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© 1996 - David W. Rowley Preface
It is January, 1997. We who love the Lord
Jesus Christ and his blessed book, "Old Faithful" - the King James Bible can
identify with the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:23:
"For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a
desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:"
This book began in 1973 when I was a second
year student at Pensacola Bible Institute. I was temporarily out of work. As
the Lord tested my faith to trust him completely for all needs, I would
spend the first part of the day pounding the streets in search of
employment. The latter part of the day was given to classroom studies and a
personal study of the book of Daniel, specifically chapter 9.
What follows is the result of that continuing
study 23 years later. It is my earnest and hopefully humble desire to add
something of benefit to the study of the most remarkable book in all
history, the Authorized King James Bible. No man is totally his "own". God has used others to help "sharpen (Pr 27:17) the countenance", of this preacher. Notably my teacher, Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, to whom I owe a debt I cannot repay.
Heartfelt appreciation is herein given to the
man who had the major part in shaping my understanding of God and his word.
My dad, Samuel Wilson Rowley, through his deep love of the Saviour, and his
consistent study of the word, piqued my interest in it at a young age. Dad is presently enjoying the glory of heaven. I will some day join him in a glad reunion. It is with deep joy that I dedicate this book to dad, who taught me to love the word of God.
The coming of Christ for His Church is a subject close to the heart of God's people. Notwithstanding, the Church has been derelict in its charge to discover the details of that remarkable event. Lightly regarded by today's materialistic saint, the admonition "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," is still in the Scripture. Regarding the Rapture, we are admonished to be:
Looking for that Blessed Hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13 You can stand out in the summer sun and stare into the eastern sky until you go blind attempting to obey this Scripture. Plainly that is not the intent of the Holy Ghost. It is to the Book we must go! When you search for something important and it remains elusive, you normally intensify the effort. Not so with this subject! Ask the average saint that professes belief in the premillennial, pre-tribulation Rapture to give a blow by blow description of the event. You will get a scenario similar to this: There will be a trumpet and a shout. The archangel will speak, and the dead in Christ shall rise and be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Then those who are alive and remain will be caught up with them to heaven. It is somewhat a mystery how much time we spend in the "air" as this all takes place in the "twinkling of an eye"! On earth cars, moments before navigated by Christians, are suddenly driver-less causing bedlam on the highways. Airplanes, suddenly without pilots, plummet out of the skies. Bumper stickers warn unwary travelers they are risking their lives riding in this auto. At any moment the driver will simply disappear! Charles Taylor lays it out for us: "The translation of the Church will be worldwide, for there are true believers in Jesus Christ in every country on earth, and they all shall be taken". So far so good . . .! But then: "Every country will find itself in turmoil. Each government will have to act as quickly as possible to prevent a wild tide of anarchy and terrorism. Strong measures will be put into effect. The freeways, subways, airports, and streets will be in shambles as many engineers, pilots, bus-drivers, and a multitude of private car owners shall suddenly be caught up out of this world. It will be many days before they can unscramble the mangled cars, trains, and fallen aircraft. Communications will be greatly disrupted. Many key persons shall disappear and much of the lines of communications which are still above ground will be broken by crashes of cars and aircraft. Distraught and searching multitudes will jam and overload the communication lines and systems that do remain. Chaos will be on every hand." 1 Scripture for this scenario? None. The above is mistakenly based on one Scripture: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52 The phrase "in a moment . . ." has been interpreted to mean that the actual catching up of the Church occurs in a "twinkling of an eye". In reality, it says nothing of the kind. The thing occurring instantaneously is the change. The dead in Christ are raised out of their graves, and our bodies are instantly changed. The misunderstanding is further compounded by the following:
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice 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. 1Thessalonians 4:15, 16 From these verses we have been taught that the dead in Christ rise into the air first, and then we are caught up to meet them and Christ in the air. If you are saved and love Jesus Christ, you want him to come again. If you are honest, you will admit the scene envisioned above is not too far from what you had been taught or constructed in your own mind. Who the archangel is, what he has to say, who shouts, and the number of "trumps" (a last trump requires more than one), what the twinkling of an eye is all about, and the actual catching up, are all details still a bit foggy or of little concern. After all, who cares about all that so long as we get off the planet! Nevertheless, one who loves the Lord cannot be content to remain ignorant of those things God appraised worth writing about. This book will challenge some things you always believed about the Rapture. Take a look, and then follow the instruction of the Apostle Paul: "Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thess. 5:20, 21
Some Preliminary DefinitionsIt will be helpful at the start to define some terms. Rapture: The coming of Christ in the air for His Church. Great Tribulation: Three and one-half years of horror for Israel and the inhabitants of the earth. Immediately follows the Rapture. Advent: The coming of Christ to the earth. There are two Advents. In the first, He came as redeemer. In the second He comes to establish Himself as king over the earth. Millennium: A period of one thousand years in which Jesus Christ will reign on earth, beginning roughly around the year two thousand after the battle of Armageddon. Pre-millennial: Before the one thousand year reign. Refers to the Christ coming personally to establish His kingdom. Post-millennial: After the one thousand year reign. Refers to the heresy taught by some that Christ's return takes place after the "millennium". Their "millennium" not the 1000 year time period taught by the scriptures, but rather an indefinite period of time in which the church, which in their view has replaced Israel, brings in the Kingdom of God. Armageddon: The defeat of Christ's enemies just prior to the millennium in a monumental victory at Meggido.
