To ALL:
I have to split this in two. This is an email I sent to my pastor. It's long but explains everything...
Hi Pastor John,
I am feeling like we are in Acts 2:17 which makes me an old man, LOL. Things are popping into my head almost by the hour, new revelations and such. I want your take on the below strictly from a scriptural prospective to make sure the "wrong" spirits aren't at work here. What I am about to share with you is a matter of life or death and I'm not exaggerating!! I am not crazy, misguided, spiritually deprived or given to self-importance. If you read this and allow your heart to be open, nothing will bless you more as a Christian, other than salvation itself.
The Rapture doctrine is a lie, it is from Satan. Nowhere is the Rapture taught in the Bible. There isn't a single Rapture lesson that can be found. Jesus certainly never taught it and according to Mark 13:23 Jesus said, "But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand." This passage appears in the middle of the Olivet Discourse where Jesus is discussing the appearance of Antichrist. Jesus later says in John 15:15, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." But if you look at all the Words of Jesus you will only see Him discussing ONE RETURN and that return is clearly AFTER the Tribulation. Nowhere does Jesus teach the Rapture concept. In fact there is not a single passage anywhere in the Bible that teaches 1) two returns of Christ, 2) a return BEFORE the Tribulation or 3) shows the Raptured Church in heaven during the tribulation.
The Rapture theory attempts to clear up supposed "discrepancies" or "conflicts" in the Bible but it really creates them because the Bible is worded perfectly with no need to be "corrected" by any doctrine or theory such as Dispensationalism. The biggest problem leading to creation of the Rapture theory is a fundamental lack of understanding concerning the Tribulation, Resurrection and God's plan for the Church.
Once the Tribulation is understood and defined, then it because crystal clear when the Lord returns and it resolves all "conflicts" that the Rapture doctrine supposedly solves.
Let's clear up what the Great Tribulation is then we can discuss timing:
Tribulation = (2347) thlipsis from root (2346) thlibo: to crowd, afflict, narrow, throng, persecution, suffer trouble.
In the context of Revelation, we know that John also calls it, "The hour of temptation" Rev 3:10.
Temptation = (3986) peirasmos; a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline of provocation); by implication adversity: - temptation x try.
If we look at Rev 2:22 we see John tell the church, "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. [SUP]23 [/SUP]I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts"
"Great Tribulation" appears just three times in the Bible (KJV). Mat 24:21, Rev 2:22 and to describe the multitudes in heaven, Rev 7:14.
Once you understand what the Tribulation is and what it's purpose is, there can be no doubt about what the Rapture is and when it is. For those who think the Tribulation is a period where mountains are being cast into the sea, trees and grass getting burned up, asteroid attacks, oceans turning to blood, sun and moon turning black from massive volcanic eruptions, huge pits billowing smoke, literal locusts attacking men, etc., have got this 100% WRONG!!!! We have the beginnings of sorrows which last up to the Abomination of Desolation, during this time we have the seduction of man. The first 4 trumpets represent Satan's deceiving us but I won't cover that here.
The great tribulation, as Jesus and John call it, is simply the TEMPTATION OF ANTI-CHRIST. It is as John says in Rev 3:10, "[SUP]10 [/SUP]Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
The whole world (not just the world that is left after a supposed Rapture) will have to chose between the Anti-Christ and the Real Messiah. When Jesus came, most of His people rejected Him as the true Messiah. He will test the world 2,000 years later to see who can discern between the Antichrist/Satan and HIMSELF. Those that fail the test will be slaughtered. This is not fiction or an overstatement. This slaughter is FACT. After the slaughter of 1/3 of the entire population, and a period of A/C rule, God will pour out HIS bowls of wrath on the Beast and Satan's kingdom. That is the Tribulation in a nut shell. After that, Jesus' "enemies will indeed become His footstool" by the Bowls of God's Wrath and He will return, thus fulfilling Psalm 110.
