THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE OF THE
TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST
Now, we need to learn the difference between the Rapture of the Church
and the Second Coming of Christ to earth, to Israel. They are two
distinct events. Let's look at some Scriptures that reveal the
Rapture of the Church:
"For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we
which are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP together with
them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord" (I Thess. 4:16 & 17).
All Christians dead and alive will be CAUGHT UP
to meet the Lord IN THE AIR. The word rapture means to be CAUGHT
UP. At the Rapture the Lord does not return to
earth. The Bible also says:
"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"
(I Corinthians 15:51 & 52).
Only Christians will be caught up. The unbelieving world and
the Harlot Church of the beast will be left on earth to face the
wrath of God during the tribulation. The Bible says:
"And I looked, and behold
a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed
with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of
the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and
with the beasts of the earth" (Rev. 6:8).
"And there were voices, and thunders, and
lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men
were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And
every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And
there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the
weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the
hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great" (Rev.
16:18, 20 & 21).
Will the Church enter into this time of trouble and
wrath of God? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Christians
will not enter the tribulation; not even for one split second!
Unless a Christian understands the difference between the Church
and Israel, it is impossible to understand Bible prophecy. The
Church is not Israel! Israel is not the Church! Israel has
a Promised Land. The Church does not. Israel has a holy
city (Jerusalem). The Church does not. Daniel, a Jew and a
prophet of God to Israel, wrote as he was instructed by Gabriel, an
archangel of God:
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon the holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make
an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring
in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy,
and to anoint the most Holy" (Daniel
9:24).
"Seventy weeks
(sevens) are determined
(decreed)."
Who do you suppose decreed these seventy sevens of years (490
yrs.)? If you said God, you are correct. To whom are
the 490 years decreed? "Seventy
weeks are determined UPON THY PEOPLE AND UPON THY HOLY CITY."
Who are Daniel's people and what city is Daniel's holy city?
Daniel's people are the Jews, collectively called Israel.
Daniel's holy city is Jerusalem. Sixty-nine of the seventy weeks have
already been fulfilled and exclusively to Israel (the Jews) and the
holy city of Jerusalem. Carefully read the books of Ezra and
Nehemiah as fulfilling Daniel 9:25. The seventieth and final week
(7 yrs.) is also exclusive to Israel (the Jews); again with the focus
on the holy city of Jerusalem! Not one split-second of the 7-yr.
tribulation is decreed to the Gentile Church! Therefore, it is
absolutely impossible for the Church to enter into any part of the
seven years, not even for one split-second!! AMEN!
NO LAPS, NOR GAPS!
No, the Church Age does not lap over into the
tribulation, nor is there any time gap between the end of the Church
Age (at the Rapture) and the beginning of the 7-yr. tribulation.
The Church Age goes up to, but not into, the tribulation. Let me
present an illustration to make a point. One of these days, in
the near future, we're going to hear that an agreement between Israel
and the Palestinians has been reached. Also the date for a formal
public confirmation ceremony will be announced. I
repeat, the confirmation of "the covenant with many" could
be as simple as confirming the battered Road Map agreement.
It certainly needs it! Let's say for example,
a confirmation ceremony, with much pomp and circumstance,
would be scheduled to convene on October 12. Based on
past performance, such as Israel's treaties with Egypt; Jordan; and the
Oslo agreements, the announcement of the public
confirmation ceremony always came several days in advance of
the event. So, let's say that on or about October 5, we hear
that a confirmation ceremony is set for October 12; we
would then know that the Church would be caught up to meet Christ in
the air on October 11.
Remember, Jesus said to the Church, WATCH
AND KNOW the hour of His coming (Rev. 3:3)!!
WATCH for Israel's covenant confirmation ceremony and KNOW
the time of the Rapture.
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ"
(Titus 2:13).
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
THE
ANTICHRIST BEAST WILL GUARANTEE ISRAEL'S "PEACE TREATY" SEVEN
YEARS
"And he shall confirm the covenant
with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease" (Dan. 7:27).
From the book of Revelation we learn that this "week" is
actually seven years. As stated above, in the middle of the
"week" he stops the Jews' religious ceremonies in the Jews' temple in
Jerusalem. Therefore the Jews will soon rebuild their
temple. This "week" is divided into two equal parts of three and
a half years. For three and a half years (1260 days or 42 months) two
men of God will prophesy in Jerusalem:
"And there was given me a
reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure
the temple of God, and the alter, and them that worship therein.
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. And I will give
power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy A THOUSAND TWO
HUNDRED AND THREESCORE DAYS, clothed in sackcloth" (Revelation
11:1-3).
After the Gentile dictator (the beast) stops the Jews'
religious services in the temple he will remain Israel's protectorate
another 42 months. The Bible says:
"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).
This "week" of years is seven prophetic years, which are
2,520 days. A prophetic year has 360 days. This terrible
time of tribulation begins when the Gentile beast gives his authority
to the Israeli-Arab treaty, likely at a signing ceremony with much pomp
and circumstance. More than likely, this treaty is coming via
President Bush's "Roadmap" to Middle-East peace. Now I ask you,
can the antichrist guarantee a treaty before there is a treaty?
The obvious answer is no. Therefore we must conclude that there
must be a treaty before he can guarantee it. Also I ask you, can
the antichrist confirm the treaty without having political authority
before he guarantees it? Again the answer is no. We then conclude
that the antichrist must be in a position of great political authority
before the 7-yr. tribulation begins. Have you noticed a Gentile
political leader from the West pressuring Israel to make a covenant
which would divide their "Promised Land" and make Jerusalem the shared
capital of an Arab/Muslim state? This blasphemer is the enemy of
God and Israel!! WATCH!!
Although the antichrist must be in a position of political
power before the 7-yr. tribulation begins, he will not have world-wide
dominion until the middle of the tribulation. As we watch
Israel's "covenant with many" being developed, we know that one
day it will be ready for confirmation by the antichrist.
Remember, the confirmation ceremony, with the whole world watching, is
the event that begins the 7-yr. tribulation!! "The
covenant with many" could be President Bush's revived
"Road Map to Peace," to which all parties involved have already
agreed. Nevertheless, immediately BEFORE the
public confirmation ceremony on the first day of the tribulation,
something exciting is going to happen to the Christians! We
will be CAUGHT UP!!