The rhythm of the world includes the birth, life, and death of mankind on a daily basis.  Christians believe that there will come a time when the rhythm of life will be interrupted and history will be radically altered in the smallest moment of time from the gradual unfolding of the rhythm of the world.  The people God chooses to call out of the dark world system will be snatched up into the clouds in the smallest moment of time.  As far as people know, time has been divided into a few major divisions.  The basic divisions are Creation, the Great Flood, the Law given through revelation, and the First Advent of Messiah. The Great Flood caused a major break in the rhythm of life due to massive destruction of mankind.  The snatching up of the people God calls out is called the Rapture.  This will signal the next great destruction that is worldwide, the first since the Great Flood.  After the great destruction will come a time of great peace and joy when our Salvation will reign and then a final great destruction.  We are not alone in this belief.  The Hopi categorize the cycles recognized by Christians as "worlds".  They recognize a time yet to come when the earth will rock to and fro, as does the Bible's Old and New Testaments.  Destruction will take place, and a new world radically different from before will emerge.  During the time of the destruction the Hopis will go into the ground as they did before and literally emerge into the world above ground again.  Interestingly the description in the Old Testament of people hiding in holes and caves after the Rapture is not too different than the witness of Hopi prophecy.  This next world the Hopis expect is similar to that of the one described by the Bible as the Millennial Kingdom. Christians however have a unique message given to us by Jesus Christ.  We will be spared from the coming destruction.  Right now we live in the Age of Grace.  The word used to describe the salvation of the LORD Jesus is "Rapture", a specific event when Jesus will gather us together to Him in the clouds.  He is coming back.  It is not a matter of "if", it is a matter of "when".  

The Bible is not subject to private interpretation according to the Apostle Peter.  

¹⁹We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: ²⁰Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. ²¹For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

II Peter 1:19-21

Hopefully the following compilation is plain enough that something can be gleaned in an informational sense.  That involves only the intellect.  As sentient beings we bring much to the reading of anything, our will, emotions, memories, present understanding, willingness to learn, our prejudices, our faith, our hope, our love, reason, and intellect.  How disciplined we are and are willing to be when apprehending things is important too.  However, as a believer there is something more.  If the subject of the Rapture is important to us, then it is the responsibility of each person to read the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that which is meant to be gained for each individual believer can be gained directly from Him.  It is so essential that the day star arise in our hearts, illuminating the darkness.  It is often a favorite argument and accusation that believers divorce their intellect and reason and indulge in "blind faith".  Part of renewing our minds to the mind of Christ is reading the Old and New Testaments with the full and open expectation that the Holy Spirit will tutor us according to what we are capable of accepting and therefore apprehending.  Part of understanding is having our hearts toward God in full faith and love and in reverential awe and a recognition of the infinite and eternal attributes and being of God.  If we do not believe through faith the we can expect the Holy Spirit to tutor us, then we are dead in the water.  Coming to know the truths of the Bible involves a knowledge of what is there to learn.  The Bible has to be read to be learned.  That seems self-evident, but daily searching of the scriptures is not always the priority of every Christian.  We can understand what we read well enough in the New Testament for salvation by faith.  Gaining an understanding of the whole counsel of God comes through knowing the Old Testament, because the Law and the Prophets have written down in them the things God would have us know and it is these scriptures that Jesus and the Disciples referred to in bringing the Good News to people.  The things of God and His Kingdom are written down in the Old Testament and essential for us to seek and know.  The Sermon on the Mount was taken from the Old Testament and explicated by Jesus in a way that the message, the Good News, came to life afresh for those gathered to listen to Him.  The Old Testament was quoted by all of the authors of the New Testament and they expected that whoever read their words would understand what they were referring to.  The great thing for us Gentiles is the fact that Paul witnessed to Gentiles of his day who knew nothing of the scriptures and his writings are formulated so even I can gain what he is driving at in his writings without a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament.  Scripture is profitable for doctrine however.  The compartmentalization of the Old and New Testament is useful only in the sense that we realize our covenant with God is now solely based on the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.  The Old Testament is a vital part of the revelation of God to us, showing us the things of Him and His Kingdom and how these things relate to us under the New Covenant.  The panorama of history from the mists of unrecorded history to the present are brought into focus and understood more fully by a knowledge of the Old Testament.  The Rapture can be seen in sharper focus and a more appropriate perspective by a knowledge of the Old Testament.  The study of the Bible involves learning what it says, learning the language of symbols and types and our intellect is needed to put the pictures together with the Holy Spirit teaching us every step of the way.  Understanding that the revelation of God to His people from Genesis to The Revelation of Jesus Christ is all part of a continuum of revelation without error and without contradiction allows us to gain what is there for us.  Someone said that the Bible is a beautiful Palace and it is true.  It brings life to those who enter and dwell with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwelling within our hearts, minds, and spirits and we in them.

