The Rapture and The Resurrection

Happy Resurrection Day!

Today's report is a dual report. I was asked by my wife to put together a simple Bible study on the rapture of the church that she could e-mail out to friends. I felt like this study would make a great report for an event that I believe the Bible tells us is in our futures as believers in Yeshua The Messiah.

At the end of this report is an article that I think you will really like. It's a good thought provoking article on the Resurrection by Dr. David Reagan. I hope you enjoy it.

The Rapture of The Church or the catching away into the clouds as some refer to it, is a sticking point for a lot in the body of Christ. Some say that it's shortsighted to think that we will not go through the Tribulation, while others say the Pre-Trib Rapture folks like me are just not going to be prepared when the worse comes. I must say however, because I believe in the Pre-Trib Rapture of the Body of Christ, Christ could return for us at any moment, this doctrine has always caused within me a sense of urgency to be all I can be in Christ our Messiah. I would say I'm more ready for the Lord's return then ever before in my 36 years of walking with Yeshua because of the study of Prophecy, End-Times and the Rapture.

I have looked at both sides of the debate and for me, the rapture of the church just makes sense when weighed against the context of scripture. Each believer must bring the issue to the Lord in prayer and God what the truth is after reading and studying the scriptures relating to the subject. All believers must take a stand and then be ready to give a reason for why the believe the way they do. Study the topic and for heaven sakes make a decision based in the Bible and stand on your convictions.

This study is my answer to the critics of the rapture. This is why I believe the way I do:

1Peter 3:15:
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

The Rapture of The Church

The doctrine of the Rapture of the Church or the Body of Christ is the removal of those faithful servants from the earth prior to "Seven Years of Tribulation" on earth. Simply put, we will hear the last trumpet sound, we will hear Yeshua shout, "Come Up Here," Rev. 4 and the dead in Christ rise first and we who are alive are changed into the likeness of Christ (immortal) and follow them to meet the Lord in the Air or the first heaven, the atmosphere. This study will develop why I believe in the rapture of believers. It should be noted that “old testament” Jews believed in the resurrection of the dead. You can find interesting articles on this at the Jewish Encyclopedia ; Jewish Eschatology and The Resurrection of The Dead. The concept of the Resurrection of The Dead was not foreign to the Jews at all. I bring this up because the teaching of the "Rapture" includes The Resurrection of The Dead. The dead rise first, then we who are alive and remain follow them... 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 Just an interesting factoid to get us started.

Scriptural Basis:

Jesus Christ returning to Rapture the Church (Isa. 26:19-21; Mal. 3:17; Lk. 21:36; Jn. 14:1-14; I Cor. 15:51-58; 1 Thes. 1:10 & 1Thes. 4.13-18 & 5:9;Rom. 5:9; Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:4; Rev. 3:10; Rev 4:1-2).

My Synopsis:

Prophecy, knowing what's on the horizon, the examination of the Rapture of the Church and how this ties into the Jewish wedding ceremony, it's all profitable for study and should not be withheld from God's people! By the way, you should study how the Jews in the Lord's day got married. It's a fascinating study and in my humble opinion, it makes a solid case for the rapture or catching away of the Church. Study is in the next paragraph below...

Here's a brief synopsis on it...The groom and the bride are betrothed for a year or so and then at the appointed time, the Father tells his son, the groom, to go get His Bride. The groom's precession is huge and the trumpets are blown. Everyone knows the groom is coming! The Bride is dressed in the finest of pure white linen. The Groom takes His bride back to His Father’s house where they are joined in marriage and for seven days there is a feast. To properly understand the rapture of The Bride of Christ (Church), one must understand the marriage ceremony that the Jews at the time of Christ were accustomed to! Please do not overlook the PDF lesson provided on this...it will broaden your understanding in a wonderful way. Read a GREAT detailed lesson on this here

When the last trumpet is blown the Lord (groom) will come on the Shekinah Glory (clouds) and call us (Bride) to join Him. We will meet Him in the clouds of glory and He (the groom) will take us (The Bride) to His Father's house where we will be joined to Him and for seven years we enjoy His presence and have a feast. After the wedding feast Rev 19:5-9 is over we return with Him to stop the madness on planet earth.

Read Acts 1:9-11 (Yeshua goes into heaven in a cloud and we're told he will return the same way); Ephesians 5:24-27 (Christ and The Church)

In Rev 19:1-3 we see the saints that are speaking and they have an acute awareness of what the word SALVATION engenders. The church knows from personal experience what it means to be “saved” from ones sins by personal experience, hence, the church or bride is proclaiming this in this heavenly scene. Furthermore, His bride is adorned in the pure white linen that represents the righteous acts of the saints. When Yeshua went to the cross His righteousness was inputted to us. We are righteous because He is:

Rev 19 - After these things (Rev 18 pronouncements) I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her." 3 Again they said, "Alleluia!

1Thessalonians 4:16-18

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1Corinthians 15:50-58

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall 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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 5 "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Zechariah 14:5

5 Then you (Jews) shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints (All who belong to Yeshua) with You.

While the people of the earth are undergoing the seven years of Tribulation because they chose not to believe in Yeshua prior to the Tribulation, we (church/Saints) are in heaven with the Lord, our just reward for believing prior to the days of Tribulation, and we are enjoying being in His presence and I believe we will receive our marching orders when we return with Him after the Tribulation concludes. Yeshua and His Bride (church) finally joined, the event of the ages has finally been consummated!

