It simply means appearing, appearance, manifestation, or coming. Sometimes other words like splendor, NIV and brightness, KJV are used. Again, lets see if this word appears in a pre- or post-tribulation context. 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance (Epiphany) of His coming. This is when AntiChrist gets destroyed. This is after the tribulation. AntiChrist is brought to an end by the Lords Epiphany. 2 Timothy 4:1, In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing (Epiphany) and His kingdom, I give you this charge. When does Jesus come to judge the living and the dead? When does Jesus appear to set up His kingdom? The answer to both is after the tribulation. 2 Timothy 4:8, Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing (Epiphany). When is the day that the righteous Judge appears to hand out rewards? Its on the day of the Lord. This is after the tribulation. So far everything is showing up after the tribulation. Now lets answer the question: Just what and when is the blessed hope? This word Epiphany will give us the answer. In 1956, Professor George Eldon Ladd from Fuller Theological Seminary wrote a book entitled The Blessed Hope. It had a subtitle of A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the
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Rapture. In this book he shows clearly that the rapture takes place at the 2nd Coming at the end of the tribulation. Twenty years later, in 1976, Professor John F. Walvoord, then president of Dallas Theological Seminary (at that time), wrote the book The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation. He taught that the rapture occurs before the tribulation and that the glorious 2nd Coming was seven years later. He says that the blessed hope is the pre-tribulation rapture. Whos right? The day that Jesus returns is described as follows in Matthew 24:29-30: But 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 the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. Notice that Ive highlighted the phrase, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. When is this? Its the day of the Lord. Jesus was quoting here from Isaiah 13:10. But it is also described in Joel 2:30-31 this way: I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. Where are these verses from Joel quoted in the New Testament? In Acts 2:19-20, right? Lets read them: I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. This is a word-for-word quote of Joel 2:3031. Notice the last few words of Acts 2:20, glorious day of the Lord. The word glorious is the Greek adjective, epiphan. This is the only time its used in the New Testament. In other words, this glorious day of the Lord is the same day described by Jesus in Matthew 24:2930, and its the great appearing of Jesus after the tribulation. The glorious day is the glorious appearing. Now go to Titus 2:13. It reads, While we wait for the blessed hope the glorious appearing (Epiphany) of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Notice the wording, the glorious appearing. It matches the glorious day of Acts 2:20. The blessed hope is the Epiphany of Jesus. And His Epiphany is on the same day the sun is turned to darkness and the moon to blood. The blessed hope is the appearing of Jesus at the end of the tribulation. Its not the pre-tribulation rapture. By connecting Jesus glorious coming in Matthew 24 with the day of the Lord in Joel 2:31 and Acts 2:20, we see that the blessed hope of Titus 2:13 is after the tribulation. The other references to Epiphany are found in 1 Timothy 6:14 and 2 Timothy 1:10. The Greek Word Apocalypse Calypso was a Greek god or goddess of the underworld/sea and the word came to mean hiding, or burying in the earth. In a general sense it means, to conceal, to cover, or something hidden. In 1951, Jacques Cousteau began to search the oceans in a research ship called Calypso. Calypso is from the Greek word kalupto, kaluvptw which means to cover, or to hide. Apo, ajpo means take away, or away from. Thus, the Greek word apo + kalupsis, ajpokaluvyi~ means to uncover, or remove or take away the veil. In Revelation 1:1, the phrase the revelation (Apokalupsis) of Jesus Christ means the unveiling or revealing of Jesus Christ at His 2nd Coming or advent. Lets look at six verses with the Greek word Apokalupsis. All of them locate the coming or revealing of Jesus after the tribulation. The famous end-time book of Revelation, the greatest book in the world on prophecy, starts out with these words: The revelation (Apokalupsis) of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him
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to show His servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John (1:1). Every coming of Jesus in Revelation is after the tribulation. Im thinking particularly of the wording in Revelation 1:7 and Revelation 19:11-16. And there are many other verses that are covered elsewhere in this book, but none of them are pre-tribulation comings. Romans 2:5, But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation (Apokalupsis) of the righteous judgment of God. When is the day of wrath of the righteous judgment of God? Again, its the day of the Lord, the day that Jesus returns in glorious power to destroy the AntiChrist and His enemies. This is after the tribulation. 1 Corinthians 1:7-8, So that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation (Apokalupsis) of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The same comments to the previous verse apply here. Notice the wording here: confirm you to the end. The pre-tribulation rapture is not at the end. It is seven years prior according to their doctrines. Also, in Verse 7 it says, in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the day of the Lord again. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, And to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed (Apokalupsis) from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day When is Jesus revealed from heaven in flaming fire with His mighty angels to destroy the ungodly with an everlasting destruction? Its after the tribulation! 1 Peter 1:6-7, In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation (Apokalupsis) of Jesus Christ. These verses can be applied to the great persecution that occurs before His 2nd Coming that I discussed in Chapter 11, The Great Tribulation. If we are still alive, we will be praising, glorying, and honoring Jesus when He comes to save us out of the enemys hand. We will be rejoicing that we have not denied His name and weve stood in the midst of affliction and persecution. 1 Peter 4:12-14, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation (Apokalupsis) of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. The same comments as the previous verse apply here. When we are persecuted during the great persecution, we will be rejoicing that we were counted worthy to suffer shame for that Name. Conclusion: All of the main nouns, Parousia, Epiphany, and Apocalypse reveal the coming of Jesus after the tribulation. There are no references to Jesus coming at a pre-tribulation rapture. I know that the pretribulationists hold most of the above verses in a post-tribulation context. What I am doing in this chapter is showing that there is only one coming of Jesus and there is no pre-tribulation coming. If so, then the rapture of the Church at the coming of Jesus occurs after the tribulation.

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The Day of the Lord

Joel 2:31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
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20
The Day of the Lord

f I had to rate all of my chapters, I would say without reservations that this is the most important chapter. Its so important, that I have written a separate book on the subject titled The Day Jesus Comes. If the Spirit of God will open our eyes to see accurately the day of the Lord, then we will see that the pre-tribulation rapture is impossible. Understanding the day of the Lord will help us with much of the Bible prophecy puzzle. Its the greatest end-time revelation we can receive from the Old Testament prophets. Unfortunately, many ministers have misunderstood the day of the Lord and have consequently arrived at erroneous interpretations of Gods purposes. In all the years that I have been a Christian, no one taught me about the day of the Lord. I never saw it in the Scriptures. I never heard any minister teach on it publicly. I was totally in the dark regarding this end-time gold mine. When I first saw it I was incredulous. I couldnt believe it. It made perfect sense. I rejoiced for a whole week! I could not stop talking about it to others. The day of the Lord is the day that Jesus comes and sets foot on planet earth. Its also the day that every high and lofty thing on earth gets leveled so that He alone is exalted on that day (Isaiah 2)! Jesus will be seen by all for who He really is RIGHT NOW. He is highly, greatly, magnificently, incredibly, super-exalted over all! He is the King eternal, Almighty God, and Supreme Ruler of the Universe. I wrote in the first chapter about my frustration and confusion regarding end-time events. Multitudes of Christian believers are wallowing around in the same state of confusion and frustration. Some have throw away all of their end-time books. Pastors will not preach on endtimes because they dont understanding it themselves. Ive met many ministers who start a series on end-times in their church and immediately run to the Christian bookstores and load up on books that explain what they dont understanding. When I first heard and believed the pretribulation rapture I lived in a constant state of doubt in the back of my mind. Into this world of despair, the Lord had mercy on me. Years of asking, years of doubt, years of confusion, and years of desperation were filled with peace that only He could give. Since a young boy, Ive loved to do puzzles. Usually I like doing the ones that are in the 500-piece range. People have different ways that they put together puzzles, but what I invariably do is find all the straight edge pieces and build the outer part first. Its usually quick and easy and it lets me see the size and boundaries of my puzzle. It makes everything else easier. This is what happened to me with the day of the Lord. When I saw this day in the Scriptures, it greatly helped me and put an outer frame on the end-time puzzle. If I can say it this way, eschatology became easy. I actually understood much of it for the first time. It made sense! It was
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straightforward, simple, and wonderfully profound. Right away I was about to figured out large sections of the book of Revelation that I never understood. The unthinkable was happening. I saw for the first time what Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Malachi meant when they spoke about the day of the Lord. I found the lost treasure that was hidden for so many years. Actually, it was a lost treasure and I never even knew I was supposed to be looking for a lost treasure. I was completely oblivious. Thats why I praise the mercy and grace of God. He is merciful. He is gracious. Yet, it was not easy. The Old Testament alone has nearly 1,500 verses with the word day. I took the better part of one week to read through and categorize these verses. The word day appears nearly 400 times in the New Testament. It took me several days to go through and discern what the Lord was saying in these verses. Heres the bottomline: When Paul was talking about the coming of Jesus and the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1, he said that the rapture occurs on the day of the Lord (compare 1 Thessalonians 5:2 and 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3). Let me state it again: The rapture occurs on the day of the Lord. What I want to do in this chapter is go to the Old Testament prophets and see what they prophesied about this day. When we see what happens on this day, we will see the great problems and serious weaknesses of the pre-tribulation rapture. One of the most important questions you need to answer is how long is the day of the Lord. I believe that Zechariah, Chapter 14 holds the key for us. Zechariah 14:4 has Jesus settling His feet on the Mount of Olives on the day of the Lord. It is followed by these critical words in Verses 6-7: On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light. I dont know the exact time period of the day of the Lord. It will be a unique day that only the Lord knows. It does not have evening or night. The prophet says it is without daytime or nighttime. In all of my research, study of the Scriptures, and examination of end-time books, I have found that one of the greatest errors made by Christians is to make the day of the Lord something other than this unique day of Zechariah 14:6-7. One writer says that the day of the Lord is the Gospel Age, meaning this time right now of the age of grace. 9 Thats 2,000 years so far. Van Kampen says that its an extended period of time when Gods wrath is poured out on the wicked, or anywhere from six months to two years.10 Many pretribulationists say that this day is the seven-year tribulation or the tribulation period puls the millennium (1,000 years), that is, a total of 1,007 years. Other pre-tribulation teachers say tha the day of Christ and the day of the Lord are two different days altogether (double vision again). Its amazing how many people make the day of the Lord into weeks, months, years, time periods, gospel ages, and thousands of years. As we go through the Old Testament prophets, we will see that the day of the Lord is a unique day. Its a unique day that is unprecedented in the history of the world. Jesus returns on this day it will not take Him several years to return. On this day there will be a worldwide earthquake that will level everything on planet earth this will not take 1,000 years. On this day the stars will fall from heaven, the sun and moon will be darkened, the heavenly bodies will be shaken this does not happen over a seven-year period. It all happens on this unique day. Its the great day of His wrath and the great day of our rapture. Both the Hebrew and Greek words for day mean day. Honestly, Im puzzled why Christians have made something so simple, so complicated.
9

From In That Day, Dale Tooley published by Hasten the Light Ministries, Box 31472, Lower Hutt, New Zealand, copyright 1995, page 2. The Rapture Question Answered, Plain & Simple, Robert Van Kampen, page 64.
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An Important Illustration From my research and study I firmly believe that AntiChrist gets destroyed, Armageddon ends, the Church gets raptured, and Jesus Christ returns to planet Earth all on this unique day. Let me give this fictional illustration. Suppose you wake up one morning at 5:00AM to pray. While praying, an angel appears in your room and tells you to get out of the city because God is going to destroy it at noon. Suppose you live in Los Angeles and the angel tells you to flee to Sacramento, the capital of California. You wake up your wife and children and quickly get into your car and begin driving north. It is approximately a seven-hour drive from Los Angeles to Sacramento. You drive straight through without stopping for food or gas. You arrive in Sacramento at 12:00 noon. You pull into a parking lot and turn on the radio. Immediately an urgent news bulletin is announced that Los Angeles was completely destroyed by a devastating earthquake and fire from the sky at noon today. While you are praising God that you escaped this calamity, the same angel appears to you and tells you to go south to the city of Santa Barbara which is also about seven hours away. Without hesitation, you fill your car with gas and head for Santa Barbara. You arrive there at 7:00PM and check into a hotel. Ive provided this illustration to show that a lot can happen in one day. You can go from Los Angeles to Sacramento and then back down to Santa Barbara in a little over half a day. Lot left Sodom early in the morning with his wife and two daughters and escaped to the town of Zoar (his wife died, of course). Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities were destroyed around high noon. The point is, if we can do a lot and move great distances with our finite resources and transportation, how much more can Jesus, the Ruler of the Universe, do many things on this unique day. Most of the recent earthquakes in Turkey, Taiwan, Japan, and China took place in less than one minute. Some of these areas were completely devastated and leveled in sixty seconds. What do you think will happen on the day of the Lord when there will be a worldwide earthquake as God Himself shakes the earth?! Even if God shook the earth for one hour, we still have 23 hours of the day left. The rapture takes place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. A worldwide earthquake could level the cities of the earth in less than one minute. Jesus could defeat all the nations and the AntiChrist at Armageddon in one minute or a few hours. But all of this can take place on this unique day. We dont need many weeks, months, years, or time periods. It was the day that Noah entered the ark that the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the day that Lot left Sodom that fire and brimstone destroyed the city. And it will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:30) Here are four main things I will cover: 1) Highlight general information about the day of the Lord and see where it appears in the prophets, 2) Show you by category what these Old Testament verses are repeatedly saying, 3) Connect what weve learned from the Old Testament with the book of Revelation, especially the 6th seal and the 7th bowl judgment and 4) Show where the day of the Lord appears in the New Testament and explain its significance. This chapter may be a little long but it should be read through several times to make sure you understand it, not because its difficult, but because its very important. Foundational Truth on the Day of the Lord Lets get some general understanding first. The most important book for understanding Bible prophecy, the day of the Lord, and Revelation is the book of Isaiah. For years I thought it was the book of Daniel, but this is not correct. On the next page, I have listed the main
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references (those that I know) to the day of the Lord in the Old Testament. Stop and take a look now.