The following is a compilation of thought primarily about the Rapture by several authors based upon the testimony of the Holy Bible.  The information presented is intended to give the believer enough information to put things together based on the reading of the Bible for themselves, being tutored by the Holy Spirit.  The a priori assumption is that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, infallible as given to the writers of the Bible and recorded by them and the reader will gain the most out of this by reading scripture in context under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit.  Only the very basic scriptures needed to put the context of the subject of the Rapture are here.  The rest of the story is in the Bible in writing and the whole story is with God.  The King James Authorized Version is quoted as scripture except where indicated.

What is the Rapture?

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

 Genesis 5:22–24

The Bible gives us types that are foreshadowings of the things to come.  God knows the end from the beginning and we know that He is the same as He was yesterday as He is today and tomorrow.  The following story is related by J. Vernon McGee and gives us an idea of what the Rapture is as well as what our business is to be before the Rapture. We are to walk with God and have fellowship with Him as Enoch did.  We are to know Jesus Christ and walk with Him, having our fellowship with Him.  His Holy Spirit dwells within us and He comforts us, teaches and corrects us, and tutors us as we read the Bible and find opportunity for making application of our reading.

The only way I know to describe this is the way a little girl described it to her mother when she came home from Sunday school. She said, "Teacher told us about Enoch and how he walked with God." Her mother said, "Well, what about Enoch?" And the little girl put it something like this: "It seems that every day God would come by and say to Enoch, ‘Enoch, would you like to walk with Me?’ And Enoch would come out of his house and down to the gate, and he’d go walking with God. He got to the place that he enjoyed it so much that he’d be waiting at the gate of his house every day. And God would come along and say, ‘Enoch, let’s take a walk.’ Then one day God came by and said, ‘Enoch, let’s take a long walk. I have so much to tell you.’ So they were walking and walking, and finally Enoch said, ‘My, it’s getting late in the afternoon, I’d better get back home!’ And God said to him, ‘Enoch, you’re closer to My home than you are to your home; so you come on home with Me.’ And so Enoch went home with God." I do not know how you can put it any better than that, my friend. That is exactly the story that is here.

I think that all the great truths here in Genesis are germane. In my judgment, this is the picture of what is to come; here is the Rapture of the church. Before the judgment of the Flood, God removes Enoch.¹

¹J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1981 by J. Vernon McGee.

Who Will Gather us?

⁴⁷The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.

II Samuel 22:47

God the Father the God of the Rock of My Salvation, anointed Jesus Messiah to come and gather us up.

When Will He Gather Us?

¹Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ²And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: ⁴But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. ⁷Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. ⁹But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. ¹⁰And 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. ¹¹Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. ¹²But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

¹³Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Matthew 25:1-13

It is striking that the parable Jesus tells of His coming has some hard sayings.  The foolish virgins did not take oil for their lamps.  The oil is the symbol for the Holy Spirit, anointing those consecrated to God, dwelling with those who are saved.  The symbol of the virgins is especially startling to apprehend.  The virgin is a symbol of purity, these virgins who had no oil were pure.  It is said that it is possible to forget God and in fact people do forget Him.  They simply had not taken any oil for their lamps in the first place. When the day came of His coming, there was nowhere to get oil.  Jesus says that He will say that He did not know them on that day, the day of His coming.  Jesus therefore advises that we watch for Him because we do not know the hour or the day, we do not know the specific time nor how imminent His coming is.

Jesus will gather those saints who are alive at His coming but that is not all. J. Vernon McGee points out that Enoch was taken by God while he was alive.  Jesus was crucified, dead and buried and resurrected.  The dead will also be taken as well.  Again, the Bible has a type given by God.  Enoch was taken up and Jesus was raised from the dead.  The type is from Leviticus 23:12-14.

The exact day that he did this is not stated. It may have been the first day of Unleavened Bread or the last day of that feast. The important item to note is that it was done on the first day of the week. This is so important because Christ is called the firstfruits. "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (I Corinthians 15:20). "But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming" (I Corinthians 15:23). The time of His resurrection is clearly stated in Matthew 28:1: "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre." On the first day of the week, Christ, "the firstfruits" was resurrected from the dead.

Someday the church will be included in resurrection, but so far He is the only One who has been raised in a glorified body. At the rapture of the church, we shall all rise. There will be a coming out of the graves just as Christ did. He is the firstfruits, afterwards they that are Christ’s at His coming. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24, italics mine).

You see, the offering of the firstfruits indicated that there would be a harvest to follow. Believers are that harvest.²

²J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1981 by J. Vernon McGee.

Be Patient!

⁷Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. ⁸Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. ⁹Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. ¹⁰Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. ¹¹Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

James 5:7-11

Abide in Him Until His Coming!

²⁸And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. ²⁹If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

I John 2:28-29

Being in His Presence at His Coming is Our Hope, Joy, Crown of Rejoicing

¹⁹For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

I Thessalonians 2:19

How Will We Know When He Comes?

¹⁶For 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

I Thessalonians 4:16

The blowing of one trumpet brought the princes together. This reminds us that there is to be a last trump for the church. That last trump, I believe, is the voice of Christ which will be His last call. He has sent out invitation after invitation. His final invitation to the Laodicean church is "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" (Revelation 3:20). At the last trump, He will call His church out of the world. That will be the last call. The one single trumpet, which is the voice of the Lord Jesus, will bring the believers together. This is what we call the Rapture of the church.³

When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward.