None of God's ELECT will endure God's Wrath. God has NEVER removed a group from earth to protect them, not even for the flood when He destroyed the whole earth. He didn't rapture Lot, Rahab or the Jews from the Passover in Egypt. In every case, instructions were to be obeyed on how to escape HIS wrath. So to Rapture a group off to heaven would be completely unprecedented and unnecessary and God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow; AND so is Satan and His methods.
The 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 Bowls are NOT all part of the Tribulation, they are NOT all from God, and they are NOT all literal. Satan's time is at the 6th Seal, 6th Trumpet, 6th Bowl or another way of saying it is Satan's time is 6-6-6. But the Lord's time is 7-7-7. But that is a whole separate topic.
All the symbolism of Revelation dealing with the Harlot, fornication, the 144,000 being virgins, etc speak to IDOLATRY not sexual impropriety. Jesus uses this same symbolism in Mat 24:19, "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!" This has nothing to do with literal pregnant women or nursing mothers, as a child is a gift from God, not a curse. Also, nobody can help if they are pregnant when this time comes. When Jesus returns, he expects to find his virgin bride, not those who have been worshiping Anti-Christ. This point is so important to understand!!!!
The 144,000 are the ELECT, they are the cream of the crop of all Christians, the "firstfruits redeemed from men." They are spiritually virgin, not having believed in false religions, gods, or doctrines. The 144K are the one's Jesus goes to battle with (Joel Chapter 2), not some weak, recent converts not worthy of the Rapture, thus having been "left behind." The fact that these 144K are still on earth alone destroys there being an earlier Rapture. 1 Cor 15:20-24 teaches us the correct order.
Read Mat 24:15-26 in the correct light of what the purpose of the Tribulation really is and you will see how very clear it becomes and how much the Lord warns us about the False One:
[SUP]15 [/SUP]“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), [SUP]16 [/SUP]“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. [SUP]17 [/SUP]Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. [SUP]18 [/SUP]And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. [SUP]19 [/SUP]But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! [SUP]20 [/SUP]And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. [SUP]21 [/SUP]For then there will be great tribulation, (OR GREAT TEMPTATION FROM ANTI-CHRIST/SATAN) such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. [SUP]22 [/SUP]And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
[SUP]23 [/SUP]“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. [SUP]24 [/SUP]For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders (REV 13:13) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. [SUP]25 [/SUP]See, I have told you beforehand.
[SUP]26 [/SUP]“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.
Therefore there is no rapture of the church before this HOUR OF TEMPTATION. If there was, the whole world would not be tempted. If there was a Rapture, Jesus' warnings would be meaningless and the whole Book of Revelation would be meaningless to end times Christians. GOD will test the whole world to see who will follow the Anti-Christ and who will reject the A/C and wait for the real Messiah to return. PAUL GIVES THE SAME ORDER AND WARNING IN 2 THES 2. John gives the same order in Revelation if you know what to look for.
After this "TEST" or "TEMPTATION" the Christian population will be decimated as we will see in a few paragraphs. The 144K will be left and perhaps others who are not part of the 144K but are part of the ELECT who knew the truth. That is why Paul uses the phrase, "Alive and remain." This phrase implies a small group that survived something terrible. At some point after this "test", God will pour out HIS WRATH on the BEAST and his KINGDOM, Rev 16. After God has made Christ's enemies "His Footstool" Christ will return. This is what most call the Rapture. But nobody is getting "raptured" off to heaven. First, most Christians fail the test and are in heaven already. The rest, HIS ELECT, receive glorified bodies and remain on earth and become teachers and priests and reign with Christ during the Millennium.
What I am about to tell you will really make you think I am crazy, but this is absolutely scriptural and will come to pass. Those who fail this test, will be KILLED, slaughtered actually - and I'll prove it!! Those that think the real Christ comes first will be far more susceptible than those who believe in Post Trib. Ask yourself this, if the Rapture is not taught in the Bible, than who is behind it? There is only one possible answer.