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Old Testament Scriptures on the Day of the Lord Isaiah 2:10-21 Isaiah 4:2 Isaiah 10:17-20 Isaiah 11:10-12 Isaiah 13:4-13 Isaiah 22:5, 8, 12, 20-22 Isaiah 24:1-23 Isaiah 25:7-9 Isaiah 27:1, 12-13 Isaiah 28:5 Isaiah 30:27-33 Isaiah 34:1-4, 8 Isaiah 47:7-9 Isaiah 61:2 Jeremiah 4:9 Jeremiah 25:15, 30-38 Jeremiah 30:5-9 Jeremiah 46:10, 12 Ezekiel 7:7-19 Ezekiel 13:4-16 Ezekiel 30:2-9 Ezekiel 32:7-10 Ezekiel 38:18-23 Ezekiel 39:8-23 Joel 1:15 Joel 2:1-11 Joel 2:30-31 Joel 3:2, 9-16 Amos 5:18-20 Amos 8:3, 9-10 Obadiah 1:15 Micah 1:3-4 Habakkuk 3:8-15 Zephaniah 1:2-3, 7-11, 14-18 Zephaniah 2:1-3 Zephaniah 3:8, 11 Zechariah 9:14-16 Zechariah 14:1-9, 12-15 Malachi 4:1-6

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First, what kind of books are these? Right, they are all books written by prophets. With maybe one exception at Psalm 110:3, every reference to the day of the Lord is in the prophets. Notice that Isaiah has the most references. There are entire chapters in Isaiah, like Chapters 2 and 24, which talk about this day. Another reason why Isaiah is so important is seen in the table below. 11 This is a list of all the quotations, references and allusions to the Old Testament from the book of Revelation. This list is not all the references on the day of the Lord, but any reference in Revelation that finds a corresponding Scripture in the Old Testament. Notice that Isaiah tops the list. Isaiah has 79 quotations, references and allusions in the book of Revelation. Notice also that most of these books are prophetic and not historical. This reveals that the book of Revelation is a prophetic book, not historical, like some interpreters believe. Old Testament Book Isaiah Daniel Ezekiel Psalms Exodus Jeremiah Zechariah Deuteronomy Amos Joel Type of Book Prophetic Prophetic Prophetic Prophetic Historical Prophetic Prophetic Historical Prophetic Prophetic # of References 79 53 43 43 27 22 15 10 9 8

Going back to the list of verses on the day of the Lord. If I had to highlight which verses on this list were the most important, I would say Isaiah 2:10-21, Isaiah 13:4-13, Isaiah 24:1-23, all the references in Joel, Zephaniah 1:7-11, 14-18, and Zechariah 14:1-9, 12-15 top the list. All of the references are important, but these have to stand out. Notice which book is conspicuously absent from this list. Thats right, the book of Daniel. This does not minimize the importance of Daniel in end-time events; its just interesting to me that the day of the Lord would not be mentioned in a book of its nature. What Happens on the Day of the Lord? Lets not go to a book or chart or table, but lets go right to the Scriptures and see what it says about the day of the Lord. I hope to give the clear language of the day of the Lord. Im amazed at how the prophets and the New Testament will say the same things. The day of the Lord is the day Jesus returns. This day is when the rapture happens. Keep in mind this fact while reading through these scriptures: I could not find one verse mentioned over the next few pages that says anything about a secret rapture or a secret coming of Jesus as believed by the pretribulationists. I have put each category on a separate page to help keep things organized. Here are six important themes spelled out in the Bible:

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Taken from Interpreting Revelation, Dr. Merrill C. Tenney, page 102-104.

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On the day of the Lord the sun and moon will be darkened Commentary: Read through the Scriptures below. Two supernatural signs will occur in the heavens: 1) The sun will be darkened and 2) the moon will not give its light. Notice in Matthew 24:29 and Mark 13:24 that Jesus quotes directly from Isaiah 13:10. Jesus said that immediately after the tribulation that the sun will be darkened and the moon will lose its light (turn to blood) and then He would return in great power and glory. Jesus glorious 2nd Coming on the day of the Lord is when Paul said the rapture would occur (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Jesus statement in Matthew 24:29 disproves the pre-wrath rapture. But notice, very importantly, that the 6th seal in Revelation 6 is a description of the day of the Lord. More on this in just a minute. Isaiah 13:10 The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. Joel 2:10 the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. Joel 2:31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. Joel 3:14-15 For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Mark 13:24 But in those days, following that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. Luke 21:25 There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. Acts 2:20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. Revelation 6:12-13 The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth. See also Isaiah 24:23 and Ezekiel 32:7.

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On the day of the Lord the earth will be shaken by a worldwide earthquake Commentary: Read the Scriptures below. On the day of the Lord, an incredible earthquake will shake the whole world. According to Isaiah 2 and Revelation 6 and 16, every mountain in the world will be completely leveled and all islands will completely disappear! Why? Because Isaiah 2 teaches that every high and lofty thing must come down so He alone can be exalted in that day. Mountains have a certain degree of majesty, pride, and glory because of their greatness and height. But each one must be leveled flat so that nothing can be exalted on the day of the Lord. Jesus alone will be exalted. The Hawaiian Islands are going to completely disappear. What man considered paradise, the place that people see as the ultimate vacation spot, all of its glory and splendor will be reduced to nothing! Beloved, the whole earth, not just a few isolated cities or countries, is going to be shaken by this worldwide earthquake. If this is true, then a secret rapture is not possible. The Church gets raptured on the day of the Lord and thats the day there is a worldwide earthquake. Please notice that the 6th seal in Revelation 6 includes this worldwide earthquake (and Revelation 16). Isaiah 2:19 Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from dread of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth. Isaiah 2:21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from dread of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth. Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will makethe earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of His burning anger. Isaiah 24:18-20 The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind. Isaiah 29:6 The LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire. Ezekiel 38:18-19 In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground. Joel 2:10 Before them the earth shakes. Haggai 2:6-7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come. Haggai 2:21 Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. Zechariah 14:4 On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him. Hebrews 12:26-27 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven. This expression, Yet once more, denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
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Revelation 6:12, 14 I watched as He opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Revelation 8:5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Revelation 11:19 And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm. Revelation 16:18-20 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

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On the day of the Lord the heavens, sky, and stars will be shaken Commentary: Read the Scriptures listed below. As if a worldwide earthquake was not enough, there are other things in the universe that have glory and majesty (and God gave it to them). The stars and constellations (heavenly bodies) are also going to be punished and come down. The stars are going to fall out of the sky. Again, everything that is exalted MUST COME DOWN BECAUSE JESUS ALONE WILL BE EXALTED ON THAT DAY. Every high star must be brought down. Every great constellation must be completely dissolved. Nothing with majesty and splendor can remain. Jesus said the stars will fall and the heavenly bodies will be shaken when He comes. Hebrews and Haggai teach that the Lord is not only going to shake the earth but also the heavens. THE HEAVENS ARE GOING TO BE SHAKEN WHEN JESUS RETURNS. The Church is raptured on the same day that the heavens are shaken this is not a secret rapture. Notice that the 6th seal at Revelation 6 is mentioned again. Isaiah 13:10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavensin the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger. Isaiah 24:21 In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above. Isaiah 34:4 All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree. Haggai 2:6 This is what the LORD Almighty says: In a little while I will once more shake the heavens Haggai 2:21 Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens Joel 2:10 Before themthe heavens shake, the sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness. Joel 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake. Matthew 24:29-30 Immediately after the tribulation of those daysthe stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. Mark 13:25-26 The stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Luke 21:26-27 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Hebrews 12:26 At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. 2 Peter 3:10, 12 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bareas you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. Revelation 6:13-14 And the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up.

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The day of the Lord will be a day of wrath and anger Commentary: Read the Scriptures. One consistent theme about this day is that its the great day of His wrath and anger. This is fearful, especially for those who oppose Him. As we read these verses, how can we have a secret coming not known to unbelievers? The same day that Jesus comes, is the same day that Church gets raptured, is the same day His final wrath is poured out upon the ungodly. Once again, the 6th seal of Revelation 6 mentions this wrath. Psalm 110:5 The Lord is at your right hand; He will crush kings on the day of His wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. Isaiah 13:9 See, the day of the LORD is coming -- a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger - make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of His burning anger. Ezekiel 7:12, 19 The time has come, the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller grieve, for wrath is upon the whole crowd. They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing. Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the LORDs wrath. Zephaniah 1:15 That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORDs wrath. In the fire of His jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for He will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth. Zephaniah 2:2 Before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORDs wrath comes upon you. Zephaniah 3:8 Therefore wait for Me, declares the LORD, for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out My wrath on them all My fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of My jealous anger. Romans 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of Gods wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. Revelation 6:17 They called to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who can stand?

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The day of the Lord will be a day of vengeance, judgment, and destruction Commentary: Read the verses below. The day of the Lord will also be a day of vengeance, judgment and destruction. The rapture of the Church occurs on the day of the Lord and this is when His judgment and destruction is poured out on all nations. This is what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 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. This destruction is not the beginning of the great tribulation. Its Gods destruction, not AntiChrists! Isaiah 34:8 For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zions cause. Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the year of the LORDs favor and the day of vengeance of our God. Isaiah 63:4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come. Jeremiah 46:10 But that day belongs to the Lord, the LORD Almighty a day of vengeance, for vengeance on His foes. Joel 1:15 Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 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. 2 Peter 2:9 If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. 2 Peter 3:7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 1 John 4:17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. Jude 1:6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home these He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

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The day of the Lord is near (at hand) Commentary: Read these verses. Even the Old Testament prophets, prophesying thousands of years ago, said that the Lords day is near or at hand. What that means for us is Jesus is coming soon! One day to the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years a day. Truly, on Gods timetable, we are right on the edge of a new age. The Lords coming is near, let us fear Him. Isaiah 13:6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near. Ezekiel 30:3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near. Joel 1:15 Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near. Joel 3:14 For the day of the LORD is near. Obadiah 1:15 The day of the LORD is near for all nations. Zephaniah 1:7 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. Zephaniah 1:15 The great day of the LORD is near near and coming quickly. James 5:7-8 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lords comingbecause the Lords coming is near. Revelation 22:12 Behold, I am coming soon! Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

