How long will it take to build this image? We have no idea. How many saints will be killed by this image? We don't know, but we still have to be here if some of us will be killed.
The pre-tribulation believers will tell us that the church is raptured out in Revelation 4:1 when John is told to
"come up hither". They stop before reading the purpose of that calling: "and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."
First off, there is no such a thing as the "rapture of the church". Instead, we have "the rapture of the saints". Is the rapture recorded in the book of Revelation? Yes, it is!
15
The Facts About the Rapture
Revelation 14
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud,
and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son
of man, having on his head a golden crown,
and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And
another angel came out of the temple,
crying with a loud voice to him that sat on
the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for
the time is come for thee to reap; for the
harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that
sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the
earth; and the earth was reaped.
Some might say that John didn't say "the son of man", but "like unto the Son of man". This is still Jesus. How did John describe Jesus in Revelation 1?
13 And in the midst of the seven
candlesticks one like unto the Son of man,
clothed with a garment down to the foot, and
girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
What other event could this be? Did not an angel tell the apostles “This same Jesus, in like manner ..."? He left on a cloud, so He's returning on a cloud.
16
The Facts About the Rapture
A cloud that is missing in Revelation 4:1, along with a sighting. John didn’t see Jesus on a cloud, he heard a voice beyond a door in heaven.
How does that even remotely resemble “in like manner”?
17
The Facts About the Rapture
The Reality
What are the events that will be unfolding in these end times? After all, we will be experiencing them.
The book of Revelation is divided into three parts.
Revelation 1
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as
dead. And he laid his right hand upon me,
saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and
the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was
dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of
death. 19 Write the things which thou hast
seen, and the things which are, and the
things which shall be hereafter;
The first part (which thou hast seen) is the first chapter: the description of Christ The second part (the things which are) are chapters two and three, the seven letters to the churches.
We will look at the timeline of the things which shall be hereafter, what we will be a part of.
The events that occur in Chapter 4 are heavenly, but we know what will be happening on the earth at this time.
18
The Facts About the Rapture
Daniel 9:27 begins by speaking of the as of yet un-revealed antichrist “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week…” This treaty is often referred to as a seven-year peace treaty. It can only be called that because the 70th week of Daniel is only seven years long. This peace treaty will be open ended, no expiration date.
Peace treaties are usually a good thing; after all, who doesn’t want peace? But this treaty comes with a very, very high price.
Dr. Glen Davenport suggests how this controversial document comes into play, and when I heard his take, I remember thinking that this is horrible, but it makes sense.
Here is what Bro. Glen believes will happen, and I admit that the next few thoughts are just “one man’s opinion”.
What does Israel want more than anything? They have created, for some time now, all the instruments, bowls, ornaments, robes, and altars for the temple. But they cannot reopen this temple because they don’t control the temple mount.
What do the Muslims want more than anything?
They want Jerusalem, but only because it is the heart of Israel.
This compromise, this document, this covenant that sets everything in motion is when Israel gives up Jerusalem 19
The Facts About the Rapture
to gain control of Mount Moriah; of Temple Mount. This will allow them to re-establish temple worship, offer sacrifices, and feel they are in control of their own religion again. This is where “one man’s opinion” ends.
When this treaty is signed, the events of chapter 5
begin; the sealed book is revealed that only Christ can open.
This book has seven seals, and He begins to open each one.
Some give a timeframe between each seal, but no timeframe is recorded in scripture.
Sometime around the opening of the first seal, the two witnesses begin their testimony condemning this treaty.
Who they are is unimportant. What they say is.
The first four seals together are commonly referred to as the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
The first horseman (on the white horse) many consider to be the antichrist, but he comes to the forefront later. The horseman is a world leader, given a crown. I believe he is the John-the-Baptist for the antichrist. He will claim to unite, but he will be a divider and conqueror.
The second seal is a great war, represented by a rider on a red horse. What causes this was isn’t revealed, but if you look at the world today, so much of it is on the brink of one now.
20
The Facts About the Rapture
The third horse, the black one, represents the rationing, famine, and pestilence that happens during and following a great war.
Not just the death of so many providers, but the ruining of the land as well as the rotting of the food in the fields and damage by all the chemicals released. This leads to the pale green horse, ridden by, John tells us, Death, with Hell following after.
The rapture has yet to happen, and living is going to be difficult. And the two witnesses are annoying that first horseman.
We will be unaware of the fifth seal because it occurs in heaven, but we'll mention this again later. We will be aware of the sixth seal as a great earthquake that will shake most of the tectonic plates.
The islands as well as the mountains will be moved, and the volcanoes will put so much ash and silt in the air that the sun will not penetrate it, neither will the moon, which will have a red haze much like the sun’s black one.
In this modern world, something called green energy is being pushed. Anything depending on solar energy will be crippled if not completely ineffective with the sixth seal judgment.
All these wind turbines providing power will also become of no use as Revelation 7:1 tells us that the winds 21
The Facts About the Rapture
will cease blowing as well. I would guess we’re back to crude oil again at this point.
God seals the 144,000 Israelites here. Heaven is awash with praise for God; all those who died the martyr’s death from Abel onward will praise the Salvation of the Lord; these countless souls being comforted by the presence of the Lamb.
The seventh seal completes these “seal judgments”
by releasing the seven trumpet judgments, and all praise in heaven goes silent for around a half hour.
This is how somber the seven trumpet judgments are.
Again, we still haven’t been raptured.
Remember the fifth seal, the one occurring only in heaven? That was the prayers of those who were made to suffer and die for Christ’s sake wanting to know when they will be avenged.
