Pastor Bob (3 May 2015)
""Pre-Tribulation Truth - 10""

 
All Doves:

We begin with the third block of Biblical evidence that supports the Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine teaching.  Part 8 of this series listed 50 essential points of this all-encompassing Biblical concept; and, Part 9 listed the second block of 50 essential points pertaining to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.  As the reader can see each of these points, their essence, understanding, logic, explanation offer an incredible picture of God's Grace in the New Testament; but even expands on the meaning of many Old Testament concepts, themes, patterns, which really provides the reader a large panoramic picture of the character of a loving God.  I suggest that you save these posts to your hard drive in a folder which you can come back to regularly.  We continue where I left off on the particulars of the events that lead to the bride's wedding:

101.  The bride has time to prepare for her wedding trousseau, getting ready for married life with her new bridegroom.  The Church remains true to Jesus during this time by preparing to meet her Bridegroom someday.

102.  At the home of the father, the groom prepares a dwelling place for himself and his bride.  Jesus returned to His Father's house in heaven at the time of His ascension.  He promised His followers that while He's there, He prepares mansions for us to dwell in. 

103.  At the end of the period of separation, the bridegroom will return, usually at midnight, to take his bride to come live with him.  The groom, his best man, and other male escorts will leave the father's house and do a torch-light procession to the home of the bride.  The bride does not know the time of the bridegroom's coming.  As a result, the groom's arrival is preceded by a shout.  The time has come, when Christ Jesus will descend into the air, to catch away His Bride/Church up to Himself.  Because the time is unknown, therefore, the Bride/Church is exhorted to be ready.  Someday, the shout which precedes Him will reach our ears and we will rise up to meet Him in the air.  We are to be watching, waiting, and at work doing the Lord's work sharing the Good News of God's grace.  Adjunct to this matter of timing there are reasons to believe we are talking about the hour of midnight.  Take a look at Matthew 25:6 and 13:35 and see if you see the inference here.

104.  After the groom receives his bride (together with her bridesmaids), the enlarged group returns to the house of the groom's father.  Christ Jesus and His Bride/Church will be united in Heaven after the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, at the House of the Father, God of the Universe!

105.  The bride and groom, shortly after their arrival at the house of the groom's father, are escorted by other members of the wedding party to the bridal chamber.  The bride wears a veil so that her face is not seen.  The marriage is consummated.  A little later, it's announced to the wedding guests, at which time the guests have a party for seven days.  Once in Heaven, Jesus and His Bride/Church will have our marriage sealed and it's announced in Heaven.  Celebration at the Jewish wedding lasted "seven" days, physically!  The "seven" days of celebration, corresponding to the "seven" years of the Tribulation ensues.  Sixty years ago, I heard the Sunday School teacher of our young teen class talk about the Jewish "seven" days of celebration.  I just could not imagine a wedding reception lasting seven days and thought the custom was as a bit over the top, but later came to understand the concept behind it, that being "seven" is God's signature of authentication.

106.  While the seven days of the celebration takes place, the bride and groom remain hidden in the bridal chamber, called the "huppah".  After the seven days are finished, the groom comes out of hiding, bringing his new wife with him, and her veil is removed so all can see her.  At that time, the marriage is announced to the world at large.  When the "seven" years of the Tribulation on Earth is finished Christ Jesus and His Bride/Church will leave their chambers.  Christ Jesus will return to the Earth in His Second Coming/Advent to set His feet on the Mount of Olives, and His Bride/Church will accompany Him!  At that time, the marriage is announced to the world at large, and people will see the face of the Bride/Church, as she rules and reigns with Christ Jesus.

107.  The marriage of Christ Jesus and the Bride/Church is seen in Romans 7:4, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye shall be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, ...".  

108.  In 2nd Corinthians 11:2, the Bride/Church, are "espoused to one husband", that we might be presented as "a chaste virgin to Christ".

109.  In James 4:4, the Bride/Church is warned about the lusts of the flesh and love of the world which makes us "adulterers and adultresses", a people who turn against their wedding vows by refusing to keep themselves separate from such things.

110.  The Apostle Paul continually reminds the Bride/Church of the high cost of our purchase price, the Blood of Jesus Christ.  Paul continually teaches of our Covenant with Christ Jesus, by which we, His Bride/Church, are set apart and sanctified.  Let there be no misunderstanding of this high price!

111.  There is clearly a "coming of Jesus" for His Bride/Church before His Second Coming to Earth.  During the Tribulation, His Bride is already in Heaven, and will return to Earth with Him at the Second Coming.  Confirmed in Revelation 10:7-10 and 19:14, as in Jude 1:14-15.

