The Bible is clear
that all the dead shall rise first and those who are alive and remain at the
end shall then be joined with the Lord in the air.
1
Thessalonians 4:13. But I do not want
you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you
sorrow as others who have no hope.
14. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15. For this we say to you by the word
of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the
coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And
the dead in Christ will rise first. 17.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the
Lord. 18. Therefore comfort one another
with these words.
The word rapture stems from the word rapere in Latin. In our modern Greek Bibles, the word harpazo is used. They both have the same definition.
Strong's Ref. # 726 Romanized harpazo Pronounced har-pad'-zo
from a derivative of GSN0138; to sieze (in various applications):
KJV--catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).
What the false teachers don’t tell you is that Jesus was raptured. Of course everybody knows that Jesus died in the flesh for all the worlds’ sins.
Revelation 12 :5. And she bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up (harpazo) to God and to His throne.
You have not heard that the evil one harpazos the seed sown in the heart of the one who received seed by the wayside.
Matthew13:19. "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away (harpazo) what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
In fact the word harpazo or rapere in the Latin is used many times in various applications and does not mean Pretribulation rapture.
That which was
written in 1 Thessalonians 4 was to comfort those who had loved ones that died
and to inform them that their hope is to be resurrected into heaven with those
who had already died in Jesus; not that they
should hope in a pretribulation rapture. The rapture cannot take place until
the antichrist is sitting in the seat of God in Jerusalem. He who restrains and
protects Israel is Michael the archangel who will leave and ascend up to lead
the Holy angels to kick the serpent dragon out of heaven in the great angelic
war written about in the prophetical book of Revelation.
2
Thessalonians 2:1. Now, brethren,
concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2. not to be soon shaken in mind
or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though
the day of Christ had come. 3. Let no one deceive
you by any means; for that Day will not come
unless the falling away comes first, and
the man of sin is revealed, the son of
perdition, 4. who opposes and exalts himself above all that
is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of
God, showing himself that he is God.
5. Do you not remember that when
I was still with you I told you these things?
6. And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his
own time. 7. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at
work; only He who now restrains will do so until
He is taken out of the way. 8. And
then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the
breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
Daniel
12:1. "At
that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a
nation, even to that time. and at that time your people
shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. 2. And
many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall
awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Revelation
12:7. And war
broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon
and his angels fought, 8. but they did
not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9. So
the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old,
called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the
whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with
him.
The apostle Paul did not utter any new prophesy about the
rapture and our gathering to be together with the Lord but uncovered a mystery
already written in prophetical scriptures and expounded on those Old Testament
verses which unfortunately he did not refer to in some of his letters that are
still available for us to read today. But maybe that was God’s will so we would
research and study those same scriptures. Each time the apostle Paul speaks of
this event when the remnant are raised alive he makes it clear that it is at
the end, with the last trump and the arrival of Jesus for the judgment.
1 Corinthians 15:51. Behold, I tell you a mystery:
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed 52.
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Here are some of the verses Paul learned this mystery of the
remnant who are alive in Jerusalem at the Lord’s coming from the Holy Bible.
Isaiah 4:3 And it shall come to
pass that he who remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, everyone that is written among the living in Jerusalem.
2 Kings 19:30. And the remnant
who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward,
and bear fruit upward. 31. For out of
Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and those who
escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.'
Isaiah 1:8. So the daughter
of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard,
as a hut in a garden of cucumbers, as a
besieged city. 9. Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like
Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.
Isaiah 10:17. So the Light of Israel will be for a fire,
and his Holy One for a flame; it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers
in one day. 18. And it will consume
the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body;
and they will be as when a sick man wastes away. 19.
Then the rest of the trees of his forest
will be so few in number that a child may write them.
Ezekiel
7:6. `Those who
survive will escape and be on the mountains like doves of the valleys,
all of them mourning, Each for his iniquity.
Ezekiel
9:4. and the Lord said to him, "Go
through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all
the abominations that are done within it.'' 5. To
the others He said in my hearing, "Go after him through the city and kill;
do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity.