Imminent:
To occur at any moment, impending, at hand. CHAPTER 1
NO MAN CAN KNOW
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Matthew 24:36 Without fail, "no one can know" will find its way into any discussion about the Rapture of the Church. There is an unholy spirit abroad that resents anyone discussing the Rapture in a context that tries to discover any thing connected with its timing. One of the great tenets of the faith is that no one could know the day or the hour of the Rapture. The idea is ingrained so deeply, its discussion is considered pointless. The "no one can know" doctrine has spawned some strange and sometimes discouraging ideas. Among them, Christ will not return until the last soul has been saved.2 As there are now multitudes that know not Christ, prospects for the Rapture grow dimmer each day. One as well-known and loved as Clarence Larkin laments: "It is the firm conviction of the writer that there has been unnecessary delay in the Return of the Lord, caused by the failure of the Church to obey the "Divine Commission" to evangelize the world, and it is past time when He should have returned"3 Then there is the "dynamic tension" theory. God isn't telling in order to keep us all on our spiritual toes. Grant Jeffrey informs us: "The New Testament tells us in many places to be watchful for the coming of the Son of Man. The net result of these passages is that Christians have been forced to live in a spiritually dynamic tension of not knowing just when the Lord will come to resurrect us. If Christ had clearly stated that His return would not be for more than nineteen hundred years, the Church might have lost its sense of urgency and mission. There might have been fewer missionaries who felt compelled to "go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. . ."4 Jeffrey not only misses the earthly Jewish designation of the Lord as the "Son of Man", he gives the lamest possible excuse for the Holy Ghost's apparent silence on this issue. The Laodicean Church has lost its missionary zeal and is clearly closer in time to the Rapture. It is doubtful an absence of knowledge about the timing of the Rapture has had any effect at all on missionary activity. It is the love of Christ that constrains soul-winners to abandon homeland and culture for the hardship and discouragement of the mission field. Jeffrey continues: "The Holy Spirit has, in a sense, kept us on our toes spiritually for two thousand years by refraining from telling us exactly when Christ would return. Obviously, God did not want us to know the exact hour when Jesus would return. Jesus said we would not know."5 We will reply that Jesus said nothing of the kind. David A. Lewis, Assembly of God pastor, reinforces the idea: "Jesus simply forbade us to attempt figuring it out." He goes on to announce: "The timing of the Rapture of the Church, . . . is deliberately hidden and forbidden. To pry into this matter is open rebellion against God. It is defiant disobedience." 6 Proof text? Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. Mark 13:33 The verse applies directly to the tribulation and certainly does not say they can not know the time, but only that they don't (go ahead, read the verse again) and should keep watching. It certainly does not forbid anything. Quite the contrary, it encourages "looking"! The strange mental quirk occurs again when the writer mistakes a statement in the present tense for a command to abandon watching! Lewis finishes up by calling for an "all out boycott against date setting!"7 To which we add a hearty "Aw Nuts." I'll be the first to admit that I don't know the day and hour of the Rapture, and that it may not be known until we are very close to the event itself. However, the hysteria against those who search the Scriptures diligently in obedience to the command of the apostle to be looking for that Blessed Hope is unwarranted and unscriptural. Has it not occurred to someone out there that Christ's use of the phrase "that day and hour" not only disclose there already was a day and hour for the Second Advent on God's calendar, but that there is a warrant in the statement to cause us to search for it? Why did Christ bother to coin the phrase unless to arouse holy curiosity about it on the part of His saints? He could simply have said, "That is not for you to know at this time." His choice of words has caused that phrase to be among the most memorized in all of the Scriptures. Let's blame Christ himself for all this day and hour "Second Coming paranoia"! Paul could not have issued a clearer statement concerning the coming of Christ than he did in 2 Thessalonians 2:2,3. We will examine that announcement in detail later in this study.
