Dividing the Word Part Two:
The Rapture and the Second Coming
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Now that we have laid the foundation of what it is to correctly divide God’s Word, we can go forward into another topic. When it comes to Biblical topics, everything seems to be hotly debated by those in the “Christian” community. Eternal salvation is the number one disputed subject, and the purpose of my website has always been to clear up the misconceptions and show how simple faith in Jesus Christ saves a person’s soul. We looked in the previous section at how rightly dividing Scripture helps us to understand eternal salvation. We are now ready to move on to the next most debated topic of the Bible: the Rapture. There are two opposing sides to this. The first group holds to the idea of the Rapture as the great news that believers on Jesus Christ will not have to go through the Tribulation. The second group calls the idea of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture a fairy tale, a delusion, wishful thinking, etc. This group varies from people who don’t believe in the Rapture, to those believing it will occur after the Tribulation. This group says that it is ridiculous to believe that God will spare believers from the time of His wrath, and they further claim that a Pre-Tribulation Rapture is not Biblical. More and more, the idea of the Rapture preceding the Tribulation is mocked, insulted, and brutally attacked by modern “Christians.” So what is the answer? Is the Rapture Biblical? If so, is the Rapture Pre-Tribulation or Post-Tribulation? I hope you paid attention to “Dividing the Word” part one, because we are going forward now. We are going to build on what has already been discussed. We are going to rightly divide Scripture and take what we can from it to learn about the Rapture.
A lot of people have put forth a lot of theories about what exactly occurs in the end times. The Bible does not offer a clear cut rundown of end time events. Some clues are offered in the book of Daniel, some clues were given by Jesus, and the book of Revelation is all about the end of the world, with other clues scattered here and there. When it comes to talking about the end times, there is one very important thing that must be kept in mind: During this age, we will never fully understand prophecy regarding the future end times. The prophet Daniel was allowed to see and record a vision of the end times, but even Daniel himself did not comprehend what he saw.
Daniel 12:8-9: “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”
God did not give Daniel an answer to his question. What God did say was that the revelation that was given to Daniel, which he recorded, was sealed until “the time of the end.” Here is what you must remember about Scripture: Some Scripture is not meant to be understood until a later time. Some Scripture was given with the purpose of being used in the future to prove a truth. For instance, recall the following:
Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
This verse of Scripture was somewhat cryptic when it was written. The prophecy was later fulfilled when Jesus literally accomplished what Scripture had foretold.
Matthew 21:6-7: “And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him (Jesus) thereon.”
Let me show you two examples where Scripture, previously not understood, was later used. Both examples are from the book of Acts, which was the book where Jesus ascended back to Heaven and left His work in the hands of His disciples. The gospel of the kingdom had been rejected. The gospel of Christ was ready to begin.
Acts 17:10-12: “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.”
These Jews in Berea kept an open mind when they were taught about Jesus Christ. These Jews looked through Scripture to see if Jesus had indeed been the Christ sent by God. Because these Jews were able to use previously cryptic Scripture to prove that Jesus had been the Messiah, “many of them believed” on Jesus and were saved. Let’s move on.
Acts 18:24-28: “And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.”
Because Old Testament Scripture contained clues pointing to Jesus Christ, this believer, Apollos, was able to teach other Jews by showing them Scripture which proved that Jesus was the Christ.
In both of the preceding examples, the Scriptures had been around for a good long while. However, the Scriptures were not understood. When the time was right, God used Scripture to make a truth known. Look again at the following:
Daniel 12:8-9: “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”
Now consider another passage:
Revelation 1:1-3: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
The book of Revelation was addressed in a unique way. Hold on tight and pay attention, because it’s time to jump into this thing.
The 144,000
Revelation 1:1-3: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
Revelation 22:6: “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”
Revelation was written for the servants of God and Jesus Christ. It’s interesting that in the books leading up to Revelation, the audience was addressed many times as “brethren,” “saints,” or those who had been “sanctified,” referring to the fact that the audiences were believers who had been adopted into God’s family. Who, then, is a servant of Jesus Christ? Paul identified himself as such (Philippians 1:1). James identified himself as such (James 1:1). Peter identified himself as such (2nd Peter 1:1). Jude identified himself as such (Jude 1:1). John identified himself as such (Revelation 1:1). A servant was someone who worked for God or Jesus. Believers should use their position in grace to be the servants of God and Jesus (Ephesians 6:5-7, 1st Peter 2:15-16), but it is not automatic, and is instead a choice that believers must make. The New Testament books of the Bible were addressed to believers, but Revelation was addressed specifically to the servants of God and Jesus Christ. Who are these servants?
Revelation 7:1-3: “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”
During the Tribulation, 144,000 Jews will be sealed in their foreheads. Sealed with what?
Revelation 14:1: “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.”
The 144,000 will have God’s name written in their foreheads. This is a seal, and it marks these people as being saved. During the age of grace, believers are also sealed, but in a different way.
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom (Jesus) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
The Holy Spirit was sent down on the day of Pentecost to seal and teach believers during the age of grace. Once the age of grace is finished, the gospel of the kingdom will go back into effect, and there will be no place for the Holy Spirit here. Without the Holy Spirit, believers will not be sealed, and they must endure to the end to be saved (Matthew 24:13), meaning they must not fall for or give in to the deception of the beast (Revelation 14:9-10). The 144,000 belong to a different category, however. They will be the servants of God, and they will receive a special seal in their foreheads. Satan likes to copy the methods of God. Did you know that he has his own version of a seal in the forehead?
Revelation 13:16: “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:”
Revelation 14:9: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,”
We can speculate about end of the world events. We can try to place the pieces of the puzzle we are given in Scripture together to get the big picture. But here are two things we must keep in mind:
1. Daniel’s prophecies were not understood by him and were reserved for “the time of the end.”
2. Revelation has the servants of God and Jesus Christ during the Tribulation in mind as its audience, and Revelation defines those servants to be the 144,000 Jews who are sealed with God’s name in their foreheads.
I believe that when the time comes that these servants are sealed, they will understand the truths contained in the Scriptures of Daniel and Revelation. These 144,000 will more than likely be the tool God will use to spread the gospel of the kingdom to the world, which must be done before Jesus can return (Matthew 24:14). Believers here during the age of grace were saved under the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). In the end days, a new group must take the gospel of the kingdom to the world in order to inform people of the coming kingdom which Jesus Christ will be setting up on the earth. This group consists of 144,000 sealed Jews, and they will understand the prophecies concerning the end days.
Some of the 144,000 Jewish servants will be killed by the beast, or the antichrist. Satan will be angry with the Jewish nation because it gave birth to Jesus (Revelation 12:13).
Revelation 12:17: “And the dragon (Satan) was wroth with the woman (Israel, or the Jewish nation), and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (the 144,000 Jewish servants).”
Who is this group of people during the Tribulation that is keeping the commandments of God and has faith in Jesus?
Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Believers saved during the age of grace were sometimes referred to as “saints” (Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:1). Who are the “saints” of the Tribulation? They can’t be the people who endure to the end for Jesus, because the term “saints” refers to people who are already saved. The people who endure to the end for Jesus could not be declared “saints” until Jesus came back and found them to be worthy. Believers in the age of grace are sealed with the Holy Spirit and are called “saints.” The 144,000 Jewish servants who are sealed with the name of God in their foreheads must be the “saints” of the Tribulation.
Revelation 13:7: “And it was given unto him (the beast) to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
Revelation 6:9-11: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”
Some of the 144,000 will be martyred. What will happen to those still alive at the return of Jesus Christ? We will find out later.
(Please note that others will be martyred during the Tribulation as well. There will be people of all nations who believe on Jesus Christ and endure to the end in their faith during the Tribulation, which is evidenced in Revelation 7:9-14. Some of these people will be martyred for refusing to worship the image of the beast, as told in Revelation 13:15. These martyred believers will be brought back to life in the resurrection described in Revelation 20:4. These martyred believers will reign with Jesus for 1,000 years. See Revelation 20:4 and Matthew 24:44-47.)
The Elect
Who is God’s elect? Who is Jesus Christ’s elect? I can show you the first group, based on Scripture. Then I will show you who I believe to be the second group.
In the Old Testament, Israel (the Jews) was referred to as God’s elect (Isaiah 45:4). In the New Testament, not all Jews, but those who believe on Jesus Christ, are the elect (Romans 11:5-7). As discussed in “Dividing the Word” part one, in the age of grace, God has placed Jews and Gentiles on an equal playing field. This means that Gentile believers on Jesus Christ are the elect of God as well. Anyone who believes on Jesus Christ is part of God’s elect.
Colossians 3:12: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”
1st Thessalonians 1:4: “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.”
1st Peter 1:2: “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
Take a moment to recall the two following verses:
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom (Jesus) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
During the age of grace, believers on Jesus Christ are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and they are known as God’s elect. During the period of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will have His own elect. As stated before, the Holy Spirit will not be given to believers anymore. This is why believers must endure to the end to be saved (Matthew 24:13). However, God has another seal that He will use. The 144,000 Jewish servants of Jesus Christ will be sealed with the name of God in their foreheads (Revelation 7:1-8, 14:1). I believe that this seal marks the 144,000 Jewish servants as the elect of Jesus Christ during the Tribulation period. How do I know that Jesus has an elect during this time?
Matthew 24:31: “And he (Jesus) shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Mark 13:27: “And then shall he (Jesus) send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.”
There are people who claim that the two preceding verses are talking about the Rapture, which is the event where Jesus calls believers out of this world. Those people are wrong, and we will find out why soon enough. For now, it is important to understand that there is an elect during the age of grace, and there will be an elect during the Tribulation. Both of these groups are sealed, and these seals are very important. One of these groups is referred to as God’s elect, and the other group is the elect of Jesus Christ. Both of these groups of elect are going to be gathered to meet Jesus Christ, and their seals are going to be used to identify them quickly.
We now know that there will be 144,000 Jewish servants of God and Jesus Christ who will understand the prophecies of the end times and who will be sealed in their foreheads in order to identify them as the elect of Jesus Christ. We will come back to this special group later. For now, let’s take a look at that controversial topic that makes Christians go to war.
The Rapture
Many people will say that the word “rapture” is not found in the Bible. They are correct. The Rapture is the event where Jesus Christ calls believers out of this world. Most “Christians” agree that this event will occur, though the details of this event are fiercely debated. The two biggest questions are:
1. Who goes in the Rapture?
2. When does the Rapture occur?
I am going to answer these two questions. Let’s begin by looking at the two passages of Scripture that describe the Rapture. For such a popular topic, it’s surprising how little the Bible actually talks about the Rapture.
1st Corinthians 15:51-53: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
1st Thessalonians 4:15-18: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Both of these passages were written by the apostle Paul. If you recall from part one of “Dividing the Word,” Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles.
2nd Timothy 1:11: “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.”
An important part of the ministry of Jesus Christ was spent teaching the Jews about the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom He will set up on earth. The kingdom of heaven differs from the kingdom of God, which is Heaven. The kingdom of heaven was promised to the Jews, while the kingdom of God is the place for believers on Jesus Christ. Jesus presented the gospel of the kingdom to the Jews (Matthew 9:35), and He said that this gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all of the world before the end (Matthew 24:14). In the meantime, the gospel of Christ is in effect (Romans 1:16), and this gospel is what must be believed in order to enter the kingdom of God. The apostle Paul was not concerned with the kingdom of heaven, because his ministry was focused on the kingdom of God and the gospel of Christ.
1st Corinthians 2:2: “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Acts 28:30-31: “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”
Paul was focused on a different gospel than the one that Jesus preached, and Paul spoke to a different audience than Jesus had. Many “Christians” will attempt to find teachings on the Rapture in the teachings of Jesus. That’s a mistake. If you recall, we are supposed to be “rightly dividing the word of truth.” If Jesus was focused on teaching the Jews, He would not have told them about the Rapture, because that was a future event that did not concern them. Jesus had not yet died on the cross, and therefore the gospel of Christ was not in effect. Jesus first had to offer the Jews the gospel of the kingdom. Now, if Paul was appointed to teach about the kingdom of God and the gospel of Christ, and the Gentiles were his primary audience, then Paul would be teaching things other than what Jesus had taught the Jews, which was about the kingdom of heaven and the gospel of the kingdom. Simple enough, right? Sorry to repeat myself so much, but I am determined to drive this point home because too many people cannot figure out how to divide Scripture. Now, let’s look at several points concerning Paul’s descriptions of the Rapture.
1. Notice that Paul’s first mention of the Rapture begins with “Behold, I shew you a mystery”. Now let’s think about this. If Jesus had mentioned the Rapture in His teachings, which many people believe, then how could Paul claim to be showing us a mystery? Paul was basically telling us that he was presenting something which had not been previously known or mentioned. Paul is introducing a new doctrine. That means that Jesus did not mention the Rapture (though He hinted at it in a private conversation with His disciples in John 14:2-3). Now I know what some of you are thinking. “What about Matthew 24:40-42???”
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
Jesus was not talking about the Rapture. We will be looking at this passage later, and we will learn what is actually being taught. Stay tuned, because you don’t want to miss that, since it will clear up a misconception that is all too popular.
So Paul introduced us to the doctrine of the Rapture. Do you think that was a coincidence? God chose Paul to be the apostle of the Gentiles, to spread the gospel of Christ, and to teach about the kingdom of God. It was perfectly fitting for Paul to introduce the concept of the Rapture, because the Rapture is meant for believers saved under the gospel of Christ, and the gospel of Christ was the focus of Paul’s ministry. But wait. I haven’t properly established who the Rapture is meant for. Keep reading.
2. What about the phrase “at the last trump”? Some “Christians” think that every time a trumpet is used in Scripture that it is the same event. A trumpet is used at the Rapture. A trumpet is used when the elect are gathered at the end of the Tribulation. Seven trumpets are used in the book of Revelation. God just happens to like using trumpets to signal different events (Note the battle of Jericho in Joshua 6). When the seventh trumpet is sounded in Revelation 11:15, there is no mention that follows of a gathering of God’s elect. Because Scripture says that the Rapture will occur “at the last trump” does not mean that the Rapture must be connected to the seventh trumpet. The last “trump” refers to the last sound made by the trumpet that signals the Rapture. But can the gathering of God’s elect from Matthew 24:31 and Mark 13:27 be the same event as the Rapture? Both events follow the sounding of a trumpet, so are they the same? No. When Jesus spoke of this gathering in Matthew and Mark, He was referring to an event that would take place at the end of the world. This is after the Tribulation, after the gospel of the kingdom has been preached to the world, and people have decided to follow Jesus Christ or worship the beast. For now, just know that God uses trumpets whenever He feels like it. Deal with it.
3. Believers need new bodies to enter Heaven.
1st Corinthians 15:49-54: “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
Our fleshly bodies cannot enter into Heaven. Flesh and blood are of this world, and our earthly bodies are born into sin (Romans 5:12) and contain nothing good (Romans 7:18). Heaven is a place of incorruption, and so our bodies, which are corrupt from birth, cannot be allowed to go to Heaven. At the Rapture, believers will be changed. Believers will be given new bodies, incorruptible and immortal, and will then “bear the image of the heavenly.” Also note that Paul taught that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”. This is clearly dealing with people who will be going to Heaven, which is the kingdom of God. This is not dealing with people who will enter into the kingdom of heaven, which is the literal kingdom Jesus Christ will set up on earth.
4. Moving on to Paul’s second description of the Rapture, we find that “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God”. Jesus Christ is going to personally call out the believers at the Rapture.
5. Paul wrote that “the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air”. All of the believers on Jesus Christ who have died ever since the gospel of Christ was put into effect will be taken into the air first. Then, believers still alive at the occurrence of the Rapture will be snatched up into the air to meet Jesus Christ in the clouds.
Let’s quickly recap the points we have covered concerning the Rapture.
1. The apostle Paul was the first to speak of the Rapture.
2. A trumpet signals the Rapture, but that does not make this the same event as every other time God uses a trumpet.
3. Believers receive new bodies at the Rapture.
4. Jesus Christ gathers believers all by Himself at the Rapture.
5. Believers meet Jesus in the air at the Rapture.
The Rapture involves the gathering together of believers into the air by Jesus, and these believers are given new bodies in order to enter their new home, Heaven. What did Jesus tell the disciples about their future destination?
John 14:2-3: “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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
In the house of God, there are many mansions. Jesus promised His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them, and that one day He would receive them to where He is. The disciples were not meant to enter into the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ. That is reserved for a different group of people. Jesus Christ will set up a kingdom on earth for people who endure to the end for Him during the Tribulation. God’s home is in Heaven, and God’s house is big enough to hold all of the believers who have put their faith in Jesus Christ ever since the gospel of Christ was made available. So you see that the kingdom of heaven is not for all believers. Likewise, the kingdom of God is not for all believers, but it is the destination for those believers who are taken in the Rapture.
How will Jesus Christ be able to instantly identify believers all over the world when He calls them out in the Rapture? Do you remember how believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit? That Holy Spirit does a few incredible things for believers.
2nd Timothy 2:13: “If we believe not, yet he (Jesus Christ) abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
The Holy Spirit is part of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit seals every believer. Because of this, a believer’s salvation is secure. Even if a believer goes as far as to give up his belief, he cannot break the seal of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ cannot deny a believer, because it would be as though He was denying Himself, since the Holy Spirit dwells inside of all believers.
1st John 3:9: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
Believers still sin, but because the Holy Spirit, which is God’s seed, remains inside all believers, God does not see or record their sin. Their flesh still sins, but their spirit does not, because they have been born again spiritually.
Now here’s something else that I believe the Holy Spirit does: It acts as a homing beacon. At the Rapture, Jesus Christ will call believers out of the world. What is it inside of a believer that reacts to this call? The Holy Spirit. If anyone with the Holy Spirit inside was left on earth during the Tribulation, it would be like Jesus leaving Himself here to suffer. The Holy Spirit will be called out, and it will take all believers on Jesus Christ with it. Once the Holy Spirit is gone, believers will have to endure to the end to be saved. With no Holy Spirit to seal them and cause God to not see their sins, they will not have the same security that believers during the age of grace have, which is why they must endure. The Holy Spirit is not on earth during the Tribulation. Therefore, the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation. There’s simply no reason for believers saved in the age of grace to be here during the Tribulation. The Tribulation is a final test, a trial by fire, meant to judge Israel and to create a group of people worthy to enter the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ. Believers are saved during the age of grace by belief on Jesus Christ, whose blood makes these believers worthy of the kingdom of God (Romans 3:24-26, Colossians 1:14). These believers have no need to be tested by the Tribulation, which is meant for those people who will enter into the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ, not the kingdom of God, which is Heaven.
Now we know some interesting things about the Rapture. With that foundation in place, we can move on to the next step: Contrasting the Rapture with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The Second Coming and the First Gathering
So one day, the disciples wanted to know about the end of the world.
Matthew 24:3: “And as he (Jesus) sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
The disciples never asked what the signs would be leading up to the Rapture. Remember, that was a concept that was not yet revealed. The clues given by Jesus in Matthew 24 were signs pointing to the end of the world, which would culminate in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth. As I have mentioned numerous times already, this is when Jesus said that people would have to endure to the end to be saved, and that the gospel of the kingdom would have to be preached in all the world. Lots of “Christians” take these things out of context and think that enduring to the end applies to believers during the age of grace, or that the gospel of Christ must be preached to all of the world before the end can come. Both of these teachings are wrong, because Jesus was clearly speaking of the end times, not the age of grace. You have to understand that.
There are other teachings of Jesus, taken from this same talk with the disciples, that are misunderstood and abused as well. We will begin to address these now, seeing as how they are misconstrued by confused people who attempt to tie these teachings and events to the Rapture.
Matthew 24:31: “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Some “Christians” believe that this verse is a picture of the Rapture. It is not. Let’s get the context for this verse. Remember, Jesus was describing the end of the world.
Matthew 24:29-31: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Let’s note the underlined parts.
1. This event occurs after the Tribulation.
2. Everyone on earth will see Jesus Christ coming to the earth.
3. Jesus will send His angels to gather His elect.
This description of this event is repeated in the book of Mark.
Mark 13:24-27: "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he (Jesus) send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."
If this event is referring to the Rapture, we have three serious issues going on here.
1. Why would believers need to be caught up in the air to meet Jesus when He is on His way down to the earth anyways?
2. At the Rapture, Jesus personally calls out the believers to meet Him. At this other event, Jesus sends His angels to gather His elect.
