The Pre-Trib Rapture

[1stCenturyLady]

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[1stCenturyLady]

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[Titus]

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[farouk]

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@Titus You'll get the hang of how the forum works soon...

 

[No Pre-TB]

Go fill yourself up with men's false pre-trib rapture theory, for you are spiritually drunk if you heed that false doctrine of men instead of Christ's Word.

Obviously, my name shows that I don’t follow the Pre-TB theory. And if you think that theory is in error, why would you say to someone you don’t know, “go fill yourself up” with it?

You really need to humble yourself. Your arrogance is not walking like Christ. Don’t take that as an attack, but realize your words are venomous and do nothing to demonstrate all that you should already hold dear. That is, to love your neighbor as yourself.

Even if I disagree with Pre-TB, it doesn’t mean I don’t like to talk to people who believe it. They still love the Father, they still have faith in Christ. Am I or you so perfect that when we talk to others, we should dismiss them for that belief? It is impossible to please God if you cannot even show love to others.

 

[Timtofly]

I Said the first five seals were opened when Christ ascended and have been ongoing since then. This is something I got from a pretribber who believes the sixth seal is the next thing to occur, this is how he deals with Matthew 24:29-31 and he calls the church age the great tribulation. I agree with the first part, but disagree with the second part of his comment. Those seals are continuing on even until now, and that is because there is a number associated with the fifth seal of Martyrs who are to be martyred (saints). Quoting the ESV here since they actually use the word "Number"..

Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers[fn] should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. (Revelation 6:11).

The church has been facing all the first five seals throughout its history and this is the parallel to the birth pangs, but there has always been a divine providential protection from the whole church facing them, which is not the case in the Great tribulation as God allows Satan to make war on the saints and overcome them... So that 42 months is an acceleration of the first five seals against the church, Nicolaitanism, war, famine pestilence and death, and martyrdom have all been a part of church history, but they will be accelerated just like contractions are in child birth when the Great tribulation occurs.

Simply put,
Birth pangs=general tribulation=church age (Revelation 1:9)
Labor and delivery= Great tribulation= 42 months the beast rules= contractions increasing in strength and frequency
Delivery= rapture= receiving our glorified Spiritual bodies= sorrow turning to joy as in child birth (John 16:21)

Yet you allow not one day for Christ on earth gathering the final harvest and even sowing seeds personally. You do have to factor in Matthew 13:37-41

"He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;"

How can you have this sowing and reaping during a single battle at Armageddon?

The Second Coming is the 5th and 6th Seal. The final harvest is during the Trumpets and Thunders.

Coming out of great tribulation is the last 1991 years. Mathew 24:4-13. Remember those days?

The only time a final harvest and time of GT can work is during the Trumpets and Thunders.

The 5th Seal is not when those martyred are killed. The 5th Seal is symbolic of being glorified. The church is not glorified one by one over the last 1991 years. Most reject they have been given permanent incorruptible physical bodies upon the soul leaving this corruptible tent of sin and death and entering Paradise. Dying and leaving the flesh behind has been ongoing. The 5th Seal is not the process itself. The 5th Seal is the entire church being glorified as one body. Under the alter is symbolic of being covered by the Atonement. The whole church is represented here as martyred. Those not martyred do not form a totally separate body not mentioned. All souls are symbolically under the alter. The theme is tribulation, not dying naturally in one's sleep.

At the time of the writing of the NT, most were expected to die as martyrs. Dying naturally without persecution was unheard of in the first century. Life expectancy was only 35 years of age.

 

[farouk]

With all due respect marks, I’m not sure I can agree with these ‘truths’.
There are many…many…reasons..why a person would come to ‘eliminate’ a Pre-trib Rapture as the only option left to us as they read scripture. And while reading scripture with a ‘symbolic’ eye may be one of those reasons, it is not the only reason, and it is not the reason you seem to suppose.