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Lets review briefly. On the day of the Lord, the day the Church gets raptured, the sun and moon will be darkened, there will be a worldwide earthquake that levels all mountains and causes every island to disappear, the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies shaken, and it will be the great day of Gods anger, wrath, vengeance, and destruction. I cannot believe that there will be a secret pre-tribulation rapture. The 6th Seal of Revelation 6 As we read the Scriptures on the day of the Lord, we saw how the 6th seal of Revelation 6:12-17 kept appearing. My conclusion is that the 6th seal is the day of the Lord. What the Old Testament prophets said about the day of the Lord is revealed succinctly at the opening of the 6th seal. Upon careful study, I believe the 6th seal is describing an event taking place on the last day of the tribulation. I will say this repeatedly in Chapters 22, 23, and 24 of this book, but Ill say it here now If we interpret Revelation with the methods of dispensationalism, we will have great difficulty figuring it out. Dispensationalism puts the 6th seal somewhere in the middle of the first 3 years of a 7-year tribulation. The 6th seal describes what happens on the last day of this present age. Lets go verse-by-verse through Revelation 6:12-17 and show how it describes the day of the Lord precisely. Revelation 6:12a, I watched as He opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. Heres the worldwide earthquake that I described earlier. The references are Isaiah 2:19, 21, Isaiah 13:13, Isaiah 24:18-20, Isaiah 29:6, Ezekiel 38:18-19, Joel 2:10, Haggai 2:6-7, 2:21, and Revelation 16:18-20. Revelation 6:12b, The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red. We saw this earlier. Remember Jesus said in Matthew 24:29 that when He returned the sun and the moon would be darkened. References are found in Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10, 31, Joel 3:14-15, Mark 13:24, and Acts 2:20. Revelation 6:13, And the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. We see the stars falling and the word shaken. This is described previously. References include Isaiah 34:4, Joel 2:10, Matthew 24:29, and Mark 13:25. Revelation 6:14, The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. We have here heaven and earth shaken in one sentence. Every mountain and island will be removed from its place on the day of the Lord. This is the worldwide earthquake! References are Isaiah 34:4, Haggai 2:6-7, Hebrews 12:26-27, and Revelation 16:20. Revelation 6:15, Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. I think this is a great description of what will happen at Armageddon. Because all the mountains get leveled, blown apart, and flattened, people will try to hide under the rocks of the mountains, and not mountains themselves. This wording is identical to that found in Isaiah 2:19 and 2:21. See also Isaiah 24:21 and Revelation 16:14-16. Revelation 6:16, They called to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne This is quoted in Hosea 10:8. Also, its described in Isaiah 2:19, 21. Most of Isaiah 2 is the day of the Lord. Revelation 6:16b-17, And from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand? Here is the wrath described previously. This is Gods wrath
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against the wicked. References include Isaiah 13:9, 13, Ezekiel 7:12, 19, Zephaniah 1:15, 18, 2:2, 3:8, and Romans 2:5. The 6th seal describes the day of the Lord. Its the last day the day Jesus comes to earth. I will teach this in Chapter 23, Seals, Trumpets, & Bowls of Wrath, but Ill give it here: The 6th and 7th seals, the 7th trumpet, and the 6th and 7th bowl judgments all describe the same event on the last day. In other words, the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls of wrath are three different descriptions of end-time events with the same conclusion. I believe they are concurrent, not consecutive especially the last few of each. They are to be stacked, not placed side by side over some time span. This will be covered in Chapters 22-24. New Testament Scriptures on the Day of the Lord There are many, many verses on the day of the Lord in the New Testament. I dont want to cover them all in this chapter. They are covered extensively in my book The Day Jesus Comes. I have broken them down for easy study and reference. We have already covered a lot of these verses in other chapters. I have put them in five different sections. Section #1: These are the verses that use the words the day of the Lord, The day of Christ, or the day of God. Note especially the verses in 1 and 2 Thessalonians because these are verses that describe the rapture. 1 Corinthians 1:8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 5:5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 1:14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. Philippians 2:16 as you hold out the word of life in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4 For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Dont 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. 2 Peter 3:10, 12 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. As you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. Revelation 16:14-15 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.
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Section #2: These are all the references in the gospel of John to the last day. As we saw in Chapter 7, The First Resurrection, this is the day believers get raptured. Most of these words are from Jesus. John 6:39 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. John 6:40 For my Fathers will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 11:24 Martha answered, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. John 12:48 There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. Section #3: These are verses that use the words great day of the Lord or great day of Gods wrath, or a day when He will judge the world. Acts 2:20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. Acts 17:31 For God has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. Romans 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of Gods wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. Jude 1:6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home -- these He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. Revelation 6:16-17 They called to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who can stand? Section #4: These are the references found in the other three gospels besides the gospel of John. All of these are from Jesus. Notice that Jesus never referred to the day of the Lord as a time period of weeks, months, or years. He always used the words day or hour. Obviously, if Jesus comes on a certain day, it will have to be at a certain hour within that day. Jesus also used the illustrations of a thief coming to a house to break in and steal. A thief does not break in over an extended time period. Neither will Jesus come over an extended time period. Matthew 24:36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24:42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. Matthew 25:13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
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Mark 13:32 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Luke 12:46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. Luke 17:24 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. Luke 17:30-31 It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Luke 21:34 Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. Section #5: These are some important verses mostly from the apostle Paul. Note that Babylon is destroyed in one day. It will not take the Lord several weeks or months to accomplish this. Romans 13:12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 1 Corinthians 3:13 Every mans work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each mans work. 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 9-10 This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. 2 Timothy 1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day. 2 Timothy 1:18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! 2 Timothy 4:8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing. Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 2 Peter 3:7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. Revelation 18:8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. With the large number of verses, you can see why few people venture to do any in-depth study on this subject. Conclusion: The Church gets raptured on the day of the Lord. This day is a day of wrath, vengeance, and judgment. Its a day when the heavens and earth get shaken and the stars fall from the sky. The sun and moon will be darkened on this day. Therefore, I cannot believe that there will be a secret rapture as taught by the pretribulationists.

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The Days of Noah & Lot

Luke 17:26-27 And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
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Chapter

21
The Days of Noah & Lot

n this chapter, I want to do four things: 1) Look at the days of Lot in Genesis 19 and relate it to the Lords coming and the rapture, 2) Look at the days of Noah in Genesis 7 and connect it to the 2nd Coming and the rapture, 3) Determine the insight and significance of the gathering of vultures in Luke 17:37 and Matthew 24:28 with the birds of prey in Revelation 19 and Ezekiel 39, and 4) Explain what Jesus meant when He said, Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left in Matthew and Luke. The Days of Lot The only time Lot is mentioned in the four gospels is Luke 17:28-32. Lets look at Verses 28-30; they give a lot of insight into the Lords Coming. Verse 28 reads, It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. Notice in this verse, unlike the days of Noah in Verse 27, that no one was marrying and being given in marriage. Why? Because as we read Genesis 19 we see that Sodom was overrun by homosexuals. People in Lots day were carrying on as usual with eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building. Little did they know that God would soon reduce their cities to ashes. 1 It will be just like this in the days just before the Lords Coming. Continuing to Verse 29: But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. First, notice that Lot did not leave Sodom seven years, seven months, or even seven days before the destruction. Sodom was destroyed the same day that Lot left. The day Lot left Sodom is the day God came and destroyed the city. The day the Church leaves earth is the day Jesus comes and destroys His enemies. It says in this verse, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven. The destruction was not from the devil but from heaven. In Noahs day, it rained down water, but here it rained down fire! There were two different rains, but the same result. Finally, it says, and destroyed them all. Like we saw earlier in 2 Peter 3 in Chapter 10 and Chapter 20, the day of the Lord brings about destruction on the whole earth. Thats why I cannot believe in a secret pre-tribulation rapture. The pretribulationists also see this
1

According to Deuteronomy 29:23, a total of four cities were destroyed by fire and brimstone. It reads, It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in fierce anger. These other cities are mentioned or alluded to in Hosea 11:8, Jude 1:7, and Genesis 19:25, 29.

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as the glorious 2nd Coming, but the contention of this book is that there is only one Coming. Its the Coming that destroys! Verse 30 says, It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed (apokalupt). I like the wording here in the NIV translation. It uses the words just like this. What we saw with Lot on the day of judgment in Sodom is what we will see with Jesus on the day of judgment in the whole earth. The day the Son of Man is revealed is the day of the Lord that we saw in the previous chapter. Remember that the rapture passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:1318 used by the pretribulationists occurs on the day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Its a day of destruction on the world not a secret rapture that leaves others behind for seven more years. For the sake of completeness, lets go to Genesis 19:1-29 and point out some important features about Lot and the judgment on Sodom. In Verses 4-5 it says, Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom both young and old surrounded the house. They called to Lot, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them. The wording here is the Hebrew is very explicit. It says that all the men from every part of the city gathered around Lots house. Conservative estimates put the population in Sodom between 10,000 and 25,000 people. If that is true, and at least half of them were men, then at least 5,000 to 12,000 homosexuals surrounded this house! These sodomites wanted to have sex with these two angels who appeared as men. The timing of Lots departure and the citys destruction is very precise. According to Genesis 19:15-16, Lot left with his family when morning dawned. So they left Sodom around 6:00AM-7:00AM. Fire and brimstone came down on Sodom when Lot reached Zoar and the sun had risen over the earth. It was probably high noon when the sun reached this position. So it was around 12:00PM when the fire fell. This information will be important for our discussion later. Finally, notice that of all the people in Sodom, Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, only three survived Lot and his two daughters. Everyone else perished. Well see shortly that in Noahs day only eight souls survived the flood. The Days of Noah Luke 17:26-27 says the following about Noah: Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 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. Matthew 24:37-39 provides a little more information: As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 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; 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. Three times in these verses it says that Noahs days will be just like the days and coming of the Son of Man so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man (Luke 17:26), so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:37), and that is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:39). These words are emphasized. People were doing a little less than in Lots day, but they were still eating, drinking, and marrying. This next part is important. Both Luke 17 and Matthew 24 say, up to the day Noah entered the ark. It does not say that Noah entered the ark seven years in advance, nor seven months, nor even seven days. It was the very day that Noah entered the ark that judgment came from God. I will show shortly how the pretribulationists misinterpret
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Genesis 7:4 to justify the pre-tribulation rapture by saying that Noah entered the ark seven days in advance of the actual beginning of the flood. Matthew 24:38 says, they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came. Here again we see that people will be caught unaware at the Lords Coming. When the Lord is revealed from heaven, it will be too late. Finally, Luke says that the flood destroyed them all, and Matthew says the flood took them all away. The destruction and the taking away all happened on the same day. It happened on the day that Noah and his family stepped inside the ark and God shut them in. Incidentally, the Greek word here for flood is kataklusmos, kataklusmov~. Kata means downward plus kluzein means to wash. The flood is a downward wash. Its where we get the English word cataclysmic. Lets complete the discussion of Noah by looking closely at a few verses in Genesis 7. In Genesis 7:1-3, Noah is told to get into the ark with his family along with clean and unclean animals and birds. Verse 4 (7 and 10 also) is used by the pretribulationists to justify their rapture: For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made. Pre-tribulation rapture teacher, Dr. John A. McLean writes, the argument of a same day rapture with the Day of the Lord does not stand up to biblical scrutiny. After Noahs family and the animals entered the Ark, the Flood waters did not begin for seven days. 2 He teaches that the rapture of the Church parallels Noahs entrance into the safety of the Ark, and that the rains that fell seven days later parallel the wrath of God in the last days, the tribulation period. First, where is that in the Bible? Where does the Bible teach that the seven days of Genesis 7:4 should be equated with a seven year tribulation period? Further, the seven days given to Noah were not for him to hide in the Ark until the flood came. It was seven days for the animals to gather to him to enter the Ark. Tens of thousands of animals take several days to load into an Ark. But notice how Genesis matches Jesus words in the gospels. Look at Genesis 7:11-13, In the six hundredth year of Noahs life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noahs wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the Ark. Twice it says here that Noah entered on the same day as the flood. Noah did not wait for seven days inside the Ark. He and his family worked for seven days getting all the animals into the Ark and making final preparations. 3 By way of review, it was the same day that Noah and his family entered the Ark that the floodwaters came and destroyed the wicked people that remained. Even so, on the same day that Jesus returns to earth and raptures the Church, the wicked will be destroyed by the brightness of His Coming and the sword in His mouth. Also, remember that only eight people survived the cataclysmic flood. 4 Three people survived the fire and brimstone in Lots day.

