VIII      CHRIST PEOPLE BROUGHT OUT OF THE TRIBULATION.


THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE

Matthew 9:15

And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

Humm!!
Two points that needs to be made clear are that Jesus said he was the bridegroom and also those that followed him were called children of the bridechamber. These children would mature into Christ's bride.

John 12:14-19

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”
The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Humm!!
The whole world followed Jesus as their Messiah and king because of the miracles Jesus performed and so too will they follow the Antichrist in the future.

Daniel
9:26

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

Humm!!
3 1/2 years into establishing the kingdom of God on earth, Jesus is cut off but why? Firstly, Jesus had to die for the sins of the world so that those that followed Him would be faultless before God and also to give time for the bridechamber children to reach their final number who will become the bride of Christ. This bride of Christ will be those that follow Christ and will rule God's kingdom with Christ.

 

DANIEL 9:27

HE WILL CONFIRM A COVENANT WITH MANY FOR ONE 'SEVEN'. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 'SEVEN' HE WILL PUT AN END TO SACRIFICE AND OFFERING. AND ON A WING [OF THE TEMPLE] HE WILL SET UP THE ABOMINATION THAT CAUSES DESOLATION, UNTIL THE END THAT IS DECREED IS POURED OUT ON HIM.

Humm!!
Significantly the future seven year covenant of the Antichrist with the Jewish people is broken after 3 1/2 years. It seems that Christ established His kingdom in 3 1/2 years and so too, will the Antichrist in the future. This leaves 3 and 1/2 years for both the Antichrist and Christ to rule their respective kingdoms.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Humm!!
3 1/2 years into the covenant the man of lawlessness(Antichrist) and his kingdom are so well established that he can do as he pleases, even to set himself up in the future built Jewish temple and call himself "God". It is around this point that we see that our being gathered to our Lord Jesus Christ occurs. This is the point that the two kingdoms diverge, the kingdom of the Antichrist and the kingdom of Christ.

THE TWO KINGDOMS SEPARATED AT RAPTURE.

 

DANIEL 12:1

"At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.

Humm!!
The archangel Michael arises then comes the greatest distress mankind has ever faced but everybody who is written in God's book of life is delivered from this distress.

 

REVELATION 12:7-12

And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."

Humm!!
Satan who is constantly trying to get God to damn all of mankind while he is in heaven is then thrown out of heaven by Michael and his angels. The devil is full of fury and knowing that his time is short vents his fury on mankind and the planet earth.

 

GALATIANS 3:28-29 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

REVELATION 12:13-14 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach.

Humm!!
This male child in the above verse is Jesus and this woman symbolizes all the believers in Christ(God) who are the true Abraham's seeds, the true Israel. The devil(thrown to earth) in the last half of the seven years of tribulation tries to destroy Christ's believers but can not as Jesus takes his believers out of the serpent's reach for the last 3 and a half years(time,times and half a time or 1260 days to be precise). They are raptured from earth to safety.

Jesus performed miracles after the Holy Spirit had descended upon Him in His 3 1/2 year public ministry and in a similar fashion the Antichrist will perform miracles after Satan descends on him in the last 3 1/2 years of the Antichrist's reign to deceive/destroy those that are left. It is the devils/demons who enable those that use the occult to do the things that they do, therefore this Antichrist will indeed be very powerful once the king of devils/demons enters him.

This place prepared for the woman is translated as desert but the same word from the Greek can also mean an uninhabited place and other verses from the bible indicate that this place won't be on earth as the believers are taken from the earth . Two clues in the above verse also show that this place won't be on earth in that, first this woman is given wings to fly from the earth and two she is taken out of the serpent's reach which can only be in God's protection away from the havoc that Satan will cause upon the earth in his fury through the Antichrist.