When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys.

But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. 

Numbers 10:5–7

³J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1981 by J. Vernon McGee.

Accompanying the descent of Christ from heaven will be the voice of an archangel, perhaps Michael, who is portrayed as the leader of the army of God (Daniel 10:13, 21; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7–9). The only other angel named in Scripture is Gabriel, who is given a prominent role as a messenger of God (Daniel 8:16; Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26). The archangel’s voice will be one of triumph because of the great victory at the coming of Christ, culminating thousands of years of spiritual conflict with Satan. 

The final signal will be the trumpet of God. 

The three elements consisting of the shout of the Lord Himself, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God will perhaps be separate events occurring in rapid succession. 

The doctrine of the resurrection is a central doctrine of the Christian faith, including as it does the resurrection of Christ and, ultimately, the resurrection of all people. The answer to the question as to how the dead can be raised when the remains of their bodies are in some cases totally scattered is not a problem for a supernatural God who created the world. Clearly the resurrection will be a physical resurrection in which bodily existence will be restored, as confirmed in I Corinthians 15:51–53. The resurrected bodies of Christians will be like that of Christ (I John 3:2), incorruptible and immortal, and yet they will be bodies of flesh and bone (Luke 24:39, 40; John 20:20, 25, 27). They all will be recognizable, as was the resurrected body of Christ.⁴

⁴Earl D. Radmacher, general editor; Ronald B. Allen, Old Testament editor, Nelson Study Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997.

Who Will Be Raptured?

THE VOICE OF THE TURTLEDOVE

"The voice of the turtle [turtledove] is heard in our land." The turtledove is the wild dove which is common today. I saw them in Israel. They looked very similar to the doves in California, only I think they were somewhat smaller. The dove has always been the emblem of peace. The reason for that is that the dove went out and brought back an olive leaf to Noah after the waters of the Flood had receded. That spoke of peace, because the judgment was over.

Also the turtledove speaks to us of our salvation which is complete because the judgment is past. It is past because Christ bore the judgment for us. He has endured it in our behalf. I am saved, not because of who I am, but because of what Christ did. My friend, your sins are either on you or they are on Christ. If your sins are on you, you are yet to come up for judgment. If you have trusted Christ, your sins are on Him. He bore them for you, and the judgment is past. By faith you appropriate the salvation. The turtledove speaks of the peace that He has made for us.

This is the reason that not just a few of the saints will go to meet Christ at the Rapture. There are some folk who believe that only the super-duper saints will go. However, the hope of every believer is to be taken with Christ when He comes for His church. We will go to be with Him, not because we have been super-duper saints, but because He has made peace by the blood of His cross. The turtledove is symbolic of this.

THE NIGHT BEFORE DAYBREAK

The next wonderful statement follows closely after the song of the bridegroom’s return, which is symbolic of the Rapture, that is, Christ’s coming again for the church.

My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

Song of Solomon 2:16

This Song of Solomon expresses the highest spiritual state of the relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ and the believer. There is no other book of the Bible which portrays this relationship any better than this little book, and there is no higher plane than this right here: "My beloved is mine, and I am his." This is one of the deepest, most profound of all theological truths which our Lord Jesus put into seven simple words: "… ye in me, and I in you" (John 14:20). The bride says, "My beloved is mine, and I am his."

The Lord Jesus said in effect, "Down here I took your place when I died on the cross. I am in you. Now you are to show forth My life down here in this world." (Of course we can only do that in the power of the Holy Spirit.) But we are in Him up there—seated in the heavenly places, accepted in the Beloved, joined to Him, risen with Christ. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1). How wonderful! Oh, my friend, if you are a child of God, why don’t you tell Him that you love Him?

You and I live in a day when we may not have very much of this world’s goods; yet we are rich. We don’t glory men; we glory in Christ. "Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s" (I Corinthians 3:21–23). We belong to Christ. He is ours. He belongs to us. He is our Savior. He is our Shepherd. We ought to draw very close to Him and appropriate these wonderful spiritual blessings that are ours. It is a high level of spiritual life when you and I can say, "My beloved is mine, and I am his."

"He feedeth among the lilies." This again refers to the flower-strewn couch upon which He reclines at the banqueting table. It speaks of satisfaction, of fellowship, of joy, of everything that is wonderful. This world is seeking these things. This world is looking for a good time. This world wants to "live it up." Well, let’s have a good time and live it up by sitting at Christ’s table and rejoicing in Him. This is a high spiritual level. I’m afraid that many of us do not "… attain unto it" (Psalm 139:6). Therefore we have to cry out as the bride did, "Draw me, we will run after thee." We can’t run, we cannot run the race that is set before us until we not only see Jesus but appropriate His power in our lives. "My beloved is mine, and I am his."⁵

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

Song of Solomon 2:17

⁵J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1981 by J. Vernon McGee.

We are the Church, the ones on earth or in Heaven who are the Bride of Christ.  In the New Testament the Greek word ekklesia was used to refer to His Church, the Body of Christ.  Literally, we are those who are called out (of the world).