6. "Utterly slay old and
young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone
on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.'
Ezekiel
14:21. For thus says the Lord God:
"How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on
Jerusalem the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence to cut off man
and beast from it? 22. "Yet behold, there shall be left in it a
remnant who will be brought out, both sons and
daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and
their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have
brought upon Jerusalem, indeed all that I have brought upon it.
Joel 2:32. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls
on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount
Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said,
among the remnant whom the Lord calls.
Zechariah
14:4. And in that day His feet will
stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount
of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley;
half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the
south. 5. Then you shall flee through My mountain
valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you
fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my
God will come, and all the saints.
The false teachers today tell you basically the same lies
that the false prophets told to ancient Israel in their day. Saying that no
harm or tribulation will come to them if you just come to our church, believe
in a pretribulation rapture and give us your money then everything will be just
great and smile because Christians are never sad. Stop listening to their
words, read the Bible, study with a computer program, free and readily
available on the internet. Research with a computer is so much faster and I
believe this is part of the reason why knowledge increases in these last days.
If you do not have accesses to a computer get a concordance with a matching
Bible of the same translation.
1
Thessalonians 5:3. For when they shall say, Peace and safety then sudden destruction
comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not
escape.
Jeremiah
14:13. Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold,
the prophets say to them, You shall not see the sword,
neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
14. Then the LORD said to me, The
prophets prophesy lies in my name: I have not sent them, neither have I
commanded them, neither spoken to them: they prophesy
to you a false vision and divination, and a thing of naught, and the deceit of
their heart. 15. Therefore thus
saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent
them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword
and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
The next verses were
written to apostate Jerusalem and Mystery Babylon; the spreader of false doctrines.
Isaiah 28:14. Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you
scornful men, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, 15.
because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, and
with Sheol we are in agreement. When the
overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made
lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.'' 16.
Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone
for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
whoever believes will not act hastily.
17. Also I will make justice the
measuring line, and righteousness the plummet; the
hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the
hiding place. 18. Your covenant with death will be annulled,
and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when
the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it.
Amos
9:10. All the
sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, The evil shall not
overtake nor fall upon us.
Isaiah 3:12. As for My people, children are their
oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people! Those
who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths.''
A very small number of people are gathered alive compared to those who
die in their faith. God would not break this supposed promise of a
pretribulation rapture to millions of believers throughout the ages who died
before the great tribulation period even began. We can be 100 percent sure of
the resurrection into heaven if we have truly repented of our sins
and put our faith in the Lord Jesus, our Messiah. For those who die in the Lord
it is actually better to be removed from this evil time.
Isaiah 57: 1. The
righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away,
while no one considers that the righteous is taken
away from evil.
2. He shall enter into peace; they shall
rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.
Luke
21:33. "Heaven and earth will pass
away, but My words will not pass away. 34.
"Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with
dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come
on you suddenly like a trap; 35. for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the
earth. 36. "But keep on the
alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these
things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
There are only two
small and smaller groups of God’s chosen elect which are listed in scripture as
living and not suffering death in the body at the end of the time of great
tribulation which will come upon the whole earth. The 144000 virgins from the
Church of Philadelphia and and the surviving remnant of Jerusalem.
God has only promised the church
of Philadelphia, whom millions of people claim to be, that they would be
spared from the great trial upon the whole earth. The only living members of
this church in the time of great tribulation will be the144,000 virgins
who are protected and nourished in a safe place in the wilderness for
three and a half years. Everybody else will have to be chastened, tried and
purified through the fiery trial of great tribulation with the only living
survivors of God’s people being the remnant of Jerusalem. The reason why that the virgins are separate is because they do not belong to a church of Mystery Babylon, believe,
practice, speak or write false doctrines while even opposing all these things.
