The Reasons I Believe in the Rapture

This article is for anyone who is seriously looking for the truth We are commanded to seek out the truth by Christ To be a truth seeker means not settling for anything less than the truth There is only one constant one truth in this life Love is the truth In fact it is the only truth that exists in this universe The Lord Yahweh set in motion when He spoke this universe into existence a set of laws that permeate all of creation These laws are based upon LOVE Not just ldquohumanrdquo phileo love but godly divine love (agape)

Jhn 1512 This is my commandment That ye love one another as I have loved youJhn 1513 Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends

Can you do this I am serious Ask yourself right now if one of your friends were about to die would YOU take hisher place to save them If you answered NO you are a scared and cowardly person You cower in fear of those who oppose you but there is hope for you If you said yes then you have an understanding of Yahweh Not everyone has the heart of a warrior Not everyone has the courage to step forward to be counted worthy but yet this is what this is about isnrsquot it Christ had the courage to die for YOU They whipped Him with a flagrum which is called scourging A flagrum is a short whip with lead balls and sheep bones tied into leather thongs A naked victim was tied to a flogging post and deep stripe like lacerations that were usually associated with considerable blood loss were struck in multiple fashion at the victimrsquos body tearing flesh all the way to the bone

Christ was stripped of his clothing and his hands were tied to an upright post His back buttocks and legs were flogged either by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated positions The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the lictors and was

intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death After the scourging the soldiers often taunted their victim

As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck Christrsquos back with full force the iron balls would cause deep contusions and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and Subcutaneous tissues Then as the flogging continued the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross

At the Praetorium (The headquarters of the Roman military governor wherever he happened to be (Matt 2727 Mark 1516 John 1828) In Philip 113 it possibly denotes the body of judges forming the supreme court at Rome) Jesus was severely whipped (Although the severity of the scourging is not discussed in the four gospel accounts it is implied in one of the epistles [1Peter 224] A detailed word study of the ancient Greek text for this verse indicates that the scourging of Jesus was particularly harsh) It is not known whether the number of lashes was limited to 39 in accordance with Jewish law The Roman soldiers amused that this weakened man had claimed to be a king began to mock him by placing a robe on his shoulders a crown of thorns on his head and a wooden staff as a scepter in his right hand Next they spat on Jesus and struck him on the head with the wooden staff Moreover when the soldiers tore the robe from Jesus back they probably reopened the scourging wounds The severe scourging with its intense pain and appreciable blood loss most probably left Jesus in a pre-shock state Moreover hematidrosis had rendered his skin particularly tender The physical and mental abuse meted out by the Jews and the Romans as well as the lack of food water and sleep also contributed to his generally weakened state Therefore even before the actual crucifixion Jesus physical condition was at least serious and possibly critical (Scourging)

This is the kind of love I am going to be talking about in this article If I have got your attention then stay tuned because I am going to drag this articlevideo out until it is a fine piece of work that should prove the pre tribulation rapture is real to any unbeliever that is interested in seeking the truth I warn you now do not readwatch this unless you are a serious researcher and you want to see more proof of the truth God did not die for us in vain He alone accomplished a GREAT work that set into motion an unprecedented sequence of events that we in the 21st century are now watching with our very eyes come to pass Cutting off peoplersquos heads is NOT love Committing suicide is NOT love Sitting on the fence is NOT love

I will not attempt to prove in this article that all the end time prophecies in the Holy Bible are real and unraveling before our eyeballs every day I will however show you that without agape love or Godrsquos love you are an empty and shallow being living out your days in the threshold of a mundane existence I pray your eyes will be opened before it is too late The clock is ticking and Godrsquos arms are open but there will come a point in time very soon when Godrsquos door will be

closed My belief stands firm and I know God is TRUE I will start this article with the number one reason why I firmly believe that the rapture caught up harpazo etchellip is REAL

Mat 2440 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left Mat 2441 Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left Mat 2442 Watch therefore for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come

Luk 1734 I tell you in that night there shall be two [men] in one bed the one shall be taken and the other shall be leftLuk 1735 Two [women] shall be grinding together the one shall be taken and the other left Luk 1736 Two [men] shall be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left

In these scriptural passages there is no war there is no riots there is no CONCERN going on in the peoples actions These people are going about their normal business not a care in the world then ZAP ndash they are SNATCHED Caught up Raptured in the blink of an eye In Jason Hommelrsquos piece below we can see the differences

The taken and left verses There is much debate as to the meaning of these two verses Who is taken the righteous in the rapture or the wicked in judgment (Matt 1340-42 48-50)

Matthew 2440 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left Matthew 2441 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

These two phrases describe a picture of what happens when the Feast of Trumpets is observed Dr Stephen Cook of Mission Ministries notes at httpwwwangelfirecomohMissionMinistriesfeast3html the following At the instant that the Jewish workers heard the trumpet sound all would immediately stop harvesting even if they were not finished (think about that) and go to the Temple for worship In those days as it is sometimes today a Jew amp an Arab might be working side by side in the fields - but when the trumpet sounded on this particular day the Jew would stop and go to worship while the Arab kept on harvesting Before I learned that this verse may be a Feast of Trumpets reference I was able to note that these verses aptly describe the rapture by the definitions of the words for taken and left The word for taken is paralambano which means to receive and join together In marriage two are joined as one (Gen 2 Eph 531-32 and Matthew1956 Mark 108 1 Corinthians 616) The marriage of course symbolizes how in the rapture we are to be joined with Christ Paralambano is also the word used in John 141-3 to describe how Jesus will paralambano or take us or receive us to be with him which is a clear rapture passage 2 In my Fathers house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive

[paralambano] you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also Youngs Literal translation reads as follows

Matt 2440 Then two men shall be in the field the one is received [paralambano] and the one is left 41 two women shall be grinding in the mill one is received [paralambano] and one is left

It has been noted that paralambano does not necessarily signify the rapture because the word was used negatively since it is used to describe how Jesus was arrested in Mat 2727 However harpazo which is the rapture word used in 1 Thess 417 is also used to describe Pauls arrest in Act 2310 Since Pauls arrest could not be used to prove that harpazo is not a rapture word then Jesusrsquo arrest cannot be used to prove that paralambano is not a rapture word In fact the use of paralambano to signify an arrest or seizing signifies that the word is a more appropriate not less appropriate word for rapture The fact that paralambano is used to describe an arrest as harpazo does means that the word is very similar to harpazo the word for rapture The rapture is when Jesus will paralambano us or harpazo us or rapture us which is to say he will seize us and take us away by force (2 Hommel)

It is often argued against the pre tribulation rapture that Philip was only moved to a different part of the Earth and that is the real meaning of Strongrsquos G726 harpazo This way of thinking leads many Christianrsquos to believe that they will be taken to the place of safety in this same way Sadly many do not put the remnants of the Laodicean church in this light Therefore those whom are to be caught up will be whisked away to Petra or some similar place while the great tribulation engulfs the rest of the world

Act 839 And when they were come up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip that the eunuch saw him no more and he went on his way rejoicing

ALL views of the rapturecaught upresurrection occurs BEFORE the Day of the Lord Pre Mid Post tribulation viewpoints are all being debated because no one seems to have definitive proof WHEN Christ will reclaim or steal away His bride The proof is clear since prophecy is clear but all Christians are divided on this single doctrine because it has become the viewpoint among many to not research and find the truth I might also mention that it is not logical to get caught up in the air with Christ at the post-trib rapture only to come back down minutes later to land on the Mount of Olives Many cling to the fantasy that God can and will stop time at this point so the wedding feast can be held at that single moment This ridiculous fantasy is mind boggling because nowhere in scripture does God give any indication that He is going to stop time so that all His saints can celebrate the wedding feast together Post-trib doesnrsquot make sense Not to mention what and when does the 70th week of Daniel occur It goes against scripture that the 70th week will be done in time suspension

(Obviously the Post Tribulationists are afraid of the Rapture because this is the only way that that verse makes any sense Yes fear of the Lord is a good thing but you should not let it affect your theology to the point where you are praying

for the Lord to NOT come until after 7 years of tribulation Also being a post tribulationist if you disbelieve Christs ability to cleanse you of sin and believe you need further cleansing through tribulation being a post tribulation believer there is plenty of extra time to repent 7 years andor simply stand up for Christ and accept a beheading to achieve tribulation saint status which may give one a full license to sin all they want until that time since the immanency of the rapture which comes first is removed Perhaps the post tribulationists feel they deserve punishment for their sins because they have a hard time accepting the free gift of salvation through Christ Im speculating that IF the post tribulationist does really want to go through the tribulation Christ may let them After all one may be able to disobey when the trumpet call goes out to Come up here) (3 Hommel)

Though prophecy is not to be interpreted by any one individual I believe that each of us as an individual have our own personal relationship with God He knows where we stand with Him The choice God gives to us is quite clear to me It is these thoughts inside our brains that keep us from God and what He wills for us God does not want to see any of His children unnecessarily go through unneeded pain and suffering This can also be demonstrated by the monks and priests who cut their flesh (Mortification) to feel they are absolved from sin Paul proved to us through all his letters that the ldquoworkrdquo that we need to be done is on the inside of ourselves in our hearts Not with our bodies One can choose to go through the great tribulation because somewhere inside the inner talk within them is not clean Take for the example the law that was given to Moses

Mat 527 para Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time Thou shalt not commit adultery Mat 528 But I say unto you That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heartMat 529 And if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast [it] from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hellMat 530 And if thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast [it] from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell

The old laws have indeed changed but not in the way the modern Christians believe The old laws were NOT done away with at the Cross Christ did NOT nail them to the cross Godrsquos laws are alive and well TODAY (Psa 935 Your royal laws cannot be changed Your reign O LORD is holy forever and ever) Christ is rather showing us the ldquogrowthrdquo we need to be cultivating in our maturity into the GOD FAMILY To put it another way a infant drinks milk because it cannot handle digesting solid food but an adult eats solid food because its bodily system can handle the complex breakdown of protein by acids and enzymes One does NOT feed a two month old baby T-bone steak for dinner

The belief structure we hold within us is centered on the thoughts we entertain in our minds or inner life If we are constantly living in thoughts of ldquoI have to prepare for the tribulationrdquo ldquoI have to stock food and water because I wonrsquot be able to buy or sellrdquo ldquoI have to protect my familyrdquo Entertaining thoughts like this consistently shapes our lives into our perceived realities

We forget that God is in charge and He takes care of everything Remember what Christ said

Mat 633 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto youMat 634 Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof

How many times do we forget this fact Constantly The command is quite clear ndash SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD When we start to contemplate Godrsquos will and begin to make His will our own we become of like mind There is no fear in this mind Only perfect trust that God loves you more than you can know and that you can rely on Him for everything

The point of choosing thoughts about the rapture WILL make you to prepare for such an event Your focus is on this belief daily The point of the pre tribulation rapture is to be a comforting hope to the believer to teach us how to live in the NOW to remove the bride of Christ from the curse of the law and the seven year tribulation and to place our focus firmly on God which prepares the bride for departure God gave us this choice and I have come to understand this truth by following the Holy Spirit

Where is ldquorapturerdquo found in the Bible The word ldquorapturerdquo is not found in the King James Version of the Bible The Greek word for ldquorapturerdquo is the Strongrsquos word ndash Harpazo ndash G726 This is a part of doctrine Anyone who claims that this word is not in the Bible are desperately seeking to cast any doubt that they can find on this issue If one is honest with themselves they will realize that they are TRYING really hard to find any reason to NOT believe in the rapture These are also people who do not do the research They cling to whoever told them ldquothis is the way walk you in itrdquo Open your Bible and let the Holy Spirit led you into all truth Many people feel this way and it is because somewhere inside their minds and hearts they believe they MUST go through the great tribulation ldquoThey cannot admit even the possibility of a pre tribulation rapture because it is impossible for their spirit to admit itrdquo (1 Hommel) Confusing the meaning of words to even try to imply there is no pre tribulation rapture surely does not indicate a learned pupil (disciple) Indeed anyone who picks up their cross and follows Jesus Christ and does His will is a disciple Disciple means learner or pupil In the scriptures below ldquocaught uprdquo means to be seized or carried off by force There is no volunteering going on here God is coming like a thief in the night for His bride

2Cr 122 I knew 1492 a man 444 in 1722 Christ 5547 above 4253 0 fourteen 1180 years 2094 ago 4253 (whether 1535 in 1722 the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 or whether 1535 out 1622 of the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 God 2316 knoweth 1492) such an one 5108 caught up 726 to 2193 the third 5154 heaven 3772

2Cr 124 How that 3754 he was caught up 726 into 1519 paradise 3857 and 2532 heard 191 unspeakable 731 words 4487 which 3739 it is 1832 0 not 3756 lawful 1832 for a man 444 to utter 2980

1Th 417 Then 1899 we 2249 which 3588 are alive 2198 [and] remain 4035 shall be caught up 726 together 260 with 4862 them 846 in 1722 the clouds 3507 to 1519 meet 529 the Lord 2962 in 1519 the air 109 and 2532 so 3779 shall we 2071 0 ever 3842 be 2071 with 4862 the Lord 2962 Rev 125 And 2532 she brought forth 5088 a man 730 child 5207 who 3739 was 3195 to rule 4165 all 3956

nations 1484 with 1722 a rod 4464 of iron 4603 and 2532 her 846 child 5043 was caught up 726 unto 4314 God 2316 and 2532 [to] his 846 throne 2362

Lexicon Results Strongs G726 - harpazō ἁρπάζω

Transliterationharpazō

Pronunciationhaumlr-pauml-zō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From a derivative of αἱρέω (G138) TDNT Reference147280

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to seize carry off by force2) to seize on claim for ones self eagerly3) to snatch out or away

For those whom believe that they will be taken to a place of safety during the great trib you could possibly be right but yoursquore STILL a Laodicean and you will have to go through the refinerrsquos fire Those who get raptured have become worthy to escape ALL these things (Luke 2136) Those who will be raptured will be going to heaven for seven years to be hidden They made themselves ready and prepared to be with Christ (Rev 197) The last church wasis not yet worthy but can become worthy through the fire Compare these two scriptures

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the

Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of GodRev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth Rev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and nakedRev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see Rev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent Rev 320 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Rev 321 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne

Revelation chapter twelve is a synopsis or condensed statement giving an overall view of a subject which in this chapter is of what is to befall the church just before and during the great tribulation Revelation chapter twelve shows us that after the ldquomanchildrdquo is raptured then archangel Michael and his angels fight against the dragon and his angels This war in heaven results in Michael casting Satan and his angels out of heaven forever It is my personal belief that the very act of the rapture of the manchild is what sends Satan and his angels into a fury which causes an instant battle in heaven There are numerous scriptures that show this battle and what will happen (future tense) in heaven (Isa 1412-14 amp 344 5 Dan 89-12 25 Rev 124 etc) Remember Satan still has access to heaven in our twenty-first century time now (Rev 1210 accuser of the brethren) but after this second and final war in heaven Satan and his angels will never again enter heaven

Satan falls to Earth with his outcast angelic host then Satan turns to the woman who gave birth to the manchild and his anger is unleashed Laodicea the last church is the woman who is running into the wilderness but is still protected of God This is the ldquoplace of safetyrdquo many church goers cling to as their source of comfort To me this is not much comfort They have missed the whole idea of the manchild and that God raised the manchild up from inside the woman (church) to be His very own (Isa 665-9) Isa 665 is literally talking about the woman (church) kicking out its own people whom God placed in His church but at the pre tribulation rapture He shall appear to our joy and they will be ashamed Laodicea WILL BE made worthy or perish forever Laodicea is the lukewarm church the five foolish virgins with no oil in their lamps This is why they are sent to buy from those who sell

Rev 1212 Therefore rejoice [ye] heavens and ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Rev 1213 para And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child] Rev 1214 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

Rev 1215 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood Rev 1216 And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth Rev 1217 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ

The marriage of the Lamb to the bride is the greatest love story ever To know how much God loves us we can read the scriptures especially in the Songs of Solomon How could we even think that there is not a rapture before the great tribulation Would any husband leave his wife to go through a horrendous ordeal to be beaten murdered and raped God gave us marriage to teach us about love and how to love even though our love is mostly carnal I believe the Feast of Trumpets is all about this kind of love The wedding theme is prevalent through ancient and modern Israeli and Judean marriage traditions You can read more about Jewish wedding tradition on your own There is plenty of information on the web

Eph 525 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it

2Cr 112 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ

Rom 74 Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another [even] to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God

Jhn 142 In my Fathers house are many mansions if [it were] not [so] I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you Jhn 143 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

The love (agape) of God when bestowed upon us allows God to live in our heart (Rev 320) The word ldquowill suprdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G1172 - deipneō δειπνέω

Transliterationdeipneō

Pronunciationdāp-ne-ō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From δεῖπνον (G1173) TDNT Reference234143

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to sup

Once Christ and the Father come inside of our heart we will share a most intimate and blissful intercourse The meaning of the word intercourse here does not imply sexual relations but rather an interchange of thoughts feelings emotional responses etc The word ldquosuprdquo is also being symbolically used to represent the Messiahrsquos feast which symbolizes salvation in the kingdom Godrsquos love is extraordinary because He deals with us even though we trespass against His laws every day I have watched God orchestrate circumstances in my life and the lives of others to open our eyes to His understand and wisdom

Ephesians 317-19 ndash NLT ndash And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him May your roots go down deep into the soil of Godrsquos marvelous love And may you have the power to understand as all Godrsquos people should how wide how long how high and how deep His love really is May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

If we are honest with ourselves we can surely know just how HARD it is to find love REAL LOVE We look everywhere but from the source of where love comes from No one ever stops to think of who the author of real love is and that included me I could not understand this until I basically threw everything that I thought I loved out of my life Yes even my family I threw out all my expectations of what I thought love should be and God began to show me a greater love that I could not comprehend at first His love was so overwhelming to me I immediately knew why no flesh can stand before the Father and live God is a consuming fire God is love ldquoIts difficult for us to even fathom a Love like this let alone produce it in our own strength And the reason is this kind of Love is supernatural It originates in the heart of God and just keeps on coming no matter what the one being loved does or doesnt do This kind of Love never stops flowing In other words there are no conditions or stipulations which would cause real Love to ceaserdquo (Missler) Once we begin this journey a literal stepping out in faith God begins to show us the adventure that really is in life

Gods Love therefore is not a human love but in fact is completely opposite Our natural human love (the love we were born with) will always be a conditional love that is dependent upon three things how we feel what our circumstances are and how that other person responds to us In other words natural love will always seek the good of itself and not the other person and will always be based upon certain reciprocal expectations Ill love you if youll love me But if you stop loving me I will stop loving you This is why CS Lewis calls natural human love a need love In other words we need something from the one we love

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death After the scourging the soldiers often taunted their victim

As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck Christrsquos back with full force the iron balls would cause deep contusions and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and Subcutaneous tissues Then as the flogging continued the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross

At the Praetorium (The headquarters of the Roman military governor wherever he happened to be (Matt 2727 Mark 1516 John 1828) In Philip 113 it possibly denotes the body of judges forming the supreme court at Rome) Jesus was severely whipped (Although the severity of the scourging is not discussed in the four gospel accounts it is implied in one of the epistles [1Peter 224] A detailed word study of the ancient Greek text for this verse indicates that the scourging of Jesus was particularly harsh) It is not known whether the number of lashes was limited to 39 in accordance with Jewish law The Roman soldiers amused that this weakened man had claimed to be a king began to mock him by placing a robe on his shoulders a crown of thorns on his head and a wooden staff as a scepter in his right hand Next they spat on Jesus and struck him on the head with the wooden staff Moreover when the soldiers tore the robe from Jesus back they probably reopened the scourging wounds The severe scourging with its intense pain and appreciable blood loss most probably left Jesus in a pre-shock state Moreover hematidrosis had rendered his skin particularly tender The physical and mental abuse meted out by the Jews and the Romans as well as the lack of food water and sleep also contributed to his generally weakened state Therefore even before the actual crucifixion Jesus physical condition was at least serious and possibly critical (Scourging)

This is the kind of love I am going to be talking about in this article If I have got your attention then stay tuned because I am going to drag this articlevideo out until it is a fine piece of work that should prove the pre tribulation rapture is real to any unbeliever that is interested in seeking the truth I warn you now do not readwatch this unless you are a serious researcher and you want to see more proof of the truth God did not die for us in vain He alone accomplished a GREAT work that set into motion an unprecedented sequence of events that we in the 21st century are now watching with our very eyes come to pass Cutting off peoplersquos heads is NOT love Committing suicide is NOT love Sitting on the fence is NOT love

I will not attempt to prove in this article that all the end time prophecies in the Holy Bible are real and unraveling before our eyeballs every day I will however show you that without agape love or Godrsquos love you are an empty and shallow being living out your days in the threshold of a mundane existence I pray your eyes will be opened before it is too late The clock is ticking and Godrsquos arms are open but there will come a point in time very soon when Godrsquos door will be

closed My belief stands firm and I know God is TRUE I will start this article with the number one reason why I firmly believe that the rapture caught up harpazo etchellip is REAL

Mat 2440 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left Mat 2441 Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left Mat 2442 Watch therefore for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come

Luk 1734 I tell you in that night there shall be two [men] in one bed the one shall be taken and the other shall be leftLuk 1735 Two [women] shall be grinding together the one shall be taken and the other left Luk 1736 Two [men] shall be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left

In these scriptural passages there is no war there is no riots there is no CONCERN going on in the peoples actions These people are going about their normal business not a care in the world then ZAP ndash they are SNATCHED Caught up Raptured in the blink of an eye In Jason Hommelrsquos piece below we can see the differences

The taken and left verses There is much debate as to the meaning of these two verses Who is taken the righteous in the rapture or the wicked in judgment (Matt 1340-42 48-50)

Matthew 2440 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left Matthew 2441 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

These two phrases describe a picture of what happens when the Feast of Trumpets is observed Dr Stephen Cook of Mission Ministries notes at httpwwwangelfirecomohMissionMinistriesfeast3html the following At the instant that the Jewish workers heard the trumpet sound all would immediately stop harvesting even if they were not finished (think about that) and go to the Temple for worship In those days as it is sometimes today a Jew amp an Arab might be working side by side in the fields - but when the trumpet sounded on this particular day the Jew would stop and go to worship while the Arab kept on harvesting Before I learned that this verse may be a Feast of Trumpets reference I was able to note that these verses aptly describe the rapture by the definitions of the words for taken and left The word for taken is paralambano which means to receive and join together In marriage two are joined as one (Gen 2 Eph 531-32 and Matthew1956 Mark 108 1 Corinthians 616) The marriage of course symbolizes how in the rapture we are to be joined with Christ Paralambano is also the word used in John 141-3 to describe how Jesus will paralambano or take us or receive us to be with him which is a clear rapture passage 2 In my Fathers house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive

[paralambano] you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also Youngs Literal translation reads as follows

Matt 2440 Then two men shall be in the field the one is received [paralambano] and the one is left 41 two women shall be grinding in the mill one is received [paralambano] and one is left

It has been noted that paralambano does not necessarily signify the rapture because the word was used negatively since it is used to describe how Jesus was arrested in Mat 2727 However harpazo which is the rapture word used in 1 Thess 417 is also used to describe Pauls arrest in Act 2310 Since Pauls arrest could not be used to prove that harpazo is not a rapture word then Jesusrsquo arrest cannot be used to prove that paralambano is not a rapture word In fact the use of paralambano to signify an arrest or seizing signifies that the word is a more appropriate not less appropriate word for rapture The fact that paralambano is used to describe an arrest as harpazo does means that the word is very similar to harpazo the word for rapture The rapture is when Jesus will paralambano us or harpazo us or rapture us which is to say he will seize us and take us away by force (2 Hommel)

It is often argued against the pre tribulation rapture that Philip was only moved to a different part of the Earth and that is the real meaning of Strongrsquos G726 harpazo This way of thinking leads many Christianrsquos to believe that they will be taken to the place of safety in this same way Sadly many do not put the remnants of the Laodicean church in this light Therefore those whom are to be caught up will be whisked away to Petra or some similar place while the great tribulation engulfs the rest of the world

Act 839 And when they were come up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip that the eunuch saw him no more and he went on his way rejoicing

ALL views of the rapturecaught upresurrection occurs BEFORE the Day of the Lord Pre Mid Post tribulation viewpoints are all being debated because no one seems to have definitive proof WHEN Christ will reclaim or steal away His bride The proof is clear since prophecy is clear but all Christians are divided on this single doctrine because it has become the viewpoint among many to not research and find the truth I might also mention that it is not logical to get caught up in the air with Christ at the post-trib rapture only to come back down minutes later to land on the Mount of Olives Many cling to the fantasy that God can and will stop time at this point so the wedding feast can be held at that single moment This ridiculous fantasy is mind boggling because nowhere in scripture does God give any indication that He is going to stop time so that all His saints can celebrate the wedding feast together Post-trib doesnrsquot make sense Not to mention what and when does the 70th week of Daniel occur It goes against scripture that the 70th week will be done in time suspension

(Obviously the Post Tribulationists are afraid of the Rapture because this is the only way that that verse makes any sense Yes fear of the Lord is a good thing but you should not let it affect your theology to the point where you are praying

for the Lord to NOT come until after 7 years of tribulation Also being a post tribulationist if you disbelieve Christs ability to cleanse you of sin and believe you need further cleansing through tribulation being a post tribulation believer there is plenty of extra time to repent 7 years andor simply stand up for Christ and accept a beheading to achieve tribulation saint status which may give one a full license to sin all they want until that time since the immanency of the rapture which comes first is removed Perhaps the post tribulationists feel they deserve punishment for their sins because they have a hard time accepting the free gift of salvation through Christ Im speculating that IF the post tribulationist does really want to go through the tribulation Christ may let them After all one may be able to disobey when the trumpet call goes out to Come up here) (3 Hommel)

Though prophecy is not to be interpreted by any one individual I believe that each of us as an individual have our own personal relationship with God He knows where we stand with Him The choice God gives to us is quite clear to me It is these thoughts inside our brains that keep us from God and what He wills for us God does not want to see any of His children unnecessarily go through unneeded pain and suffering This can also be demonstrated by the monks and priests who cut their flesh (Mortification) to feel they are absolved from sin Paul proved to us through all his letters that the ldquoworkrdquo that we need to be done is on the inside of ourselves in our hearts Not with our bodies One can choose to go through the great tribulation because somewhere inside the inner talk within them is not clean Take for the example the law that was given to Moses

Mat 527 para Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time Thou shalt not commit adultery Mat 528 But I say unto you That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heartMat 529 And if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast [it] from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hellMat 530 And if thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast [it] from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell

The old laws have indeed changed but not in the way the modern Christians believe The old laws were NOT done away with at the Cross Christ did NOT nail them to the cross Godrsquos laws are alive and well TODAY (Psa 935 Your royal laws cannot be changed Your reign O LORD is holy forever and ever) Christ is rather showing us the ldquogrowthrdquo we need to be cultivating in our maturity into the GOD FAMILY To put it another way a infant drinks milk because it cannot handle digesting solid food but an adult eats solid food because its bodily system can handle the complex breakdown of protein by acids and enzymes One does NOT feed a two month old baby T-bone steak for dinner

The belief structure we hold within us is centered on the thoughts we entertain in our minds or inner life If we are constantly living in thoughts of ldquoI have to prepare for the tribulationrdquo ldquoI have to stock food and water because I wonrsquot be able to buy or sellrdquo ldquoI have to protect my familyrdquo Entertaining thoughts like this consistently shapes our lives into our perceived realities

We forget that God is in charge and He takes care of everything Remember what Christ said

Mat 633 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto youMat 634 Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof

How many times do we forget this fact Constantly The command is quite clear ndash SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD When we start to contemplate Godrsquos will and begin to make His will our own we become of like mind There is no fear in this mind Only perfect trust that God loves you more than you can know and that you can rely on Him for everything

The point of choosing thoughts about the rapture WILL make you to prepare for such an event Your focus is on this belief daily The point of the pre tribulation rapture is to be a comforting hope to the believer to teach us how to live in the NOW to remove the bride of Christ from the curse of the law and the seven year tribulation and to place our focus firmly on God which prepares the bride for departure God gave us this choice and I have come to understand this truth by following the Holy Spirit

Where is ldquorapturerdquo found in the Bible The word ldquorapturerdquo is not found in the King James Version of the Bible The Greek word for ldquorapturerdquo is the Strongrsquos word ndash Harpazo ndash G726 This is a part of doctrine Anyone who claims that this word is not in the Bible are desperately seeking to cast any doubt that they can find on this issue If one is honest with themselves they will realize that they are TRYING really hard to find any reason to NOT believe in the rapture These are also people who do not do the research They cling to whoever told them ldquothis is the way walk you in itrdquo Open your Bible and let the Holy Spirit led you into all truth Many people feel this way and it is because somewhere inside their minds and hearts they believe they MUST go through the great tribulation ldquoThey cannot admit even the possibility of a pre tribulation rapture because it is impossible for their spirit to admit itrdquo (1 Hommel) Confusing the meaning of words to even try to imply there is no pre tribulation rapture surely does not indicate a learned pupil (disciple) Indeed anyone who picks up their cross and follows Jesus Christ and does His will is a disciple Disciple means learner or pupil In the scriptures below ldquocaught uprdquo means to be seized or carried off by force There is no volunteering going on here God is coming like a thief in the night for His bride

2Cr 122 I knew 1492 a man 444 in 1722 Christ 5547 above 4253 0 fourteen 1180 years 2094 ago 4253 (whether 1535 in 1722 the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 or whether 1535 out 1622 of the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 God 2316 knoweth 1492) such an one 5108 caught up 726 to 2193 the third 5154 heaven 3772

2Cr 124 How that 3754 he was caught up 726 into 1519 paradise 3857 and 2532 heard 191 unspeakable 731 words 4487 which 3739 it is 1832 0 not 3756 lawful 1832 for a man 444 to utter 2980

1Th 417 Then 1899 we 2249 which 3588 are alive 2198 [and] remain 4035 shall be caught up 726 together 260 with 4862 them 846 in 1722 the clouds 3507 to 1519 meet 529 the Lord 2962 in 1519 the air 109 and 2532 so 3779 shall we 2071 0 ever 3842 be 2071 with 4862 the Lord 2962 Rev 125 And 2532 she brought forth 5088 a man 730 child 5207 who 3739 was 3195 to rule 4165 all 3956

nations 1484 with 1722 a rod 4464 of iron 4603 and 2532 her 846 child 5043 was caught up 726 unto 4314 God 2316 and 2532 [to] his 846 throne 2362

