And unto the angel in the church of Sardis write; These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Paul consistently preached that strengthening the church is one of the two great tasks for Christians; the other is spreading the gospel.
Rememberest therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a theif, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
The image of the thief in the night is associated with the return of Christ. Jesus, Paul and Peter all say that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief (Matthew 24; 1 Thessalonians 5; 1 Peter 4), which is to say unexpectedly (see Matthew 24:43). But think about that for a moment... you need to feel safe before you stop watching for the thief. Matthew 24:24 said that there is one who is coming to deceive everyone, 2 Thessalonians 2 states that the deceiver calls himself God, he may even call himself the "Son of God", so anyone who believes him will feel pretty safe, as though they were protected by God. But God says to that deceiver in Ezekiel 28:9, "Wilt thou yet say before Him that slayeth thee, 'I am God'? but thou shalt be a man and no god in the hand of Him that slayeth thee."
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy.
This illustrates how every person is judged by his or her own actions, regardless of who they are associated with.
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
White raiment is seen quite often in the Bible. It is also described as linen robes, which are made from flax. Angels are often described as being in white raiment. But it is not until you get to Revelation that the spiritual symbolism of white raiment is explained. The white raiment is explained in Revelation 19:8, where it says that the bride of Christ is "arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." The word "righteousness" is "dekaioma" which means "lawful acts" or "righteous deeds". So your heavenly covering is made up of your good righteous acts.
To be blotted out of the book of life means that your name is forever erased from that book. It's like you had never existed. Moses asked God not to blot out the children of Israel after they had worshipped the golden calf in Exodus 32:32. I like that David would use this word to proclaim the Lord's forgiveness in the Psalms when he would talk about God blotting out man's transgressions (see Psalm 51).
And to the angel in the church of Philadelphia write;
Philadelphia is the second church that does not receive any warning from Jesus because they are in good standing with their doctrine (the first was Smyrna - see my last post). The words to this church elaborate on that doctrine a bit more. The word Philadelphia means "brotherly love", and brotherly love is what God wants people to display for each other (see Obadiah - it's only 1 chapter long).
These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name.
The key of David is a key that opens doors of knowledge. Once the knowledge is received, it cannot be taken away. And once the old knowledge is shut out, it cannot be let back in.
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
The word of patience is that no matter what happens in time - even though heaven and earth should pass away - we wait for the return of the Lord. This is the central message of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. In Matthew 24:23, Jesus plainly says about the tribulation period (also known as the hour of temptation), "then if any man shall say unto you, 'Lo, here is Christ,' or 'there;' believe it not." This is because "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved (Matthew 24:13)." So be patient.
Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
"That no man take thy crown" is the same as saying, "don't let anyone take your crown by deceiving you". Satan is the great deceiver and his whole plan is to trick people into turning away from God. This puts one in danger of losing their rewards from God. It's what happened with Adam and Eve, and it's what will be attempted at the end of this age. That's why it is important to listen to the two most emphatic places in the Bible - spoken by The Greatest Authority in the Bible, Jesus, and one of the greatest followers and teachers of scripture, Paul - that both say emphatically "DO NOT BE DECEIVED". Both references I'm talking about put the message very plainly. The first is found in two places which is from the same speech by Jesus; these can be found in Matthew 24:4 and Mark 13:5. The second is found in Paul's letter 2 Thessalonians 2:3. This letter was a follow up to the first letter, because the readers had misunderstood what Paul was saying about the return of Christ (the gathering to Christ). It's very fortunate for us that that happened, so that we also did not misread 1 Thessalonians 4.
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven with My God: and I will write upon him My new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth.
This last verse is a verse that is used for many different purposes, by many different pastors, to motivate church members to do many different things. What is true is that God loves a cheerful giver, and loves those that love Him (and show that love by acting on it). However, since this prophecy is given on "the day of the Lord" (see Revelation 1:10), I connect the message to what is happening at that time. To me, it has to do with people that decide to not act then. They neither follow the antichrist, who claims to be the Christ at that time, nor do they make a stand for God. To them, they "have all of their bases covered." To them, if they don't take a stand one way or the other, at least they haven't followed the antichrist, and they should get some credit for that. Jesus makes it very plain here that, if one doesn't make a stand for God then, that person is no more accepted than them that follow the antichrist. This is echoed several times in the New Testament in the saying, "whosoever will save his life will lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall save it" (Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; Luke 17:33).