CHURCH translates the Greek word ekkleµsia, which is used in the Septuagint of the Old Testament for the congregation of the Israelites, and in the New Testament for the congregation of Christian believers. It applies to a local congregation or to the church universal, the body of Christ, to which all who have faith in him belong. The word is not used in the Bible as a name for the building in which believers gather for worship. Paul’s advice to some to "keep silence in the church" refers not to a building but to an assembly of Christians for prayer and edification (I Corinthians 14:26–35). "The church in the wilderness" (Acts 7:38) is better translated "the congregation in the wilderness." The Greek word which KJ renders by "robbers of churches" means either "temple robbers" or "sacrilegious" (Acts 19:37).⁶

⁶Ronald F. Bridges and Luther A. Weigle, King James Bible Wordbook [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1994.

ekklesia (1577), from ek, "out of," and klesis, "a calling" (kaleo, "to call"), was used among the Greeks of a body of citizens "gathered" to discuss the affairs of state, Acts 19:39. In the Sept. it is used to designate the "gathering" of Israel, summoned for any definite purpose, or a "gathering" regarded as representative of the whole nation. In Acts 7:38 it is used of Israel; in Acts 19:32, 41, of a riotous mob. It has two applications to companies of Christians, (a) to the whole company of the redeemed throughout the present era, the company of which Christ said, "I will build My Church," Matthew 16:18, and which is further described as "the Church which is His Body," Ephesians 1:22; 5:23, (b) in the singular number (e.g., Matthew 18:17, Revised Version margin, "congregation"), to a company consisting of professed believers, e.g., Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:13; I Thessalonians 1:1; II Thessalonians 1:1; I Timothy 3:5, and in the plural, with reference to churches in a district.

There is an apparent exception in the Revised Version of Acts 9:31, where, while the KJV has "churches," the singular seems to point to a district; but the reference is clearly to the church as it was in Jerusalem, from which it had just been scattered, Acts 8:1. Again, in Romans 16:23, that Gaius was the host of "the whole church," simply suggests that the "assembly" in Corinth had been accustomed to meet in his house, where also Paul was entertained.

paneguris (Strong 3831), from pan, "all," and agora, "any kind of assembly," denoted, among the Greeks, an assembly of the people in contrast to the council of national leaders, or a "gathering" of the people in honor of a god, or for some public festival, such as the Olympic games. The word is used in Hebrews 12:23, coupled with the word "church," as applied to all believers who form the body of Christ.

plethos (Strong 4128), "a multitude, the whole number," is translated "assembly" in Acts 23:7, Revised Version.⁷

⁷W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1996.

TERRIBLE AS AN ARMY WITH BANNERS

Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? 

Song of Solomon 6:10

This shows us how the Lord views the Rapture of the church. It is natural that we look at the Rapture from the viewpoint of our expectations. "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" (I Thessalonians 4:16). But the Lord looks at it from His side. He will be calling His own. When the church comes into His presence, the angelic hosts will see one of the greatest sights that will be beheld in all of eternity. This will be the most thrilling event for us and for Him, too. Then they will say about the church, "Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?" This same union of Christ and the church is pictured for us in the lives of Isaac and Rebekah. Isaac was walking in the field when he looked up and saw the caravan of camels coming. Rebekah was on one of the camels in that caravan. She got off the camel and came to meet her bridegroom. What a glorious picture of the time when you and I will go into the presence of the Lord Jesus.⁸

⁸J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1981 by J. Vernon McGee.

What About the Kids?

Here again J. Vernon McGee takes the time to answer an unasked question and bases it on scripture.

This portion of Scripture is quite interesting. Note that each family had a lamb. Thousands of lambs must have been slain that evening, but the sixth verse reads, "Israel shall kill it in the evening." These many lambs were speaking of another Lamb. God looked at all of these lambs as that one Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the Passover offered for us. This feast was pointing to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world.

And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

Exodus 12:7

The children of Israel were to put the blood of the lamb outside on the door. Upon seeing the blood, the death angel would pass over the house. I believe there is a picture given here that will answer a question that is asked many times: What will happen to the little children of believers at the time of the Rapture? If small children are in the house when the Lord comes for His own, will He take the Mom and Dad and leave the little ones behind? This chapter shows us that God will not leave the young ones behind.

Inside the home the family is eating the lamb, and by faith they are partaking of Christ. The young children do not know what is taking place. Will they be left behind in Egypt when Israel goes out from the land? If a little one has not yet reached the age of accountability, will he be slain? Oh no, friend, the blood covers everyone in the family. God will not leave small children behind at the time of the Rapture any more than He left them behind when the Israelites were redeemed and left the land of Egypt.

And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

Exodus 12:8

How Will We Know Whose Voice it is That Calls Us?

There are warnings of coming apostasy and false teachers abounding and we see this today.  Various people have reported hearing the blast of a trumpet and wondered if they are warning blasts in advance of the last trumpet blast before the Rapture.  The false teachers and false prophets of this present day are not in short supply. There are those who are not particularly interested in accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior who, nevertheless are interested in the prophecies of the Rapture.  The following exposition by J. Vernon McGee says in a few short words what assurance believers have of recognizing the voice of Jesus.