They are wise and turn many to
righteousness. They obey the commandments of Jesus,
having the Holy Spirit living inside them
who teaches them pure doctrine. They have forsaken all to follow him. They do not deny the name of Jesus at any cost and endure all things with patience. They watch and guard the Word, studying line upon line,
precept upon precept, here a little, there a little and pray daily
looking for signs of the return of their Lord and Savior. They have the name of the Father God written on their
foreheads before the day of the Lord begins. They need no further
purification or refining because they are spotless. I pray I could honestly say
that about myself.
The mainly gentile
church of Smyrna who are the children of Abraham will undergo ten days of great
tribulation in which the antichrist will possibly have his counterfeit ten days
of awe for the Day of Atonement which is a foreshadow of the judgment also
known as Yom Kippur and he will slaughter Christians of the sons of Abraham for
ten days until the final one of that group is killed. Then the day of the Lord
will commence with a great earthquake with mountains being moved as the Lord
will gather up the children of Abraham and begin his wrath upon the wicked that
dwell upon the earth. Many authors, church leaders, pastors and prophets will
tell you that God is waiting for the last Christian to be saved before he comes
in a pretribulation rapture but the Bible says that he waits for the last
believer to be killed in this mixed multitude of the sons and daughters of
Abraham before he comes to avenge their deaths as the day of the Lord
commences.
Revelation
6:9. When He opened the fifth seal, I
saw under the altar the souls of those who had been
slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10.
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy
and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those
who dwell on the earth?''
11. And a white robe was given to
each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest
a little while longer, until both the number of their
fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was
completed.
Revelation
3:7. "And to the angel of the
church in Philadelphia write, `These things says He who is holy, He who is
true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and
shuts and no one opens'': 8. "I know your works. See, I have set before
you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9.
"Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they
are Jews and are not, but lie indeed I will make them come and worship before
your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
10. "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from
the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those
who dwell on the earth. 11.
"Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may
take your crown.12. Him that overcomes,
will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more: and
I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which
is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write
upon him my new name.
Revelation
14:1. Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb
standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and
forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their
foreheads. 2. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the
voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound
of harpists playing their harps. 3. And they sang as it were a new song before
the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could
learn that song except the hundred and forty-four
thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4.
These are the ones who were not defiled with the
woman for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb
wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5. And
in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without
fault before the throne of God.
Zephaniah 3:12. I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. 13. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.'' 14. Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Zephaniah
3:18. "I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you,
to whom its reproach is a burden.
19. Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I
will save the lame, and gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them
for praise and fame in every land where they were put to shame.
Revelation 9:3. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Psalm
55:6. And I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! For then I would fly away and be at rest. 7.
Indeed, I would wander far off, And remain in
the wilderness. Selah 8. I would hasten my escape From the windy storm
and tempest.''
Revelation
12:6. Then the woman
fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that
they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and
sixty days.
Revelation 12:13. Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast
to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14.
But the woman was given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is
nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the
serpent.
Luke
12:36. "and you yourselves be like
men who wait for their master, when he will return for the wedding, that when
he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.
37. "Blessed are those servants
whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you
that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and
serve them.
Isaiah
56:4. For thus says the Lord: "To
the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My
covenant, 5. even to them I will give in My house and
within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I
will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
There are four
different watches for the coming day of the Lord and several different groups
of God’s chosen peoples of the seven churches who have a set time of
ingathering according to their appointed lot.
Mark
13:33-37 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For
the son of man is as a man taking a long 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 evening, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing,
or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly, he
should find you sleeping. And what I say to
you, I say to all, Watch.
Matthew
20:1. "For the kingdom of heaven is
like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2.
"Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he
sent them into his vineyard. 3.
"And he went out about the third hour
and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4.
"and said to them, `You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is
right I will give you.' And they went.
5. "Again he went out about the
sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6.
"And about the eleventh hour he went
out and found others standing idle, and said to them, `Why have you been
standing here idle all day?' 7. "They said to him, `Because no one hired
us.' He said to them, `You also go into the vineyard,
and whatever is right you will receive.'
8. "So when evening had
come, the owner of the vineyard said to his
steward, `Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.' 9.
"And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.