Lexicon Results Strongs G726 - harpazō ἁρπάζω

Transliterationharpazō

Pronunciationhaumlr-pauml-zō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From a derivative of αἱρέω (G138) TDNT Reference147280

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to seize carry off by force2) to seize on claim for ones self eagerly3) to snatch out or away

For those whom believe that they will be taken to a place of safety during the great trib you could possibly be right but yoursquore STILL a Laodicean and you will have to go through the refinerrsquos fire Those who get raptured have become worthy to escape ALL these things (Luke 2136) Those who will be raptured will be going to heaven for seven years to be hidden They made themselves ready and prepared to be with Christ (Rev 197) The last church wasis not yet worthy but can become worthy through the fire Compare these two scriptures

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the

Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of GodRev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth Rev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and nakedRev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see Rev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent Rev 320 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Rev 321 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne

Revelation chapter twelve is a synopsis or condensed statement giving an overall view of a subject which in this chapter is of what is to befall the church just before and during the great tribulation Revelation chapter twelve shows us that after the ldquomanchildrdquo is raptured then archangel Michael and his angels fight against the dragon and his angels This war in heaven results in Michael casting Satan and his angels out of heaven forever It is my personal belief that the very act of the rapture of the manchild is what sends Satan and his angels into a fury which causes an instant battle in heaven There are numerous scriptures that show this battle and what will happen (future tense) in heaven (Isa 1412-14 amp 344 5 Dan 89-12 25 Rev 124 etc) Remember Satan still has access to heaven in our twenty-first century time now (Rev 1210 accuser of the brethren) but after this second and final war in heaven Satan and his angels will never again enter heaven

Satan falls to Earth with his outcast angelic host then Satan turns to the woman who gave birth to the manchild and his anger is unleashed Laodicea the last church is the woman who is running into the wilderness but is still protected of God This is the ldquoplace of safetyrdquo many church goers cling to as their source of comfort To me this is not much comfort They have missed the whole idea of the manchild and that God raised the manchild up from inside the woman (church) to be His very own (Isa 665-9) Isa 665 is literally talking about the woman (church) kicking out its own people whom God placed in His church but at the pre tribulation rapture He shall appear to our joy and they will be ashamed Laodicea WILL BE made worthy or perish forever Laodicea is the lukewarm church the five foolish virgins with no oil in their lamps This is why they are sent to buy from those who sell

Rev 1212 Therefore rejoice [ye] heavens and ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Rev 1213 para And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child] Rev 1214 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

Rev 1215 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood Rev 1216 And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth Rev 1217 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ

The marriage of the Lamb to the bride is the greatest love story ever To know how much God loves us we can read the scriptures especially in the Songs of Solomon How could we even think that there is not a rapture before the great tribulation Would any husband leave his wife to go through a horrendous ordeal to be beaten murdered and raped God gave us marriage to teach us about love and how to love even though our love is mostly carnal I believe the Feast of Trumpets is all about this kind of love The wedding theme is prevalent through ancient and modern Israeli and Judean marriage traditions You can read more about Jewish wedding tradition on your own There is plenty of information on the web

Eph 525 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it

2Cr 112 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ

Rom 74 Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another [even] to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God

Jhn 142 In my Fathers house are many mansions if [it were] not [so] I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you Jhn 143 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

The love (agape) of God when bestowed upon us allows God to live in our heart (Rev 320) The word ldquowill suprdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G1172 - deipneō δειπνέω

Transliterationdeipneō

Pronunciationdāp-ne-ō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From δεῖπνον (G1173) TDNT Reference234143

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to sup

Once Christ and the Father come inside of our heart we will share a most intimate and blissful intercourse The meaning of the word intercourse here does not imply sexual relations but rather an interchange of thoughts feelings emotional responses etc The word ldquosuprdquo is also being symbolically used to represent the Messiahrsquos feast which symbolizes salvation in the kingdom Godrsquos love is extraordinary because He deals with us even though we trespass against His laws every day I have watched God orchestrate circumstances in my life and the lives of others to open our eyes to His understand and wisdom

Ephesians 317-19 ndash NLT ndash And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him May your roots go down deep into the soil of Godrsquos marvelous love And may you have the power to understand as all Godrsquos people should how wide how long how high and how deep His love really is May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

If we are honest with ourselves we can surely know just how HARD it is to find love REAL LOVE We look everywhere but from the source of where love comes from No one ever stops to think of who the author of real love is and that included me I could not understand this until I basically threw everything that I thought I loved out of my life Yes even my family I threw out all my expectations of what I thought love should be and God began to show me a greater love that I could not comprehend at first His love was so overwhelming to me I immediately knew why no flesh can stand before the Father and live God is a consuming fire God is love ldquoIts difficult for us to even fathom a Love like this let alone produce it in our own strength And the reason is this kind of Love is supernatural It originates in the heart of God and just keeps on coming no matter what the one being loved does or doesnt do This kind of Love never stops flowing In other words there are no conditions or stipulations which would cause real Love to ceaserdquo (Missler) Once we begin this journey a literal stepping out in faith God begins to show us the adventure that really is in life

Gods Love therefore is not a human love but in fact is completely opposite Our natural human love (the love we were born with) will always be a conditional love that is dependent upon three things how we feel what our circumstances are and how that other person responds to us In other words natural love will always seek the good of itself and not the other person and will always be based upon certain reciprocal expectations Ill love you if youll love me But if you stop loving me I will stop loving you This is why CS Lewis calls natural human love a need love In other words we need something from the one we love

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

closed My belief stands firm and I know God is TRUE I will start this article with the number one reason why I firmly believe that the rapture caught up harpazo etchellip is REAL

Mat 2440 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left Mat 2441 Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left Mat 2442 Watch therefore for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come

Luk 1734 I tell you in that night there shall be two [men] in one bed the one shall be taken and the other shall be leftLuk 1735 Two [women] shall be grinding together the one shall be taken and the other left Luk 1736 Two [men] shall be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left

In these scriptural passages there is no war there is no riots there is no CONCERN going on in the peoples actions These people are going about their normal business not a care in the world then ZAP ndash they are SNATCHED Caught up Raptured in the blink of an eye In Jason Hommelrsquos piece below we can see the differences

The taken and left verses There is much debate as to the meaning of these two verses Who is taken the righteous in the rapture or the wicked in judgment (Matt 1340-42 48-50)

Matthew 2440 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left Matthew 2441 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

These two phrases describe a picture of what happens when the Feast of Trumpets is observed Dr Stephen Cook of Mission Ministries notes at httpwwwangelfirecomohMissionMinistriesfeast3html the following At the instant that the Jewish workers heard the trumpet sound all would immediately stop harvesting even if they were not finished (think about that) and go to the Temple for worship In those days as it is sometimes today a Jew amp an Arab might be working side by side in the fields - but when the trumpet sounded on this particular day the Jew would stop and go to worship while the Arab kept on harvesting Before I learned that this verse may be a Feast of Trumpets reference I was able to note that these verses aptly describe the rapture by the definitions of the words for taken and left The word for taken is paralambano which means to receive and join together In marriage two are joined as one (Gen 2 Eph 531-32 and Matthew1956 Mark 108 1 Corinthians 616) The marriage of course symbolizes how in the rapture we are to be joined with Christ Paralambano is also the word used in John 141-3 to describe how Jesus will paralambano or take us or receive us to be with him which is a clear rapture passage 2 In my Fathers house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive

[paralambano] you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also Youngs Literal translation reads as follows

Matt 2440 Then two men shall be in the field the one is received [paralambano] and the one is left 41 two women shall be grinding in the mill one is received [paralambano] and one is left

It has been noted that paralambano does not necessarily signify the rapture because the word was used negatively since it is used to describe how Jesus was arrested in Mat 2727 However harpazo which is the rapture word used in 1 Thess 417 is also used to describe Pauls arrest in Act 2310 Since Pauls arrest could not be used to prove that harpazo is not a rapture word then Jesusrsquo arrest cannot be used to prove that paralambano is not a rapture word In fact the use of paralambano to signify an arrest or seizing signifies that the word is a more appropriate not less appropriate word for rapture The fact that paralambano is used to describe an arrest as harpazo does means that the word is very similar to harpazo the word for rapture The rapture is when Jesus will paralambano us or harpazo us or rapture us which is to say he will seize us and take us away by force (2 Hommel)

It is often argued against the pre tribulation rapture that Philip was only moved to a different part of the Earth and that is the real meaning of Strongrsquos G726 harpazo This way of thinking leads many Christianrsquos to believe that they will be taken to the place of safety in this same way Sadly many do not put the remnants of the Laodicean church in this light Therefore those whom are to be caught up will be whisked away to Petra or some similar place while the great tribulation engulfs the rest of the world

Act 839 And when they were come up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip that the eunuch saw him no more and he went on his way rejoicing

ALL views of the rapturecaught upresurrection occurs BEFORE the Day of the Lord Pre Mid Post tribulation viewpoints are all being debated because no one seems to have definitive proof WHEN Christ will reclaim or steal away His bride The proof is clear since prophecy is clear but all Christians are divided on this single doctrine because it has become the viewpoint among many to not research and find the truth I might also mention that it is not logical to get caught up in the air with Christ at the post-trib rapture only to come back down minutes later to land on the Mount of Olives Many cling to the fantasy that God can and will stop time at this point so the wedding feast can be held at that single moment This ridiculous fantasy is mind boggling because nowhere in scripture does God give any indication that He is going to stop time so that all His saints can celebrate the wedding feast together Post-trib doesnrsquot make sense Not to mention what and when does the 70th week of Daniel occur It goes against scripture that the 70th week will be done in time suspension

(Obviously the Post Tribulationists are afraid of the Rapture because this is the only way that that verse makes any sense Yes fear of the Lord is a good thing but you should not let it affect your theology to the point where you are praying

for the Lord to NOT come until after 7 years of tribulation Also being a post tribulationist if you disbelieve Christs ability to cleanse you of sin and believe you need further cleansing through tribulation being a post tribulation believer there is plenty of extra time to repent 7 years andor simply stand up for Christ and accept a beheading to achieve tribulation saint status which may give one a full license to sin all they want until that time since the immanency of the rapture which comes first is removed Perhaps the post tribulationists feel they deserve punishment for their sins because they have a hard time accepting the free gift of salvation through Christ Im speculating that IF the post tribulationist does really want to go through the tribulation Christ may let them After all one may be able to disobey when the trumpet call goes out to Come up here) (3 Hommel)

Though prophecy is not to be interpreted by any one individual I believe that each of us as an individual have our own personal relationship with God He knows where we stand with Him The choice God gives to us is quite clear to me It is these thoughts inside our brains that keep us from God and what He wills for us God does not want to see any of His children unnecessarily go through unneeded pain and suffering This can also be demonstrated by the monks and priests who cut their flesh (Mortification) to feel they are absolved from sin Paul proved to us through all his letters that the ldquoworkrdquo that we need to be done is on the inside of ourselves in our hearts Not with our bodies One can choose to go through the great tribulation because somewhere inside the inner talk within them is not clean Take for the example the law that was given to Moses

Mat 527 para Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time Thou shalt not commit adultery Mat 528 But I say unto you That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heartMat 529 And if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast [it] from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hellMat 530 And if thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast [it] from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell

The old laws have indeed changed but not in the way the modern Christians believe The old laws were NOT done away with at the Cross Christ did NOT nail them to the cross Godrsquos laws are alive and well TODAY (Psa 935 Your royal laws cannot be changed Your reign O LORD is holy forever and ever) Christ is rather showing us the ldquogrowthrdquo we need to be cultivating in our maturity into the GOD FAMILY To put it another way a infant drinks milk because it cannot handle digesting solid food but an adult eats solid food because its bodily system can handle the complex breakdown of protein by acids and enzymes One does NOT feed a two month old baby T-bone steak for dinner

The belief structure we hold within us is centered on the thoughts we entertain in our minds or inner life If we are constantly living in thoughts of ldquoI have to prepare for the tribulationrdquo ldquoI have to stock food and water because I wonrsquot be able to buy or sellrdquo ldquoI have to protect my familyrdquo Entertaining thoughts like this consistently shapes our lives into our perceived realities

We forget that God is in charge and He takes care of everything Remember what Christ said

Mat 633 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto youMat 634 Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof

How many times do we forget this fact Constantly The command is quite clear ndash SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD When we start to contemplate Godrsquos will and begin to make His will our own we become of like mind There is no fear in this mind Only perfect trust that God loves you more than you can know and that you can rely on Him for everything

The point of choosing thoughts about the rapture WILL make you to prepare for such an event Your focus is on this belief daily The point of the pre tribulation rapture is to be a comforting hope to the believer to teach us how to live in the NOW to remove the bride of Christ from the curse of the law and the seven year tribulation and to place our focus firmly on God which prepares the bride for departure God gave us this choice and I have come to understand this truth by following the Holy Spirit

Where is ldquorapturerdquo found in the Bible The word ldquorapturerdquo is not found in the King James Version of the Bible The Greek word for ldquorapturerdquo is the Strongrsquos word ndash Harpazo ndash G726 This is a part of doctrine Anyone who claims that this word is not in the Bible are desperately seeking to cast any doubt that they can find on this issue If one is honest with themselves they will realize that they are TRYING really hard to find any reason to NOT believe in the rapture These are also people who do not do the research They cling to whoever told them ldquothis is the way walk you in itrdquo Open your Bible and let the Holy Spirit led you into all truth Many people feel this way and it is because somewhere inside their minds and hearts they believe they MUST go through the great tribulation ldquoThey cannot admit even the possibility of a pre tribulation rapture because it is impossible for their spirit to admit itrdquo (1 Hommel) Confusing the meaning of words to even try to imply there is no pre tribulation rapture surely does not indicate a learned pupil (disciple) Indeed anyone who picks up their cross and follows Jesus Christ and does His will is a disciple Disciple means learner or pupil In the scriptures below ldquocaught uprdquo means to be seized or carried off by force There is no volunteering going on here God is coming like a thief in the night for His bride

2Cr 122 I knew 1492 a man 444 in 1722 Christ 5547 above 4253 0 fourteen 1180 years 2094 ago 4253 (whether 1535 in 1722 the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 or whether 1535 out 1622 of the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 God 2316 knoweth 1492) such an one 5108 caught up 726 to 2193 the third 5154 heaven 3772

2Cr 124 How that 3754 he was caught up 726 into 1519 paradise 3857 and 2532 heard 191 unspeakable 731 words 4487 which 3739 it is 1832 0 not 3756 lawful 1832 for a man 444 to utter 2980

1Th 417 Then 1899 we 2249 which 3588 are alive 2198 [and] remain 4035 shall be caught up 726 together 260 with 4862 them 846 in 1722 the clouds 3507 to 1519 meet 529 the Lord 2962 in 1519 the air 109 and 2532 so 3779 shall we 2071 0 ever 3842 be 2071 with 4862 the Lord 2962 Rev 125 And 2532 she brought forth 5088 a man 730 child 5207 who 3739 was 3195 to rule 4165 all 3956

nations 1484 with 1722 a rod 4464 of iron 4603 and 2532 her 846 child 5043 was caught up 726 unto 4314 God 2316 and 2532 [to] his 846 throne 2362

Lexicon Results Strongs G726 - harpazō ἁρπάζω

Transliterationharpazō

Pronunciationhaumlr-pauml-zō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From a derivative of αἱρέω (G138) TDNT Reference147280

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to seize carry off by force2) to seize on claim for ones self eagerly3) to snatch out or away

For those whom believe that they will be taken to a place of safety during the great trib you could possibly be right but yoursquore STILL a Laodicean and you will have to go through the refinerrsquos fire Those who get raptured have become worthy to escape ALL these things (Luke 2136) Those who will be raptured will be going to heaven for seven years to be hidden They made themselves ready and prepared to be with Christ (Rev 197) The last church wasis not yet worthy but can become worthy through the fire Compare these two scriptures

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the

Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of GodRev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth Rev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and nakedRev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see Rev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent Rev 320 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Rev 321 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne

Revelation chapter twelve is a synopsis or condensed statement giving an overall view of a subject which in this chapter is of what is to befall the church just before and during the great tribulation Revelation chapter twelve shows us that after the ldquomanchildrdquo is raptured then archangel Michael and his angels fight against the dragon and his angels This war in heaven results in Michael casting Satan and his angels out of heaven forever It is my personal belief that the very act of the rapture of the manchild is what sends Satan and his angels into a fury which causes an instant battle in heaven There are numerous scriptures that show this battle and what will happen (future tense) in heaven (Isa 1412-14 amp 344 5 Dan 89-12 25 Rev 124 etc) Remember Satan still has access to heaven in our twenty-first century time now (Rev 1210 accuser of the brethren) but after this second and final war in heaven Satan and his angels will never again enter heaven

Satan falls to Earth with his outcast angelic host then Satan turns to the woman who gave birth to the manchild and his anger is unleashed Laodicea the last church is the woman who is running into the wilderness but is still protected of God This is the ldquoplace of safetyrdquo many church goers cling to as their source of comfort To me this is not much comfort They have missed the whole idea of the manchild and that God raised the manchild up from inside the woman (church) to be His very own (Isa 665-9) Isa 665 is literally talking about the woman (church) kicking out its own people whom God placed in His church but at the pre tribulation rapture He shall appear to our joy and they will be ashamed Laodicea WILL BE made worthy or perish forever Laodicea is the lukewarm church the five foolish virgins with no oil in their lamps This is why they are sent to buy from those who sell

Rev 1212 Therefore rejoice [ye] heavens and ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Rev 1213 para And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child] Rev 1214 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

Rev 1215 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood Rev 1216 And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth Rev 1217 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ

The marriage of the Lamb to the bride is the greatest love story ever To know how much God loves us we can read the scriptures especially in the Songs of Solomon How could we even think that there is not a rapture before the great tribulation Would any husband leave his wife to go through a horrendous ordeal to be beaten murdered and raped God gave us marriage to teach us about love and how to love even though our love is mostly carnal I believe the Feast of Trumpets is all about this kind of love The wedding theme is prevalent through ancient and modern Israeli and Judean marriage traditions You can read more about Jewish wedding tradition on your own There is plenty of information on the web

Eph 525 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it

2Cr 112 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ

Rom 74 Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another [even] to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God

Jhn 142 In my Fathers house are many mansions if [it were] not [so] I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you Jhn 143 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

The love (agape) of God when bestowed upon us allows God to live in our heart (Rev 320) The word ldquowill suprdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G1172 - deipneō δειπνέω

Transliterationdeipneō

Pronunciationdāp-ne-ō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From δεῖπνον (G1173) TDNT Reference234143

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to sup

Once Christ and the Father come inside of our heart we will share a most intimate and blissful intercourse The meaning of the word intercourse here does not imply sexual relations but rather an interchange of thoughts feelings emotional responses etc The word ldquosuprdquo is also being symbolically used to represent the Messiahrsquos feast which symbolizes salvation in the kingdom Godrsquos love is extraordinary because He deals with us even though we trespass against His laws every day I have watched God orchestrate circumstances in my life and the lives of others to open our eyes to His understand and wisdom

Ephesians 317-19 ndash NLT ndash And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him May your roots go down deep into the soil of Godrsquos marvelous love And may you have the power to understand as all Godrsquos people should how wide how long how high and how deep His love really is May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

If we are honest with ourselves we can surely know just how HARD it is to find love REAL LOVE We look everywhere but from the source of where love comes from No one ever stops to think of who the author of real love is and that included me I could not understand this until I basically threw everything that I thought I loved out of my life Yes even my family I threw out all my expectations of what I thought love should be and God began to show me a greater love that I could not comprehend at first His love was so overwhelming to me I immediately knew why no flesh can stand before the Father and live God is a consuming fire God is love ldquoIts difficult for us to even fathom a Love like this let alone produce it in our own strength And the reason is this kind of Love is supernatural It originates in the heart of God and just keeps on coming no matter what the one being loved does or doesnt do This kind of Love never stops flowing In other words there are no conditions or stipulations which would cause real Love to ceaserdquo (Missler) Once we begin this journey a literal stepping out in faith God begins to show us the adventure that really is in life

Gods Love therefore is not a human love but in fact is completely opposite Our natural human love (the love we were born with) will always be a conditional love that is dependent upon three things how we feel what our circumstances are and how that other person responds to us In other words natural love will always seek the good of itself and not the other person and will always be based upon certain reciprocal expectations Ill love you if youll love me But if you stop loving me I will stop loving you This is why CS Lewis calls natural human love a need love In other words we need something from the one we love

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

[paralambano] you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also Youngs Literal translation reads as follows

Matt 2440 Then two men shall be in the field the one is received [paralambano] and the one is left 41 two women shall be grinding in the mill one is received [paralambano] and one is left

It has been noted that paralambano does not necessarily signify the rapture because the word was used negatively since it is used to describe how Jesus was arrested in Mat 2727 However harpazo which is the rapture word used in 1 Thess 417 is also used to describe Pauls arrest in Act 2310 Since Pauls arrest could not be used to prove that harpazo is not a rapture word then Jesusrsquo arrest cannot be used to prove that paralambano is not a rapture word In fact the use of paralambano to signify an arrest or seizing signifies that the word is a more appropriate not less appropriate word for rapture The fact that paralambano is used to describe an arrest as harpazo does means that the word is very similar to harpazo the word for rapture The rapture is when Jesus will paralambano us or harpazo us or rapture us which is to say he will seize us and take us away by force (2 Hommel)

It is often argued against the pre tribulation rapture that Philip was only moved to a different part of the Earth and that is the real meaning of Strongrsquos G726 harpazo This way of thinking leads many Christianrsquos to believe that they will be taken to the place of safety in this same way Sadly many do not put the remnants of the Laodicean church in this light Therefore those whom are to be caught up will be whisked away to Petra or some similar place while the great tribulation engulfs the rest of the world

Act 839 And when they were come up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip that the eunuch saw him no more and he went on his way rejoicing

ALL views of the rapturecaught upresurrection occurs BEFORE the Day of the Lord Pre Mid Post tribulation viewpoints are all being debated because no one seems to have definitive proof WHEN Christ will reclaim or steal away His bride The proof is clear since prophecy is clear but all Christians are divided on this single doctrine because it has become the viewpoint among many to not research and find the truth I might also mention that it is not logical to get caught up in the air with Christ at the post-trib rapture only to come back down minutes later to land on the Mount of Olives Many cling to the fantasy that God can and will stop time at this point so the wedding feast can be held at that single moment This ridiculous fantasy is mind boggling because nowhere in scripture does God give any indication that He is going to stop time so that all His saints can celebrate the wedding feast together Post-trib doesnrsquot make sense Not to mention what and when does the 70th week of Daniel occur It goes against scripture that the 70th week will be done in time suspension

(Obviously the Post Tribulationists are afraid of the Rapture because this is the only way that that verse makes any sense Yes fear of the Lord is a good thing but you should not let it affect your theology to the point where you are praying

for the Lord to NOT come until after 7 years of tribulation Also being a post tribulationist if you disbelieve Christs ability to cleanse you of sin and believe you need further cleansing through tribulation being a post tribulation believer there is plenty of extra time to repent 7 years andor simply stand up for Christ and accept a beheading to achieve tribulation saint status which may give one a full license to sin all they want until that time since the immanency of the rapture which comes first is removed Perhaps the post tribulationists feel they deserve punishment for their sins because they have a hard time accepting the free gift of salvation through Christ Im speculating that IF the post tribulationist does really want to go through the tribulation Christ may let them After all one may be able to disobey when the trumpet call goes out to Come up here) (3 Hommel)

Though prophecy is not to be interpreted by any one individual I believe that each of us as an individual have our own personal relationship with God He knows where we stand with Him The choice God gives to us is quite clear to me It is these thoughts inside our brains that keep us from God and what He wills for us God does not want to see any of His children unnecessarily go through unneeded pain and suffering This can also be demonstrated by the monks and priests who cut their flesh (Mortification) to feel they are absolved from sin Paul proved to us through all his letters that the ldquoworkrdquo that we need to be done is on the inside of ourselves in our hearts Not with our bodies One can choose to go through the great tribulation because somewhere inside the inner talk within them is not clean Take for the example the law that was given to Moses

Mat 527 para Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time Thou shalt not commit adultery Mat 528 But I say unto you That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heartMat 529 And if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast [it] from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hellMat 530 And if thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast [it] from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell

The old laws have indeed changed but not in the way the modern Christians believe The old laws were NOT done away with at the Cross Christ did NOT nail them to the cross Godrsquos laws are alive and well TODAY (Psa 935 Your royal laws cannot be changed Your reign O LORD is holy forever and ever) Christ is rather showing us the ldquogrowthrdquo we need to be cultivating in our maturity into the GOD FAMILY To put it another way a infant drinks milk because it cannot handle digesting solid food but an adult eats solid food because its bodily system can handle the complex breakdown of protein by acids and enzymes One does NOT feed a two month old baby T-bone steak for dinner

The belief structure we hold within us is centered on the thoughts we entertain in our minds or inner life If we are constantly living in thoughts of ldquoI have to prepare for the tribulationrdquo ldquoI have to stock food and water because I wonrsquot be able to buy or sellrdquo ldquoI have to protect my familyrdquo Entertaining thoughts like this consistently shapes our lives into our perceived realities

We forget that God is in charge and He takes care of everything Remember what Christ said

Mat 633 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto youMat 634 Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof

How many times do we forget this fact Constantly The command is quite clear ndash SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD When we start to contemplate Godrsquos will and begin to make His will our own we become of like mind There is no fear in this mind Only perfect trust that God loves you more than you can know and that you can rely on Him for everything

The point of choosing thoughts about the rapture WILL make you to prepare for such an event Your focus is on this belief daily The point of the pre tribulation rapture is to be a comforting hope to the believer to teach us how to live in the NOW to remove the bride of Christ from the curse of the law and the seven year tribulation and to place our focus firmly on God which prepares the bride for departure God gave us this choice and I have come to understand this truth by following the Holy Spirit

Where is ldquorapturerdquo found in the Bible The word ldquorapturerdquo is not found in the King James Version of the Bible The Greek word for ldquorapturerdquo is the Strongrsquos word ndash Harpazo ndash G726 This is a part of doctrine Anyone who claims that this word is not in the Bible are desperately seeking to cast any doubt that they can find on this issue If one is honest with themselves they will realize that they are TRYING really hard to find any reason to NOT believe in the rapture These are also people who do not do the research They cling to whoever told them ldquothis is the way walk you in itrdquo Open your Bible and let the Holy Spirit led you into all truth Many people feel this way and it is because somewhere inside their minds and hearts they believe they MUST go through the great tribulation ldquoThey cannot admit even the possibility of a pre tribulation rapture because it is impossible for their spirit to admit itrdquo (1 Hommel) Confusing the meaning of words to even try to imply there is no pre tribulation rapture surely does not indicate a learned pupil (disciple) Indeed anyone who picks up their cross and follows Jesus Christ and does His will is a disciple Disciple means learner or pupil In the scriptures below ldquocaught uprdquo means to be seized or carried off by force There is no volunteering going on here God is coming like a thief in the night for His bride

2Cr 122 I knew 1492 a man 444 in 1722 Christ 5547 above 4253 0 fourteen 1180 years 2094 ago 4253 (whether 1535 in 1722 the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 or whether 1535 out 1622 of the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 God 2316 knoweth 1492) such an one 5108 caught up 726 to 2193 the third 5154 heaven 3772

2Cr 124 How that 3754 he was caught up 726 into 1519 paradise 3857 and 2532 heard 191 unspeakable 731 words 4487 which 3739 it is 1832 0 not 3756 lawful 1832 for a man 444 to utter 2980

1Th 417 Then 1899 we 2249 which 3588 are alive 2198 [and] remain 4035 shall be caught up 726 together 260 with 4862 them 846 in 1722 the clouds 3507 to 1519 meet 529 the Lord 2962 in 1519 the air 109 and 2532 so 3779 shall we 2071 0 ever 3842 be 2071 with 4862 the Lord 2962 Rev 125 And 2532 she brought forth 5088 a man 730 child 5207 who 3739 was 3195 to rule 4165 all 3956

nations 1484 with 1722 a rod 4464 of iron 4603 and 2532 her 846 child 5043 was caught up 726 unto 4314 God 2316 and 2532 [to] his 846 throne 2362

Lexicon Results Strongs G726 - harpazō ἁρπάζω

Transliterationharpazō

Pronunciationhaumlr-pauml-zō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From a derivative of αἱρέω (G138) TDNT Reference147280

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to seize carry off by force2) to seize on claim for ones self eagerly3) to snatch out or away

For those whom believe that they will be taken to a place of safety during the great trib you could possibly be right but yoursquore STILL a Laodicean and you will have to go through the refinerrsquos fire Those who get raptured have become worthy to escape ALL these things (Luke 2136) Those who will be raptured will be going to heaven for seven years to be hidden They made themselves ready and prepared to be with Christ (Rev 197) The last church wasis not yet worthy but can become worthy through the fire Compare these two scriptures

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the

Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of GodRev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth Rev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and nakedRev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see Rev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent Rev 320 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Rev 321 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne

Revelation chapter twelve is a synopsis or condensed statement giving an overall view of a subject which in this chapter is of what is to befall the church just before and during the great tribulation Revelation chapter twelve shows us that after the ldquomanchildrdquo is raptured then archangel Michael and his angels fight against the dragon and his angels This war in heaven results in Michael casting Satan and his angels out of heaven forever It is my personal belief that the very act of the rapture of the manchild is what sends Satan and his angels into a fury which causes an instant battle in heaven There are numerous scriptures that show this battle and what will happen (future tense) in heaven (Isa 1412-14 amp 344 5 Dan 89-12 25 Rev 124 etc) Remember Satan still has access to heaven in our twenty-first century time now (Rev 1210 accuser of the brethren) but after this second and final war in heaven Satan and his angels will never again enter heaven

Satan falls to Earth with his outcast angelic host then Satan turns to the woman who gave birth to the manchild and his anger is unleashed Laodicea the last church is the woman who is running into the wilderness but is still protected of God This is the ldquoplace of safetyrdquo many church goers cling to as their source of comfort To me this is not much comfort They have missed the whole idea of the manchild and that God raised the manchild up from inside the woman (church) to be His very own (Isa 665-9) Isa 665 is literally talking about the woman (church) kicking out its own people whom God placed in His church but at the pre tribulation rapture He shall appear to our joy and they will be ashamed Laodicea WILL BE made worthy or perish forever Laodicea is the lukewarm church the five foolish virgins with no oil in their lamps This is why they are sent to buy from those who sell