Let me give just one example of what I mean. When we read through the gospels, any proficient reader will know and understand that we are to combine the accounts. We do not look at the gospels…at the slightly different wording or the slight differences in accounts and say that they are describing different events all together. No, we understand both the function and the necessity of the differences. We see the same in both historical recounting and in such things as witness statements. Why? Because people tend to see and understand…to perceive things in different ways. But its still the same event. Likewise in the gospels, we see that many of the same events are being described in varying ways. As readers we combine the texts to create a fuller explanation of the event…to grow our understanding of what happened.

And yet…when it comes to Christ’s return…we don’t do this…or at least, Dispensationalists don’t do this…they separate. Why? Is there something particular in the text that demands we do this? Is there something fundamentally different between a text telling us that Christ returns in the clouds and Christ touches the earth? Must they be two separate returns, or might they be the one return that quite reasonable must first be coming down through the clouds to reach the earth? Where in scripture tells us we must separate these texts rather than combine them to gather a fuller understanding and picture of Christ’s return?

Indeed…I could add many other points that argue that with this one that we ought to consider the passages of Christ’s return a singular event. But I trust my point is made…it is not the ‘only’ logical conclusion to fall back on a Pre-trib rapture. Far from it.



There is, I feel, much mis-information when it comes to interpreting scripture in the ‘literal vs symbolic’ manner.
On the one hand, those who claim a strong need to interpret all of scripture ‘literally’ seem to fall over their own hermeneutic. To take all of Revelation ‘literally’ boggles the mind. To take it ‘literally’ Christ needs to be both a slain lamb AND a lion…and also a boy child. Satan is a great dragon…literally, Israel is a woman…the antichrist is actually a beast. And somehow a physical chain will restrain the dragon.
Symbolism has a need and a place. And it is used often in scripture to portray important truths. We all know that when Revelation talks about the lion/lamb, that it is really Jesus. That the dragon is really Satan. We know the woman in the stars represents Israel, who gave birth to the male child (Jesus)…and that when Satan is restrained it will, most likely, not be by an iron chain but by the precepts of God…his Word is both life and death and to cast into hell…it is certainly enough to restrain.
My point is this…just because you hold to the idea that symbolism is used in places, does not mean you’ve embraced heresy.

Indeed, one could…and does, argue that embracing symbolism as scripture employs it quite deliberately, enables us to better understand the authors intent. We could also argue that understanding the author…and his intended audiences’, worldview, sets us up for a deeper and better appreciation for the text in question.

So…let me just ask this…do you really think process of elimination has led you to Pre-trib Rapture, or is it the other way around? What would it look like if you read the NT like you read the gospels and their witness…as one combined witness? What would it look like if you allowed genre and symbolism (in its correct place), used in both Revelation…plucked straight from the OT, and the OT, to speak for the truths they stood for…and didn’t try and shoe-horn them into Pre-trib Rapture?

I’ll grant you, Pre-trib rapture is the ‘most exciting’ system to follow. But for years I tried to make it fit scripture, and I just had to honestly give up…it would have been a lie, exegetically and hermeneutically.

Hi @Naomi25 In terms of 1 Corinthians 10.32, if we ask, as well as 'what?' and 'when?', 'who?' in relation to the rapture, then this reference to the three distinct groups of people will give an answer.

I know that many of a Reformed persuasion see little distinction between Israel and the church.

 

[Naomi25]

Hi @Naomi25 In terms of 1 Corinthians 10.32, if we ask, as well as 'what?' and 'when?', 'who?' in relation to the rapture, then this reference to the three distinct groups of people will give an answer.

I know that many of a Reformed persuasion see little distinction between Israel and the church.

This is of interest to me, because as far as I can tell, there is little difference between ‘reformed’ and ‘Dispensational’ when it comes to certain aspects of the Israel/Church relationship, and yet somehow the end conclusion is vastly different.

