THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
Back
"But it's not in any of the types"...said the late Dr. Walter Martin,
radio's "Bible Answer Man, referring to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of
the saints. Okay, so here's just FOUR of the one's he MISSED:
Enoch was TAKEN UP.....Noah was left behind to testify on the Earth.
Gen 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. Heb
11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was
not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he
had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Elijah was TAKEN UP.....Elisha was left behind to testify on the Earth.
2 King 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that,
be hold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted
them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Jesus was TAKEN UP.....The Holy Spirit (through the CHURCH) was left behind
to testify on the Earth.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come
upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when
he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud
received him out of their sight.
The CHURCH will be TAKEN UP.....The JEW will then be left behind to testify
on the Earth.
The CHURCH (just prior to the Tribulaton): Matt 25:10-11
"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 shut. AFTERWARD came
also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered
and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
The JEW during the Tribulation:
Revelation 7; "Hurt not the earth,neither the sea, nor the trees, till
we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard
the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred
and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel."
The GENTILES saved during the Tribulation: (chapter 7)
"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number,
of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their
hands;
"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which
are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 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."
For more on this subject:
Click here for more on why
the Rapture will happen BEFORE the coming Tribulation
...Bruce Anstey's simple and thorough treatise on the PreTribulation
Rapture of the Church. This is, hands down, the best piece on this important
subject I've yet to read. If you are concerned about Christ's Second Coming
and what it means for you, don't miss this chance to know what I and millions
of others are looking for: The Blessed Hope of being delivered from the
WRATH TO COME. (Yes, it's coming, and there's only ONE way out).
horse@ix.netcom.com
Related topic: How to understand Revelation? Read it on your knees!:
THE KEY TO REVELATION
The following verse divides the book of Revelation into three parts:
JESUS SAID,
"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the
things which shall be hereafter;.." Revelation 1:19
Three things are mentioned here:
1) The things which thou HAST SEEN............(past)
2) The things which ARE.......................(present)
3) The things which shall be HEREAFTER........(future)
The Lord was speaking to John. The THINGS John had JUST SEEN are recorded
in CHAPTER 1.
The PRESENT things, those that "are", signify CHAPTERS 2 & 3, which
signifies the CHURCH AGE, a time we are in to this day.
The FUTURE things, "which shall be HEREAFTER", begin in CHAPTERS 4 and
continue until the END.
These three divisions in the book of Revelation tell us how God has
divided time into segments in His dealings with men, and they help us tie
together the loose ends of both Testaments of Scripture, showing the final
fulfillments of prophecy as they relate both to the Jew AND the Church.
Notice that the CHURCH is NEVER again mentioned by that name after chapter
3. This is because the Rapture will have already taken place, and she is
no longer on the Earth. Notice how chapter 4 is introduced:
1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open
in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet
said, "COME UP HERE, and I will show you what must take place AFTER THIS."
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven
with someone sitting on it. Rev 4:1-2 (NIV)
The CHURCH does not appear again by a familiar name until chapter 19,
where she appears as the BRIDE, and later in that passage, as the ARMIES
OF HEAVEN. The reason for this is that during the events in chapters 4-18,
the church is in Heaven with Christ-The Marriage Supper of the Lamb-while
the tribulation takes place below. Those who are saved during the tribulation,
and who are killed for it, are instantly with the Lord. Believers saved
during the tribulation who survive it will pass through the JUDGMENT OF
THE NATIONS as recorded in Matthew 25. {Using the MARRIAGE SUPPER as a
figure: you have a BRIDEGROOM, a BRIDE, FRIENDS and RELATIVES of the bridegroom.
These three groups could represent the "saved" from the Old Testament (friends);
the New Testament (the Bride or Church); the RELATIVES (The Tribulation
saints). All groups belong to Christ as his "redeemed", but are added to
Him at different times in history. This is why we are told in Revelation
"Blessed are they that take part in the FIRST resurrection; over such the
second death hath no power.." In other words, ALL believers in history
are counted as taking part in the FIRST resurrection, even though it happens
in installments, Christ himself being the FIRSTFRUITS}
FURTHER READING on the separation of the Church from the "wrath to come":
2 Thessalonians 4-5; 1 Corinthians 15 in addition to the following..
Matt 25:10 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 SHUT.
AFTERWARD came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
The Order of Resurrection:
1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward
they that are Christ's at his coming. THEN COMETH THE END, when he shall
have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have
put down all rule and all authority and power. (See Revelation 7: for more
on the Jews and gentiles who will be saved during tribulation.
This subject is important, because the Jews are still the Lord's "earthly"
people (see also Romans 9,10 and 11), whereas the Church constitutes the
Lord's "heavenly" bride. This was written to help the Christian understand
his prophetic place, and how the Lord will once again take up with the
Jew AFTER the "FULNESS OF THE GENTILES BE COME IN" (Romans 11:25. )
Old Testament passages
foretelling the Person and work of Christ These were written
centuries B.C. Now who could've done that?
The Genesis Flood
Did it really happen?
The Good Confession
Is it yours?
Top -- Back