The Blessed Hope

What is the Rapture?

Rapture: When Jesus Christ comes for his church and takes them home to be with him. Anyone who believes in and has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and personal savior will be included in the rapture. The rapture is the next big event, on the prophetic calendar. It is an event that can happen at any moment, since all prophetic signs have come to pass.

Exactly what will happen when the rapture takes place: total chaos. Millions of people will simply just vanish off the face of the Earth without a trace. This will cause world wide riots and socio-economic collapse like the world has never seen and never will see again. Although, the word rapture doesn't appear in the Bible, the notion of 'being caught up' is mentioned by Paul in 1 Cor

1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1 Cor 15:52 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.
And again in 1 Thes
1 Th 4:13 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.
1 Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1 Th 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.
1 Th 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:
1 Th 4:17 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.

Before the Tribulation begins, Jesus Christ will come back for his church (the body of Christ)

1 Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ

This is sometimes called the 'escapist' theory. Suggesting that Christians will escape God's wrath and be taken to perfect safety. The above verse just told us that we are NOT appointed to wrath. We believe in Jesus as savior there is nothing left for us to prove. The total price was paid by Christ at Calvary. There is no need for the church to pay another debt.

Some people say that the church must be cleansed, that there are Christians that aren't really Christians. Don't worry about it. God knows who these hypocrites are and they aren't going any where. Lets not condemn that entire apple orchid for a rotten few.!

Key Verses As To The Time Of The Rapture

There are four major theories concerning the Rapture.

Pre-Tribulation: By far the most popular theory. This point of view states that no Christian will go through the Tribulation. The rapture will also be pre-millennial.
Mid-Tribulation: The church will be here during the trumpet judgements, for the first 3.5 years of the rapture but will not be here for the last 3.5 years known as the Great Tribulation. This position still supports the pre-millennial view.
Post Tribulation: Believe that the church will be on Earth during the entire 7 year period of the Tribulation. This view is the hardest to support in scripture. It is also the most unscriptural point of view.
No Rapture(Dominion Doctrine): Believe that the second coming and the rapture as one in the same. Their doctrine is totally incorrect. As Christians, we are to seek after the things above not on earthly things (Col 3:1-2)and wait for our savior returns (Phil 3:20).

The following table will list and compare the first three rapture views and how key verses in scripture relate to each one. Yes signifies that the verse supports that specific rapture doctrine.

Scripture	Pre-Trib	Mid-Trib	Post-Trib
Mat 24:26-51	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mark 13:21-37	Yes	Yes	Yes
Luke 17:20-37	Yes	Yes	Yes
Luke 21:20-36	Yes	Yes	Yes
John 14:2-3	Yes	Yes	Yes
Romans 5:9	Yes	No	No
1 Cor 15:50-58	Yes	Yes	Yes
Phil 3:20-21	Yes	Yes	Yes
1 Thes 1:9-10	Yes	No	No
1 Thes 2:19	Yes	Yes	Yes
1 Thes 3:13	Yes	Yes	Yes
1 Thes 4:13-5:11	Yes	No	No
2 Thes 1:5-10	Yes	Yes	Yes
2 Thes 2:1-12	Yes	No	No
2 Thes 3:6-15	Yes	Yes	Yes
Titus 2:12-13	Yes	Yes	Yes
1 Peter 2:12	Yes	Yes	No
Rev 3:7-22	Yes	No	No

There are some other verses that were omitted from this table because they deserve special attention and a special explanation. See Misinterpreted Verses Concerning The Rapture.

Why The Church Will Not Go Through The Tribulation

These points tells us why the church will not go through the Tribulation.

Saftey From The Wrath Of God: The church is the bride of Christ. The bride will not go through the Tribulation.
- 1Thes 5:9
- Rom 5:9
- 2Pet 2:9
- 1Thes 1:10
- Joel 2:28-31
- Mal 4:2
- Zep 1:14-18
The Blessed Hope: The return of the Lord can happen at any time. If the Lord was to return at Mid-Trib or Post-Trib then scripture would be wrong in teaching that the Lord can return at anytime since these two points of view know when he will come back for the church this goes against scripture.
- Acts 1:11
- Matt 24:40-44
- John 14:3
- James 5:8
- Titus 2:12-13
- 1John 2:28, 3:2-3
No Trial for the Church: The church will be kept from the "time of trial" Rev 3:10. This is also supported by Titus 2:13-14.
Revelation Of The Anti-Christ: 2Thes 2:1-10 States that the man of lawlessness will not be revealed until "he" is taken out of the world.

Misinterpreted Verses Concerning The Rapture

The first verses are Rev 6:9-8:5. These verses are a favorite of the Mid and Post Tribbers. The viewpoint of these verses, the mid and post tribbers feel, support the notion that the church (key word here) will be martyred for their witness of Jesus Christ. The time of the rapture as seen by John in Revelation 4 is when the church is raptured. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 are the results and furthers actions of the rapture (the trigger effect). Chapters 4-7 occur simultaneously at the Rapture. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are the direct effects of the rapture occurring.

Other parts of Revelation have been misinterpreted is supporting these two views: Rev 12 and Rev 19 are two other chapters in Revelation that people have misunderstood.

Daniel 12 is another chapter that describes a Mid or Post rapture view but this chapter is really describing the conditions and some events of the tribulation.

What To Do If You Are Left Behind

If you are not a Christian you won't be going when Jesus comes for his church. You'll be left in a world of total chaos, economic collapse, civil war, large scale riots and twenty one pending judgements of GOD. I don't envy you at all. The good news is that it doesn't last forever, just seven years (The Tribulation).

So, what should you do?

Accept Jesus Christ as your savior and messiah. It won't change your circumstance, but you will be on the winning side and you will enter the Millennial Kingdom (Messianic Kingdom).
Do not take any marks, micro chips or tattoos in your forehead or right hand! This is thedreaded Mark of the Beast.
Do not worship idols of any man, woman, or object.
Stand firm on your faith in Jesus Christ, even in the face of death.
Do not believe anything the world tells you. Remember the world is all lies, lies, lies! The world, with the help of the liberal media, will try their best to blame the disappearance on UFO's or some form of spiritual evolution. Do not believe this for a moment.

Rosh HaShanah (Feast Of Trumpets).

The Feasts Are The Central Core To Understanding The Bible And How God Works

Jesus has sequentially fulfilled each of the feasts in order. The next feast to be fulfilled is Rosh HaShanah (Feast Of Trumpets).

We don't know what year the Rapture will happen. But it will happen during the Rosh HaShanah period (mid September to mid October). Paul tells us that we already know of these times(feasts).

1 Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

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Last Modified: July 18, 1998