The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. 

Song of Solomon 2:8

"The voice of my beloved!" The Lord Jesus had this to say concerning His voice: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:27–28). "The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh…." Have you ever considered that at the Rapture of the church it is the voice of the Son of God that is to be heard? The church is made up of those people who have heard about Him. We have heard of His death and burial and resurrection. We have trusted Him. We listen to Him today, so when He comes we are going to know His voice. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice." The sheep know who He is.

When the Lord Jesus comes to take His church out of this world, "… the Lord himself [He will come personally] shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God …" (I Thessalonians 4:16). The "shout," the "voice," and the "trump" are all His voice. "The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh." What a picture of the Rapture!

Contrast this to the coming of the Lord Jesus to rule and to reign on this earth. Then it will not be the sound of a voice but a tremendous sight of glory. The appeal is not to the ear as it is in the Rapture; the appeal is to the eye when He comes to the earth. "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" (Matt. 24:30). But at the Rapture it will be the "voice of my beloved!"

"Behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills." This is poetic language, of course. This is a song, and God is trying to speak to us through it.⁹

⁹J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1981 by J. Vernon McGee.

Jesus is the Way in the Old Testament

A voice says, "Cry out!"

I answer, "What shall I cry out?"

"All mankind is grass,

and all their glory like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower wilts,

when the breath of the LORD blows upon it.

(So then, the people is the grass.)

Though the grass withers and the flower wilts,

the word of our God stands forever."

Go up onto a high mountain,

Zion, herald of glad tidings;

Cry out at the top of your voice,

Jerusalem, herald of good news!

Fear not to cry out

and say to the cities of Judah:

Here is your God!

Here comes with power

the Lord GOD,

who rules by his strong arm;

Here is his reward with him,

his recompense before him.

Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;

in his arms he gathers the lambs,

Carrying them in his bosom,

and leading the ewes with care.¹⁰

Isaiah 40: 1-11

¹⁰The Holy Bible, The New American Bible, (Nashville, Tennessee: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) 1997.

⁸And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

Isaiah 35:8

What Shall Happen after the Rapture?

The events that will take place after the Rapture are many and there are many prophecies concerning them.  In short, the time of Jacob's Trouble shall come upon the earth, the Tribulation.  The LORD will roar, uttering His voice from His habitation on high.  The last trumpet will sound at the end of the Age of Grace.  Here Jeremiah relates this.

³⁰Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. ³¹A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. ³²Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. ³³And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

Jeremiah 25:30-35

Do Not Get Shook!

¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, ²That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

II Thessalonians 2

II Thessalonians 2:1 Our gathering together is a reference to the Rapture (compare with I Thessalonians 4:17).

II Thessalonians 2:2 Shaken (Greek saleuoµ) denotes great anxiety and pain. The Thessalonians were deeply troubled about this matter. As that the day of Christ is at hand (literally, "as though the day of Christ is present"): These people thought the day of the Lord had already begun.

II Thessalonians 2:3 The word apostasy means "a standing away from" in the sense of a falling away, withdrawal, or defection from the truth. It may be the result of persecution (Matthew 24:9, 10), false teachers (Matthew 24:11), temptation (Luke 8:13), worldliness (II Timothy 4:4), inadequate knowledge of Christ (I John 2:19), moral lapse (Hebrews 6:4–6), forsaking spiritual living and worship (Hebrews 10:25–31), or unbelief (Hebrews 3:12). While there are those in every generation who fall away, this will be a general condition prior to the revelation of the Antichrist. In classical Greek, the word apostasy was used of a revolt staged by a military commander. Illustration: The apostasy of Saul and Amaziah are but two examples of individuals rebelling against the revealed will of God. Application: The Christian should be careful to obey the Word of God to the best of his ability. (First Reference, Numbers 22–24; Primary Reference, Jude; compare with I Corinthians 5:6).¹¹

¹¹Thomas Nelson, Inc., King James Version Study Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1988 by Liberty University.

The First Step of the Parousia, the Rapture

The First Advent of Jesus brought in a new covenant between God and people who are His.  This time period is known as the Age of Grace.  The Rapture will signal the end of the Time of Grace.  The Fullness of The Gentiles is thought to have begun with the Captivity and will end at the Rapture.  God will gather up His when the last Gentile is saved and those who are not His will remain through a time when the spirit of anti-Christ rules.  The Rapture will mark the point of no return.  The people of Jerusalem did not know their time had come when Jesus came the first time and many, if not all, will not know when He gathers up His during the Rapture.  When He returns and sets His foot on The Mount of Olives He will return with vengeance.

J. Vernon McGee explains the difference of the Fullness of the Gentiles and the Time of the Gentiles

It is also well to note that the term, "the times of the Gentiles," is not synonymous with the term, "the fulness of the Gentiles." Romans 11:25 says, "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." The fulness of the Gentiles ends with the Rapture of the church. The terms, "the latter days" and "the times of the Gentiles," are not synonymous with "the last days" of the church which come to a fulfillment at the Rapture and precede the Great Tribulation. "The times of the Gentiles" will continue right on into the Great Tribulation, and at that time God will again turn His attention back to the nation Israel.¹²

¹²J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1981 by J. Vernon McGee.