Just as Peter denied
the Lord three times before the cock crowed in the 3rd watch and Peter, James,
and John were found sleeping, so shall the majority of the three different
groups of god’s people deny him and be found sleeping at his coming. They shall
be purified and refined in the fiery oven of great tribulation. The 144000
virgins shall be ready, watching and waiting.
Jerusalem is a very small group that shall be redeemed after the great
tribulation period at the completion of the 1st judgment.
Psalms
130:6. My soul
waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more
than they that watch for the morning.
Nehemiah 7:3. And I
said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot;
and while they stand on guard, let them shut
the doors, and bar ye them: and appoint watches
of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch,
and every one to be over against his house.
Another key to understand the prophecies of the last days is
to understand the meaning of the opening of the third seal in Revelation. The
four different watches are represented as crops or fruits of the earth for
harvesting. There is a progression of watches
and ingatherings as Jesus stated. For each individual it shall be as the
twinkling of an eye because we are not sure which watch
he will come for us. The 24 elders have already been resurrected and gathered
up to heaven around the throne of God.
Revelation
6:6. And I heard a voice in the midst of
the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat
for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a
denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.''
I believe many have
incorrectly interpreted this to mean that there will be a worldwide food
shortage and famine at that time, but scripturally this speaks of the first
fruits of God‘s harvest at the four appointed watches while the famine upon the
earth begins with the opening of the fourth seal. What really is happening is a
picture of the redeeming of the bodies of the children of Abraham from all
nations (barley) and Israel (wheat) while the 144000 virgins of Israel (wine)
and Judah (oil) are given protection from hades and death of the body. These
two groups do not need redemption of the body because they will not die, but
remain until the Lord returns for the first judgment. The virgins will be
protected and nourished the whole time but Judah shall be refined and purified
under great tribulation and be a small number of survivors. It must be noted
again that the virgins have already proven themselves before the time of great
tribulation begins as they suffer tribulation individually and go through fire
and water before the time of trial upon the whole earth.
1
Corinthians 15:22. For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23. But each one in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
Romans 8:23. And not
only they, but we also who have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the
adoption, the redemption of our body.
Revelation
6:7. When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living
creature saying, "Come and see.''
8. And I looked, and behold, a
pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed
with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with
sword, with hunger, with death, and by the
beasts of the earth.
The wrath of God
which begins with the opening of the sixth seal is a permanent judgment upon
the body and soul of the wicked and must not be confused with great tribulation
which begins with the opening of the fourth seal and shall separate the true
believer from the imposters. Only the wrath of the serpent dragon shall be upon
believers in the time of great tribulation and are only capable of tormenting
and destroying the earthly body. They cannot and do not have permission to
touch a person’s soul whose judgment is reserved for the Lamb of God.
Matthew
10:28. "And do not fear those who
kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear
Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
John 3:36. "He who believes in the Son has
everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but
the wrath of God abides on him.''
Romans
1:18. For the wrath
of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in
unrighteousness, 19. because what may be known of God is manifest
in them, for God has shown it to them.
Romans
5:8. But God demonstrates His own love
toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
1 Thessalonians 1:10. and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He
raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us
from the wrath to come.
1
Thessalonians 5:9. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10. who died for us, that whether we wake or
sleep, we should live together with Him.
Revelation
6:16. and said to the mountains and
rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne
and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17.
"For the great day of His wrath has come,
and who is able to stand?''
Christians are not
appointed to the wrath of the Lamb of God but many are appointed for death of
the body by the wrath of Satan.
Revelation
12:12. "Therefore rejoice, O
heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the
sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great
wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.'' 13. Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast
to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave
birth to the male Child.
Revelation 12:11. "And they overcame
him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word
of their testimony, and they did not love
their lives to the death.
Revelation 12:17. And the dragon
was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Daniel
11:36. "Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall
exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the
God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been
accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.
Revelation
13:11. Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had
two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
Revelation
13:15. He was granted power to give
breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak
and cause as many as would not worship the image of the
beast to be killed.
Revelation
20:4. And I saw thrones, and they sat on
them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been cut off 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.