Rev 1212 Therefore rejoice [ye] heavens and ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Rev 1213 para And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child] Rev 1214 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

Rev 1215 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood Rev 1216 And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth Rev 1217 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ

The marriage of the Lamb to the bride is the greatest love story ever To know how much God loves us we can read the scriptures especially in the Songs of Solomon How could we even think that there is not a rapture before the great tribulation Would any husband leave his wife to go through a horrendous ordeal to be beaten murdered and raped God gave us marriage to teach us about love and how to love even though our love is mostly carnal I believe the Feast of Trumpets is all about this kind of love The wedding theme is prevalent through ancient and modern Israeli and Judean marriage traditions You can read more about Jewish wedding tradition on your own There is plenty of information on the web

Eph 525 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it

2Cr 112 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ

Rom 74 Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another [even] to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God

Jhn 142 In my Fathers house are many mansions if [it were] not [so] I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you Jhn 143 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

The love (agape) of God when bestowed upon us allows God to live in our heart (Rev 320) The word ldquowill suprdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G1172 - deipneō δειπνέω

Transliterationdeipneō

Pronunciationdāp-ne-ō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From δεῖπνον (G1173) TDNT Reference234143

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to sup

Once Christ and the Father come inside of our heart we will share a most intimate and blissful intercourse The meaning of the word intercourse here does not imply sexual relations but rather an interchange of thoughts feelings emotional responses etc The word ldquosuprdquo is also being symbolically used to represent the Messiahrsquos feast which symbolizes salvation in the kingdom Godrsquos love is extraordinary because He deals with us even though we trespass against His laws every day I have watched God orchestrate circumstances in my life and the lives of others to open our eyes to His understand and wisdom

Ephesians 317-19 ndash NLT ndash And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him May your roots go down deep into the soil of Godrsquos marvelous love And may you have the power to understand as all Godrsquos people should how wide how long how high and how deep His love really is May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

If we are honest with ourselves we can surely know just how HARD it is to find love REAL LOVE We look everywhere but from the source of where love comes from No one ever stops to think of who the author of real love is and that included me I could not understand this until I basically threw everything that I thought I loved out of my life Yes even my family I threw out all my expectations of what I thought love should be and God began to show me a greater love that I could not comprehend at first His love was so overwhelming to me I immediately knew why no flesh can stand before the Father and live God is a consuming fire God is love ldquoIts difficult for us to even fathom a Love like this let alone produce it in our own strength And the reason is this kind of Love is supernatural It originates in the heart of God and just keeps on coming no matter what the one being loved does or doesnt do This kind of Love never stops flowing In other words there are no conditions or stipulations which would cause real Love to ceaserdquo (Missler) Once we begin this journey a literal stepping out in faith God begins to show us the adventure that really is in life

Gods Love therefore is not a human love but in fact is completely opposite Our natural human love (the love we were born with) will always be a conditional love that is dependent upon three things how we feel what our circumstances are and how that other person responds to us In other words natural love will always seek the good of itself and not the other person and will always be based upon certain reciprocal expectations Ill love you if youll love me But if you stop loving me I will stop loving you This is why CS Lewis calls natural human love a need love In other words we need something from the one we love

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

for the Lord to NOT come until after 7 years of tribulation Also being a post tribulationist if you disbelieve Christs ability to cleanse you of sin and believe you need further cleansing through tribulation being a post tribulation believer there is plenty of extra time to repent 7 years andor simply stand up for Christ and accept a beheading to achieve tribulation saint status which may give one a full license to sin all they want until that time since the immanency of the rapture which comes first is removed Perhaps the post tribulationists feel they deserve punishment for their sins because they have a hard time accepting the free gift of salvation through Christ Im speculating that IF the post tribulationist does really want to go through the tribulation Christ may let them After all one may be able to disobey when the trumpet call goes out to Come up here) (3 Hommel)

Though prophecy is not to be interpreted by any one individual I believe that each of us as an individual have our own personal relationship with God He knows where we stand with Him The choice God gives to us is quite clear to me It is these thoughts inside our brains that keep us from God and what He wills for us God does not want to see any of His children unnecessarily go through unneeded pain and suffering This can also be demonstrated by the monks and priests who cut their flesh (Mortification) to feel they are absolved from sin Paul proved to us through all his letters that the ldquoworkrdquo that we need to be done is on the inside of ourselves in our hearts Not with our bodies One can choose to go through the great tribulation because somewhere inside the inner talk within them is not clean Take for the example the law that was given to Moses

Mat 527 para Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time Thou shalt not commit adultery Mat 528 But I say unto you That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heartMat 529 And if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast [it] from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hellMat 530 And if thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast [it] from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell

The old laws have indeed changed but not in the way the modern Christians believe The old laws were NOT done away with at the Cross Christ did NOT nail them to the cross Godrsquos laws are alive and well TODAY (Psa 935 Your royal laws cannot be changed Your reign O LORD is holy forever and ever) Christ is rather showing us the ldquogrowthrdquo we need to be cultivating in our maturity into the GOD FAMILY To put it another way a infant drinks milk because it cannot handle digesting solid food but an adult eats solid food because its bodily system can handle the complex breakdown of protein by acids and enzymes One does NOT feed a two month old baby T-bone steak for dinner

The belief structure we hold within us is centered on the thoughts we entertain in our minds or inner life If we are constantly living in thoughts of ldquoI have to prepare for the tribulationrdquo ldquoI have to stock food and water because I wonrsquot be able to buy or sellrdquo ldquoI have to protect my familyrdquo Entertaining thoughts like this consistently shapes our lives into our perceived realities

We forget that God is in charge and He takes care of everything Remember what Christ said

Mat 633 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto youMat 634 Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof

How many times do we forget this fact Constantly The command is quite clear ndash SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD When we start to contemplate Godrsquos will and begin to make His will our own we become of like mind There is no fear in this mind Only perfect trust that God loves you more than you can know and that you can rely on Him for everything

The point of choosing thoughts about the rapture WILL make you to prepare for such an event Your focus is on this belief daily The point of the pre tribulation rapture is to be a comforting hope to the believer to teach us how to live in the NOW to remove the bride of Christ from the curse of the law and the seven year tribulation and to place our focus firmly on God which prepares the bride for departure God gave us this choice and I have come to understand this truth by following the Holy Spirit

Where is ldquorapturerdquo found in the Bible The word ldquorapturerdquo is not found in the King James Version of the Bible The Greek word for ldquorapturerdquo is the Strongrsquos word ndash Harpazo ndash G726 This is a part of doctrine Anyone who claims that this word is not in the Bible are desperately seeking to cast any doubt that they can find on this issue If one is honest with themselves they will realize that they are TRYING really hard to find any reason to NOT believe in the rapture These are also people who do not do the research They cling to whoever told them ldquothis is the way walk you in itrdquo Open your Bible and let the Holy Spirit led you into all truth Many people feel this way and it is because somewhere inside their minds and hearts they believe they MUST go through the great tribulation ldquoThey cannot admit even the possibility of a pre tribulation rapture because it is impossible for their spirit to admit itrdquo (1 Hommel) Confusing the meaning of words to even try to imply there is no pre tribulation rapture surely does not indicate a learned pupil (disciple) Indeed anyone who picks up their cross and follows Jesus Christ and does His will is a disciple Disciple means learner or pupil In the scriptures below ldquocaught uprdquo means to be seized or carried off by force There is no volunteering going on here God is coming like a thief in the night for His bride

2Cr 122 I knew 1492 a man 444 in 1722 Christ 5547 above 4253 0 fourteen 1180 years 2094 ago 4253 (whether 1535 in 1722 the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 or whether 1535 out 1622 of the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 God 2316 knoweth 1492) such an one 5108 caught up 726 to 2193 the third 5154 heaven 3772

2Cr 124 How that 3754 he was caught up 726 into 1519 paradise 3857 and 2532 heard 191 unspeakable 731 words 4487 which 3739 it is 1832 0 not 3756 lawful 1832 for a man 444 to utter 2980

1Th 417 Then 1899 we 2249 which 3588 are alive 2198 [and] remain 4035 shall be caught up 726 together 260 with 4862 them 846 in 1722 the clouds 3507 to 1519 meet 529 the Lord 2962 in 1519 the air 109 and 2532 so 3779 shall we 2071 0 ever 3842 be 2071 with 4862 the Lord 2962 Rev 125 And 2532 she brought forth 5088 a man 730 child 5207 who 3739 was 3195 to rule 4165 all 3956

nations 1484 with 1722 a rod 4464 of iron 4603 and 2532 her 846 child 5043 was caught up 726 unto 4314 God 2316 and 2532 [to] his 846 throne 2362

Lexicon Results Strongs G726 - harpazō ἁρπάζω

Transliterationharpazō

Pronunciationhaumlr-pauml-zō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From a derivative of αἱρέω (G138) TDNT Reference147280

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to seize carry off by force2) to seize on claim for ones self eagerly3) to snatch out or away

For those whom believe that they will be taken to a place of safety during the great trib you could possibly be right but yoursquore STILL a Laodicean and you will have to go through the refinerrsquos fire Those who get raptured have become worthy to escape ALL these things (Luke 2136) Those who will be raptured will be going to heaven for seven years to be hidden They made themselves ready and prepared to be with Christ (Rev 197) The last church wasis not yet worthy but can become worthy through the fire Compare these two scriptures

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the

Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of GodRev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth Rev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and nakedRev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see Rev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent Rev 320 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Rev 321 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne

Revelation chapter twelve is a synopsis or condensed statement giving an overall view of a subject which in this chapter is of what is to befall the church just before and during the great tribulation Revelation chapter twelve shows us that after the ldquomanchildrdquo is raptured then archangel Michael and his angels fight against the dragon and his angels This war in heaven results in Michael casting Satan and his angels out of heaven forever It is my personal belief that the very act of the rapture of the manchild is what sends Satan and his angels into a fury which causes an instant battle in heaven There are numerous scriptures that show this battle and what will happen (future tense) in heaven (Isa 1412-14 amp 344 5 Dan 89-12 25 Rev 124 etc) Remember Satan still has access to heaven in our twenty-first century time now (Rev 1210 accuser of the brethren) but after this second and final war in heaven Satan and his angels will never again enter heaven

Satan falls to Earth with his outcast angelic host then Satan turns to the woman who gave birth to the manchild and his anger is unleashed Laodicea the last church is the woman who is running into the wilderness but is still protected of God This is the ldquoplace of safetyrdquo many church goers cling to as their source of comfort To me this is not much comfort They have missed the whole idea of the manchild and that God raised the manchild up from inside the woman (church) to be His very own (Isa 665-9) Isa 665 is literally talking about the woman (church) kicking out its own people whom God placed in His church but at the pre tribulation rapture He shall appear to our joy and they will be ashamed Laodicea WILL BE made worthy or perish forever Laodicea is the lukewarm church the five foolish virgins with no oil in their lamps This is why they are sent to buy from those who sell

Rev 1212 Therefore rejoice [ye] heavens and ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Rev 1213 para And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child] Rev 1214 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

Rev 1215 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood Rev 1216 And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth Rev 1217 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ

The marriage of the Lamb to the bride is the greatest love story ever To know how much God loves us we can read the scriptures especially in the Songs of Solomon How could we even think that there is not a rapture before the great tribulation Would any husband leave his wife to go through a horrendous ordeal to be beaten murdered and raped God gave us marriage to teach us about love and how to love even though our love is mostly carnal I believe the Feast of Trumpets is all about this kind of love The wedding theme is prevalent through ancient and modern Israeli and Judean marriage traditions You can read more about Jewish wedding tradition on your own There is plenty of information on the web

Eph 525 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it

2Cr 112 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ

Rom 74 Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another [even] to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God

Jhn 142 In my Fathers house are many mansions if [it were] not [so] I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you Jhn 143 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

The love (agape) of God when bestowed upon us allows God to live in our heart (Rev 320) The word ldquowill suprdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G1172 - deipneō δειπνέω

Transliterationdeipneō

Pronunciationdāp-ne-ō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From δεῖπνον (G1173) TDNT Reference234143

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to sup

Once Christ and the Father come inside of our heart we will share a most intimate and blissful intercourse The meaning of the word intercourse here does not imply sexual relations but rather an interchange of thoughts feelings emotional responses etc The word ldquosuprdquo is also being symbolically used to represent the Messiahrsquos feast which symbolizes salvation in the kingdom Godrsquos love is extraordinary because He deals with us even though we trespass against His laws every day I have watched God orchestrate circumstances in my life and the lives of others to open our eyes to His understand and wisdom

Ephesians 317-19 ndash NLT ndash And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him May your roots go down deep into the soil of Godrsquos marvelous love And may you have the power to understand as all Godrsquos people should how wide how long how high and how deep His love really is May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

If we are honest with ourselves we can surely know just how HARD it is to find love REAL LOVE We look everywhere but from the source of where love comes from No one ever stops to think of who the author of real love is and that included me I could not understand this until I basically threw everything that I thought I loved out of my life Yes even my family I threw out all my expectations of what I thought love should be and God began to show me a greater love that I could not comprehend at first His love was so overwhelming to me I immediately knew why no flesh can stand before the Father and live God is a consuming fire God is love ldquoIts difficult for us to even fathom a Love like this let alone produce it in our own strength And the reason is this kind of Love is supernatural It originates in the heart of God and just keeps on coming no matter what the one being loved does or doesnt do This kind of Love never stops flowing In other words there are no conditions or stipulations which would cause real Love to ceaserdquo (Missler) Once we begin this journey a literal stepping out in faith God begins to show us the adventure that really is in life

Gods Love therefore is not a human love but in fact is completely opposite Our natural human love (the love we were born with) will always be a conditional love that is dependent upon three things how we feel what our circumstances are and how that other person responds to us In other words natural love will always seek the good of itself and not the other person and will always be based upon certain reciprocal expectations Ill love you if youll love me But if you stop loving me I will stop loving you This is why CS Lewis calls natural human love a need love In other words we need something from the one we love

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

We forget that God is in charge and He takes care of everything Remember what Christ said

Mat 633 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto youMat 634 Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof

How many times do we forget this fact Constantly The command is quite clear ndash SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD When we start to contemplate Godrsquos will and begin to make His will our own we become of like mind There is no fear in this mind Only perfect trust that God loves you more than you can know and that you can rely on Him for everything

The point of choosing thoughts about the rapture WILL make you to prepare for such an event Your focus is on this belief daily The point of the pre tribulation rapture is to be a comforting hope to the believer to teach us how to live in the NOW to remove the bride of Christ from the curse of the law and the seven year tribulation and to place our focus firmly on God which prepares the bride for departure God gave us this choice and I have come to understand this truth by following the Holy Spirit

Where is ldquorapturerdquo found in the Bible The word ldquorapturerdquo is not found in the King James Version of the Bible The Greek word for ldquorapturerdquo is the Strongrsquos word ndash Harpazo ndash G726 This is a part of doctrine Anyone who claims that this word is not in the Bible are desperately seeking to cast any doubt that they can find on this issue If one is honest with themselves they will realize that they are TRYING really hard to find any reason to NOT believe in the rapture These are also people who do not do the research They cling to whoever told them ldquothis is the way walk you in itrdquo Open your Bible and let the Holy Spirit led you into all truth Many people feel this way and it is because somewhere inside their minds and hearts they believe they MUST go through the great tribulation ldquoThey cannot admit even the possibility of a pre tribulation rapture because it is impossible for their spirit to admit itrdquo (1 Hommel) Confusing the meaning of words to even try to imply there is no pre tribulation rapture surely does not indicate a learned pupil (disciple) Indeed anyone who picks up their cross and follows Jesus Christ and does His will is a disciple Disciple means learner or pupil In the scriptures below ldquocaught uprdquo means to be seized or carried off by force There is no volunteering going on here God is coming like a thief in the night for His bride

2Cr 122 I knew 1492 a man 444 in 1722 Christ 5547 above 4253 0 fourteen 1180 years 2094 ago 4253 (whether 1535 in 1722 the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 or whether 1535 out 1622 of the body 4983 I cannot 3756 tell 1492 God 2316 knoweth 1492) such an one 5108 caught up 726 to 2193 the third 5154 heaven 3772

2Cr 124 How that 3754 he was caught up 726 into 1519 paradise 3857 and 2532 heard 191 unspeakable 731 words 4487 which 3739 it is 1832 0 not 3756 lawful 1832 for a man 444 to utter 2980

1Th 417 Then 1899 we 2249 which 3588 are alive 2198 [and] remain 4035 shall be caught up 726 together 260 with 4862 them 846 in 1722 the clouds 3507 to 1519 meet 529 the Lord 2962 in 1519 the air 109 and 2532 so 3779 shall we 2071 0 ever 3842 be 2071 with 4862 the Lord 2962 Rev 125 And 2532 she brought forth 5088 a man 730 child 5207 who 3739 was 3195 to rule 4165 all 3956

nations 1484 with 1722 a rod 4464 of iron 4603 and 2532 her 846 child 5043 was caught up 726 unto 4314 God 2316 and 2532 [to] his 846 throne 2362

Lexicon Results Strongs G726 - harpazō ἁρπάζω

Transliterationharpazō

Pronunciationhaumlr-pauml-zō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From a derivative of αἱρέω (G138) TDNT Reference147280

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to seize carry off by force2) to seize on claim for ones self eagerly3) to snatch out or away

For those whom believe that they will be taken to a place of safety during the great trib you could possibly be right but yoursquore STILL a Laodicean and you will have to go through the refinerrsquos fire Those who get raptured have become worthy to escape ALL these things (Luke 2136) Those who will be raptured will be going to heaven for seven years to be hidden They made themselves ready and prepared to be with Christ (Rev 197) The last church wasis not yet worthy but can become worthy through the fire Compare these two scriptures

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the

Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of GodRev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth Rev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and nakedRev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see Rev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent Rev 320 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Rev 321 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne

Revelation chapter twelve is a synopsis or condensed statement giving an overall view of a subject which in this chapter is of what is to befall the church just before and during the great tribulation Revelation chapter twelve shows us that after the ldquomanchildrdquo is raptured then archangel Michael and his angels fight against the dragon and his angels This war in heaven results in Michael casting Satan and his angels out of heaven forever It is my personal belief that the very act of the rapture of the manchild is what sends Satan and his angels into a fury which causes an instant battle in heaven There are numerous scriptures that show this battle and what will happen (future tense) in heaven (Isa 1412-14 amp 344 5 Dan 89-12 25 Rev 124 etc) Remember Satan still has access to heaven in our twenty-first century time now (Rev 1210 accuser of the brethren) but after this second and final war in heaven Satan and his angels will never again enter heaven

Satan falls to Earth with his outcast angelic host then Satan turns to the woman who gave birth to the manchild and his anger is unleashed Laodicea the last church is the woman who is running into the wilderness but is still protected of God This is the ldquoplace of safetyrdquo many church goers cling to as their source of comfort To me this is not much comfort They have missed the whole idea of the manchild and that God raised the manchild up from inside the woman (church) to be His very own (Isa 665-9) Isa 665 is literally talking about the woman (church) kicking out its own people whom God placed in His church but at the pre tribulation rapture He shall appear to our joy and they will be ashamed Laodicea WILL BE made worthy or perish forever Laodicea is the lukewarm church the five foolish virgins with no oil in their lamps This is why they are sent to buy from those who sell

Rev 1212 Therefore rejoice [ye] heavens and ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Rev 1213 para And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child] Rev 1214 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

Rev 1215 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood Rev 1216 And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth Rev 1217 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ

The marriage of the Lamb to the bride is the greatest love story ever To know how much God loves us we can read the scriptures especially in the Songs of Solomon How could we even think that there is not a rapture before the great tribulation Would any husband leave his wife to go through a horrendous ordeal to be beaten murdered and raped God gave us marriage to teach us about love and how to love even though our love is mostly carnal I believe the Feast of Trumpets is all about this kind of love The wedding theme is prevalent through ancient and modern Israeli and Judean marriage traditions You can read more about Jewish wedding tradition on your own There is plenty of information on the web

Eph 525 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it

2Cr 112 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ

Rom 74 Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another [even] to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God

Jhn 142 In my Fathers house are many mansions if [it were] not [so] I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you Jhn 143 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

The love (agape) of God when bestowed upon us allows God to live in our heart (Rev 320) The word ldquowill suprdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G1172 - deipneō δειπνέω

Transliterationdeipneō

Pronunciationdāp-ne-ō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From δεῖπνον (G1173) TDNT Reference234143

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to sup

Once Christ and the Father come inside of our heart we will share a most intimate and blissful intercourse The meaning of the word intercourse here does not imply sexual relations but rather an interchange of thoughts feelings emotional responses etc The word ldquosuprdquo is also being symbolically used to represent the Messiahrsquos feast which symbolizes salvation in the kingdom Godrsquos love is extraordinary because He deals with us even though we trespass against His laws every day I have watched God orchestrate circumstances in my life and the lives of others to open our eyes to His understand and wisdom

Ephesians 317-19 ndash NLT ndash And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him May your roots go down deep into the soil of Godrsquos marvelous love And may you have the power to understand as all Godrsquos people should how wide how long how high and how deep His love really is May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

If we are honest with ourselves we can surely know just how HARD it is to find love REAL LOVE We look everywhere but from the source of where love comes from No one ever stops to think of who the author of real love is and that included me I could not understand this until I basically threw everything that I thought I loved out of my life Yes even my family I threw out all my expectations of what I thought love should be and God began to show me a greater love that I could not comprehend at first His love was so overwhelming to me I immediately knew why no flesh can stand before the Father and live God is a consuming fire God is love ldquoIts difficult for us to even fathom a Love like this let alone produce it in our own strength And the reason is this kind of Love is supernatural It originates in the heart of God and just keeps on coming no matter what the one being loved does or doesnt do This kind of Love never stops flowing In other words there are no conditions or stipulations which would cause real Love to ceaserdquo (Missler) Once we begin this journey a literal stepping out in faith God begins to show us the adventure that really is in life

Gods Love therefore is not a human love but in fact is completely opposite Our natural human love (the love we were born with) will always be a conditional love that is dependent upon three things how we feel what our circumstances are and how that other person responds to us In other words natural love will always seek the good of itself and not the other person and will always be based upon certain reciprocal expectations Ill love you if youll love me But if you stop loving me I will stop loving you This is why CS Lewis calls natural human love a need love In other words we need something from the one we love

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

nations 1484 with 1722 a rod 4464 of iron 4603 and 2532 her 846 child 5043 was caught up 726 unto 4314 God 2316 and 2532 [to] his 846 throne 2362

Lexicon Results Strongs G726 - harpazō ἁρπάζω

Transliterationharpazō

Pronunciationhaumlr-pauml-zō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From a derivative of αἱρέω (G138) TDNT Reference147280

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to seize carry off by force2) to seize on claim for ones self eagerly3) to snatch out or away

For those whom believe that they will be taken to a place of safety during the great trib you could possibly be right but yoursquore STILL a Laodicean and you will have to go through the refinerrsquos fire Those who get raptured have become worthy to escape ALL these things (Luke 2136) Those who will be raptured will be going to heaven for seven years to be hidden They made themselves ready and prepared to be with Christ (Rev 197) The last church wasis not yet worthy but can become worthy through the fire Compare these two scriptures

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the

Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of GodRev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth Rev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and nakedRev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see Rev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent Rev 320 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Rev 321 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne

Revelation chapter twelve is a synopsis or condensed statement giving an overall view of a subject which in this chapter is of what is to befall the church just before and during the great tribulation Revelation chapter twelve shows us that after the ldquomanchildrdquo is raptured then archangel Michael and his angels fight against the dragon and his angels This war in heaven results in Michael casting Satan and his angels out of heaven forever It is my personal belief that the very act of the rapture of the manchild is what sends Satan and his angels into a fury which causes an instant battle in heaven There are numerous scriptures that show this battle and what will happen (future tense) in heaven (Isa 1412-14 amp 344 5 Dan 89-12 25 Rev 124 etc) Remember Satan still has access to heaven in our twenty-first century time now (Rev 1210 accuser of the brethren) but after this second and final war in heaven Satan and his angels will never again enter heaven

Satan falls to Earth with his outcast angelic host then Satan turns to the woman who gave birth to the manchild and his anger is unleashed Laodicea the last church is the woman who is running into the wilderness but is still protected of God This is the ldquoplace of safetyrdquo many church goers cling to as their source of comfort To me this is not much comfort They have missed the whole idea of the manchild and that God raised the manchild up from inside the woman (church) to be His very own (Isa 665-9) Isa 665 is literally talking about the woman (church) kicking out its own people whom God placed in His church but at the pre tribulation rapture He shall appear to our joy and they will be ashamed Laodicea WILL BE made worthy or perish forever Laodicea is the lukewarm church the five foolish virgins with no oil in their lamps This is why they are sent to buy from those who sell

Rev 1212 Therefore rejoice [ye] heavens and ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Rev 1213 para And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child] Rev 1214 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

Rev 1215 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood Rev 1216 And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth Rev 1217 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ

The marriage of the Lamb to the bride is the greatest love story ever To know how much God loves us we can read the scriptures especially in the Songs of Solomon How could we even think that there is not a rapture before the great tribulation Would any husband leave his wife to go through a horrendous ordeal to be beaten murdered and raped God gave us marriage to teach us about love and how to love even though our love is mostly carnal I believe the Feast of Trumpets is all about this kind of love The wedding theme is prevalent through ancient and modern Israeli and Judean marriage traditions You can read more about Jewish wedding tradition on your own There is plenty of information on the web

Eph 525 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it

2Cr 112 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ

Rom 74 Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another [even] to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God

Jhn 142 In my Fathers house are many mansions if [it were] not [so] I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you Jhn 143 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

The love (agape) of God when bestowed upon us allows God to live in our heart (Rev 320) The word ldquowill suprdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G1172 - deipneō δειπνέω

Transliterationdeipneō

Pronunciationdāp-ne-ō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From δεῖπνον (G1173) TDNT Reference234143

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to sup

Once Christ and the Father come inside of our heart we will share a most intimate and blissful intercourse The meaning of the word intercourse here does not imply sexual relations but rather an interchange of thoughts feelings emotional responses etc The word ldquosuprdquo is also being symbolically used to represent the Messiahrsquos feast which symbolizes salvation in the kingdom Godrsquos love is extraordinary because He deals with us even though we trespass against His laws every day I have watched God orchestrate circumstances in my life and the lives of others to open our eyes to His understand and wisdom

Ephesians 317-19 ndash NLT ndash And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him May your roots go down deep into the soil of Godrsquos marvelous love And may you have the power to understand as all Godrsquos people should how wide how long how high and how deep His love really is May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

If we are honest with ourselves we can surely know just how HARD it is to find love REAL LOVE We look everywhere but from the source of where love comes from No one ever stops to think of who the author of real love is and that included me I could not understand this until I basically threw everything that I thought I loved out of my life Yes even my family I threw out all my expectations of what I thought love should be and God began to show me a greater love that I could not comprehend at first His love was so overwhelming to me I immediately knew why no flesh can stand before the Father and live God is a consuming fire God is love ldquoIts difficult for us to even fathom a Love like this let alone produce it in our own strength And the reason is this kind of Love is supernatural It originates in the heart of God and just keeps on coming no matter what the one being loved does or doesnt do This kind of Love never stops flowing In other words there are no conditions or stipulations which would cause real Love to ceaserdquo (Missler) Once we begin this journey a literal stepping out in faith God begins to show us the adventure that really is in life

Gods Love therefore is not a human love but in fact is completely opposite Our natural human love (the love we were born with) will always be a conditional love that is dependent upon three things how we feel what our circumstances are and how that other person responds to us In other words natural love will always seek the good of itself and not the other person and will always be based upon certain reciprocal expectations Ill love you if youll love me But if you stop loving me I will stop loving you This is why CS Lewis calls natural human love a need love In other words we need something from the one we love

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of GodRev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouth Rev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and nakedRev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see Rev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent Rev 320 Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Rev 321 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne

Revelation chapter twelve is a synopsis or condensed statement giving an overall view of a subject which in this chapter is of what is to befall the church just before and during the great tribulation Revelation chapter twelve shows us that after the ldquomanchildrdquo is raptured then archangel Michael and his angels fight against the dragon and his angels This war in heaven results in Michael casting Satan and his angels out of heaven forever It is my personal belief that the very act of the rapture of the manchild is what sends Satan and his angels into a fury which causes an instant battle in heaven There are numerous scriptures that show this battle and what will happen (future tense) in heaven (Isa 1412-14 amp 344 5 Dan 89-12 25 Rev 124 etc) Remember Satan still has access to heaven in our twenty-first century time now (Rev 1210 accuser of the brethren) but after this second and final war in heaven Satan and his angels will never again enter heaven

Satan falls to Earth with his outcast angelic host then Satan turns to the woman who gave birth to the manchild and his anger is unleashed Laodicea the last church is the woman who is running into the wilderness but is still protected of God This is the ldquoplace of safetyrdquo many church goers cling to as their source of comfort To me this is not much comfort They have missed the whole idea of the manchild and that God raised the manchild up from inside the woman (church) to be His very own (Isa 665-9) Isa 665 is literally talking about the woman (church) kicking out its own people whom God placed in His church but at the pre tribulation rapture He shall appear to our joy and they will be ashamed Laodicea WILL BE made worthy or perish forever Laodicea is the lukewarm church the five foolish virgins with no oil in their lamps This is why they are sent to buy from those who sell

Rev 1212 Therefore rejoice [ye] heavens and ye that dwell in them Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Rev 1213 para And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child] Rev 1214 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

Rev 1215 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood Rev 1216 And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth Rev 1217 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ

The marriage of the Lamb to the bride is the greatest love story ever To know how much God loves us we can read the scriptures especially in the Songs of Solomon How could we even think that there is not a rapture before the great tribulation Would any husband leave his wife to go through a horrendous ordeal to be beaten murdered and raped God gave us marriage to teach us about love and how to love even though our love is mostly carnal I believe the Feast of Trumpets is all about this kind of love The wedding theme is prevalent through ancient and modern Israeli and Judean marriage traditions You can read more about Jewish wedding tradition on your own There is plenty of information on the web