3. Why are people being gathered from the earth and Heaven?
It is also worth noting that there are no new bodies being received at this event. The Rapture will see believers receiving new bodies so they can enter into Heaven. At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, people who are going to enter into the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ don’t need new bodies, because they are staying on the earth.
There is no doubt that there is a gathering of the elect at the Second Coming of Jesus. The question is this: Who are these elect? Are the elect in the Tribulation the same as the elect from the age of grace? Since there are inconsistencies between Paul’s description of the Rapture and the event that Jesus spoke of, these must be two separate gatherings. If the Rapture is meant to collect those who have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, then who do you think will be gathered at the Second Coming? Believers in the age of grace have to choose to be the servants of Jesus Christ, but even if they choose not to be, they are still saved because God has sealed them with the Holy Spirit. In the Tribulation, Jesus will have 144,000 dedicated Jewish servants, and since the Holy Spirit will not be on the earth anymore, these servants will be sealed in a different way. This seal, which is the name of God written on the foreheads of the servants, is going to be used to identify these servants when the angels are sent by Jesus Christ to gather His elect. Believers saved under grace are God’s elect. At the Rapture, Jesus Christ gathers God’s elect. Jesus has His own elect, and He will send angels to gather them at His Second Coming. I believe that the elect of Jesus Christ are none other than the 144,000. They are the servants of Jesus Christ, and they are His Jewish brothers (Remember this). At the Rapture, believers are caught up in the air. At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, no one is caught up in the air. Instead, the elect of Jesus Christ are simply gathered.
But wait? Weren’t some of the 144,000 martyred? Yes, but that doesn’t matter. All of the servants, whether killed or still alive on earth, will be gathered.
Mark 13:27: “And then shall he (Jesus) send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.”
The 144,000 are gathered from earth and from Heaven, because some will be alive and remaining on earth, while some will have been killed and will be in Heaven.
Now, do you need more proof that Jesus was not speaking about the Rapture in Matthew? Earlier in this article, I mentioned the following passage:
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
I claimed that Jesus was not speaking of the Rapture here, and I told you that I would explain this at a later time. We are going to find out who these people being “taken” are. There are actually two groups of people that will be gathered in this event.
The Second Gathering (The Tares and the Unfaithful Believers)
We know that Jesus Christ will return to the earth, and the angels are sent to gather the elect. Believers saved in the age of grace were previously taken in the Rapture. Now let’s suppose I was wrong and that the elect gathered by the angels are not the 144,000 Jewish servants. At the Second Coming, if the elect are all of the people who believed on Jesus Christ during the Tribulation and endured to the end (as some people believe), and they are all gathered together, then the only people left on earth would be those people who did not believe on Jesus or endure to the end for Him, right? (The wicked people who worshipped the beast will be killed, but we will get to that soon.) So then there would be no reason to separate these remaining people, because the believers would have been gathered away from among them, right? Take a look at the following:
Matthew 13:24-30: “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Here’s where Jesus explains the preceding passage:
Matthew 13:36-43: “Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Jesus said that “the good seed are the children of the kingdom”, and Satan is going to sow bad seed that will be a counterfeit of the good seed. Note the following verse:
Matthew 8:12: “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
How could Jesus say that “the good seed are the children of the kingdom” and then say “the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness”? The counterfeit that Satan creates is so good that Jesus Himself refers to the bad seed the same way as He refers to the good seed. How will Satan accomplish this? We will find out very soon. For now, understand that there will be need of another separation, similar to the Rapture, except that this time the wicked will be taken.
Here’s another description of this same event:
Matthew 13:47-50: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
If the “wicked” are taken “from among the just”, then the believers who endured to the end are not the elect that are gathered by the angels in Matthew 24:31. Now taking what we have just read, let’s look again at that passage of Scripture that is all too often confused to be a teaching on the Rapture.
Matthew 24:37-42: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
Remember that Jesus was talking about the end of the world in Matthew chapters 24 and 25. He was not speaking of the Rapture, because that event did not concern the kingdom of heaven, but rather the kingdom of God. The kingdom of heaven is for believers who endure to the end during the Tribulation. The kingdom of God is for believers who are saved during the age of grace.
Jesus said that people in Noah’s time “knew not until the flood came, and took them all away”. Jesus said “so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” The focus of this teaching is not Noah, and the idea is not that believers will be taken away. The key phrase is “the flood came, and took them all away”. The wicked were taken away suddenly and unexpectedly. If this same thing will happen at the end of the world, then once again, the wicked will be taken suddenly and unexpectedly. The Flood from Noah’s time took the wicked away. The angels will come at the end of the world to take the wicked away. Recall these phrases:
“Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them”.
“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity”.
“So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just”.
Those line up with the following:
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
There are two groups of people that are going to be taken at this event. The first group consists of the counterfeit children of the kingdom, Satan’s bad seed, the tares. They are wicked, but it would appear that they don’t even know it.
Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The above passage is also from Matthew, and it teaches that many people who thought that they were doing good will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. There are and have been many religious people during the age of grace who will not make it to Heaven, the kingdom of God, because they chose religion over Jesus Christ. Likewise, Jesus Christ taught that the same thing will happen in the end of the world, when people will not be allowed into the kingdom of heaven, despite what those people think they have done for the Lord. These people would appear to be the bad seed, the false children of the kingdom, who were sowed by Satan. These people are sincere as they plead their case before Jesus, and I believe that these people were led astray by false christs during the Tribulation.
Matthew 24:23-26: “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.”
During the age of grace, Satan deceives people by using false religions and false “Christians.” Note the following:
2nd Corinthians 11:13-15: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
God will unleash two prophets during half of the Tribulation (Revelation 11:3-6), and these prophets will be able to perform miracles. Satan will counter this by using his false prophet during the Tribulation to perform miracles and deceive many (Revelation 13:14, 19:20). Satan also has a backup plan. If anyone should decide not to worship the beast and accept his mark, then perhaps they will fall for one of Satan’s false christs. Satan will use these false christs in order to plant the tares, the bad seed, the false children of the kingdom. During the Tribulation, Jesus will use the two prophets and the 144,000 Jewish servants to sow good seed, while Satan will use false christs to sow bad seed. Jesus warned that “there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders”. People during the Tribulation are going to have to distinguish between what is from God and what is from Satan. Now you can see why Jesus said the following:
Matthew 24:11-13: “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Now concerning the signs and wonders that the false christs of the Tribulation will perform, Jesus said that “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” This is repeated in the book of Mark.
Mark 13:21-23: “And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.”
Do you recall who I believe to be the elect during the Tribulation? The 144,000 Jewish servants of Jesus Christ. They are sealed with the name of God in their foreheads. If you remember, the Holy Spirit seals believers during the age of grace. We have looked at how this seal protects believers by making their eternal salvation secure. It looks as though the seal that God gives to the 144,000 Jewish servants is also going to provide protection. While false christs will be performing signs and wonders to deceive as many people as they can, they will not be able to fool the elect. This is made clear by the phrase “if it were possible”, which refers to the fact that the elect are protected against Satan’s attacks of deception. Jesus stated that it is not even possible for the elect to be deceived. We know that many people will be deceived, because Jesus stated that “false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” The people during the Tribulation will be prone to deception, but the elect will not be open to these tricks. Why not? They have been sealed. During the age of grace, believers have a seal which marks them as the elect of God and makes them eternally secure. During the Tribulation, the 144,000 Jewish servants have a seal which forever identifies them as the elect of Jesus Christ, and this seal closes off any possibility that Satan will be able to deceive them. Satan would love to lead astray these 144,000, just the same way that Satan would love to be able to cause believers to lose their salvation. However, Satan is unable to perform either of these tasks, because he is not able to break the seals of God.
Now that we have identified the first wicked group to be removed by the angels to be the tares, the bad seed of Satan, we will learn who the second group is. Look again at the following, which has been expanded to give even more of the context:
Matthew 24:37-42: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus said that an evil servant who neglects his duties and begins to act like the world will be surprised when his Lord comes suddenly and finds the servant not worthy to be a servant at all. Notice that these evil servants are called “hypocrites”, and they meet the same fate as do the tares. Who are these evil servants? They are the believers who did not endure until the end for their faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus will come back to find faithful believers who have endured, who will enter the kingdom of heaven, while unfaithful believers who did not endure will be separated from among the faithful believers. Jesus gave warnings to believers to stay strong during the Tribulation, because He knew that some would fall away from enduring. Remember that at the Second Coming, Jesus will send angels to “gather out of his kingdom all things that offend”, which was speaking of the tares. Jesus mentioned this gathering again in the parable of the fishing net, when He said that angels will “sever the wicked from among the just”. And now, in addition to the tares, we find the other group of people who will fall into this category of the “wicked”. At the Second Coming, Jesus will catch each unfaithful believer off guard and “shall cut him asunder”, which sounds quite similar to when the angels “sever the wicked from among the just”. Let’s go further with this by consulting dictionary.com.
Asunder – “apart or widely separated: as wide asunder as the polar regions.”
Sever – “to separate (a part) from the whole, as by cutting or the like.”
Jesus said that evil servants (unfaithful believers) will be cut asunder at the Second Coming. Jesus said that the wicked will be severed from among the faithful believers at the Second Coming. Now, looking at the dictionary definitions I provided, we can see how the same event is described in both places of Scripture. “Asunder” and “sever” both involve something being separated from something else. These two groups of people, the tares and the unfaithful believers, will be cut asunder, or severed, from the believers who have endured in their faith until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Both of these groups consist of people considered “wicked”, and both groups are dealt with in the same way.
Matthew 24:37-42 is a warning for believers in the Tribulation. Let’s compare this passage with the versions of the warning from Mark and Luke.
Mark 13:34-37: “For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”
Luke 21:34-36: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
We will be examining the passage from Luke later on in this article. For now, just note that these three passages were warnings directed at believers in the Tribulation. Believers were told to watch, be ready, and pray always. Many will fail, and these unfaithful believers will be removed along with the tares at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
There is a question that remains. At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, if the angels “shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity”, does this mean all of the wicked or just the tares and the unfaithful believers? The parable of the wheat and the tares and the parable of the fishing net focus on counterfeit believers, while in His comparison to the days of Noah, Jesus warned about evil servants who will be taken. These two groups will consist of the only wicked people left on earth. What happened to the rest of the wicked? They were all killed by this point in time.
Revelation 16:13-16: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
The kings of the world, deceived by the beast and his false prophet, will be persuaded to join together for battle against Jesus Christ. But who else will be on the side of the beast?
Revelation 19:17-21: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”
It would appear that everyone who has worshipped the beast and taken his mark is going to join the army of the beast. From kings, all the way down to regular people, “all men, both free and bond, both small and great” are going to foolishly wage war against Jesus Christ. This won’t end well for them. They will all be killed at the Second Coming, while the beast and his false prophet will be cast into Hell. With the beast, the false prophet, and the armies of the beast gone, the only wicked people left on earth will be the tares and the unfaithful believers, who will be gathered by the angels. There will be one more separation after that, but we will get to that soon. For now, remember the following:
1. The tares are sowed, or planted, by Satan, and thus they are corrupt from the beginning.
2. The unfaithful believers start off good but do not continue until the end.
3. Both of these groups of people will be gathered up by angels to be cast into Hell at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
In part one of “Dividing the Word,” I showed you how Jesus Christ’s statement that “he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” is wrongfully used by many people to prove that obedience and works are necessary for a person to be saved during the age of grace. After rightly dividing the word of truth, we know that Jesus Christ was referring to the Tribulation, which is a period of time when people must endure in their faith by not worshipping the beast, by not following after a false christ, and by staying strong in their commitment to Jesus. We have now rightly divided Scripture again, and we have learned the truth about the following:
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
This teaching was from the very same conversation that Jesus had with His disciples concerning the end of the world. Therefore, the event described does not take place in the age of grace, and it is not the Rapture. This event takes place when Jesus Christ returns to the earth. Let’s think about this logically. If Jesus is coming back, and He is going to set up a kingdom on earth, then why take out the saved people? The saved people are going to inhabit the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ. Therefore, they should be left here. At the Rapture, believers are taken because they have no place here during the Tribulation. At the Second Coming, the wicked are taken because they have no place in the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ. And please take note of the fact that no mention is made of new bodies being given to those people who endure in their faith for Jesus Christ through the Tribulation. Do you recall what Paul said? Paul wrote that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”. Flesh and blood can, however, inherit the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ.
So far, we have looked at the first two gatherings that occur at the Second Coming. The elect, the 144,000 Jewish servants, are gathered by the angels, and then the tares and the unfaithful believers are taken from among the faithful believers. Why do the 144,000 need to be gathered? I’m not sure, but I think the most logical idea is that Jesus wants His elect to be brought to the spot where He returns. It may just be that Mount Zion is where Jesus will step onto the earth at His Second Coming. Consider the following:
Micah 4:1-7: “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.”
Joel 3:17: “So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.”
Isaiah 24:23: “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”
Psalm 2:6: “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”
Since Mount Zion will be the spot where Jesus will reign from, perhaps that is the very location of His return. Consider this passage of Scripture:
Revelation 14:1-5: “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb (Jesus Christ) stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
We just saw a picture of Jesus Christ atop Mount Zion with His elect, the 144,000 Jewish servants. Allow me to get sidetracked for a moment. People who believed in the one true God during the Tribulation will serve Jesus in His temple (Revelation 7:9-15), and this temple will surely reside on Mount Zion. Remember, believers saved in the age of grace are destined for the kingdom of God, or Heaven, which is where God’s house with the many mansions is located. Believers who survive the Tribulation will stay on earth and serve Jesus Christ in His temple, while those who were killed for their faith in Jesus during the Tribulation will be resurrected and will reign with Jesus for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4). After the 1,000 years, the new Jerusalem will come down from Heaven (Revelation 21:2 and 10), and the literal, earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ will be established. All of this is to say that while all faithful believers from the Tribulation will be allowed into this kingdom, Jesus Christ has a special affinity for His 144,000 Jewish servants, and it just may be that He sends His angels to gather them to the place where He will return. Think of these 144,000 as a welcoming committee, gathered together to greet their King on His powerful and triumphant return to the earth. But there is another purpose for this gathering.
The Third Gathering
There is one more gathering that takes place at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 25:31-46: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
We know that these people cannot be believers, because Jesus said that he who endures in his faith until the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13), and some of the people at this separation (the goats) are cast into Hell. The goats here are not referred to as “wicked,” as there are no wicked people left on earth at this point. The goats are, however, referred to as “cursed”. What is this event referring to? The opening line tells us that this event will occur at the return of Jesus Christ. At this point, those who worshipped the beast will be dead, Jesus will have sent angels to gather His elect, the 144,000 Jewish servants, and the tares and unfaithful believers will have been removed from among the midst of the faithful believers. The believers who have endured to the end are going to enter the kingdom of Jesus Christ. So who is being separated at this event? At the return of Jesus Christ, the people that are still alive, who had not believed on Jesus but who also had not worshipped the beast, will need to be dealt with. Notice that the people who Jesus accepts into the kingdom at this event are people who have been kind to strangers. But not just any strangers.
“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Jesus refers to people that He apparently has in His presence here. Remember how Jesus, on His way down from Heaven to the earth, sends His angels to gather His elect? Remember how I said that I believe the elect are gathered to meet Jesus on Mount Zion? What will be the next thing on Jesus Christ’s to-do list? He doesn’t need to separate the believers who endured to the end, because the wicked were already taken from among them. Jesus Christ will sit on His throne and “before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another”. The elect, the 144,000, will be here with Jesus. These 144,000 Jewish servants are who Jesus refers to as “these my brethren”. Those who treated the elect with kindness are going to enter into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Those who did not treat the elect with kindness are going to be cast into Hell. Let me show you how this works. Jesus explained this process the first time He sent His disciples out to preach.
Matthew 10:40-42: “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”
The disciples were sent out to be the messengers of Jesus Christ. If someone received a disciple, they were receiving Jesus Christ, and if they were receiving Jesus Christ, then they were also receiving God. A person who received a prophet of God would receive the same reward as the prophet. The disciples were the prophets of Jesus Christ during the earthly ministry of Jesus, and the 144,000 Jewish servants of the Tribulation will be the prophets of Jesus Christ as well. Jesus Christ sent His disciples out to teach in His name, and the 144,000 will be given the same responsibility. If a person shows kindness unto one of these 144,000 Jewish servants, that person will receive the reward of a prophet. The 144,000 are going to enter into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Look at what Jesus says to the people who showed kindness to His servants:
“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”.
Keeping it Simple with Lists
So you now see that there are three separations at the end of the world.
1. The angels gather the elect of Jesus Christ, the 144,000 Jewish servants, from Heaven and from earth (Matthew 24:31).
2. The angels remove the wicked (the tares and the unfaithful believers) from among the faithful believers (Matthew 13:30, 41, 49, 24:44-51).
3. The remaining, neutral people are judged based on how they treated the 144,000 servants of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:31-46).
Now, let’s make another list. Who is going to enter the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ? This is a trickier one. I don’t claim the following to be entirely accurate, but here is my interpretation based on Scripture.
1. The elect of Jesus Christ, the 144,000 Jewish servants (Revelation 14:3-5). The elect are said to be before the throne of God. The throne of God is currently in Heaven, but it appears to be moved to the earth when the literal kingdom of heaven is sent down to the earth (Revelation 21:2-3, 22:1-3).
2. Believers who are still alive and endured in their faith until the return of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:13, 13:30). We know that there will be believers still alive at the Second Coming because angels will remove the wicked “from among the just” (Matthew 13:49). These believers “came out of great tribulation” and will serve God in his earthly temple (Revelation 7:9-17, 22:1-4). These believers have the name of God written in their foreheads (Revelation 22:4), though this is not a seal like the 144,000 Jewish servants were given.
3. Martyred believers from the Tribulation will be resurrected and will reign with Jesus Christ in His kingdom for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4). If they are going to reign, there must be people for them to reign over. See the following group. I’m not sure what these resurrected believers will be doing after the 1,000 years and going into the literal earthly kingdom.
4. The people who showed kindness to the 144,000 servants of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:34). For the 1,000 years following the Second Coming, these people are most likely the ones who are reigned over by the martyred believers of the Tribulation. After the 1,000 years, these people appear to be allowed to come and go from the literal earthly kingdom (Revelation 21:24-26).
Let’s go ahead and make another list. This is a list of judgments that will be carried out.
1. The judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10-12, 2nd Corinthians 5:10, 1st Corinthians 3:10-15). This event was revealed by the apostle Paul, just like the Rapture. Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles, and his teachings concerned the age of grace. Paul was concerned with spreading the gospel of Christ and teaching those saved under grace how to live. The judgment seat of Christ, like the Rapture, is an event for believers saved during the age of grace. At this judgment, believers are not judged for their sins, which are covered by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. This judgment examines the works of each believer. Those works done for Jesus Christ will yield rewards. Those works done for any other reason will be burned away and will result in no rewards.
2. The judgment of the nations at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:31-46). This is the judgment where Jesus Christ decides who will enter the earthly kingdom. Remember, the elect, the 144,000 Jewish servants, are not judged here, and neither are the believers who endured in their faith until the end. These groups are already safe. This judgment examines the way that the remaining people on earth at the return of Jesus Christ had treated the 144,000 Jewish servants. If someone showed kindness to one of these servants, they will be treated like they had done this to Jesus. If someone did not show kindness to one of these servants, they will be treated like they had done this to Jesus.
3. The judgment of Satan’s bad seed, the tares, along with the unfaithful believers of the Tribulation (Matthew 7:21-23). These people are surprised to learn that they are turned away by Jesus Christ. These people thought they had done well, but the tares were deceived by false christs and false prophets, while the unfaithful believers did not endure.
4. The judgment of unbelievers at the second resurrection (Revelation 21:12-15). Because these people did not believe on Jesus Christ in their lifetimes, they will be judged “according to their works”. The only way to attain righteousness of your own is by keeping the law, the Ten Commandments (Philippians 3:9). However, no one will be justified before God by keeping the law (Romans 3:20). You have to have the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is given freely to anyone who believes on Him (Romans 3:21-28). Therefore, if you reject Jesus Christ and His righteousness, God has no choice but to judge you based on your own works, which will never be enough to save your soul.
Ok, no more lists for a while. Let’s start jumping into some other points about the Rapture and the Second Coming.