112.  A surprising and often overlooked fact is that the Church will not be the instrument through which the Gospel reaches the entire world!  That will be left

113.  The Church indeed preaches the Gospel of Christ's finished work in His death and resurrection (inviting people to accept Jesus into their hearts and lives), to become members of the Living and True Bride/Church.  However, the last age of the Church is pictured as one of weakness and complacency, falling away from true Biblical doctrine.  This is visualized as the spirit of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22; 2nd Thessalonians 2-3.  This refutes the theology of what is referred to as "Reconstruction Now" or "Kingdom Now" and "Dominionism" taught by several denominations.

114.  Scripture declares that Elijah will come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  Malachi 4:5-6 confirms this.  Elijah is one of the two special prophets who will minister to Israel in the near future.  It becomes obvious why God needed the two witnesses at the finality of the Tribulation, since they paid little heed to the Christians and their Messianic believers, not to mention they [meaning the believing Bride/Church] during this time.

115.  Elijah will be joined by a second special prophet, who will minister in Israel with the same miracles that Moses performed - under God's guidance and power.  These are the two witnesses seen in Zechariah 4:1-14 and again in Revelation 11:3-13.   They will declare God's testimony during the darkest of days of the Tribulation, and Antichrist will be furious with them.

116.  "And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations, and then shall the end come".  -(Matthew 24:14).  Jesus spoke these words, but they were not meant for the Bride/Church.  These words were taught and spoken in the middle of a teaching where Jesus was describing the future Tribulation and Israel's place in it.  Any misunderstanding comes as a result of an ignorance [lack of knowledge] of the recorded Greek text, and a misapplication of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 & 25.. 

117,  Revelation 7:3-8 shows us 144,000 sealed servants of God.  These young men will preach the Gospel during the Tribulation.  They number 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.  They are ministers who will proclaim the Gospel during severe and awful times when judgments fall from God's throne.  Nothing can harm these servants, because God's anointed protection is upon them totally.  The result of their preaching is a great multitude seen in Revelation 7:9-12 and 15:2-4, a group of martyred souls will sing the Song of Moses.  This testimony is for Israel, and in no way should it be construed as being the Church as Jehovah Witnesses have been guilty of teaching for decades.

118.  Further evidence of the Gospel reaching every nation in the world is shown in Revelation 14:6.  An angel flies through the midst of Heaven to preach to all those who dwell on the Earth.  Again, this is not about the Bride/Church but for the left behind.

119.  The Everlasting Gospel and the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the Tribulation, which is nothing more than God bringing His message of mercy in the midst of judgment.  But the Bride/Church is not those ministering.  Furthermore, the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom is that Jesus will soon return to Earth (after the Tribulation) to set the record straight by reclaiming His 'Title Deed' to the Earth, and Jerusalem as His capital.

120.  The Rapture relates to the Bride/Church.  The Second Coming relates to Israel.

121.  The Rapture occurs for Jesus' heavenly people, the Bride/Church -(Philippians 3:20-21; Hebrews 12:22-24).  The Second Coming is for God's earthly people, Israel.

122.  At the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, Jesus comes for His people, the Bride/Church -(John 14:3;  2nd Thessalonians 2:1.  At the Second Coming, Jesus comes with His people, the Bride/Church -(Jude 1:14-15; Revelation 19:14; Zechariah 14:5).

123.  The Pre-Tribulation Rapture opens the door for the "man of sin" to rise to power -(2nd Thessalonians 2:6-8).  The Second Coming dooms the "man of sin" -(Revelation 19:20).

124.  The Rapture is imminent; it can occur at any moment.  The Second Coming must be preceded by many days and signs and events.

125.  No one knows the exact day of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture (it is unknown, but we know that phrase is an "idiomatic expression", a Hebrewism that was understood by the disciples, and most Jews of the day.  It was a reference to the one Feast Day that does not occur on a 'full moon', and that is a specific characteristic of Rosh HaShanah.  -(Matthew 24:38-39; Matthew 25:13; Luke 17:26-30; 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11; Hebrews 10:24-25).  We are exhorted to be watching, waiting, and at work for the Lord.  Anyone who enters the Tribulation will be able to begin counting off specific numbers of days, and know the day when Jesus will come to Earth at His Second Coming.   Daniel 9:27 defines this as "seven" years, or 84 months, or 3,520 days.  Revelation 12:6, Revelation 13:5 renders the time frame of the second half of the Tribulation as three-and-a-half-years, or 42 months, or 1,260 days. There is also added days in Daniel 12:11-12 (1,290 and 1,335 days), which probably relates to the timing of a celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, plus the judgment of the Sheep and Goat nations (this might not be fully understood until the actual time arrives, as Daniel 12:9 indicates.

126.  After the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the Bride/Church will proceed to the Judgment Seat (the Bema Seat) of Christ to receive rewards as noted in 2nd Corinthians 5:10; 1st Corinthians 9:24-27; 1st Thessalonians 2:19-20; 2nd Timothy 4:8; 1st Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10; Revelations 3:11.  At the Second Coming there will be a judgment of the Sheep and Goat nations per Matthew 24:31-46.