Eph 525 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it

2Cr 112 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ

Rom 74 Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another [even] to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God

Jhn 142 In my Fathers house are many mansions if [it were] not [so] I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you Jhn 143 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

The love (agape) of God when bestowed upon us allows God to live in our heart (Rev 320) The word ldquowill suprdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G1172 - deipneō δειπνέω

Transliterationdeipneō

Pronunciationdāp-ne-ō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From δεῖπνον (G1173) TDNT Reference234143

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to sup

Once Christ and the Father come inside of our heart we will share a most intimate and blissful intercourse The meaning of the word intercourse here does not imply sexual relations but rather an interchange of thoughts feelings emotional responses etc The word ldquosuprdquo is also being symbolically used to represent the Messiahrsquos feast which symbolizes salvation in the kingdom Godrsquos love is extraordinary because He deals with us even though we trespass against His laws every day I have watched God orchestrate circumstances in my life and the lives of others to open our eyes to His understand and wisdom

Ephesians 317-19 ndash NLT ndash And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him May your roots go down deep into the soil of Godrsquos marvelous love And may you have the power to understand as all Godrsquos people should how wide how long how high and how deep His love really is May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

If we are honest with ourselves we can surely know just how HARD it is to find love REAL LOVE We look everywhere but from the source of where love comes from No one ever stops to think of who the author of real love is and that included me I could not understand this until I basically threw everything that I thought I loved out of my life Yes even my family I threw out all my expectations of what I thought love should be and God began to show me a greater love that I could not comprehend at first His love was so overwhelming to me I immediately knew why no flesh can stand before the Father and live God is a consuming fire God is love ldquoIts difficult for us to even fathom a Love like this let alone produce it in our own strength And the reason is this kind of Love is supernatural It originates in the heart of God and just keeps on coming no matter what the one being loved does or doesnt do This kind of Love never stops flowing In other words there are no conditions or stipulations which would cause real Love to ceaserdquo (Missler) Once we begin this journey a literal stepping out in faith God begins to show us the adventure that really is in life

Gods Love therefore is not a human love but in fact is completely opposite Our natural human love (the love we were born with) will always be a conditional love that is dependent upon three things how we feel what our circumstances are and how that other person responds to us In other words natural love will always seek the good of itself and not the other person and will always be based upon certain reciprocal expectations Ill love you if youll love me But if you stop loving me I will stop loving you This is why CS Lewis calls natural human love a need love In other words we need something from the one we love

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

Rev 1215 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood Rev 1216 And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth Rev 1217 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ

The marriage of the Lamb to the bride is the greatest love story ever To know how much God loves us we can read the scriptures especially in the Songs of Solomon How could we even think that there is not a rapture before the great tribulation Would any husband leave his wife to go through a horrendous ordeal to be beaten murdered and raped God gave us marriage to teach us about love and how to love even though our love is mostly carnal I believe the Feast of Trumpets is all about this kind of love The wedding theme is prevalent through ancient and modern Israeli and Judean marriage traditions You can read more about Jewish wedding tradition on your own There is plenty of information on the web

Eph 525 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it

2Cr 112 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ

Rom 74 Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another [even] to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God

Jhn 142 In my Fathers house are many mansions if [it were] not [so] I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you Jhn 143 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

The love (agape) of God when bestowed upon us allows God to live in our heart (Rev 320) The word ldquowill suprdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G1172 - deipneō δειπνέω

Transliterationdeipneō

Pronunciationdāp-ne-ō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

From δεῖπνον (G1173) TDNT Reference234143

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to sup

Once Christ and the Father come inside of our heart we will share a most intimate and blissful intercourse The meaning of the word intercourse here does not imply sexual relations but rather an interchange of thoughts feelings emotional responses etc The word ldquosuprdquo is also being symbolically used to represent the Messiahrsquos feast which symbolizes salvation in the kingdom Godrsquos love is extraordinary because He deals with us even though we trespass against His laws every day I have watched God orchestrate circumstances in my life and the lives of others to open our eyes to His understand and wisdom

Ephesians 317-19 ndash NLT ndash And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him May your roots go down deep into the soil of Godrsquos marvelous love And may you have the power to understand as all Godrsquos people should how wide how long how high and how deep His love really is May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

If we are honest with ourselves we can surely know just how HARD it is to find love REAL LOVE We look everywhere but from the source of where love comes from No one ever stops to think of who the author of real love is and that included me I could not understand this until I basically threw everything that I thought I loved out of my life Yes even my family I threw out all my expectations of what I thought love should be and God began to show me a greater love that I could not comprehend at first His love was so overwhelming to me I immediately knew why no flesh can stand before the Father and live God is a consuming fire God is love ldquoIts difficult for us to even fathom a Love like this let alone produce it in our own strength And the reason is this kind of Love is supernatural It originates in the heart of God and just keeps on coming no matter what the one being loved does or doesnt do This kind of Love never stops flowing In other words there are no conditions or stipulations which would cause real Love to ceaserdquo (Missler) Once we begin this journey a literal stepping out in faith God begins to show us the adventure that really is in life

Gods Love therefore is not a human love but in fact is completely opposite Our natural human love (the love we were born with) will always be a conditional love that is dependent upon three things how we feel what our circumstances are and how that other person responds to us In other words natural love will always seek the good of itself and not the other person and will always be based upon certain reciprocal expectations Ill love you if youll love me But if you stop loving me I will stop loving you This is why CS Lewis calls natural human love a need love In other words we need something from the one we love

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

Once Christ and the Father come inside of our heart we will share a most intimate and blissful intercourse The meaning of the word intercourse here does not imply sexual relations but rather an interchange of thoughts feelings emotional responses etc The word ldquosuprdquo is also being symbolically used to represent the Messiahrsquos feast which symbolizes salvation in the kingdom Godrsquos love is extraordinary because He deals with us even though we trespass against His laws every day I have watched God orchestrate circumstances in my life and the lives of others to open our eyes to His understand and wisdom

Ephesians 317-19 ndash NLT ndash And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him May your roots go down deep into the soil of Godrsquos marvelous love And may you have the power to understand as all Godrsquos people should how wide how long how high and how deep His love really is May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

If we are honest with ourselves we can surely know just how HARD it is to find love REAL LOVE We look everywhere but from the source of where love comes from No one ever stops to think of who the author of real love is and that included me I could not understand this until I basically threw everything that I thought I loved out of my life Yes even my family I threw out all my expectations of what I thought love should be and God began to show me a greater love that I could not comprehend at first His love was so overwhelming to me I immediately knew why no flesh can stand before the Father and live God is a consuming fire God is love ldquoIts difficult for us to even fathom a Love like this let alone produce it in our own strength And the reason is this kind of Love is supernatural It originates in the heart of God and just keeps on coming no matter what the one being loved does or doesnt do This kind of Love never stops flowing In other words there are no conditions or stipulations which would cause real Love to ceaserdquo (Missler) Once we begin this journey a literal stepping out in faith God begins to show us the adventure that really is in life

Gods Love therefore is not a human love but in fact is completely opposite Our natural human love (the love we were born with) will always be a conditional love that is dependent upon three things how we feel what our circumstances are and how that other person responds to us In other words natural love will always seek the good of itself and not the other person and will always be based upon certain reciprocal expectations Ill love you if youll love me But if you stop loving me I will stop loving you This is why CS Lewis calls natural human love a need love In other words we need something from the one we love

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

Now there are three different types of human love Our natural emotional love our natural sexual love and our natural friendship love The one thing that all three of these human need loves have in common is that they force the one loving to look horizontally (to the person being loved) to meet his own need for love And therein lies the problem There is no way that any of us can ever completely satisfy one anothers built-in need for love Our deep need for love can only be fulfilled by looking vertically to the Person who created us in the first place

Thus natural human love (by itself) will always let us down and will always continue to fail us Its important however that we dont completely negate all the natural loves because they can be beautiful and they can be fulfilling but only if they are built upon Agape as the foundation or the glue that holds everything together

So Gods Love and natural love are not the same at all They are totally opposite and its vitally important that we understand these differences because confusion in this area is one of the reasons why so many of us are having problems in our marriages and our relationships (Missler)

I abandoned everything to pursue this love with all that I was and I did not have delusions of grandeur I made a commitment to God that I wanted to know everything there is to know about Him that I can possibly know I made time for God Not many people can do this these days because there is always an excuse I set my alarm for three orsquoclock in the morning and then I went to work studying the Word of God nearly every day for three or more years I still study but it is not as intense I have grown substantially in this amount of time I have a good relationship with God now and my goals are now sharper My questions to God were clearer but in no way is my passion subsided The passion has actually grown and deepened What I found by seeking searching praying begging knocking and pleading was nothing short of refreshing I began to feel clean inside I began to cast hate out of my life I began to live a whole new life This kind of experience comes with a price You have to let yourself die (spiritually speaking) You have to let go of this world yourself and your preconceived notions of what reality should be about We must die to the life we have lived for ourselves and begin to live this physical existence with Christ leading our way (Matt 1625 amp 1039 Luke 924 amp 1733)

If you chose to begin this journey with Christ I will tell you from experience it is like being married to someone with one exception We are the ones who must gravitate towards being more like Christ NOT vice versa Having a relationship with Christ is not like any relationship you will have with another human being or any creature You must follow Him You must obey Him His ways are not grievous nor are they a burden In fact it is the opposite Godrsquos way is lightlight on the heart Knowing with all your soul that someone (CHRIST AND THE FATHER) actually gives a damn about you is all you will ever need to be complete You will literally glow with the love He grows inside of you

No amount of words can describe the love of God but stories can sometimes get the point across I was humbled by the truth in this article by Nancy Missler

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

A precious example In the mid 1930s a dear sweet German (Protestant) pastor was abducted from his church He was suspected of harboring abetting and aiding Jews He was immediately taken to prison and put in a five-foot cell There was no hearing no trial-not even time to let his family know what had happened to him For weeks this gentle pastor asked the prison guard outside of his cell door if he could use the pay phone at the end of the hall to call his wife and family and at least let them know he was alive The guard however was a contemptible man who hated anyone and everyone that had to do with Jewry He not only wouldnt let the pastor use the phone he determined in his heart to make this mans life as miserable as possible

The despicable guard purposefully skipped the pastors cell when meals were handed out he made the pastor go weeks without a shower he kept lights burning in the pastors room so he couldnt sleep he blasted his short wave radio hoping the intolerable noise would finally break the pastor he used filthy language he pushed him he shoved him and when he could he arranged for the pastor to have the most difficult job in the labor gang

The pastor on the other hand prayed continually not to let hate consume him He prayed instead to be able to love this guard with Gods Love As the months went by whenever he could the pastor would smile at the guard he would thank him when his meals did come when the guard was near his cell the pastor would tell him about his own wife and his own children he even questioned the guard about his family and about his goals ideas and visions and one time for a quick moment he had a chance to tell the guard about Agape Love The guard never answered a word but obviously he heard it all

After months and months of unconditionally loving this sadistic guard Gods Love finally broke through One night as the pastor was again quietly talking the guard cracked a smile for the first time the next day instead of the pastors cell being skipped for lunch the pastor got two meals the following evening he was allowed not only to go to the showers but to stay as long as he wanted the lights began going off at night in his cell and the radio noise ceased Finally one afternoon the guard came into the pastors cell asked him for his home phone number and the guard personally made the long awaited call to the pastors family

A few months later the pastor was released

Not many people would allow their selves to be treated like this for any length of time but this is the point about being a Christian isnrsquot We are supposed to be different (1Pe 29 But ye [are] a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light) We are supposed to be unique because we do not embrace the attitudes and character of the god of this world Satan (2 Cor 44)

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

1Cr 134 Love is patient and kind Love is not jealous or boastful or proud1Cr 135 or rude It does not demand its own way It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged1Cr 136 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out1Cr 137 Love never gives up never loses faith is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance1Cr 138 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages [fn] and special knowledge will become useless But love will last forever1Cr 139 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture1Cr 1310 But when the time of perfection comes these partial things will become useless

Godrsquos love and His passion for us is reflected in the Songs of Solomon

Sgs 68 Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young womenSgs 69 I would still choose my dove my perfect onemdash the favorite of her mother dearly loved by the one who bore her The young women see her and praise her even queens and royal concubines sing her praisesSgs 610 Who is this arising like the dawn as fair as the moon as bright as the sun as majestic as an army with billowing banners

God also shows us His love for us by the act of marriage The bridal week is a parallel to the seven years of the great tribulation (Judges 141-18 amp Genesis 2922-28) The same parallel is shown by Jacob and Samson in that they both have a waiting period before they collect their bride Both these men also make a feast on their wedding day that lasts seven days Again a year for a day rule applies here There are also scriptures that prove God will ldquohiderdquo his bride in the time of the indignation

Psa 274 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple Psa 275 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me up upon a rock Psa 276 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy I will sing yea I will sing praises unto the LORD

Deu 333 Yea he loved the people all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words

Job 521 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh

Psa 3120 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

Psa 505 Gather my saints together unto me those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice

Psa 833 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones

Psa 911 para He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

All the above scriptures are more than enough to show that Godrsquos beloved people will be hidden before the great tribulation rages for seven years God saved Mary Joseph and baby Jesus before King Herod could kill baby Jesus along with the other children that were exterminated Noah was told to enter the ark BEFORE the rains began the bride will be kept apart from the trial that is to come upon all humanity The reason for this trial is to purge those who can be made worthy to inherit eternal life but who have been lackadaisical in their belief in Christ As Christians we are called to go the extra mile walk in Christrsquos shoes and to be a witness just like He was for the Father we all uphold in our hearts The bride has experienced her tribulation and refining fire BEFORE the great tribulation She is found worthy There remains no need for her to be further refined SHE HAS MADE HERSELF READY (Rev 197) The Philadelphian church WILL BE KEPT FROM THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION that is to come upon the WHOLE WORLD (Rev 310) The last church Laodicea is found arrogant and haughty

The Philadelphians

Rev 37 para And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write These things saith he that is holy he that is true he that hath the key of David he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openethRev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name Rev 39 Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved theeRev 310 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth

The Laodiceans

Rev 314 para And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God Rev 315 I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot Rev 316 So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will spue thee out of my mouthRev 317 Because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev 318 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

raiment that thou mayest be clothed and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest seeRev 319 As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent

Salvation is NOT conditional to suffering tribulation Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be earned Any Christianrsquos walk will affirm that tribulation comes to us because of our walking in perfection as God is perfect (Mat 548) For some of us this is difficult and strenuous as we stand for what we believe in Christ The more we STRIVE to walk as God walks we encounter resistance from satanic forces that try and knock us off the strait and narrow way We mostly get this venomous rebuttal from those closest to us like family and friends We have tribulation because we are at odds with the world We have made an inward choice to walk contrary to the things of this world and thus we have come out of her (Rev 184) We do not walk in the worldrsquos desire for lust greed and envy We ARE different We have no need to experience the great tribulation because we all ready do not need to pull ourselves out of this world and its attachments The bride of Christ has all ready resolved herself to living as a stranger here on Earth during her time here

Mat 548 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Genesis 121-20 shows us the perfect example of our ancient father Abraham and his great desire to please God by following exactly what God wanted of him Abraham left his earthly father by taking his family into the desert to follow Godrsquos will Abraham gave no thought to Godrsquos integrity and whether God would actually bring him to the ldquopromised landrdquo he just simply followed Godrsquos word explicitly and thus became abundantly enriched for his loyalty We as modern Christianrsquos should offer no less than our forefather Abraham did Give God everything and He will in turn give more than we could possibly understand or behold (Mal 310)

Luk 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

Christ will ldquoreceiverdquo us unto himself (John 143) The rapture is especially mentioned in the Old Testament

Isa 2619 Thy dead [men] shall live [together with] my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Isa 2620 para Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Isa 2621 For behold the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity the earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain

The Bible is clear in its teaching If we do not know when the season of the rapture will occur then we will be punished for NOT watching These scriptures are only a few of what Christ commanded us to be watchers

Rev 33 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Laodicea is caught not watching This is a huge clue)

Mat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of

Luk 1239 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

Mar 1323 But take ye heed behold I have foretold you all things

Amo 37 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

2Pe 317 Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know [these things] before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness

1Th 52 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night

This warning also goes for those who say that Christ delayeth his coming

Mat 2448 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart My lord delayeth his comingMat 2449 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunkenMat 2450 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him] and in an hour that he is not aware of Mat 2451 And shall cut him asunder and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Mat 810 When Jesus heard [it] he marvelled and said to them that followed Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat 811 And I say unto you That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Mat 812 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat 813 And Jesus said unto the centurion Go thy way and as thou hast believed [so] be it done unto thee And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour

There are so many scriptures that prove the rapture of the bride happens BEFORE the great tribulation I want to put to rest most arguments I get from many non-pre tribulation rapture unbelievers I will never convince them that what I believe is true because this simple doctrine may not be true for them I guess it all depends on how honest they want to be with themselves

Rev 41 para After this I looked and behold a door [was] opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

Rev 42 And immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and [one] sat on the throne

The word ldquodoorrdquo is

Lexicon Results Strongs G2374 - thyra θύρα

Transliterationthyra

Pronunciationthuuml-rauml (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

Apparently a root word [cf door] TDNT Reference3173340

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) a doora) the vestibuleb) used of any opening like a door an entrance way or passage intoc) in a parable or metaphor1) the door through which sheep go in and out the name of him who brings salvation to those who follow his guidance2) an open door is used of the opportunity of doing something3) the door of the kingdom of heaven (likened to a palace) denotes the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God

In the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon if you look towards the bottom we are looking for our scripture Rev 41 and we find ldquopower of entering access into Godrsquos eternal kingdom Rev 38 cf 7 [but alal add here Rev 41] This is the exact clarification of the word ldquodoorrdquo that we are looking for to describe how this word is being used in the sentence John the apostle is entering heaven with power after he was told to ldquocome up hitherrdquo This is a direct relation to the rapture as we will see The other scripture used here to mean the exact statement of the word ldquodoorrdquo is Rev 38

Rev 38 I know thy works behold I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my name

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

The parallel is precise God is telling the Philadelphian church that they are worthy to go through the door into heaven just as John was in Rev 41 Another proof is the LEFT BEHIND church of Laodicea has Christ standing at their door wanting them to open up so He can give them eternal life

Another use for the ldquoopen doorrdquo is the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 251-13)

Mat 2510 And while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shutMat 2511 Afterward came also the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to usMat 2512 But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not

Luk 1323 Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them Luk 1324 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be ableLuk 1325 When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence ye are Luk 1326 Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streetsLuk 1327 But he shall say I tell you I know you not whence ye are depart from me all [ye] workers of iniquityLuk 1328 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you [yourselves] thrust outLuk 1329 And they shall come from the east and [from] the west and from the north and [from] the south and shall sit down in the kingdom of GodLuk 1330 And behold there are last which shall be first and there are first which shall be last

Eze 461 para Thus saith the Lord GOD The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days but on the sabbath it shall be opened and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened (The new moon only occurs as a celebration of Godrsquos feast days during the Feast of Trumpets All of Godrsquos Holy Days are full moon celebrations)

Isa 262 Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in

Psa 11819 Open to me the gates of righteousness I will go into them [and] I will praise the LORD Psa 11820 This gate of the LORD into which the righteous shall enter

Jhn 107 para Then said Jesus unto them again Verily verily I say unto you I am the door of the sheep Jhn 109 I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture (These are also parallel verses that prove to us that we must obey Christ to obtain agape love See Stewart Bestrsquos Dark Light Series for clarification httpthelightgatecom )

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

The ldquodoorrdquo to heaven is opened in Revelation 41 then closed but does not reopen until Revelation 19 when Christ is returning to Earth with His saints and all the angels The bridemanchild is not mentioned again throughout the book of Revelations until the nineteenth chapter This is when the bride accompanies her husband from heaven to take their kingdom and rule for 1000 years With the above scriptures we can easily see that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are in harmony with each other and in agreement that Godrsquos chosen will be allowed to go through the door

Not all of us humans can agree 100 with each other but the ldquomanchildrdquo will be the nation of people that will be speaking as one because they are one in God The ldquomanchildrdquo will be speaking the same thing Incidentally thesouloartist a sister in Christ from YouTube said something the other day that is remarkable in that many Christianrsquos believed a few decades ago that the internet would be where the church would end up and interestingly they are right YouTube is becoming the new hot spot for Christianrsquos from all over the world The scattered church is reorganizing

Jhn 1722 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are oneJhn 1723 I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Jhn 1724 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Jhn 1725 O righteous Father the world hath not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Jhn 1726 And I have declared unto them thy name and will declare [it] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them

Christ is willfully requesting the Father that those He has given to Christ BE WITH HIM WHERE HE IS Christ is in heaven How can anyone going through the great tribulation behold Christrsquos glory

Jhn 1226 If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will [my] Father honour

Jhn 143 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

1Th 417 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

Another HUGE consideration I have to place in this paper is the importance of Christ stressing to believerrsquos to be like children

Mat 181 para At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying Who is the greatest in the

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

kingdom of heavenMat 182 And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them Mat 183 And said Verily I say unto you Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heavenMat 184 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven

Christ is saying without a doubt ldquoYou MUST change or YOU will NOT enter heavenrdquo Godwants us to be humble lowly obedient and of a contrite heart We know this as a fact because of our own personal experience Remember when we told God ldquoNo I can do thisrdquo and somehow when we are finished being independently prideful and mess everything up we cry scream or pout our way back to God to beg Him to fix it I am guilty of this and I know many also carry this kind of anxiety for not being able to do it ourselves If we could only remember what it is like to be a little child The child that depends on its parent for everything then we can be taken care of by God It is only in this submissive position do we have any help from an Almighty God The minute we start showing any initiative of our own God will not get in our way and He will just the same let us fall on our butts so we can return to Him once we see again that God was right in the first place

Do not think that I am saying to be submissive means to let any demon or Satan do whatever they want to you Godrsquos Word is very explicit in that we have power over these creatures by calling on the name of Jesus Christ and His authority to resist Satan and his minions We also have the armor of God which we should be visually putting on everyday because we Christianrsquos are engaged in war everyday with evil This wonderful article below is the best way to describe the relationship building character we are to have with our heavenly Father

Children especially infants are utterly dependent on everyone around them for their very existence If a newborn is not fed every day by his mother he will not live If a toddler is not bathed she will never think to be clean on her own If a five year old is not sent to kindergarten he will never know that learning to read and write is essential As we grow older we move into independence but that is not what Jesus is calling us to as believers He is calling us back to our childhood and reminding us of our complete dependence on the Father

Children are also extremely trusting You never have to tell your eight-year old that food will be in the cupboard when she gets home from school she simply believes in your provision In the same way the little boy so quickly offers to be thrown into the air and caught by his father He simply believes and trusts that his father will keep him safe

As we grow into adulthood we have this notion that complete freedom and independence is a given a rite of passage And we live in a culture that thrives on personal autonomy and independence As a friend of mine preached recently we have a longing to be independent We donrsquot want help but Jesus is telling us that if we arenrsquot like little children utterly dependent on the Father for life and salvation we will not enter the Kingdom That is a staggering thought

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

We canrsquot enter the kingdom unless we are like children because there is no room for self-sufficiency where Christ reigns as king It is quite humbling to admit that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves I spend more time attempting to do things too difficult for me when I very easily could have just asked for help and been done quicker The Bible has a word for this Pride and we are all dripping with it But we are grafted into a family where God is our Father In a family children believe that their father will protect and provide for them When I was a little girl I never was fearful that my dad wouldnrsquot be there to protect me if I was scared and I never questioned his ability to provide food for our table Yet so often I find myself worrying about whether or not my perfect heavenly Father will provide the food for my table now This is pride and unbelief in the sovereign purposes of our great God

We must become like children because we must admit that we cannot do anything apart from the hand of our heavenly Father We also must believe in the provision and protection of a perfect Father who will never disappoint us never abandon us and never hurt us Our theology of God has everything to do with our everyday lives

So as we seek to become like children let us look first to Christ because it is by him that we are made sons of God But let us also look to the little children in our churches Maybe just maybe we will learn something theological (Reissig)

The next part of this paper I will discuss the importance of Matthew 2430 For a more in depth discussion about verses 29 and 31 please visit Jason Hommelrsquos website He has a great argument for these verses httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary3htm

Some of the most discouraging comments about the false doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture came from people I trusted and loved It took a long time for God to build strength in me to overcome the deep deception prevalent in the post tribulation rapture theory The fact is simple All people gain their knowledge through some medium either friends family pastors or the media The real student begins to learn wisdom when they give heed to what the Holy Spirit is teaching Finding this path (voice) is the most crucial and trying phase of our growth as Christians Remember to rely on God completely and all truth will be revealed to you Ask Him every question you have and expect Him to answer God will answer This is a tough path but one that must be taken for us to have a relationship with God And only those who are constantly seeking the truth and relying on God are those who are being perfected daily

Jason Hommel has clear some issues I kept bumping into while I was studying the Bible I could never figure out why the rapture of the bride MUST occur BEFORE the great tribulation That is to say I could not find the definitive key words that would bring the scriptures of the pre tribulation rapture to life and maintain a sustainable argument I kept running across scriptures in the Bible that were only half studied by elders pastors and ministers I became divided in my understanding and begged God for an answer God gave me the truth Scriptures can have double meanings but if we do not possess the child like state of mind the Holy Spirit can not

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

reveal these things unto us

Mat 1125 para At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes

These are the scriptures that most people trip over because they have been asking the wrong questions or possibly not listening to God is saying when He does give the answer

Mat 2429 para Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shakenMat 2430 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

These scriptures are what the majority of people base their belief in the post tribulation rapture They look right past the fact that there are TWO events wrapped up in verse 30 The first is that the sign of the Son of man appears in heaven The second is then all the earth mourns It is very specific to pay attention to the colons used throughout the Bible They are indeed markers that show us the ldquohidden things of Godrdquo Below is an excerpt from Jason Hommel website that shows the double meaning

Why the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31 This event appears to be the rapture for several reasons 1 It reads like the rapture Even if this passage were strictly and only speaking of the supernatural gathering together of the Jews carried one by one by Angels to another location that alone is certainly similar to various rapture events such as happened to Philip in Acts 839-40 who was transported from place to place and to Elijah in 2 Kings 211-12 2 The parallel passage from the gospel of Mark 1327 say they are gathered from earth to heaven The rapture is a gathering of people into the air 1 Thess 417 3 It is A great sound of A trumpet in Matthew and not necessarily the great trumpet of Isaiah 2713 Why is Matthew more vague saying a trumpet instead of the great trumpet Is it because two events are in view The point is that a trumpet sounding blast is a key element of the rapture mentioned in 1 Thess 416 the trump of God and 1 Cor 1552 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound 4 It mentions the son of man coming in the clouds as does 1 Thess 417 caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air 5 As I have already noted and will continue to explore Matthew 24 is filled

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

with double references These passages can easily be describing BOTH the pretribulation rapture and the posttribulation gathering together of the Jews I believe it is typical of the Lord to conceal things in prophecies like this It hides things from unbelievers and makes the study of his word glorious bringing glory to God (It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but the honour of kings is to search out a matter --Prov 252) Furthermore a third event might also be in view which is the posttribulation return from out of heaven of those who were previously raptured The return of the saints from out of heaven following Jesus Christ is pictured in Revelation 19 The first reason for this idea is that Matthew writes they are gathered from one end of heaven to the other and not gathered from the earth as does Mark The second reason is the great trumpet because this is associated with the Day of Atonement which should be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation with the defeat of Satan The third reason might be that the two events the gathering of the Jews from the earth and the gathering of the saints from heaven all together into Christs presence at his return happens at the same time If these two gatherings from the earth and heaven happen at once it would make sense that these two events are blended together in scripture Thus the term elect can easily refer to both the Jews and to the previously raptured Christians 6 Matt 2430 appears to be the rapture because of the mention of the sign the sign of the Son of man in heaven Those who deny the pretribulation rapture have challenged Where does the Bible ever describe two returns in one verse Well in Matt 2430 the son of man is mentioned twice first as a sign in heaven and then after the nations mourn he is coming in the clouds The pretribulation rapture would indeed be a sign for the nations As an aside if the rapture is the sign of the Son of man in heaven then it supports the argument that Jesus remains in heaven at the rapture This is an important point because it refutes the argument from Acts 321 that Jesus cannot return before the time of restitution of all things which is supposed to be after the tribulation This argument is refuted because Jesus remains in the sky in heaven at the rapture (Sky and heaven are nearly interchangeable terms in scripture) Acts 321 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began I wonder if the sign of the son of man in heaven is not the rapture then what else would it be And there is no statement in Matt 2430 that the three sequential events need happen simultaneously There could easily be 7 years from the sign to the coming of Christ in glory After all there needs to be time for the nations to mourn which would be the tribulation (2 Hommel)

I use a process that I call ldquomappingrdquo to look at the language being spoken by the Holy Father in the Bible This way of looking at many scriptures ties together the ldquolanguagerdquo being spoken of a particular idea I use this method for clarification and for God to reveal ldquohiddenrdquo ideas in the Bible to me A reference book is needed for this kind of study By breaking down the ldquolanguagerdquo the truth becomes known

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

Mat 2429 para dImmediately after the tribulation of those days eshall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken Mat 2430 fAnd then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven gand then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn hand they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Mat 2431 i And he shall send his angels ll with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other

d) Dan 71112

Dan 711 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld [even] till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan 712 As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time

e) Isa 1310 Ekez 327 Joel 210 31 amp 315 Amos 520 amp 89 Mark 1324 Luke 2125 Acts 220 Rev 612

Isa 1310 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth and the moon shall not cause her light to shine

Eze 327 And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give her light

Joe 210 The earth shall quake before them the heavens shall tremble the sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars shall withdraw their shiningJoe 231 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come

Joe 315 The sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining

Amo 520 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it

Amo 89 And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord GOD that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day

Mar 1324 para But in those days after that tribulation the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light

Luk 2125 para And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves roaring

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

Act 220 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come

Rev 612 para And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood

f) Dan 713

Dan 713 para I saw in the night visions and behold [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of days and they brought him near before him

g) Zech 1212

Zec 1212 And the land shall mourn every family apart the family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart

h) Mat 1617 Mark 1326 Rev 17 (Look where ldquohrdquo is in relation to the scripture The letter ldquohrdquo comes at the very end of the sign of the Son of man in heaven and the mourning of the people)