The last form of the Roman Empire is described by the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and from it we know that the Gentiles will certainly keep reign upon the earth after the Rapture and until Jesus returns.

Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth 

Daniel 2:34–35

Jesus is that stone.

Why is it that God will bring His wrath to earth?  Why is it that He will stop restraining evil in the moral sense as well as cease restraining evil in the sense of physical harm?  What must be the conditions or reasons?  The LORD took the time to tell us the answer.

⁵The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

Isaiah 24:5

A careful reading of The Book of Isaiah gives the burdens of many nations, some of which have been fulfilled.  These burdens are equated with destruction, the eradication of nations of people, and Israel being carried off into captivity.  God tells us why in these cases.  Isaiah 24 is exemplary of what is to come upon the whole earth, not just a section or a specific nation or people.  God established a covenant with Noah, Gentiles, Abraham, and His chosen culminating in the Mosaic Law.  His Everlasting Covenant with the ones who follow Jesus is in effect now, in this dispensation or Time of Grace.  The reasons mankind can expect the wrath of God after the Rapture has to do with the falling away and apostasy and Isaiah records God's reasons.  We are seeing this being fulfilled in a way that may well prove to be the signal for the start of the Parousia in a time not too distant by His saints being gathered to Him.

1. they have transgressed the laws, 
2. changed the ordinance, 
3. broken the everlasting covenant.

The Epistle to the Colossians, Example of the Spirit of anti-Christ Condemned

The following section is largely from the New Geneva Study Bible. It is included here for a couple of reasons.  In the last days before Jesus returns there will be a falling away.  What would it be that is falling away?  People who claim the name of Christ will fall away from the Body of Christ, the Church adopting heresies and becoming apostate.  This has occurred since the first century of the Church.  It comes with the spirit of anti-Christ working among people and expanding influence through believers who allow themselves to be deceived by the idea that extra-Biblical testimony in opposition to the Bible is tolerated.  The people at Colosse ended up worshipping angels and adopting pagan cultic practices, worshipping gods and goddesses.  Angels do not accept worship.  They are not God.  This seems elementary enough but people worshipping angels begin by giving due to angels that is not in accordance with the Bible.  Asking angels to do things by going around God would be one thing that could lead to this.  Asking that new calves be born in the spring by appealing to a fertility goddess would be another way.  This might be done in a seemingly innocent manner, calling on an indefinite presence for a good spring and abundance after a year or so of drought and want.  Perhaps someone purports to be able to guarantee abundant calving next spring and some little things is required so it happens. The farmer might be instructed to throw a pinch of grain over his shoulder as he enters the area used for calving in accordance with advise from someone.  This may come as a surprise to some, but that is witchcraft at its best and the hook to become beholden to the fallen ones, gods that are not God, goddesses that are not God.

This is important as we approach the time of the Rapture because there will be an increase in apostasy.  As this is being written a practicing homosexual bishop will be installed today in the Episcopal Church.  That is practicing, carrying out, and making a doctrine of man that is opposed to the Word of God "legal".  The Bible says that homosexuality is an abomination, the Episcopal will say that it is a blessing.  The Episcopal Church blesses homosexuality in direct opposition to God who curses it.  Right and wrong are confused by this church and they are an example of the Great Delusion people will come under in greater numbers as time goes on.  Many times churches have become filled with corruption and dissolved or corrected error.  Even if there is a split, the part of the church that embraces apostasy will have fallen away.  it remains to be see if the falling away continues in other churches of Christendom.

Another example of the falling away is the installation by practice of the worship of a goddess that is not God.  Even in pagan religions there was no goddess as an ultimate goddess as such.  The Queen of Heaven, Anat, was a consort of Bel (Baal).  Some of the Christian denominations have tried to accommodate the felt inequities of the feminists in the United States by saying God the Father is a woman as well as a man and can be called Sophia.  Sophia is the name derived from Greek for Wisdom.  "Woman-Wisdom" is a major figure in the Proverbs yet is part of God's creation, having been with Him at the first delighting in HIS creation.  Not only do the Host of Heaven, God's Holy Angels not accept worship, those who are His, such as Wisdom not pretend to His identity.  That being the case, there seems to be a fine line in the demarcation between Whom and whom we worship.  The line is sharp no matter how thinly the line appears separating apostasy and rebellion from true worship of the Father. At some point one appears who will accept worship but it is not God.  Although apostasy comes with good intentions and perhaps we might expect grace in matters of working out our salvation with fear and trembling, there comes a point where ignorance becomes apostasy.