The Two Comings of Jesus Christ
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be an event like no other. Jesus will come “with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:31). With eyes as a flame of fire and many crowns on His head, Jesus will be riding a white horse, followed by His armies on white horses (Revelation 19:11-14). While this coming is the big event that signals the end of the world, the apostle Paul mentions another coming of Jesus Christ.
1st Corinthians 15:23: “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.”
1st Thessalonians 4:15: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.”
2nd Thessalonians 2:1: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,”
Remember that at the Rapture, there is no power mentioned. Jesus is not bringing any angels or armies with Him, and the world will not see Him at this coming.
1st Thessalonians 4:16: “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:”
Jesus is not coming back to the earth at this coming to set up His kingdom. There is no battle of Armageddon, and no angels gathering the elect. Actually, Jesus is not even going to set foot on the earth at this coming. All we are told is that Jesus will “descend from heaven”. Think of it this way: Jesus is going to meet believers halfway. Jesus will come out of Heaven, and believers will meet Him in the air. This is the coming of Jesus Christ that results in “our gathering together unto him”. And then what happens? The age of grace ends. The Tribulation begins. The world awaits the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Here is another way of understanding it:
Jesus came to the earth the first time as King, but He was rejected.
Jesus is coming out of Heaven as Savior to gather believers at the Rapture.
Jesus is coming to the earth the second time as King, and no one will stand in His way this time.
1st and 2nd Thessalonians
1st Thessalonians was a letter written by Paul to the believers at the church in Thessalonica. This first letter is where we get the following:
1st Thessalonians 4:13-18: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Chapter 5 then begins with the following:
1st Thessalonians 5:1-5: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”
Let’s examine the three underlined sections.
1. Paul wrote that these believers had no need to know “the times and the seasons”. Why not? Keep reading.
2. The “day of the Lord”, which is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, will come swiftly and unexpectedly by the world. Recall the comparison Jesus made of His Second Coming to the Flood of Noah’s day (Matthew 24:37-39).
3. Paul wrote that believers in the age of grace will not be overtaken in the day of the Lord.
Isn’t it interesting that right after Paul’s description of the Rapture, he tells these Thessalonian believers that they have no need to know the times and the seasons? Why do you need to be ready for an event that you are not going to participate in?
Now sometime after Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica, the believers there were deceived and thought that the day of the Lord was approaching, which would have meant that they had missed the Rapture. (This is quite similar to how false teachers today are convincing believers that they will be left here to go through the Tribulation.) Paul wrote a second letter to the Thessalonian believers, and he attempted to set them straight.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-12: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That 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. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
(I must take a detour here to address two issues regarding the preceding passage. First of all, there is debate about what “the day of Christ” from verse 2 is referring to. Is it the Rapture or the Second Coming? The phrase “the day of the Lord” from Scripture is connected with the Second Coming. When Paul refers to “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1st Corinthians 1:8), “the day of the Lord Jesus” (1st Corinthians 5:5, 2nd Corinthians 1:14), “the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6), or “the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10, 2:16), it can be concluded that Paul is referring to a time when God is dealing with believers saved during the age of grace. From reading these verses, this “day” would seem most likely to occur at the judgment seat of Christ. Now, there does seem to be an exception to the meaning of the phrase “the day of Christ”, and that is in 2nd Thessalonians 2:2. Some people believe that Paul is referring to the Rapture here. Meanwhile, my Scofield Bible has a footnote that claims that “the day of Christ” in this verse was mistranslated, and that the correct translation would have been “the day of the Lord.” So what is it then? There are really only three possible explanations:
1. There is a mistake in the translation of 2nd Thessalonians 2:2 in the King James Version of the Bible.
2. The “day of Christ” is referring to the Rapture.
3. The “day of Christ” in this verse can be substituted for “the day of the Lord”, a phrase which Paul himself had used previously in 1st Thessalonians 5:2.
Let’s think about this logically. In 1st Thessalonians, Paul had described the Rapture to the believers in the church in Thessalonica. In that book, chapter 4 and verse 18, immediately after his description of the Rapture, Paul wrote the following: “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” The Thessalonian believers had been taught that the Rapture was something to look forward to, an event that was comforting to think about. Now when we look at 2nd Thessalonians, we find that these believers had become troubled. What were they troubled about? Paul pleaded with them that they “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.” The Thessalonian believers were afraid that “the day of Christ” was near. If “the day of Christ” here was referring to the Rapture, why would these believers be troubled? They were taught to look forward to it. If they feared that they had missed the Rapture, then they were fearful that they were living in the Tribulation, which would mean “the day of the Lord” was approaching, which is the most likely scenario of what these believers were thinking. Look closely again at the following, placed in its proper context with the verse that precedes it:
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That 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.”
The phrase “our gathering together unto him” is a direct reference to the Rapture. Let me paraphrase Paul here: “We beg you, in light of the fact that Jesus is coming to perform the Rapture, that you don’t be troubled by anyone or anything telling you that the day of Christ is here.” If the Rapture was the same thing as “the day of Christ” here, Paul would be saying “We beg you in light of the Rapture, that you don’t be led into thinking the Rapture is near.” That doesn’t make sense. It is clear that the “gathering together” and “the day of Christ” here are two separate events, and Paul was saying that one could not occur because the other had not happened yet. It would be like if you knew someone who did not want it to be Christmas, and you said to them “Calm down. We know it’s not time for Christmas, because Thanksgiving has not occurred yet.” Paul reminded these believers of the Rapture, which he had described in his first letter to them, and because of the Rapture, Paul wrote that there was no reason for these believers to think that “the day of Christ” was near. Reading this text gives us the understanding that the gathering together to meet Jesus in the air, the Rapture, is not the same thing as “the day of Christ” as used in this verse. In Paul’s other writings, “the day of Christ” had another meaning than what it does in this particular passage. This is another case where context is crucial. Paul’s mention of “the day of Christ” must be interpreted in light of the context of this passage of Scripture. The “day of Christ” was not near yet, because the “gathering together” to meet Jesus in the air had not occurred. The Thessalonian believers were not afraid of the Rapture, the thought of which was supposed to bring comfort. They were afraid that they had missed the Rapture and were in the Tribulation leading up to the Second Coming, which is referred to in Scripture as “the day of the Lord”, but in this case, Paul called it “the day of Christ”.
Now, another thing must be taken into consideration. The Second Coming cannot happen until two things have occurred first: “for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition”. What is this “falling away”? Here we go again, another topic people love to debate. Many people believe that this “falling away” is referring to apostasy, which is a leaving behind of truth, beliefs, etc. “Falling away” was translated from the Greek word apostasia, which some people claim to mean a “rebellion,” while others claim that it means “to depart” or a “departure.”
Strong’s Concordance would have you believe that apostasia is a rebellion, or a revolt:
“Short Definition: defection, apostasy
Definition: defection, apostasy, revolt.”
But even Strong’s Concordance cannot seem to settle completely on this interpretation. In the following from Strong’s Concordance, apostasia is defined as “departure.”
“646 apostasía (from 868 /aphístēmi, ‘leave, depart,’ which is derived from 575 /apó, ‘away from’ and 2476 /histémi, ‘stand’) – properly, departure (implying desertion); apostasy – literally, ‘a leaving, from a previous standing.’”
The following is from biblefood.com:
“The Greek word ‘Apostasia’ is a compound of two Greek words: ‘Apo’ = ‘to move away’, ‘stasis’ means ‘standing or state’, or ‘to stand’.
Literally, from its basic definition, ‘apostasia’ means ‘to go away from’, or ‘depart’, or ‘change state or standing from one state to another’.”
What about the very similar Greek word “apostasion?” Strong’s Concordance says the following:
“Short Definition: repudiation, divorce
Definition: repudiation, divorce; met: bill of divorce.”
Apostasion was used 3 times in the New Testament (Matthew 5:31, Matthew 19:7, Mark 10:4), and each time the word was used it was in reference to divorce between a husband and wife. So apostasion, in a sense, is a departure, as it was used in regards to a husband departing from his wife. And note that the thing being departed from (the wife) was named in each case. We’re just covering the bases here. Now let’s get back to apostasia.
If you look at the Strong’s Concordance breakdown of the word apostasia above, you will find that the word was derived from the Greek word “aphistemi.” Now let’s look at what Strong’s Concordance has to say about this particular word.
“Short Definition: I lead away, seduce, depart, abstain from
Definition: I make to stand away, draw away, repel, take up a position away from, withdraw from, leave, abstain from.”
Aphistemi is used 15 times in the New Testament. In 11 of those instances, the word was translated as a form of the word “depart.” The other times it became “fall away,” “drew away,” “refrain,” and “withdraw.” Let’s look at a few verses which contained the Greek word aphistemi.
Luke 4:13: “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed (aphistemi) from him for a season.”
Acts 12:10: “When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed (aphistemi) from him.”
In the preceding examples, aphistemi simply became “departed.” Now, there are times when aphistemi was referring to a giving up of the faith, but an important factor must be present: The thing being departed from must be named, as in the next two examples.
Luke 8:13: “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away (aphistemi).”
1st Timothy 4:1: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart (aphistemi) from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”
Many times, aphistemi simply meant “to leave.” If a subject was named, then aphistemi could refer to something being abandoned. We will return to this thought. For now, we have seen that aphistemi meant “to depart.” From aphistemi came the word “apostasia,” which is only used 2 times in the Bible. That means we don’t have much to go on, as far as occurrences of the word. Is it safe to assume that apostasia means “a revolt?” Is it safe to assume that apostasia automatically infers a “falling away from the faith?” No, this is not a good practice, and we will be looking at this error more closely. Going forward, keep in mind that apostasia, apostasion, and aphistemi all have the basic meaning of a “departure.”
I have learned that there are times when established and popular theories about Biblical doctrines are incorrect. I have found footnotes in my Scofield Bible to be wrong in their interpretations. The Scofield Bible, through use of a footnote, teaches that the “falling away” in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 is “the apostasy.” This is presented as truth, but it is actually an assumption. This same faulty method of assuming appears to be an issue for Strong’s Concordance, which on one hand teaches that apostasia is automatically “apostasy” (rebelling against truth, abandoning faith and principles), while also giving clues to a simple definition of “departure.” Which is correct then? We are going to let Scripture interpret the meaning of apostasia for itself. For now, we are left with two possibilities as to what is being taught in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3:
1. A rebellion against Biblical doctrine, a falling away from true Christianity, must occur before the Second Coming. This is the popular, established idea.
2. A departure must occur before the Second Coming. But a departure from what?
The New Testament gives many warnings about people who will depart from the truth and spread lies (Acts 20:28-31, 2nd Corinthians 11:1-15, Galatians 2:4-5, 2nd Peter 2:1-3, etc.). Even though this will occur in the end times (1st Timothy 4:1, 2nd Timothy 3:1-8), there has always been apostasy. If apostasy is a sign that must occur before the Second Coming, then it’s not a very definite sign, because apostasy has always been in existence. How much apostasy then is necessary? How do we measure this? There sure is a lot of falling away from Biblical truth in the churches these days. So what is prohibiting the next step, the revealing of the antichrist, from occurring?
It’s time to think outside the box. It’s time to think outside of what we are told to believe. What if the “falling away” in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 is not a rebellion, or apostasy, at all? There is only one other place in Scripture where the Greek word apostasia was used.
Acts 21:20-21: “And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake (apostasia) Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.”
Paul had been teaching that it was not necessary to obey everything that had been taught by Moses. In other words, apostasia did indeed mean a departure in this case. Paul was teaching a departure from the customs of Moses. Notice that a subject was given along with this departure, meaning that the thing being departed from was named. Otherwise, we would not know what was being departed from. Now consider the following:
“that day shall not come, except there come a falling away (apostasia) first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition”
No subject was given as to what was being departed from. There is simply a departure, and this departure must occur not only before the Second Coming, but also before the antichrist can be revealed. So what is this departure referring to? Is it a good idea to assume that this “departure” mentioned by Paul is a “rebellion from the truth”? No. That is not good reasoning, as what is being departed from is not given and can only be discovered by taking in the context of the verse in question. Assumptions lead to error. Let the Bible interpret itself through its context, which in this case, is doctrine about the Rapture. Context is everything. While this particular verse does not give the subject of what is being departed from, a look at the context should make it clear.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That 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. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”
Remember that 1st Thessalonians, the first letter that Paul had written to these believers, contained a description of the Rapture. Paul was building on that here, so we see that the Rapture was an important subject in these letters to the Thessalonian believers. These believers were well aware of this Rapture, this gathering together to meet Jesus in the air, or dare I say it, this “departure.” Yes, they are all the same thing. The sudden departure of all believers on Jesus Christ would be a definite sign that the Second Coming was getting close. Apostasy is not a definite sign, because apostasy has always been in existence. Please remember context, context, context! What was Paul writing about? Had Paul been writing about a “rebellion from the truth?” No. Paul had been teaching about the Rapture. Apostasy was not mentioned in 1st or 2nd Thessalonians. Paul said that there are two definite signs that must precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. There must be a departure, and the antichrist must then be revealed. If the departure is simply rejecting Biblical truth, then it is a bad choice for a sign, since it has always occurred and will continue to do so. The revealing of the antichrist is a definite event, and so should be the falling away, or the departure. This event is the Rapture, which must take place before it is even possible for the antichrist to be revealed. We will learn why soon. For now, remember two things:
1. In 2nd Thessalonians 2:2, Paul used the phrase “the day of Christ” to refer to the Second Coming.
2. The “falling away” in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 is the departure of believers from the earth, or the Rapture. The popular teaching that this “falling away” means “apostasy” is based on an assumption.
We are finished with this detour.)
Once more, for your consideration:
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-12: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That 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. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Now let’s examine the underlined sections of the preceding passage:
1. Paul is pleading with these believers “by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him”. In other words, Paul is saying that what he has to say should be taken seriously because of the fact that believers will be gathered to meet Jesus in the air first.
2. These believers were told not to be troubled by anyone or anything that was telling them that the return of Jesus Christ was near. Believing that Jesus Christ’s Second Coming was near and that the Rapture did not occur first were the products of deceit.
3. There are two very specific things that must occur before Jesus can return. Jesus cannot come back until after the Rapture has occurred and the antichrist has been revealed.
4. The next two sections mention something, a “he,” that is holding back (“let” here means to hinder) the antichrist from being revealed until the time is right. Who is this “he?” One popular opinion is that this is referring to the Holy Spirit, who is called a “he.”
John 16:13: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
Whoever is holding back the revealing of the antichrist is a “he,” and that “he” must be on earth. God is not on earth. Jesus is not on earth. The Holy Spirit is on earth. Do you remember when he came down?
John 16:7: “Nevertheless I (Jesus) tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
After Jesus Christ went back to Heaven, He did as promised: He sent the Holy Spirit down on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:4: “And they (the disciples) were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Jews were promised the Holy Spirit if they believed on Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38), and the Holy Spirit was also given to Gentile believers (Acts 10:45). The Holy Spirit came down from Heaven in conjunction with the beginning of the age of grace. The Holy Spirit will go back to Heaven at the end of the age of grace. Do you remember how believers in the age of grace are sealed with the Holy Spirit? Do you remember how believers during the Tribulation must endure in their faith until the end to be saved? Do you know why there is this change? Because there will be no Holy Spirit on earth to seal anyone during the Tribulation. Now, if the Holy Spirit is used to seal believers, and the Holy Spirit leaves, then what happens to the believers? If the Holy Spirit leaves them, then the seal is broken, and those believers are no longer saved. If God wants to keep His promise to save those to the uttermost who believe on Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:25), there is only one solution: Believers saved during the age of grace are going to have to go along with the Holy Spirit when he is taken back to Heaven. Therefore, the Rapture does not just call out the believers. It calls out the Holy Spirit as well. Now once the Holy Spirit is taken from the earth, the gospel of Christ goes along with it. The Tribulation must set in right away, otherwise there is no way for people to become saved. And the Tribulation does indeed begin right away.
Recall the following concerning the Holy Spirit:
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:”
Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit down to the earth to lead believers “into all truth”. The Holy Spirit is restraining the revealing of the antichrist. Eventually, “he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed”. What happens after the Holy Spirit is called back to Heaven? “God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie”. For the age of grace, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to lead believers to the truth. For the Tribulation, God will send strong delusion to lead unbelievers into a lie. The Holy Spirit cannot be on earth during the Tribulation. The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13), and because of the presence of this Spirit, the deception of Satan is being held back. At the Rapture, Jesus Christ will call out His Spirit, along with all of the believers who have been sealed with it, to make way for the strong delusion of the Tribulation. With no Holy Spirit on earth to seal anyone, people will have to see through the strong delusion and endure in their faith in Jesus Christ until the end in order to be saved.
In these passages from 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Paul gives very important clues as to the timing of the Rapture. This event must occur before the Tribulation can begin, leading up to “the day of the Lord”. This day will come “as a thief in the night”.
A Thief in the Night
There is a popular misconception in the “Christian” community that the idea of Jesus Christ coming “as a thief in the night” is in regards to the Rapture. Let’s look at some verses of Scripture where this idea comes from.
Matthew 24:36-51: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
We looked at this passage previously. We saw that this passage was not describing the Rapture, but was instead a picture of what happens at the return of Jesus Christ, when the angels separate the unfaithful believers from among the faithful believers. In Noah’s time, the Flood came upon the wicked suddenly and took them away. This will happen again at the end of the world, when the angels are sent to remove the unfaithful believers, who did not endure to the end. When Jesus Christ returns, He finds these “evil servants” behaving wrongly, and they are removed. Please recall that during the age of grace, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). When Jesus calls believers out at the Rapture, even those believers who are not living a life pleasing to God will be taken, because the seal of the Holy Spirit cannot be broken.
2nd Timothy 2:12-13: “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
Let me paraphrase the preceding passage: If we suffer during this lifetime for Jesus, He will let us reign with Him. If we deny Him by living for ourselves, Jesus will deny us the privilege of reigning with Him. If we go so far as to not believe on Jesus after we have been saved, Jesus will still remain faithful to us. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is inside of all believers, and for Jesus to turn away a person who has the Holy Spirit inside would be the same as Jesus turning away Himself. This is how it is possible for people to be saved by faith and not works (Ephesians 2:8-9). During the Tribulation, with no Holy Spirit to seal believers, people will have to endure to the end for Jesus, or else Jesus will come suddenly and find these people not worthy of the kingdom of heaven. During the age of grace, believers can choose to live for Jesus or for themselves, and this choice will result in the gaining or the losing of rewards in Heaven after the Rapture (1st Corinthians 3:10-15). So you can see that Matthew 24:36-51 is not about the Rapture. This passage is a picture of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the end of the world, and the separation of the hypocrites, those who did not endure, from those who are deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven. In verse 43, Jesus compared His sudden appearance to the coming of a thief. Let’s look at some other mentions of this same “thief.”
1st Thessalonians 5:2-3: “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
At the Rapture, Jesus comes out of Heaven to call up His believers. At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, “sudden destruction” will overtake the beast and his armies (Revelation 16:13-16, 19:11-21). Many people will have worshipped and followed after the beast, and he will surely promise them protection if they serve him. These deceived people will actually believe that they stand a chance against Jesus Christ. Then suddenly, in an unexpected moment, Jesus Christ will appear in the sky with His armies, coming to the earth with great power. Those people who sided with the beast “shall not escape.”
2nd Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
None of this occurs at the Rapture. This is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which comes “as a thief in the night”.
Revelation 16:13-16: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
Here again we see that Jesus coming as a thief is in connection to His Second Coming and the battle against the beast and his army. Also once again, the exhortation to “watch” is repeated from Matthew 24:42, Mark 13:35 and 37, and Luke 21:36. Believers in the Tribulation need to “watch” for the return of Jesus, because if they keep in mind that He will be returning suddenly, then they will be encouraged to stay faithful in order to be found worthy of salvation. If they endure, then that day will not overtake them as a thief the way that it will come upon the rest of the world.
Now look at what Jesus Christ said about thieves:
John 10:10: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Jesus stated that He had come to give life. Once Jesus had died for the sins of the world, and the gospel of Christ was put into effect, people could be saved simply by believing on Jesus Christ. Jesus did indeed come to give life, and that life is everlasting life, given freely to those who put their faith in Jesus. But remember, Jesus said that His Second Coming is going to be “as a thief.” Jesus said that a thief comes “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy”. Jesus will do all of these things at His Second Coming. He will steal the false security of the wicked. He will kill those who worshipped the beast. And He will destroy the rule of Satan on the earth. The Rapture is not going to find Jesus doing any of these things. You may say “Well isn’t Jesus stealing believers out of the world at the Rapture?” No, because Jesus isn’t stealing them. He is taking what is rightfully His, those who have “committed” their souls into the safe hands of God (2nd Timothy 1:12). When Scripture says that Jesus is coming “as a thief”, it is referring to the Second Coming, not the Rapture.