Mat 1617 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee but my Father which is in heaven

Mar 1326 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory

Rev 17 Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they [also] which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him Even so Amen (All these people are wailing because they know that the end of the age of Satan and man have come to an end and they are seeing Christ returning to earth the second time When they see Christ and His bride coming in the clouds to set up Christrsquos kingdom for the 1000 year reign of course they are wailing because 34ths of all life will die on the Earth at Christrsquos second coming This is a tell tale scripture that often gets mistranslated by post tribulation believerrsquos)

i) Matt 1341 1 Cor 1552 1 Thess 416

Mat 1341 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

1Cr 1552 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

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

1Th 416 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

ll) Or with a trumpet and a great voice

As you can see I pull all the scriptures out of the main scripture thus we have all the separated letters of the alphabet describing that particular statement made in the passage We can see that the first part of verse thirty shows that only the sign of the Son of man is seen which is the rapture of the bride to the wedding feast (7 years) Then the second event is where all the world will see Christ returning from heaven with His saints and all the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth and brought to the promised land This part alone I give thanks to God and to Jason Hommel for clarifying because without this particular double event meaning of verse thirty compared with Ezekiel 38-39 the conclusion of WHEN Gog and Magog attacks Israel would be lost to conjecture This is a larger study that I will not touch upon in this paper but I will say that I am in agreement with Mr Hommel that Ezek 399 is referring to the seven year tribulation period This I base on also the comparison of Ezek 3819 which is directly related to Hag 267 amp Rev 1618 which leads directly to Daniel 121 Try the mapping for yourself

The letters ldquodrdquo and ldquoerdquo show us that AFTER the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened etchellip The letter ldquofrdquo is the most revealing that we can see clearly the Son of man goes before the Ancient of Days IN HEAVEN God the Father is the Ancient of Days (Dan 791322 amp Ps 902) Most Orthodox Christianrsquos believe the Ancient of Days is the Son of God but how can the Son come to himself for all power to rule on earth and bring everything into subjection under our Holy Father in heaven It does not make any sense to me God the Father sits on the throne in heaven not the Son of man The Son of God sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven Therefore the Son of man goes before the Father in heaven to be coronated In this event the bride of Christ and all those whom attended the marriage supper of the Lamb will have the privilege of witnessing Christ coronated as King of kings and Lord of lords I ASSUME at this time Christ will also be given His new title and command from the Father which Revelation 1916 says ldquoAnd he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo

Most New Testament translations (including most Greek manuscripts) have Revelation 1911-16 indicating Yeshua will have a tattoo on his thigh as what followsAnd I saw the heaven opened and there was a white horse And He who sat on him was called Trustworthy and True and in righteousness He judges and fights And His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns having a Name that had been written which no one had perceived except Himself and having been dressed in a robe dipped in blood ndash and His Name is called The Word of יהוה And the armies in the heaven dressed in fine linen white and clean followed Him on white horses And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations And He shall shepherd them with a rod of iron And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai And on His robe and on His thigh (or banner) He has a name written SOVEREIGN

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERSThe idea that Yeshua would have a tattoo on his thigh or anywhere on His body is in direct conflict with Leviticus 1928 which states lsquoAnd do not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor put tattoo marks on you I am יהוה

The following was taken from the Explanatory notes under Thigh in The Scriptures (TS98) version It references the problem with Leviticus 1928 and a possible solution to the conflictThigh Here we have a strong indication of Revelation originally being written in Hebrew If this word was written in Hebrew it would have been ragel Its possible though that the copiers of Revelation could have overlooked the small extension of the dalet (ד) which would have made it a resh (ר) If the word was dagel it would have meant banner which makes much more sense than thigh because in the latter case two rules are broken (1) In Way 1928 we are forbidden to make tattoos on our bodies [Leviticus 1928](2) A person whose thigh was exposed was considered naked See Mk 1451 Shem 2842 Way 164 When Revelation was copied it would have been easy to see the Hebrew d (ד) as a r (ר) if the former was not carefully written down As the Hebrew script developed the dalet and the resh especially from around 700 BCE and onwards looked almost identical It is also seems that Messiah when he appeared to his followers He spoke Hebrew even though they could understand Greek very well (Acts 2614) (Hanok)

Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written This name afterwards expressed is said to be written on his vesture in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments and which was sometimes done in letters of gold as Zeuxis had (t) and it is expressive of the conspicuousness of Christs kingdom which now will come with observation his judgments the administrations of his kingly office will be manifest and he will reign before his ancients gloriously and its being said to be written on his thigh may mean either that it was upon that part of his garment which covered his thigh or else that it was also on his sword which he sometimes girt upon his thigh Mr Daubuz has given an instance out of Victor Vitensis of Clementianus a monk who had written on his thigh

a manichee disciple of Jesus Christ

And this being done in Africa he supposes it to be a Phoenician custom continued It may here denote the perpetuity of Christs name power and dominion which will continue to the latest posterity Psalm 7217 which spring from the thigh and it may denote the subjection of his people to him signified by the putting the hand under the thigh Genesis 242 And this name is

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

King of kings and Lord of lords which will well suit him now when he shall be openly King over all the earth See Gill on Revelation 1714 (t) Plin Nat Hist l 35 c 9 (Gill)

Many post tribulation believers use Matt 2429-31 to show how the rapture will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ because they associate the word ldquomournrdquo with the wrath of God These are two distinctive emotions and should not be confused as meaning the same event

Lexicon Results Strongs G2875 - koptō κόπτω

Transliterationkoptō

Pronunciationkop-tō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

A root word TDNT Reference3830453

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage 1) to cut strike smite2) to cut from cut off3) to beat ones breast for grief

The people of the earth are mourning because of the startling and surprising event that caught them all off guard (because they were supposed to be watching) and at this point they are gnashing their teeth and wailing for their unbelief in the pre tribulation rapture Honestly and truthfully ask the question ldquoHow can one be beating their breast for grief and be provoked to wrath at the same timerdquo The wrath spoken of in the Bible is of the gathering together of the nations unto the valley of Megiddo

Mourning bewailing or lamenting in grief is a description that fits the rapture

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

parable of Matt 251-13 where the foolish virgins are left behind the shut door of the rapture Other false-believers to whom the Lord says I know you not are described as weeping and gnashing their teeth First those who didnt have the proper wedding garment in Matthew 2213 are described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Second the evil servant in Matthew 2451 is described as weeping and gnashing of teeth Third its the unprofitable servant who mourns Matthew 2530 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth

Both mourning and anger seem incompatible with the description of the world that is carrying on as usual with normal daily activities and taking no note Thus the time when people are not taking any note is appropriate for before Armageddon when people are in anger and before the tribulation when people are in mourning Thus when people are eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage this is the time before the rapture before the tribulation

Matthew 24 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the angels of heaven but my Father only 37 But as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark 39 And knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be 40 Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left

This description in Matt 2436-41 where people are living their lives as usual is out of place with the description of how they will act after the beginning of the stellar signs and the Day of the Lord when the nations are mourning as described in verses 29-31 The mourning in grief and lamenting seems most appropriate for the beginning of the tribulation and anger is appropriate for the end (2 Hommel)

I am grateful to Jason Hommel for his diligent research of the matters concerning the pre tribulation rapture There is no doubt that all Christianrsquos must come together for our education and learning Each one of us has ldquoardquo piece to Godrsquos big picture puzzle By seeking we can find each other and fit out pieces together which gives us the larger understanding of what God wants us to be looking for This is why God commands us to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 215) I also believe this is how we show each other brotherly love

The next revelation of Matt 2429-31 is found again in verse thirty The word ldquotheyrdquo is oddly used to express other people that are not included in a specific group Meaning ldquotheyrdquo are being referred to as someone other than us Here is Collins English dictionary meaning

World English Dictionary

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

they (etheɪ)

mdashpron 1 refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed they fight among

themselves 2 refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people

addressed in Australia they have Christmas in the summer 3 not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one whoever or anybody if anyone

objects they can go 4 an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn (ldquotheyrdquo)

The correct word to be used in this sentence should be the word ldquoyourdquo since most people believe the blessed hope is seeing Christ return AFTER the great tribulation The word ldquoyourdquo would include those surviving through the most horrible event mankind has ever been through Again I refer to Jason Hommel because of his exquisite work done on this matter

And there is another key word in this verse THEY It says they shall see the Son of man Now if seeing Christ return after the tribulation was the blessed hope of the believer wouldnt the appropriate word be YOU Why the change unless it signifies that faithful believers YOU are no longer there

Luke also contains the different words they and you but also includes a phrase that might be a final warning to be especially ready which suggests to be ready for the rapture

Luke 2127 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory 28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh

The question must be asked why didnt Jesus say in verse 27 and then shall YOU see the Son of man coming The answer is that YOU would be behind Jesus following after him as depicted in Rev 19 The armies that follow him out of heaven would include faithful believers such as YOU

The phrase when these things begin to come to pass indicates a pretribulation rapture before all these things come to pass It does not say after these things completely come to pass Nor does it say when these things begin to come to pass hide your heads for you will have to endure tribulation for several years And a few verses later Luke records one of the strongest pretribulation verses in the Bible

Luke 2136 Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man

n order to escape the abomination of desolation which is among all these things that shall come to pass the rapture must be before the tribulation

Regarding the abomination of desolation it also says YOU instead of they It

has been argued that this indicates that we would have to go through the tribulation to become the YOU that sees the abomination But this is a wrong conclusion for the following reason All the word you proves is that there will be believers in the tribulation But believers in the tribulation is not a valid reason to say the rapture could not have happened earlier Some people left behind after the rapture will repent From Rev 310 we see that the tribulation is the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth So some will be tried and found faithful who were not raptured and kept from the hour Scriptural examples of saints in the tribulation are from Rev 7 the a great multitude which no man could number of all nations amp Rev 1217 the the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ Revelation 1217s remnant are those left behind after the rapture of the man child which we will see is the rapture of the Church (Hommel)

I have given a general but detailed exposition of one particular scripture that post tribulation believers use to back to their credit for the false statement that the pre tribulation rapture is incorrect I hope this clears up some of the misunderstandings that post tribulation believerrsquos cling too In effect the pre tribulation rapture is true and doctrinally sound Now let us look at the real question at hand between pre and post tribulation viewpoints This should further clarify that the doctrine of pre tribulation rapture is correct

When does the Day of the Lord start This is the biggest determining factor in which doctrine is true When one can determine the meaning of the Day of the Lord then all other doctrines of the Bible fall into place and a bigger picture is seen

The great tribulation and the Day of the Lord are both called a time that has never been before or will ever be again When we look at the words used of ldquotribulationrdquo and the ldquoDay of the Lordrdquo it can be clearly seen that the words are exactly alike If we try to separate these meanings we have lost the direction scripture is trying to show us which is a key to unraveling prophecy

1Th 34 For verily when we were with you we told you before that we should suffer tribulation even as it came to pass and ye know

Lexicon Results Strongs G2346 - thlibō θλίβω

Transliterationthlibō

Pronunciationthlē-bō (Key)

Part of Speechverb Root Word (Etymology)

Akin to the base of τρίβος (G5147) TDNT Reference3139334

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) to press (as grapes) press hard upon2) a compressed waya) narrow straitened contracted3) metaph to trouble afflict distress

The Strongrsquos word ndash thlibo (suffer tribulation) is used this way to distinguish the ldquoNarrow Wayrdquo This same meaning is shown is other scriptures and incidently refer to all those whom love God unto death The meaning for this word is the everyday tribulation afflictions and refining fires we all face as Christianrsquos that purge us of sins and bring us closer to God Every Christian or lover of God must go through this type of distress This is also referred to as the NARROW WAY This kind of tribulation refines us and cleans us out and also has nothing to do with OPPRESSION

(See also 2 Col 16 48 75 2 Thes 17 1 Tim 510 Heb 1137)

The next scriptures are relevant to the comparison with the ldquogreat tribulationrdquo and the ldquoDay of the Lordrdquo

Rev 714 And I said unto him Sir thou knowest And he said to me These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb

Lexicon Results Strongs G2347 - thlipsis θλῖψις

Transliterationthlipsis

Pronunciationthlē-psēs (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

From θλίβω (G2346) TDNT Reference3139334

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) a pressing pressing together pressure2) metaph oppression affliction tribulation distress straits

By finding these scriptures in the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon there is clearly a difference in the definition of this type of tribulation (2 Col 14 74 Jn 1633 Phil 116(17) Mt 1321 2421 29 Mk 1324 Act 1422 Rom 29 53 835 1212 2 Thess 16 Rev 19 291022 Rev 714) These verse absolutely show that this type of definition of tribulation is indeed Great Tribulation These are the afflictions of those hard pressed by siege and the calamities of war Mt 242129 etchellip The afflictions which Christ had to undergo (and which therefore his followers must not shrink from) Col 124

The most important out of all these scriptures is Jn 1621

Jhn 1621 y A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembereth no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world

y) Isa 138 213 2617 Mic 49 1Th 53

Isa 138 And they shall be afraid pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth they shall be amazed one at another their faces [shall be as] flames

1 Isaiah 138 - S Ps 3113 S 485 S Isa 2142 Isaiah 138 - Ex 15143 Isaiah 138 - S Ge 316 S Jn 16214 Isaiah 138 - Joel 26 Na 210

Isa 139 Behold the day of the LORD cometh cruel both with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it

1 Isaiah 139 - S Isa 212 Jer 5122 Isaiah 139 - Jer 6233 Isaiah 139 - S Isa 9194 Isaiah 139 - Isa 2621 6616 Jer 2531 Joel 32

Isa 213 Therefore are my loins filled with pain pangs have taken hold upon me as the pangs of a woman that travaileth I was bowed down at the hearing [of it] I was dismayed at the seeing [of it]

1 Isaiah 213 - S Job 14222 Isaiah 213 - S Ge 316 Ps 486 Isa 2617 373 Jer 306 4841 4922 Jn 16213 Isaiah 213 - Da 728 827 1016

Isa 2617 Like as a woman with child [that] draweth near the time of her delivery is in pain [and] crieth out in her pangs so have we been in thy sight O LORD

1 Isaiah 2617 - S Isa 213 S Jn 1621 Rev 122 (I find it extremely interesting that Rev 122 fits in perfectly with this scripture Both refer to a time when the ldquomanchildrdquo or the child of the ldquowomanrdquo will be born This is also verified by Isa 667 The child of the woman is the ldquonation born in one dayrdquo and the ldquomanchildrdquo born of Israel or the church I believe that there are some slight differences between the bridechurch and the last church Laodicea compromises much of the remaining people of Israel These will go through the great tribulation to be refined since they are found lukewarm Christ is taking His bride out of the church since she was kicked out anyway (Isa 665 amp Luke 622)

Mic 49 para Now why dost thou cry out aloud [is there] no king in thee is thy counsellor

perished for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail1 Micah 49 - Jer 8192 Micah 49 - S Ge 316 Jer 306 4841

1Th 53 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 1 Thessalonians 53 - Jer 410 614 Eze 13102 1 Thessalonians 53 - Job 1521 Ps 358 5515 Isa 295 479113 1 Thessalonians 53 - 2Th 19

This scripture of John 1621 is important to point out because of the astounding reference that Jesus is making to the pre tribulation rapture In verse 22 we see Jesus telling the disciples ldquoAnd ye now therefore have sorrowrdquo He is describing the first ldquotribulationrdquo word we defined All Christianrsquos must go through this to be reconciled to God and it is of mourning from being away physically from our Creator The word for ldquoshe is in travailrdquo in verse 21 is Strongrsquos G5088 ndash tikto This word means to ldquobring forth bear produce (fruit from the seed)

Another point to bring to the discussion table is of the Prophet Daniel

Dan 121 para 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 (Archangel Michael if you do a mapping on this scripture is literally standing up in heaven for the translation of the saints Rev 127-9 which brings about the war in heaven Michael is standing for the ldquoCHILDRENrdquo of thy people)

The war that erupts in heaven after the rapture clearly comes down to Earth which Daniel speaks of this time in Dan 121 as being a ldquotime of trouble such as never was since there was a nationrdquo EVER Clearly Satan hates us to the core of his being because this war in heaven is the dividing line laid out by God in times past who gets to go into the lake of fire forever and who gets to live with God forever This type of tribulation will have been unknown to the human species since we have been here on Earth Wallace Jackel breaks down further the Great Tribulation in this excerpt

1 The Great Tribulation is a period of suffering and travail unique and unparalleled in human history The Word of God leaves us in no doubt as to that It is designated by Daniel a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation (Daniel 121) and by our Lord declared to be Great Tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time no nor ever shall be (Matt 2421) while in Revelation 714 it is referred to as the Great Tribulation or more literally Tribulation the Great One

Our Post-Tribulation friends when confronted with this testimony seek to obviate the force of these Scriptures first by playing down the acute travail and suffering of this period and by asserting that despite the terrors of the Great Tribulation the Church will be miraculously preserved through it All this sounds

plausible until we begin to examine the global nature of the Tribulation judgments

These judgments will be so world-wide in their scope particularly at the end of Tribulation that escape will be well-nigh impossible

The deliverance of Israel in Egypt is offered as proof of Gods ability to preserve a people in the midst of judgment However the position of Israel in Egypt and the Church in the world are not analogous All Israel dwelt in one place and the Egyptians in another but believers will be scattered throughout the world often inhabiting the same dwellings

The former judgments were local but the latter will be cosmic

The Tribulation is declared to be the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world (oikoumene the inhabited earth the world KJV) (Rev 310)

Isaiah declares that the earth itself will be mightily shaken and affected (Isaiah 2417-20)

Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee O inhabitant of the earth And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare for the windows from on high are open and the foundations of the earth do shake The earth is utterly broken down the earth is clean dissolved (broken) the earth is moved exceedingly The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard and shall be removed like a cottage and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it and it shall fall and not rise again

Isaiah 1313 Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth shall remove out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger

Isaiah 219-21 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth

Revelation 613-14 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together and every mountain and island were moved out of their places

It is evident from these and other parallel Scriptures that the whole course of nature will be dislocated and convulsed filling the inhabitants of the earth with consternation and dread

2 The Tribulation is characterized by the outpouring of divine wrath and vengeance From this particular form of judgment the believer is eternally free by virtue of the work of Calvary (Romans 81) The Church was forewarned by her Lord that its pathway through this world would be beset with travail and persecution

In the world ye have tribulation (John 1633) We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom (Acts 1422)

But Tribulation incidental to the Christian life is not the Great Tribulation There are at least three Greek words which have a direct bearing on the issue before us

There is the word thlibo which means to press or afflict used in 1 Thess 34 then there is a kindred word thlipsis which means pressure or affliction used to describe the sufferings of Christians generally

In several instances the word is also used of the Great Tribulation Matt 2421 24 29 Rev 714 but there is another word which interests us greatly at this point that is the word orge translated wrath This word is found in many passages connected with the Tribulation

Rev 616 Hide us from the wrath of the lamb Rev 617 The great day of his wrath is come Rev1619 The wine of the fierceness of his wrath Rev1915 The fierceness and wrath of almighty God

The word is used in some other significant connections viz

It was this form of wrath against which John the Baptist warned his hearers - Matt 37

It is referred to in Romans 118 as the wrath of God revealed from heaven against unrighteousness

Concerning the sinner John says the wrath of God abideth on him (John 336) While in Romans 59 we are assured that we shall be saved from wrath through him

The particular judgment implied by this word is judicial and penal it is judgment as a punishment it is vengeance reserved for evil doers From this form of wrath the believer is blessedly exempt otherwise it would be a denial of the most vital principle of the Gospel that Christ suffered once for sins

The Apostle Paul assures us in 1 Thessalonians 59 God hath not appointed us to wrath (orge) but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ and again in 1 Thess 110 Whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath (orge) to come The Authorized Version does not bring out fully the

meaning of this promise The tense here is future which delivereth us from the wrath to come (RV) The Amplified New Testament renders this passage Who personally rescues and delivers us out of and from the wrath which is coming and draws us to himself

Believers then can wait without fear for that blessed event being assured that before His wrath falls He will take His own into His presence

Some who dissent from this interpretation raise a query If the Church is destined to tribulation and God has not intervened to rescue her in the past why should He do so in the future God will intervene and that for the best of all reasons

The Church in the past has suffered the wrath of men but as we have already observed the Great Tribulation represents the wrath of God This is something quite distinct and apart from anything the Church has ever suffered in the past Believers through faith in Christ have passed beyond the reach of judicial displeasure and wrath

3 A further argument is drawn from the relationship of the Church to the Holy Spirit and the appearance of Anti-Christ (2 Thess 27-8)

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way And then shall that Wicked be revealed

Sin and lawlessness have been at work in the world from the beginning but as the age draws to its end it will work itself up to a terrible climax The flood of iniquity is pent up and ready to burst forth infernal hordes are straining to be unleashed but there is a power holding it all in check

He that letteth will let (Katecho to hold down or hold fast) Who is the power holding down iniquity like steam under pressure

This power is declared to be a person (v7) and it is evident that whoever this power is he is more powerful than men or the Devil This being the case He can be no other than a Divine person and we believe him to be none other than the Holy Spirit acting in a variety of ways through providence through legislation through civil government but principally through the Church

When He who restrains is taken out of the way the Church will accompany the Spirit homeward to glory for it is inconceivable that the Church should be left when the Holy Spirit has completed his work in calling out the Church and has removed his official dwelling from earth to heaven

Immediately this takes place Anti-Christ already risen to a place of great power is openly revealed If the Church does not know Anti-Christ the chief actor of the Tribulation it is clear evidence that it will not see the Tribulation

Thiessen discussing the relationship of the Church to the Tribulation writes

That which `withholdeth (neuter verse 6) and `he who letteth (`hindereth) (masculine verse 7) is none other than the Holy Spirit He no doubt employs human government and human laws as also providential interventions in the accomplishment of His purposebut more especially the testimony and influence of the Church When the Church is caught up the Holy Spirit will be taken from the world in the peculiar sense in which He is present on earth today He will no longer be here in the same degree of manifestation He will be here at that time in some such way as He was present in the world before the Day of Pentecost

These comments anticipate and answer an objection raised at this point by those who reject the Pre-Tribulation Rapture If the Holy Spirit departs with the Church how can sinners be converted in the Tribulation

It is important to observe that the operations of the Holy Spirit are not the same in each age It is obvious that the Holy Spirit operated from heaven in Old Testament times and that He came intermittently to the earth to possess chosen individuals but in New Testament times the abode of the Holy Spirit has been on the earth His work is to convict and regenerate sinners and thus call out the Bride of Christ and indwell the corporate body with His fullness When the Church is completed the Holy Spirit having accomplished His work in this age removes His abode once again to heaven

With His abode once again in heaven the Holy Spirit is free to operate in much the same way as in Old Testament times It must be remembered that multitudes will enter the Tribulation with an exact knowledge of the Gospel and with an abundance of Bibles and Christian literature at their disposal The shock of the Rapture will cause widespread grief and alarm and since God has not revoked the promise whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved multitudes will cry out to God for mercy

It however matters little what difficulties our friends choose to invent at this point the Word of God plainly declares that multitudes will be saved during the time of Tribulation and the basis of their salvation will be the cross of Christ (Jackel)

After the rapture of the bride Israel will become engaged in a war with all the nations around her for seven years This information is much too in depth for this article I ask that you please review httpwwwbibleprophesyorg for these answers to your questions Even though this is merely one website on such matters I believe Jason Hommel has nailed this topic down

After the rapture of the bride to heaven the world and those left behind will be in great deception Many scared and fearful people will cling to the false conclusion that will be

generated to masses about what exactly happened to the people The governments of the world will lie to all the people

2Th 211 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie

Some of these lies may be when the world leaders decide to reveal the alien agenda claiming ldquoThese people we taken from the earth because they were not ready to evolve into a higher consciousnessrdquo I believe this for would be the likely deception to be used since the hybrids or fallen angels offspring called the Nephilim have been made for centuries for this specific period of time There could also be the revelation of two different kinds of ldquoaliensrdquo whom I call the fallen angels since they are the same thing Many people are aware of the ldquoNordicrdquo looking people and the ldquoGreyrsquosrdquo There could be a blaming of one supposed ldquoevilrdquo species has kidnapped all these people for whatever reasons (to be eaten slaves etchellip) while the other ldquogoodlyrdquo beings will be our supposed progenitorsrsquo or creators These ideas are not strange but what is peculiar is the fact that many people across the globe will abandon the ONE TRUE GOD almost overnight This is called the great apostasy

There is a dividing line drawn in the sand by the beast after the rapture of the bride There are some people who will finally understand why they have rejected God and they will repent These are the Laodiceans of the last church era until the end of this age The reason I believe the great apostasy will happen AFTER the rapture is the unmistakable fact that Christianity will be the new hated belief structure in the world This is why many Christianrsquos will be martyred during the second half of the great tribulation

Islam will be in full force after the rapture of the bride Some even speculate there will be a huge gather of people together under the title of Christlam This is where the Laodicean church will be martyred by having their heads cut off because they will not accept Islam Islam states that they must die if they will not conform This will be the radical new One World Religion that will come upon the scene during the great tribulation Watch the growing religon of Islam and its Sharia law coming into full swing all around the globe The Koran states that Muslims are not to wipe out the people until the Mahadi comes This coincided perfectly with the rapture of the bride and the remnant of the church to go through the tribulation to be refined

httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail ndash This is the best description I have heard to date of the anti-Christ and who he is or will be

If you would also like to know more about a description of the anti-Christ just read the Apocalypse of Elijah httpeashoa-msheekhahcomuploads275827587159686953-the-apocalypse-of-elijahpdf

The world is in a state of accelerated collapse Not just of our monetary systems but of extreme moral decay Morality which is based upon Godrsquos laws uphold the fabric of the universe These ldquolawsrdquo can be broken but with a consequence of death Thank our Heavenly Father for loving us so much to send His only Son to us to redeem us from this sentence of death forever Very soon the whole world shall witness the departure of the bride of Christ God speed that day and the coming of the righteous reign of the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

1) to press (as grapes) press hard upon2) a compressed waya) narrow straitened contracted3) metaph to trouble afflict distress

The Strongrsquos word ndash thlibo (suffer tribulation) is used this way to distinguish the ldquoNarrow Wayrdquo This same meaning is shown is other scriptures and incidently refer to all those whom love God unto death The meaning for this word is the everyday tribulation afflictions and refining fires we all face as Christianrsquos that purge us of sins and bring us closer to God Every Christian or lover of God must go through this type of distress This is also referred to as the NARROW WAY This kind of tribulation refines us and cleans us out and also has nothing to do with OPPRESSION

(See also 2 Col 16 48 75 2 Thes 17 1 Tim 510 Heb 1137)

The next scriptures are relevant to the comparison with the ldquogreat tribulationrdquo and the ldquoDay of the Lordrdquo

Rev 714 And I said unto him Sir thou knowest And he said to me These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb

Lexicon Results Strongs G2347 - thlipsis θλῖψις

Transliterationthlipsis

Pronunciationthlē-psēs (Key)

Part of Speechfeminine noun Root Word (Etymology)

From θλίβω (G2346) TDNT Reference3139334

VinesView Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage

1) a pressing pressing together pressure2) metaph oppression affliction tribulation distress straits

By finding these scriptures in the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon there is clearly a difference in the definition of this type of tribulation (2 Col 14 74 Jn 1633 Phil 116(17) Mt 1321 2421 29 Mk 1324 Act 1422 Rom 29 53 835 1212 2 Thess 16 Rev 19 291022 Rev 714) These verse absolutely show that this type of definition of tribulation is indeed Great Tribulation These are the afflictions of those hard pressed by siege and the calamities of war Mt 242129 etchellip The afflictions which Christ had to undergo (and which therefore his followers must not shrink from) Col 124

The most important out of all these scriptures is Jn 1621

Jhn 1621 y A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembereth no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world

y) Isa 138 213 2617 Mic 49 1Th 53

Isa 138 And they shall be afraid pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth they shall be amazed one at another their faces [shall be as] flames

1 Isaiah 138 - S Ps 3113 S 485 S Isa 2142 Isaiah 138 - Ex 15143 Isaiah 138 - S Ge 316 S Jn 16214 Isaiah 138 - Joel 26 Na 210

Isa 139 Behold the day of the LORD cometh cruel both with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it

1 Isaiah 139 - S Isa 212 Jer 5122 Isaiah 139 - Jer 6233 Isaiah 139 - S Isa 9194 Isaiah 139 - Isa 2621 6616 Jer 2531 Joel 32

Isa 213 Therefore are my loins filled with pain pangs have taken hold upon me as the pangs of a woman that travaileth I was bowed down at the hearing [of it] I was dismayed at the seeing [of it]

1 Isaiah 213 - S Job 14222 Isaiah 213 - S Ge 316 Ps 486 Isa 2617 373 Jer 306 4841 4922 Jn 16213 Isaiah 213 - Da 728 827 1016

Isa 2617 Like as a woman with child [that] draweth near the time of her delivery is in pain [and] crieth out in her pangs so have we been in thy sight O LORD

1 Isaiah 2617 - S Isa 213 S Jn 1621 Rev 122 (I find it extremely interesting that Rev 122 fits in perfectly with this scripture Both refer to a time when the ldquomanchildrdquo or the child of the ldquowomanrdquo will be born This is also verified by Isa 667 The child of the woman is the ldquonation born in one dayrdquo and the ldquomanchildrdquo born of Israel or the church I believe that there are some slight differences between the bridechurch and the last church Laodicea compromises much of the remaining people of Israel These will go through the great tribulation to be refined since they are found lukewarm Christ is taking His bride out of the church since she was kicked out anyway (Isa 665 amp Luke 622)

Mic 49 para Now why dost thou cry out aloud [is there] no king in thee is thy counsellor

perished for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail1 Micah 49 - Jer 8192 Micah 49 - S Ge 316 Jer 306 4841

1Th 53 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 1 Thessalonians 53 - Jer 410 614 Eze 13102 1 Thessalonians 53 - Job 1521 Ps 358 5515 Isa 295 479113 1 Thessalonians 53 - 2Th 19

This scripture of John 1621 is important to point out because of the astounding reference that Jesus is making to the pre tribulation rapture In verse 22 we see Jesus telling the disciples ldquoAnd ye now therefore have sorrowrdquo He is describing the first ldquotribulationrdquo word we defined All Christianrsquos must go through this to be reconciled to God and it is of mourning from being away physically from our Creator The word for ldquoshe is in travailrdquo in verse 21 is Strongrsquos G5088 ndash tikto This word means to ldquobring forth bear produce (fruit from the seed)