From Dr. John A. McLeans article in the Dallas Theological Seminarys scholastic quarterly Bibliotheca Sacra, October-December 1991, page 374. 3 Much of the information mentioned in this paragraph was taken from The Rapture Question Answered, Plain & Simple, Robert Van Kampen, published by Fleming F. Revell, copyright 1997, pages 58-63. 4 The eight people were Noah, his wife, Shem, Ham, Japheth, and their wives. See 1 Peter 3:20, 2 Peter 2:5, and Genesis 7:7, 13.
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Compare the Words of the Apostle Peter Most of what Ive written above is summed up for us in 2 Peter 2:4-9. Peter writes in Verse 5, If He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others. God brought the flood upon the ungodly but He delivered Noah and his family. In Verses 6-7 we see Lot: If He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men. God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah but He rescued Lot. Now for the verse that connects all of these events with the day of the Lord. 2 Peter 2:9 reads, If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. God continues His punishment on the wicked, but He is holding, reserving, and keeping them for the day of judgment. This is the day of the Lord. Its the same day that Jesus returns. Its on this same day that Jesus raptures His Church. Again, I conclude that there is only one Coming, not two. Its the Coming that destroys! One Will Be Taken the Other Left I want to discuss, in considerable detail, the meaning of the Lords words in Luke 17:3436 and Matthew 24:37-41. The verses in Luke read as follows: I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left. In Matthews gospel Jesus said, Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. The real controversy is not the words themselves, but the interpretation of these words. I certainly do not believe I have all the insight on these words, but I would like to offer some important observations. There are three sets of twos in these verses. There are two people in bed, two men in the field, and two women at the hand mill. Remember that Jesus said this in context with the days of Noah, Lot and His 2nd Coming. First, lets rule out what these words are not saying. It cannot be speaking of the days of Lot because Jesus stated that things would occur at night Luke 17:34, I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. As I mentioned earlier, Genesis 19:15 says, When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city. And Genesis 19:23-24 reads, By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the LORD out of the heavens. These two people in bed at night could not be referring to the people in Sodom and Gomorrah because their destruction came during the day. Also, since some people are asleep in bed at night and others are working in the field or hand mill during the day, then these words of Jesus have to refer to something that happens worldwide. This is very important! The destruction at the time of Lot was with a few cities, but the destruction at the coming of the Son of Man will be worldwide. The words one will be taken the other left must involve a worldwide event like the rapture and His 2nd Coming. This cannot be speaking of the days of Noah because of the verbs and their tenses. One is past tense; the other is future tense. Many ministers interpret the words one will be taken the other left with the flood of Noah. But as we compare the verbs in these verses, we see that its a future event, not a past event. Lets show this by using Matthew 24 as the example. Start with
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Matthew 24:37: As it was (past tense) in the days of Noah, so it will be (estai, e[stai, future tense) at the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus shifted from was to will be. One is describing a past event (the flood); the other a future event (the 2nd Coming). Now notice carefully the tenses of the verbs in Matthew 24:38-39 to describe Noahs day: For in the days before the flood, people were (past tense) eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered (past tense) the Ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came (past tense) and took (past tense) them all away. Every verb is past tense were, entered, came, and took. Watch how Jesus moves to the future tense in Matthew 24:39-41: That is how it will be (estai, e[stai, future tense) at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be (esontai, e[sontai, future tense) in the field; one will be taken (present passive tense) and the other left. Two women will be grinding (future tense) with a hand mill; one will be taken (present passive tense) and the other left. Notice that Jesus used the verbs will be five times will be, will be in the field, will be taken, will be grinding, and will be taken. Jesus did not say they were taken. What many teachers have done is take the phrase the flood came and took them all away, and made it equivalent to one will be taken and the other left. (Which is used twice). In other words, they say the one will be taken were the people taken by the flood. If this is true, then why didnt Jesus just say plainly, one was taken and the other left? Why does Jesus explicitly speak of a future event when He meant a past event? The Greek word for took regarding the flood is ren, h\ren, which is the 1st aorist tense of the verb of air, ai[rw. Aorist means past tense. But the word for will be taken is paralambanetai, paralambavnetai, which is an entirely different verb to describe what happens at Jesus Coming. Please forgive me for all the technical discussion in the Greek but I need to show that took and will be taken describe two different events entirely. I know that paralambanetai is a big word that will be unfamiliar to most. But it will bring us a rich reward when we realize that Jesus used this same verb in the future tense with another important passage on the rapture. John 14:1-3 is used by the pretribulationists to describe their rapture. It reads, Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Fathers house are many mansions (rooms, dwelling places); if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take (paralmpsomai, paralhvmyomai, future tense) you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. The same Greek verb to describe one will be taken in Matthew 24 is used by John 14:3 to describe the rapture event. The wording I will come again and take is future tense. A final observation is this: Can we name any future event other than the rapture that describes one will be taken, and the other left? The only thing that fits this description is the rapture. I cannot find anything in the Scriptures that makes sense. My conclusion is that the phrase one will be taken the other left is describing the rapture event. What About the Vultures? In the context of Lot, Noah, the 2nd Coming, and one will be taken the other left, Jesus mentions the vultures. Remember the words in Luke 17:35-36, Two women will be grinding together; the one will be taken, and the other left. Two men will be in the field; the one will be taken, and the other left. The disciples then asked Jesus where this would occur. He answers them in Luke 17:37: Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather. Also in Matthew 24:27-28 Jesus said, For just as the lightning comes from the east and is visible even
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to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. These vultures are connected to the rapture in Luke 17:35-36 and the 2nd Coming in Matthew 24:27. First, I need to make a few comments about the translation of the word. The Greek word is aetos, ajeto~V which is translated eagle by the KJV and NKJV, and vulture by the NAS and NIV. Its used also in Revelation 4:7 and Revelation 12:14 and translated eagle by all major translations. 5 For my discussion here I will use the word vulture since Jesus says that these birds gather around a dead body and the corpse. Where do these vultures, or birds of prey, appear in other prophetic Scriptures? They appear in the prophetic books of Revelation and Ezekiel. Now remember, these vultures show up at the rapture. They will help locate the timing of the rapture. Lets go to Revelation first. In Revelation, Chapter 19, we find two suppers the marriage supper and the great supper. One supper is for the righteous; the other is for the unrighteous. In the first one, the godly are eating; in the second, the ungodly are being eaten. The first supper is found in Revelation 19:9: Then the angel said to me, Write, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Right after Jesus glorious appearing in Revelation 19:11-16, we find the second supper described this way: 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, 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. These flying birds that eat the flesh of people and horses are the same vultures mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24 and Luke 17. They will be eating all the people destroyed by the Lords Coming on the day of the Lord. This will be the leftovers from Armageddon as Revelation 19:19 reveals: Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies The vultures of Luke 17 gathered together to make war against the Rider on the horse and are also in Revelation and His army. These vultures gather together to feast on the same Ezekiel day that one is taken the other left. Now lets go and tie these verses with Ezekiels visions. Johns vision in Revelation 19:17-19 was already seen in Ezekiel 39:4-5. Verses 4-5 read, On the mountains of Israel you (Gog) will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. Here are all the troops and nations again. They will become food for all the carrion birds (NIV). The word carrion is a Latin word that means, decay. They are birds that eat decaying things. The different translations bear this out: ravenous birds (KJV), birds of prey (NKJV), and predatory birds (NAS). These are the vultures. Ezekiel 39:17-21 reveals further, Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Call out to every kind of bird and all the wild animals: Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood. You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls all of them fattened animals from Bashan. At the sacrifice I am preparing for you, you will eat fat till you
5

The fifth reference is one of controversy over the original Greek wording. In Revelation 8:13 the older translations like the KJV use the word angel from the Greek word aggelos, a[ggelo~, while the modern translations use the word eagle from the Greek word aetos, ajeto~.
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are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk. At My table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will display My glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them. You do not need to be a Bible scholar to figure out these verses. They describe what John saw in Revelation. These birds are summoned by the Lord to eat all of His dead enemies. This is the result of the battle of Armageddon when Jesus comes to destroy the wicked. On this same day He will rapture His Church. Conclusion: The days of Noah and Lot help describe the Coming of Jesus. It will be on the day of the Lord. It is also on this day that one will be taken and the other left, which is the rapture. The day of the 2nd Coming and rapture is also the day that the vultures gather to eat the flesh of these destroyed by the brightness of His Coming.

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Thunders, Lightnings, Sounds, & Earthquake

Revelation 16:20 Then there came flashes of lightning, sounds, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.
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Chapter

22
Thunders, Lightnings, Sounds, & Earthquake

n this chapter I want to show one of the main ways that the book of Revelation describes the 2nd Coming of Jesus. It will give insight into the order of the seals, trumpets, and bowls of wrath. It will also help us rely on Old Testament Scriptures when interpreting Revelation. Over the years, Ive read the book of Revelation many times. There were some verses that always intrigued me but I never understood. Some of these verses included these: Revelation 8:5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Revelation 11:19 Then Gods temple in heaven was opened, and within His temple was seen the ark of His covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm. Revelation 16:18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. I kept seeing these thunderings, lightnings, rumblings, and an earthquake. I noticed that they appear at the 7th seal, 7th trumpet, and the 7th bowl. I felt I was on to something. Ive learned that one of the best ways to approach interpreting Revelation was to find any allusions, references, or quotations from the Old Testament. As I ran a check on thunderings, lightnings, rumblings, and an earthquake, I found that they are all mentioned together only in Exodus 19, and no where else. This is the chapter that records the supernaturally presence of the Lord coming down out of heaven to Mt. Sinai on the earth! Now I was on to something! Lets not beat around the bush. Heres the point of this chapter: All of the supernatural signs of the Lords Coming in Exodus 19 are interpreted in Hebrews 12:18-27 as Him coming once to shake the earth, but He is coming a second time to shake not only the earth but the heavens. The thunderings, lightnings, rumblings, and earthquake seen in Exodus 19 are the outward signs and expressions of the presence of God. The moment John is transported into the very throne room of God in Revelation 4, he hears thunderings, sees lightnings, and feels rumblings. He wrote in Revelation 4:5, From the throne came flashes of lightning,
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rumblings and peals of thunder. He is in the immediate presence of God. The only thing missing is the earthquake, but thats OK because Johns vision was not on earth but in heaven. The thunderings, lightnings, rumblings, and earthquake at the 7th seal, 7th trumpet, and 7th bowl of wrath are what will literally take place at the glorious 2nd Coming when Jesus descends out of heaven to earth. In other words, the 7th seal, 7th trumpet, and 7th bowl all climax with the same glorious event the return of Jesus to earth. The seals, trumpets, and bowls are not consecutive but concurrent. Exodus 19:16 says, On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. One of the signs we see at the Lords coming to Mt. Sinai is a thick cloud. Jesus also comes back in a cloud (Revelation 1:9, Acts 1:9-11, Matthew 24:30, etc). One of the signs we hear is a very loud trumpet blast. Jesus also comes back at the sound of the great trumpet blast (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Matthew 24:31). Notice what else we see and hear thunder and lightning. Matthew 24:27, For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. In Exodus 19:18 we read that the whole mountain quaked violently. Theres the earthquake. And in Verse 19 we have the sound of the trumpet, and voice of words, which is the rumblings, or voices, or sounds found in Revelation. The trumpet is also heard. Everything is here: Clouds, trumpet blast, thunder, lightning, rumblings, sounds, and an earthquake. This is the way the Lord came once to shake the earth. His 2nd Coming will have the same signs, Clouds, trumpet blast, thunder, lightning, rumblings, sounds, and an earthquake. This is the way the Lord is coming a second time to shake not only the earth but the heavens. Everything fits. The phrase thunderings, lightnings, rumblings, and an earthquake describe the Coming of the Lord. Thats why they are all strategically placed at the 7th seal, 7th trumpet, and 7th bowl. Keep all of this in mind as we go to the next chapter. I will tie things together and show why dispensationalism and the pre-tribulation rapture fail to properly interpret the book of Revelation. See the chart on the next page for a complete breakdown of these thunderings, rumblings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

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The Coming of the Lord

Exodus 19:10-19
A Very Long Trumpet Blast, A Thick Cloud (See Hebrews 12:18-22, 25-27 Haggai 2:6-7) Thunder Thunders Thunder Thunderings and Peals of thunder Thunderings Peals of thunder Thunderings Rumblings Voices Sounds Noises Flashes of Lightning Lightnings Flashes of lightning Lightnings Earthquake Earthquake Earthquake Earthquake Peals of thunder Thunderings Peals of thunder Thunderings Rumblings Voices Sounds Noises Flashes of Lightning Lightnings Flashes of Lightning Lightnings Earthquake Earthquake Earthquake Earthquake Great Hailstorm Great Hail Great Hailstorm Great Hail NIV KJV NAS NKJV Peals of thunder Thunders Peals of thunder Thunderings Rumblings Voices Sounds Noises Flashes of Lightning Lightnings Flashes of Lightning Lightnings Severe Earthquake Great Earthquake Great Earthquake Great Earthquake
Huge hailstones, Plague of hail Great hail, Plague of the hail Huge hailstones, Plague of the hail Great hail, Plague of the hail

Revelation 8:5
7th Seal

Revelation 11:19
7th Trumpet

Revelation 16:18, 21
7th Bowl of Wrath

Sound of the trumpet, voice speaking words Voice of the trumpet, voice of words Trumpet sound, sounds of words Sound of the trumpet, voice of words

Lightning Lightnings Lightning flashes Lightnings The whole mountain trembled violently. The whole mount quaked greatly. The whole mountain quaked violently. The whole mountain quaked greatly.