Will We Know?
The Bible clearly teaches some will know both the day and the hour of the Second Advent, and it will be as natural as breathing to know both! It also makes clear Christ's bride will know ahead of time the hour He returns to take her out of this world. This book will not attempt to set another date for the Rapture. It is written with the conviction that the Bible-believer will know the day and the hour of the Rapture before it takes place. It is not written to predict a date. It is rather designed to help the believer understand what will take place in the days immediately prior to the Rapture. These events will be recognized by Bible-believers as initiating a countdown culminating in our being caught up together with Christ. The tense of Matthew 24:36 indicates only that when Jesus Christ spoke these words, no one knew the timing of the Second Advent (review definitions if necessary) , Himself included. That no one could ever know that day or hour cannot be proven from this text. As for the Rapture itself, we will know at least one trump ahead, more than likely six trumps ahead, as our change occurs at the last trump. More on that later. The Lord told us that the coming Spirit's ministry would include showing us things to come! John 16:13 informs us: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. It is one of the Spirit's particular functions to shew us prophetic truth - things to come. Would it be safe to consider the catching up of Christ's bride a thing to come? You bet! Let's begin by establishing that Matthew 24:36 states its premise in the present tense and has nothing to do with the Rapture. The passage deals with the Second Advent. By confusing its context with the Rapture, some "would be" prophets are bold to teach the Church's voyage through the Tribulation - in spite of the clear instruction given in 1 Thessalonians 5:9. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. So why does our discussion even include this verse?· 1) Because it is the verse most often misquoted and taken out of context when a discussion of the Rapture is in progress. · 2) Because the passage taken as a whole and compared with parallel passages demonstrates some will know both the day and the hour of the Advent. · 3) Because some benefit can be gained from its study since, as we will show, there is a time correlation between the Advent and the Rapture. · 4) Because at the time spoken, Christ himself did not know the day or the hour of the Advent. However, He certainly knows both now! Theses points will be discussed distinctly in this book.
CHAPTER 2CLEARING THE CONSTRUCTION SITE
Anywhere some structure stands, it is necessary to dismantle the present edifice before new construction can begin. This is true in understanding as well. We will never understand this subject properly until the theological skyscraper known as the "imminent return of Christ" is cleared out of the way. Remember our definitions. Imminent: to occur at any moment; impending; at hand. Those who believe in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ believe He could have come at any time in the past since His ascension, or He could come at any time in the future. Proponents of immanency believe the actual time of the Rapture is concealed and is therefore "at hand". A magazine published by a well-known evangelical preacher (lately gone astray!) aptly illustrates the concept. You may have a copy of Perhaps Today sitting on your coffee table or desk. John Walvoord, in his book, The Return of the Lord says: "Thousands of Bible-believing Christians believe that the coming of the Lord for His Church is imminent; that is, it could happen any day, any moment."8 To be fair, there are a number of scriptures that seem to teach this. This work will not ignore them, but will deal with them in a later chapter. There are some insurmountable difficulties for the imminent Rapture advocates.
Day Of
The . . .
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And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Daniel 12:1
Daniel gives us another hint as to the timing of the Rapture of the Church. The verse above informs us that a major event in heaven for the beginning of the tribulation is when Michael stands up. We also know from Thessalonians that one of the three signal events accompanying the Rapture is the voice of the archangel :
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: 1 Thessalonians 4:16
That Michael has some connection with the bodies of sleeping saints is clear:
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. Jude 1:9
Michael stands up and speaks, signaling the rising of the dead in Christ and the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
There are some other problems with immanency.