If Satan is behind the Rapture then clearly God cannot be happy with anyone who believes it let alone teaches it. You will not lose you salvation but you will get a quick ticket to heaven, but not by a glorious Rapture as most think.
Yes, "failed" saints go to heaven. They accepted Christ as savior therefore they are saved even though they failed the "test/temptation" and "went out" when Jesus told them not to. They believed in Satan's Rapture doctrine thinking the first "Christ" to appear would be the real Christ rather than believing the Word as written. They are the ones slaughtered by A/C and in heaven by Rev 7, as the great multitude who, "Came out of the Great Tribulation." This will be most of the "church" thus the church isn't mentioned again until the Trib is over.
What are we told about this "Great Multitude?" They will no longer "hunger", "thirst", "be scorched" or "cry". Pay close attention to the order given. Also know these are spiritual terms in use here. Also remember Paul's lesson of the Olive Tree in Romans 11. This is very important. Just as some of us are grafted in, many will be ungrafted along with unbelieving Jews. Paul warns us specifically about this and warns us not to get haughty thinking we (the Church) are better than the Jews.
Rev 7:
So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. [SUP]15 [/SUP]Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. [SUP]16 [/SUP]They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; [SUP]17 [/SUP]for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
There isn't supposed to be tears in heaven but this group was crying and it wasn't because they endured all kinds of terrible things on earth. We have a witness to this. Look at this group in Isaiah 65 contrasted to the ELECT. Compare the order given highlighted for these two groups below and above:
[SUP]12 [/SUP]Therefore I will number you for the sword,
And you shall all bow down to the slaughter;
Because, when I called, you did not answer;
When I spoke, you did not hear,
But did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight. (SATAN'S LIE)
[SUP]13 [/SUP]Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, My servants shall eat,
But you shall be hungry;
Behold, My servants shall drink,
But you shall be thirsty;
Behold, My servants shall rejoice,
But you shall be ashamed;
[SUP]14 [/SUP]Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart,
But you shall cry for sorrow of heart,
And wail for grief of spirit.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]You shall leave your name as a curse to My chosen;
For the Lord God will slay you,
And call His servants by another name; (SEE REV 2:17)
[SUP]16 [/SUP]So that he who blesses himself in the earth
Shall bless himself in the God of truth;
And he who swears in the earth
Shall swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My eyes.
[SUP]17 [/SUP]“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
[SUP]18 [/SUP]But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
[SUP]19 [/SUP]I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, (THEY WERE CRYING IN OLD JERUSALEM)Nor the voice of crying."
Here is where we see them slaughtered. This is the "Hour of Temptation" John mentions in Rev 3:10. This is the warning Jesus gives in Mat 24:21-26.
Rev 9:
[SUP]15 [/SUP]So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. [SUP]16 [/SUP]Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. [SUP]17 [/SUP]And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. [SUP]18 [/SUP]By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed...
I'm not making any bold assertions here but these colors are the exact colors of Pope Francis' crest. Pope Francis is already speaking of accepting of gays, atheists, and working towards a one-world religion.
Yes, the ELECT are the ones who get caught up and changed. Only the Elect are left when Christ returns. Paul includes himself in this group thinking it would happen in his lifetime. Christ returns on white horse, Rev 19:11. Then we see who Jesus brings with him.
Rev 20:
[SUP]4 [/SUP]And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Those who believe in the Rapture and "Go out" they believed Satan's lie and while they did not worship Satan, they lost their spiritual virginity. Thus they are NOT invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and thus they remain with GOD in heaven for one heaven day which is 1,000 earth years. (See 2 Peter 3:8)
[SUP]5 [/SUP]But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. [SUP]6 [/SUP]Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
We see this same lesson and order of resurrection given by Paul in 1 Cor 15:20-24. Now look at the supposed key Rapture passage in the correct light. Someone went to a lot of trouble over this Rapture doctrine and it includes a BIG incorrect interpretation.