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and annoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
The gold that we are to get is wisdom (see Proverbs 16:16). Here, wisdom about the end of the age is better than gold. It must be tried in the fire because of the number of false teachings that exist relating to the end times. White raiment, as we discussed before, is righteous acts: once you have knowledge of what will happen in the end times, you act accordingly. Rightly. Justly. The eyesalve is to be able to see clearly Who is the Christ. That is Jesus. Once these things are in place, you can act in the way that you are supposed to; you can put on the gospel armour and take your stand (see Ephesians 6).
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and sup with him, and he with Me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
God does rebuke and chasten His children like any loving father would. He is The Father. He is the pattern that all loving fathers have been built after. Numerous places in the Bible tell us this: Job 5:17, Proverbs 3:11, Hebrews 12. Correction is required to receive proper instruction, to receive wisdom, to receive gold tried in the fire.
This is the summation of the messages to the churches of the end times. If we can live in accordance with the doctrine now, we will be well prepared for when the end comes. We will be able to overcome, as He overcame, through the strength and knowledge provided by Him. God bless.
Showing posts with label Rapture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rapture. Show all posts
Friday, 25 November 2011
Friday, 23 September 2011
Let No Man Deceive You By Any Means...
Over the past few days, I've seen and heard the agitation stir up again over "when will the end of the world be?... Is Jesus coming back on October 21st, 2011?... when is the rapture?... will I be taken with Him?..." and so on. These questions are plainly answered in the Bible so that we do not have to be agitated. Here are two places where the events are clearly laid out, and the narrator in both cases says, "do not let any one deceived you about what will happen." The speakers should know - they are two of the most credible sources in the Bible. The first is Jesus - and if you believe that the Bible is true, there is not a more credible testimony in the Bible than Jesus'. The second is Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament. If you can't believe these two, then I don't know who you can believe. The passages are from Mark 13 and from 2 Thessalonians 2.
I will not add any interpretation to the narrative - their words are much better than mine, and I believe that the unaltered text speaks clearly for itself. I would like to point out a couple of facts about the narrative though. I hear people quote the "no one knows the day or the hour of His return" passage all the time - which is true! No one knows the time. However, we can't let someone spin that statement into "we don't know what will be happening at that time," because Jesus and Paul tell us clearly what will be happening. Second, some people may say that the description is too vague to get any meaning out of and that you should just take it with a grain of salt because it was meant to be intentionally vague. Do not believe them! During the course of the Mark 13 speech, Jesus uses terms that tell you to pay close attention to what is being said 12 times. 12 times. That's emphatically saying, "you pay close attention to this." I will underline these instances in the passage. Also, Jesus directly references scripture 7 times in Mark 13 (with many other indirect references) and 3 of those times are from the Book of Daniel. Paul is also citing Daniel in 2 Thessalonians. I will also mark the scriptural references below.
Mark 13
And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples saith unto Him, "Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" And Jesus answering said unto him, "Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." And as He sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?"
And Jesus answering them began to say, "Take heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in My name, saying 'I am Christ;' and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom [see Isaiah 19:2]: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents [see Micah 7:6], and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not [see Daniel 9:27], (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: and let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: and let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be [see Daniel 12:1]. And except that the LORD had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days.
And then if any man shall say to you, 'Lo, here is Christ;' or, 'lo, He is there;' believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken [see Amos 3:7]. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds [see Daniel 7:13] with great power and glory. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."
2 Thessalonians 2
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God [see Daniel 11:36-39]. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God even our Father, Which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
There you have it. Do not be deceived. God bless.
I will not add any interpretation to the narrative - their words are much better than mine, and I believe that the unaltered text speaks clearly for itself. I would like to point out a couple of facts about the narrative though. I hear people quote the "no one knows the day or the hour of His return" passage all the time - which is true! No one knows the time. However, we can't let someone spin that statement into "we don't know what will be happening at that time," because Jesus and Paul tell us clearly what will be happening. Second, some people may say that the description is too vague to get any meaning out of and that you should just take it with a grain of salt because it was meant to be intentionally vague. Do not believe them! During the course of the Mark 13 speech, Jesus uses terms that tell you to pay close attention to what is being said 12 times. 12 times. That's emphatically saying, "you pay close attention to this." I will underline these instances in the passage. Also, Jesus directly references scripture 7 times in Mark 13 (with many other indirect references) and 3 of those times are from the Book of Daniel. Paul is also citing Daniel in 2 Thessalonians. I will also mark the scriptural references below.
Mark 13
And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples saith unto Him, "Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" And Jesus answering said unto him, "Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." And as He sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?"