NIV KJV NAS NKJV

NIV KJV NAS NKJV

NIV KJV NAS NKJV

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Seals, Trumpets, & Bowls of Wrath

Revelation 8:13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!
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Chapter

23
Seals, Trumpets, & Bowls of Wrath

t is impossible to understand the book of Revelation using the interpretations of dispensationalism and the pre-tribulation rapture. Having personally struggled to understand dispensationalism for many years, I have concluded that its system of interpretation leaves believers confused and bewildered. In this chapter I want to show how to properly arrange the seals, trumpets, and bowls of wrath in the book of Revelation. I will need to use three charts in this chapter to explain what the pretribulationists believe, and what the Bible actually teaches. Lets start with the first chart found in this chapter that shows dispensationalisms consecutive view of the seals, trumpets, and bowls of wrath. The information on this chart was taken from Dr. Tim LaHayes book, Revelation, Illustrated and Made Plain. Take a few minutes to look over the chart right now. Ill start on the left-hand side and work my way to the right. First, notice the large up-arrow labeled Rapture with the reference Revelation 4:1-2. Dispensationalists teach that the opening of Chapter 4 is when the Church gets raptured because from Chapters 4-19 are scenes of the great tribulation, and the Church is not around during this time of worldwide trouble. I also represent this rapture by the little church building at the top of the page labeled Church in heaven. During the tribulation, the Jews/Israel must be on the earth to fit dispensationalisms plan for them in the last days. I have a Star of David at the bottom of the page to show that the Jews are on the earth during the 7-year tribulation. After the rapture, Dr. LaHaye divides the first 3 years into two quarters, the first quarter is when the 7 seals are opened by the Lamb of God (Jesus) in Revelation, Chapters 4-6. The second quarter is the blowing of the 7 trumpets in Chapters 8-11. These are all the beginnings of birth pangs. Moving now to the right side of the page, the last 3 years show the 7 bowls of Gods wrath. These 3 years can be found in Revelation, Chapters 12-18, although the bowls of wrath are actually poured out in Revelation 16. The big down-arrow at the far right represents the glorious 2nd Coming described in Revelation 19:11-16. All of this information is brief because I want to keep things simple. There is a lot more that they believe, some of which will be covered in Chapter 24, Interpreting Revelation. Its critical to understand that pretribulationists believe that these seals, trumpets, and bowls are consecutive in time. That is, the 7 trumpets can only be blown after the 7 seals have been opened. The 7 bowls of wrath can only be poured out after the 7 trumpets have sounded. Let me give another chart that I made which reveals the problems with this interpretation. Look at the second chart which shows what is happening at the 6th/7th seals, 7th trumpet, and
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6th/7th bowl of wrath. Ive cleared out a lot of things on the top and bottom so we can concentrate on the seals, trumpets, and bowls. Ive lined them up as before. Go to the 6th seal. Remember from Chapter 20, The Day of the Lord, that Revelation 6:12-17 was the great day of Gods wrath. Its the day Jesus is super-exalted over all while everything else on earth gets leveled. But notice that the day of the Lord also appears at the 7th bowl of wrath. I have a little kings crown over the 6th seal and over the 7th bowl. Both are describing the same day and same event the day of the Lord. At Revelation 16:17 we hear a voice say, It is done. At Verse 18 we see the thunderings, lightnings, rumblings, and an earthquake. This is the Lords coming. At Verse 19 we see all the cities of the nations collapsing. This is the leveling from the worldwide earthquake on the day of the Lord. At Verse 19 we see every mountain getting leveled and all the islands disappearing. This is the day of the Lord again. In Verse 21 we have the great hailstorm that is also described at the 7th trumpet. So the hailstorm at the 7th trumpet is the same one as the 7th bowl of wrath. Now, remember from the last chapter that the 7th seal, 7th trumpet, and 7th bowl of wrath all had the same thunderings, lightnings, rumblings, and earthquake. This is the description of the Lords Coming. Notice also that at the 7th trumpet, the mystery of God is finished (Revelation 10:7), and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15). Finally, at the 6th bowl we have the battle of Armageddon on the last day. If we look at the chart again, notice that I have little lightning bolts underneath the 6th/7th seals, 7th trumpet, and 6th/7th bowls of wrath. All of these use different language to describe events happening on the same day. If dispensationalism is correct, how can we have two days of the Lord, describing the same event, several years apart?! How can the kingdoms of this world become the Lords at the middle of the tribulation if it happens at the end? In fact, how can Jesus be standing on Mount Zion (earth) at Revelation 14, if Hes still in heaven with the Church waiting for the Revelation 19 return? Beloved, dispensationalism does not work in Revelation. We cannot understand Revelation this way. Thats why in Chapter 1, My Story, I said I was so puzzled and perplexed. How can the same events happen several years apart at five different places in Revelation? They simply cannot. Dispensationalism doesnt work! This is so simple it might boggle your mind. God never intended for Revelation to be understood by some select few that believe the pre-tribulation rapture. This is the book of ultimates. The eternal destiny of all mankind and the devil is found here. The eternal states are described here. This is a fantastic book that weaves together Gods entire redemptive plan in Christ. It brings to conclusion every purpose under the sun. God actually intends for His people to understand this book. Maybe not every detail, but to understand its basic structure and purpose yes. Go to the last chart in this chapter. Heres my simple solution. Maybe its too easy. Maybe I should make it very complicated so that no one understands and we have to rely on others for its interpretation. Take the 6th/7th seal, 7th trumpet, and 6th/7th bowl of wrath and stack them on top of each other! Now Armageddon, the day of the Lord, the 2nd Coming, and the rapture all happen on the last day. What I believe is that these seals, trumpets, and bowls of wrath are not consecutive, but concurrent. Concurrent means at the same time. Everything lines up and I cannot find any contradictions. Now we have no double-vision and we can see things clearly. In other words, God was giving us three pictures of the same day with the 7th seal, 7th trumpet, and 7th bowl. Please note, I DO NOT believe that the 1st seal, 1st trumpet, and 1st bowl of wrath happen at the same time nor the 2nd seal, 2nd trumpet, and 2nd bowl of wrath, etc. In fact, I would push the bowls of wrath closer to the 6th and 7th bowls, but I have to spread them out for the purposes of illustration.
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Dispensationalisms Consecutive View of the Seals, Trumpets, & Bowls

Revelation 4:1-2
Rapture

Revelation 19:11-16
2nd Coming

Church 3 Years 1st Quarter

in heaven 3 Years

2nd Quarter

7 Seals

7 Trumpets

7 Bowls of Wrath

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 8-11
Jews/Israel on earth

Chapters 12-18

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Problem: The Lords Coming is in the 6th/7th seals, 7th trumpet, & 6th/7th bowls

Rapture

2nd Coming

7 Seals

7 Trumpets

7 Bowls of Wrath

The Day of the Lord

The 2nd Coming

2nd Coming Kingdoms belong to the Lord

Armageddon 2nd Coming

The Day of the Lord

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Solution: The Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls are NOT consecutive, they are concurrent

Rapture 2nd Coming

7 Seals 7 Trumpets 7 Bowls of Wrath

2nd Coming Armageddon

The Day of the Lord

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Interpreting Revelation

Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
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Chapter

24
Interpreting Revelation

bewildered. The key verse for the pretribulationist is Revelation 1:19, Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things. If we do not interpret the book of Revelation with this verse divided into their dispensations, then we are not rightly dividing the Word (2 Timothy 2:15). They say that their interpretation is the only correct one for this end-time book. Lets first look at how the dispensationalist interprets the all-important book of Revelation. Go to the chart on the last page of this chapter. Ive divided their beliefs into four sections. Starting on the left side lets see what they believe. They say that the words in Revelation 1:19, Write what things you saw mean Johns revelation by the angel. This occurred in 90 A.D. and includes the glorious vision of Jesus in Chapter 1 of Revelation. Next, they say the words, and the things which are is the vision of Chapters 2-3. This is the Church dispensation and each of the seven Churches represent seven Church ages. For example, the first Church, Ephesus, represents the years 30-100; the second Church, Smyrna, is the years 100-312, etc. They teach that the Protestant Reformation is represented at the fifth Church, Sardis, which was the Church that had a reputation of being alive but was dead. They say the lukewarm Church of Laodicea is Christendom from 1900 through the great tribulation. First of all, where in the Bible does it say that each Church represents a Church age? This is not the testimony of the Bible, but the testimony of dispensationalism. It fits only dispensationalisms speculations and guesses. From studying their books, Ive observed that they make it fit, whether it fits or not. Next they take the rest of Revelation 1:19, and the things which shall be hereafter to mean the 7-year tribulation period and the Jews on the earth. This is Chapters 4-19. The large down arrow is the 2nd Coming of Jesus and then the Millenium begins in Chapter 20. Let me speak to seven critical issues that dispensationalists use repeatedly to justify their position. These are foundational truths for them and no one can understand Revelation without a belief in these truths. Let me give their truths and I will show an answer that will explain the problems with their interpretation.

ead Revelation 1:19 and Revelation 4:1-2. If we try to interpret Revelation using dispensationalism, we will not understand Revelation properly. Having personally struggled to understand dispensationalism for many years, I have concluded that its system of interpretation leaves believers confused and

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First of all, the dispensationalist says that the woman in Revelation 12 is Israel. The Church is in heaven during the tribulation period, while Israel is on the earth. The Churchs citizenship is in heaven; the Jews/Israel have Old Testament promises to be fulfilled regarding the land on the earth. Answer: When John first sees this woman she is in heaven. Revelation 12:1 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. And before we know it shes running from the dragon (Satan) on the earth and even goes into the desert/wilderness in Revelation 12:4-6, 13-17. If the woman here is Israel, how did Israel go from heaven to the desert/wilderness on earth? This makes no sense. Secondly, the dispensationalist believes that since the word Church is not mentioned in Chapters 4-19, then the Church must be in heaven. They teach that Chapters 4-19 refer to the tribulation period and all of the events taking place on the earth. Therefore, the Church is not on earth during the tribulation. She is already raptured out. Answer: This cannot be possible because there are 7 scenes in heaven and the Church is not mentioned once in these scenes (see table below). They shot themselves in the foot! If the Church is in heaven, how come we dont see the word Church or Christians in any one of these heavenly scenes? 7 Scenes in Heaven Revelation 4 & 5 Revelation 7:9 8:6 Revelation 11:15 11:19 Revelation 12:1-12 Revelation 14:1-5 Revelation 15:1-8 Revelation 19:1-16 7 Scenes on the Earth Revelation 6:1 - 7:8 Revelation 8:7 11:14 Revelation 11:19 Revelation 12:13-13:18 Revelation 14:6-20 Revelation 16:1 18:24 Revelation 19:17 20:15

