Posted: 10/12/2007 at 9:35pm | IP Logged

Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember (speaking to us here and now) the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

In other words, the Old Testament is not just a book about history.  It is much more – a prophetic shadow picture to what will happen – even the end of days.

Concerning a pre-tribulation rapture

Many of my Christian friends believe that Messiah (Jesus) will come and remove them from this present life before the time of ‘Jacob’s trouble’ (the day of the Lord – tribulation).  And though I’ve not had any understanding to this debate for most of my life, in the last several months Holy Spirit has been preparing me to ready his peoples for a ‘great awakening’ – even a time of trouble that no man has seen to date, nor will ever see again.

To be ready and prepared – to have our faith ‘perfected’ – to learn to live in the supernatural peace of God in the midst of that great and dreadful day of the Lord, holds a most critical understanding.  For those who have eyes let them see and for those who have ears let them hear.

Here are a few scripture verses that I submit for your prayerful study and consideration.

Please note that parenthesis and bold are mine.

Matthew 13:24-30  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of God is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27So 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? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.  The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29But he said, No; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30Let 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.

Note that the tares are gathered first.  The word of God says that the evil are gathered before the righteous are gathered.

Matthew 24:37  But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ³⁸For as in the days that were before the flood they (the wicked) were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, ³⁹And [they] knew not until the flood came, and took them (the wicked) all away; so shall also (the same thing will happen) the coming of the Son of man be. ⁴⁰Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken (the wicked - as in the days of Noah), and the other left. ⁴¹Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken (the wicked - as in the days of Noah), and the other left.

In order to not contradict Matthew 13:24-30 we need to realize that just as Noah was left on earth to fulfill God’s plan, so too will the righteous be left to fulfill God’s plan.  In other words, as in the days of Noah, the righteous were left, but the wicked were removed.

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. ³⁷He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; ³⁸ The field is the world;  the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; ³⁹ The enemy that sowed them is the devil;  the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. ⁴¹The 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;  ⁴²And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Once again, we have scripture lining up with scripture.  The children of righteous will not be taken, but left to shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

Matthew  24:13-21   But he that shall endure unto the end, (end of tribulation) the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (no mention of a rapture here). When ye therefore shall see (that means we’ll be here to see it) the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand;) (Jesus is speaking to you and me) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day; For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

In other words, we have to be here in order to see these things happening.  And when we see these things happening, “then” shall be great tribulation.

At no time has Jesus even hinted at taking his children out of the world.

Matthew  24:29 –30  Immediately after the tribulation of those days (this means we are now in a post-tribulation era) 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 (after tribulation) shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then (after tribulation) 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. (This is the second coming of Messiah, and there is only one second coming) (see also Mark 13:11-23)

The following verse in John includes us in a conversation Jesus had with the Father.  Note that Jesus is actually praying that we would not be taken out of this world.

John  17:15-16   I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

The evil Jesus speaks of is also a shadow picture – an allusion to Jacob’s trouble – tribulation – the beginning of the ‘day of the Lord’.

I Thessalonians  4:13-18   But I would not have you to be ignorant (don’t let this be hidden from you), 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 (the first resurrection).  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 (precede) them which are asleep.

This means that we will still be here when Christ returns, and so are the dead, which will precede those who are alive.

For the Lord himself shall descend (immediately after tribulation Matthew 24:29–30) 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 (those who were beheaded during the tribulation – see Revelation 20:4) 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.

Revelation  7:2-4   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. (Now we have four angels who have power to hurt but are told to wait until the servants of God are sealed. If we were going to be raptured we would not need to be sealed! This means we are on the Earth and staying on it.) And I heard the number of them which were sealed:

Revelation  13:7-9   And it was given unto him (the beast) to make war with the saints (If the saints are raptured out, how is it that the beast is making war with them?), and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear.

Psalms 37:11  But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

             If the wicked are left, then how do the meek (the saints) inherit the
            earth?

Matthew 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Zephaniah 2:3  Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.                              

In other words, only the meek and the righteous will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.

If Messiah is going to set up his kingdom and reign over all Israel (the house of Jacob) for a thousand years (on earth), and if those people (the meek and righteous) are going to reign with him (as the scriptures above reveal), then it is the wicked that our Messiah is severely dealing with (the tares), not the righteous; it is the wicked that he is removing and burning in order to establish justice and righteousness in and over Zion.

Deuteronomy 30-31 When thou (God fearing people) art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;  ³¹(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) which he sware unto them. 

With this scripture we understand that those who hear the voice of the Good Shepherd - obeying him, will not be forsaken, nor destroyed in the time (latter days) of tribulation.

Posted: 10/18/2007 at 11:10am | IP Logged

AMEN!  You are stating what "His" have known for A LONG time :)