Peter had to go home first
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It is apparent that, at the earliest, Jesus could not have returned before the death of Peter.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. John 21:18,19
If Jesus Christ revealed to Peter details of his own death, it is obvious the Rapture could not have taken place during Peter's lifetime. That effectively cancels immanency. History finds Peter crucified upside down by order of Nero, AD 69. That throws a monkey wrench into the scheme. 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, in which we find the words: "So that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:" was written in 59 AD - ten full years before the doctrine of immanency would even be valid if it were true! Second Thessalonians 3:5 which contributes: And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ, was written in 54 AD - a full fifteen years before Peter's demise. If the Rapture was going to be imminent for the Thessalonians, the admonition for patience was well given. There would be no Rapture for at least fifteen years.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety;
then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:3
Shallow American Christianity, fed spiritually on TV (Christian or otherwise there is little difference between the two as far as spiritual content is concerned), and perverted "Bibles" (all "bibles" other than the KJV), will attempt to discredit the significance of the above by suggesting that they have lived in peace and safety for years. The passage clearly speaks of the prospect of world peace. The unsaved thinker (who has rejected Jesus Christ out of hand) envisions little else. Bumper stickers shout, "Visualize World Peace". The mongrel news media keeps us informed in Orwellian detail of the continual and ridiculous efforts of world leaders to end conflicts around the globe. A network of organizations not excluding the Catholic Church, are working feverishly to bring about a New Age, and a New World Order. Their hope is a one world, integrated, conflict-less, happy planet with a "chicken" (or clone) in every pot without the help of God or Jesus Christ. The hope can be summed up in the words of our text: Peace and safety! They will succeed! Evolution will, in the near future, produce its "highest form of life.", his majesty the Anti-Christ. That he is now alive and well on planet earth is a virtual certainty. He will convince the world that peace is imminent (at last!), and God will bring sudden destruction upon them. That there has never been any real peace and safety on this earth except for short intervals (and even when there was "peace" there was never any real safety!), is evident to anyone willing to think. The Man of Sin will bring in "world peace" - temporarily.
Much has been written by those in the Body of Christ keeping us up to speed on the portentous events taking place in our government and around the world. It would be beyond the range of this book to reduplicate that information. This nation, along with the rest of the world, has turned its collective back on the God of heaven. His warnings have been clear. His judgment will include the events spoken of in the Book of Revelation. His vehicle will be a revived Roman empire (New World Order) under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church, and the United Nations. As this book is being written, the former Premier of the former Soviet Union is ensconced in a private office in southern California as head of the Mikhail Gorbachev Foundation and is traveling the world pushing the New World Order (one-world federal government under Anti-Christ) and calling for a world tax to be levied to finance the whole shebang! Daniel 11:20, when viewed in the light of these events sends a thrill of joy through the soul of those of us longing for His coming as we watch prophesies penned long ago coming to fulfillment in our own lifetimes:
Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. Daniel 11:20
Mr. Gorbachev is probably not the "tax man", but his actions, unreported in the popular media, only point to the fact that these events are coming soon upon us.
When Jesus was born, the angels said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." World peace was then imminent and possible. Only when the one who is an imitation - Anti-Christ - shows up will there be another prospect of world peace, (false peace) and as we have seen, we don't get out until he shows up.
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Matthew 24:3-8
The Lord Jesus Christ speaks of a period of time called the "beginning of sorrows." It is characterized by false christs, wars and rumors of wars, uprisings, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. A good deal of time could be wasted by including extensive documentation of all the above. That false christs are abundant is overwhelmingly evident to anyone doing even a cursory study of today's false cults and "messiahs". A simple library download yielded thirty pages listing approximately 475 news articles on major earthquakes occurring worldwide from 1990 - 1994. Papers such as: The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Christianity Today, Los Angeles Magazine, Outdoor Life, Science, Fortune, PC Week, Popular Science, The New Republic, The Lancet, Washington Monthly, TV Guide, National Catholic Reporter, and others, reported on major earthquakes in Southern California, Mexico, Pakistan, Bolivia, Colombia, Idaho, Indonesia, Russia, Japan, Kentucky, Western Colorado, Algeria, India, Sumatra, Santa Monica, Yellowstone Park, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, New Guinea, the Aleutians, the Grand Canyon, Lima, Cairo, North Europe, Turkey, the Philippines, Iran, and Australia.10
This only scratches the surface. In some of the above mentioned countries, Japan for instance, there have been literally hundreds of earthquakes in recent history.