Let me explain what I mean. We tend to both agree that the bible…both in 1 Cor 10:32, and also in Romans 9-11 speak of 3 separate groups…Jews, Greeks…and the Church. In Rom 9-11 Paul specifically calls the Jews ‘Israel’. But he is clearly speaking of unbelieving Israel in that context, and we can tell because he contrasts them to believers (both Jewish believers AND Gentile believers) who are grafted onto the ‘tree’…which, for the sake of clarity, we’ll call the Church. We’ll do that because everyone grafted onto the tree MUST become one with Christ for salvation. And to do that, one becomes part of Christ’s body…which is the Church.

Now…as far as I can tell, both ‘reformed’ and ‘dispensationalists’ agree with the above view. We also agree that for any unbelieving Jewish person…those in the ‘Israel’ group, to become saved, they must accept Christ as Saviour. Which, according to NT doctrine, makes them part of the Church. Nowhere in the NT do we see an exception to this.

However…this is where we tend to part ways. Because Dispensationalists go a step further and claim that a time is coming when ‘Israel’ will be saved OUTSIDE of the Church.

This is where it gets a little confusing for me, because…let’s break it down. To be saved these Jews still must come to Christ. And…according to NT doctrine, that means they become grafted back onto the tree, which means becoming the body of Christ, which is, without a doubt, entering the Church. And yet….somehow they are NOT part of the church?

I think the distinction and difference is based in OT promises. Which is fine…those OT promises are there. But I think where Dispensationalism falls down is the promises of the NT…and the OT too. You see, the OT promises to bring all nations to God. That Israel is the means of bringing all nations to God. The NT tells us that Israel…the believing tree that began with believing Jews…the Church that was born from Jewish people embracing Christ…was the means of adopting Gentiles INTO the promises given to Abraham. We Gentiles are not Jewish by blood or circumcision. But we are by covenant, by Christ’s blood, by promise. When God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars, he was including all those justified in Christ, heirs of the promise. Thus Abraham was a blessing to the nations.

So…in short…do many reformed see a distinction between ‘Israel’ and the Church? Yes…Israel is currently in unbelief. But Romans 11 speaks of them coming to Christ…or large numbers of them. And the bible seems to unequivocally teach that that means becoming a part of his body…the Church.

 

[No Pre-TB]

Naomi25,

So well written above. Truly, what came 1st:
1. Pre-TB or;
2. Dispensationalism

It’s very difficult to have one without the other. And it can trap (perhaps there’s a better word) the reader into seeing it that way because of it.

I attend a dispensationalist church. But I no longer see it that way. If we enter at the same holy root that we are grafted into, how are we separate? If we see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom, how can we be separate? If Abraham is our Father…the same question applies. If God still works with the church, he hasn’t stopped working with the Jews; otherwise how do people explain 1948?

I think the confusion lies in understanding fleshly Israel today from God’s children, spiritual Israel. The Fleshly Jews were supposed to be spiritual Israel, but many were broken off. A point you made on your last post. It’s strange not to see it this way either. The wall of separation was broken down. There is no more difference between Jew or Gentile. Yet dispensationalism separates. As you said, all come to Christ first. Any future Jews by blood must come to Christ to know the Father and in doing so become part of the church.

Edit: I forgot to add, when we talk about the land, perhaps some forget that any foreigner that lives in one of the 12 tribes land and worships God becomes that tribe and receives inheritance in the land. Ezekiel 47:22-23
Gentile believers become part of the tribes. Might want to check out the 144k again :)

 

[David H.]

Finally, a logical statement. I was waiting to see if anyone understood why the first 4 or 5 seals were opened when Christ ascended. But, I didn’t see you actually explain scripturally why. I have my own reasons but would love to hear yours. For me, there are at least 3, maybe 4. You have listed one. At least 2 are found in Rev 4 and 5

I get it primarily from Revelation 5:1-5. When did Christ prevail? After the resurrection, and the ascension when he arrives in heaven.

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. (Revelation 5:5)

I Believe the first seal is the Nicolaitans, those who would rule over the Laity.... They conquer by false teaching and exalting themselves above the laity, The literal meaning of the word Nicolaitan. From the very Get go the church dealt with these people "Judaizers" Paul dealt with, the Gnotics John dealt with etc. The fifth seal began with the martyrdom of Stephen.