Gnosticism is another example akin to a false doctrine based on philosophy that the people of Colosse embraced.  Gnosticism was based on knowledge that was not in the Bible.  The gods of Egypt and others were identified with Jesus and Mary for example. Somehow the gods and goddesses of the pagan religions in the known world were put in unity with the God of the Bible.  This is a heresy that was called the spirit of anti-Christ.  One of the strengths of neo-paganism is the antiquity of symbols and archetypes as either more valid due to their antiquity or claims that they are equivalent to those of Christianity where either a pagan or Christian meaning is valid.  One example is the Cross of Christ.  The cross is an ancient symbol having its origins thousands of years before the First Advent of Christ, standing for many things, but primarily as a solar or astral symbol. The Egyptian Cross, the ankh, is an example of this.  It is also known as the key of life and associated with Horus.  Another claim of neo-paganism is that Christians have appropriated "their" symbol(s) surreptitiously.  The symbol for Tammuz is a circle with a cross inside the circle.  Equivalence with the worship of Tammuz is definitely not justified.  In fact Ezekiel 9 describes the women weeping for Tammuz as the last straw.  Angels marked those to be saved from destruction five years before the Babylonians came and carried off the people in Jerusalem into captivity.  Those who were not saved were suffered and many were killed with a remnant being saved.

§The Christians Paul addresses in this letter were struggling with a Greek-influenced form of Jewish philosophy that viewed Christians as still vulnerable to spiritual forces. It was thought that these forces needed to be placated through veneration, through some sort of asceticism of food and drink, and by honoring certain days prescribed in Old Testament ceremonial law. The epistle is designed to help Christians understand that in order for them to gain acceptance before God, they need Christ only. God has already accepted them by virtue of their union with Christ in His death and resurrection. While there is a perfection, or maturity, that still stands before them as a goal (Colossians 1:22, 23, 28), they are already "complete in Him," the perfect One (Colossians 2:10).

Paul addresses the false teaching at Colosse. Phrygia, the region in south central Asia Minor where Colosse was located, is an area with a peculiar religious history. In ancient times, the region had given birth to the worship of the goddess Cybele, whose cult (renewed during the Roman era) was characterized by ritual cleansing in the blood of a bull, ecstatic states, prophetic rapture, and inspired dancing. In the latter half of the second century A. D., Phrygia became the center of a distorted version of Christianity known as Montanism, a teaching that prized ecstatic and apocalyptic prophecy, freedom from the responsibilities of daily life, and rigorous fasts and penances for ritual purity.

Within a few years of the inception of Christianity among these Phrygians, Epaphras and Paul found that an appetite had emerged for something more than the crucified and risen Christ. It is notoriously difficult to reconstruct the false teaching to which Paul was responding because the letter is less a critique of error than a positive statement of the sufficiency of the person and work of Christ. However, certain features of the false teaching do surface.

It claimed to be a "philosophy" (Colossians 2:8), a term that often in the Hellenistic age referred not to rational inquiry, but to occult speculations and practices based on a body of tradition.

The teaching appears to have been largely Jewish, as evidenced by the value placed on legal ordinances, food regulations, Sabbath and New Moon observance, and other prescriptions of the Jewish calendar (Colossians 2:16). Though circumcision is mentioned, it was not necessarily seen as one of the legal requirements (Colossians 2:11).

The role of angelic spirits was also an important element in this teaching. Three key factors point to this. There is stress on Christ’s superiority to and victory over "dominions" and "powers" (Colossians 1:16; Colossians 2:10, 15).

The phrase "basic principles of the world" (Colossians 2:8, 20; compare with Galatians 4:3) also points to angelic beings. An old and popular line of interpretation views Paul arguing against the "basic principle" that life with God comes through works-righteousness. However, the letter’s implied competition between Christ and spirit-beings suggests a more transcendent and sinister background. The Greek word translated "basic principles" was used in this time period to refer to gods of stars and planets, and even to the physical elements (earth, wind, fire, and water) that were thought to control the destiny of men and women. The Phrygian god Cybele and her lover Attis were transformed at some time by popular pagan piety into astral and cosmic powers.

Along this line, even some Jewish thinking merged the angels with astral powers who protect the planets. Moreover, intertestamental Jewish literature envisioned Israel caught between two kingdoms, one good and one evil, that both claimed allegiance. The victory of the good and the overthrow of the evil power was understood to be promised if Israel repented, obeyed fully, and kept the Sabbath perfectly. The Colossians appear to have come under the influence of a combination of Jewish and pagan piety presenting itself as a philosophical system and encouraging submission to these occult astral or cosmic powers.

The role of angels in the Colossian error is evident in the phrase "worship of angels" (Colossians 2:18). Early Christians knew that there were angels who had been agents at creation and in the giving of the law (Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 2:2). The false teaching in Colosse had confused the limited and legitimate role of angels as "ministering spirits" (Hebrews 1:14), with the larger role attributed to angels in some parts of Judaism, not to mention the astral powers of the Gentiles. As a means of overcoming fear of these astral or cosmic powers, and under the guise of revelations which so-called "philosophers" received in ecstatic states, the Colossians were being urged to become ascetics and to worship angels.§¹³

¹³Luder Whitlock, Jr., executive director; R. C. Sproul, general editor, New Geneva Study Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, ©1995 by Foundation for Reformation.