 

MATTHEW 24:30-31 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Humm!!
What a magnificent sight the rapture will be when Jesus comes in a cloud of angels with power and might to collect the elect. The Lord's elect will be gathered up at the rapture by God's angels, taken out of the wrath, out of the reach of the devil and everyone else who is left for this self inflected time of wrath brought about by their own hatred of God and each other. Those that are left on the earth will more than likely die and stay dead until the judgment day of all mankind.

 

Luke 21: 34-36

 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

1 THESSALONIANS 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Humm!!
How plain and simple is that above verse, in that Jesus will rescue his believers from the coming wrath.

 

REVELATION 12:17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Humm!!
Once most of the believers in Christ(known as Christ's bride) are taken out of harms way then the devil will kill all those he can, that become believers in Christ after Christ's bride is taken out in other words this woman's "offspring".

 

REVELATION 13:4-8 Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

Humm!!
The devil uses the future Antichrist(his puppet on earth) who is in charge of the whole world to destroy everybody that doesn't worship him but notice again that this beast is in charge for forty-two months which is 3 and a half years exactly the same amount of time that the woman(Christ's bride) is taken out of the serpent's reach.

THE RESTRAINER OF THE RAPTURE


DANIEL 8:23-25

"In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.

Humm!!
When those that rebel against God have reached there full measure of wickedness a king(the Antichrist) will rise through the power of the devil and will destroy many then he will come against Prince of princes(the archangel Michael) .

 

2 THESSALONIANS 2:5-10 Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

Humm!!
Until the one who holds it back(the archangel Michael) is taken out of the way the Antichrist can not control the world even though the world is been polluted with evil continuously. (Remember from the beginning verse that when Michael arises then the distress occurs)

 

2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-3 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

Humm!!
Michael is not taken away until the rebellion occurs and the Antichrist is revealed and then Jesus will come to take out his people. Afterward in revelation 6:12 to 8 there is a series of events that indicate the desolations that occurs, in that there is a great earthquake, the sun turned black(dust, smoke and ash thrown into the atmosphere), moon turned blood red, stars fell to earth(nuclear weapons?), everthings flattened, people hiding in caves and then the wrath of the Lamb is to come, in other words you wicked people you wish to destroy each other then go for it because I will no longer hold you back. But just before the wrath of the Lamb is to come the four winds are held back(the resulting effects from the destruction caused by man) so as to mark the 144000 Israelites with God's seal of protection for their work in the later part of the 3.5 years of the tribulation.

 

MATTHEW 24:37-42 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Humm!!
Noah and his family were the only ones saved before the flood and as God saved Noah and his family from the flood so God will save his people from the devastation of war in the tribulation period by taking them out and saving them from certain death. Evidence of a world wide flood is in the legends of many people, as well as the physical evidence of marine fossils located everywhere, even in the mountain tops. It also explains why so much organic matter was sealed into the earth instead of being consumed by nature which now form the oil fields we have today.

After the tribulation period has been completed the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth will begin and the people that were taken out of the tribulation are restored to the earth.

POSSIBLE DELAY OF THE RAPTURE

MATTHEW 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
The New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

 

Humm!!
Were told to watch because we do not know the day or hour that Christ will come and take out his people during the tribulation and if we lack faith(oil) in Christ then we will be left behind because our focus will be elsewhere and not on Christ. It is a person's own faith that will save that person, nobody else's, and if you don't have a personal relationship with God then how can Jesus say He knows you?

All we have is a rough idea as to when Jesus will take out his elect but it must be noted in the above verses that it does say the bridegroom was delayed so how much longer after the Antichrist declares himself to be God is it before Jesus takes out his own is not known by man.

Today is when you should have a personal relationship with God because tomorrow may be too late so read the Bible, pray,talk and worship God. "Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.. "

 

REVELATION 11:18

The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great — and for destroying those who destroy the earth."


ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3 "I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD. "I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD.

ISAIAH 13:12 I WILL MAKE MAN SCARCER THAN PURE GOLD,MORE RARE THAN THE GOLD OF OPHIR.

 

 

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