War Has Been Declared! The Ambassadors Are Called Home

Revelation 4:1-2

The Raptured Typified or patterned

Old Testament 1. Enoch2. Elijah

New Testament 3. The Book of Revelation is chronological.4. The pattern is seen in John. John 21:22 John did see the Second

Coming in a prophetic vision prior to his own death. 5. John taken into Heaven seems to indicate the typical representation of

the order of end time events , namely, the church age first as seen in (Rev. 2-3), then the Rapture of the Church (Rev. 4:1), then the Church in Heaven (Rev. 4:2-11). (Walvoord pg.103 The Revelation of Jesus Christ. )

6. The church has been promised to be removed from the Tribulation 1 Thess.4:13-17,5:9, Rev. 3:10.

7. The false church has been promised that it will go through the Tribulation Rev.2:16, 22-23, 3:3.

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

John 11:25Jesus said there are two groups who will be glorified. 1. Those who die (resurrected) 2. Those who live and don’t die (translated)

1 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:1-6

John 14:1-6

Jesus promises to return for believers to take them to Heaven. It is important to note that He does not take them to earth so a Post-tribulation rapture doesn’t fit to what Jesus is saying. A Pre-Tribulational rapture fits very well with this promise.

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thess. 4:13-17

1 Thess. 4:13-171. This passage teaches that that both the dead and alive in Christ will be Raptured. 2. This passage does not teach soul sleep which is unbiblical. The euphemistic reference to the body being asleep applies to the body in the fact that its activity is temporarily suspended until the Rapture. The Soul/spirit is very much awake and conscious. The Soul/Spirit of a believer is with God. 2 Cor. 5:3. The chronological sequence is noted by Paul:

a. The Lord descends from Heaven into the atmospheric heavens

b. The Lord descends with a shout or command for the Rapture to happen.

1 Thess. 4:13-17c. The arch angel Michael repeats the command for

the Rapture to begin.d. The Trump of God sounds as a summons for the

Rapture e. The dead in Christ rise first: Note: (this resurrection

includes only those who have been Baptized by the Holy Spirit which only includes church saints. Old testament and Tribulation Saints will be resurrected at the Second Coming.) (Dan 12:1-3, Isa. 26:19, Rev. 20:4,6)

f. Saints who are alive are translated (harpazo Gk. = “caught up” or “raptured” which is found in the Latin translation. Hence the word “Rapture”

1 Thess. 4:13-17g. Resurrected believers and translated believer will

meet Jesus in the air and will permanently be with Him forever as promised in John 14:1-3.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery ; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet ; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Cor . 15:51-53

1 Cor . 15:51-53a. We are guiltily of participating in Adam’s

sin by imputation according to Romans 5:12-14.

b. Because of sin, man is living under the sentence of death, where his physical body is subject to corruption and mortality.

c. The sin nature is in the body, and the results of this is physical death.

1 Cor . 15:51-53d. The body we have which is subject to sin, death,

mortality, and corruption cannot enter the eternal state.

e. Therefore God must change our bodies which will be done quickly “in a moment” of literally “in an atom of time.” Also, in a the twinkling of the eye” or in other words, as you would see someone with your eye and then have a flash of recognition.

f. This event happens at the last trumpet which is the last trumpet at the Feast of Trumpets “tekiah gedolah,” which means the great trumpet blast. Anyone connecting this trumpet to the trumpets of Revelation is off since the book of Revelation had not been written yet. The only trumpet the Corinthians would have been familiar with is the one from the Feast. g. The connection to the Feast of Trumpets only lets us know that the Rapture fulfills the Feast of Trumpets but it does not give us a time. When the Rapture happen, then it fulfills the feast.

The Timing of the Rapture 1. The Structure of Revelation

The fact that there are saints mentioned in the Tribulation doesn’t make them church saints. These individuals are tribulation saints and not once are they called Church saints.

The Church age is seen in Revelation 1-5 which are events prior to the Tribulation. The church is not seen in chapters 6-19. The church is talked about in events after the Tribulation in 19-22.

No passage dealing with the Tribulation mentions the Church.

The Timing of the Rapture 2. Luke 21:21-37

Jesus mentions that no earth dweller can escape the judgments of the Tribulation. V.35

The only way to escape is to become a believer “stand before the Son of Man” which must take place off the earth. This is what happen in 1 Thess. 4:13-18, John 14:1-3.

3. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 We are delivered from the wrath to come. This is a

future wrath and not the general wrath God has towards sin. Its not the wrath of Hell since believers already have been delivered from it at the cross. Jesus is returning to deliver the church from the Tribulation wrath.

The Timing of the Rapture 4. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10

The Church has not been appointed to the wrath from the Day of the Lord.

5. Revelation 3:10 The Church is promised to be kept from the very time

of the “hour of trial” (The Tribulation) It does not say that the church will be kept safe

during or through the Tribulation but from it entirely. If this were the case, then why are so many saints martyred. Christ would have not made good on His promise. Obviously these are tribulation saints and not church saints.

The Timing of the Rapture 6. Luke 21:28Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift your heads, because your redemption draws near." What things? Study the Chronological sequence of the Olivet Discourse a. The sign of the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD: Luke

21:20-24 b. The General characteristic of the Church Age:

Matt. 24:4-6, Mark 13:6-7, and Luke 21:8-9 c. The Sign (World War) of the End of the Church

Age: Matt. 24:7-8, Mark 13:8, Luke 21:10-11

The Timing of the Rapture

7. Therefore, the Rapture comes before the Tribulation period which starts when Antichrist and Israel make a 7 Year Covenant, (Dan 9:27) which starts the Tribulation.

8. The Rapture is imminent which means nothing else must precede the event! The Rapture then could come between this very moment and the signing of the Seven year Covenant.

9. Therefore its possible for the church to see some Pre-Tribulational events setting the table for the Tribulation as it already has, but it might not see anymore as well. The Rapture doesn't begin the Tribulation. The 7 Year Covenant does. Therefore, The Rapture could precede the Tribulation by years.

Two Events subsequent to the Rapture1. The Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10-12, 2 Cor.

5:10, I Corinthians 3:10-15)• Luke 21:34-36 indicates the Rapture results in

believers standing “before the Son of man” for judgment in Heaven. After the Church age, (Rev. 1-3) Rev. 4:4 indicates that the 24 elders (the church) has been judged since they are sitting on thrones, wearing crowns, and wearing white robes.

2. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb• Patterns off the Jewish wedding

The father of the groom made the arrangements for the marriage and paid the bride price. (Eph. 5:25-27)

The fetching of the bride (1 Thess. 4:13-18) The father of the groom who determined the timing.

(Matt. 24:36) Before the groom left to retrieve his bride, he must have

a place already prepared for her as their home. (John 14:1-3, Rev. 21-22)

The wedding ceremony, to which a few would be invited. Prior to the wedding ceremony, the bride underwent a ritual immersion for ritual cleansing. (Rev. 19:6-8)

The marriage feast, would follow and could last for as long as seven days. Many more people would be invited to the feast than to the marriage ceremony. (Isa. 25:6-8, Mat. 22:1-14; 25:1-13).

Implications of these two events

• The Bridegroom brings the Bride with Him to His home in Heaven by means of the Rapture of the Church. • The church is then judged at the Judgment Seat of the Christ which corresponds with the ritual cleansing of the Bride. • This results in the Bride having the white linen garments and rewarded. • Then the wedding ceremony takes place before the Second Coming as we see in Rev. 19.• The Church is already in Heaven before the Second Coming and has been there long enough to be judged. • This shows that the Rapture and the Second Coming are not the same and are separated by at least 7 years or more.

Rapture/Translation (harpazo)1 Translation of all believers2 Translated saints go to heaven (meet the Lord in the air)3 Earth not judged4 Imminent, any-moment, signless5 Not in the O.T. (mystery)6 Believers only7 Before the day of wrath

2nd Coming/ Estab. Kingdom (perusia)1 No translation at all2 Translated saints return to earth with Christ3 Earth judged & righteousness established4 Follows definite predicted signs including the Tribulation5 Predicted often in O.T.6 Affects all men7 Concluding the day of wrath

Rapture/Translation (harpazo)8.No reference to Satan9. Christ comes for His own10 He comes in the air11 He claims His bride12 Only His own see Him13 Tribulation begins

2nd Coming/ Estab. Kingdom (perusia)8. Satan bound9. Christ comes with His own10. He comes to the earth11 He comes with His bride12 Every eye shall see Him13 Millennial Kingdom begins