 

[ewq1938]

Finally, a logical statement. I was waiting to see if anyone understood why the first 4 or 5 seals were opened when Christ ascended. But, I didn’t see you actually explain scripturally why. I have my own reasons but would love to hear yours. For me, there are at least 3, maybe 4. You have listed one. At least 2 are found in Rev 4 and 5

I have had this on my mind for awhile.

I believe all the seals were opened by Christ and that he did it as soon as he ascended. First, it would be odd for Christ to be in heaven for so long and not open the seals. That no one was present in heaven that could open the seals tells me Christ was on the Earth during the initial search and when he ascended then the qualified one was found. Also the description of looking like a slain lamb tells me the death on the cross was fairly recent although that is not very strong evidence but to me it pairs well with that Christ was not initially found and then suddenly appeared. Where would have have gone had he been in heaven for a long time after the ascension?

Also, when any seal is opened nothing described in each one happens at the time of the opening. All they do is provide glimpses of the future that John saw. IMO they should events of the 7 future trumpets where events do happen when each trumpet is sounded.

So, heaven is searched but no one is qualified to opened the seals.
Christ ascends from the Earth and arrives as that recently slain (and resurrected) lamb.
Christ takes the book and opens each seal. All seals opened. John has more information about the events of the trumpets.

How do we know all the seals are opened and that none of the events they describe take place when a seal is opened? The 6th seal describes the return of Christ from the perspective of the unsaved. However, Christ does not leave heaven in that described return after opening the 6th seal. He remains in heaven, holding that book and continues to open the last seal. He doesn't actually leave heaven until the last of the 7 trumpets sound. Only at that point in time will the unsaved see Christ returning and want the rocks to fall on them etc.

 

[Timtofly]

I have had this on my mind for awhile.

I believe all the seals were opened by Christ and that he did it as soon as he ascended. First, it would be odd for Christ to be in heaven for so long and not open the seals. That no one was present in heaven that could open the seals tells me Christ was on the Earth during the initial search and when he ascended then the qualified one was found. Also the description of looking like a slain lamb tells me the death on the cross was fairly recent although that is not very strong evidence but to me it pairs well with that Christ was not initially found and then suddenly appeared. Where would have have gone had he been in heaven for a long time after the ascension?

Also, when any seal is opened nothing described in each one happens at the time of the opening. All they do is provide glimpses of the future that John saw. IMO they should events of the 7 future trumpets where events do happen when each trumpet is sounded.

So, heaven is searched but no one is qualified to opened the seals.
Christ ascends from the Earth and arrives as that recently slain (and resurrected) lamb.
Christ takes the book and opens each seal. All seals opened. John has more information about the events of the trumpets.

Are you saying John went to the past? Revelation was written down decades after 30AD.

How do we know all the seals are opened and that none of the events they describe take place when a seal is opened? The 6th seal describes the return of Christ from the perspective of the unsaved. However, Christ does not leave heaven in that described return after opening the 6th seal. He remains in heaven, holding that book and continues to open the last seal. He doesn't actually leave heaven until the last of the 7 trumpets sound. Only at that point in time will the unsaved see Christ returning and want the rocks to fall on them etc.

Why would Jesus not bring the Lamb's book of life to earth at the Second Coming in the 6th Seal? He is about to sit on His Glorious throne in Jerusalem and judge the sheep and the goats. After the 144k are sealed, then we see the church around the same throne those on earth could see. They meet in mid-air.

The Lamb could have opened the 7th Seal in Jerusalem, and that is why there was silence in heaven. The angels will remain on earth as well. At the judgment in Matthew 25, the goats will be removed from the just opened Lamb's book of life.

 

[ewq1938]

Are you saying John went to the past? Revelation was written down decades after 30AD.

John went to the future, writing down what he saw and brought that back. He was shown the past but I don't see any evidence that he was taken to the past.