127.  The Pre-Tribulation Rapture pertains to God's Grace and Mercy .  The Second Coming pertains to God's wrath.  Throughout this complete series, God's Grace and Mercy is the central point, and fits the Motif and Typology of "Deliverance".  This is a unique concept of God's New Testament message.

128.  At the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, Jesus is the Morning Star -(2nd Peter 1:19; Revelation 2:28, and Revelation 22:16).  Even Satan's minions tried to steal the Lord's title when they changed the NIV translation and assigned it to represent Satan.  Clearly these three passages validate that the Lord Christ Jesus is the "Bright and Shining Morning Star", and not Satan.  In the Zodiac it is associated with the planet Venus, which is known as the "Morning Start" because of visibility.  At the Second Coming, Jesus is the Son of righteousness per Malachi 4:1-2.

129.  The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is the hope of Jesus' people, the Bride/Church, at the end of the New Testament, per 2nd Peter 1:19; and Revelation 4:1-2).  It is more aptly known as the "Blessed Hope" of Titus 2:13.

130.  At the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the Bride/Church meets Jesus in the air in the clouds.  At the Second Coming, Jesus sets His feet on the Earth at the Mount of Olives.

131.  At the time of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the Mount of Olives will remain unchanged; however, at the Second Coming, the Mount of Olives fractures into two, implying an earthquake, and the divide forms a valley east of Jerusalem.

132.  At the time of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the Bride/Church saints are translated (bodies are instantly changed to immortal without passing through the path called death.  No saints are translated at the Second Coming when Jesus places His feet back on Earth. 

133.  At the time of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the world is not judged for sin but instead slips deeper into sin.  At the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, any reference to Jesus Christ will disappear from the air waves, the media, or the voice of Bible-believing churches.  At the Second Coming, the world is judge at the return of Christ Jesus when He deals with the Armageddon phase.

134.  The Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church is a deliverance from the day of wrath.  The Second Coming of Jesus is a deliverance for those who suffered under severe tribulation.

135.  The Pre-Tribulation is always imminent.  There are very specific signs and prophecies which must take place before the Second Coming.

136.  The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is only for the Saved, born-again, believer.  The Tribulation and the Second Coming deals with the entire world.  While it is difficult to prove, my suspicion is that those who have attacked the Pre-Tribulation Rapture position, may very well be left behind, if not simply for failing to be watching, waiting, and at work in the Lord's determined time-frame.  I've come to a similar view that those within the Covenant/Reformed theological view (RCC and her daughter churches may be left behind) because they have this view expressed in 2nd Peter 3:4.  Their continued ridicule and scoffing at the idea of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture being near is severely criticized by clergy and laity alike.  I met this same kind of reaction Peter described when my wife and I attended a church dinner gathering of former church members of mine just this past Saturday, on April 27th, 2015.  They truly represented the Laodicean Church attitude.  Not a one of them other than my wife and myself saw His Rapture as imminent.  I have not attempted to codify this thought or theory but I can't get the thought out of my mind.

137.  In the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, Christ Jesus calls His Bride/Church up to Heaven.  He comes for His Bride/Church while in the Second Coming, Christ Jesus returns to Earth With His Bride/Church.  -(Revelation 19:7-8; Revelation 19:14; and Jude 1:14-15.

138.  The gathering of "saints" AFTER the Tribulation is over, is conducted by Angels.  The gathering of the Bride/Church to Christ Jesus in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is conducted by the Lord Himself.

139.  Both the righteous and the wicked cannot be taken first in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the Righteous are taken and the wicked and unready are "left behind".  -(1st Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11.  In the "Tribulation" and at the Second Coming, the wicked are taken and destroyed in the judgment, and the righteous are "left behind" to enter the Millennial Kingdom.  -(Matthew 13:30 and Matthew 13:49-50.  These represent the "Tribulation" saints who come to the Lord during the Tribulation, and perhaps those carnal Christians, the Easter and Christmas crowd that warm the pews but two times a year.

140.  In the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, Christ Jesus receives us to HImself.  It will not be us "receiving" Him when He returns in the Second Coming.  -(John 14:2-3.  If the Rapture occurred in Revelation 19, we would immediately go up to meet (or receive) Him and immediately return to Earth with Him.

141.  If we rose to meet Him and immediately returned to Earth with Him in Revelation 19, where is the Judgment Seat of Christ (the Bema Seat) and the wedding ceremony for the Bride/Church?  The next thing that happens after the Second Coming is the Judgment of the Sheep and the Goat nations.