And Jesus answering them began to say, "Take heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in My name, saying 'I am Christ;' and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom [see Isaiah 19:2]: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents [see Micah 7:6], and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not [see Daniel 9:27], (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: and let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: and let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be [see Daniel 12:1]. And except that the LORD had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days.
And then if any man shall say to you, 'Lo, here is Christ;' or, 'lo, He is there;' believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken [see Amos 3:7]. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds [see Daniel 7:13] with great power and glory. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."
2 Thessalonians 2
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God [see Daniel 11:36-39]. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God even our Father, Which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
There you have it. Do not be deceived. God bless.
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Declaring the End from the Beginning...
This is a follow up to my prior rapture post. It is one of those numerous numerous scriptures that I was refering to that contradicts rapture theory. The message is short and sweet and straightforward. In Isaiah 46:9-10, God says, "I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'" (This reminds me of when Jesus says in Matthew 24, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.") But what did God just say there? I read it as, "I gave you the pattern for the end times from the beginning, in the first story about man, and what happened there will happen again." So what happened there?
The first story of man is the story of Adam. This is how I read the story of Adam: Adam was put in charge of God's creation, he was the prince of the Garden of Eden (the first Adam represents Satan who was "the prince of this world", who failed the test - see John 12:31 - and the last Adam is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and King of Righteousness, who passed the test). Eve represents the bride of the prince in the old Garden, and the bride of Christ in the repetition - so Eve represents the Church in the story (where the original bride failed, the new bride will overcome... for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear). And here are the order of events that went down in the Garden - you can read of it in Genesis chapter 3:
Garden of Eden Final Days of the Earth
1. God gave instruction to man Jesus gave instruction to man before ascending to heaven
2. God goes off out of the Garden Jesus ascends into heaven
3. Time passes Time passes
4. The serpent shows up to tempt man Antichrist shows up to tempt man
5. Adam and Eve believe serpent & sin Many will believe antichrist and sin; some will not
6. God shows up to find man has sinned Jesus returns to find man has sinned
7. Man is given death sentence Man is thrown in lake of fire; the pure go to heaven
That's it. That's the pattern. There is no premature return to find out what man was doing - no wisking him off before the serpent comes. God told Adam what to do if the serpent came. God gave Adam the warning about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He also gave Adam authority over it. He did the same for us - if we will listen to Him.
A short and sweet message about how God declared the end from the beginning. It was His first lesson for us. God bless.
The first story of man is the story of Adam. This is how I read the story of Adam: Adam was put in charge of God's creation, he was the prince of the Garden of Eden (the first Adam represents Satan who was "the prince of this world", who failed the test - see John 12:31 - and the last Adam is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and King of Righteousness, who passed the test). Eve represents the bride of the prince in the old Garden, and the bride of Christ in the repetition - so Eve represents the Church in the story (where the original bride failed, the new bride will overcome... for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear). And here are the order of events that went down in the Garden - you can read of it in Genesis chapter 3:
Garden of Eden Final Days of the Earth
1. God gave instruction to man Jesus gave instruction to man before ascending to heaven
2. God goes off out of the Garden Jesus ascends into heaven
3. Time passes Time passes
4. The serpent shows up to tempt man Antichrist shows up to tempt man
5. Adam and Eve believe serpent & sin Many will believe antichrist and sin; some will not
6. God shows up to find man has sinned Jesus returns to find man has sinned
7. Man is given death sentence Man is thrown in lake of fire; the pure go to heaven
That's it. That's the pattern. There is no premature return to find out what man was doing - no wisking him off before the serpent comes. God told Adam what to do if the serpent came. God gave Adam the warning about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He also gave Adam authority over it. He did the same for us - if we will listen to Him.
A short and sweet message about how God declared the end from the beginning. It was His first lesson for us. God bless.
Friday, 9 September 2011
I Don't Believe in Rapture
Seriously, I don't believe in rapture. This is the first post that I've put on here where the title wasn't pulled from a Bible verse, and the reason for that is simple: rapture is not in the Bible. Nada. Zip. Nowhere are you going to find rapture in the Bible. It's a false teaching - plain and simple - and it's very easy to demonstrate if one is willing to listen to what the Bible says, and not to how man has muddied up the waters of Scripture.