 

[Timtofly]

John went to the future, writing down what he saw and brought that back. He was shown the past but I don't see any evidence that he was taken to the past.

Yet John was there to experience the Lamb's book of life being unsealed. He was moving around to different advantage points with the 4 beasts. You say this all happened, at the least, 30+ years prior to John being a witness to this past event. Some would claim over 60 years past, as after 90AD. If the Seals were opened up in 30AD, that was the past. If the Seals are opening now, this was the future.

 

[ewq1938]

Yet John was there to experience the Lamb's book of life being unsealed. He was moving around to different advantage points with the 4 beasts. You say this all happened, at the least, 30+ years prior to John being a witness to this past event. Some would claim over 60 years past, as after 90AD. If the Seals were opened up in 30AD, that was the past. If the Seals are opening now, this was the future.

I believe the seals were opened very long ago.

 

[n2thelight]

I believe the seals were opened very long ago.

The seals are not in order
If you have about 15 minutes listen to the below

https://biblicalresearchlabs.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/timeline-of-daniels-70th-week.mp4

 

[Enoch111]

Another is, after you've ruled out everything it can't be, the only option left is PreTrib.

Key Bible Passages on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture
February 1, 2022
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061
866-295-4143, [email protected]

PART I
It is often said that the word “rapture” does not appear in the Bible, but that’s not true. It does appear in the Latin Bibles that were widely used for nearly 2,000 years. Rapturo is the Latin translation for “caught up” in 1 Th. 4:17. The Greek is harpázo, which means “to snatch away” and is translated “pluck them out” (Joh. 10:28, 29). It is used in Acts 8:39 of the Spirit of God snatching away Philip after the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch and in 2 Co. 12:2, 4 of Paul being caught up to the third heaven.

Following is an exegesis of three major passages that describe the Rapture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; and John 14:1-3. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Paul was answering the Thessalonian believers’ question about those who had died in Christ (1 Th. 4:13). They had been taught to expect the Lord’s imminent return and were looking for that (1 Th. 1:9-10). But some of the brethren had died, and the church didn’t know what was going on with them. Where are they? What will happen to them when Christ comes? Will the living saints be caught up with Christ, while the dead saints will have to wait for a later resurrection? We must understand that most of the New Testament was not yet written. Many think that 1 Thessalonians was Paul’s first epistle. The epistle of James might have existed, but it has no teaching about the Rapture. Christ spoke of His coming for His own in John 14:1-3, but the Gospel of John was not yet written when Paul wrote his epistle to Thessalonica.

Consider some important lessons from this key passage:
1. The Rapture is a doctrine for the church, and this is the key to understanding it. The only way to understand the Rapture properly is to understand the clear distinction between Israel and the church, which is plainly taught in Scripture if prophecy is interpreted literally.

The doctrine of the Rapture was written to a church for the churches. It is a mystery revealed to the churches (1 Co. 15:51-52). It is not about Israel. It was not revealed to Israel and has nothing to do with Israel and her program with God and her covenants.

The Rapture is when Christ will collect His bride (Eph. 5:27) and bring her to the mansions He has prepared for her (Joh. 14:1-3) and she will see Him in His glory (Joh. 17:24). The church has nothing to do with the day of the Lord, which is a day pertaining to the unsaved world and to Israel (“the day of Jacob’s trouble,” Jer. 30:7). The church has nothing to do with Daniel’s 70 Week prophecy, which pertains to “thy people” (Daniel’s people, Israel) and “thy holy city” (Jerusalem) (Da. 9:24). The churches are not seen on earth in Revelation after chapter three. The events of Revelation 5-18 pertain to the world and to Israel. The church of God is a separate entity with her own program with God (“the Jews ... the Gentiles ... the church of God,” 1 Co. 10:32).