There is another passage of Scripture that I would like to call attention to here. This passage mentions the same event that the “thief in the night” refers to, and this passage is also many times confused for the Rapture. First of all, let’s get the context. Do you recall how the disciples had inquired of Jesus what the sign of the end of the world and the Second Coming would be? The response by Jesus is given in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, and then the story is repeated, with variations, in Mark and Luke. Look at the following from the account in Luke:
Luke 21:25-28: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
This is clearly speaking of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when the world shall see Him in the sky. The world will not see Jesus at the Rapture, because He only descends out of Heaven to call up the believers. The Second Coming is directly preceded by signs in the sun and the moon, which we will be looking at soon. For now, take note that the preceding passage was spoken by Jesus in reference to His Second Coming at the end of the world. Now, let’s examine the passage from Luke that gets misunderstood.
Luke 21:34-36: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
I have underlined three sections for us to consider.
1. The warning “lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares” is teaching the same thing that Jesus taught when He said the following:
Matthew 24:36-39: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
In Noah’s time, people were preoccupied with the world and were unprepared when the Flood overtook them. When Jesus Christ returns, many people will be unprepared. Obviously, people who have worshipped and followed the beast will have made their choice. In these passages from Matthew and Luke, Jesus is warning that there will be believers who will not be ready for His return. They have not endured in their faith, and so they are given their “portion with the hypocrites”, meaning they will be cast into Hell.
2. Jesus said the following in regards to His Second Coming: “as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” The Rapture affects only believers on Jesus Christ saved during the age of grace. This other event, the Second Coming, will affect everyone on the earth. Those who worshipped the beast will be destroyed. Satan’s bad seed, the tares, will be gathered and thrown into the fire. The believers who did not watch and were not faithful will be removed as well. And finally, the believers who were ready and watched for Jesus will enter into His earthly kingdom.
3. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Many people think and teach that the preceding speaks of the Rapture. It does not. Keep in mind that Jesus was talking about His Second Coming at the end of the world. What do people alive during the Tribulation need “to escape”? They need to escape the deception of the beast and the false christs. They need to escape the temptation to be one of the believers tangled up in the cares of this life. They will surely hope to escape the threats of persecution and death that could cause them to give up their faith. Believers during the Tribulation are told to “Watch ye therefore, and pray always”. In other words, be on constant guard, because there are things that will attempt to steal away or damage the faith of believers. Watching and praying will help ensure believers to be “worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Many believers will not be found worthy at the return of Jesus Christ, and they will be gathered up by the angels and cast into Hell. The Second Coming will overtake these unfaithful believers as a thief, as a snare, or even the Flood from Noah’s day.
Many people use this passage from Luke to teach that believers must live a good life or they will miss out on the Rapture and be left here during the Tribulation. This is teaching a “Partial Rapture.” Remember, believers in the age of grace are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Nothing a believer does can break that seal, and Jesus Christ will call up all believers saved during the age of grace to meet Him at the Rapture. In this passage from Luke, Jesus was clearly speaking of His Second Coming, a time when the Holy Spirit will not be here to seal believers. Those believers will have to watch and pray so that they can escape all the deceptions of the Tribulation. He who endures in his faith for Jesus until the end will be saved. There is no “Partial Rapture,” and Jesus was not discussing the Rapture here. Do you want to see another teaching that people mistakenly confuse for a lesson on the Rapture?
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Matthew 25:1-13: “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But 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. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
This is another passage that is mistaken by many people to be a teaching on the Rapture. In reality, this is yet another teaching on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and the kingdom of heaven (the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ). Remember that at the beginning of Matthew 24, the disciples asked Jesus what the sign would be of the Second Coming and the end of the world. The remainder of Matthew 24, and all of chapter 25, was the reply that Jesus gave to His disciples, and everything Jesus said there was concerning His Second Coming. Jesus did not talk about the Rapture because it did not concern the Jews who were being presented with the gospel of the kingdom at that point in time. The Rapture would be revealed to the apostle Paul, because he was the apostle of the Gentiles, or the apostle of the age of grace. Now, in this passage from Matthew, believers during the Tribulation are compared to “virgins.” Those who are found to be faithful at the coming of the Lord are called “wise,” while those who are found to be unfaithful are called “foolish.” Let’s look at the underlined sections of the parable.
1. Notice that “they that were ready went in with him”.
Matthew 24:44: “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
The “wise” virgins from this parable are the “faithful and wise” servants that Jesus finds doing His will upon His sudden return (Matthew 24:44-47).
2. The “foolish” virgins from this parable are the “evil” servants (Matthew 24:48-51), who are found not being faithful at the return of Jesus Christ. They are going to plead with Jesus to allow them into the kingdom. “Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” Does this sound familiar?
Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Remember that at the Rapture, all believers saved during the age of grace are taken to Heaven. Because they have been sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30), these believers are saved no matter what they do or how they choose to live. They have been adopted into God’s family through faith (Galatians 3:26), and they have been purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28). These believers will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ, where they will receive or lose rewards based on what they did with their lives (1st Corinthians 3:10-15). If a believer has done nothing for Jesus Christ, that believer will receive no rewards, but his soul will remain saved (1st Corinthians 3:15, 5:5). Now, compare that with what happens at the Second Coming.
Matthew 24:50-51: “The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Believers in the Tribulation are dealt with differently than believers in the age of grace. This is why Jesus said believers in the Tribulation must endure to the end in order to be saved. Notice that Jesus uses the phrases “I know you not” and “I never knew you” for the unfaithful believers at the Second Coming. In the age of grace, believing on Jesus Christ results in eternal salvation, and God forever knows a believer from that point on.
Galatians 4:9: “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”
Believers in the age of grace are known of God. In order for a believer to know God, or have a relationship with Him, believers must be obedient. This is discussed in the book of 1st John. For our purposes here, let’s just remember that God knows believers in the age of grace regardless of their choices, but in the Tribulation, believers must endure to the end if they expect to be known by Jesus Christ when He returns.
3. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Here’s that warning again that Jesus gave multiple times. This was always in reference to the Second Coming, and it will be the difference between those who will enter Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom and those who will be cast into Hell. The faithful believer will watch for his Lord to return. The unfaithful believer will not watch, and he will be “cut asunder” from the believers who endured.
The Parable of the Talents
Matthew 25:14-30: “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The parable of the talents was given by Jesus Christ directly following the parable of the ten virgins, and it was another picture of the Second Coming. Remember what unfaithful believers in the Tribulation are presented as? “Evil” servants and “foolish” virgins. In the parable of the talents, these unfaithful believers are called “wicked and slothful” and also “unprofitable”. Jesus Christ returns to find that these believers are doing nothing for Him. These “unprofitable” believers are cast into Hell, which is what “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” is referring to. For those keeping count, in the book of Matthew, this unique phrase is stated four times (Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30), while “there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” is stated twice (Matthew 13:42, 50). These phrases were always used in regards to those who will not be allowed to enter into the earthly kingdom at the Second Coming.
At the risk of redundancy, we must consider something from the parable of the talents. Please recall that during the age of grace, people are saved for simply believing on Jesus Christ. If a believer does nothing for Jesus, that believer will still be saved, although he will have no rewards in Heaven (1st Corinthians 3:15). A believer who does nothing for Jesus could be considered an “unprofitable” believer. And yet, God is faithful and will still save the soul of an unprofitable believer in the age of grace. So why is it that in the parable of the talents, “unprofitable” believers are cast into Hell? What has changed? The times have changed, my friends. The age of grace will have ended, and the Tribulation will have begun. The gospel of Christ will have passed, and the gospel of the kingdom will have returned. Simple belief on Jesus Christ for salvation will no longer be available, and enduring to the end for Jesus will be the only way to be saved.
Think of it like a really good sale you would see in a store. If you act right now, you can get an incredible deal. If you wait, there’s no guarantee that come tomorrow that same deal will still be available. Imagine a sign that displayed the following message:
“The deal of a lifetime! Get it before it’s too late! ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.’”
Compare that deal to this one:
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
You still get something good with the second deal, but don’t you wish you would have acted on that first one? Act now! Believe on Jesus Christ and be saved while the deal is still valid!
There are a lot of “Christians” out there that don’t understand these two different deals that God has prepared. These people cannot rightly divide Scripture, so they try to combine the two deals into one nonsensical mess. They try to force a life of obedience and works onto a deal that was meant to save people for their simple faith in Jesus Christ. Other people who cannot rightly divide Scripture don’t understand another deal offered to believers in the age of grace: These believers will not have to go through the Tribulation. Unfortunately, some “Christians” don’t approve of this deal. They think they know better than God, and so they have decided on a different deal, one where believers during the age of grace are put through the horrors of the Tribulation, a period of time that was never meant for them. People who say that you need obedience and works to be saved (Lordship Salvationists), and people who say that the Rapture comes after the Tribulation (Post-Tribbers), don’t like God’s tremendous mercy towards believers saved in the age of grace. I sure am glad that God doesn’t think like these people. If God thought like most modern “Christians,” no one could be saved, and no one could escape the Tribulation. It is quite arrogant for many modern “Christians” to believe that they have some kind of “real” faith that others don’t have. Not only is it arrogant, it is also prideful. Do you know where pride started? Here’s a hint: It began with Satan (Isaiah 14:12-15). But I digress.
The Bride of Christ
Who is this bride? Believers saved during the age of grace are the bride of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:22-33: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”
In part one of “Dividing the Word,” we looked at how the apostle Paul was appointed to be the apostle of the Gentiles. For this reason, Paul received special revelations to give to believers saved during the age of grace. The Rapture was a doctrine introduced by Paul, and so was the judgment seat of Christ. Another doctrine that Paul brought to believers during the age of grace was the concept that believers in Jesus Christ, also known as the church, were to be the bride of Jesus Christ. Jesus had very briefly alluded to this (Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19-20, Luke 5:34-35), and John the Baptist had also hinted at this concept (John 3:29). It was later given to Paul to reveal the identity of the bride of Jesus Christ. But first, please follow this trail:
1st Corinthians 12:12-13: “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
1st Corinthians 12:27: “Now ye (believers on Jesus Christ) are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
Believers are “the body of Christ.” Now let’s take it a step further.
Ephesians 1:22-23: “And hath put all things under his (Jesus’) feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
Believers are “the church.” Now let’s take another step by looking at something we read a short while ago.
Ephesians 5:28-32: “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
In the preceding passage of Scripture, Paul referred to believers as the church and the body of Christ. Remember how Paul referred to the Rapture as a “mystery” (1st Corinthians 15:51)? In Ephesians, Paul reveals another “mystery” relating to believers in the age of grace: They are the bride of Christ. Here is another mention of this concept by Paul:
2nd Corinthians 11:2: “For I (Paul) am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
Prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the following takes place in Heaven:
Revelation 19:7-8: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him (God): for the marriage of the Lamb (Jesus) is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
The bride of Jesus Christ is clothed “in fine linen, clean and white”. After this event, the book of Revelation offers the following description of the return of Jesus Christ to the earth:
Revelation 19:11-16: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he (Jesus) that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.”
Who makes up these “armies”? Scripture gives us a clue: They are “clothed in fine linen, white and clean”. This is right after the bride of Jesus Christ is said to be “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white”. This means that the bride of Christ is already in Heaven before the Second Coming. Do you see where this is going yet? If the bride of Christ (believers saved during the age of grace) is in Heaven and is coming back with Jesus at His return, then the Rapture cannot take place at the Second Coming. Satan will use the people of the world to make up his army (Revelation 16:14, 19:18-19), and likewise, Jesus Christ will use His bride to fill up the ranks of His army. It sounds like a cruel thing to put your bride through, but the good news is that there is no mention in Scripture of anyone being destroyed at this battle other than those belonging to Satan’s army. And once again, note that when Jesus returns at His Second Coming, it is going to be quite a powerful spectacle. Jesus will be riding a white horse, followed by His armies also on white horses, and angels are coming along as well. The angels, as you should know by now, are going to gather the elect of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:31) and remove the tares and the unfaithful believers from among the believers who endured (Matthew 13:30, 41, 49, 24:37-42, Mark 13:34-37, Luke 21:34-36). This is all in contrast with the Rapture, where Jesus simply descends from Heaven and calls up the believers (1st Thessalonians 4:16).
The Darkening of the Sun and the Moon
Some “Christians” have this flawed idea that the sun and the moon will be darkened just prior to the Rapture. Where does this idea come from?
Matthew 24:29-31: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
The darkening of the sun and the moon are clearly stated to be “after the tribulation”, directly preceding the return of Jesus Christ to the earth. Too many people are getting confused and thinking that this passage from Matthew describes the Rapture. We have already seen that this passage describes the gathering of the elect of Jesus Christ (the 144,000 Jewish servants), not the elect of God (the believers saved during the age of grace). The sun and the moon are not darkened prior to the Rapture. This occurs at the end of the world, marking the return of Jesus Christ. Did Paul mention any signs in the sky preceding the Rapture? No, because there are no signs preceding the Rapture. Jesus will descend and take care of business in “a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”. No angels. No signs in the sky. No one on earth will see Jesus, only the believers meeting Him in the air. At the Second Coming, the whole world will see Jesus (Matthew 24:30).
Now let’s prove that the sun and moon are darkened at the end of the world.
Isaiah 24:23: “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”
Joel 2:31-32: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.”
Acts 2:16-21: “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Revelation 6:12-17: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
The sun and the moon do indeed darken. But come on people. Pay attention to when it happens. It’s very clear that this event occurs after the Tribulation and just preceding the return of Jesus Christ. Spectacles in the sky are a sign. Remember from “Dividing the Word” part one that God doesn’t use signs in the age of grace. Signs will recommence when God returns to dealing with the Jews in the Tribulation, because signs were meant for the Jews (1st Corinthians 1:22). The Rapture does not take place during the Tribulation because it closes out the age of grace. That is why no signs precede it. Unfortunately, too many people get confused and cling to a faulty view of when the Rapture occurs. They think that angels gathering the elect is the Rapture, or that the trumpet from the Rapture is the seventh trumpet from the book of Revelation, etc.
Where is the Confusion/Debate Coming From? What is the Purpose of This Confusion?
Why do so many “Christians” these days adhere to a Mid- or Post-Tribulation view of the Rapture? Have you ever noticed this? It’s everywhere. Some “Christians” are downright rude and nasty about this. They mock anyone who believes in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. “Oh you silly pre-tribbers. Haw haw haw.” Why all of this resentment? I can’t say for sure, but I have some definite theories.
1. It’s an attack by Satan. Look at what the apostle Paul said concerning the Rapture: “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” The Rapture is meant to give hope to believers, and Satan doesn’t want that. He’d rather have believers on Jesus Christ fearful of having to go through the Tribulation. Don’t think Satan would do something like this? Really? Have you ever noticed the way so many “Christians” attack the idea of eternal security? Lots of people mock the idea that God permanently saves a believer, or that belief on Jesus Christ is enough to save the soul. These are attacks by Satan, who wants believers to be unsecure. The same thing applies to the Rapture. The Rapture gives hope to believers, letting them know that God will not make them go through the Tribulation, a period of time never intended for them in the first place. Satan wants to take this hope away from believers, just like he wants to take away God’s promise of eternal security. Let’s compare these two attacks with the aid of Scripture:
Galatians 1:6-9: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
The Galatian believers were being troubled by some people who were trying to take away their eternal security. Here are a few more key verses:
Galatians 2:4: “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:”
Galatians 3:1: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?”
Galatians 4:17: “They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.”
These fake Christians troubled the true believers, bewitched them, and zealously affected them in a bad way. They deceived the Galatian believers into thinking they had to keep the law, the Ten Commandments, in order to be saved. Meanwhile, the Thessalonian believers were being troubled in another way: Apparently, they were under the impression that they were in the Tribulation, and that the Second Coming of Jesus was near. This was a big concern for these believers, because Paul had previously written a letter to them where he had described the Rapture. Now these believers were fearful that they had missed the Rapture and were living in the Tribulation. Paul wrote a second letter to the Thessalonian believers in order to set them straight.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That 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. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”
Even though Paul had taught these Thessalonian believers about the Rapture, they had been deceived. Even though Paul had taught the Galatian believers about eternal salvation, they had been deceived. 2,000 years ago, Satan was attacking the hope of believers on Jesus Christ. Newsflash: He is still doing it! All those people out there saying that eternal security is a myth or that the Rapture is not real or comes after the Tribulation are being used by Satan to take away the hope of those who believe on Jesus Christ.
2. It’s an issue of pride. Some “Christians” like to brag about how they are going to stay strong in the faith during the Tribulation. They say that other believers are weak-minded and subscribe to the idea of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture because they just aren’t tough enough and will sell out when the Tribulation gets here. Look, if you truly love Jesus and want to do something for Him, that’s great. But don’t brag about how brave you are going to be when the Tribulation gets here. It’s not here yet, and do you remember how the disciples all abandoned Jesus Christ when He was arrested? The disciples said they would die for Jesus (Matthew 26:35), and then when push came to shove, they all fled (Matthew 26:56). If you’re one of these “Christians” that’s bragging about how strong you will be during the Tribulation, you may need to check your pride at the door.
3. It’s an honest mistake by people who are not “rightly dividing the word of truth”. Some people are simply parroting what they have heard taught over and over again by false teachers, and then it continues by way of these followers, and eventually people just accept it as truth because it is constantly repeated.
Now whether it is pride or ignorance, the fact of the matter is that “Christians” who hate the idea of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture have not considered one very important point: The Tribulation is for a different audience. Pre-Tribulation Rapture haters will say that Christians have been persecuted throughout history, so Christians are not protected from persecution, which the Tribulation will be full of. While it is true that Christians are not protected from persecution, there is much more to the Tribulation than people understand. If you recall from “Dividing the Word” part one, we looked at how “the gospel of the kingdom” would be preached during the Tribulation. This gospel was preached to the Jews only, and it was put on hold so that “the gospel of Christ” could begin. Salvation was made available to anyone who simply believes on Jesus Christ, whereas in the end days, people will have to endure in their faith until death or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ if they want to be saved. In the Tribulation, the gospel of the kingdom returns, and enduring to the end is necessary, meaning that the gospel of Christ and salvation by God’s grace will be done away with. The Tribulation is not just a time of persecution. It is a time that sees God returning His focus to the Jews, bringing back the use of signs and prophets. This period of time does not concern believers on Jesus Christ saved during the age of grace.
Pre-Tribulation Rapture haters think it is arrogant to believe that God will be so kind as to remove all believers and spare them from going through the Tribulation. These haters especially cannot stand the idea that God would remove carnal Christians from the world. Pre-Tribulation Rapture haters usually think they are the better Christians, the ones worthy of being taken if and when the Rapture occurs. This mentality causes them to look down on anyone they don’t believe to be as holy as they think they are. Here’s a thought for them: Not only are Christians not worthy of the Rapture, they are not worthy of eternal salvation either. If God saves to the uttermost anyone who simply believes on His Son, then it is clear that God is merciful. Pre-Tribulation Rapture haters do not give God enough credit. They simply do not grasp the kindness that God shows to those who believe on Jesus Christ.
Romans 11:34: “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?”
Believers on Jesus Christ in the age of grace are unlike any group in history. God deals with them differently. If you don’t like that, take it up with God. Anyone who disagrees is looking at this from a human standpoint, not God’s. Enough with “Christians” bragging about how they are more worthy than other Christians, either for salvation or for being taken in the Rapture. No one is worthy of God’s grace.
1st Corinthians 1:29-31: “That no flesh should glory (boast) in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
In Closing
There are a lot of popular, but very wrong ideas being taught in the “Christian” community. Sometimes people will go along with an idea because they think it is coming from a respectable source. The theory of evolution is accepted as truth because the average person believes that scientists actually have some wise and powerful understanding. Scientists who support the asinine theory of evolution do so because it is their religion, and they so badly want it to be true. When it comes to the Rapture, we have a similar problem. Lots of “Christians” are going along with false teachings on the subject. Many people are failing to rightly divide the word of truth, and they don’t understand that the Rapture and the Second Coming are two different events dealing with two entirely different groups of people. I do not respect tradition. If it is wrong, tradition can be very blinding to the truth. Everything I have presented in this article is what I believe based on the Word of God, not on the traditions of men.