The woman in the
flesh was blessed Mary who represented symbolically Israel who has the 12 stars
who gave birth to Jesus conceived by the Holy Spirit from the pure seed of
David. Anybody who receives the Holy Spirit is the offspring of the woman
through Christ who is the seed of Eve, Seth, Abraham, Jacob (Israel), David and
then Jesus who in all that are called have the option to be his son. All those
who die in the flesh for Jesus at the hands of Satan, the serpent dragon during
the time of great tribulation are members of the Church body and are overcomers
by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of Truth.
Revelation
7:13. Then one of the elders answered,
saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they
come from?'' 14. And I said to him, "Sir, you know.'' 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.
Matthew 24:9. "Then they
will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated
by all nations for My name's sake. 10.
"And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will
hate one another. 11. "Then many
false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
Matthew 24:13. "But he who
endures to the end shall be saved.
Matthew
24:21. "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the
beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
John
16:33. "These things I have spoken
to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you
will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.''
Acts
14:21. And when they had preached the
gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium,
and Antioch, 22. strengthening the souls of the disciples,
exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.''
Romans
5:1. Therefore, having been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2.
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we
stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3. And not only that, but we also
glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation
produces perseverance; 4. and perseverance, character; and character,
hope.
Romans
8:35. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36. As
it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all
day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.''
2
Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all
comfort, 4. who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those
who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted
by God. 5. For as the sufferings
of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
1
Thessalonians 3:4. For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer
tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.
Revelation
1:9. I, John,
both your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and
patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word
of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 2:8. "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, `These things says the
First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 9.
"I know your works, tribulation,
and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they
are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10.
"Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer.
Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be
tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.
Be faithful until death, and I will give you
the crown of life. 11. "He who has
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes
shall not be hurt by the second death.'' '
Jesus did not promise
all his church that they would not suffer tribulation or death of the body.
The wrath of the Lamb
which begins immediately after the ingathering of the gentile
church of the sons of Abraham (barley) in Revelation 6:13 shall be upon the
wicked who roam the earth. The gentiles do not have an easy out and are not
more valuable than those with the blood line of Israel or Judah.
We being many are one
body in Christ. All who trust in the name of Jesus are and will be a member of
the Church which is the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit dwells in all who trust
in the Lord and shall not ever be removed from the earth so long as one single
believer remains.
Romans
12:4. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same
function, 5. so we,
being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one
another.
1
Corinthians 10:17. For we, being many, are one bread and one body; for we all
partake of that one bread.
The more prominent
position in heaven will actually be ordained to the true Jewish people of
Jerusalem who will convert and join the body of Christ
during the period of great tribulation; a re-grafted branch of the olive tree
who shall be the remnant that are alive and remain. Some of Those who are first
shall be last, and those who are last shall be first. The Lord called the Jew
first, and the Greek or gentile second.
Ephesians
2:11. Therefore remember that you, once
Gentiles in the flesh who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the
Circumcision made in the flesh by hands
12. that at that time you were
without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from
the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by
the blood of Christ. 14. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of
division between us, 15. having abolished in His flesh the enmity,
that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in
Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16.
and that He might reconcile them both to God in one
body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17. And He came and preached peace to you who
were afar off and to those who were near.
18. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
There are however distinctions in peoples for the ingatherings
of the Lord for those of the dead and the living.
The first ingathering was a sheaf offering of
the Old Testament saints who were preached to and some were
released from paradise of Abraham’s bosom by Jesus after he died on the cross
and descended below. Many of the Israelites of these were seen walking around
Jerusalem for a short period before they ascended into heaven.
Isaiah
26:19. Thy dead
men shall live; together with my dead body (Jesus) shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of
herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Matthew
27:52-53 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of
the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves
after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to
many.
They are now among the twenty-four elders along
with the apostles seated around the throne of the father
described in Revelation who came from all nations of the world, and they belong
to the Church of Smyrna. They are righteous descendants of Adam and Noah’s
sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, united by their faith in the Father God.
The second
ingathering consisted of the Apostles and early Church martyrs who were the
firstfruits of Harvest of Weeks and I believe they are a part of the Church of Ephesus.