2. The Rapture is taught in the context of exhortations to holy living (1 Th. 4:1-12).
Bible prophecy is not for mere intellectual pursuit or the satisfaction of carnal curiosity; it is intended to change how God’s people live in this present time. We see the same thing in 1 Co. 15:50-58. After describing the Rapture, Paul says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

3. Paul wanted the believers to be educated about prophetic events (“But I would not you to be ignorant, brethren,” 1 Th. 4:13).
Prophetic truth permeates the New Testament. It is the major theme of Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians (1 Th. 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:1-11, 23; 2 Th. 1:6-10; 2:1-12; 3:5). It is a major theme of the gospels (Mt. 16:27-28; 24:1-51; 25:1-46; 26:64; Mr. 13:1-37; 14:62; Lu. 21:5-38; Joh. 14:1-3). It is a major theme of all of the New Testament epistles (Ac. 1:11; 3:19-20; Ro. 11:26; 13:12; 1 Co. 1:7-8; 4:5; 11:26; 15:51-58; Php. 1:6, 10; 2:16; 3:20-21; 4:5; Col. 3:4; 1 Ti. 6:14; 4:1, 8; Tit. 2:13; Jas. 5:7-9; Heb. 9:28; 10:37; 1 Pe. 1:7; 4:7; 5:4; 2 Pe. 1:19; 3:10-131 Jo. 2:28; 3:2; Jude 1:14-15, 21). It is obvious that is God’s will that every believing individual, home, and church be well educated in the events of Christ’s coming.

 

[Enoch111]

PART II
4. The Rapture is the believer’s “hope” (1 Th. 4:13). This is what we are waiting for. We are looking for Christ, not the Antichrist. This is the believer’s “blessed hope” (Tit. 2:13).

Note that believers do not sorrow “as others which have no hope.” Those without Christ have no hope. Ephesians 2:12 says those “without Christ” have no hope and are without God in the world. Any hope they might have is vain hope that is based on fables rather than God’s Word. In contrast, the saved have true hope based on Christ’s atonement and God’s promises. We see that believers do sorrow, but not like the world. The believers at Jerusalem “made great lamentation” when Stephen was martyred (Ac. 8:2). Paul had sorrow when Epaphroditus was sick nigh unto death (Php. 2:25-27). On a personal basis, death is a blessing for the believer. Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Php. 1:21).

5. The Rapture was taught to Paul “by the word of the Lord” (1 Th. 4:14).
It is divine revelation, and there is no other means by which man can know the future with certainty.
The Rapture is a mystery that was first revealed to Paul. The Rapture was not described in Old Testament prophecy (1 Co. 15:51-52), yet the second coming of Christ is described in much detail (e.g., Ps. 50:3-6; 96:13; 97:1-4; 98:9; 102:13-14; Isa. 26:21; 28:21-22; 30:27-30; 35:4; 40:10-11; 42:13-17; 59:16-20; 62:11; 63:1-6; 66:15-16; Jer. 25:30-33; Da. 7:9-14; Joe. 3:16; Mic. 1:3-4; Zec. 2:10-13; 8:3; 14:3-7; Mal. 3:1-5; 4:1-2).

Bible prophecy is irrefutable evidence of the divine inspiration of Scripture. Christ’s coming was preceded by prophecies of His birthplace (Mic. 5:2), virgin birth (Isa. 7:14), healings (Isa. 35:4-6), betrayal by a friend for 30 pieces of silver (Ps. 41:9; Zec. 11:12-13), the injustice of his trial (Isa. 53:8), crucifixion (Ps. 22:14-16), no bones broken (Ps. 22:17), burial with the rich (Isa. 53:9), resurrection (Ps. 16:10), and ascension (Ps. 110:1).

6. The Rapture is based on Christ’s death and resurrection (“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him,” 1 Th. 4:14).
The reason a sinner can go to heaven when he dies and be with Christ and rise to immortality is because Christ died and paid the full atonement for our sins, and His resurrection is the evidence that the payment was accepted.

7. The Rapture is for every individual who is in Christ (“them also which sleep in Jesus ... we which are alive and remain,” 1 Th. 4:14, 15). Compare 1 Co. 15:23, “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” There is no “partial” or “split” Rapture taught in Scripture.