Please don’t be deceived by people who cannot rightly divide the word of truth. Do not confuse the age of grace with the Tribulation, or the Rapture with the Second Coming. God is always the same, but God works in different ways during different ages. The Bible provides us with enough evidence to conclude that the Rapture is Pre-Tribulation. The Rapture will call out the Holy Spirit and believers saved during the age of grace, ushering in the beginning of the Tribulation, when believers will have to endure in their faith to the end in order to be found worthy of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus Christ will return to the earth at His Second Coming, as a thief and with great power, and He will shut down Satan, his antichrist, and his army, and then Jesus will set up His earthly kingdom.
A lot of people have put forth a lot of theories about what exactly occurs in the end times. The Bible does not offer a clear cut rundown of end time events. Some clues are offered in the book of Daniel, some clues were given by Jesus, and the book of Revelation is all about the end of the world, with other clues scattered here and there. When it comes to talking about the end times, there is one very important thing that must be kept in mind: During this age, we will never fully understand prophecy regarding the future end times. The prophet Daniel was allowed to see and record a vision of the end times, but even Daniel himself did not comprehend what he saw.
Daniel 12:8-9: “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”
God did not give Daniel an answer to his question. What God did say was that the revelation that was given to Daniel, which he recorded, was sealed until “the time of the end.” Here is what you must remember about Scripture: Some Scripture is not meant to be understood until a later time. Some Scripture was given with the purpose of being used in the future to prove a truth. For instance, recall the following:
Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
This verse of Scripture was somewhat cryptic when it was written. The prophecy was later fulfilled when Jesus literally accomplished what Scripture had foretold.
Matthew 21:6-7: “And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him (Jesus) thereon.”
Let me show you two examples where Scripture, previously not understood, was later used. Both examples are from the book of Acts, which was the book where Jesus ascended back to Heaven and left His work in the hands of His disciples. The gospel of the kingdom had been rejected. The gospel of Christ was ready to begin.
Acts 17:10-12: “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.”
These Jews in Berea kept an open mind when they were taught about Jesus Christ. These Jews looked through Scripture to see if Jesus had indeed been the Christ sent by God. Because these Jews were able to use previously cryptic Scripture to prove that Jesus had been the Messiah, “many of them believed” on Jesus and were saved. Let’s move on.
Acts 18:24-28: “And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.”
Because Old Testament Scripture contained clues pointing to Jesus Christ, this believer, Apollos, was able to teach other Jews by showing them Scripture which proved that Jesus was the Christ.
In both of the preceding examples, the Scriptures had been around for a good long while. However, the Scriptures were not understood. When the time was right, God used Scripture to make a truth known. Look again at the following:
Daniel 12:8-9: “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”
Now consider another passage:
Revelation 1:1-3: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
The book of Revelation was addressed in a unique way. Hold on tight and pay attention, because it’s time to jump into this thing.
The 144,000
Revelation 1:1-3: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
Revelation 22:6: “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”
Revelation was written for the servants of God and Jesus Christ. It’s interesting that in the books leading up to Revelation, the audience was addressed many times as “brethren,” “saints,” or those who had been “sanctified,” referring to the fact that the audiences were believers who had been adopted into God’s family. Who, then, is a servant of Jesus Christ? Paul identified himself as such (Philippians 1:1). James identified himself as such (James 1:1). Peter identified himself as such (2nd Peter 1:1). Jude identified himself as such (Jude 1:1). John identified himself as such (Revelation 1:1). A servant was someone who worked for God or Jesus. Believers should use their position in grace to be the servants of God and Jesus (Ephesians 6:5-7, 1st Peter 2:15-16), but it is not automatic, and is instead a choice that believers must make. The New Testament books of the Bible were addressed to believers, but Revelation was addressed specifically to the servants of God and Jesus Christ. Who are these servants?
Revelation 7:1-3: “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”
During the Tribulation, 144,000 Jews will be sealed in their foreheads. Sealed with what?
Revelation 14:1: “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.”
The 144,000 will have God’s name written in their foreheads. This is a seal, and it marks these people as being saved. During the age of grace, believers are also sealed, but in a different way.
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom (Jesus) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
The Holy Spirit was sent down on the day of Pentecost to seal and teach believers during the age of grace. Once the age of grace is finished, the gospel of the kingdom will go back into effect, and there will be no place for the Holy Spirit here. Without the Holy Spirit, believers will not be sealed, and they must endure to the end to be saved (Matthew 24:13), meaning they must not fall for or give in to the deception of the beast (Revelation 14:9-10). The 144,000 belong to a different category, however. They will be the servants of God, and they will receive a special seal in their foreheads. Satan likes to copy the methods of God. Did you know that he has his own version of a seal in the forehead?
Revelation 13:16: “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:”
Revelation 14:9: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,”
We can speculate about end of the world events. We can try to place the pieces of the puzzle we are given in Scripture together to get the big picture. But here are two things we must keep in mind:
1. Daniel’s prophecies were not understood by him and were reserved for “the time of the end.”
2. Revelation has the servants of God and Jesus Christ during the Tribulation in mind as its audience, and Revelation defines those servants to be the 144,000 Jews who are sealed with God’s name in their foreheads.
I believe that when the time comes that these servants are sealed, they will understand the truths contained in the Scriptures of Daniel and Revelation. These 144,000 will more than likely be the tool God will use to spread the gospel of the kingdom to the world, which must be done before Jesus can return (Matthew 24:14). Believers here during the age of grace were saved under the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). In the end days, a new group must take the gospel of the kingdom to the world in order to inform people of the coming kingdom which Jesus Christ will be setting up on the earth. This group consists of 144,000 sealed Jews, and they will understand the prophecies concerning the end days.
Some of the 144,000 Jewish servants will be killed by the beast, or the antichrist. Satan will be angry with the Jewish nation because it gave birth to Jesus (Revelation 12:13).
Revelation 12:17: “And the dragon (Satan) was wroth with the woman (Israel, or the Jewish nation), and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (the 144,000 Jewish servants).”
Who is this group of people during the Tribulation that is keeping the commandments of God and has faith in Jesus?
Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Believers saved during the age of grace were sometimes referred to as “saints” (Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:1). Who are the “saints” of the Tribulation? They can’t be the people who endure to the end for Jesus, because the term “saints” refers to people who are already saved. The people who endure to the end for Jesus could not be declared “saints” until Jesus came back and found them to be worthy. Believers in the age of grace are sealed with the Holy Spirit and are called “saints.” The 144,000 Jewish servants who are sealed with the name of God in their foreheads must be the “saints” of the Tribulation.
Revelation 13:7: “And it was given unto him (the beast) to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
Revelation 6:9-11: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”
Some of the 144,000 will be martyred. What will happen to those still alive at the return of Jesus Christ? We will find out later.
(Please note that others will be martyred during the Tribulation as well. There will be people of all nations who believe on Jesus Christ and endure to the end in their faith during the Tribulation, which is evidenced in Revelation 7:9-14. Some of these people will be martyred for refusing to worship the image of the beast, as told in Revelation 13:15. These martyred believers will be brought back to life in the resurrection described in Revelation 20:4. These martyred believers will reign with Jesus for 1,000 years. See Revelation 20:4 and Matthew 24:44-47.)
The Elect
Who is God’s elect? Who is Jesus Christ’s elect? I can show you the first group, based on Scripture. Then I will show you who I believe to be the second group.
In the Old Testament, Israel (the Jews) was referred to as God’s elect (Isaiah 45:4). In the New Testament, not all Jews, but those who believe on Jesus Christ, are the elect (Romans 11:5-7). As discussed in “Dividing the Word” part one, in the age of grace, God has placed Jews and Gentiles on an equal playing field. This means that Gentile believers on Jesus Christ are the elect of God as well. Anyone who believes on Jesus Christ is part of God’s elect.
Colossians 3:12: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”
1st Thessalonians 1:4: “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.”
1st Peter 1:2: “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
Take a moment to recall the two following verses:
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom (Jesus) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
During the age of grace, believers on Jesus Christ are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and they are known as God’s elect. During the period of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will have His own elect. As stated before, the Holy Spirit will not be given to believers anymore. This is why believers must endure to the end to be saved (Matthew 24:13). However, God has another seal that He will use. The 144,000 Jewish servants of Jesus Christ will be sealed with the name of God in their foreheads (Revelation 7:1-8, 14:1). I believe that this seal marks the 144,000 Jewish servants as the elect of Jesus Christ during the Tribulation period. How do I know that Jesus has an elect during this time?
Matthew 24:31: “And he (Jesus) shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Mark 13:27: “And then shall he (Jesus) send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.”
There are people who claim that the two preceding verses are talking about the Rapture, which is the event where Jesus calls believers out of this world. Those people are wrong, and we will find out why soon enough. For now, it is important to understand that there is an elect during the age of grace, and there will be an elect during the Tribulation. Both of these groups are sealed, and these seals are very important. One of these groups is referred to as God’s elect, and the other group is the elect of Jesus Christ. Both of these groups of elect are going to be gathered to meet Jesus Christ, and their seals are going to be used to identify them quickly.
We now know that there will be 144,000 Jewish servants of God and Jesus Christ who will understand the prophecies of the end times and who will be sealed in their foreheads in order to identify them as the elect of Jesus Christ. We will come back to this special group later. For now, let’s take a look at that controversial topic that makes Christians go to war.
The Rapture
Many people will say that the word “rapture” is not found in the Bible. They are correct. The Rapture is the event where Jesus Christ calls believers out of this world. Most “Christians” agree that this event will occur, though the details of this event are fiercely debated. The two biggest questions are:
1. Who goes in the Rapture?
2. When does the Rapture occur?
I am going to answer these two questions. Let’s begin by looking at the two passages of Scripture that describe the Rapture. For such a popular topic, it’s surprising how little the Bible actually talks about the Rapture.
1st Corinthians 15:51-53: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
1st Thessalonians 4:15-18: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Both of these passages were written by the apostle Paul. If you recall from part one of “Dividing the Word,” Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles.
2nd Timothy 1:11: “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.”
An important part of the ministry of Jesus Christ was spent teaching the Jews about the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom He will set up on earth. The kingdom of heaven differs from the kingdom of God, which is Heaven. The kingdom of heaven was promised to the Jews, while the kingdom of God is the place for believers on Jesus Christ. Jesus presented the gospel of the kingdom to the Jews (Matthew 9:35), and He said that this gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all of the world before the end (Matthew 24:14). In the meantime, the gospel of Christ is in effect (Romans 1:16), and this gospel is what must be believed in order to enter the kingdom of God. The apostle Paul was not concerned with the kingdom of heaven, because his ministry was focused on the kingdom of God and the gospel of Christ.
1st Corinthians 2:2: “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Acts 28:30-31: “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”
Paul was focused on a different gospel than the one that Jesus preached, and Paul spoke to a different audience than Jesus had. Many “Christians” will attempt to find teachings on the Rapture in the teachings of Jesus. That’s a mistake. If you recall, we are supposed to be “rightly dividing the word of truth.” If Jesus was focused on teaching the Jews, He would not have told them about the Rapture, because that was a future event that did not concern them. Jesus had not yet died on the cross, and therefore the gospel of Christ was not in effect. Jesus first had to offer the Jews the gospel of the kingdom. Now, if Paul was appointed to teach about the kingdom of God and the gospel of Christ, and the Gentiles were his primary audience, then Paul would be teaching things other than what Jesus had taught the Jews, which was about the kingdom of heaven and the gospel of the kingdom. Simple enough, right? Sorry to repeat myself so much, but I am determined to drive this point home because too many people cannot figure out how to divide Scripture. Now, let’s look at several points concerning Paul’s descriptions of the Rapture.
1. Notice that Paul’s first mention of the Rapture begins with “Behold, I shew you a mystery”. Now let’s think about this. If Jesus had mentioned the Rapture in His teachings, which many people believe, then how could Paul claim to be showing us a mystery? Paul was basically telling us that he was presenting something which had not been previously known or mentioned. Paul is introducing a new doctrine. That means that Jesus did not mention the Rapture (though He hinted at it in a private conversation with His disciples in John 14:2-3). Now I know what some of you are thinking. “What about Matthew 24:40-42???”
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
Jesus was not talking about the Rapture. We will be looking at this passage later, and we will learn what is actually being taught. Stay tuned, because you don’t want to miss that, since it will clear up a misconception that is all too popular.
So Paul introduced us to the doctrine of the Rapture. Do you think that was a coincidence? God chose Paul to be the apostle of the Gentiles, to spread the gospel of Christ, and to teach about the kingdom of God. It was perfectly fitting for Paul to introduce the concept of the Rapture, because the Rapture is meant for believers saved under the gospel of Christ, and the gospel of Christ was the focus of Paul’s ministry. But wait. I haven’t properly established who the Rapture is meant for. Keep reading.
2. What about the phrase “at the last trump”? Some “Christians” think that every time a trumpet is used in Scripture that it is the same event. A trumpet is used at the Rapture. A trumpet is used when the elect are gathered at the end of the Tribulation. Seven trumpets are used in the book of Revelation. God just happens to like using trumpets to signal different events (Note the battle of Jericho in Joshua 6). When the seventh trumpet is sounded in Revelation 11:15, there is no mention that follows of a gathering of God’s elect. Because Scripture says that the Rapture will occur “at the last trump” does not mean that the Rapture must be connected to the seventh trumpet. The last “trump” refers to the last sound made by the trumpet that signals the Rapture. But can the gathering of God’s elect from Matthew 24:31 and Mark 13:27 be the same event as the Rapture? Both events follow the sounding of a trumpet, so are they the same? No. When Jesus spoke of this gathering in Matthew and Mark, He was referring to an event that would take place at the end of the world. This is after the Tribulation, after the gospel of the kingdom has been preached to the world, and people have decided to follow Jesus Christ or worship the beast. For now, just know that God uses trumpets whenever He feels like it. Deal with it.
3. Believers need new bodies to enter Heaven.
1st Corinthians 15:49-54: “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
Our fleshly bodies cannot enter into Heaven. Flesh and blood are of this world, and our earthly bodies are born into sin (Romans 5:12) and contain nothing good (Romans 7:18). Heaven is a place of incorruption, and so our bodies, which are corrupt from birth, cannot be allowed to go to Heaven. At the Rapture, believers will be changed. Believers will be given new bodies, incorruptible and immortal, and will then “bear the image of the heavenly.” Also note that Paul taught that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”. This is clearly dealing with people who will be going to Heaven, which is the kingdom of God. This is not dealing with people who will enter into the kingdom of heaven, which is the literal kingdom Jesus Christ will set up on earth.
4. Moving on to Paul’s second description of the Rapture, we find that “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God”. Jesus Christ is going to personally call out the believers at the Rapture.
5. Paul wrote that “the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air”. All of the believers on Jesus Christ who have died ever since the gospel of Christ was put into effect will be taken into the air first. Then, believers still alive at the occurrence of the Rapture will be snatched up into the air to meet Jesus Christ in the clouds.
Let’s quickly recap the points we have covered concerning the Rapture.
1. The apostle Paul was the first to speak of the Rapture.
2. A trumpet signals the Rapture, but that does not make this the same event as every other time God uses a trumpet.
3. Believers receive new bodies at the Rapture.
4. Jesus Christ gathers believers all by Himself at the Rapture.
5. Believers meet Jesus in the air at the Rapture.
The Rapture involves the gathering together of believers into the air by Jesus, and these believers are given new bodies in order to enter their new home, Heaven. What did Jesus tell the disciples about their future destination?
John 14:2-3: “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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
In the house of God, there are many mansions. Jesus promised His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them, and that one day He would receive them to where He is. The disciples were not meant to enter into the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ. That is reserved for a different group of people. Jesus Christ will set up a kingdom on earth for people who endure to the end for Him during the Tribulation. God’s home is in Heaven, and God’s house is big enough to hold all of the believers who have put their faith in Jesus Christ ever since the gospel of Christ was made available. So you see that the kingdom of heaven is not for all believers. Likewise, the kingdom of God is not for all believers, but it is the destination for those believers who are taken in the Rapture.
How will Jesus Christ be able to instantly identify believers all over the world when He calls them out in the Rapture? Do you remember how believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit? That Holy Spirit does a few incredible things for believers.
2nd Timothy 2:13: “If we believe not, yet he (Jesus Christ) abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
The Holy Spirit is part of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit seals every believer. Because of this, a believer’s salvation is secure. Even if a believer goes as far as to give up his belief, he cannot break the seal of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ cannot deny a believer, because it would be as though He was denying Himself, since the Holy Spirit dwells inside of all believers.
1st John 3:9: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
Believers still sin, but because the Holy Spirit, which is God’s seed, remains inside all believers, God does not see or record their sin. Their flesh still sins, but their spirit does not, because they have been born again spiritually.
Now here’s something else that I believe the Holy Spirit does: It acts as a homing beacon. At the Rapture, Jesus Christ will call believers out of the world. What is it inside of a believer that reacts to this call? The Holy Spirit. If anyone with the Holy Spirit inside was left on earth during the Tribulation, it would be like Jesus leaving Himself here to suffer. The Holy Spirit will be called out, and it will take all believers on Jesus Christ with it. Once the Holy Spirit is gone, believers will have to endure to the end to be saved. With no Holy Spirit to seal them and cause God to not see their sins, they will not have the same security that believers during the age of grace have, which is why they must endure. The Holy Spirit is not on earth during the Tribulation. Therefore, the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation. There’s simply no reason for believers saved in the age of grace to be here during the Tribulation. The Tribulation is a final test, a trial by fire, meant to judge Israel and to create a group of people worthy to enter the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ. Believers are saved during the age of grace by belief on Jesus Christ, whose blood makes these believers worthy of the kingdom of God (Romans 3:24-26, Colossians 1:14). These believers have no need to be tested by the Tribulation, which is meant for those people who will enter into the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ, not the kingdom of God, which is Heaven.
Now we know some interesting things about the Rapture. With that foundation in place, we can move on to the next step: Contrasting the Rapture with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The Second Coming and the First Gathering
So one day, the disciples wanted to know about the end of the world.
Matthew 24:3: “And as he (Jesus) sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
The disciples never asked what the signs would be leading up to the Rapture. Remember, that was a concept that was not yet revealed. The clues given by Jesus in Matthew 24 were signs pointing to the end of the world, which would culminate in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth. As I have mentioned numerous times already, this is when Jesus said that people would have to endure to the end to be saved, and that the gospel of the kingdom would have to be preached in all the world. Lots of “Christians” take these things out of context and think that enduring to the end applies to believers during the age of grace, or that the gospel of Christ must be preached to all of the world before the end can come. Both of these teachings are wrong, because Jesus was clearly speaking of the end times, not the age of grace. You have to understand that.
There are other teachings of Jesus, taken from this same talk with the disciples, that are misunderstood and abused as well. We will begin to address these now, seeing as how they are misconstrued by confused people who attempt to tie these teachings and events to the Rapture.
Matthew 24:31: “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Some “Christians” believe that this verse is a picture of the Rapture. It is not. Let’s get the context for this verse. Remember, Jesus was describing the end of the world.
Matthew 24:29-31: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Let’s note the underlined parts.
1. This event occurs after the Tribulation.
2. Everyone on earth will see Jesus Christ coming to the earth.
3. Jesus will send His angels to gather His elect.
This description of this event is repeated in the book of Mark.
Mark 13:24-27: "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he (Jesus) send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."
If this event is referring to the Rapture, we have three serious issues going on here.
1. Why would believers need to be caught up in the air to meet Jesus when He is on His way down to the earth anyways?
2. At the Rapture, Jesus personally calls out the believers to meet Him. At this other event, Jesus sends His angels to gather His elect.
3. Why are people being gathered from the earth and Heaven?
It is also worth noting that there are no new bodies being received at this event. The Rapture will see believers receiving new bodies so they can enter into Heaven. At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, people who are going to enter into the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ don’t need new bodies, because they are staying on the earth.