Another point to bring to the discussion table is of the Prophet Daniel

Dan 121 para 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 (Archangel Michael if you do a mapping on this scripture is literally standing up in heaven for the translation of the saints Rev 127-9 which brings about the war in heaven Michael is standing for the ldquoCHILDRENrdquo of thy people)

The war that erupts in heaven after the rapture clearly comes down to Earth which Daniel speaks of this time in Dan 121 as being a ldquotime of trouble such as never was since there was a nationrdquo EVER Clearly Satan hates us to the core of his being because this war in heaven is the dividing line laid out by God in times past who gets to go into the lake of fire forever and who gets to live with God forever This type of tribulation will have been unknown to the human species since we have been here on Earth Wallace Jackel breaks down further the Great Tribulation in this excerpt

1 The Great Tribulation is a period of suffering and travail unique and unparalleled in human history The Word of God leaves us in no doubt as to that It is designated by Daniel a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation (Daniel 121) and by our Lord declared to be Great Tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time no nor ever shall be (Matt 2421) while in Revelation 714 it is referred to as the Great Tribulation or more literally Tribulation the Great One

Our Post-Tribulation friends when confronted with this testimony seek to obviate the force of these Scriptures first by playing down the acute travail and suffering of this period and by asserting that despite the terrors of the Great Tribulation the Church will be miraculously preserved through it All this sounds

plausible until we begin to examine the global nature of the Tribulation judgments

These judgments will be so world-wide in their scope particularly at the end of Tribulation that escape will be well-nigh impossible

The deliverance of Israel in Egypt is offered as proof of Gods ability to preserve a people in the midst of judgment However the position of Israel in Egypt and the Church in the world are not analogous All Israel dwelt in one place and the Egyptians in another but believers will be scattered throughout the world often inhabiting the same dwellings

The former judgments were local but the latter will be cosmic

The Tribulation is declared to be the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world (oikoumene the inhabited earth the world KJV) (Rev 310)

Isaiah declares that the earth itself will be mightily shaken and affected (Isaiah 2417-20)

Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee O inhabitant of the earth And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare for the windows from on high are open and the foundations of the earth do shake The earth is utterly broken down the earth is clean dissolved (broken) the earth is moved exceedingly The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard and shall be removed like a cottage and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it and it shall fall and not rise again

Isaiah 1313 Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth shall remove out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger

Isaiah 219-21 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth

Revelation 613-14 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together and every mountain and island were moved out of their places

It is evident from these and other parallel Scriptures that the whole course of nature will be dislocated and convulsed filling the inhabitants of the earth with consternation and dread

2 The Tribulation is characterized by the outpouring of divine wrath and vengeance From this particular form of judgment the believer is eternally free by virtue of the work of Calvary (Romans 81) The Church was forewarned by her Lord that its pathway through this world would be beset with travail and persecution

In the world ye have tribulation (John 1633) We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom (Acts 1422)

But Tribulation incidental to the Christian life is not the Great Tribulation There are at least three Greek words which have a direct bearing on the issue before us

There is the word thlibo which means to press or afflict used in 1 Thess 34 then there is a kindred word thlipsis which means pressure or affliction used to describe the sufferings of Christians generally

In several instances the word is also used of the Great Tribulation Matt 2421 24 29 Rev 714 but there is another word which interests us greatly at this point that is the word orge translated wrath This word is found in many passages connected with the Tribulation

Rev 616 Hide us from the wrath of the lamb Rev 617 The great day of his wrath is come Rev1619 The wine of the fierceness of his wrath Rev1915 The fierceness and wrath of almighty God

The word is used in some other significant connections viz

It was this form of wrath against which John the Baptist warned his hearers - Matt 37

It is referred to in Romans 118 as the wrath of God revealed from heaven against unrighteousness

Concerning the sinner John says the wrath of God abideth on him (John 336) While in Romans 59 we are assured that we shall be saved from wrath through him

The particular judgment implied by this word is judicial and penal it is judgment as a punishment it is vengeance reserved for evil doers From this form of wrath the believer is blessedly exempt otherwise it would be a denial of the most vital principle of the Gospel that Christ suffered once for sins

The Apostle Paul assures us in 1 Thessalonians 59 God hath not appointed us to wrath (orge) but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ and again in 1 Thess 110 Whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath (orge) to come The Authorized Version does not bring out fully the

meaning of this promise The tense here is future which delivereth us from the wrath to come (RV) The Amplified New Testament renders this passage Who personally rescues and delivers us out of and from the wrath which is coming and draws us to himself

Believers then can wait without fear for that blessed event being assured that before His wrath falls He will take His own into His presence

Some who dissent from this interpretation raise a query If the Church is destined to tribulation and God has not intervened to rescue her in the past why should He do so in the future God will intervene and that for the best of all reasons

The Church in the past has suffered the wrath of men but as we have already observed the Great Tribulation represents the wrath of God This is something quite distinct and apart from anything the Church has ever suffered in the past Believers through faith in Christ have passed beyond the reach of judicial displeasure and wrath

3 A further argument is drawn from the relationship of the Church to the Holy Spirit and the appearance of Anti-Christ (2 Thess 27-8)

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way And then shall that Wicked be revealed

Sin and lawlessness have been at work in the world from the beginning but as the age draws to its end it will work itself up to a terrible climax The flood of iniquity is pent up and ready to burst forth infernal hordes are straining to be unleashed but there is a power holding it all in check

He that letteth will let (Katecho to hold down or hold fast) Who is the power holding down iniquity like steam under pressure

This power is declared to be a person (v7) and it is evident that whoever this power is he is more powerful than men or the Devil This being the case He can be no other than a Divine person and we believe him to be none other than the Holy Spirit acting in a variety of ways through providence through legislation through civil government but principally through the Church

When He who restrains is taken out of the way the Church will accompany the Spirit homeward to glory for it is inconceivable that the Church should be left when the Holy Spirit has completed his work in calling out the Church and has removed his official dwelling from earth to heaven

Immediately this takes place Anti-Christ already risen to a place of great power is openly revealed If the Church does not know Anti-Christ the chief actor of the Tribulation it is clear evidence that it will not see the Tribulation

Thiessen discussing the relationship of the Church to the Tribulation writes

That which `withholdeth (neuter verse 6) and `he who letteth (`hindereth) (masculine verse 7) is none other than the Holy Spirit He no doubt employs human government and human laws as also providential interventions in the accomplishment of His purposebut more especially the testimony and influence of the Church When the Church is caught up the Holy Spirit will be taken from the world in the peculiar sense in which He is present on earth today He will no longer be here in the same degree of manifestation He will be here at that time in some such way as He was present in the world before the Day of Pentecost

These comments anticipate and answer an objection raised at this point by those who reject the Pre-Tribulation Rapture If the Holy Spirit departs with the Church how can sinners be converted in the Tribulation

It is important to observe that the operations of the Holy Spirit are not the same in each age It is obvious that the Holy Spirit operated from heaven in Old Testament times and that He came intermittently to the earth to possess chosen individuals but in New Testament times the abode of the Holy Spirit has been on the earth His work is to convict and regenerate sinners and thus call out the Bride of Christ and indwell the corporate body with His fullness When the Church is completed the Holy Spirit having accomplished His work in this age removes His abode once again to heaven

With His abode once again in heaven the Holy Spirit is free to operate in much the same way as in Old Testament times It must be remembered that multitudes will enter the Tribulation with an exact knowledge of the Gospel and with an abundance of Bibles and Christian literature at their disposal The shock of the Rapture will cause widespread grief and alarm and since God has not revoked the promise whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved multitudes will cry out to God for mercy

It however matters little what difficulties our friends choose to invent at this point the Word of God plainly declares that multitudes will be saved during the time of Tribulation and the basis of their salvation will be the cross of Christ (Jackel)

After the rapture of the bride Israel will become engaged in a war with all the nations around her for seven years This information is much too in depth for this article I ask that you please review httpwwwbibleprophesyorg for these answers to your questions Even though this is merely one website on such matters I believe Jason Hommel has nailed this topic down

After the rapture of the bride to heaven the world and those left behind will be in great deception Many scared and fearful people will cling to the false conclusion that will be

generated to masses about what exactly happened to the people The governments of the world will lie to all the people

2Th 211 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie

Some of these lies may be when the world leaders decide to reveal the alien agenda claiming ldquoThese people we taken from the earth because they were not ready to evolve into a higher consciousnessrdquo I believe this for would be the likely deception to be used since the hybrids or fallen angels offspring called the Nephilim have been made for centuries for this specific period of time There could also be the revelation of two different kinds of ldquoaliensrdquo whom I call the fallen angels since they are the same thing Many people are aware of the ldquoNordicrdquo looking people and the ldquoGreyrsquosrdquo There could be a blaming of one supposed ldquoevilrdquo species has kidnapped all these people for whatever reasons (to be eaten slaves etchellip) while the other ldquogoodlyrdquo beings will be our supposed progenitorsrsquo or creators These ideas are not strange but what is peculiar is the fact that many people across the globe will abandon the ONE TRUE GOD almost overnight This is called the great apostasy

There is a dividing line drawn in the sand by the beast after the rapture of the bride There are some people who will finally understand why they have rejected God and they will repent These are the Laodiceans of the last church era until the end of this age The reason I believe the great apostasy will happen AFTER the rapture is the unmistakable fact that Christianity will be the new hated belief structure in the world This is why many Christianrsquos will be martyred during the second half of the great tribulation

Islam will be in full force after the rapture of the bride Some even speculate there will be a huge gather of people together under the title of Christlam This is where the Laodicean church will be martyred by having their heads cut off because they will not accept Islam Islam states that they must die if they will not conform This will be the radical new One World Religion that will come upon the scene during the great tribulation Watch the growing religon of Islam and its Sharia law coming into full swing all around the globe The Koran states that Muslims are not to wipe out the people until the Mahadi comes This coincided perfectly with the rapture of the bride and the remnant of the church to go through the tribulation to be refined

httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail ndash This is the best description I have heard to date of the anti-Christ and who he is or will be

If you would also like to know more about a description of the anti-Christ just read the Apocalypse of Elijah httpeashoa-msheekhahcomuploads275827587159686953-the-apocalypse-of-elijahpdf

The world is in a state of accelerated collapse Not just of our monetary systems but of extreme moral decay Morality which is based upon Godrsquos laws uphold the fabric of the universe These ldquolawsrdquo can be broken but with a consequence of death Thank our Heavenly Father for loving us so much to send His only Son to us to redeem us from this sentence of death forever Very soon the whole world shall witness the departure of the bride of Christ God speed that day and the coming of the righteous reign of the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

1) a pressing pressing together pressure2) metaph oppression affliction tribulation distress straits

By finding these scriptures in the above Thayerrsquos Lexicon there is clearly a difference in the definition of this type of tribulation (2 Col 14 74 Jn 1633 Phil 116(17) Mt 1321 2421 29 Mk 1324 Act 1422 Rom 29 53 835 1212 2 Thess 16 Rev 19 291022 Rev 714) These verse absolutely show that this type of definition of tribulation is indeed Great Tribulation These are the afflictions of those hard pressed by siege and the calamities of war Mt 242129 etchellip The afflictions which Christ had to undergo (and which therefore his followers must not shrink from) Col 124

The most important out of all these scriptures is Jn 1621

Jhn 1621 y A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembereth no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world

y) Isa 138 213 2617 Mic 49 1Th 53

Isa 138 And they shall be afraid pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth they shall be amazed one at another their faces [shall be as] flames

1 Isaiah 138 - S Ps 3113 S 485 S Isa 2142 Isaiah 138 - Ex 15143 Isaiah 138 - S Ge 316 S Jn 16214 Isaiah 138 - Joel 26 Na 210

Isa 139 Behold the day of the LORD cometh cruel both with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it

1 Isaiah 139 - S Isa 212 Jer 5122 Isaiah 139 - Jer 6233 Isaiah 139 - S Isa 9194 Isaiah 139 - Isa 2621 6616 Jer 2531 Joel 32

Isa 213 Therefore are my loins filled with pain pangs have taken hold upon me as the pangs of a woman that travaileth I was bowed down at the hearing [of it] I was dismayed at the seeing [of it]

1 Isaiah 213 - S Job 14222 Isaiah 213 - S Ge 316 Ps 486 Isa 2617 373 Jer 306 4841 4922 Jn 16213 Isaiah 213 - Da 728 827 1016

Isa 2617 Like as a woman with child [that] draweth near the time of her delivery is in pain [and] crieth out in her pangs so have we been in thy sight O LORD

1 Isaiah 2617 - S Isa 213 S Jn 1621 Rev 122 (I find it extremely interesting that Rev 122 fits in perfectly with this scripture Both refer to a time when the ldquomanchildrdquo or the child of the ldquowomanrdquo will be born This is also verified by Isa 667 The child of the woman is the ldquonation born in one dayrdquo and the ldquomanchildrdquo born of Israel or the church I believe that there are some slight differences between the bridechurch and the last church Laodicea compromises much of the remaining people of Israel These will go through the great tribulation to be refined since they are found lukewarm Christ is taking His bride out of the church since she was kicked out anyway (Isa 665 amp Luke 622)

Mic 49 para Now why dost thou cry out aloud [is there] no king in thee is thy counsellor

perished for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail1 Micah 49 - Jer 8192 Micah 49 - S Ge 316 Jer 306 4841

1Th 53 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 1 Thessalonians 53 - Jer 410 614 Eze 13102 1 Thessalonians 53 - Job 1521 Ps 358 5515 Isa 295 479113 1 Thessalonians 53 - 2Th 19

This scripture of John 1621 is important to point out because of the astounding reference that Jesus is making to the pre tribulation rapture In verse 22 we see Jesus telling the disciples ldquoAnd ye now therefore have sorrowrdquo He is describing the first ldquotribulationrdquo word we defined All Christianrsquos must go through this to be reconciled to God and it is of mourning from being away physically from our Creator The word for ldquoshe is in travailrdquo in verse 21 is Strongrsquos G5088 ndash tikto This word means to ldquobring forth bear produce (fruit from the seed)

Another point to bring to the discussion table is of the Prophet Daniel

Dan 121 para 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 (Archangel Michael if you do a mapping on this scripture is literally standing up in heaven for the translation of the saints Rev 127-9 which brings about the war in heaven Michael is standing for the ldquoCHILDRENrdquo of thy people)

The war that erupts in heaven after the rapture clearly comes down to Earth which Daniel speaks of this time in Dan 121 as being a ldquotime of trouble such as never was since there was a nationrdquo EVER Clearly Satan hates us to the core of his being because this war in heaven is the dividing line laid out by God in times past who gets to go into the lake of fire forever and who gets to live with God forever This type of tribulation will have been unknown to the human species since we have been here on Earth Wallace Jackel breaks down further the Great Tribulation in this excerpt

1 The Great Tribulation is a period of suffering and travail unique and unparalleled in human history The Word of God leaves us in no doubt as to that It is designated by Daniel a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation (Daniel 121) and by our Lord declared to be Great Tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time no nor ever shall be (Matt 2421) while in Revelation 714 it is referred to as the Great Tribulation or more literally Tribulation the Great One

Our Post-Tribulation friends when confronted with this testimony seek to obviate the force of these Scriptures first by playing down the acute travail and suffering of this period and by asserting that despite the terrors of the Great Tribulation the Church will be miraculously preserved through it All this sounds

plausible until we begin to examine the global nature of the Tribulation judgments

These judgments will be so world-wide in their scope particularly at the end of Tribulation that escape will be well-nigh impossible

The deliverance of Israel in Egypt is offered as proof of Gods ability to preserve a people in the midst of judgment However the position of Israel in Egypt and the Church in the world are not analogous All Israel dwelt in one place and the Egyptians in another but believers will be scattered throughout the world often inhabiting the same dwellings

The former judgments were local but the latter will be cosmic

The Tribulation is declared to be the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world (oikoumene the inhabited earth the world KJV) (Rev 310)

Isaiah declares that the earth itself will be mightily shaken and affected (Isaiah 2417-20)

Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee O inhabitant of the earth And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare for the windows from on high are open and the foundations of the earth do shake The earth is utterly broken down the earth is clean dissolved (broken) the earth is moved exceedingly The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard and shall be removed like a cottage and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it and it shall fall and not rise again

Isaiah 1313 Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth shall remove out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger

Isaiah 219-21 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth

Revelation 613-14 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together and every mountain and island were moved out of their places

It is evident from these and other parallel Scriptures that the whole course of nature will be dislocated and convulsed filling the inhabitants of the earth with consternation and dread

2 The Tribulation is characterized by the outpouring of divine wrath and vengeance From this particular form of judgment the believer is eternally free by virtue of the work of Calvary (Romans 81) The Church was forewarned by her Lord that its pathway through this world would be beset with travail and persecution

In the world ye have tribulation (John 1633) We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom (Acts 1422)

But Tribulation incidental to the Christian life is not the Great Tribulation There are at least three Greek words which have a direct bearing on the issue before us

There is the word thlibo which means to press or afflict used in 1 Thess 34 then there is a kindred word thlipsis which means pressure or affliction used to describe the sufferings of Christians generally

In several instances the word is also used of the Great Tribulation Matt 2421 24 29 Rev 714 but there is another word which interests us greatly at this point that is the word orge translated wrath This word is found in many passages connected with the Tribulation

Rev 616 Hide us from the wrath of the lamb Rev 617 The great day of his wrath is come Rev1619 The wine of the fierceness of his wrath Rev1915 The fierceness and wrath of almighty God

The word is used in some other significant connections viz

It was this form of wrath against which John the Baptist warned his hearers - Matt 37

It is referred to in Romans 118 as the wrath of God revealed from heaven against unrighteousness

Concerning the sinner John says the wrath of God abideth on him (John 336) While in Romans 59 we are assured that we shall be saved from wrath through him

The particular judgment implied by this word is judicial and penal it is judgment as a punishment it is vengeance reserved for evil doers From this form of wrath the believer is blessedly exempt otherwise it would be a denial of the most vital principle of the Gospel that Christ suffered once for sins

The Apostle Paul assures us in 1 Thessalonians 59 God hath not appointed us to wrath (orge) but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ and again in 1 Thess 110 Whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath (orge) to come The Authorized Version does not bring out fully the

meaning of this promise The tense here is future which delivereth us from the wrath to come (RV) The Amplified New Testament renders this passage Who personally rescues and delivers us out of and from the wrath which is coming and draws us to himself

Believers then can wait without fear for that blessed event being assured that before His wrath falls He will take His own into His presence

Some who dissent from this interpretation raise a query If the Church is destined to tribulation and God has not intervened to rescue her in the past why should He do so in the future God will intervene and that for the best of all reasons

The Church in the past has suffered the wrath of men but as we have already observed the Great Tribulation represents the wrath of God This is something quite distinct and apart from anything the Church has ever suffered in the past Believers through faith in Christ have passed beyond the reach of judicial displeasure and wrath

3 A further argument is drawn from the relationship of the Church to the Holy Spirit and the appearance of Anti-Christ (2 Thess 27-8)

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way And then shall that Wicked be revealed

Sin and lawlessness have been at work in the world from the beginning but as the age draws to its end it will work itself up to a terrible climax The flood of iniquity is pent up and ready to burst forth infernal hordes are straining to be unleashed but there is a power holding it all in check

He that letteth will let (Katecho to hold down or hold fast) Who is the power holding down iniquity like steam under pressure

This power is declared to be a person (v7) and it is evident that whoever this power is he is more powerful than men or the Devil This being the case He can be no other than a Divine person and we believe him to be none other than the Holy Spirit acting in a variety of ways through providence through legislation through civil government but principally through the Church

When He who restrains is taken out of the way the Church will accompany the Spirit homeward to glory for it is inconceivable that the Church should be left when the Holy Spirit has completed his work in calling out the Church and has removed his official dwelling from earth to heaven

Immediately this takes place Anti-Christ already risen to a place of great power is openly revealed If the Church does not know Anti-Christ the chief actor of the Tribulation it is clear evidence that it will not see the Tribulation

Thiessen discussing the relationship of the Church to the Tribulation writes

That which `withholdeth (neuter verse 6) and `he who letteth (`hindereth) (masculine verse 7) is none other than the Holy Spirit He no doubt employs human government and human laws as also providential interventions in the accomplishment of His purposebut more especially the testimony and influence of the Church When the Church is caught up the Holy Spirit will be taken from the world in the peculiar sense in which He is present on earth today He will no longer be here in the same degree of manifestation He will be here at that time in some such way as He was present in the world before the Day of Pentecost

These comments anticipate and answer an objection raised at this point by those who reject the Pre-Tribulation Rapture If the Holy Spirit departs with the Church how can sinners be converted in the Tribulation

It is important to observe that the operations of the Holy Spirit are not the same in each age It is obvious that the Holy Spirit operated from heaven in Old Testament times and that He came intermittently to the earth to possess chosen individuals but in New Testament times the abode of the Holy Spirit has been on the earth His work is to convict and regenerate sinners and thus call out the Bride of Christ and indwell the corporate body with His fullness When the Church is completed the Holy Spirit having accomplished His work in this age removes His abode once again to heaven

With His abode once again in heaven the Holy Spirit is free to operate in much the same way as in Old Testament times It must be remembered that multitudes will enter the Tribulation with an exact knowledge of the Gospel and with an abundance of Bibles and Christian literature at their disposal The shock of the Rapture will cause widespread grief and alarm and since God has not revoked the promise whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved multitudes will cry out to God for mercy

It however matters little what difficulties our friends choose to invent at this point the Word of God plainly declares that multitudes will be saved during the time of Tribulation and the basis of their salvation will be the cross of Christ (Jackel)

After the rapture of the bride Israel will become engaged in a war with all the nations around her for seven years This information is much too in depth for this article I ask that you please review httpwwwbibleprophesyorg for these answers to your questions Even though this is merely one website on such matters I believe Jason Hommel has nailed this topic down

After the rapture of the bride to heaven the world and those left behind will be in great deception Many scared and fearful people will cling to the false conclusion that will be

generated to masses about what exactly happened to the people The governments of the world will lie to all the people

2Th 211 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie

Some of these lies may be when the world leaders decide to reveal the alien agenda claiming ldquoThese people we taken from the earth because they were not ready to evolve into a higher consciousnessrdquo I believe this for would be the likely deception to be used since the hybrids or fallen angels offspring called the Nephilim have been made for centuries for this specific period of time There could also be the revelation of two different kinds of ldquoaliensrdquo whom I call the fallen angels since they are the same thing Many people are aware of the ldquoNordicrdquo looking people and the ldquoGreyrsquosrdquo There could be a blaming of one supposed ldquoevilrdquo species has kidnapped all these people for whatever reasons (to be eaten slaves etchellip) while the other ldquogoodlyrdquo beings will be our supposed progenitorsrsquo or creators These ideas are not strange but what is peculiar is the fact that many people across the globe will abandon the ONE TRUE GOD almost overnight This is called the great apostasy

There is a dividing line drawn in the sand by the beast after the rapture of the bride There are some people who will finally understand why they have rejected God and they will repent These are the Laodiceans of the last church era until the end of this age The reason I believe the great apostasy will happen AFTER the rapture is the unmistakable fact that Christianity will be the new hated belief structure in the world This is why many Christianrsquos will be martyred during the second half of the great tribulation

Islam will be in full force after the rapture of the bride Some even speculate there will be a huge gather of people together under the title of Christlam This is where the Laodicean church will be martyred by having their heads cut off because they will not accept Islam Islam states that they must die if they will not conform This will be the radical new One World Religion that will come upon the scene during the great tribulation Watch the growing religon of Islam and its Sharia law coming into full swing all around the globe The Koran states that Muslims are not to wipe out the people until the Mahadi comes This coincided perfectly with the rapture of the bride and the remnant of the church to go through the tribulation to be refined

httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail ndash This is the best description I have heard to date of the anti-Christ and who he is or will be

If you would also like to know more about a description of the anti-Christ just read the Apocalypse of Elijah httpeashoa-msheekhahcomuploads275827587159686953-the-apocalypse-of-elijahpdf

The world is in a state of accelerated collapse Not just of our monetary systems but of extreme moral decay Morality which is based upon Godrsquos laws uphold the fabric of the universe These ldquolawsrdquo can be broken but with a consequence of death Thank our Heavenly Father for loving us so much to send His only Son to us to redeem us from this sentence of death forever Very soon the whole world shall witness the departure of the bride of Christ God speed that day and the coming of the righteous reign of the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

The most important out of all these scriptures is Jn 1621

Jhn 1621 y A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembereth no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world

y) Isa 138 213 2617 Mic 49 1Th 53

Isa 138 And they shall be afraid pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth they shall be amazed one at another their faces [shall be as] flames

1 Isaiah 138 - S Ps 3113 S 485 S Isa 2142 Isaiah 138 - Ex 15143 Isaiah 138 - S Ge 316 S Jn 16214 Isaiah 138 - Joel 26 Na 210

Isa 139 Behold the day of the LORD cometh cruel both with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it

1 Isaiah 139 - S Isa 212 Jer 5122 Isaiah 139 - Jer 6233 Isaiah 139 - S Isa 9194 Isaiah 139 - Isa 2621 6616 Jer 2531 Joel 32

Isa 213 Therefore are my loins filled with pain pangs have taken hold upon me as the pangs of a woman that travaileth I was bowed down at the hearing [of it] I was dismayed at the seeing [of it]

1 Isaiah 213 - S Job 14222 Isaiah 213 - S Ge 316 Ps 486 Isa 2617 373 Jer 306 4841 4922 Jn 16213 Isaiah 213 - Da 728 827 1016

Isa 2617 Like as a woman with child [that] draweth near the time of her delivery is in pain [and] crieth out in her pangs so have we been in thy sight O LORD

1 Isaiah 2617 - S Isa 213 S Jn 1621 Rev 122 (I find it extremely interesting that Rev 122 fits in perfectly with this scripture Both refer to a time when the ldquomanchildrdquo or the child of the ldquowomanrdquo will be born This is also verified by Isa 667 The child of the woman is the ldquonation born in one dayrdquo and the ldquomanchildrdquo born of Israel or the church I believe that there are some slight differences between the bridechurch and the last church Laodicea compromises much of the remaining people of Israel These will go through the great tribulation to be refined since they are found lukewarm Christ is taking His bride out of the church since she was kicked out anyway (Isa 665 amp Luke 622)

Mic 49 para Now why dost thou cry out aloud [is there] no king in thee is thy counsellor

perished for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail1 Micah 49 - Jer 8192 Micah 49 - S Ge 316 Jer 306 4841

1Th 53 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 1 Thessalonians 53 - Jer 410 614 Eze 13102 1 Thessalonians 53 - Job 1521 Ps 358 5515 Isa 295 479113 1 Thessalonians 53 - 2Th 19

This scripture of John 1621 is important to point out because of the astounding reference that Jesus is making to the pre tribulation rapture In verse 22 we see Jesus telling the disciples ldquoAnd ye now therefore have sorrowrdquo He is describing the first ldquotribulationrdquo word we defined All Christianrsquos must go through this to be reconciled to God and it is of mourning from being away physically from our Creator The word for ldquoshe is in travailrdquo in verse 21 is Strongrsquos G5088 ndash tikto This word means to ldquobring forth bear produce (fruit from the seed)

Another point to bring to the discussion table is of the Prophet Daniel

Dan 121 para 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 (Archangel Michael if you do a mapping on this scripture is literally standing up in heaven for the translation of the saints Rev 127-9 which brings about the war in heaven Michael is standing for the ldquoCHILDRENrdquo of thy people)

The war that erupts in heaven after the rapture clearly comes down to Earth which Daniel speaks of this time in Dan 121 as being a ldquotime of trouble such as never was since there was a nationrdquo EVER Clearly Satan hates us to the core of his being because this war in heaven is the dividing line laid out by God in times past who gets to go into the lake of fire forever and who gets to live with God forever This type of tribulation will have been unknown to the human species since we have been here on Earth Wallace Jackel breaks down further the Great Tribulation in this excerpt

1 The Great Tribulation is a period of suffering and travail unique and unparalleled in human history The Word of God leaves us in no doubt as to that It is designated by Daniel a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation (Daniel 121) and by our Lord declared to be Great Tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time no nor ever shall be (Matt 2421) while in Revelation 714 it is referred to as the Great Tribulation or more literally Tribulation the Great One

Our Post-Tribulation friends when confronted with this testimony seek to obviate the force of these Scriptures first by playing down the acute travail and suffering of this period and by asserting that despite the terrors of the Great Tribulation the Church will be miraculously preserved through it All this sounds

plausible until we begin to examine the global nature of the Tribulation judgments

These judgments will be so world-wide in their scope particularly at the end of Tribulation that escape will be well-nigh impossible

The deliverance of Israel in Egypt is offered as proof of Gods ability to preserve a people in the midst of judgment However the position of Israel in Egypt and the Church in the world are not analogous All Israel dwelt in one place and the Egyptians in another but believers will be scattered throughout the world often inhabiting the same dwellings

The former judgments were local but the latter will be cosmic

The Tribulation is declared to be the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world (oikoumene the inhabited earth the world KJV) (Rev 310)

Isaiah declares that the earth itself will be mightily shaken and affected (Isaiah 2417-20)

Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee O inhabitant of the earth And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare for the windows from on high are open and the foundations of the earth do shake The earth is utterly broken down the earth is clean dissolved (broken) the earth is moved exceedingly The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard and shall be removed like a cottage and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it and it shall fall and not rise again

Isaiah 1313 Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth shall remove out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger

Isaiah 219-21 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth

Revelation 613-14 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together and every mountain and island were moved out of their places

It is evident from these and other parallel Scriptures that the whole course of nature will be dislocated and convulsed filling the inhabitants of the earth with consternation and dread

2 The Tribulation is characterized by the outpouring of divine wrath and vengeance From this particular form of judgment the believer is eternally free by virtue of the work of Calvary (Romans 81) The Church was forewarned by her Lord that its pathway through this world would be beset with travail and persecution

In the world ye have tribulation (John 1633) We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom (Acts 1422)

But Tribulation incidental to the Christian life is not the Great Tribulation There are at least three Greek words which have a direct bearing on the issue before us