 

[Enoch111]

PART III
8. The Rapture is an event in which the dead in Christ will be raised and the living saints will be changed and glorified (1 Th. 4:14-17).
“them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Th. 4:14)
- We see that the dead in Christ are not sleeping in the grave as some falsely teach. Their spirits are with Christ in heaven and they will come with Him and be joined to their resurrection bodies. Death is called “sleep” (1 Th. 4:13, 14) because it appears to be sleep from an earthly perspective. The term “cemetery” is from the Greek koimeterion, which means “sleeping place.” (The word for sleep in 1 Th. 4:14 is koimáo, “to lie outstretched, to lie down.”) Death is the departure of the spirit from the body (Jas. 2:26). The New Testament teaches that death is a journey either to heaven or hell, depending on whether the individual is saved or lost (Lu. 16:22-23; 2 Co. 5:8; Php. 1:23; 1 Th. 5:10; 2 Ti. 4:6; 2 Pe. 1:14). In Re. 6:9 we see “the souls of them that were slain for the word of God.” They are not sleeping in the grave; they are alive and well in heaven!
“The Lord himself shall descend from heaven” (1 Th. 4:16)
- Christ Himself will come. Presently Christ sits at the right hand of God in heaven making intercession for His people (Ro. 8:34). He will leave there and come to fetch His bride. This will be the fulfillment of Christ’s promise in Joh. 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
“with a shout” (1 Th. 4:16)
- This is the Greek kéleusma, “to order, command (military command); Christ will come as Conqueror” (Robertson’s Word Pictures). “The shout denotes His supreme authority. The Greek word is kélusma, which means literally ‘a shout of command,’ used in classical Greek for the hero’s shout to his followers in battle, the commanding voice to gather together. ... The shout may be the single word ‘Come!’ ... Before Lazarus’ tomb He spoke with a loud voice, ‘Come forth.’ ... ’Come’ is the royal word of grace, and grace will do its supreme work when He comes for His own” (The Annotated Bible).
“with the voice of the archangel” (1 Th. 4:16)
- The angels are organized by rank, and an archangel is a high angel. The archangel is identified as Michael. He contended with the devil over Moses’ body (Jude 1:9). In Da. 10:13 he is said to be “one of the chief princes,” so it appears that he is one of a plurality of archangels. In Da. 12:1, Michael is called “the great prince that standeth for the children of thy people,” referring to Daniel’s people, Israel, and he will assist Israel in the Tribulation. He is named in Re. 12:7 as leading the angels in war against Satan.
“and the trump of God” (1 Th. 4:16)
- 1 Co. 15:52 also mentions the trump at the Rapture. “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.”
- The trumpet that will sound at the Rapture of the church-age saints is not the same as the last trumpet that will sound in Revelation (Re. 11:15-18). That trumpet pertains to the world. The “last trump” in Revelation releases the last seven judgments (Re. 15:1).
- The trumpet of the Rapture is not the trumpet that will sound at the fulfillment of Israel’s feast of trumpets (Nu. 29:1), which is a prophecy of Christ’s return. See Isa. 27:13; Mt. 24:31.
- The church is not a part of these other programs. Her “trump” is a different one.
“and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Th. 4:16)
- The “dead in Christ” refer to church saints, not Old Testament saints, who are never said to be “in Christ.” The Old Testament saints will probably be raised after the Tribulation (Re. 20:4-6; Da. 12:1-3).

 

[Enoch111]

PART IV
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Th. 4:17).
- The saints that are alive will be instantly changed as described in 1 Co. 15:51-53, “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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
- “Caught up” is harpázo, “to snatch away.” It is translated “pluck them out” (Joh. 10:28, 29). It is used in Acts 8:39 of the Spirit of God snatching away Philip after the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch and in 2 Co. 12:2, 4 of Paul being caught up to heaven.
- To meet Christ “in the air” is a great miracle. It reminds us that the resurrection body is not subject to the law of gravity or dependent on oxygen as the natural body is. Christ ascended in His resurrection body up through space to heaven (Lu. 24:51; Ac. 1:9).
“and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
- This will be a fulfillment of Christ’s wonderful promise. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Joh. 14:3). In this present world, the saints are not with the Lord physically, but they want to be with him. Paul desired to be “absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Co. 5:8) and to “depart, and to be with Christ” (Php. 1:23).