World War II was touted to be the war that would end all wars. The United Nations was supposed to be the new Saviour of the world and bring in peace. They are failing - miserably. If your mercenary skills are waning, take heart! As of late, there are still plenty of wars going on at various locations around the globe. In all of this, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to the hypocrites still ring fresh in the memory:
And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? Matthew 16:3
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Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Matthew 24:32, 33
This fig tree is rooted and growing. It is putting forth leaves and preparing to bear fruit. The parable plainly pictures the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948. She has roots and leaves. She is in the land (roots) but still in unbelief or self righteousness (fig leaves - don't forget Adam and Eve). We are told that we now can begin to look for summer. It is nigh. Summer, according to verse 33 is when "it" is "at the doors". What is "it"? The Second Advent. Since, as we shall see, the Rapture doesn't occur until the revealing of the Man of Sin, there could have been no Rapture of the Church until Israel was again a sovereign nation.
For those who believe that history is "His" story, the history of the 20th Century is an open book. It has been said before that World War I was to get the land ready for the Jew. The Balfour Declaration giving Great Britain the mandate over Palestine was an incredible twist in history expected by no one. Just as curiously, World War II was the hand of God getting the Jew ready to go back to the land. They were too settled in. It is the truth that after the war Jews began migrating back to their ancient homeland by the thousands.
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Some are undoubtedly asking themselves, "If the Rapture doesn't occur until the revealing of Anti-Christ, and he is not revealed until the middle of the seventieth week, then is this book teaching a mid-trib Rapture?" No, it teaches a "midweek" Rapture. Specifically, the Bible teaches a seven year week, but only a three and one-half year Great Tribulation.
And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. Daniel 12:7
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. Revelation 12:14
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. Revelation 11:2
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. Revelation 13:5
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. Revelation 11:3
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where
she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand
two hundred and threescore days. Revelation
12:6
One thousand two hundred sixty days is three and one-half years.
Each of these: 1260 days; 42 months; 3˝ "times", all work out to a three and one-half year Great Tribulation.
It has been assumed while teaching a future seventieth week, that the whole week is future and is included in the tribulation; that the first three and one-half years is relatively peaceful and the last horrific. It is true that the time immediately preceding the Great Tribulation holds great promise of peace:
For when they shall say, Peace and safety;
then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape. 1Thessalonians 5:3
It is also true that there is nothing in Scripture preventing that
period of peace from occurring at the end of the Church Age. Paul tells us
that the days just prior to the coming of the Lord would be perilous ones.
When a peacemaker shows up he will be welcomed with open arms. Honest
students of prophesy can clearly see in current events the stage being set
for the Advent of Anti-Christ.
The Scripture teaches a three and one-half year Tribulation and a seven year week. The two are often confused when the subject is discussed. We will discuss this critical area in more detail in chapter four. Don't jump ship yet!
It is clear the coming of Christ for the Church does not occur until the revealing of the Man of Sin. That day, the day of Christ, is the Rapture and the Judgment Seat of Christ. Every place the phrase occurs, it is in reference to the Church. Day of Christ shows up only two other places in your Bible. There is one occurrence each of day of Jesus Christ, day of the Lord Jesus, and day of our Lord Jesus Christ. All are, every one, admonitions to Church Age saints.
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Philippians 2:16
Paul is concerned that at the Rapture he will
be able to rejoice at the presence of those he led to Christ.
That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and
without offence till the day of Christ; Philippians 1:10
Again Paul looks with confidence to the time we get home and see the
finished end of what God is doing now.
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:6
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the
destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord Jesus. 1 Corinthians 5:5
Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the
day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1
Corinthians 1:8
Blameless? When? At the end of the
Tribulation? Can't be! We are not appointed unto wrath. The day of our Lord
Jesus Christ here speaks of the Judgment seat of Christ. It is a day of
rejoicing:
It is at the day of Christ that we are found either sincere and without offence, or our insincerity and hypocrisy goes up in flames.
As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus. 2 Corinthians 1:14
There are, nonetheless, verses which seem to teach an imminent Rapture:
And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5
So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting
for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1 Corinthians 1:7
Someone questions, "The Corinthians were told to wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. His coming had to be imminent. Would the Holy Spirit instruct them to wait if it wasn't?"