Thirdly, since the word Church is not mentioned in Revelation, Chapters 4-19, then the tribulation cannot be for the Church. Answer: But if we follow this line of reasoning, the word Church is not mentioned in the books of Mark, Luke, John, 2 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. Does that mean that these ten books are not for the Church? Does it mean that the Church is in heaven for these books? Next, the heart of dispensationalisms eschatology is that the Jews are here on the earth during the great tribulation. Answer: The word Jew or Jews is not mentioned a single time in Revelation from Chapter 4 through Chapter 22. Should we conclude that the Jews are in heaven during the tribulation? What happened to the Jews? I believe the Jews will be on the earth during the tribulation but so will the Church. No one gets raptured until the last day! Dispensationalists also use the word Israel (to represent the Jews). They say that Israel is on the earth during the tribulation. Answer: Israel is only mentioned once in Chapters 4-19 (Revelation 7:4). Does that mean that Israel only appears after the sixth seal (Day of the Lord) at the end of the tribulation? Also, dispensationalists believe that Johns rapture in Revelation 4:1, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this, symbolizes the rapture of the Church. Therefore, the Church is raptured before the tribulation found in Chapters 6-19. Thus, the Church misses the tribulation. Answer: In Revelation 4:2, John was at once in the Spirit. Well, this phrase occurs also in Revelation 17:3 when an angel carried him away in the Spirit to a desert/wilderness to see the great whore of Babylon. Now John is back on earth. Also in Revelation 21:10 an angel carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high to see the
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holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven. More importantly, in Revelation 10:1, 11:1-2, 14:1, 18:1 (and in many other verses and phrases), John is on the earth again. He has heavenly scenes in front of him and he has earthly scenes also. Does this mean that John is raptured back and forth during the tribulation? Does that mean that we also carry the symbolism over to the Church (John) and conclude that the Church is raptured back and forth during the tribulation? How can John be in heaven in Revelation 4:2 and then in the desert in Revelation 17:3? How can John be in heaven in Revelation 4:2 and then on Mount Zion in Revelation 14:1? Why does John repeatedly use the phrase coming down from heaven instead of going down from heaven? Its because he was on earth looking up and not in heaven looking down. Finally, the dispensationalists believe that the phrase After these things, (meta tauta, meta; tau`ta) or After this I looked in Revelation 4:1-2 means that the Church age or dispensation has ended and now the 7-year great tribulation can begin. For them, this matches beautifully the phrase of the future in Revelation 1:19, and the things which will take place after these things (meta tauta). In other words, Johns rapture is symbolic of the Churchs rapture so after these things means after the Church age. Therefore, the Church cannot be in the tribulation. Answer: This is not the only place in Revelation that this phrase appears. It appears in Revelation 7:9 when John writes, After this I looked (meta tauta) and he saw a great multitude that came out of the tribulation. In Revelation 9:12, John has just finished the first woe, and the next two woes are coming after these things (meta tauta), or after the 5th trumpet sounds. In Revelation 15:5, John writes, After this I looked (meta tauta) and he saw the temple in heaven and the tabernacle along with the 7 angels with the 7 last plagues of Gods wrath. In Revelation 18:1, John writes, After this I saw (meta tauta) and an angel having great glory and authority illumines the whole earth. The angel announces that Babylon is fallen. In Revelation 19:1, John writes, After this I heard (meta tauta) the sound of a great multitude shouting Hallelujah! and magnifying the Lord who judges Babylon. In Revelation 20:3, John writes, After this (meta tauta) to describe that the devil will be bound 1,000 years and then after this to be loosed for a short time. Does it mean that each one of these after this or after these is another dispensation or age? Then there would be 7 different dispensations between Chapters 4 and 20. This would not be possible according to their charts and plans of eschatology. If we just sit down and do a little research into the beliefs of dispensationalism, we will see that their system of interpretation does not fit. It has speculations that cannot be confirmed with other Scriptures (like the 7 Church Ages). They have taken one verse and magnified it to rightly divide Revelation. What has happened is that theyve rightly divided Gods people with unscriptural teachings. Dont allow their arguments for the absence or presence of certain words to dictate conclusions. Lets do our own careful study and enjoy the rich truths of this powerful book.

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Dispensationalisms Beliefs on Revelation

Revelation 1:19a Write what Revelation 1:19b and the Revelation 1:19c and the things you saw things which are things which shall be hereafter.
2nd Coming

Rapture

The Church in heaven

The 7 churches represent 7 church ages

7-Year Tribulation
1 2 100 3 312 4 606 5 1520 6 7

90 A.D. Johns Vision of Jesus

30

1750 1900

Christ & the Church Dispensation Chapters 2-3

Jews & Tribulation Saints on Earth Chapters 4-19

Millennium 1,000 Years

Chapter 1

Chapter 20

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What Now?

2 Peter 3:11-12 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
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Chapter

25
What Now?

hope that I have helped you understand a few things about the end-times. If I had to summarize the contents of this book, I would say the following:

1) There is no pre-tribulation rapture. 2) Jesus is only coming once on the last day. 3) The Church is raptured at the end of the tribulation on the first resurrection. 4) The Coming of Jesus and the rapture of the Church both occur on the day of the Lord. 5) The day of the Lord will bring about incredible destruction on the ungodly, the earth, and the heavens. 6) The Church will go through the great tribulation and be persecuted. 7) The Church will be protected from the wrath of God. 8) There will be a great apostasy among Christian believers in the last days. 9) The seals, trumpets, and bowls of wrath are not consecutive but concurrent. 10) The 6th/7th seals, 7th trumpet, and 6th/7th bowls of wrath all describe events occurring on the same day, the day of the Lord.

I have a lot of thoughts about what to do now but let me narrow them down to five. First, if you have believed the pre-tribulation rapture and dispensationalism all your life, and now you see the errors of this teaching, you will need to go back and re-read most of the Bible. You will need to be transformed by the renewing of your mind like it says in Romans 12:1-2. Because prophecy is such a big subject in the Bible, Im amazed at how a wrong system of interpretation can distort literally hundreds of verses. If youve received at least the basic elements of what Ive taught, you owe yourself the favor of re-reading Isaiah, Revelation, Daniel, the prophetic chapters of the gospels, and books like 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 2 Peter, and Jude.

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Second, one of the serious conclusions of my book is that we must prepare for persecution. We must live in faith, not in fear. I recommend that you read books written by believers who have been through persecution. I highly recommend The New Foxes Book of Martyrs by John Foxe, Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, Called to Suffer, Called to Triumph by Herbert Schlossberg, and Through the Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliott. Also, I strongly recommend that you support or subscribe to a ministry like Voice of the Martyrs. This ministry is supported by our church and has many books, inspiring articles, and godly teaching on the worldwide persecution happening right now. In fact, they have a complete resource catalog available. They may be contacted at The Voice of the Martyrs, P.O. Box 443, Bartlesville, OK 74005, (800)-747-0085. One word of caution do not overwhelm yourself or your family with all the blood and guts of martyrdom and persecution. The Bible talks about a lot of things besides persecution. Dont make it your pet peeve. Third, I have read through many books and articles on persecution. I have seen videos depicting the suffering Church through the ages. I have come to the conclusion that one of the most important Scriptures to obey during persecution is Matthew 5:44, But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. If we are going to be betrayed, persecuted, hated, and abused, we must learn now how to love our enemies. If we dont, we will become just like them. We will become bitter and hateful. I like the words of Richard Wurmbrand who was tortured for fourteen years by the Communists. He writes, I hate the Communist system but I love the men. I hate the sin but I love the sinner. I love the Communists with all my heart. Communists can kill Christians but they cannot kill their love toward even those who killed them. I have not the slightest bitterness or resentment against the Communists or my torturers. 6 He adds, If the heart is cleansed by the love of Jesus Christ, one can resist all tortures. 7 As a Pastor, Ive seen todays American Christian offended and bitter over the color of the carpet in the church! What will happen to these Christians when they are faced with denying Christ? They will not stand. If we do not learn to love our enemies now, what makes us think we will stand when times get really tough? Fourth, I am learning more and more that endurance is one of the key character qualities of a Christian. We are not quitters. We keep on going. We overcome adversity and trials. Its interesting to me that Jesus said, But the one who endures to the end shall be saved, in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, two chapters on the end-times. I love Pauls words in 2 Timothy 2:10: I endure all things for the sake of Gods elect. We can endure all things. Too many Christians today do not endure. They quit in their marriages, their friendships, their jobs, and their ministries. They dont want to put up a fight for whats important and lasting in value. This passive, negative, defeated attitude must be rejected and rebuked in the strongest terms. Paul said he endured all things. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:7 that love endures all things. Love never fails, because love always endures. Put to death the quitter in you and train yourself to endure adversity and difficulties. Finally, I like Peters words in 2 Peter 3:11-12, Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. If everything is going to be destroyed, why are we investing so much time in things that will come to nothing? We should be hungering for Jesus and His Word. We should be pressing into the kingdom of God and seeking to live holy and godly lives. The day is far spent and we dont have time to waste. Right now is the
6 7

From Tortured for Christ, Richard Wurmbrand, page 52. Ibid., page 39.
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time to evaluate our priorities. Our relationship with Jesus has to be priority #1. What value is it if we can explain end-time events but cant love our neighbor? Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:2, If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. Like I said in an earlier chapter, while doing research on end-time events, I found multitudes of Christians and ministries that claimed to know all the truth on eschatology but are filled with pride, arrogance, anger, and division. Brothers, knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If you love God, but hate your brother, you are a liar! (1 John 4:20). Love is more important than knowledge. Jesus is more important than the things we own.

Thank you for reading this book. Dont be afraid of Revelation. Each time you read it you get blessed (Revelation 1:3). Pray for the Spirits understanding. He will give it to you.

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Contacting the Author

You may contact the author at the following addresses or numbers. Please do not give my e-mail out to businesses or salesmen. Anyone wishing to receive free copies of the teaching newsletter Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation can also use this information: Pastor Charlie Avila c/o Clovis Christian Center 3606 N. Fowler Avenue Fresno, CA 93727 (559) 291-2595 Internet E-Mail Address: charlieavila@juno.com