There is the word thlibo which means to press or afflict used in 1 Thess 34 then there is a kindred word thlipsis which means pressure or affliction used to describe the sufferings of Christians generally

In several instances the word is also used of the Great Tribulation Matt 2421 24 29 Rev 714 but there is another word which interests us greatly at this point that is the word orge translated wrath This word is found in many passages connected with the Tribulation

Rev 616 Hide us from the wrath of the lamb Rev 617 The great day of his wrath is come Rev1619 The wine of the fierceness of his wrath Rev1915 The fierceness and wrath of almighty God

The word is used in some other significant connections viz

It was this form of wrath against which John the Baptist warned his hearers - Matt 37

It is referred to in Romans 118 as the wrath of God revealed from heaven against unrighteousness

Concerning the sinner John says the wrath of God abideth on him (John 336) While in Romans 59 we are assured that we shall be saved from wrath through him

The particular judgment implied by this word is judicial and penal it is judgment as a punishment it is vengeance reserved for evil doers From this form of wrath the believer is blessedly exempt otherwise it would be a denial of the most vital principle of the Gospel that Christ suffered once for sins

The Apostle Paul assures us in 1 Thessalonians 59 God hath not appointed us to wrath (orge) but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ and again in 1 Thess 110 Whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath (orge) to come The Authorized Version does not bring out fully the

meaning of this promise The tense here is future which delivereth us from the wrath to come (RV) The Amplified New Testament renders this passage Who personally rescues and delivers us out of and from the wrath which is coming and draws us to himself

Believers then can wait without fear for that blessed event being assured that before His wrath falls He will take His own into His presence

Some who dissent from this interpretation raise a query If the Church is destined to tribulation and God has not intervened to rescue her in the past why should He do so in the future God will intervene and that for the best of all reasons

The Church in the past has suffered the wrath of men but as we have already observed the Great Tribulation represents the wrath of God This is something quite distinct and apart from anything the Church has ever suffered in the past Believers through faith in Christ have passed beyond the reach of judicial displeasure and wrath

3 A further argument is drawn from the relationship of the Church to the Holy Spirit and the appearance of Anti-Christ (2 Thess 27-8)

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way And then shall that Wicked be revealed

Sin and lawlessness have been at work in the world from the beginning but as the age draws to its end it will work itself up to a terrible climax The flood of iniquity is pent up and ready to burst forth infernal hordes are straining to be unleashed but there is a power holding it all in check

He that letteth will let (Katecho to hold down or hold fast) Who is the power holding down iniquity like steam under pressure

This power is declared to be a person (v7) and it is evident that whoever this power is he is more powerful than men or the Devil This being the case He can be no other than a Divine person and we believe him to be none other than the Holy Spirit acting in a variety of ways through providence through legislation through civil government but principally through the Church

When He who restrains is taken out of the way the Church will accompany the Spirit homeward to glory for it is inconceivable that the Church should be left when the Holy Spirit has completed his work in calling out the Church and has removed his official dwelling from earth to heaven

Immediately this takes place Anti-Christ already risen to a place of great power is openly revealed If the Church does not know Anti-Christ the chief actor of the Tribulation it is clear evidence that it will not see the Tribulation

Thiessen discussing the relationship of the Church to the Tribulation writes

That which `withholdeth (neuter verse 6) and `he who letteth (`hindereth) (masculine verse 7) is none other than the Holy Spirit He no doubt employs human government and human laws as also providential interventions in the accomplishment of His purposebut more especially the testimony and influence of the Church When the Church is caught up the Holy Spirit will be taken from the world in the peculiar sense in which He is present on earth today He will no longer be here in the same degree of manifestation He will be here at that time in some such way as He was present in the world before the Day of Pentecost

These comments anticipate and answer an objection raised at this point by those who reject the Pre-Tribulation Rapture If the Holy Spirit departs with the Church how can sinners be converted in the Tribulation

It is important to observe that the operations of the Holy Spirit are not the same in each age It is obvious that the Holy Spirit operated from heaven in Old Testament times and that He came intermittently to the earth to possess chosen individuals but in New Testament times the abode of the Holy Spirit has been on the earth His work is to convict and regenerate sinners and thus call out the Bride of Christ and indwell the corporate body with His fullness When the Church is completed the Holy Spirit having accomplished His work in this age removes His abode once again to heaven

With His abode once again in heaven the Holy Spirit is free to operate in much the same way as in Old Testament times It must be remembered that multitudes will enter the Tribulation with an exact knowledge of the Gospel and with an abundance of Bibles and Christian literature at their disposal The shock of the Rapture will cause widespread grief and alarm and since God has not revoked the promise whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved multitudes will cry out to God for mercy

It however matters little what difficulties our friends choose to invent at this point the Word of God plainly declares that multitudes will be saved during the time of Tribulation and the basis of their salvation will be the cross of Christ (Jackel)

After the rapture of the bride Israel will become engaged in a war with all the nations around her for seven years This information is much too in depth for this article I ask that you please review httpwwwbibleprophesyorg for these answers to your questions Even though this is merely one website on such matters I believe Jason Hommel has nailed this topic down

After the rapture of the bride to heaven the world and those left behind will be in great deception Many scared and fearful people will cling to the false conclusion that will be

generated to masses about what exactly happened to the people The governments of the world will lie to all the people

2Th 211 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie

Some of these lies may be when the world leaders decide to reveal the alien agenda claiming ldquoThese people we taken from the earth because they were not ready to evolve into a higher consciousnessrdquo I believe this for would be the likely deception to be used since the hybrids or fallen angels offspring called the Nephilim have been made for centuries for this specific period of time There could also be the revelation of two different kinds of ldquoaliensrdquo whom I call the fallen angels since they are the same thing Many people are aware of the ldquoNordicrdquo looking people and the ldquoGreyrsquosrdquo There could be a blaming of one supposed ldquoevilrdquo species has kidnapped all these people for whatever reasons (to be eaten slaves etchellip) while the other ldquogoodlyrdquo beings will be our supposed progenitorsrsquo or creators These ideas are not strange but what is peculiar is the fact that many people across the globe will abandon the ONE TRUE GOD almost overnight This is called the great apostasy

There is a dividing line drawn in the sand by the beast after the rapture of the bride There are some people who will finally understand why they have rejected God and they will repent These are the Laodiceans of the last church era until the end of this age The reason I believe the great apostasy will happen AFTER the rapture is the unmistakable fact that Christianity will be the new hated belief structure in the world This is why many Christianrsquos will be martyred during the second half of the great tribulation

Islam will be in full force after the rapture of the bride Some even speculate there will be a huge gather of people together under the title of Christlam This is where the Laodicean church will be martyred by having their heads cut off because they will not accept Islam Islam states that they must die if they will not conform This will be the radical new One World Religion that will come upon the scene during the great tribulation Watch the growing religon of Islam and its Sharia law coming into full swing all around the globe The Koran states that Muslims are not to wipe out the people until the Mahadi comes This coincided perfectly with the rapture of the bride and the remnant of the church to go through the tribulation to be refined

httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail ndash This is the best description I have heard to date of the anti-Christ and who he is or will be

If you would also like to know more about a description of the anti-Christ just read the Apocalypse of Elijah httpeashoa-msheekhahcomuploads275827587159686953-the-apocalypse-of-elijahpdf

The world is in a state of accelerated collapse Not just of our monetary systems but of extreme moral decay Morality which is based upon Godrsquos laws uphold the fabric of the universe These ldquolawsrdquo can be broken but with a consequence of death Thank our Heavenly Father for loving us so much to send His only Son to us to redeem us from this sentence of death forever Very soon the whole world shall witness the departure of the bride of Christ God speed that day and the coming of the righteous reign of the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

perished for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail1 Micah 49 - Jer 8192 Micah 49 - S Ge 316 Jer 306 4841

1Th 53 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 1 Thessalonians 53 - Jer 410 614 Eze 13102 1 Thessalonians 53 - Job 1521 Ps 358 5515 Isa 295 479113 1 Thessalonians 53 - 2Th 19

This scripture of John 1621 is important to point out because of the astounding reference that Jesus is making to the pre tribulation rapture In verse 22 we see Jesus telling the disciples ldquoAnd ye now therefore have sorrowrdquo He is describing the first ldquotribulationrdquo word we defined All Christianrsquos must go through this to be reconciled to God and it is of mourning from being away physically from our Creator The word for ldquoshe is in travailrdquo in verse 21 is Strongrsquos G5088 ndash tikto This word means to ldquobring forth bear produce (fruit from the seed)

Another point to bring to the discussion table is of the Prophet Daniel

Dan 121 para 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 (Archangel Michael if you do a mapping on this scripture is literally standing up in heaven for the translation of the saints Rev 127-9 which brings about the war in heaven Michael is standing for the ldquoCHILDRENrdquo of thy people)

The war that erupts in heaven after the rapture clearly comes down to Earth which Daniel speaks of this time in Dan 121 as being a ldquotime of trouble such as never was since there was a nationrdquo EVER Clearly Satan hates us to the core of his being because this war in heaven is the dividing line laid out by God in times past who gets to go into the lake of fire forever and who gets to live with God forever This type of tribulation will have been unknown to the human species since we have been here on Earth Wallace Jackel breaks down further the Great Tribulation in this excerpt

1 The Great Tribulation is a period of suffering and travail unique and unparalleled in human history The Word of God leaves us in no doubt as to that It is designated by Daniel a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation (Daniel 121) and by our Lord declared to be Great Tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time no nor ever shall be (Matt 2421) while in Revelation 714 it is referred to as the Great Tribulation or more literally Tribulation the Great One

Our Post-Tribulation friends when confronted with this testimony seek to obviate the force of these Scriptures first by playing down the acute travail and suffering of this period and by asserting that despite the terrors of the Great Tribulation the Church will be miraculously preserved through it All this sounds

plausible until we begin to examine the global nature of the Tribulation judgments

These judgments will be so world-wide in their scope particularly at the end of Tribulation that escape will be well-nigh impossible

The deliverance of Israel in Egypt is offered as proof of Gods ability to preserve a people in the midst of judgment However the position of Israel in Egypt and the Church in the world are not analogous All Israel dwelt in one place and the Egyptians in another but believers will be scattered throughout the world often inhabiting the same dwellings

The former judgments were local but the latter will be cosmic

The Tribulation is declared to be the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world (oikoumene the inhabited earth the world KJV) (Rev 310)

Isaiah declares that the earth itself will be mightily shaken and affected (Isaiah 2417-20)

Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee O inhabitant of the earth And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare for the windows from on high are open and the foundations of the earth do shake The earth is utterly broken down the earth is clean dissolved (broken) the earth is moved exceedingly The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard and shall be removed like a cottage and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it and it shall fall and not rise again

Isaiah 1313 Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth shall remove out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger

Isaiah 219-21 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth

Revelation 613-14 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together and every mountain and island were moved out of their places

It is evident from these and other parallel Scriptures that the whole course of nature will be dislocated and convulsed filling the inhabitants of the earth with consternation and dread

2 The Tribulation is characterized by the outpouring of divine wrath and vengeance From this particular form of judgment the believer is eternally free by virtue of the work of Calvary (Romans 81) The Church was forewarned by her Lord that its pathway through this world would be beset with travail and persecution

In the world ye have tribulation (John 1633) We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom (Acts 1422)

But Tribulation incidental to the Christian life is not the Great Tribulation There are at least three Greek words which have a direct bearing on the issue before us

There is the word thlibo which means to press or afflict used in 1 Thess 34 then there is a kindred word thlipsis which means pressure or affliction used to describe the sufferings of Christians generally

In several instances the word is also used of the Great Tribulation Matt 2421 24 29 Rev 714 but there is another word which interests us greatly at this point that is the word orge translated wrath This word is found in many passages connected with the Tribulation

Rev 616 Hide us from the wrath of the lamb Rev 617 The great day of his wrath is come Rev1619 The wine of the fierceness of his wrath Rev1915 The fierceness and wrath of almighty God

The word is used in some other significant connections viz

It was this form of wrath against which John the Baptist warned his hearers - Matt 37

It is referred to in Romans 118 as the wrath of God revealed from heaven against unrighteousness

Concerning the sinner John says the wrath of God abideth on him (John 336) While in Romans 59 we are assured that we shall be saved from wrath through him

The particular judgment implied by this word is judicial and penal it is judgment as a punishment it is vengeance reserved for evil doers From this form of wrath the believer is blessedly exempt otherwise it would be a denial of the most vital principle of the Gospel that Christ suffered once for sins

The Apostle Paul assures us in 1 Thessalonians 59 God hath not appointed us to wrath (orge) but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ and again in 1 Thess 110 Whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath (orge) to come The Authorized Version does not bring out fully the

meaning of this promise The tense here is future which delivereth us from the wrath to come (RV) The Amplified New Testament renders this passage Who personally rescues and delivers us out of and from the wrath which is coming and draws us to himself

Believers then can wait without fear for that blessed event being assured that before His wrath falls He will take His own into His presence

Some who dissent from this interpretation raise a query If the Church is destined to tribulation and God has not intervened to rescue her in the past why should He do so in the future God will intervene and that for the best of all reasons

The Church in the past has suffered the wrath of men but as we have already observed the Great Tribulation represents the wrath of God This is something quite distinct and apart from anything the Church has ever suffered in the past Believers through faith in Christ have passed beyond the reach of judicial displeasure and wrath

3 A further argument is drawn from the relationship of the Church to the Holy Spirit and the appearance of Anti-Christ (2 Thess 27-8)

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way And then shall that Wicked be revealed

Sin and lawlessness have been at work in the world from the beginning but as the age draws to its end it will work itself up to a terrible climax The flood of iniquity is pent up and ready to burst forth infernal hordes are straining to be unleashed but there is a power holding it all in check

He that letteth will let (Katecho to hold down or hold fast) Who is the power holding down iniquity like steam under pressure

This power is declared to be a person (v7) and it is evident that whoever this power is he is more powerful than men or the Devil This being the case He can be no other than a Divine person and we believe him to be none other than the Holy Spirit acting in a variety of ways through providence through legislation through civil government but principally through the Church

When He who restrains is taken out of the way the Church will accompany the Spirit homeward to glory for it is inconceivable that the Church should be left when the Holy Spirit has completed his work in calling out the Church and has removed his official dwelling from earth to heaven

Immediately this takes place Anti-Christ already risen to a place of great power is openly revealed If the Church does not know Anti-Christ the chief actor of the Tribulation it is clear evidence that it will not see the Tribulation

Thiessen discussing the relationship of the Church to the Tribulation writes

That which `withholdeth (neuter verse 6) and `he who letteth (`hindereth) (masculine verse 7) is none other than the Holy Spirit He no doubt employs human government and human laws as also providential interventions in the accomplishment of His purposebut more especially the testimony and influence of the Church When the Church is caught up the Holy Spirit will be taken from the world in the peculiar sense in which He is present on earth today He will no longer be here in the same degree of manifestation He will be here at that time in some such way as He was present in the world before the Day of Pentecost

These comments anticipate and answer an objection raised at this point by those who reject the Pre-Tribulation Rapture If the Holy Spirit departs with the Church how can sinners be converted in the Tribulation

It is important to observe that the operations of the Holy Spirit are not the same in each age It is obvious that the Holy Spirit operated from heaven in Old Testament times and that He came intermittently to the earth to possess chosen individuals but in New Testament times the abode of the Holy Spirit has been on the earth His work is to convict and regenerate sinners and thus call out the Bride of Christ and indwell the corporate body with His fullness When the Church is completed the Holy Spirit having accomplished His work in this age removes His abode once again to heaven

With His abode once again in heaven the Holy Spirit is free to operate in much the same way as in Old Testament times It must be remembered that multitudes will enter the Tribulation with an exact knowledge of the Gospel and with an abundance of Bibles and Christian literature at their disposal The shock of the Rapture will cause widespread grief and alarm and since God has not revoked the promise whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved multitudes will cry out to God for mercy

It however matters little what difficulties our friends choose to invent at this point the Word of God plainly declares that multitudes will be saved during the time of Tribulation and the basis of their salvation will be the cross of Christ (Jackel)

After the rapture of the bride Israel will become engaged in a war with all the nations around her for seven years This information is much too in depth for this article I ask that you please review httpwwwbibleprophesyorg for these answers to your questions Even though this is merely one website on such matters I believe Jason Hommel has nailed this topic down

After the rapture of the bride to heaven the world and those left behind will be in great deception Many scared and fearful people will cling to the false conclusion that will be

generated to masses about what exactly happened to the people The governments of the world will lie to all the people

2Th 211 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie

Some of these lies may be when the world leaders decide to reveal the alien agenda claiming ldquoThese people we taken from the earth because they were not ready to evolve into a higher consciousnessrdquo I believe this for would be the likely deception to be used since the hybrids or fallen angels offspring called the Nephilim have been made for centuries for this specific period of time There could also be the revelation of two different kinds of ldquoaliensrdquo whom I call the fallen angels since they are the same thing Many people are aware of the ldquoNordicrdquo looking people and the ldquoGreyrsquosrdquo There could be a blaming of one supposed ldquoevilrdquo species has kidnapped all these people for whatever reasons (to be eaten slaves etchellip) while the other ldquogoodlyrdquo beings will be our supposed progenitorsrsquo or creators These ideas are not strange but what is peculiar is the fact that many people across the globe will abandon the ONE TRUE GOD almost overnight This is called the great apostasy

There is a dividing line drawn in the sand by the beast after the rapture of the bride There are some people who will finally understand why they have rejected God and they will repent These are the Laodiceans of the last church era until the end of this age The reason I believe the great apostasy will happen AFTER the rapture is the unmistakable fact that Christianity will be the new hated belief structure in the world This is why many Christianrsquos will be martyred during the second half of the great tribulation

Islam will be in full force after the rapture of the bride Some even speculate there will be a huge gather of people together under the title of Christlam This is where the Laodicean church will be martyred by having their heads cut off because they will not accept Islam Islam states that they must die if they will not conform This will be the radical new One World Religion that will come upon the scene during the great tribulation Watch the growing religon of Islam and its Sharia law coming into full swing all around the globe The Koran states that Muslims are not to wipe out the people until the Mahadi comes This coincided perfectly with the rapture of the bride and the remnant of the church to go through the tribulation to be refined

httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail ndash This is the best description I have heard to date of the anti-Christ and who he is or will be

If you would also like to know more about a description of the anti-Christ just read the Apocalypse of Elijah httpeashoa-msheekhahcomuploads275827587159686953-the-apocalypse-of-elijahpdf

The world is in a state of accelerated collapse Not just of our monetary systems but of extreme moral decay Morality which is based upon Godrsquos laws uphold the fabric of the universe These ldquolawsrdquo can be broken but with a consequence of death Thank our Heavenly Father for loving us so much to send His only Son to us to redeem us from this sentence of death forever Very soon the whole world shall witness the departure of the bride of Christ God speed that day and the coming of the righteous reign of the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

plausible until we begin to examine the global nature of the Tribulation judgments

These judgments will be so world-wide in their scope particularly at the end of Tribulation that escape will be well-nigh impossible

The deliverance of Israel in Egypt is offered as proof of Gods ability to preserve a people in the midst of judgment However the position of Israel in Egypt and the Church in the world are not analogous All Israel dwelt in one place and the Egyptians in another but believers will be scattered throughout the world often inhabiting the same dwellings

The former judgments were local but the latter will be cosmic

The Tribulation is declared to be the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world (oikoumene the inhabited earth the world KJV) (Rev 310)

Isaiah declares that the earth itself will be mightily shaken and affected (Isaiah 2417-20)

Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee O inhabitant of the earth And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare for the windows from on high are open and the foundations of the earth do shake The earth is utterly broken down the earth is clean dissolved (broken) the earth is moved exceedingly The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard and shall be removed like a cottage and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it and it shall fall and not rise again

Isaiah 1313 Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth shall remove out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger

Isaiah 219-21 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth

Revelation 613-14 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together and every mountain and island were moved out of their places

It is evident from these and other parallel Scriptures that the whole course of nature will be dislocated and convulsed filling the inhabitants of the earth with consternation and dread

2 The Tribulation is characterized by the outpouring of divine wrath and vengeance From this particular form of judgment the believer is eternally free by virtue of the work of Calvary (Romans 81) The Church was forewarned by her Lord that its pathway through this world would be beset with travail and persecution

In the world ye have tribulation (John 1633) We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom (Acts 1422)

But Tribulation incidental to the Christian life is not the Great Tribulation There are at least three Greek words which have a direct bearing on the issue before us

There is the word thlibo which means to press or afflict used in 1 Thess 34 then there is a kindred word thlipsis which means pressure or affliction used to describe the sufferings of Christians generally

In several instances the word is also used of the Great Tribulation Matt 2421 24 29 Rev 714 but there is another word which interests us greatly at this point that is the word orge translated wrath This word is found in many passages connected with the Tribulation

Rev 616 Hide us from the wrath of the lamb Rev 617 The great day of his wrath is come Rev1619 The wine of the fierceness of his wrath Rev1915 The fierceness and wrath of almighty God

The word is used in some other significant connections viz

It was this form of wrath against which John the Baptist warned his hearers - Matt 37

It is referred to in Romans 118 as the wrath of God revealed from heaven against unrighteousness

Concerning the sinner John says the wrath of God abideth on him (John 336) While in Romans 59 we are assured that we shall be saved from wrath through him

The particular judgment implied by this word is judicial and penal it is judgment as a punishment it is vengeance reserved for evil doers From this form of wrath the believer is blessedly exempt otherwise it would be a denial of the most vital principle of the Gospel that Christ suffered once for sins

The Apostle Paul assures us in 1 Thessalonians 59 God hath not appointed us to wrath (orge) but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ and again in 1 Thess 110 Whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath (orge) to come The Authorized Version does not bring out fully the

meaning of this promise The tense here is future which delivereth us from the wrath to come (RV) The Amplified New Testament renders this passage Who personally rescues and delivers us out of and from the wrath which is coming and draws us to himself

Believers then can wait without fear for that blessed event being assured that before His wrath falls He will take His own into His presence

Some who dissent from this interpretation raise a query If the Church is destined to tribulation and God has not intervened to rescue her in the past why should He do so in the future God will intervene and that for the best of all reasons

The Church in the past has suffered the wrath of men but as we have already observed the Great Tribulation represents the wrath of God This is something quite distinct and apart from anything the Church has ever suffered in the past Believers through faith in Christ have passed beyond the reach of judicial displeasure and wrath

3 A further argument is drawn from the relationship of the Church to the Holy Spirit and the appearance of Anti-Christ (2 Thess 27-8)

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way And then shall that Wicked be revealed

Sin and lawlessness have been at work in the world from the beginning but as the age draws to its end it will work itself up to a terrible climax The flood of iniquity is pent up and ready to burst forth infernal hordes are straining to be unleashed but there is a power holding it all in check

He that letteth will let (Katecho to hold down or hold fast) Who is the power holding down iniquity like steam under pressure

This power is declared to be a person (v7) and it is evident that whoever this power is he is more powerful than men or the Devil This being the case He can be no other than a Divine person and we believe him to be none other than the Holy Spirit acting in a variety of ways through providence through legislation through civil government but principally through the Church

When He who restrains is taken out of the way the Church will accompany the Spirit homeward to glory for it is inconceivable that the Church should be left when the Holy Spirit has completed his work in calling out the Church and has removed his official dwelling from earth to heaven

Immediately this takes place Anti-Christ already risen to a place of great power is openly revealed If the Church does not know Anti-Christ the chief actor of the Tribulation it is clear evidence that it will not see the Tribulation

Thiessen discussing the relationship of the Church to the Tribulation writes

That which `withholdeth (neuter verse 6) and `he who letteth (`hindereth) (masculine verse 7) is none other than the Holy Spirit He no doubt employs human government and human laws as also providential interventions in the accomplishment of His purposebut more especially the testimony and influence of the Church When the Church is caught up the Holy Spirit will be taken from the world in the peculiar sense in which He is present on earth today He will no longer be here in the same degree of manifestation He will be here at that time in some such way as He was present in the world before the Day of Pentecost

These comments anticipate and answer an objection raised at this point by those who reject the Pre-Tribulation Rapture If the Holy Spirit departs with the Church how can sinners be converted in the Tribulation

It is important to observe that the operations of the Holy Spirit are not the same in each age It is obvious that the Holy Spirit operated from heaven in Old Testament times and that He came intermittently to the earth to possess chosen individuals but in New Testament times the abode of the Holy Spirit has been on the earth His work is to convict and regenerate sinners and thus call out the Bride of Christ and indwell the corporate body with His fullness When the Church is completed the Holy Spirit having accomplished His work in this age removes His abode once again to heaven

With His abode once again in heaven the Holy Spirit is free to operate in much the same way as in Old Testament times It must be remembered that multitudes will enter the Tribulation with an exact knowledge of the Gospel and with an abundance of Bibles and Christian literature at their disposal The shock of the Rapture will cause widespread grief and alarm and since God has not revoked the promise whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved multitudes will cry out to God for mercy

It however matters little what difficulties our friends choose to invent at this point the Word of God plainly declares that multitudes will be saved during the time of Tribulation and the basis of their salvation will be the cross of Christ (Jackel)

After the rapture of the bride Israel will become engaged in a war with all the nations around her for seven years This information is much too in depth for this article I ask that you please review httpwwwbibleprophesyorg for these answers to your questions Even though this is merely one website on such matters I believe Jason Hommel has nailed this topic down

After the rapture of the bride to heaven the world and those left behind will be in great deception Many scared and fearful people will cling to the false conclusion that will be

generated to masses about what exactly happened to the people The governments of the world will lie to all the people

2Th 211 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie

Some of these lies may be when the world leaders decide to reveal the alien agenda claiming ldquoThese people we taken from the earth because they were not ready to evolve into a higher consciousnessrdquo I believe this for would be the likely deception to be used since the hybrids or fallen angels offspring called the Nephilim have been made for centuries for this specific period of time There could also be the revelation of two different kinds of ldquoaliensrdquo whom I call the fallen angels since they are the same thing Many people are aware of the ldquoNordicrdquo looking people and the ldquoGreyrsquosrdquo There could be a blaming of one supposed ldquoevilrdquo species has kidnapped all these people for whatever reasons (to be eaten slaves etchellip) while the other ldquogoodlyrdquo beings will be our supposed progenitorsrsquo or creators These ideas are not strange but what is peculiar is the fact that many people across the globe will abandon the ONE TRUE GOD almost overnight This is called the great apostasy

There is a dividing line drawn in the sand by the beast after the rapture of the bride There are some people who will finally understand why they have rejected God and they will repent These are the Laodiceans of the last church era until the end of this age The reason I believe the great apostasy will happen AFTER the rapture is the unmistakable fact that Christianity will be the new hated belief structure in the world This is why many Christianrsquos will be martyred during the second half of the great tribulation

Islam will be in full force after the rapture of the bride Some even speculate there will be a huge gather of people together under the title of Christlam This is where the Laodicean church will be martyred by having their heads cut off because they will not accept Islam Islam states that they must die if they will not conform This will be the radical new One World Religion that will come upon the scene during the great tribulation Watch the growing religon of Islam and its Sharia law coming into full swing all around the globe The Koran states that Muslims are not to wipe out the people until the Mahadi comes This coincided perfectly with the rapture of the bride and the remnant of the church to go through the tribulation to be refined

httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail ndash This is the best description I have heard to date of the anti-Christ and who he is or will be

If you would also like to know more about a description of the anti-Christ just read the Apocalypse of Elijah httpeashoa-msheekhahcomuploads275827587159686953-the-apocalypse-of-elijahpdf

The world is in a state of accelerated collapse Not just of our monetary systems but of extreme moral decay Morality which is based upon Godrsquos laws uphold the fabric of the universe These ldquolawsrdquo can be broken but with a consequence of death Thank our Heavenly Father for loving us so much to send His only Son to us to redeem us from this sentence of death forever Very soon the whole world shall witness the departure of the bride of Christ God speed that day and the coming of the righteous reign of the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

2 The Tribulation is characterized by the outpouring of divine wrath and vengeance From this particular form of judgment the believer is eternally free by virtue of the work of Calvary (Romans 81) The Church was forewarned by her Lord that its pathway through this world would be beset with travail and persecution

In the world ye have tribulation (John 1633) We must through much tribulation enter the Kingdom (Acts 1422)

But Tribulation incidental to the Christian life is not the Great Tribulation There are at least three Greek words which have a direct bearing on the issue before us

There is the word thlibo which means to press or afflict used in 1 Thess 34 then there is a kindred word thlipsis which means pressure or affliction used to describe the sufferings of Christians generally

In several instances the word is also used of the Great Tribulation Matt 2421 24 29 Rev 714 but there is another word which interests us greatly at this point that is the word orge translated wrath This word is found in many passages connected with the Tribulation

Rev 616 Hide us from the wrath of the lamb Rev 617 The great day of his wrath is come Rev1619 The wine of the fierceness of his wrath Rev1915 The fierceness and wrath of almighty God

The word is used in some other significant connections viz

It was this form of wrath against which John the Baptist warned his hearers - Matt 37

It is referred to in Romans 118 as the wrath of God revealed from heaven against unrighteousness

Concerning the sinner John says the wrath of God abideth on him (John 336) While in Romans 59 we are assured that we shall be saved from wrath through him

The particular judgment implied by this word is judicial and penal it is judgment as a punishment it is vengeance reserved for evil doers From this form of wrath the believer is blessedly exempt otherwise it would be a denial of the most vital principle of the Gospel that Christ suffered once for sins

The Apostle Paul assures us in 1 Thessalonians 59 God hath not appointed us to wrath (orge) but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ and again in 1 Thess 110 Whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath (orge) to come The Authorized Version does not bring out fully the

meaning of this promise The tense here is future which delivereth us from the wrath to come (RV) The Amplified New Testament renders this passage Who personally rescues and delivers us out of and from the wrath which is coming and draws us to himself

Believers then can wait without fear for that blessed event being assured that before His wrath falls He will take His own into His presence

Some who dissent from this interpretation raise a query If the Church is destined to tribulation and God has not intervened to rescue her in the past why should He do so in the future God will intervene and that for the best of all reasons

The Church in the past has suffered the wrath of men but as we have already observed the Great Tribulation represents the wrath of God This is something quite distinct and apart from anything the Church has ever suffered in the past Believers through faith in Christ have passed beyond the reach of judicial displeasure and wrath