Holy Spirit

II Thessalonians 2:6, 7 Ye know what withholdeth literally means "restrains," the same word translated "letteth" in verse 7. The restrainer may be the Holy Spirit, who will restrain sin throughout the church age until "He be taken out of the way," that is, until His restraining influence is removed. This will occur at the Rapture of the church. The presence of the Holy Spirit in this world to some extent restrains evil. Often this is accomplished through the presence of Christians who are the "salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13). Illustration: At the Rapture, when Christians are removed and the age of the Holy Spirit ceases, this restraining ministry will be "taken out of the way" during the Great Tribulation. Application: Until that time, God will use the godly examples of Christians to restrain evil in the world. (First Reference, Genesis 6:3; Primary Reference, II Thessalonians 2:7; compare with John 14:16)

II Thessalonians 2:8 Then shall that Wicked be revealed (literally "Then shall that lawless one be revealed"): Paul argues that the day of the Lord simply does not begin until the restraint by the Holy Spirit is removed, and the Antichrist is revealed. Since none of this had occurred, the day of the Lord had not yet come.

II Thessalonians 2:9 After [meaning "in accordance with"] the working of Satan: The Antichrist is so energized by satanic power that he can even counterfeit the signs of an apostle (compare with II Corinthians 12:12).

II Thessalonians 2:10 Them that perish (Greek apollumi) means "the lost" or "the perishing." These are lost because they did not receive (Greek dechomai) the gospel. (Contrast with the Thessalonian believers in I Thessalonians 2:13)

II Thessalonians 2:11 God shall send them strong delusion shows that the judgment of God will already have fallen on them (compare with Matthew 13:10–17 for a similar instance).

II Thessalonians 2:13 From the beginning implies that from the start, the work of God was intended to bring them to salvation (that is, glory, compare with verse 14) rather than to judgment. Spirit and belief: Salvation can occur only as a work of the Holy Spirit and through the means of belief.

II Thessalonians 2:15 The word tradition literally means "a giving over by word of mouth or writing." It refers to teachings handed down from one person to another. Tradition is not in and of itself wrong; it is only wrong when opposed to the Word of God. In the early church, good tradition was the principal means of Christian instruction (Luke 1:2). Paul used this word to describe his teachings, especially at Corinth and Thessalonica (verse 15; II Thessalonians 3:6). False tradition ends up as heresy or apostasy. Illustration: The religious leaders of Jesus’ day erred in placing the traditions of men above the Word of God (Matthew 15:1–9). In contrast, Luke sifted through existing records and apparently interviewed witnesses in writing an inspired record to instruct Theophilus in the faith (Luke 1:1–4). Application: Christians need to sit under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, but when the content conflicts with the Scriptures, the teaching of men should be disregarded for the certain truth of the Bible. (First Reference, Matthew 15:2; Primary Reference, II Thessalonians 2:15; compare with II Timothy 2:15)

II Peter 3:1, 2 Peter clearly places the holy prophets of the Old Testament on the same level of inspiration and authority as the apostles of Christ in the New Testament, emphasizing the inspiration of all Scripture.

II Peter 3:3–7 Peter further warns that in the last days of the church age, scoffers (literally "mockers") will ridicule the promise of Christ’s second coming. He further states that arguments based on supposedly unchanging processes since creation fail to recall the severity of the flood of water upon the earth. Just as God once destroyed the world by water, so it is now reserved unto fire until the day of judgment. See the description of fiery judgments in Revelation 17–19.

II Peter 3:9 God is not willing that any should perish clearly expresses desire for the salvation of all who will trust in Him. Salvation is equated here with repentance.

II Peter 3:10–13 The day of the Lord here refers to the return of Christ in judgment, not the Rapture, since this day results in final apocalyptic judgment. The heavens that shall pass away with a great noise are the atmospheric heavens. The elements shall melt with fervent heat certainly could refer to a nuclear holocaust. Thus, Peter urges his readers to look beyond this present world to the new heavens and a new earth characterized by righteousness.

I John 2:22 The term antichrist refers to anyone usurping the place of Christ or opposing Christ. But the title of the Antichrist identifies a person who emerges during the Great Tribulation to lead Satan’s strategy on earth. The term is used five times in the New Testament and only by John, although the Antichrist of the Great Tribulation is identified by many other names and titles in Scripture: "that Wicked" (II Thessalonians 2:8); "the son of perdition" (II Thessalonians 2:3); the willful king (Daniel 11:36). He is chiefly depicted in the Scriptures as an immensely powerful political leader. He apparently heads the revived Roman Empire, but will not be revealed until after the Rapture (II Thessalonians 2:3). Illustration: In the past, overzealous teachers of prophecy have identified several principal world leaders with the Antichrist. Application: Christians should not only be aware of this tendency and avoid it, they should also recognize that the spirit of antichrist is already at work in this world. (First Reference, Psalm 5:6; Primary Reference, I John 2:22; compare with Revelation 13:11)

Isaiah 32:1–20 The king who shall reign in righteousness is Christ Himself. The prophet foresees a time when government will exist that is totally characterized by righteousness and judgment. Such a description does not fit even Hezekiah, the best of Judah’s kings. Rather, Isaiah sees a much greater day coming when the godly character of Judah will be as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. This will be a time when the ignorant will understand knowledge (da >at, moral discernment).

He also sees a time of complete national conversion when the spirit will be poured upon us (compare with Joel 2:28).¹⁴