Romans
8:23. And not only they, but ourselves
also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for
the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
James
1:17. Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18.
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
The following verse indicates the different structural members of the Holy
temple which is the body of Christ are being fit together over time until
it’s completion. The foundation is the first
building structure laid and is made up of the apostles
and prophets which are the 24 Elders.
Ephesians 2:19. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20. having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21. in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22. in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.
The third ingathering shall be of the children of Abraham, which is the church of Smyrna from all nations
representing the barley harvest being redeemed in
Revelation 6:6; in the evening watch, sometime near the middle the
7 years of great affliction at the opening of the sixth seal in Revelation
6:13, just preceding the wrath of the Lamb. The Bible describes these
believers as waiting under the altar and for
the Lord to avenge their deaths in Rev.6:12.
The Scriptures do not mention specifically any of these to be live believers,
only that the Lamb waits for the last
one to be killed before he applies his wrath upon the wicked of the
earth. These are of a great number who came
out of great tribulation and are to serve God day
and night in the temple as described in the prophetical book of
Revelation.
Revelation 7:9. After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with
palm branches in their hands, 10. and
crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who
sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!''
Genesis 17:5. "No longer shall your name be called
Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I
have made you a father of many nations. 6. "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations
of you, and kings shall come from you.
7. "And I will establish My
covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their
generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants
after you.
Galatians
3:7. Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8. And
the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached
the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all
the nations shall be blessed.''
9. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
The fourth
ingathering in the midnight watch consists of the living 144,000 spiritual
virgins of the 12 tribes of Israel along with the rest of the Church of
Philadelphia, the wine harvest in Rev. 6:6; The virgins are unaffected by false
doctrine and the wrath of the enemy and follow the Lord Jesus wherever he goes.
They are marked and taken alive to a safe place with the Lord Jesus. These have
the name of the Father written on their forehead which is indicative of the
church of Philadelphia. These are the only people spared from the great trial
upon all the earth as they are protected for the last half of the seven years.
Revelation 12:6. Then the woman
fled into the wilderness, where she has a place
prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and
sixty days.
Revelation 12:13. Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
The fifth ingathering
at the beginning of the cock-crowing shall be the house of Joseph, the wild
vine who was separated from his brethren of Israel while his son Ephraim was
prophesied to bring forth many nations and represents the Church of Laodicea.
Many who consider themselves of the gentiles will be surprised to learn of their
inclusion in this group.
Revelation
3:17. "Because you say, `I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and
do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked 18.
"I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you
may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of
your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that
you may see. 19. "As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
20. "Behold, I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to
him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Hosea 12:7. A merchant,
in whose hands are false balances, He loves
to oppress.
8.
And Ephraim said,
"Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labors
they will find in me No iniquity, which {would be} sin."
The sixth ingathering
at the cock-crowing watch is the great harvest of the earth, the wheat of Rev.
6:6; the house of Israel who is represented by the Church of Pergamos, Judah of
Thyatira and the prophets of Ephesus shall receive victory over the beast and
die in the Lord.
Revelation 14:14. And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and
on the cloud sat One like 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 who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your
sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the
earth is ripe.'' 16. So He who sat on
the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Revelation
11:3. And I will give power unto my two
witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days,
clothed in sackcloth. 4. These are the
two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Revelation
11:11. And after three days and an half
the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet;
and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12. And they heard a great voice from heaven
saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud;
and their enemies beheld them.
Psalms
103: 1. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And
all that is within me, bless His holy name!
The seventh and final ingathering in
the morning watch is the rapture
of the remaining living of Jerusalem; the oil of Rev.
6:6 represented by the Church of Thyatira who are told to come out of
Babylon (Jerusalem), so as not to receive her judgments.
This is evidenced by the sad judgment pronounced upon Jerusalem in Matthew 23
when he said you shall not see me henceforth until you shall say “blessed
is he that comes in the name of the Lord.” These words are also spoken in Psalms 118, a book which describes the time of
Jesus birth, the tribulation of the end times, and all gatherings into heaven,
in chronological order. You may read about this in the Prophetically Chronological Psalms.