I started out writing this post, and it bordered on becoming a novella - yes that's how much scripture there is that discusses what will happen in the end days, and that's how much there is that is against rapture theory. However, I scratched that so that each of those places may be tackled in more bite-sized portions in days to come. For now, I will just make three points that basically turn the most quoted rapture sources on their ear. You may be asking yourself, "Why come out against it? What's the harm in the teaching? Why stir up an argument over something that doesn't matter whether you believe it or not?" Well, it does matter - it matters very much - and that's the take-home from this by the time we get to the end of it.
Let's start with the infamous rapture verses, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
It's true. Every word of the passage is true; however, there is no "rapture" in these verses. This event - the returning of Jesus Christ - signifies "the end of the world", or rather the end of this age before the next age begins. How do I know? There are numerous numerous passages that explain what Paul is describing here, but the key point here is "the trump of God". If you read Revelation there are seven trumps that are described, and Jesus comes back at the seventh trump - that's the last one - and not before. The seventh trump happens after the infamous "tribulation" - not before. So where is the comfort in these words then? Knowing that God will protect you during that time is the greatest comfort that you can have. Jesus says that God will protect you in Luke 21:18. God protected those in Goshen during the first passover in the Book of Exodus (Goshen means "drawing near" and is a euphemism for those who draw near to God) just like He will protect those who draw near to Him during the tribulation.
If you read the verses that follow the passage cited above, Paul explains that he didn't feel that he had to go any further with the teaching. He had already told them and taught them what was to take place in person. Well... that's what he felt at the time he wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians. However, once he knew how that curiosity had arose about this statement of "being taken up in the air", he wrote a follow up letter that basically only deals with this one issue. You can read 2 Thessalonians in a short amount of time, it is only 3 chapters long. In it, he refers to the first letter, saying:
"... be not soon shaken in mind, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first [the word in Greek for falling away is "apostacy"], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in this time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:2-10)." (emphasis mine)
What is Paul saying? He's saying the tribulation will come, just as the prophets foretold, and Jesus absolutely will not return until after this takes place. Not before. Not midway. After, and only after, this takes place. (How is he sure? There's not a prophet nor a parable that says otherwise - in fact, they quite confirm the order of events. And if someone tells you that there is something otherwise, they are pulling wool over your eyes.) Why is rapture theory so popular then? That's how good of a deceiver Satan is. He's already got much of the Christian world convinced that the person described above, that shows signs and wonders, is Christ... but that's not what Jesus said, and it's not what the Bible says.
In fact, in Matthew 24:26, Jesus says very plainly, "Wherefore if they shall say unto you, 'Behold, He is in the desert;' go not forth: 'behold, He is in the secret chambers;' believe it not." (emphasis mine) The quote above talks about who should be saved, and Jesus also very plainly states this in Matthew 24:13, saying, "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
The 24th chapter of Matthew is the second most popular place that is quoted for rapture theory (at least, a piece of it is quoted). It's the part about "the one taken and the one left behind." Most times I've heard this, it's explained that the one taken is the righteous soul who is taken away in the rapture. But let's examine that passage in more detail, and not cut out the part that explains what "being taken" really means in this passage:
Jesus says in his speech, "For as in the days of Noah were, so also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and [they] knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matthew 24:38-42)."
The reason they didn't know when the Lord was coming, is because they weren't paying attention to what was being said and didn't believe that they had to wait until the very end... he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. It's pretty straight forward. But the flood "took them all away." Noah was kept on earth - safe and sound - not a hair harmed on his head, because he listened carefully to what God had said and was properly prepared for the tribulation that was to come.
The rest were unprepared; their pastors had not prepared them; their churches had not prepared them. And this makes God very angry, which is stated over and over again in the prophets. God says in Ezekiel 13:20, "I am against your kerchiefs [a safety blanket that you have covered my protecting hands with], wherewith ye hunt the souls to make them fly." The safety blanket is rapture theory. He calls it a kerchief over the eyes to blind people from the truth.
It's important to take a stand on this issue because not preparing people to know that an imposter will come, calling himself God, and having the ability to show great signs and wonders also leaves those people open to worship that person as God... which is the number one no-no in the Bible. Churches that do not prepare their members for what is to come - churches that teach that it is no consequence whether someone believes in rapture or not - are what I believe Jesus to be refering to when he tells the church of Laodicea, "because you are neither hot or cold, I will spew you out of my mouth (Revelation 3:16)". And that is a sad state to be in.
So take comfort, know that God will protect his People. He will protect those that love the truth. As for me, I'm not looking to fly away before the end of the end. That's how I read it. God bless.