Look at your question. It is 1996 as of this writing. Did the Holy Ghost know the time of the Second Advent when Paul wrote to the Corinthians? Did Christ know the time when Paul wrote the above words? Undoubtedly He did. There was a "day and hour" on God's calendar. 1 Thessalonians was written a few years ahead of 1 Corinthians. In 1 Thessalonians 5:1, Paul states that we "know perfectly the times and the seasons". That knowledge pertains to the day of the Lord, the Advent. Christ knew then when He would come and told them to wait patiently. That undeniably proves something, but categorically not that He could have come at any moment! How? Easy, He didn't come, and He knew He wasn't coming as of the time you are reading this! Why then did Paul, by the Holy Ghost, instruct them to wait? Because their waiting didn't cease when they left planet earth. The Corinthians are still waiting. Their bodies are still not redeemed. Now go back and read that last sentence again until you get it. My beloved dad is in heaven. His body lies in Willamette National Cemetery near Portland, Oregon. Is he waiting for the Rapture? You bet your last pair of boots he is!
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For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. Romans 8:19
Do you have loved ones in heaven? Does not the promise of this Scripture apply to them too? Their bodies are still in the ground. They are waiting for the same event we are. Remember. The dead in Christ rise first! My dad, while already in heaven, is waiting patiently for the same event you and I wait for. It is more than just being caught up, it is being transformed into the very image of Christ. In Romans 8:19 we are waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. The saints in glory are created beings. They are part of the "whole creation". They too are waiting for the "redemption of their bodies"! While we long to see him, the object of our "earnest expectation" is the manifestation of the sons of God! We and they both await our "body like unto His glorious body"! At this point, neither we nor they enjoy fully the benefit of that promised event. We Bible-believers make the mistake of thinking that our beloved black Book only has application to saints on earth. Quite the contrary. It most certainly applies to those saints already in glory.
Notice Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 15:19:
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
What does that verse mean? It is clear that those in "that life" (heaven) have hope also! Their hope is the redemption of their bodies!
Not only do these obstacles stand against the idea of an imminent return, most of the verses used to prove the doctrine have their application to the Second Advent, not the Rapture of the bride!
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:42-44
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24:27
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Luke 17:35,36
To make it even more interesting, it appears that the one taken never makes it to heaven. Dead bodies and eagles don't sound like heaven to me! --
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. Luke 17:37
The above scriptures all have one thing in common. In any analysis of the Rapture they are removed from their context and used to establish the "imminent" return of Christ. All the above scriptures deal with the Second Advent. Israel is the nation in view, and Jews the people God is warning.
The Son of man is Christ's designation of himself to Israel. (Go ahead and check it out. Paul never uses the term ) There is no need for the Christian, as far as salvation is concerned, to be concerned about being ready or watching. Either you are saved and you have a reserve ticket for heaven when Jesus comes, or you are lost and no amount of watching will secure you a place in that great logistical transport of the saints to glory. We are to be looking in the Scriptures for that Blessed Hope for the simple reason that it is our Blessed Hope!
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that
day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:8
Salvation is not a reward for watching for His Coming. A crown of righteousness is given to those Church Age saints who love His appearing. That, by the way, presupposes a pre-millennial theology! They are looking for it because they love it. Their eyeballs scan the word of God as well as the daily paper. In the passage in Matthew, the goodman had his house broken up for failing to watch. He was commanded to watch there because the Advent was in view, and Christ spoke the words to people for whom the Advent was imminent.
Listen to the words of John the Baptist as he proclaims the Imminence of the Kingdom of Heaven.
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 3:1-2
It is the kingdom that was imminent or John was a liar. But no, Jesus himself declared the imminence of the kingdom.
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to
say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17
It is clear there was a bona-fide
offer of the Kingdom of Heaven as well as the kingdom of God to Israel. That kingdom has
not yet materialized for several reasons. It was postponed. Let's
investigate.
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The disciples understood the kingdom. In the first chapter of Acts they asked:
[L]ord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? vs. 6
The disciples were looking for the kingdom. A real, literal, physical restoration of a Jewish king to the throne of David. After the resurrection the disciples wanted to know about the kingdom. Their question was an honest one and a good one. Would Jesus at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? Would the yoke of bondage to Rome be broken and Israel once again have a Jewish king? One part of his answer is critical to our understanding of the passage:
It is not for you to know the times or the
seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
vs. 7
The expression "the times and the seasons" occurs three times in your Bible:
Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: Daniel 2:19-21
Please observe:
1. God "changeth" the times and the seasons. Whatever the times and seasons refer to, the events were not fixed on God's calendar when these words were penned.
2. The times and the seasons have to do with, the removal and setting up of kings, and the impartation of wisdom and knowledge about the end times (The theme of the book of Daniel).
The phrase occurs the second time in Acts 1 (see above). Jesus Christ acknowledges that questions involving the times and the seasons cannot be answered. No one knows the answers except the Father, and He's not telling.