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Bibliography
The fact that a book is listed in this bibliography does not mean that I endorse its contents or conclusions. This bibliography and my comments are provided to help guide the reader through the large number of books that have been produced on eschatology, especially the pre-tribulation rapture. Some of these books are out-of-print and may be difficult to find. This list is NOT intended to be exhaustive. There were many other books that I read, but the ones listed below will give you a good sampling of who believes what, and places to start for your own research. Archer, Gleason L.; Feinberg, Paul; Moo, Douglas; and Reiter, Richard, Three Views on the Rapture, Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Tribulation, 268 Pages, Copyright 1984, Zondervan Publishing House. These four authors, all of who are close friends, present their differing views of the rapture. All of them are scholars who teach are Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. This is a good resource for comparing the various positions. Bass, Clarence B., Backgrounds to Dispensationalism, 139 Pages, Copyright 1956, Eerdmans Publishing. Professor Bass reveals thirteen critical errors with dispensationalism. His historical presentation on Darby and dispensationalism is excellent. This book is out-of-print. Bruce, F. F., 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 228 Pages, Copyright 1982, Volume 45 of the Word Biblical Commentary, Word Books Publisher, Waco, Texas. An excellent commentary by this New Testament scholar who passed away in 1990. Requires good command of Biblical Greek. Bruce, F. F., The Epistle of the Hebrews, 447 Pages, Copyright 1964, Part of the New International Commentary on the New Testament Series. This is a good overview of the book of Hebrews, with all Greek wording reserved for the footnotes. Bullinger, E. W., Number in Scripture, 303 Pages, Copyright 1967, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. A classic study on number in scripture. Clouse, Robert G., The Meaning of the Millennium, 220 Pages, Copyright 1977, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515. Edited by Dr. Clouse, this book presents four different views of the millennium by George Eldon Ladd, Herman Hoyt, Loraine Boettner, and Anthony Hoekema. If you want to see the varying views of the millennium that are currently being debated, this is the book. I hold more to the view of Ladd. Coad, Roy, A History of the Brethren Movement, 330 pages, Copyright 1968, The Paternoster Press, Ltd. This excellent historical work gives a full account of the Plymouth Brethren movement including the disagreements between Darby and his followers on his views of eschatology. Unfortunately, this book is out-of-print. Conner, Kevin, Interpreting the Book of Revelation, 203 Pages, Copyright 1995, KJC Publications, P.O. Box 300, Vermont, Victoria, Australia. A very good overview of the book of Revelation for more advanced readers. Conner, Kevin, The Feasts of Israel, 111 Pages, Copyright 1980, City Bible Publishing, Portland, Oregon. A very detailed overview of the feasts of Israel and their prophetic fulfillment.
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Dallimore, Arnold, The Life of Edward Irving, 188 Pages, Copyright 1983, The Banner of Truth Trust, P.O. Box 621, Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013. Dallimore, a Baptist minister, and critical of spiritual gifts like tongues, gives a review of Irvings life from a Baptist tradition. Darby, John Nelson, Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, Part 2, New Testament, Commentary on Matthew, Pages 6-137. If you want to get to the heart and soul of the pre-tribulation rapture, you must study the writings of J. N. Darby. He saw everything as Jewish in the book of Matthew and thus it slanted all of this beliefs toward Israel and nothing applied to the church. Deal, Colin Hoyle, Christ Returns by 1988, 101 Reasons Why, 175 Pages, Copyright 1979, Rutherford College, North Carolina. Deal, a classic pretribulationist, gives 101 reasons why Jesus would rapture the church before the great tribulation. Elliot, Elisabeth, Through Gates of Splendor, 256 Pages, Copyright 1957, Harper & Row Publishers, New York, NY. An engrossing book on the martyrdom of five American missionaries in the jungles of Ecuador. Once you start this book you will not be able to put it down. Elisabeth, the wife of martyr Jim Elliot, describes the full details of what happened to the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians they were trying to evangelize a good book on persecution. Elwell, Walter A., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 1204 Pages, Copyright 1984, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506. This is an excellent resource providing encyclopedic definitions and descriptions of many terms, places, and people. Foxe, John, The New Foxes Book of Martyrs, 411 Pages, Currently copyrighted 1997 by BridgeLogos Publishers, North Brunswick, NJ. The all-time classic of the persecution of the church from the early apostles to modern times. Highly recommended. Fuller, David Otis, Spurgeons Sermons on the Second Coming, 150 Pages, Copyright 1948, Zondervan Publishing House. An excellent compilation of Charles Spurgeons messages on the 2nd Coming. The first chapter on The First Resurrection is worth the price of the whole book. Gundry, Bob H., First the AntiChrist, 200 Pages, Copyright 1997, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The subtitle is Why Christ wont come before the AntiChrist does explains the intent of the book. Intended more for the lay reader than his scholarly book, The Church and the Tribulation, Gundry provides a good foundation for believers who want to be saved from the pre-tribulation rapture position. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 clearly teaches that the rapture will not take place until the man of sin is revealed. Gundry, Robert H., The Church and the Tribulation, A Biblical Examination of Posttribulationism, 224 Pages, Copyright 1973, Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49506. Dr. Gundry is a Professor of New Testament and Greek at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. This book expounds the post-tribulation position. While I found Dr. Gundrys book to be very insightful and thorough, I doubt that the lay reader could follow some of the arguments presented by Dr. Gundry without a very good knowledge of the pretribulation rapture arguments. This book is written more for the scholar. He also uses original Greek words in his explanations. I found the 15th Chapter on the Historical Confirmation of
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the post-tribulation position to be outstanding. This book is out-of-print and available only from the Westmont College bookstore. Despite some confusion in the organization of the material, I highly recommend this book. Kalafian, Michael, The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of the Book of Daniel, 259 Pages, Copyright 1991, University Press of America, 4720 Boston Way, Lanham, Maryland 20706. This very expensive book gives a critical analysis of the three main views of Daniels 70th week prophecy. These views are the Premillennial Interpretation, Amillennial Interpretation, and the Higher Critical Interpretation a good resource. Available only from University Press. Kirban, Salem, 20 Reasons Why This Present Earth May Not Last Another 20 Years, 191 Pages, Copyright 1973, Salem Kirban, Inc., Kent Road, Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania 19006. Kirban, a classic pretribulationist, predicted in this 1973 book that Christ would return by 1993. His other end-time books, 666 and Revelation Visualized have sold 100,000s of copies over the last 30 years. This book is out-of-print (for obvious reasons). Ladd, George Eldon, A Commentary on the Revelation of John, 308 Pages, Copyright 1972, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dr. Ladd, who passed away in 1982, was a professor of New Testament at Fuller Theology Seminary. Of all the books on Revelation that I own or have read over the years, this is probably the only one that I recommend. His exposition of the text is concise, clear, and helpful. He gives good reasons for his conclusions. Dr. Ladd believed the post-tribulation rapture position and that the church would go through the great tribulation. If you had to buy one commentary on Revelation, get this one. Ladd, George Eldon, The Blessed Hope, A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture, 167 Pages, Copyright 1956, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is an excellent book by a New Testament scholar. There are very sound and sane interpretations on the rapture in this book highly recommended. Ladd, George Eldon, The Presence of the Future, 370 Pages, Copyright 1974, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is an excellent and fair book. LaHaye, Tim, Revelation, Illustrated and Made Plain, 322 Pages, Copyright 1973, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506. If you want a classic book on what a pretribulation rapture and dispensationalist teacher believes about the book of Revelation, this is it. Many of todays pre-tribulation rapture teachers use this book to interpret Revelation. If you had to buy one book on Revelation to understand what the pre-tribulation rapture teaches, buy this book. Larkin, Clarence, Dispensational Truth, 225 Pages, Copyright 1921, Clarence Larkin Estate, P.O. Box 334, Glenside, PA 19038. Larkin was one of the most influential preachers and writers of dispensationalism and the pre-tribulation rapture. He is best known for his charts of Daniel and Revelation. His other books including, Rightly Dividing the Word, The Second Coming of Christ, The Book of Daniel, The Book of Revelation, and The Spirit World have been used to reinforce the pre-tribulation rapture teaching around the world. Lloyd-Jones, Martyn, The Church and the Last Things, 264 Pages, Copyright 1998, Volume 3 of Great Doctrines of the Bible Series, Crossway Books, 1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, Illinois.
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A compilation of the sermons preached by the Pastor of the famous Westminster Chapel in London. Good teaching throughout, but he does spiritualize the prophetic days and years in Daniel and Revelation. MacPherson, Dave, The Incredible Cover-Up, Exposing the Origins of the Rapture Theories, 172 Pages, Copyright 1975, 1980, 1991, Omega Publications, Medford, Oregon. MacPherson does an incredible job of detailed research into the origins of the pre-tribulation rapture theory. He spent two years in Scotland and England researching the information found in the book. I think the historical information on John Darby, Edward Irving & the Catholic Apostolic Church, and Margaret MacDonald is worth the price of the book. The book is a fast-read and it is very interesting. The conclusion of the book was less than convincing. While I think that Margaret MacDonalds prophecy helped start some of the theories on the pre-tribulation rapture, it is obvious to me that John Nelson Darby was still the person most responsible for organizing and proclaiming all of the teachings on the separation of the Church and Israel. Things may not have originated with Darby but he took everything and put it all together and used his influence to spread these teachings worldwide. The book is recommended but I think youll find the main conclusion is not strong. Mathison, Keith A., Dispensationalism, Rightly Dividing the People of God?, 160 Pages, Copyright 1995, P & R Publishing, P.O. Box 817, Phillipsburg, New Jersey, 08865. If you want to expose the errors of dispensationalism, this is a good book. While I dont agree with all the authors conclusions, he has done a lot of research and study into this subject. McClain, Alva J., Daniels Prophecy of the 70 Weeks, 73 Pages, Copyright 1940, BMH Books, P.O. Box 544, Winona Lake, IN 46590. Probably the classic book of the pretribulationists for Daniels 70 week prophecy. McIlhenny, Chuck & Donna, When the Wicked Seize a City, 234 Pages, Copyright 1993, Huntington House Publishers, P.O. Box 53788, Lafayette, Louisiana 70505. A Pastor and his wife, who live in homosexual-controlled San Francisco, discuss what the future holds for us if homosexuals get control. This is a powerful book and study. Jesus said that the last days would be like the days of Lot. Metzger, Bruce M., Breaking the Code, Understanding the book of Revelation, 111 Pages, Copyright 1993, Abingdon Press. Dr. Metzger is one of the foremost Greek scholars of the 20th Century but, unfortunately, he does little to help us understand the great end-time book of Revelation. Morris, Leon, Apocalyptic, 105 Pages, Copyright 1972, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. This New Testament scholar reviews the body of ancient literature dealing with the end of the world a good overview. Murray, Iain H., The Life of Arthur W. Pink, 272 Pages, Copyright 1981, The Banner of Truth Trust, P.O. Box 621, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. This is a good biography of one of the most influential pre-tribulation rapture teachers of the 20th Century. Pinks many books and articles from 1920-1950 helped spread and legitimize the pre-tribulation rapture position. Pink was a great student of the Bible and you can learn a lot from him about the teachings of the Word.
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Nee, Watchman, Come, Lord Jesus, A Study of the Book of Revelation, 258 Pages, Copyright 1976, Christian Fellowship Publishers, 11515 Allecingie Parkway, Richmond, Virginia 23255. Nee does a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Revelation. He was a dispensationalist who followed the teachings of J. N. Darby. Although he provides original insight into the meaning of several passages, he overly spiritualizes most of the book. He believed the woman of Revelation 12 was Jerusalem and Babylon of Revelation 17 and 18 is the Roman Catholic Church. Not recommended for new believers. Pentecost, J. Dwight, Things to Come, A Study of Biblical Eschatology, 633 Pages, Copyright 1958, Zondervan Publishing House. By many pretribulationists, this is considered the bible of dispensationalism and the pre-tribulation rapture. Pentecost was a professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary, the leading seminary in the world promoting the pre-tribulation rapture. You cannot teach at this seminary unless you agree to the pre-tribulation rapture position. If you want to see what pretribulationists believe, this is the book. Pickering, Henry, Chief Men Among the Brethren, 405 Pages, Originally published in 1918, Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, New Jersey. This is a compilation of over 110 men who were part of the Plymouth Brethren Movement. The pre-tribulation rapture was founded and first preached by this denomination. This book includes brief biographies on John Nelson Darby, William Kelly, Charles H. Mackintosh, and Sir Robert Anderson. This is an important historical work. Pink, Arthur W., The AntiChrist, 310 Pages, Originally published in 1923 and currently copyrighted in 1988, Kregel Publications, P.O. Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI. Pink was a classic pretribulationist. He examines every verse in the Bible that supposedly talks about the AntiChrist. Pollock, John, Moody, A Biography, 288 Pages, Copyright 1963, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI. A great biography on a great man of God. Moody was one of the men most responsible for first preaching Darbys views on the rapture here in the United States. Moody was a dispensationalist and pretribulationist, and his institute, Moody Bible Institute is one of the leading centers in the world for the promotion of the pre-tribulation rapture theory. Poythress, Vern S., Understanding Dispensationalists, 142 Pages, Copyright 1987, P & R Publishing, P.O. Box 817, Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865. This is an outstanding book. He really helped me understand the errors of the pre-tribulation rapture position on the last trumpet. Dr. Poythress is a scholar of New Testament Interpretation and provides valuable insights in this book on dispensational theories. Reese, Alexander, The Approaching Advent of Christ, 328 Pages, Copyright 1927, Marshall, Morgan, Scott, Ltd., London. This is an all-time classic text examining the teachings of J.N. Darby and his followers. This book provides excellent insight, in-depth research, and powerful conclusions. If I could recommend one book that exposes the many problems with Darby teachings and the pre-tribulation rapture position, this would be the book. Currently out-of-print, this is a rare book, and will require some searching to find it. You may want to check with a local Christian library if one is available. Ryrie, Charles, C., Dispensationalism, 224 Pages, Copyright 1995, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois. Originally published as Dispensationalism Today, this is the all-time classic text in
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favor of dispensationalism. If you need one book on a review of dispensationalism by a dispensationalist and pre-tribulation rapture teacher, this is the book. Ryries Study Bible is also filled with pre-tribulation rapture beliefs in all the footnotes. Schlossberg, Herbert, Called to Suffer, Called to Triumph, 231 Pages, Copyright 1990, Multnomah Press, 10209 SE Division Street, Portland, Oregon 97266. Schlossberg gives eighteen true stories of persecuted Christians. After Wurmbrands book, this is the best book I have found on the subject of modern-day persecution. Strachan, Gordon, The Pentecostal Theology of Edward Irving, 240 Pages, Copyright 1973, Hendrickson Publishers. Written from a Pentecostal perspective, and a good counter argument to Dallimores book. Some people believe that Irving, and prophecies from his church, were the origin of the pre-tribulation rapture. Strauss, Lehman, Gods Prophetic Calendar, 133 Pages, Copyright 1987, Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, New Jersey. Strauss, a pre-tribulation rapture teacher, examines the feasts of the Lord in the Old Testament and imposes his dispensational and pre-tribulation rapture teaching into these feasts. Tooley, Dale, In That Day, 36 Pages, Copyright 1995, Hasten the Light Ministries, Box 31472, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. A spiritualized view of the day of the Lord in the Old Testament prophets. Tregelles, Samuel P., The Hope of Christs Second Coming, 105 Pages, Originally published in 1864, The Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony, 1 Donald Way, Chelmsford, CM2 9JB. Tregelles lived at the time Darby was preaching his rapture theories and gives an excellent argument against the errors of Darbys eschatology. Tregelles, Samuel P., Tregelles on Daniel, 234 Pages, Originally published in 1852, The Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony, 1 Donald Way, Chelmsford, CM2 9JB. An excellent and detailed study on the prophetic visions in the book of Daniel. Trumbull, Charles Gallaudet, The Life Story of C.I. Scofield, 138 Pages, Reprinted by Christian Book Gallery, 9066 Knickerbocker, St. John, Indiana 46373. Trumbull knew Dr. Scofield personally. This is the classic biography of C.I. Scofield, of the Scofield Bible fame. Dr. Scofield was one of the most important persons in modern history for promoting the teachings of dispensationalism and the pre-tribulation rapture. Van Kampen, Robert, The Rapture Question Answered, Plain & Simple, 211 Pages, Copyright 1997, Fleming H. Revell, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49516. This book is excellent at exposing the errors of the pre-tribulation rapture. I covered his beliefs in Chapter 16 of this book. I learned a lot from Van Kampen and Im indebted to him for giving me careful insight into the problems of the pretribulationist viewpoint. I dont agree with his pre-wrath position. Weston, Rev. Charles Gilbert, Analyzing Scofield, The Life and Errors of C.I. Scofield, 77 Pages, Copyright 1997, Weston Bible Ministries, published by Morgan Brown Ltd., P.O. Box 11, Croton-On-Hudson, NY 10520. While Rev. Weston and Emma Weston do a great deal of research into the problems with the Scofield Reference Bible, I feel that they are extreme in
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several areas and need balance. They are very critical of C.I. Scofield as a person and Bible teacher. If you want a careful examination of the errors and changes in the Scofield Bible, this is the book to get. Wurmbrand, Richard, Tortured for Christ, 139 Pages, Copyright 1967, currently published by Living Sacrifice Book Company, P.O. Box 2273, Bartlesville, OK 74005. In my estimation, maybe the best book on persecution ever written. Brother Wurmbrand describes the tortures of his imprisonment by Communist authorities in Romania.