142.  The Judgment of Gentile nations follows the Second Coming.  -(Matthew 25:31-46).  This Scripture shows that both the saved and the lost are in natural bodies (which would be impossible if these were a translation, or Rapture, at the Second Coming.

143.  If the Translation (Rapture) took place at the same time as the Second Coming, there would be no no need to separate the Sheep from the Goat nations.  This act of Translation (Rapture) would certainly provide the separation.

144.  If believers were Translated (Raptured) at the Second Coming, and unbelievers were destroyed by the final Tribulation judgment, there would be no one left in their flesh to populate the world in the Millennium.

145.  Surviving Tribulation saints are not translated (into immortal bodies) at the Second Coming of Christ Jesus, but carry on with ordinary activities, like agriculture, building, business as usual, and giving birth to new children.  -(Isaiah 65:20-25).

146.  It is important to maintain a consisted Biblical Hermeneutic in order that Scriptures are properly aligned and in agreement.  Only the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view allows for a truly literal interpretation of the Old and New Testament passages regarding the Tribulation.  The symbols used are defined throughout the Bible and are applied in a literal way.  Every point in this series of posts is consistent with each other.  There is no need to twist the Biblical text, or the exegesis in order to maintain a cohesive and consistent message. 

147.  Only the Pre-Tribulation view clearly distinguishes between Israel and the Church (and how God deals with each), making it necessary for an interval of time between the Rapture and the Second Coming.

148.  In the "seven" letters to the Churches in Revelation 2 & 3, Jesus says "seven" times, "He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches".  When we get to the Tribulation passage of Revelation 13:9, Jesus says, "If any man have an ear, let him hear", He left out the words "what the Spirit says unto the Churches" and did so because there are no churches on Earth during the Tribulation.  This is a very subtle point but easily overlooked, but should not be ignored.   This is precisely what we find in the Greek Textus-Receptus.  It is very easy to miss something as small as this omission without understanding the nuances of what is at play in the text.

149.  In the Tribulation passage of Revelation 13:6, the Antichrist is given a mouth to blaspheme God.  His name, His tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven.  Who are those who dwell in heaven?  Guess what, it is the Pre-Raptured Bride/Church.

150.  The Holy Ones ("Saints in the Bride/Church) are already with Jesus in Heaven and will return to Earth with Him.  -(Zechariah 14:5; Revelation 19:14; Jude 1:14-15).

This brings to a close third third block of reasons to hold the view that I do, namely, the Bride/Church (born again believers) will be Pre-Tribulation Raptured from the Earth, before the Lord turns to His Apple of His Eye to complete the process of taking Israel to the woodshed!   In Pre-Tribulation Truth - 11" I will continue with this in depth exegetical study of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine. 

I do not deny that tribulation is all around us in the world today, and it will certainly continue to grow worse; however, we only have a few chapters of Revelation to see how God lays out the 21 Judgments.  It would be my best guess that each one of those 21 judgments, of the trumpets, vials, and bowls will merit each an entire book to cover the breadth and depth of each judgment.  Human minds can speculate, however, unlikely able to comprehend the total nature of each judgment. 

Give little heed to sites that hype false ancient writings such as the Apocrypha, the Gnostics, and the Pseudepigraphal writings.  They are little more than satanic distractions from the Genuine Gospel.  Hundreds of thousands of man hours have been invested by genuine scholars in the bogus writings of the Apocrypha, the Gnostics and the Pseudepigraphal writings.  It might surprise you that the entire lot number something around 1,700 books, writings, letters.  Do not allow yourself to be startled by their sensational headlines.  In nearly every case they turn out to be little more than a wet firecracker.  All fizzle and little bang.  I have no idea of how many follow the Five Doves site but feel free to share my posts.  Everyone that knows Pastor Bob also know that he has been a "Truth Seeker" all of his adult life.  I am not about to risk my reputation by teaching anyone something that is not Biblical.  There are at least 40 ways to study the Bible according to one book published a few years ago, and I have examined all of them.  Don't let the low information and ignorant pawns of Satan [lack of knowledge] eat your lunch!  They have nothing to offer you but fear-mongering.  I was watching a BBC-produced video the other day on the US Navy crew of the largest US nuclear submarine, the USS Pennsylvania.  It brought back memories of the commander in the movie "Hunt for Red October"   There is a little dialogue that sticks in my memory.  It goes like this:

Capt. Mancuso:  Mr. Ryan..

Jack Ryan:  He's defecting.

Capt. Mancuso:  And he can't change his mind?

Jack Ryan:  He's not going to change his mind.

Capt. Mancuso:  "Are you willing to bet your life on that?

It expresses perfectly my rock-solid confidence in the unequivocal position that the evidence of the New Testament message of our KJV Bible teaches a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.  I am willing to bet my life on it!  "Steady as your go!"

Maranatha, Lord Jesus Come Quickly,

Pastor Bob