These prayers are now answered by a gold censer filled with incense and lit by the fire before the altar at God’s Throne and cast to the earth, and creation itself is shook with another earthquake and what we would now refer to as a great hurricane, or multiple great hurricanes.
The first trumpet is described as hail, fire, and blood that destroys 1/3 of all trees and all grass.
Remember what trees do besides shed leaves and provide beauty and shade? They clean the air and convert carbon dioxide back into oxygen. That just got crippled.
22
The Facts About the Rapture
The second trumpet is described as something like unto a great mountain falling into the sea, and it became blood.
Could this be a biological weapon event? We only know what Revelation tells us, but it does destroy 1/3 of all ships and who knows how many of those will be filled with crude oil? One third of all life in the sea is now dead.
At this point that was probably a major food source that is now taken from us as well. Again, the rapture has still not occurred.
The third trumpet is a meteor falling to earth called Ἄψινθος (ap'·sin·thos), or bitter, or Wormwood. This ruins one third of all drinkable water and this kills many people because of the water.
The fourth trumpet darkens the sun, moon, and stars.
One would think that with everything in the atmosphere, light can no longer penetrate it as well. How much of this is related to the previous two trumpets is unknown, because this is a separate judgment.
These first four trumpets signify that we can’t depend on the earth to sustain us anymore either. Again, we are still not raptured.
Between the seal and the trumpet judgments, 144,000 Israelites were sealed; they received the seal of God in their foreheads.
23
The Facts About the Rapture
Are these seals visible? We can guess, but we don’t know. Christians are sealed and nothing is visible except for the lives we lead.
The fifth trumpet is a hard one to picture and affects anyone without the seal of God in their forehead. It consists of a star (famous or infamous personality?) given the keys to the bottomless pit, and he releases a myriad of demons described as locusts with the sting of a scorpion. Those stung (attacked) will wish to die, but God won’t let them.
This goes on for “five months”, which could be specifically 150 days, but it might also mean that this isn’t perpetual, and will have an end in sight.
The sixth trumpet sounds, and four demons that have been bound in the Euphrates River are released and they spring forth to kill, and they wipe out one third of the planet.
They have a defined time as well.
Population control is no longer a problem. Again, no rapture has occurred yet.
The seventh trumpet is the revealing of the antichrist.
This will be the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel, expanded on by Jesus Himself, and explained by Paul.
When antichrist receives a wound that is unto death, he survives, and the world marvels. The false prophet has an image made, a mark is introduced, and those that don’t take the mark or worship the image are to be killed.
24
The Facts About the Rapture
Only NOW can the rapture occur, but we still don’t know exactly when.
What we will miss are the bowl judgments as well as Armageddon.
25
The Facts About the Rapture
Conclusion
There are dark days ahead. As soldiers, we’ve been given access to the details of what we’ll be going through.
It would be great if the pre-tribulation belief was right. We’d miss out on at least one more world war, on the planet being basically useless, multiple earthquakes, food shortages and the rampant diseases the surviving food and water will contain.
Why did He tell us about the seal and trumpet judgments if we weren’t to be affected by them? He showed us the vial judgments as the answer to the prayers of the saints revealed in the fifth seal judgment.
He could have ended revelation with just the first three chapters if we were going to miss it all. In chapter 20, we read of the final residence of the damned in the lake of fire to show the ultimate ending for those who refuse Him.
Revelation 21 and 22 are there to let us know just how worth it everything is that we are going through, both previous generations and those who go through this time of Jacob’s trouble.
But let’s say that the pre-tribulationists have it right, and we are wrong. Mid- tribs will have no problem missing everything.
But if the mid-tribulationist is right, how crushed will the pre-trib be?
26
The Facts About the Rapture
That is the importance of understanding when the rapture will occur. We can either listen to the warning that Jesus provided, or ignore it. That portion of His word will become void in our hearts.
27
The Facts About the Body of Christ
There are many who throw around the terms “the church” (always in the singular) or “the body of Christ”.
Some consider this as an automatic entry into some fraternal order with all the perks of a secret organization except for the secret handshake.
Do all who get saved automatically become a member in the Fraternal Order of the Universal Assembly?
When was this formed, and who started it? How does one join it if it exists, and how does belonging to it change your eternal destination?
What constitutes a scriptural New Testament church, and is every organization that calls itself a church part of it?
Here we will cover the church’s past: how and when it was formed; its present: who’s part of it as well as who isn’t; we’ll conclude with its future: its final place in glory.
28
The Facts About the Body of Christ
The Simple Forming of the Base
Most people like to think the church had its beginning on the day of Pentecost because many things happened on that day.
The Baptism of the Holy Ghost, fulfilling Christ’s promise of a Comforter; 3000 souls were added to the church; and it has a well-defined point in time that can be referenced.
Yet if this is the case, Jesus didn’t start the Church, the Holy Spirit did.
Jesus is the Founder; the Holy Spirit is the Administrator. But if it wasn’t started on the day of Pentecost, when was it founded?
Matthew 4
18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee,
saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and
Andrew his brother, casting a net into the
sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith
unto them, Follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left
their nets, and followed him.
29
The Facts About the Body of Christ
The church (called out assembly) began when the first two members were “called out”. There is no specific day this happened; it was a simple event and nothing can be pointed back toward anything to pinpoint it.
Jesus liked to keep things simple: the emphasis was on the organization He began, not an event surrounding it.
Some will say this is disproved when Jesus made the statement in Matthew:
Matthew 16:18
And I say also unto thee, That thou art
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not