Revelation
18:4. And I heard another voice from
heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people,
lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
Psalms 110:1. The Lord said to my Lord, "Remain at My right hand, Till
I make Your enemies Your footstool.''
2. The Lord shall send the rod of
Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! 3.
Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the
beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your
youth. 4. The Lord has sworn And will not relent,
"You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.'' 5. The
Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.
6. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places
with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries. 7. He
shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head.
The mystery of the
extra 45 days spoken of by the prophet Daniel is exposed in the latter book of
Psalm. With Bible scriptures we must ignore and disregard the numbers of the
verses and chapters which were not originally included in the ancient
manuscripts, but added at a later time for reference. Beginning in Psalm 119
there are twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, from Aleph to Tau. Second,
there are fifteen songs of degrees or ascents beginning in Psalm 120. Thirdly,
there are 8 Psalms of David beginning in Psalm 138 which parallel the feast of
tabernacles; all of which total forty-five; the number of days of the first
‘bema’ judgment of Revelation, in which all are blessed and take part in the
first resurrection. The book of Psalms are indicative of the procession of
time, as is degrees and the Hebrew alphabet. How great is our Lord to show us
these ancient mysteries in these last days!
Daniel
12:11. "And from the time that the
daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up,
there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12.
"Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the
one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
Although not
specifically mentioned, anything is possible with God for a small number of
live believers to be raptured in each of the forthcoming watches of the Lord,
but most shall die for their faith with the exception of the 144,000 and the
small remnant who survive in Jerusalem. We
can only hope, pray, and watch, that we may not be caught sleeping in the time
of our own visitation. For most believers throughout the ages, the return of
Christ is imminent when we die our earthly death.
The mixed multitude
of Abraham, 144000 Virgins and House of Joseph all wear garments of many colors
before they receive their white garments indicating that they are intermixed
with the gentiles and their identity is hidden to them and most others. Satan
has a perfect memory over 7000 years and knows who they are if God has not
hidden it from him and is the reason for the secret persecution and murder of
God’s chosen elect at the current time. You may read about this in the book of
Psalms.
The following lists
are preliminary and are by no means set in stone or the Word of God; I am
simply attempting to do what the Lord commanded me to do by putting line upon
line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little and publish my
findings. I suppose my doctrine will never be perfect until the Lord Jesus
returns and I receive my new body with a perfect understanding and memory while
he corrects me with his Sword of Truth.
The ingathering or
harvesting of God’s chosen peoples are possibly represented by these eight Holy
days of Israel:
Firstfruits: Jesus
Passover: O.T.
saints (some) Elders
Beginning Pentecost: Apostles Elders Firstfruits
Day of Atonement: Gentiles
of Abraham
Purim: 144,000 virgins
Trumpets: House
of Joseph
End Pentecost: Israel
Judah Prophets
Tabernacles: Jerusalem
Solemn Assembly: All Church together
The Four Watches are
likely to be:
1st Evening watch: Children of Abraham Barley
2nd Midnight watch: 144,000 Virgins Wine
3rd Cock-crowing watch: Joseph-Israel Judah Prophets Wheat
4th Morning watch: Jerusalem Oil
The Seven Churches
are probably:
Thyatira: Judah Jerusalem
Pergamos: Israel
Ephesus: Prophets and Watchmen
Smyrna: Mixed Multitude of
Abraham
Sardis: Mystery
Philadelphia: 144000 Virgins of Israel
Laodicea: Ephraim House of
Joseph
Because I only know
in part and am learning on a continual basis the knowledge set forth by our
Lord and Savior Jesus, being led by the Holy Spirit, I find minor mistakes and
update all my writings as I gather more pieces of the puzzle of the prophecy of
these last days. I urge you to do your own studies to receive a fuller
knowledge of Scriptures. There is an abundant wealth of mysteries ready to be
uncovered in these last days with knowledge increasing and the aid of
computers.