9. The Rapture is not the second coming of Christ which is described in many other passages.
As we have seen, the Rapture is a mystery that was not described in Old Testament prophecy (1 Co. 15:51-52), yet the second coming of Christ is described in much detail in those prophecies.
In the Rapture there is no gathering together of the elect by the angels as in the second coming in glory (Mt. 24:30-31). The elect in Mt. 24 are the saved of Israel and those who believe the gospel of the kingdom among the nations who are alive at Christ’s return (Mt. 24:14). “The elect in Matthew xxiv are not the church, but Israel. Dispersed Israel will be regathered and angels will be used in this work” (Annotated Bible).
In the Rapture the saints meet the Lord in the air, but in the second coming they accompany Him on white horses (Re. 19:11-14).

10. The Rapture is the believer’s “comfort” (1 Th. 4:18).
The fact that the Rapture is a comfort proves that it will precede the terrible day of the Lord. There would be no comfort in knowing that I must go through the events described in Revelation 6-18. The believer has unspeakably wonderful hope and comfort in Christ. His entire worldview is different from the unbeliever’s. He knows that his sins are forgiven, that he is blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, that he is reconciled and justified, that he has eternal life, that his life is hidden in Christ, that he is already seated in Christ in heavenly places, that he is a joint-heir with Christ and part of the very bride of Christ, and that when he dies he will be with Christ and will return with Christ for the bodily resurrection.

11. The Rapture occurs before the day of the Lord (1 Th. 5:1-11).
Immediately after describing the Rapture, Paul describes the day of the Lord and says the New Testament believer will not be overtaken by it. Again, we see that the Rapture is Pre-tribulational.
The “day of the Lord” is the time when God will judge the world for its sin and idolatry. In that “day,” God will be exalted and rebellious men will be humbled. It is described in Isaiah 2, 13, 34; Jer. 46; Eze. 13, 30; Joe. 1, 2, 3; Am. 5; Ob. 1; Zep. 1; Zec. 14; and Mal. 4. See Isa. 2: 10-12, 17-21.

The day of the Lord is described in great detail in Revelation 6-19.
Note the change in pronouns in 1 Thessalonians 5. In verse 3 the pronoun “they” is used, because the day of the Lord will come upon the unsaved world. But in verses 4-5 the pronoun “ye” is used, referring to believers. That day will not overtake us.
The believer is to be watching for the Lord’s return (1 Th. 5:6). We do not know when it will happen. It is imminent.
Believers are not appointed to go through the time of God’s wrath (1 Th. 5:9). Compare 1 Thessalonians 1:10, which says the Lord has delivered New Testament believers from the wrath to come. Church-age saints have been subject to the wrath of men and devils throughout the age, but we are not appointed to go through the wrath of God that will be poured out upon this wicked world. Compare Isa. 2:9-21.
The place of protection during the days of apostasy before the Rapture is the Bible-believing church.
“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men” (1 Th. 5:12-14).
In the context of his warning about the coming day of the Lord, Paul mentions the church and its leaders. This is very instructive. Each believer needs to be a faithful member of a scriptural church that is led by godly men who are sound in the New Testament faith. The leaders and the church members work together to accomplish God’s will on earth in preaching the gospel to every nation while they wait for the Lord’s return.
The way to have peace in the churches is for the leaders to teach the Bible faithfully and for the members to show respect to the leaders and to follow them. Church leaders should be honored and obeyed as long as they are following the Bible.
Those who are unruly in the churches should be rebuked, because they hurt the Lord’s work.