There is no doubt that there is a gathering of the elect at the Second Coming of Jesus. The question is this: Who are these elect? Are the elect in the Tribulation the same as the elect from the age of grace? Since there are inconsistencies between Paul’s description of the Rapture and the event that Jesus spoke of, these must be two separate gatherings. If the Rapture is meant to collect those who have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, then who do you think will be gathered at the Second Coming? Believers in the age of grace have to choose to be the servants of Jesus Christ, but even if they choose not to be, they are still saved because God has sealed them with the Holy Spirit. In the Tribulation, Jesus will have 144,000 dedicated Jewish servants, and since the Holy Spirit will not be on the earth anymore, these servants will be sealed in a different way. This seal, which is the name of God written on the foreheads of the servants, is going to be used to identify these servants when the angels are sent by Jesus Christ to gather His elect. Believers saved under grace are God’s elect. At the Rapture, Jesus Christ gathers God’s elect. Jesus has His own elect, and He will send angels to gather them at His Second Coming. I believe that the elect of Jesus Christ are none other than the 144,000. They are the servants of Jesus Christ, and they are His Jewish brothers (Remember this). At the Rapture, believers are caught up in the air. At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, no one is caught up in the air. Instead, the elect of Jesus Christ are simply gathered.
But wait? Weren’t some of the 144,000 martyred? Yes, but that doesn’t matter. All of the servants, whether killed or still alive on earth, will be gathered.
Mark 13:27: “And then shall he (Jesus) send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.”
The 144,000 are gathered from earth and from Heaven, because some will be alive and remaining on earth, while some will have been killed and will be in Heaven.
Now, do you need more proof that Jesus was not speaking about the Rapture in Matthew? Earlier in this article, I mentioned the following passage:
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
I claimed that Jesus was not speaking of the Rapture here, and I told you that I would explain this at a later time. We are going to find out who these people being “taken” are. There are actually two groups of people that will be gathered in this event.
The Second Gathering (The Tares and the Unfaithful Believers)
We know that Jesus Christ will return to the earth, and the angels are sent to gather the elect. Believers saved in the age of grace were previously taken in the Rapture. Now let’s suppose I was wrong and that the elect gathered by the angels are not the 144,000 Jewish servants. At the Second Coming, if the elect are all of the people who believed on Jesus Christ during the Tribulation and endured to the end (as some people believe), and they are all gathered together, then the only people left on earth would be those people who did not believe on Jesus or endure to the end for Him, right? (The wicked people who worshipped the beast will be killed, but we will get to that soon.) So then there would be no reason to separate these remaining people, because the believers would have been gathered away from among them, right? Take a look at the following:
Matthew 13:24-30: “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Here’s where Jesus explains the preceding passage:
Matthew 13:36-43: “Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Jesus said that “the good seed are the children of the kingdom”, and Satan is going to sow bad seed that will be a counterfeit of the good seed. Note the following verse:
Matthew 8:12: “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
How could Jesus say that “the good seed are the children of the kingdom” and then say “the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness”? The counterfeit that Satan creates is so good that Jesus Himself refers to the bad seed the same way as He refers to the good seed. How will Satan accomplish this? We will find out very soon. For now, understand that there will be need of another separation, similar to the Rapture, except that this time the wicked will be taken.
Here’s another description of this same event:
Matthew 13:47-50: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
If the “wicked” are taken “from among the just”, then the believers who endured to the end are not the elect that are gathered by the angels in Matthew 24:31. Now taking what we have just read, let’s look again at that passage of Scripture that is all too often confused to be a teaching on the Rapture.
Matthew 24:37-42: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
Remember that Jesus was talking about the end of the world in Matthew chapters 24 and 25. He was not speaking of the Rapture, because that event did not concern the kingdom of heaven, but rather the kingdom of God. The kingdom of heaven is for believers who endure to the end during the Tribulation. The kingdom of God is for believers who are saved during the age of grace.
Jesus said that people in Noah’s time “knew not until the flood came, and took them all away”. Jesus said “so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” The focus of this teaching is not Noah, and the idea is not that believers will be taken away. The key phrase is “the flood came, and took them all away”. The wicked were taken away suddenly and unexpectedly. If this same thing will happen at the end of the world, then once again, the wicked will be taken suddenly and unexpectedly. The Flood from Noah’s time took the wicked away. The angels will come at the end of the world to take the wicked away. Recall these phrases:
“Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them”.
“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity”.
“So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just”.
Those line up with the following:
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
There are two groups of people that are going to be taken at this event. The first group consists of the counterfeit children of the kingdom, Satan’s bad seed, the tares. They are wicked, but it would appear that they don’t even know it.
Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The above passage is also from Matthew, and it teaches that many people who thought that they were doing good will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. There are and have been many religious people during the age of grace who will not make it to Heaven, the kingdom of God, because they chose religion over Jesus Christ. Likewise, Jesus Christ taught that the same thing will happen in the end of the world, when people will not be allowed into the kingdom of heaven, despite what those people think they have done for the Lord. These people would appear to be the bad seed, the false children of the kingdom, who were sowed by Satan. These people are sincere as they plead their case before Jesus, and I believe that these people were led astray by false christs during the Tribulation.
Matthew 24:23-26: “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.”
During the age of grace, Satan deceives people by using false religions and false “Christians.” Note the following:
2nd Corinthians 11:13-15: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
God will unleash two prophets during half of the Tribulation (Revelation 11:3-6), and these prophets will be able to perform miracles. Satan will counter this by using his false prophet during the Tribulation to perform miracles and deceive many (Revelation 13:14, 19:20). Satan also has a backup plan. If anyone should decide not to worship the beast and accept his mark, then perhaps they will fall for one of Satan’s false christs. Satan will use these false christs in order to plant the tares, the bad seed, the false children of the kingdom. During the Tribulation, Jesus will use the two prophets and the 144,000 Jewish servants to sow good seed, while Satan will use false christs to sow bad seed. Jesus warned that “there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders”. People during the Tribulation are going to have to distinguish between what is from God and what is from Satan. Now you can see why Jesus said the following:
Matthew 24:11-13: “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Now concerning the signs and wonders that the false christs of the Tribulation will perform, Jesus said that “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” This is repeated in the book of Mark.
Mark 13:21-23: “And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.”
Do you recall who I believe to be the elect during the Tribulation? The 144,000 Jewish servants of Jesus Christ. They are sealed with the name of God in their foreheads. If you remember, the Holy Spirit seals believers during the age of grace. We have looked at how this seal protects believers by making their eternal salvation secure. It looks as though the seal that God gives to the 144,000 Jewish servants is also going to provide protection. While false christs will be performing signs and wonders to deceive as many people as they can, they will not be able to fool the elect. This is made clear by the phrase “if it were possible”, which refers to the fact that the elect are protected against Satan’s attacks of deception. Jesus stated that it is not even possible for the elect to be deceived. We know that many people will be deceived, because Jesus stated that “false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” The people during the Tribulation will be prone to deception, but the elect will not be open to these tricks. Why not? They have been sealed. During the age of grace, believers have a seal which marks them as the elect of God and makes them eternally secure. During the Tribulation, the 144,000 Jewish servants have a seal which forever identifies them as the elect of Jesus Christ, and this seal closes off any possibility that Satan will be able to deceive them. Satan would love to lead astray these 144,000, just the same way that Satan would love to be able to cause believers to lose their salvation. However, Satan is unable to perform either of these tasks, because he is not able to break the seals of God.
Now that we have identified the first wicked group to be removed by the angels to be the tares, the bad seed of Satan, we will learn who the second group is. Look again at the following, which has been expanded to give even more of the context:
Matthew 24:37-42: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus said that an evil servant who neglects his duties and begins to act like the world will be surprised when his Lord comes suddenly and finds the servant not worthy to be a servant at all. Notice that these evil servants are called “hypocrites”, and they meet the same fate as do the tares. Who are these evil servants? They are the believers who did not endure until the end for their faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus will come back to find faithful believers who have endured, who will enter the kingdom of heaven, while unfaithful believers who did not endure will be separated from among the faithful believers. Jesus gave warnings to believers to stay strong during the Tribulation, because He knew that some would fall away from enduring. Remember that at the Second Coming, Jesus will send angels to “gather out of his kingdom all things that offend”, which was speaking of the tares. Jesus mentioned this gathering again in the parable of the fishing net, when He said that angels will “sever the wicked from among the just”. And now, in addition to the tares, we find the other group of people who will fall into this category of the “wicked”. At the Second Coming, Jesus will catch each unfaithful believer off guard and “shall cut him asunder”, which sounds quite similar to when the angels “sever the wicked from among the just”. Let’s go further with this by consulting dictionary.com.
Asunder – “apart or widely separated: as wide asunder as the polar regions.”
Sever – “to separate (a part) from the whole, as by cutting or the like.”
Jesus said that evil servants (unfaithful believers) will be cut asunder at the Second Coming. Jesus said that the wicked will be severed from among the faithful believers at the Second Coming. Now, looking at the dictionary definitions I provided, we can see how the same event is described in both places of Scripture. “Asunder” and “sever” both involve something being separated from something else. These two groups of people, the tares and the unfaithful believers, will be cut asunder, or severed, from the believers who have endured in their faith until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Both of these groups consist of people considered “wicked”, and both groups are dealt with in the same way.
Matthew 24:37-42 is a warning for believers in the Tribulation. Let’s compare this passage with the versions of the warning from Mark and Luke.
Mark 13:34-37: “For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”
Luke 21:34-36: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
We will be examining the passage from Luke later on in this article. For now, just note that these three passages were warnings directed at believers in the Tribulation. Believers were told to watch, be ready, and pray always. Many will fail, and these unfaithful believers will be removed along with the tares at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
There is a question that remains. At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, if the angels “shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity”, does this mean all of the wicked or just the tares and the unfaithful believers? The parable of the wheat and the tares and the parable of the fishing net focus on counterfeit believers, while in His comparison to the days of Noah, Jesus warned about evil servants who will be taken. These two groups will consist of the only wicked people left on earth. What happened to the rest of the wicked? They were all killed by this point in time.
Revelation 16:13-16: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
The kings of the world, deceived by the beast and his false prophet, will be persuaded to join together for battle against Jesus Christ. But who else will be on the side of the beast?
Revelation 19:17-21: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”
It would appear that everyone who has worshipped the beast and taken his mark is going to join the army of the beast. From kings, all the way down to regular people, “all men, both free and bond, both small and great” are going to foolishly wage war against Jesus Christ. This won’t end well for them. They will all be killed at the Second Coming, while the beast and his false prophet will be cast into Hell. With the beast, the false prophet, and the armies of the beast gone, the only wicked people left on earth will be the tares and the unfaithful believers, who will be gathered by the angels. There will be one more separation after that, but we will get to that soon. For now, remember the following:
1. The tares are sowed, or planted, by Satan, and thus they are corrupt from the beginning.
2. The unfaithful believers start off good but do not continue until the end.
3. Both of these groups of people will be gathered up by angels to be cast into Hell at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
In part one of “Dividing the Word,” I showed you how Jesus Christ’s statement that “he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” is wrongfully used by many people to prove that obedience and works are necessary for a person to be saved during the age of grace. After rightly dividing the word of truth, we know that Jesus Christ was referring to the Tribulation, which is a period of time when people must endure in their faith by not worshipping the beast, by not following after a false christ, and by staying strong in their commitment to Jesus. We have now rightly divided Scripture again, and we have learned the truth about the following:
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
This teaching was from the very same conversation that Jesus had with His disciples concerning the end of the world. Therefore, the event described does not take place in the age of grace, and it is not the Rapture. This event takes place when Jesus Christ returns to the earth. Let’s think about this logically. If Jesus is coming back, and He is going to set up a kingdom on earth, then why take out the saved people? The saved people are going to inhabit the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ. Therefore, they should be left here. At the Rapture, believers are taken because they have no place here during the Tribulation. At the Second Coming, the wicked are taken because they have no place in the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ. And please take note of the fact that no mention is made of new bodies being given to those people who endure in their faith for Jesus Christ through the Tribulation. Do you recall what Paul said? Paul wrote that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”. Flesh and blood can, however, inherit the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ.
So far, we have looked at the first two gatherings that occur at the Second Coming. The elect, the 144,000 Jewish servants, are gathered by the angels, and then the tares and the unfaithful believers are taken from among the faithful believers. Why do the 144,000 need to be gathered? I’m not sure, but I think the most logical idea is that Jesus wants His elect to be brought to the spot where He returns. It may just be that Mount Zion is where Jesus will step onto the earth at His Second Coming. Consider the following:
Micah 4:1-7: “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.”
Joel 3:17: “So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.”
Isaiah 24:23: “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”
Psalm 2:6: “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”
Since Mount Zion will be the spot where Jesus will reign from, perhaps that is the very location of His return. Consider this passage of Scripture:
Revelation 14:1-5: “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb (Jesus Christ) stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
We just saw a picture of Jesus Christ atop Mount Zion with His elect, the 144,000 Jewish servants. Allow me to get sidetracked for a moment. People who believed in the one true God during the Tribulation will serve Jesus in His temple (Revelation 7:9-15), and this temple will surely reside on Mount Zion. Remember, believers saved in the age of grace are destined for the kingdom of God, or Heaven, which is where God’s house with the many mansions is located. Believers who survive the Tribulation will stay on earth and serve Jesus Christ in His temple, while those who were killed for their faith in Jesus during the Tribulation will be resurrected and will reign with Jesus for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4). After the 1,000 years, the new Jerusalem will come down from Heaven (Revelation 21:2 and 10), and the literal, earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ will be established. All of this is to say that while all faithful believers from the Tribulation will be allowed into this kingdom, Jesus Christ has a special affinity for His 144,000 Jewish servants, and it just may be that He sends His angels to gather them to the place where He will return. Think of these 144,000 as a welcoming committee, gathered together to greet their King on His powerful and triumphant return to the earth. But there is another purpose for this gathering.
The Third Gathering
There is one more gathering that takes place at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 25:31-46: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
We know that these people cannot be believers, because Jesus said that he who endures in his faith until the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13), and some of the people at this separation (the goats) are cast into Hell. The goats here are not referred to as “wicked,” as there are no wicked people left on earth at this point. The goats are, however, referred to as “cursed”. What is this event referring to? The opening line tells us that this event will occur at the return of Jesus Christ. At this point, those who worshipped the beast will be dead, Jesus will have sent angels to gather His elect, the 144,000 Jewish servants, and the tares and unfaithful believers will have been removed from among the midst of the faithful believers. The believers who have endured to the end are going to enter the kingdom of Jesus Christ. So who is being separated at this event? At the return of Jesus Christ, the people that are still alive, who had not believed on Jesus but who also had not worshipped the beast, will need to be dealt with. Notice that the people who Jesus accepts into the kingdom at this event are people who have been kind to strangers. But not just any strangers.
“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Jesus refers to people that He apparently has in His presence here. Remember how Jesus, on His way down from Heaven to the earth, sends His angels to gather His elect? Remember how I said that I believe the elect are gathered to meet Jesus on Mount Zion? What will be the next thing on Jesus Christ’s to-do list? He doesn’t need to separate the believers who endured to the end, because the wicked were already taken from among them. Jesus Christ will sit on His throne and “before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another”. The elect, the 144,000, will be here with Jesus. These 144,000 Jewish servants are who Jesus refers to as “these my brethren”. Those who treated the elect with kindness are going to enter into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Those who did not treat the elect with kindness are going to be cast into Hell. Let me show you how this works. Jesus explained this process the first time He sent His disciples out to preach.
Matthew 10:40-42: “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”
The disciples were sent out to be the messengers of Jesus Christ. If someone received a disciple, they were receiving Jesus Christ, and if they were receiving Jesus Christ, then they were also receiving God. A person who received a prophet of God would receive the same reward as the prophet. The disciples were the prophets of Jesus Christ during the earthly ministry of Jesus, and the 144,000 Jewish servants of the Tribulation will be the prophets of Jesus Christ as well. Jesus Christ sent His disciples out to teach in His name, and the 144,000 will be given the same responsibility. If a person shows kindness unto one of these 144,000 Jewish servants, that person will receive the reward of a prophet. The 144,000 are going to enter into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Look at what Jesus says to the people who showed kindness to His servants:
“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”.
Keeping it Simple with Lists
So you now see that there are three separations at the end of the world.
1. The angels gather the elect of Jesus Christ, the 144,000 Jewish servants, from Heaven and from earth (Matthew 24:31).
2. The angels remove the wicked (the tares and the unfaithful believers) from among the faithful believers (Matthew 13:30, 41, 49, 24:44-51).
3. The remaining, neutral people are judged based on how they treated the 144,000 servants of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:31-46).
Now, let’s make another list. Who is going to enter the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ? This is a trickier one. I don’t claim the following to be entirely accurate, but here is my interpretation based on Scripture.
1. The elect of Jesus Christ, the 144,000 Jewish servants (Revelation 14:3-5). The elect are said to be before the throne of God. The throne of God is currently in Heaven, but it appears to be moved to the earth when the literal kingdom of heaven is sent down to the earth (Revelation 21:2-3, 22:1-3).
2. Believers who are still alive and endured in their faith until the return of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:13, 13:30). We know that there will be believers still alive at the Second Coming because angels will remove the wicked “from among the just” (Matthew 13:49). These believers “came out of great tribulation” and will serve God in his earthly temple (Revelation 7:9-17, 22:1-4). These believers have the name of God written in their foreheads (Revelation 22:4), though this is not a seal like the 144,000 Jewish servants were given.
3. Martyred believers from the Tribulation will be resurrected and will reign with Jesus Christ in His kingdom for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4). If they are going to reign, there must be people for them to reign over. See the following group. I’m not sure what these resurrected believers will be doing after the 1,000 years and going into the literal earthly kingdom.
4. The people who showed kindness to the 144,000 servants of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:34). For the 1,000 years following the Second Coming, these people are most likely the ones who are reigned over by the martyred believers of the Tribulation. After the 1,000 years, these people appear to be allowed to come and go from the literal earthly kingdom (Revelation 21:24-26).
Let’s go ahead and make another list. This is a list of judgments that will be carried out.
1. The judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10-12, 2nd Corinthians 5:10, 1st Corinthians 3:10-15). This event was revealed by the apostle Paul, just like the Rapture. Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles, and his teachings concerned the age of grace. Paul was concerned with spreading the gospel of Christ and teaching those saved under grace how to live. The judgment seat of Christ, like the Rapture, is an event for believers saved during the age of grace. At this judgment, believers are not judged for their sins, which are covered by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. This judgment examines the works of each believer. Those works done for Jesus Christ will yield rewards. Those works done for any other reason will be burned away and will result in no rewards.
2. The judgment of the nations at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:31-46). This is the judgment where Jesus Christ decides who will enter the earthly kingdom. Remember, the elect, the 144,000 Jewish servants, are not judged here, and neither are the believers who endured in their faith until the end. These groups are already safe. This judgment examines the way that the remaining people on earth at the return of Jesus Christ had treated the 144,000 Jewish servants. If someone showed kindness to one of these servants, they will be treated like they had done this to Jesus. If someone did not show kindness to one of these servants, they will be treated like they had done this to Jesus.
3. The judgment of Satan’s bad seed, the tares, along with the unfaithful believers of the Tribulation (Matthew 7:21-23). These people are surprised to learn that they are turned away by Jesus Christ. These people thought they had done well, but the tares were deceived by false christs and false prophets, while the unfaithful believers did not endure.
4. The judgment of unbelievers at the second resurrection (Revelation 21:12-15). Because these people did not believe on Jesus Christ in their lifetimes, they will be judged “according to their works”. The only way to attain righteousness of your own is by keeping the law, the Ten Commandments (Philippians 3:9). However, no one will be justified before God by keeping the law (Romans 3:20). You have to have the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is given freely to anyone who believes on Him (Romans 3:21-28). Therefore, if you reject Jesus Christ and His righteousness, God has no choice but to judge you based on your own works, which will never be enough to save your soul.
Ok, no more lists for a while. Let’s start jumping into some other points about the Rapture and the Second Coming.
The Two Comings of Jesus Christ
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be an event like no other. Jesus will come “with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:31). With eyes as a flame of fire and many crowns on His head, Jesus will be riding a white horse, followed by His armies on white horses (Revelation 19:11-14). While this coming is the big event that signals the end of the world, the apostle Paul mentions another coming of Jesus Christ.
1st Corinthians 15:23: “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.”
1st Thessalonians 4:15: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.”
2nd Thessalonians 2:1: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,”
Remember that at the Rapture, there is no power mentioned. Jesus is not bringing any angels or armies with Him, and the world will not see Him at this coming.