I started out writing this post, and it bordered on becoming a novella - yes that's how much scripture there is that discusses what will happen in the end days, and that's how much there is that is against rapture theory. However, I scratched that so that each of those places may be tackled in more bite-sized portions in days to come. For now, I will just make three points that basically turn the most quoted rapture sources on their ear. You may be asking yourself, "Why come out against it? What's the harm in the teaching? Why stir up an argument over something that doesn't matter whether you believe it or not?" Well, it does matter - it matters very much - and that's the take-home from this by the time we get to the end of it.
Let's start with the infamous rapture verses, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
It's true. Every word of the passage is true; however, there is no "rapture" in these verses. This event - the returning of Jesus Christ - signifies "the end of the world", or rather the end of this age before the next age begins. How do I know? There are numerous numerous passages that explain what Paul is describing here, but the key point here is "the trump of God". If you read Revelation there are seven trumps that are described, and Jesus comes back at the seventh trump - that's the last one - and not before. The seventh trump happens after the infamous "tribulation" - not before. So where is the comfort in these words then? Knowing that God will protect you during that time is the greatest comfort that you can have. Jesus says that God will protect you in Luke 21:18. God protected those in Goshen during the first passover in the Book of Exodus (Goshen means "drawing near" and is a euphemism for those who draw near to God) just like He will protect those who draw near to Him during the tribulation.
If you read the verses that follow the passage cited above, Paul explains that he didn't feel that he had to go any further with the teaching. He had already told them and taught them what was to take place in person. Well... that's what he felt at the time he wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians. However, once he knew how that curiosity had arose about this statement of "being taken up in the air", he wrote a follow up letter that basically only deals with this one issue. You can read 2 Thessalonians in a short amount of time, it is only 3 chapters long. In it, he refers to the first letter, saying:
"... be not soon shaken in mind, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first [the word in Greek for falling away is "apostacy"], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in this time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:2-10)." (emphasis mine)
What is Paul saying? He's saying the tribulation will come, just as the prophets foretold, and Jesus absolutely will not return until after this takes place. Not before. Not midway. After, and only after, this takes place. (How is he sure? There's not a prophet nor a parable that says otherwise - in fact, they quite confirm the order of events. And if someone tells you that there is something otherwise, they are pulling wool over your eyes.) Why is rapture theory so popular then? That's how good of a deceiver Satan is. He's already got much of the Christian world convinced that the person described above, that shows signs and wonders, is Christ... but that's not what Jesus said, and it's not what the Bible says.
In fact, in Matthew 24:26, Jesus says very plainly, "Wherefore if they shall say unto you, 'Behold, He is in the desert;' go not forth: 'behold, He is in the secret chambers;' believe it not." (emphasis mine) The quote above talks about who should be saved, and Jesus also very plainly states this in Matthew 24:13, saying, "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
The 24th chapter of Matthew is the second most popular place that is quoted for rapture theory (at least, a piece of it is quoted). It's the part about "the one taken and the one left behind." Most times I've heard this, it's explained that the one taken is the righteous soul who is taken away in the rapture. But let's examine that passage in more detail, and not cut out the part that explains what "being taken" really means in this passage:
Jesus says in his speech, "For as in the days of Noah were, so also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and [they] knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matthew 24:38-42)."
The reason they didn't know when the Lord was coming, is because they weren't paying attention to what was being said and didn't believe that they had to wait until the very end... he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. It's pretty straight forward. But the flood "took them all away." Noah was kept on earth - safe and sound - not a hair harmed on his head, because he listened carefully to what God had said and was properly prepared for the tribulation that was to come.
The rest were unprepared; their pastors had not prepared them; their churches had not prepared them. And this makes God very angry, which is stated over and over again in the prophets. God says in Ezekiel 13:20, "I am against your kerchiefs [a safety blanket that you have covered my protecting hands with], wherewith ye hunt the souls to make them fly." The safety blanket is rapture theory. He calls it a kerchief over the eyes to blind people from the truth.
It's important to take a stand on this issue because not preparing people to know that an imposter will come, calling himself God, and having the ability to show great signs and wonders also leaves those people open to worship that person as God... which is the number one no-no in the Bible. Churches that do not prepare their members for what is to come - churches that teach that it is no consequence whether someone believes in rapture or not - are what I believe Jesus to be refering to when he tells the church of Laodicea, "because you are neither hot or cold, I will spew you out of my mouth (Revelation 3:16)". And that is a sad state to be in.
So take comfort, know that God will protect his People. He will protect those that love the truth. As for me, I'm not looking to fly away before the end of the end. That's how I read it. God bless.
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