Look at the last occurrence:
But of the times and the seasons brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1 Thessalonians 5:1,2
Notice carefully - It is the day of the Lord that comes as a thief - not the day of Christ! The rapture of the church is not a secret, on the contrary it is announced by shouting and trumpets!
Paul declares it needless to teach them on this subject. The times and the seasons have to do with the day of the Lord. When Paul writes Thessalonians, the timing of that day is fixed. Granted, no one knows exactly when it is, but it "ain't changin'" any more. It has been postponed. Any other explanation makes the disciples previous question ludicrous. I know that is hard for some of my readers. The question comes, "Why would God postpone the arrival of His kingdom?" The answer is simple. Israel rejected the King (free will!) and in so doing rejected His kingdom. Had Israel received Him at His first coming, the disciples' question of Acts 1:6 would have been answered to their liking. The kingdom was at hand, and would have been installed had Israel received her King. But they cried, "We have no king but Caesar." The kingdom was postponed until the end of the Church Age. You may have to think about that one, but clear thinking can produce no other consequence. If the offer of a kingdom was valid, and they had accepted Him, there is no question but that he would have set up His kingdom then.
If you flinch at the words "would have", notice another "would have" in the same vein.
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But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. Matthew 17:12,13
Was John Elijah? Under certain conditions he would have been! You will find God has all the bases covered. John for the First Advent and Elijah for the Second! Confused? Stay with us until chapter four where we go into this in more detail.
Jesus said that of that day and hour knoweth
no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only, because the Father
kept that knowledge from Him. While God in His foreknowledge knew the Jews
would reject their King, there was a bona-fide offer of the kingdom. Now,
pay attention. It was appropriate that that knowledge was kept from
Christ until after His rejection. Had Christ known - at that
time - that He would be again rejected, then His offer of the
kingdom was a hoax. He would have been dishonest and could not have
fulfilled His role as Redeemer and Saviour. When He died for you and me, He
cried out "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do". It is
inconceivable that His prayer went unanswered. That is why Israel is given a
second chance to receive the King in Acts chapter seven. There they
violently rejected Him again, and in lieu of being able to re-crucify Him
settled for stoning His servant Stephan.
When Paul writes 1Thessalonians, the King has been rejected and Paul's gospel has gone to the Gentiles. There is no more uncertainty about the time of the coming of the King or His kingdom, and no more reason to keep that knowledge secret! The date is fixed on Christ's calendar.
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Luke 12:35-40
That settles that! Or does it? Pay attention. Peter asks a question you should have asked somewhere along the line.
Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? vs. 41
Notice the Lord's ambiguous answer.
And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. 45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. Luke 12:42-46
Christ's answer is revealing! Verses 42 - 44 apply if the Advent really is imminent, which it then was (Peter's "us"). Verses 45 and 46 apply to one who lives in that time when the hour of the Advent is fixed - "all". It is only the wicked servant that misses the day and hour. His statement is "My Lord delayeth His coming." The wicked servant could have been aware of the time, but lost that awareness because of an evil heart. He falls into the trap of 2 Peter 3:4:
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Again - It is only the wicked servant caught unaware of the day or the hour! The implication is overwhelming that to be aware of the time of the Advent for the blessed servant comes as natural as sleeping. The wicked servant misses that which otherwise would have been obvious to him, the day and the hour!
Consider Revelation 3:3:
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, (emphasis mine) I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Notice the conditional clause, watch. Conspicuously, the Tribulation saint who watches winds up knowing both the day and the hour of His Lord's coming!! Again we must be careful. The Church has been taught for years that the Lord comes for us as a thief. He will not, he comes for us with advance notice!
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But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that
that day should overtake you as a thief.
1 Thessalonians 5:4
You will be in Glory for some time when the Second Advent occurs. The context of 1 Thessalonians 5 is not the Rapture, but the day of the Lord. It is the day of the Lord that cometh as a thief in the night, not the Rapture of the Church. In spite of the fact that everyone and his uncle teach a secret Rapture and use Second Advent passages to do it, The Day of the Lord and the Day of Christ are not the same! The Day of the Lord catches the wicked servant we read of in Luke 12 unawares. He is thinking "peace and safety"; he gets "sudden destruction." The Church is not caught unawares at the Rapture. She has heard several "trumps" to herald Her Redeemers coming!