1st Thessalonians 4:16: “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:”
Jesus is not coming back to the earth at this coming to set up His kingdom. There is no battle of Armageddon, and no angels gathering the elect. Actually, Jesus is not even going to set foot on the earth at this coming. All we are told is that Jesus will “descend from heaven”. Think of it this way: Jesus is going to meet believers halfway. Jesus will come out of Heaven, and believers will meet Him in the air. This is the coming of Jesus Christ that results in “our gathering together unto him”. And then what happens? The age of grace ends. The Tribulation begins. The world awaits the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Here is another way of understanding it:
Jesus came to the earth the first time as King, but He was rejected.
Jesus is coming out of Heaven as Savior to gather believers at the Rapture.
Jesus is coming to the earth the second time as King, and no one will stand in His way this time.
1st and 2nd Thessalonians
1st Thessalonians was a letter written by Paul to the believers at the church in Thessalonica. This first letter is where we get the following:
1st Thessalonians 4:13-18: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Chapter 5 then begins with the following:
1st Thessalonians 5:1-5: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”
Let’s examine the three underlined sections.
1. Paul wrote that these believers had no need to know “the times and the seasons”. Why not? Keep reading.
2. The “day of the Lord”, which is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, will come swiftly and unexpectedly by the world. Recall the comparison Jesus made of His Second Coming to the Flood of Noah’s day (Matthew 24:37-39).
3. Paul wrote that believers in the age of grace will not be overtaken in the day of the Lord.
Isn’t it interesting that right after Paul’s description of the Rapture, he tells these Thessalonian believers that they have no need to know the times and the seasons? Why do you need to be ready for an event that you are not going to participate in?
Now sometime after Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica, the believers there were deceived and thought that the day of the Lord was approaching, which would have meant that they had missed the Rapture. (This is quite similar to how false teachers today are convincing believers that they will be left here to go through the Tribulation.) Paul wrote a second letter to the Thessalonian believers, and he attempted to set them straight.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-12: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That 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. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
(I must take a detour here to address two issues regarding the preceding passage. First of all, there is debate about what “the day of Christ” from verse 2 is referring to. Is it the Rapture or the Second Coming? The phrase “the day of the Lord” from Scripture is connected with the Second Coming. When Paul refers to “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1st Corinthians 1:8), “the day of the Lord Jesus” (1st Corinthians 5:5, 2nd Corinthians 1:14), “the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6), or “the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10, 2:16), it can be concluded that Paul is referring to a time when God is dealing with believers saved during the age of grace. From reading these verses, this “day” would seem most likely to occur at the judgment seat of Christ. Now, there does seem to be an exception to the meaning of the phrase “the day of Christ”, and that is in 2nd Thessalonians 2:2. Some people believe that Paul is referring to the Rapture here. Meanwhile, my Scofield Bible has a footnote that claims that “the day of Christ” in this verse was mistranslated, and that the correct translation would have been “the day of the Lord.” So what is it then? There are really only three possible explanations:
1. There is a mistake in the translation of 2nd Thessalonians 2:2 in the King James Version of the Bible.
2. The “day of Christ” is referring to the Rapture.
3. The “day of Christ” in this verse can be substituted for “the day of the Lord”, a phrase which Paul himself had used previously in 1st Thessalonians 5:2.
Let’s think about this logically. In 1st Thessalonians, Paul had described the Rapture to the believers in the church in Thessalonica. In that book, chapter 4 and verse 18, immediately after his description of the Rapture, Paul wrote the following: “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” The Thessalonian believers had been taught that the Rapture was something to look forward to, an event that was comforting to think about. Now when we look at 2nd Thessalonians, we find that these believers had become troubled. What were they troubled about? Paul pleaded with them that they “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.” The Thessalonian believers were afraid that “the day of Christ” was near. If “the day of Christ” here was referring to the Rapture, why would these believers be troubled? They were taught to look forward to it. If they feared that they had missed the Rapture, then they were fearful that they were living in the Tribulation, which would mean “the day of the Lord” was approaching, which is the most likely scenario of what these believers were thinking. Look closely again at the following, placed in its proper context with the verse that precedes it:
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That 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.”
The phrase “our gathering together unto him” is a direct reference to the Rapture. Let me paraphrase Paul here: “We beg you, in light of the fact that Jesus is coming to perform the Rapture, that you don’t be troubled by anyone or anything telling you that the day of Christ is here.” If the Rapture was the same thing as “the day of Christ” here, Paul would be saying “We beg you in light of the Rapture, that you don’t be led into thinking the Rapture is near.” That doesn’t make sense. It is clear that the “gathering together” and “the day of Christ” here are two separate events, and Paul was saying that one could not occur because the other had not happened yet. It would be like if you knew someone who did not want it to be Christmas, and you said to them “Calm down. We know it’s not time for Christmas, because Thanksgiving has not occurred yet.” Paul reminded these believers of the Rapture, which he had described in his first letter to them, and because of the Rapture, Paul wrote that there was no reason for these believers to think that “the day of Christ” was near. Reading this text gives us the understanding that the gathering together to meet Jesus in the air, the Rapture, is not the same thing as “the day of Christ” as used in this verse. In Paul’s other writings, “the day of Christ” had another meaning than what it does in this particular passage. This is another case where context is crucial. Paul’s mention of “the day of Christ” must be interpreted in light of the context of this passage of Scripture. The “day of Christ” was not near yet, because the “gathering together” to meet Jesus in the air had not occurred. The Thessalonian believers were not afraid of the Rapture, the thought of which was supposed to bring comfort. They were afraid that they had missed the Rapture and were in the Tribulation leading up to the Second Coming, which is referred to in Scripture as “the day of the Lord”, but in this case, Paul called it “the day of Christ”.
Now, another thing must be taken into consideration. The Second Coming cannot happen until two things have occurred first: “for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition”. What is this “falling away”? Here we go again, another topic people love to debate. Many people believe that this “falling away” is referring to apostasy, which is a leaving behind of truth, beliefs, etc. “Falling away” was translated from the Greek word apostasia, which some people claim to mean a “rebellion,” while others claim that it means “to depart” or a “departure.”
Strong’s Concordance would have you believe that apostasia is a rebellion, or a revolt:
“Short Definition: defection, apostasy
Definition: defection, apostasy, revolt.”
But even Strong’s Concordance cannot seem to settle completely on this interpretation. In the following from Strong’s Concordance, apostasia is defined as “departure.”
“646 apostasía (from 868 /aphístēmi, ‘leave, depart,’ which is derived from 575 /apó, ‘away from’ and 2476 /histémi, ‘stand’) – properly, departure (implying desertion); apostasy – literally, ‘a leaving, from a previous standing.’”
The following is from biblefood.com:
“The Greek word ‘Apostasia’ is a compound of two Greek words: ‘Apo’ = ‘to move away’, ‘stasis’ means ‘standing or state’, or ‘to stand’.
Literally, from its basic definition, ‘apostasia’ means ‘to go away from’, or ‘depart’, or ‘change state or standing from one state to another’.”
What about the very similar Greek word “apostasion?” Strong’s Concordance says the following:
“Short Definition: repudiation, divorce
Definition: repudiation, divorce; met: bill of divorce.”
Apostasion was used 3 times in the New Testament (Matthew 5:31, Matthew 19:7, Mark 10:4), and each time the word was used it was in reference to divorce between a husband and wife. So apostasion, in a sense, is a departure, as it was used in regards to a husband departing from his wife. And note that the thing being departed from (the wife) was named in each case. We’re just covering the bases here. Now let’s get back to apostasia.
If you look at the Strong’s Concordance breakdown of the word apostasia above, you will find that the word was derived from the Greek word “aphistemi.” Now let’s look at what Strong’s Concordance has to say about this particular word.
“Short Definition: I lead away, seduce, depart, abstain from
Definition: I make to stand away, draw away, repel, take up a position away from, withdraw from, leave, abstain from.”
Aphistemi is used 15 times in the New Testament. In 11 of those instances, the word was translated as a form of the word “depart.” The other times it became “fall away,” “drew away,” “refrain,” and “withdraw.” Let’s look at a few verses which contained the Greek word aphistemi.
Luke 4:13: “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed (aphistemi) from him for a season.”
Acts 12:10: “When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed (aphistemi) from him.”
In the preceding examples, aphistemi simply became “departed.” Now, there are times when aphistemi was referring to a giving up of the faith, but an important factor must be present: The thing being departed from must be named, as in the next two examples.
Luke 8:13: “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away (aphistemi).”
1st Timothy 4:1: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart (aphistemi) from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”
Many times, aphistemi simply meant “to leave.” If a subject was named, then aphistemi could refer to something being abandoned. We will return to this thought. For now, we have seen that aphistemi meant “to depart.” From aphistemi came the word “apostasia,” which is only used 2 times in the Bible. That means we don’t have much to go on, as far as occurrences of the word. Is it safe to assume that apostasia means “a revolt?” Is it safe to assume that apostasia automatically infers a “falling away from the faith?” No, this is not a good practice, and we will be looking at this error more closely. Going forward, keep in mind that apostasia, apostasion, and aphistemi all have the basic meaning of a “departure.”
I have learned that there are times when established and popular theories about Biblical doctrines are incorrect. I have found footnotes in my Scofield Bible to be wrong in their interpretations. The Scofield Bible, through use of a footnote, teaches that the “falling away” in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 is “the apostasy.” This is presented as truth, but it is actually an assumption. This same faulty method of assuming appears to be an issue for Strong’s Concordance, which on one hand teaches that apostasia is automatically “apostasy” (rebelling against truth, abandoning faith and principles), while also giving clues to a simple definition of “departure.” Which is correct then? We are going to let Scripture interpret the meaning of apostasia for itself. For now, we are left with two possibilities as to what is being taught in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3:
1. A rebellion against Biblical doctrine, a falling away from true Christianity, must occur before the Second Coming. This is the popular, established idea.
2. A departure must occur before the Second Coming. But a departure from what?
The New Testament gives many warnings about people who will depart from the truth and spread lies (Acts 20:28-31, 2nd Corinthians 11:1-15, Galatians 2:4-5, 2nd Peter 2:1-3, etc.). Even though this will occur in the end times (1st Timothy 4:1, 2nd Timothy 3:1-8), there has always been apostasy. If apostasy is a sign that must occur before the Second Coming, then it’s not a very definite sign, because apostasy has always been in existence. How much apostasy then is necessary? How do we measure this? There sure is a lot of falling away from Biblical truth in the churches these days. So what is prohibiting the next step, the revealing of the antichrist, from occurring?
It’s time to think outside the box. It’s time to think outside of what we are told to believe. What if the “falling away” in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 is not a rebellion, or apostasy, at all? There is only one other place in Scripture where the Greek word apostasia was used.
Acts 21:20-21: “And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake (apostasia) Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.”
Paul had been teaching that it was not necessary to obey everything that had been taught by Moses. In other words, apostasia did indeed mean a departure in this case. Paul was teaching a departure from the customs of Moses. Notice that a subject was given along with this departure, meaning that the thing being departed from was named. Otherwise, we would not know what was being departed from. Now consider the following:
“that day shall not come, except there come a falling away (apostasia) first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition”
No subject was given as to what was being departed from. There is simply a departure, and this departure must occur not only before the Second Coming, but also before the antichrist can be revealed. So what is this departure referring to? Is it a good idea to assume that this “departure” mentioned by Paul is a “rebellion from the truth”? No. That is not good reasoning, as what is being departed from is not given and can only be discovered by taking in the context of the verse in question. Assumptions lead to error. Let the Bible interpret itself through its context, which in this case, is doctrine about the Rapture. Context is everything. While this particular verse does not give the subject of what is being departed from, a look at the context should make it clear.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That 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. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”
Remember that 1st Thessalonians, the first letter that Paul had written to these believers, contained a description of the Rapture. Paul was building on that here, so we see that the Rapture was an important subject in these letters to the Thessalonian believers. These believers were well aware of this Rapture, this gathering together to meet Jesus in the air, or dare I say it, this “departure.” Yes, they are all the same thing. The sudden departure of all believers on Jesus Christ would be a definite sign that the Second Coming was getting close. Apostasy is not a definite sign, because apostasy has always been in existence. Please remember context, context, context! What was Paul writing about? Had Paul been writing about a “rebellion from the truth?” No. Paul had been teaching about the Rapture. Apostasy was not mentioned in 1st or 2nd Thessalonians. Paul said that there are two definite signs that must precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. There must be a departure, and the antichrist must then be revealed. If the departure is simply rejecting Biblical truth, then it is a bad choice for a sign, since it has always occurred and will continue to do so. The revealing of the antichrist is a definite event, and so should be the falling away, or the departure. This event is the Rapture, which must take place before it is even possible for the antichrist to be revealed. We will learn why soon. For now, remember two things:
1. In 2nd Thessalonians 2:2, Paul used the phrase “the day of Christ” to refer to the Second Coming.
2. The “falling away” in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 is the departure of believers from the earth, or the Rapture. The popular teaching that this “falling away” means “apostasy” is based on an assumption.
We are finished with this detour.)
Once more, for your consideration:
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-12: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That 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. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Now let’s examine the underlined sections of the preceding passage:
1. Paul is pleading with these believers “by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him”. In other words, Paul is saying that what he has to say should be taken seriously because of the fact that believers will be gathered to meet Jesus in the air first.
2. These believers were told not to be troubled by anyone or anything that was telling them that the return of Jesus Christ was near. Believing that Jesus Christ’s Second Coming was near and that the Rapture did not occur first were the products of deceit.
3. There are two very specific things that must occur before Jesus can return. Jesus cannot come back until after the Rapture has occurred and the antichrist has been revealed.
4. The next two sections mention something, a “he,” that is holding back (“let” here means to hinder) the antichrist from being revealed until the time is right. Who is this “he?” One popular opinion is that this is referring to the Holy Spirit, who is called a “he.”
John 16:13: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
Whoever is holding back the revealing of the antichrist is a “he,” and that “he” must be on earth. God is not on earth. Jesus is not on earth. The Holy Spirit is on earth. Do you remember when he came down?
John 16:7: “Nevertheless I (Jesus) tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
After Jesus Christ went back to Heaven, He did as promised: He sent the Holy Spirit down on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:4: “And they (the disciples) were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Jews were promised the Holy Spirit if they believed on Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38), and the Holy Spirit was also given to Gentile believers (Acts 10:45). The Holy Spirit came down from Heaven in conjunction with the beginning of the age of grace. The Holy Spirit will go back to Heaven at the end of the age of grace. Do you remember how believers in the age of grace are sealed with the Holy Spirit? Do you remember how believers during the Tribulation must endure in their faith until the end to be saved? Do you know why there is this change? Because there will be no Holy Spirit on earth to seal anyone during the Tribulation. Now, if the Holy Spirit is used to seal believers, and the Holy Spirit leaves, then what happens to the believers? If the Holy Spirit leaves them, then the seal is broken, and those believers are no longer saved. If God wants to keep His promise to save those to the uttermost who believe on Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:25), there is only one solution: Believers saved during the age of grace are going to have to go along with the Holy Spirit when he is taken back to Heaven. Therefore, the Rapture does not just call out the believers. It calls out the Holy Spirit as well. Now once the Holy Spirit is taken from the earth, the gospel of Christ goes along with it. The Tribulation must set in right away, otherwise there is no way for people to become saved. And the Tribulation does indeed begin right away.
Recall the following concerning the Holy Spirit:
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:”
Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit down to the earth to lead believers “into all truth”. The Holy Spirit is restraining the revealing of the antichrist. Eventually, “he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed”. What happens after the Holy Spirit is called back to Heaven? “God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie”. For the age of grace, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to lead believers to the truth. For the Tribulation, God will send strong delusion to lead unbelievers into a lie. The Holy Spirit cannot be on earth during the Tribulation. The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13), and because of the presence of this Spirit, the deception of Satan is being held back. At the Rapture, Jesus Christ will call out His Spirit, along with all of the believers who have been sealed with it, to make way for the strong delusion of the Tribulation. With no Holy Spirit on earth to seal anyone, people will have to see through the strong delusion and endure in their faith in Jesus Christ until the end in order to be saved.
In these passages from 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Paul gives very important clues as to the timing of the Rapture. This event must occur before the Tribulation can begin, leading up to “the day of the Lord”. This day will come “as a thief in the night”.
A Thief in the Night
There is a popular misconception in the “Christian” community that the idea of Jesus Christ coming “as a thief in the night” is in regards to the Rapture. Let’s look at some verses of Scripture where this idea comes from.
Matthew 24:36-51: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
We looked at this passage previously. We saw that this passage was not describing the Rapture, but was instead a picture of what happens at the return of Jesus Christ, when the angels separate the unfaithful believers from among the faithful believers. In Noah’s time, the Flood came upon the wicked suddenly and took them away. This will happen again at the end of the world, when the angels are sent to remove the unfaithful believers, who did not endure to the end. When Jesus Christ returns, He finds these “evil servants” behaving wrongly, and they are removed. Please recall that during the age of grace, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). When Jesus calls believers out at the Rapture, even those believers who are not living a life pleasing to God will be taken, because the seal of the Holy Spirit cannot be broken.
2nd Timothy 2:12-13: “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
Let me paraphrase the preceding passage: If we suffer during this lifetime for Jesus, He will let us reign with Him. If we deny Him by living for ourselves, Jesus will deny us the privilege of reigning with Him. If we go so far as to not believe on Jesus after we have been saved, Jesus will still remain faithful to us. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is inside of all believers, and for Jesus to turn away a person who has the Holy Spirit inside would be the same as Jesus turning away Himself. This is how it is possible for people to be saved by faith and not works (Ephesians 2:8-9). During the Tribulation, with no Holy Spirit to seal believers, people will have to endure to the end for Jesus, or else Jesus will come suddenly and find these people not worthy of the kingdom of heaven. During the age of grace, believers can choose to live for Jesus or for themselves, and this choice will result in the gaining or the losing of rewards in Heaven after the Rapture (1st Corinthians 3:10-15). So you can see that Matthew 24:36-51 is not about the Rapture. This passage is a picture of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the end of the world, and the separation of the hypocrites, those who did not endure, from those who are deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven. In verse 43, Jesus compared His sudden appearance to the coming of a thief. Let’s look at some other mentions of this same “thief.”
1st Thessalonians 5:2-3: “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
At the Rapture, Jesus comes out of Heaven to call up His believers. At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, “sudden destruction” will overtake the beast and his armies (Revelation 16:13-16, 19:11-21). Many people will have worshipped and followed after the beast, and he will surely promise them protection if they serve him. These deceived people will actually believe that they stand a chance against Jesus Christ. Then suddenly, in an unexpected moment, Jesus Christ will appear in the sky with His armies, coming to the earth with great power. Those people who sided with the beast “shall not escape.”
2nd Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
None of this occurs at the Rapture. This is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which comes “as a thief in the night”.
Revelation 16:13-16: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
Here again we see that Jesus coming as a thief is in connection to His Second Coming and the battle against the beast and his army. Also once again, the exhortation to “watch” is repeated from Matthew 24:42, Mark 13:35 and 37, and Luke 21:36. Believers in the Tribulation need to “watch” for the return of Jesus, because if they keep in mind that He will be returning suddenly, then they will be encouraged to stay faithful in order to be found worthy of salvation. If they endure, then that day will not overtake them as a thief the way that it will come upon the rest of the world.
Now look at what Jesus Christ said about thieves:
John 10:10: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Jesus stated that He had come to give life. Once Jesus had died for the sins of the world, and the gospel of Christ was put into effect, people could be saved simply by believing on Jesus Christ. Jesus did indeed come to give life, and that life is everlasting life, given freely to those who put their faith in Jesus. But remember, Jesus said that His Second Coming is going to be “as a thief.” Jesus said that a thief comes “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy”. Jesus will do all of these things at His Second Coming. He will steal the false security of the wicked. He will kill those who worshipped the beast. And He will destroy the rule of Satan on the earth. The Rapture is not going to find Jesus doing any of these things. You may say “Well isn’t Jesus stealing believers out of the world at the Rapture?” No, because Jesus isn’t stealing them. He is taking what is rightfully His, those who have “committed” their souls into the safe hands of God (2nd Timothy 1:12). When Scripture says that Jesus is coming “as a thief”, it is referring to the Second Coming, not the Rapture.