Romans 8:

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Finally, I should mention that under The Law of First Mention, it seems clear to me, as we examine Noah and Lot, that we can see that when the“final” Judgment of God comes He never judges the righteous and the unrighteous together. In the story of Noah we all know that God separated His people from those who were to perish and to be judged. In Lot’s case the same was true. Lot and his family were told by the Angels to make ready and leave. The language used was not a suggestion but a command to leave and leave fast. The point was, Lot and his family were separated and removed from the “final” Judgment of God. The Angels made it clear that they could not do what they had come to do until Lot and his loved ones were a safe distance away. Interesting that as Lot’s wife looked back, back at the world of sin and corruption, she was turned into a pillar of salt.

Our Lord instructed us not to allow the cares of life to choke out the word of God in our lives (Mark 4:19). As we turn to Christ we are to look forward to a new life with and in Him. If we look back at our old life, the power of the spirit can be greatly diminished in our lives and it can have devastating repercussions in our lives. Many a people have backslidden because they looked back and desired what once was.

To bring this thought to a close, The Law of First Mention teaches that when something appears in the Bible for the first time it continues to be true throughout all of scripture. It seems to me that the examples given to us in Noah and Lot show us the nature of God’s grace and love for His children. I believe that our Lord desires to spare us from the pain and suffering that the unbelieving world must endure (1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9). This thought falls within the parameters of the Law of First Mention.

There are those who will argue, well, what about the Tribulation saints who believed after the Antichrist came to power, don’t they suffer with the unbelievers? Yes they do, however, they were given ample time to accept Christ prior to the Tribulation and chose not to accept Him prior to the Tribulation. The consequences for that choice were well known to them. Unfortunately, they will need to accept those consequences with courage and faith in Yeshua. Also, God does provide a very special reward for the Tribulation saints; see Rev. 7:9-17. I should mention that even during the Tribulation God sets aside a remnant who He protects from the horrors of that day! Even in this we see the grace of God at work. As well, I have been asked, Stephan what about the people who are not part of the Church or the Bride of Christ, won't they feel left out or set a side. My answer to this is two fold, first, this thought process is human in nature, this is not how we will think when we are with the Lord. Secondly, the Old Testament Saints where set free from Hades, the Lord led captivity captive see Eph 4:8. What a gift that was given to them to see the long awaited Messiah. He spent 3 days with them and lead them into heaven. Wow how wonderful! The Tribulation Saints, as well as the Martyrs , as we discussed prior, will server the Lord while He is on His throne and they will never leave His side, nor will they ever suffer again. The point here, God rewards everyone in every dispensation fairly and no one will feel left out. God is good and everyone's needs will be perfectly met. No need to be concerned about hurt feelings in heaven because God fills our every need ...

Additionally, Yeshua our Messiah, took upon Himself the judgment for our sins. With this in mind, the Tribulation (Jeremiah 30) is God's judgment for sin on those left behind because they have refused to turn from their sin while they had time. We need to keep in mind, the age of grace lasted 2,000 years. Because Christ took that judgment in our place we will not have to face His judgment that will be poured out against an unbelieving world.

Our great hope then is to hear the shout of God in Revelation 4; "Come Up Here!" How wonderful it will be to meet our Messiah (Groom) in the air and then be escorted by Him to the Fathers house where we will forever be with Him! Thank God that He made a way of escape for us who love Yeshua! There is now no condemnation for those that love Christ Jesus. When God sees us He sees the Righteousness of Christ. If we then are seen as Righteous, there is no judgment necessary for us to endure concerning heaven or hell. The price has been paid through the blood of Jesus Christ. If we do not see that the Tribulation is a time of judgment for sin and the unrighteous then we will not be able to grasp the doctrine of the Rapture of The Church (The Bride of Christ).
[Please read all of John 14 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 . These are capstone scriptures].

When you take into consideration the examples provided by the context of scripture Old and New, it is clear that the Rapture of The Church is an event that is in our very near future! The prophecy of the Rapture of The Church will be fulfilled...

Please read the 2nd part of this report:

What are the three greatest miracles in history?
The Resurrection of Jesus is one of the three greatest miracles of history — the other two... Read The Report Here

In conclusion.

There are many voices today that tell us that there are multitude ways to heaven. Some say, believe in yourself. Others say, if you are a good person you can get there. The New Age Religion has been touted as the way because you are your own god. The voices are many, but this I can promise you, if you do not have a personal relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ and if you have not put your faith in Him, you will not see heaven and eternal life wikll not be yours!

I don't say this to be unkind or to scare you into heaven. I say this because it is the truth. God The Father gave His only son to become the Passover Lamb of God for the sins of the world and the refusal of His sacrifice, His only son, demands a virdict of guilty to those who reject His free gift of eternal life through Yeshua (Jesus) His son.

You can argue, fight, kick against the realities of this truth all you want, but it won't change the fact that all must come through Jesus Christ to enter heaven!

Let's allow the Bible to speak for itself in John 14:

1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." 8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

Happy Resurrection Day and Happy Passover! We have much to rejoice about.

Are YOU Prepared? Have YOU put your faith in Jesus Christ? He is coming again real soon. Prepare and believe in Him NOW! Click Here for Details

Until next time God willing...

Keep looking up because Messiah's return is at the door!

Peace and Love in Jesus The Messiah,
Shalom v'ahava b'Yeshua Ha'Mashiach
שלום ואהבה בישוע המשיח

Bro Stef
Watchman & Publisher

'But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand.' Ezekiel 33:6

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 1Thessalonians 5:1-6

“My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. Because they lead my people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace …”
Ezekiel 13:9-10