The passage comforts the bride by reminding us:
[G]od hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we
wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
1 Thessalonians 5:9,10
The saints of God have gone through all sorts of torture and trouble. They have been imprisoned and burned at the stake. They served as human torches to light the parties of Nero. They have been subject to some of the most inhumane devices the evil heart of man can conceive, yet the Book says, "God hath not appointed us to wrath." It is certainly clear the "wrath" spoken of here is the Great Tribulation. If you are saved, you might want to bow your head and thank God for that promise!
The Rapture is connected with the Second Advent and precedes it by a set amount of time. It is scripturally incorrect to assume that since we don't know the exact time, Christ might come at any time. His coming for the Church is dated. Even those that declare date setting as heresy will admit that immanency does not mean that Christ is really coming at some undetermined time. David Allen Lewis, who says that date setting is open rebellion against God, admits that the date of the Rapture is fixed on God's calendar. His logic at this point is good:
"God can set dates, for He is the planner and fulfiller of all future events. He knows everything about the future and when each event will take place. The date for the Rapture is fixed. It is marked on the divine calendar. If God . . . does not know the date, then we . . . may as well throw the Bible out the window.11
Lewis continues in the strongest of terms:
"After repeating the idea stated in Matthew 24:36, Jesus expands the forbidden territory of date-setting the Rapture: "take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is" Mark 13:33 Ye know not when the time is! And, friend, a day is time, a month is time, a week is time, a year is time, and, You know not when the time is. This one statement settles it once and for all."12
And here he loses it! How an intelligent man can make a statement like the one above is beyond reason. Allen is a shallow thinker with a complete lack of understanding about the meaning of English words. The only thing that can be taught with any certainty from the above verse is that the disciples did not then know the time of the Second Advent, and that they had better be watching for it with prayer! The Rapture of the Body of Christ is not even the subject under discussion! Again, the using and confusing of passages dealing with the Advent are given to prove we should not be looking for the Rapture in any way that seeks to know the timing of His coming. Par for the course!
That the date of the Second Advent is fixed is clear. Those Tribulation saints who are watching will be aware of the day and the hour of that coming.
But what effect does that have on the date of the Rapture? Remember, the day of Christ awaits the revealing of the Man of Sin, and that revealing in the context of 2 Thessalonians 2 is connected with the beginning of the Great Tribulation. That fixes the date of the Rapture. Granted, we do not know either day as of this writing. However, Christ is not coming at some arbitrary date decided on in a committee meeting with the four and twenty elders. The day He comes to catch up His bride is on His calendar; it is a day He has been preparing for for quite some time. Will the bride know ahead of time when the groom is coming to get her? Will anyone know when to expect the sound of the trumpet or the voice of the archangel? We can begin to investigate that question by looking back at some who knew what to look for at His first coming.
CHAPTER 3
ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME
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And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Luke 2:25-30
And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38
Near the time of Christ's first coming there were in Jerusalem a number of people looking for Him, among them Simeon and Anna. Characteristic of them both was a deep longing for the one who would come to redeem and deliver. For Simeon, a lifetime of patient waiting was rewarded when the special promise of the Holy Ghost to him found its place in time and Simeon laid eyes on the second person of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ. Anna, who, had she married at nineteen would have been 110 years old, is so completely attuned to the Spirit of God that she is instantly aware of the presence of her Saviour, gives thanks, and begins speaking of Him to "all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." (Luke 2:38) It is evident there were some actually looking for Him. We will look at these two again.
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Not only in Jerusalem were there those who waited with yearning hearts. Wise men traveled from the East after seeing His star. They began to inquire earnestly:
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the
Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Matthew 2:2
To be labeled "wise" by the Holy Ghost is an honor to be coveted. Demonstrably, the wise men were men of the Scripture. Their study of the Book led them to stand in the presence of their creator as the young child lay sleeping in His mother's arms. These students of prophesy were, no doubt, ridiculed by those who considered their activities akin to date setting. But they were primed and ready for that star to appear, and were instantly aware of its significance. That there weren't thousands lined up to steal a glimpse of their redeemer speaks to the spiritual darkness of the age into which the Light of the World quietly slipped.
"Star" occurs only twice in the Old Testament. One is a reference to a heathen idol. The other is found in the parable of Balaam the son of Beor. This parable bares investigation. The visions are all of Israel at the Advent and in the millennial reign of Christ.
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And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!
Numbers 23:7-10
And he took up his