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Spirit of Wisdom & Revelation

www.teacherofthebible.org www.spiritofrevelation.org

Volume 10

By Charlie Avila

Number 1

What Jesus Said About His 2nd Coming

End Times Series #1
They will see the Son of Man coming with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30

Jesus never said that He was coming secretly. I have been saying this for many years If you want to know the truth about Jesus 2nd Coming just read what Jesus said about it, because He is the One who is coming back. He said more about it than anyone else. And He never said that He would return secretly. In this first series of messages on the end times, I want to examine carefully the five main things that Jesus said about His 2nd Coming. These five truths of Jesus 2nd Coming all emphasize that He is coming visibly not secretly. No where in the Bible is the 2nd Coming of Christ characterized as a secret coming. Here is how Jesus will come again: #1 With Great Power & Great Glory When describing His 2nd Coming in Mark 13:26, Jesus wrote, At that time men will see the Son of Man coming with great power and glory. When Jesus comes, He is coming with great power and glory. In Luke 21:27, He said, At that time they will see the Son of Man coming with power and great glory. Matthew 24:30 says the same thing They will see the Son of Man coming with power and great glory. So Jesus is coming with great power and great glory. This great glory is also described as the Fathers glory in Mark 8:38: When the Son of Man comes in His Fathers glory. The gospel writer says the same thing in Matthew 16:27, For the Son of Man is going to come in His Fathers glory.
1

Luke 9:26 will word it a little differently but with the same meaning: When the Son of Man comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father. Notice that Jesus also added in His glory. Jesus will come in His glory also. Matthew 25:31 agrees with this When the Son of Man comes in His glory. It is easy to see why the apostle Paul would write in Titus 2:13, Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. The blessed hope is not the pre-tribulation rapture, but the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ. So lets review briefly: Jesus is coming again with great power, and great glory, His Fathers glory, and His own glory. Paul called it a glorious appearing. There is nothing secret about this coming. Jesus is coming with great power and great glory. #2 With all the Holy Angels Not only is Jesus coming with great power and great glory, He is also coming with all His holy angels. Jesus taught us in Matthew 25:31, When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. It doesnt say most or some, but all of

the holy angels are coming with Jesus! This will be spectacular! When John described the many angels in Revelation 5:11 that surrounded Gods throne he said the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. There are more than 100 million angels! Hebrews 12:22 says there are an innumerable company of angels. When Jesus comes with 100,000,000+ angels, it will be glorious indeed! I really like Pauls description of the Lords coming in 2 Thessalonians 1:7: This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. There is no way you can bring together so many angels and have it be a secret coming. We know from the Bible that there are good angels and bad ones. 1 Timothy 5:21 says there are elect angels, and 2 Peter 2:4 says angels who sinned. We have Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon and his angels. (See Revelation 12:7.) John 20:12 says there are angels in white, and Jude 1:6 reads angels reserved in everlasting chains in darkness. The angels coming with Jesus will be the good angels that He called, holy angels. Mark 8:38 says, When He comes in His Fathers glory with the holy angels. Luke 9:26 says, When He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. The holy angels have glory too. Matthew 24:30-31 has these words: Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet. The angels will not blow a trumpet; they will be sent forth with a trumpet blast. Mark 13:26-27 says, Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels. Jesus is not coming alone. He is coming with all of His powerful, glorious angels. Again, there is no way this can be a secret coming that no one sees. #3 Like Lightning Jesus is not only coming with great power, great glory, and all His holy angels, He is also coming like lightning. In the gospels, when Jesus compared His coming to lightning, He did so to emphasize the visibility of His coming. Matthew 24:27 says, For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. That is one thing we all know about lightning it is visible everywhere. If it comes from the east, it is
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visible even in the west. Jesus is essentially saying that you can stand anywhere and see His coming. This is a critical point. Notice what Jesus said just before this verse, Wherefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not (26). Jesus is saying that if someone tells you His coming will be secret or out in some hidden desert, believe it not! Dont believe it. Why? Because as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man. I like the wording of Dr. Martyn LloydJones on this point: There are some who would teach that our Lords Parousia, His coming, will be secret and nobody will see Him except His own. Yet, I suggest to you that if you go through all the passages describing His Second Coming, you will find they all emphasize its visibility.1 Luke 17:24 confirms this understanding when it says, 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. Jesus coming is going to light up the sky. It will light it up from one end to the other. Again, the point Jesus is making is how visible His coming will be. At the 7th seal, 7th trumpet, and 7th bowl in Revelation, we find this type of wording: And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm (8:5, 11:19, and 16:18). When the Lord comes, there will be great flashes of lightning. He is not coming secretly; He is coming visibly. Again, Jesus never said that He was coming secretly. #4 With Disturbances in the Heavens Jesus is coming with great power, great glory, all the holy angels, and like lightning. When He comes, He will also shake the powers in the heavens that will cause signs in the sun, moon, and stars. Hebrews 12:26 describes the Lords coming as follows: Whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. This is actually a quote from Haggai 2:6-7 in the Old Testament: Once more I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations. (We will cover Hebrews 12 and Haggai 2 in detail in a future teaching in this series.) Matthew 24:29 says, The sun will be
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The Church and the Last Things, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, published by Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois, page 83.

darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Mark 13:24-25 says the same thing: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Luke 17:25-27 gives us a more comprehensive view of the Lords 2nd coming: And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; mens hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. The Lords coming is going to radically disturb the whole creation. Things will be greatly altered in the heavens. You cannot read this and say no one living at that time will see His coming. The apostle John was right in Revelation 1:7, Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Himand all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Every eye will see Him and all tribes will mourn. #5 With the Clouds Jesus is coming with great power, great glory, all the holy angels, like lightning, and with supernatural disturbances in the heavens. He will also come with the clouds. The first three gospels say essentially the same thing: Matthew 24:30, They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven. Mark 13:26, Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds. Luke 21:27, Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud. One says on the clouds, another says in the clouds, and the last one in a cloud. The prophet Daniel also saw this coming. In Daniel 7:13 it reads, I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! Revelation 14:14 quotes this verse from Daniel: Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man. Have you ever asked yourself this question: How can anyone sit on a cloud? Clouds cannot hold anyone up. Only Jesus can sit on a cloud. Johns first mention of the 2nd Coming in the Revelation describes it this way Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him
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(1:7). When Jesus comes, every eye will see Him. Every time the coming of Jesus is mentioned in the book of Revelation it is a glorious, powerful, heavenshaking coming. Revelation never mentions a secret coming. Daniel the prophet never told us of a secret coming. Well talk about this more in future teachings. When Jesus left planet Earth to go sit at the right hand of God, Acts 1:9 says, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Jesus rode a cloud into heaven. Suddenly, two angelic beings appeared in white apparel and told the amazed disciples in Acts 1:11, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven. He left in a cloud; He will return in a cloud. Jesus made a statement after His arrest that was so radical, it drove the high priest to tear his clothes and yell, Blasphemy! Here is what the Lord said: Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64). Mark 14:62 says it this way, And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. One verse says coming on the clouds; the other coming with the clouds. Clouds are very visible for many, many miles because of their position in the sky. I read a recent scientific article on clouds by a Professor of Meteorology named Jack C. Thompson. In his introductory paragraph describing clouds he writes, Clouds are the principal visible phenomena of the atmosphere. Think about it for a minute. What is in our atmosphere, the immediate sky above our heads, that we see day after day? It is clouds. Clouds are visible. With the naked eye we can see cirrus clouds as high up as 7 miles (vertical) and cumulus clouds as far away as 50 miles (horizontal). Clouds are known specifically for their visibility. Jesus is coming in the clouds. Jesus is coming visibly. Everyone should do a word study of cloud(s) in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. This reveals a lot about why Jesus comes with the clouds. Lets discuss two important aspects of clouds that relate to the Lords coming. First, the glory of the Lord appears in the cloud. In Exodus 16:10, the Israelites looked toward the wilderness, And behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. In Exodus 24:15-17, Moses encounter with the Lord is described this way: Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain. Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And

on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire. Wherever you saw the glory, you saw the cloud. When the Father showed up on the Mount of Transfiguration, Matthew 17:5 says, Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him! When they finished building the tabernacle and God descended on it, Exodus 40:34-35 says, Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. When the Israelites gathered against Moses and Aaron in Numbers 16:42, the Lord appeared and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. Both 1 Kings 8:11 and 2 Chronicles 5:14 say that when they finished building Solomons temple, the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Solomon concluded in the next verse that the Lord dwells in the dark cloud. Psalm 97:2 says that clouds surround Him. The prophet wrote in Ezekiel 10:4, Then the glory of the Lord went upand the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lords glory. Thus, all of these verses confirm what we taught at the beginning of this study in Luke 21:27: Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Gods glory and cloud go together. Second, the Lord rides the clouds like a chariot. Psalm 104:2 says incredibly that He makes the clouds His chariot. Psalm 68:4 says, Extol Him who rides on the clouds. Deuteronomy 33:26 tells us, God rides the heavens on the clouds. Jesus will be riding the clouds when He comes. Every Christian that believes in a secret coming of Jesus, or secret rapture, uses 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. Verse 17 reads, Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. We are going to meet the Lord in the clouds in the air. The Lord descends, an archangel speaks, God blows a loud trumpet, graves are opened, and we are caught up

in the clouds. This has no element of secrecy. It is loud, visible, and powerful. Summary Lets review what weve covered. When Jesus described His 2nd coming He gave us five truths about it. First, Jesus is coming in great power and great glory. His return will be a glorious appearing that all nations and peoples will see. He is coming with all of the holy angels. Millions and millions of powerful angels will come with Jesus. He is also coming like lightning that lights up the sky from one end of heaven to the other. His coming will not only shake the earth and the heavens and cause disturbances among the sun, moon, and stars. Finally, He is coming with the clouds. Jesus will ride the clouds from heaven and reveal His great glory. All these truths emphasize the visibility of His coming. Some of you may be wondering and asking, But Brother Charlie, I also believe that the verses youve used describe the Lords glorious 2nd coming in power and victory. Didnt you know that there is a secret coming seven years earlier that will take the church out of earth before the great tribulation? Yes, Im aware that millions of sincere Christians are following the end-time teaching of the Left Behind teachers and the pre-tribulation rapture believers. But heres my question: Why is Jesus entirely silent about a coming that most evangelicals are talking about? Why didnt Jesus tell us He was coming secretly? Why did He only tell us that He was coming visibly? In the next teaching, we will study from Hebrews and see why the Lord comes only once. Then, I will give a historical overview of the main Christian creeds and show what the Christians through the centuries have believed about the Lords coming. No one in the first 1,800 years of church history believed in a pre-tribulation, secret coming of Jesus. This will be followed by a detailed history of how we got a secret coming or secret rapture. We will trace the historical development and propagation of this new doctrine from the 1830s to the modern era.

Written by Charlie Avila. Proofread by Nancy Gorton. This teaching may be copied. Scriptures taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV). Copyright 1988, Thomas Nelson Inc. Clovis Christian Center, 3606 N. Fowler, Fresno, CA 93727, 559-291-2595. Contact e-mail: charlieavila@juno.com. www.teacherofthebible.org or www.spiritofrevelation.org