There is another passage of Scripture that I would like to call attention to here. This passage mentions the same event that the “thief in the night” refers to, and this passage is also many times confused for the Rapture. First of all, let’s get the context. Do you recall how the disciples had inquired of Jesus what the sign of the end of the world and the Second Coming would be? The response by Jesus is given in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, and then the story is repeated, with variations, in Mark and Luke. Look at the following from the account in Luke:
Luke 21:25-28: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
This is clearly speaking of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when the world shall see Him in the sky. The world will not see Jesus at the Rapture, because He only descends out of Heaven to call up the believers. The Second Coming is directly preceded by signs in the sun and the moon, which we will be looking at soon. For now, take note that the preceding passage was spoken by Jesus in reference to His Second Coming at the end of the world. Now, let’s examine the passage from Luke that gets misunderstood.
Luke 21:34-36: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
I have underlined three sections for us to consider.
1. The warning “lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares” is teaching the same thing that Jesus taught when He said the following:
Matthew 24:36-39: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
In Noah’s time, people were preoccupied with the world and were unprepared when the Flood overtook them. When Jesus Christ returns, many people will be unprepared. Obviously, people who have worshipped and followed the beast will have made their choice. In these passages from Matthew and Luke, Jesus is warning that there will be believers who will not be ready for His return. They have not endured in their faith, and so they are given their “portion with the hypocrites”, meaning they will be cast into Hell.
2. Jesus said the following in regards to His Second Coming: “as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” The Rapture affects only believers on Jesus Christ saved during the age of grace. This other event, the Second Coming, will affect everyone on the earth. Those who worshipped the beast will be destroyed. Satan’s bad seed, the tares, will be gathered and thrown into the fire. The believers who did not watch and were not faithful will be removed as well. And finally, the believers who were ready and watched for Jesus will enter into His earthly kingdom.
3. “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Many people think and teach that the preceding speaks of the Rapture. It does not. Keep in mind that Jesus was talking about His Second Coming at the end of the world. What do people alive during the Tribulation need “to escape”? They need to escape the deception of the beast and the false christs. They need to escape the temptation to be one of the believers tangled up in the cares of this life. They will surely hope to escape the threats of persecution and death that could cause them to give up their faith. Believers during the Tribulation are told to “Watch ye therefore, and pray always”. In other words, be on constant guard, because there are things that will attempt to steal away or damage the faith of believers. Watching and praying will help ensure believers to be “worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Many believers will not be found worthy at the return of Jesus Christ, and they will be gathered up by the angels and cast into Hell. The Second Coming will overtake these unfaithful believers as a thief, as a snare, or even the Flood from Noah’s day.
Many people use this passage from Luke to teach that believers must live a good life or they will miss out on the Rapture and be left here during the Tribulation. This is teaching a “Partial Rapture.” Remember, believers in the age of grace are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Nothing a believer does can break that seal, and Jesus Christ will call up all believers saved during the age of grace to meet Him at the Rapture. In this passage from Luke, Jesus was clearly speaking of His Second Coming, a time when the Holy Spirit will not be here to seal believers. Those believers will have to watch and pray so that they can escape all the deceptions of the Tribulation. He who endures in his faith for Jesus until the end will be saved. There is no “Partial Rapture,” and Jesus was not discussing the Rapture here. Do you want to see another teaching that people mistakenly confuse for a lesson on the Rapture?
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Matthew 25:1-13: “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But 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. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
This is another passage that is mistaken by many people to be a teaching on the Rapture. In reality, this is yet another teaching on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and the kingdom of heaven (the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ). Remember that at the beginning of Matthew 24, the disciples asked Jesus what the sign would be of the Second Coming and the end of the world. The remainder of Matthew 24, and all of chapter 25, was the reply that Jesus gave to His disciples, and everything Jesus said there was concerning His Second Coming. Jesus did not talk about the Rapture because it did not concern the Jews who were being presented with the gospel of the kingdom at that point in time. The Rapture would be revealed to the apostle Paul, because he was the apostle of the Gentiles, or the apostle of the age of grace. Now, in this passage from Matthew, believers during the Tribulation are compared to “virgins.” Those who are found to be faithful at the coming of the Lord are called “wise,” while those who are found to be unfaithful are called “foolish.” Let’s look at the underlined sections of the parable.
1. Notice that “they that were ready went in with him”.
Matthew 24:44: “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
The “wise” virgins from this parable are the “faithful and wise” servants that Jesus finds doing His will upon His sudden return (Matthew 24:44-47).
2. The “foolish” virgins from this parable are the “evil” servants (Matthew 24:48-51), who are found not being faithful at the return of Jesus Christ. They are going to plead with Jesus to allow them into the kingdom. “Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” Does this sound familiar?
Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Remember that at the Rapture, all believers saved during the age of grace are taken to Heaven. Because they have been sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30), these believers are saved no matter what they do or how they choose to live. They have been adopted into God’s family through faith (Galatians 3:26), and they have been purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28). These believers will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ, where they will receive or lose rewards based on what they did with their lives (1st Corinthians 3:10-15). If a believer has done nothing for Jesus Christ, that believer will receive no rewards, but his soul will remain saved (1st Corinthians 3:15, 5:5). Now, compare that with what happens at the Second Coming.
Matthew 24:50-51: “The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Believers in the Tribulation are dealt with differently than believers in the age of grace. This is why Jesus said believers in the Tribulation must endure to the end in order to be saved. Notice that Jesus uses the phrases “I know you not” and “I never knew you” for the unfaithful believers at the Second Coming. In the age of grace, believing on Jesus Christ results in eternal salvation, and God forever knows a believer from that point on.
Galatians 4:9: “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”
Believers in the age of grace are known of God. In order for a believer to know God, or have a relationship with Him, believers must be obedient. This is discussed in the book of 1st John. For our purposes here, let’s just remember that God knows believers in the age of grace regardless of their choices, but in the Tribulation, believers must endure to the end if they expect to be known by Jesus Christ when He returns.
3. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Here’s that warning again that Jesus gave multiple times. This was always in reference to the Second Coming, and it will be the difference between those who will enter Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom and those who will be cast into Hell. The faithful believer will watch for his Lord to return. The unfaithful believer will not watch, and he will be “cut asunder” from the believers who endured.
The Parable of the Talents
Matthew 25:14-30: “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The parable of the talents was given by Jesus Christ directly following the parable of the ten virgins, and it was another picture of the Second Coming. Remember what unfaithful believers in the Tribulation are presented as? “Evil” servants and “foolish” virgins. In the parable of the talents, these unfaithful believers are called “wicked and slothful” and also “unprofitable”. Jesus Christ returns to find that these believers are doing nothing for Him. These “unprofitable” believers are cast into Hell, which is what “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” is referring to. For those keeping count, in the book of Matthew, this unique phrase is stated four times (Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30), while “there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” is stated twice (Matthew 13:42, 50). These phrases were always used in regards to those who will not be allowed to enter into the earthly kingdom at the Second Coming.
At the risk of redundancy, we must consider something from the parable of the talents. Please recall that during the age of grace, people are saved for simply believing on Jesus Christ. If a believer does nothing for Jesus, that believer will still be saved, although he will have no rewards in Heaven (1st Corinthians 3:15). A believer who does nothing for Jesus could be considered an “unprofitable” believer. And yet, God is faithful and will still save the soul of an unprofitable believer in the age of grace. So why is it that in the parable of the talents, “unprofitable” believers are cast into Hell? What has changed? The times have changed, my friends. The age of grace will have ended, and the Tribulation will have begun. The gospel of Christ will have passed, and the gospel of the kingdom will have returned. Simple belief on Jesus Christ for salvation will no longer be available, and enduring to the end for Jesus will be the only way to be saved.
Think of it like a really good sale you would see in a store. If you act right now, you can get an incredible deal. If you wait, there’s no guarantee that come tomorrow that same deal will still be available. Imagine a sign that displayed the following message:
“The deal of a lifetime! Get it before it’s too late! ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.’”
Compare that deal to this one:
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
You still get something good with the second deal, but don’t you wish you would have acted on that first one? Act now! Believe on Jesus Christ and be saved while the deal is still valid!
There are a lot of “Christians” out there that don’t understand these two different deals that God has prepared. These people cannot rightly divide Scripture, so they try to combine the two deals into one nonsensical mess. They try to force a life of obedience and works onto a deal that was meant to save people for their simple faith in Jesus Christ. Other people who cannot rightly divide Scripture don’t understand another deal offered to believers in the age of grace: These believers will not have to go through the Tribulation. Unfortunately, some “Christians” don’t approve of this deal. They think they know better than God, and so they have decided on a different deal, one where believers during the age of grace are put through the horrors of the Tribulation, a period of time that was never meant for them. People who say that you need obedience and works to be saved (Lordship Salvationists), and people who say that the Rapture comes after the Tribulation (Post-Tribbers), don’t like God’s tremendous mercy towards believers saved in the age of grace. I sure am glad that God doesn’t think like these people. If God thought like most modern “Christians,” no one could be saved, and no one could escape the Tribulation. It is quite arrogant for many modern “Christians” to believe that they have some kind of “real” faith that others don’t have. Not only is it arrogant, it is also prideful. Do you know where pride started? Here’s a hint: It began with Satan (Isaiah 14:12-15). But I digress.
The Bride of Christ
Who is this bride? Believers saved during the age of grace are the bride of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:22-33: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”
In part one of “Dividing the Word,” we looked at how the apostle Paul was appointed to be the apostle of the Gentiles. For this reason, Paul received special revelations to give to believers saved during the age of grace. The Rapture was a doctrine introduced by Paul, and so was the judgment seat of Christ. Another doctrine that Paul brought to believers during the age of grace was the concept that believers in Jesus Christ, also known as the church, were to be the bride of Jesus Christ. Jesus had very briefly alluded to this (Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19-20, Luke 5:34-35), and John the Baptist had also hinted at this concept (John 3:29). It was later given to Paul to reveal the identity of the bride of Jesus Christ. But first, please follow this trail:
1st Corinthians 12:12-13: “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
1st Corinthians 12:27: “Now ye (believers on Jesus Christ) are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
Believers are “the body of Christ.” Now let’s take it a step further.
Ephesians 1:22-23: “And hath put all things under his (Jesus’) feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
Believers are “the church.” Now let’s take another step by looking at something we read a short while ago.
Ephesians 5:28-32: “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
In the preceding passage of Scripture, Paul referred to believers as the church and the body of Christ. Remember how Paul referred to the Rapture as a “mystery” (1st Corinthians 15:51)? In Ephesians, Paul reveals another “mystery” relating to believers in the age of grace: They are the bride of Christ. Here is another mention of this concept by Paul:
2nd Corinthians 11:2: “For I (Paul) am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
Prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the following takes place in Heaven:
Revelation 19:7-8: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him (God): for the marriage of the Lamb (Jesus) is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
The bride of Jesus Christ is clothed “in fine linen, clean and white”. After this event, the book of Revelation offers the following description of the return of Jesus Christ to the earth:
Revelation 19:11-16: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he (Jesus) that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.”
Who makes up these “armies”? Scripture gives us a clue: They are “clothed in fine linen, white and clean”. This is right after the bride of Jesus Christ is said to be “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white”. This means that the bride of Christ is already in Heaven before the Second Coming. Do you see where this is going yet? If the bride of Christ (believers saved during the age of grace) is in Heaven and is coming back with Jesus at His return, then the Rapture cannot take place at the Second Coming. Satan will use the people of the world to make up his army (Revelation 16:14, 19:18-19), and likewise, Jesus Christ will use His bride to fill up the ranks of His army. It sounds like a cruel thing to put your bride through, but the good news is that there is no mention in Scripture of anyone being destroyed at this battle other than those belonging to Satan’s army. And once again, note that when Jesus returns at His Second Coming, it is going to be quite a powerful spectacle. Jesus will be riding a white horse, followed by His armies also on white horses, and angels are coming along as well. The angels, as you should know by now, are going to gather the elect of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:31) and remove the tares and the unfaithful believers from among the believers who endured (Matthew 13:30, 41, 49, 24:37-42, Mark 13:34-37, Luke 21:34-36). This is all in contrast with the Rapture, where Jesus simply descends from Heaven and calls up the believers (1st Thessalonians 4:16).
The Darkening of the Sun and the Moon
Some “Christians” have this flawed idea that the sun and the moon will be darkened just prior to the Rapture. Where does this idea come from?
Matthew 24:29-31: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 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. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
The darkening of the sun and the moon are clearly stated to be “after the tribulation”, directly preceding the return of Jesus Christ to the earth. Too many people are getting confused and thinking that this passage from Matthew describes the Rapture. We have already seen that this passage describes the gathering of the elect of Jesus Christ (the 144,000 Jewish servants), not the elect of God (the believers saved during the age of grace). The sun and the moon are not darkened prior to the Rapture. This occurs at the end of the world, marking the return of Jesus Christ. Did Paul mention any signs in the sky preceding the Rapture? No, because there are no signs preceding the Rapture. Jesus will descend and take care of business in “a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”. No angels. No signs in the sky. No one on earth will see Jesus, only the believers meeting Him in the air. At the Second Coming, the whole world will see Jesus (Matthew 24:30).
Now let’s prove that the sun and moon are darkened at the end of the world.
Isaiah 24:23: “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”
Joel 2:31-32: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.”
Acts 2:16-21: “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Revelation 6:12-17: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
The sun and the moon do indeed darken. But come on people. Pay attention to when it happens. It’s very clear that this event occurs after the Tribulation and just preceding the return of Jesus Christ. Spectacles in the sky are a sign. Remember from “Dividing the Word” part one that God doesn’t use signs in the age of grace. Signs will recommence when God returns to dealing with the Jews in the Tribulation, because signs were meant for the Jews (1st Corinthians 1:22). The Rapture does not take place during the Tribulation because it closes out the age of grace. That is why no signs precede it. Unfortunately, too many people get confused and cling to a faulty view of when the Rapture occurs. They think that angels gathering the elect is the Rapture, or that the trumpet from the Rapture is the seventh trumpet from the book of Revelation, etc.
Where is the Confusion/Debate Coming From? What is the Purpose of This Confusion?
Why do so many “Christians” these days adhere to a Mid- or Post-Tribulation view of the Rapture? Have you ever noticed this? It’s everywhere. Some “Christians” are downright rude and nasty about this. They mock anyone who believes in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. “Oh you silly pre-tribbers. Haw haw haw.” Why all of this resentment? I can’t say for sure, but I have some definite theories.
1. It’s an attack by Satan. Look at what the apostle Paul said concerning the Rapture: “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” The Rapture is meant to give hope to believers, and Satan doesn’t want that. He’d rather have believers on Jesus Christ fearful of having to go through the Tribulation. Don’t think Satan would do something like this? Really? Have you ever noticed the way so many “Christians” attack the idea of eternal security? Lots of people mock the idea that God permanently saves a believer, or that belief on Jesus Christ is enough to save the soul. These are attacks by Satan, who wants believers to be unsecure. The same thing applies to the Rapture. The Rapture gives hope to believers, letting them know that God will not make them go through the Tribulation, a period of time never intended for them in the first place. Satan wants to take this hope away from believers, just like he wants to take away God’s promise of eternal security. Let’s compare these two attacks with the aid of Scripture:
Galatians 1:6-9: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
The Galatian believers were being troubled by some people who were trying to take away their eternal security. Here are a few more key verses:
Galatians 2:4: “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:”
Galatians 3:1: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?”
Galatians 4:17: “They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.”
These fake Christians troubled the true believers, bewitched them, and zealously affected them in a bad way. They deceived the Galatian believers into thinking they had to keep the law, the Ten Commandments, in order to be saved. Meanwhile, the Thessalonian believers were being troubled in another way: Apparently, they were under the impression that they were in the Tribulation, and that the Second Coming of Jesus was near. This was a big concern for these believers, because Paul had previously written a letter to them where he had described the Rapture. Now these believers were fearful that they had missed the Rapture and were living in the Tribulation. Paul wrote a second letter to the Thessalonian believers in order to set them straight.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That 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. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”
Even though Paul had taught these Thessalonian believers about the Rapture, they had been deceived. Even though Paul had taught the Galatian believers about eternal salvation, they had been deceived. 2,000 years ago, Satan was attacking the hope of believers on Jesus Christ. Newsflash: He is still doing it! All those people out there saying that eternal security is a myth or that the Rapture is not real or comes after the Tribulation are being used by Satan to take away the hope of those who believe on Jesus Christ.
2. It’s an issue of pride. Some “Christians” like to brag about how they are going to stay strong in the faith during the Tribulation. They say that other believers are weak-minded and subscribe to the idea of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture because they just aren’t tough enough and will sell out when the Tribulation gets here. Look, if you truly love Jesus and want to do something for Him, that’s great. But don’t brag about how brave you are going to be when the Tribulation gets here. It’s not here yet, and do you remember how the disciples all abandoned Jesus Christ when He was arrested? The disciples said they would die for Jesus (Matthew 26:35), and then when push came to shove, they all fled (Matthew 26:56). If you’re one of these “Christians” that’s bragging about how strong you will be during the Tribulation, you may need to check your pride at the door.
3. It’s an honest mistake by people who are not “rightly dividing the word of truth”. Some people are simply parroting what they have heard taught over and over again by false teachers, and then it continues by way of these followers, and eventually people just accept it as truth because it is constantly repeated.
Now whether it is pride or ignorance, the fact of the matter is that “Christians” who hate the idea of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture have not considered one very important point: The Tribulation is for a different audience. Pre-Tribulation Rapture haters will say that Christians have been persecuted throughout history, so Christians are not protected from persecution, which the Tribulation will be full of. While it is true that Christians are not protected from persecution, there is much more to the Tribulation than people understand. If you recall from “Dividing the Word” part one, we looked at how “the gospel of the kingdom” would be preached during the Tribulation. This gospel was preached to the Jews only, and it was put on hold so that “the gospel of Christ” could begin. Salvation was made available to anyone who simply believes on Jesus Christ, whereas in the end days, people will have to endure in their faith until death or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ if they want to be saved. In the Tribulation, the gospel of the kingdom returns, and enduring to the end is necessary, meaning that the gospel of Christ and salvation by God’s grace will be done away with. The Tribulation is not just a time of persecution. It is a time that sees God returning His focus to the Jews, bringing back the use of signs and prophets. This period of time does not concern believers on Jesus Christ saved during the age of grace.
Pre-Tribulation Rapture haters think it is arrogant to believe that God will be so kind as to remove all believers and spare them from going through the Tribulation. These haters especially cannot stand the idea that God would remove carnal Christians from the world. Pre-Tribulation Rapture haters usually think they are the better Christians, the ones worthy of being taken if and when the Rapture occurs. This mentality causes them to look down on anyone they don’t believe to be as holy as they think they are. Here’s a thought for them: Not only are Christians not worthy of the Rapture, they are not worthy of eternal salvation either. If God saves to the uttermost anyone who simply believes on His Son, then it is clear that God is merciful. Pre-Tribulation Rapture haters do not give God enough credit. They simply do not grasp the kindness that God shows to those who believe on Jesus Christ.
Romans 11:34: “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?”
Believers on Jesus Christ in the age of grace are unlike any group in history. God deals with them differently. If you don’t like that, take it up with God. Anyone who disagrees is looking at this from a human standpoint, not God’s. Enough with “Christians” bragging about how they are more worthy than other Christians, either for salvation or for being taken in the Rapture. No one is worthy of God’s grace.
1st Corinthians 1:29-31: “That no flesh should glory (boast) in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
In Closing
There are a lot of popular, but very wrong ideas being taught in the “Christian” community. Sometimes people will go along with an idea because they think it is coming from a respectable source. The theory of evolution is accepted as truth because the average person believes that scientists actually have some wise and powerful understanding. Scientists who support the asinine theory of evolution do so because it is their religion, and they so badly want it to be true. When it comes to the Rapture, we have a similar problem. Lots of “Christians” are going along with false teachings on the subject. Many people are failing to rightly divide the word of truth, and they don’t understand that the Rapture and the Second Coming are two different events dealing with two entirely different groups of people. I do not respect tradition. If it is wrong, tradition can be very blinding to the truth. Everything I have presented in this article is what I believe based on the Word of God, not on the traditions of men.
Please don’t be deceived by people who cannot rightly divide the word of truth. Do not confuse the age of grace with the Tribulation, or the Rapture with the Second Coming. God is always the same, but God works in different ways during different ages. The Bible provides us with enough evidence to conclude that the Rapture is Pre-Tribulation. The Rapture will call out the Holy Spirit and believers saved during the age of grace, ushering in the beginning of the Tribulation, when believers will have to endure in their faith to the end in order to be found worthy of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus Christ will return to the earth at His Second Coming, as a thief and with great power, and He will shut down Satan, his antichrist, and his army, and then Jesus will set up His earthly kingdom.