3 A further argument is drawn from the relationship of the Church to the Holy Spirit and the appearance of Anti-Christ (2 Thess 27-8)

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way And then shall that Wicked be revealed

Sin and lawlessness have been at work in the world from the beginning but as the age draws to its end it will work itself up to a terrible climax The flood of iniquity is pent up and ready to burst forth infernal hordes are straining to be unleashed but there is a power holding it all in check

He that letteth will let (Katecho to hold down or hold fast) Who is the power holding down iniquity like steam under pressure

This power is declared to be a person (v7) and it is evident that whoever this power is he is more powerful than men or the Devil This being the case He can be no other than a Divine person and we believe him to be none other than the Holy Spirit acting in a variety of ways through providence through legislation through civil government but principally through the Church

When He who restrains is taken out of the way the Church will accompany the Spirit homeward to glory for it is inconceivable that the Church should be left when the Holy Spirit has completed his work in calling out the Church and has removed his official dwelling from earth to heaven

Immediately this takes place Anti-Christ already risen to a place of great power is openly revealed If the Church does not know Anti-Christ the chief actor of the Tribulation it is clear evidence that it will not see the Tribulation

Thiessen discussing the relationship of the Church to the Tribulation writes

That which `withholdeth (neuter verse 6) and `he who letteth (`hindereth) (masculine verse 7) is none other than the Holy Spirit He no doubt employs human government and human laws as also providential interventions in the accomplishment of His purposebut more especially the testimony and influence of the Church When the Church is caught up the Holy Spirit will be taken from the world in the peculiar sense in which He is present on earth today He will no longer be here in the same degree of manifestation He will be here at that time in some such way as He was present in the world before the Day of Pentecost

These comments anticipate and answer an objection raised at this point by those who reject the Pre-Tribulation Rapture If the Holy Spirit departs with the Church how can sinners be converted in the Tribulation

It is important to observe that the operations of the Holy Spirit are not the same in each age It is obvious that the Holy Spirit operated from heaven in Old Testament times and that He came intermittently to the earth to possess chosen individuals but in New Testament times the abode of the Holy Spirit has been on the earth His work is to convict and regenerate sinners and thus call out the Bride of Christ and indwell the corporate body with His fullness When the Church is completed the Holy Spirit having accomplished His work in this age removes His abode once again to heaven

With His abode once again in heaven the Holy Spirit is free to operate in much the same way as in Old Testament times It must be remembered that multitudes will enter the Tribulation with an exact knowledge of the Gospel and with an abundance of Bibles and Christian literature at their disposal The shock of the Rapture will cause widespread grief and alarm and since God has not revoked the promise whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved multitudes will cry out to God for mercy

It however matters little what difficulties our friends choose to invent at this point the Word of God plainly declares that multitudes will be saved during the time of Tribulation and the basis of their salvation will be the cross of Christ (Jackel)

After the rapture of the bride Israel will become engaged in a war with all the nations around her for seven years This information is much too in depth for this article I ask that you please review httpwwwbibleprophesyorg for these answers to your questions Even though this is merely one website on such matters I believe Jason Hommel has nailed this topic down

After the rapture of the bride to heaven the world and those left behind will be in great deception Many scared and fearful people will cling to the false conclusion that will be

generated to masses about what exactly happened to the people The governments of the world will lie to all the people

2Th 211 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie

Some of these lies may be when the world leaders decide to reveal the alien agenda claiming ldquoThese people we taken from the earth because they were not ready to evolve into a higher consciousnessrdquo I believe this for would be the likely deception to be used since the hybrids or fallen angels offspring called the Nephilim have been made for centuries for this specific period of time There could also be the revelation of two different kinds of ldquoaliensrdquo whom I call the fallen angels since they are the same thing Many people are aware of the ldquoNordicrdquo looking people and the ldquoGreyrsquosrdquo There could be a blaming of one supposed ldquoevilrdquo species has kidnapped all these people for whatever reasons (to be eaten slaves etchellip) while the other ldquogoodlyrdquo beings will be our supposed progenitorsrsquo or creators These ideas are not strange but what is peculiar is the fact that many people across the globe will abandon the ONE TRUE GOD almost overnight This is called the great apostasy

There is a dividing line drawn in the sand by the beast after the rapture of the bride There are some people who will finally understand why they have rejected God and they will repent These are the Laodiceans of the last church era until the end of this age The reason I believe the great apostasy will happen AFTER the rapture is the unmistakable fact that Christianity will be the new hated belief structure in the world This is why many Christianrsquos will be martyred during the second half of the great tribulation

Islam will be in full force after the rapture of the bride Some even speculate there will be a huge gather of people together under the title of Christlam This is where the Laodicean church will be martyred by having their heads cut off because they will not accept Islam Islam states that they must die if they will not conform This will be the radical new One World Religion that will come upon the scene during the great tribulation Watch the growing religon of Islam and its Sharia law coming into full swing all around the globe The Koran states that Muslims are not to wipe out the people until the Mahadi comes This coincided perfectly with the rapture of the bride and the remnant of the church to go through the tribulation to be refined

httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail ndash This is the best description I have heard to date of the anti-Christ and who he is or will be

If you would also like to know more about a description of the anti-Christ just read the Apocalypse of Elijah httpeashoa-msheekhahcomuploads275827587159686953-the-apocalypse-of-elijahpdf

The world is in a state of accelerated collapse Not just of our monetary systems but of extreme moral decay Morality which is based upon Godrsquos laws uphold the fabric of the universe These ldquolawsrdquo can be broken but with a consequence of death Thank our Heavenly Father for loving us so much to send His only Son to us to redeem us from this sentence of death forever Very soon the whole world shall witness the departure of the bride of Christ God speed that day and the coming of the righteous reign of the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

meaning of this promise The tense here is future which delivereth us from the wrath to come (RV) The Amplified New Testament renders this passage Who personally rescues and delivers us out of and from the wrath which is coming and draws us to himself

Believers then can wait without fear for that blessed event being assured that before His wrath falls He will take His own into His presence

Some who dissent from this interpretation raise a query If the Church is destined to tribulation and God has not intervened to rescue her in the past why should He do so in the future God will intervene and that for the best of all reasons

The Church in the past has suffered the wrath of men but as we have already observed the Great Tribulation represents the wrath of God This is something quite distinct and apart from anything the Church has ever suffered in the past Believers through faith in Christ have passed beyond the reach of judicial displeasure and wrath

3 A further argument is drawn from the relationship of the Church to the Holy Spirit and the appearance of Anti-Christ (2 Thess 27-8)

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way And then shall that Wicked be revealed

Sin and lawlessness have been at work in the world from the beginning but as the age draws to its end it will work itself up to a terrible climax The flood of iniquity is pent up and ready to burst forth infernal hordes are straining to be unleashed but there is a power holding it all in check

He that letteth will let (Katecho to hold down or hold fast) Who is the power holding down iniquity like steam under pressure

This power is declared to be a person (v7) and it is evident that whoever this power is he is more powerful than men or the Devil This being the case He can be no other than a Divine person and we believe him to be none other than the Holy Spirit acting in a variety of ways through providence through legislation through civil government but principally through the Church

When He who restrains is taken out of the way the Church will accompany the Spirit homeward to glory for it is inconceivable that the Church should be left when the Holy Spirit has completed his work in calling out the Church and has removed his official dwelling from earth to heaven

Immediately this takes place Anti-Christ already risen to a place of great power is openly revealed If the Church does not know Anti-Christ the chief actor of the Tribulation it is clear evidence that it will not see the Tribulation

Thiessen discussing the relationship of the Church to the Tribulation writes

That which `withholdeth (neuter verse 6) and `he who letteth (`hindereth) (masculine verse 7) is none other than the Holy Spirit He no doubt employs human government and human laws as also providential interventions in the accomplishment of His purposebut more especially the testimony and influence of the Church When the Church is caught up the Holy Spirit will be taken from the world in the peculiar sense in which He is present on earth today He will no longer be here in the same degree of manifestation He will be here at that time in some such way as He was present in the world before the Day of Pentecost

These comments anticipate and answer an objection raised at this point by those who reject the Pre-Tribulation Rapture If the Holy Spirit departs with the Church how can sinners be converted in the Tribulation

It is important to observe that the operations of the Holy Spirit are not the same in each age It is obvious that the Holy Spirit operated from heaven in Old Testament times and that He came intermittently to the earth to possess chosen individuals but in New Testament times the abode of the Holy Spirit has been on the earth His work is to convict and regenerate sinners and thus call out the Bride of Christ and indwell the corporate body with His fullness When the Church is completed the Holy Spirit having accomplished His work in this age removes His abode once again to heaven

With His abode once again in heaven the Holy Spirit is free to operate in much the same way as in Old Testament times It must be remembered that multitudes will enter the Tribulation with an exact knowledge of the Gospel and with an abundance of Bibles and Christian literature at their disposal The shock of the Rapture will cause widespread grief and alarm and since God has not revoked the promise whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved multitudes will cry out to God for mercy

It however matters little what difficulties our friends choose to invent at this point the Word of God plainly declares that multitudes will be saved during the time of Tribulation and the basis of their salvation will be the cross of Christ (Jackel)

After the rapture of the bride Israel will become engaged in a war with all the nations around her for seven years This information is much too in depth for this article I ask that you please review httpwwwbibleprophesyorg for these answers to your questions Even though this is merely one website on such matters I believe Jason Hommel has nailed this topic down

After the rapture of the bride to heaven the world and those left behind will be in great deception Many scared and fearful people will cling to the false conclusion that will be

generated to masses about what exactly happened to the people The governments of the world will lie to all the people

2Th 211 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie

Some of these lies may be when the world leaders decide to reveal the alien agenda claiming ldquoThese people we taken from the earth because they were not ready to evolve into a higher consciousnessrdquo I believe this for would be the likely deception to be used since the hybrids or fallen angels offspring called the Nephilim have been made for centuries for this specific period of time There could also be the revelation of two different kinds of ldquoaliensrdquo whom I call the fallen angels since they are the same thing Many people are aware of the ldquoNordicrdquo looking people and the ldquoGreyrsquosrdquo There could be a blaming of one supposed ldquoevilrdquo species has kidnapped all these people for whatever reasons (to be eaten slaves etchellip) while the other ldquogoodlyrdquo beings will be our supposed progenitorsrsquo or creators These ideas are not strange but what is peculiar is the fact that many people across the globe will abandon the ONE TRUE GOD almost overnight This is called the great apostasy

There is a dividing line drawn in the sand by the beast after the rapture of the bride There are some people who will finally understand why they have rejected God and they will repent These are the Laodiceans of the last church era until the end of this age The reason I believe the great apostasy will happen AFTER the rapture is the unmistakable fact that Christianity will be the new hated belief structure in the world This is why many Christianrsquos will be martyred during the second half of the great tribulation

Islam will be in full force after the rapture of the bride Some even speculate there will be a huge gather of people together under the title of Christlam This is where the Laodicean church will be martyred by having their heads cut off because they will not accept Islam Islam states that they must die if they will not conform This will be the radical new One World Religion that will come upon the scene during the great tribulation Watch the growing religon of Islam and its Sharia law coming into full swing all around the globe The Koran states that Muslims are not to wipe out the people until the Mahadi comes This coincided perfectly with the rapture of the bride and the remnant of the church to go through the tribulation to be refined

httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail ndash This is the best description I have heard to date of the anti-Christ and who he is or will be

If you would also like to know more about a description of the anti-Christ just read the Apocalypse of Elijah httpeashoa-msheekhahcomuploads275827587159686953-the-apocalypse-of-elijahpdf

The world is in a state of accelerated collapse Not just of our monetary systems but of extreme moral decay Morality which is based upon Godrsquos laws uphold the fabric of the universe These ldquolawsrdquo can be broken but with a consequence of death Thank our Heavenly Father for loving us so much to send His only Son to us to redeem us from this sentence of death forever Very soon the whole world shall witness the departure of the bride of Christ God speed that day and the coming of the righteous reign of the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

Thiessen discussing the relationship of the Church to the Tribulation writes

That which `withholdeth (neuter verse 6) and `he who letteth (`hindereth) (masculine verse 7) is none other than the Holy Spirit He no doubt employs human government and human laws as also providential interventions in the accomplishment of His purposebut more especially the testimony and influence of the Church When the Church is caught up the Holy Spirit will be taken from the world in the peculiar sense in which He is present on earth today He will no longer be here in the same degree of manifestation He will be here at that time in some such way as He was present in the world before the Day of Pentecost

These comments anticipate and answer an objection raised at this point by those who reject the Pre-Tribulation Rapture If the Holy Spirit departs with the Church how can sinners be converted in the Tribulation

It is important to observe that the operations of the Holy Spirit are not the same in each age It is obvious that the Holy Spirit operated from heaven in Old Testament times and that He came intermittently to the earth to possess chosen individuals but in New Testament times the abode of the Holy Spirit has been on the earth His work is to convict and regenerate sinners and thus call out the Bride of Christ and indwell the corporate body with His fullness When the Church is completed the Holy Spirit having accomplished His work in this age removes His abode once again to heaven

With His abode once again in heaven the Holy Spirit is free to operate in much the same way as in Old Testament times It must be remembered that multitudes will enter the Tribulation with an exact knowledge of the Gospel and with an abundance of Bibles and Christian literature at their disposal The shock of the Rapture will cause widespread grief and alarm and since God has not revoked the promise whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved multitudes will cry out to God for mercy

It however matters little what difficulties our friends choose to invent at this point the Word of God plainly declares that multitudes will be saved during the time of Tribulation and the basis of their salvation will be the cross of Christ (Jackel)

After the rapture of the bride Israel will become engaged in a war with all the nations around her for seven years This information is much too in depth for this article I ask that you please review httpwwwbibleprophesyorg for these answers to your questions Even though this is merely one website on such matters I believe Jason Hommel has nailed this topic down

After the rapture of the bride to heaven the world and those left behind will be in great deception Many scared and fearful people will cling to the false conclusion that will be

generated to masses about what exactly happened to the people The governments of the world will lie to all the people

2Th 211 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie

Some of these lies may be when the world leaders decide to reveal the alien agenda claiming ldquoThese people we taken from the earth because they were not ready to evolve into a higher consciousnessrdquo I believe this for would be the likely deception to be used since the hybrids or fallen angels offspring called the Nephilim have been made for centuries for this specific period of time There could also be the revelation of two different kinds of ldquoaliensrdquo whom I call the fallen angels since they are the same thing Many people are aware of the ldquoNordicrdquo looking people and the ldquoGreyrsquosrdquo There could be a blaming of one supposed ldquoevilrdquo species has kidnapped all these people for whatever reasons (to be eaten slaves etchellip) while the other ldquogoodlyrdquo beings will be our supposed progenitorsrsquo or creators These ideas are not strange but what is peculiar is the fact that many people across the globe will abandon the ONE TRUE GOD almost overnight This is called the great apostasy

There is a dividing line drawn in the sand by the beast after the rapture of the bride There are some people who will finally understand why they have rejected God and they will repent These are the Laodiceans of the last church era until the end of this age The reason I believe the great apostasy will happen AFTER the rapture is the unmistakable fact that Christianity will be the new hated belief structure in the world This is why many Christianrsquos will be martyred during the second half of the great tribulation

Islam will be in full force after the rapture of the bride Some even speculate there will be a huge gather of people together under the title of Christlam This is where the Laodicean church will be martyred by having their heads cut off because they will not accept Islam Islam states that they must die if they will not conform This will be the radical new One World Religion that will come upon the scene during the great tribulation Watch the growing religon of Islam and its Sharia law coming into full swing all around the globe The Koran states that Muslims are not to wipe out the people until the Mahadi comes This coincided perfectly with the rapture of the bride and the remnant of the church to go through the tribulation to be refined

httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail ndash This is the best description I have heard to date of the anti-Christ and who he is or will be

If you would also like to know more about a description of the anti-Christ just read the Apocalypse of Elijah httpeashoa-msheekhahcomuploads275827587159686953-the-apocalypse-of-elijahpdf

The world is in a state of accelerated collapse Not just of our monetary systems but of extreme moral decay Morality which is based upon Godrsquos laws uphold the fabric of the universe These ldquolawsrdquo can be broken but with a consequence of death Thank our Heavenly Father for loving us so much to send His only Son to us to redeem us from this sentence of death forever Very soon the whole world shall witness the departure of the bride of Christ God speed that day and the coming of the righteous reign of the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

generated to masses about what exactly happened to the people The governments of the world will lie to all the people

2Th 211 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie

Some of these lies may be when the world leaders decide to reveal the alien agenda claiming ldquoThese people we taken from the earth because they were not ready to evolve into a higher consciousnessrdquo I believe this for would be the likely deception to be used since the hybrids or fallen angels offspring called the Nephilim have been made for centuries for this specific period of time There could also be the revelation of two different kinds of ldquoaliensrdquo whom I call the fallen angels since they are the same thing Many people are aware of the ldquoNordicrdquo looking people and the ldquoGreyrsquosrdquo There could be a blaming of one supposed ldquoevilrdquo species has kidnapped all these people for whatever reasons (to be eaten slaves etchellip) while the other ldquogoodlyrdquo beings will be our supposed progenitorsrsquo or creators These ideas are not strange but what is peculiar is the fact that many people across the globe will abandon the ONE TRUE GOD almost overnight This is called the great apostasy

There is a dividing line drawn in the sand by the beast after the rapture of the bride There are some people who will finally understand why they have rejected God and they will repent These are the Laodiceans of the last church era until the end of this age The reason I believe the great apostasy will happen AFTER the rapture is the unmistakable fact that Christianity will be the new hated belief structure in the world This is why many Christianrsquos will be martyred during the second half of the great tribulation

Islam will be in full force after the rapture of the bride Some even speculate there will be a huge gather of people together under the title of Christlam This is where the Laodicean church will be martyred by having their heads cut off because they will not accept Islam Islam states that they must die if they will not conform This will be the radical new One World Religion that will come upon the scene during the great tribulation Watch the growing religon of Islam and its Sharia law coming into full swing all around the globe The Koran states that Muslims are not to wipe out the people until the Mahadi comes This coincided perfectly with the rapture of the bride and the remnant of the church to go through the tribulation to be refined

httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail ndash This is the best description I have heard to date of the anti-Christ and who he is or will be

If you would also like to know more about a description of the anti-Christ just read the Apocalypse of Elijah httpeashoa-msheekhahcomuploads275827587159686953-the-apocalypse-of-elijahpdf

The world is in a state of accelerated collapse Not just of our monetary systems but of extreme moral decay Morality which is based upon Godrsquos laws uphold the fabric of the universe These ldquolawsrdquo can be broken but with a consequence of death Thank our Heavenly Father for loving us so much to send His only Son to us to redeem us from this sentence of death forever Very soon the whole world shall witness the departure of the bride of Christ God speed that day and the coming of the righteous reign of the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

I had to add more here

Why I Believe In a Pretribulation RaptureThere are several positions regarding when Jesus will rapture the church in relation to the seven-year tribulation period These positions only apply to premillenialists (those who believe in a literal 1000 year millennium)

Pre-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church before the seven-year tribulation period After the tribulation Jesus will return to the earth

Post-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church after the seven-year tribulation period as he is descending to the earth

Mid-tribulation position Jesus will rapture the church at the 3 frac12 year midpoint of the tribulation Jesus will return after the tribulation

Pre-wrath position Jesus will rapture the church just before God pours out his wrath upon the earth near the end of the tribulation

Sincere and intelligent Christians disagree on which of the above positions best represents the Biblical evidence The outline below reflects my belief

Why I believe in the pre-tribulation position that the church will not go through the tribulation

I The Evidence From the Book of Revelation

A In Rev310 Jesus gives a direct statement that the church of Philadelphia will be kept from the time period of the tribulation

If you study the rewards of the other churches of Revelation and compare them with other Scriptures you will see that they apply to all saved churches

In Rev310 Jesus says ldquohellipI will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live upon the earthrdquo

The church of Philadelphia was a church that was patiently enduring persecution as all churches of Jesus Christ should and Jesus says that they will (v10) be kept from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth

The Greek words ldquokeep fromrdquo mean ldquoprotection fromrdquo It can mean protection from by either taking one out of a particular situation (pre-trib) or protecting one through it (post-trib)

But Jesus says here that He will keep them from the ldquohour of trialrdquo a period of time of testing that is about to come upon the earth The only way someone can be ldquokept fromrdquo or protected from a time period rather than a condition or circumstance is to be kept from going through that time period This fits a pre-tribulation rapture position that holds that the church will be kept from the whole time period of the tribulation by being raptured just before it A post-tribulational position would propose the church would be protected from the condition or circumstance of the tribulation but not the time period itself

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

B The 24 elders who are in the throne room of God during the tribulation must be identified with the church and shows the church believers are raptured and in heaven during the tribulation

The 24 elders are not specifically identified but there are three key descriptions given of them Using the process of elimination we can narrow their identity down to one group which represents the church of Jesus Christ

1 They are elders

This is a term that is used often in the Bible and always refers to a group of older individuals that represent a larger group of people

In the OT it is used of the elders of Israel the elders of a specific tribe in Israel the elders of a city and the like Most of the time ldquoeldersrdquo is used of the elders of Israel older men who were leaders of the various tribes of Israel (Exod316 197 Num1116)

In the NT it is used three ways It is used either of the Jewish elders in Jerusalem or of OT elders in the past and most prominently to the elders of local churches (Mat16 21 Heb11 2 Acts 14 23 15 22)

Nowhere in Scripture is the term elder used of angels This means that these elders are human beings representing a larger group of human beings By the way the four living creatures in Revelation are easy to identify because they are mentioned in Ezekiel and are identified as cherubim ndash angels

2 They are dressed in white

This means that they are righteous and pure either because they are angels or saved and forgiven human beings Angels are also dressed in white but we have already eliminated angels so they must be saved human beings

Note Rev198 says that the bridal garment of the bride is white

3 They are on thrones surrounding the Fatherrsquos thrones

Sitting on thrones means that they are reigning or prepared to reign with God In other NT writings it is the apostles (Mat1928) or the church (2 Tim2 12) that will reign

Later in Revelation it says the tribulation saints will reign with Christ but these canrsquot be the tribulation saints for they have not entered heaven when ch4 and 5 occur

4 They are wearing crowns

The ldquocrownrdquo each is wearing is ldquostephanosrdquo in the Greek which was actually a wreath a victor wore after winning an event They are wearing victory crowns In many places in the NT outside of Revelation the church is said to wear victory crowns 1 Cor925 Phil41 1 Thess219 2 Tim48 Jas112 1 Pet54) No other saints in the NT (OT tribulation or millennial saints) are shown to wear victory crowns except the church In Revelation ldquostephanoscrownrdquo is used twice of church believers (Rev210 and Rev311)

It is used twice of the 24 elders in Rev44 and 410

Who are these individuals Most likely they are either

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

a the 12 apostles (representing church believers who are Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel) and 12 representatives of the church at large (representing Gentile church believers) b Or they are 24 representing the whole church (12 for Jewish believers and 12 for Gentile believers) all united as one body

Could they be OT believers They could not be the OT believers because they are not resurrected until after the tribulation (Dan 121-2 9-13)

C The complete absence of any mention of the term ldquochurchrdquo and the identity of the believers on the earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 is consistent with a pretribulational rapture of the church

1 In Rev1-3 the church is prominent on the earth When the tribulation begins in Rev6 the term ldquochurchrdquo is not used again of any inhabitants on the earth (or of anyone else) until the end of the book Although this is an argument from silence this is exactly what one would expect if the rapture was pre-tribulational

2 The primacy of 144000 Jewish (from the twelve tribes of Israel) believers in spreading the gospel in Rev 74 shows that God has reintroduced the role of Israelites into his plan During the tribulation the Jewish believers take the primary place in evangelizing the world

Rev73 shows them sealed as servants That means they are being sealed for a special service to God during the tribulation In Rev141-5 they are specific individuals who have set aside the normal human activities of marriage and the like to serve the Lord during the tribulation They have been set aside as first fruits of the rest of the harvest

These individuals are most likely real Jewish believers sealed for God to serve Him representing the harvest God is going to bring in the nation of Israel as he opens up the heart of many Jews to accept Christ as messiah and many Gentiles as well Although it does not say how they actually serve the Lord I think that on earth during the tribulation there is only one way to serve the Lord - preach the gospel

This shows two things in regard to a pretribulational and premillenial view The first is that during the tribulation God has brought Israel back into prominence in doing what she was originally called to do as a nation ndash preach the truth about God to the whole world When God shows the twelve tribes of Israel here he makes it clear that He is dealing with the literal nation of Israel It is a clue that the church is gone ndash their ministry of being the primary fulfillers of the Great Commission has been taken over by these Jewish Christians

3 The believers who are clearly identified as being on earth during the tribulation in Rev6-18 are killed for their faith They are mentioned in 69 and 714

These believers are identified as those who have died for Christ and thus come out of the Great tribulation by death Thus these saints are not the church They are not those who accepted Christ before the tribulation began but after Notice they are wearing palm branches (triumphal entry ndash celebration and joy) but not crowns victory wreaths The 24 elders who represent the church have those Rev310 says that the church will be kept from the hour of tribulation

If the rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation and the church goes through the tribulation

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

and are protected from it they will be watching on earth while brothers and sisters in Christ die over and over again What is the point of making the church watch all that and then be raptured What is the point of preserving the church in the tribulation and not rapturing them

II The Evidence From The Thessalonian Epistles

A 1 Thess 54 and 9 support a pre-tribulation rapture

Paul says that the day of the Lord will not surprise believers like a thief because they are not in darkness spiritually asleep (symbolizing sin and spiritual blindness)

The Greek word for ldquosurpriserdquo means ldquoovertake strongly seize or come uponrdquo

The day of the Lord will come suddenly and unexpectedly upon the unbeliever who is totally unprepared because he is spiritually blind and thus asleep It will strongly seize him for destruction - as a thief suddenly and unexpectedly seizes the owner of a house when he is sleeping

Christians are ldquoin the dayrdquo We are awake and alert spiritually so that the thief cannot overtake us at all

The comparison here is not between the thief coming and seizing the owner of the house by surprise in one instance and in the other instance the owner of the house is seized but not by surprise The comparison is between the owner being seized by a thief who comes in the night when the owner is asleep and one who is not seized at all by a thief because he is in the day and is therefore awake The only way an owner could be seized at all is if the thief comes and surprises him when he is asleep

This is the key ndash the only way the owner could be seized is suddenly by surprise in the night when he is asleep Otherwise he would not be seized by the thief at all because he is in the day and is awake

This means that believers will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord at all It will not happen to us

Then v 9 says ldquoFor God has not destined us for wrathrdquo The wrath here is the wrath of the day of the Lord the tribulation The idea Paul is bringing across here is that the Thessalonian believers will not face the fate of the unbeliever They will not be violently seized by destruction suddenly and unexpectedly as the unbeliever will be in the tribulation period

B The fear of the Thessalonian believers whom Paul exhorts in 2 Thess2 1-4 shows that they believed in a pre-tribulation rapture

The Thessalonians thought that the tribulation had come and were fearful and worried In v2 Paul says ldquonot to become easily unsettled or alarmedhellipthat the day of the Lord [ie tribulation and second coming judgments ] has already comerdquo

If they had been post-tribulational they would have expected the day of the Lord and not been alarmed They would have asked Paul what to do and Paul would have told them to persevere If the tribulation were to begin right now the post-tribulationalists would be saying I told you so and the pre-tribulationalists would be panicking This is what you find in the Thessalonian church because they were pre-tribulational

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

III There are stark differences between the rapture passages and the second coming passages

A In the rapture passages of Jn141-3 1 Thess413-18 and 1 Cor1551-55 there is an emphasis on looking forward to the hope and blessing of the rapture

B In the primary second coming passages Matt24 Zech143-4 2 Thess1 and Rev19 there is an emphasis on judgment

C The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are not the same

1The day of Christ refers to the rapture and the bema seat reward

Day of Jesus Christ the day of the Lord Jesus and the day of the Lord Jesus Christ bring salvation blessing and rejoicing

1 Cor1 8 55 2 Cor114 Phil16 10 216

2 The day of the Lord refers to the tribulation and second coming of Christ in judgment

1 Thess5 1-4 and 2 Thess2 2-4 brings judgment httpwwwtitusinstitutecombibleprophecypretribphp

Works Cited

All scriptural references please refer to Blue Letter Bible lt httpwwwblueletterbibleorg gt

Gill lt httpbibleccrevelation19-16htm gt

Hanok ldquoWill Yeshua (Jesus) have a tattoo on His thigh Revelation 1916 rdquo Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt

httpjewsandjoescomwill-yeshua-jesus-have-a-tattoo-on-his-thigh-revelation-19-

16html gt

1 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy I Believe the Rapture will Happen Before the Tribulationrdquo Web

Accessed 19 October 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorg gt

2 Hommel Jason ldquoWhy the rapture is also in view in Matt 2429-31rdquo Web Accessed 23 Oct

2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgmatt24commentary2htm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt

httpwwwrapturereadycomfeaturedgrahamg173html

3 Hommel Jason ldquoScriptures showing that the Rapture is ldquoPRErdquo Tribulationrdquo Web Accessed

03 Nov 2011 lt httpwwwbibleprophesyorgpretribrapturehtm gt

Horvath Allen Explanation of the Islamic anti-Christ YouTube Accessed 23 Oct 2011

lt httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Co36btQYAswampfeature=uploademail gt

Jackel Wallace ldquoVistas of Coming Gloryrdquo Web Accessed 5 Nov 2011 lt

httpwwwdespatchcthcomauBooks_VJackels_bookhtmp2 gt

Missler Nancy ldquoWhat is Godrsquos Love Reallyrdquo Web Accessed 2 Nov 2011 lt

wwwkhouseorgarticles1998129 gt

Reissig Courtney ldquoUnless you Become Like Childrenrdquo In view of Godrsquos mercy Web Accessed

23 Oct 2011 lt lthttpcdtarterblogspotcom200801unless-you-become-like-

childrenhtmlgtgt

they Collins English Dictionary - Complete amp Unabridged 10th Edition HarperCollins

Publishers 23 Oct 2011 ltDictionarycom httpdictionaryreferencecombrowsetheygt

ldquoScourgingrdquo Web Accessed 31 Oct 2011 lt httpthe-crucifixionorgscourginghtm gt