Doves,

For a few weeks now I have focused my posts to 5Doves on the differentiation of the “gathering” of the Christian Church by Jesus as opposed to the “rapture” of this church by Jesus. Both events as per scripture indeed happen but the “gathering”of the church by Jesus and the angels (as is described in Matthew 24 and Mark 13) happens before we are later and finally taken up in the rapture.

 

Most Christians are not aware of this biblical fact and believe we are just taken at the rapture and that's that. They don't realize as per scripture what happens after we are gathered.

 

To reinforce this biblical reality, I will for the second week in a row endeavor to bring more scripture into view in an attempt to shed more light on this scenario. I will do this by seeking what the apostle Paul has to say on this topic. So we need to go to 2 Thessalonians 2 where Paul indeed tries to clarify what will happen during those times and when they will happen.

 

There in chapter 2 Paul speaks of this “gathering”of the Christian Church by Jesus to Himself at some point in the future. This is the same gathering spoken of in Matthew and Mark by Jesus and the angels on a special day known only to the Father. A day of gathering (Matthew 24:37) just like in Noah's time where the elect of that era were gathered and taken to an ark of safety. Fast forward to the future in the 7 year end times period and Zechariah, Matthew and Isaiah describe the Father relocating His kingdom from heaven to earth and setting up again an ark-like structure in the Middle East that will house the elect after they are “gathered”.

 

Back to Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2......Paul also says that this gathering will not occur unless and until two things have happened. The first being “a falling away” or an apostasy. It certainly appears that Paul is addressing a falling away of the relationship that humanity has had with Jesus. Is that circumstance happening..... and has that been the trend? I believe few would argue that that trend is indeed a reality in today's world. There is an avalanche of shuddered church's world wide especially in Europe. It's gotten so bad that the Catholic Church is talking about using robots / AI beings to be stand-ins for the priest shortage.

 

The second qualifying statement Paul gives in 2 Thessalonians 2 is that the “man of sin”, the “son of perdition”, the world coined “antichrist” has to be present on the world stage before the gathering can take place. Not only does he have to be present but Paul says before we the Church are gathered this man / beast will exalt himself above all gods or all that is called God. And he will sit in the temple of God (in Jerusalem) showing the world that he is God.

 

When you explore other areas of scripture (Matthew 24, Daniel 12, Revelation 13 and others) you see that this man of sin, this antichrist to come will set up a “talking statue of himself” (the abomination that leads to destruction) there in the temple in Jerusalem and demand under the penalty of death that mankind worships this image of the beast (replica of himself).

When you crunch the numbers given to us from scripture this statue erection at the temple in Jerusalem (as per Daniel 12) happens near the midpoint of the 7 year end times period. This is when God the Father will have had enough (Zechariah 14) and intervenes for Israel who is under siege and also destroys this blasphemous image in Jerusalem (Isaiah 25:12) when he Terra-forms, transforms the land mass from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River as per Zechariah 14. This is when He, the Father relocates His kingdom from heaven to earth as is expressed in the “Our Father Prayer”. “.....Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..... and then sets up an ark-like structure (Zechariah 14, Isaiah 25, Isaiah 12) in the Middle East which encompasses hundreds of square miles of real estate.

 

So Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2 in his two qualifying factors also pegs the gathering of the Christian Church by Jesus and His angels to after the church has lost it's veal for Christ and when the antichrist has reached a point where he declares himself to be God over everything and everybody....... or......near the midpoint of the 7 years.

 

So.... you would be (IMHO) going against scripture if you believed and promoted the notion that the rapture of the church could happen at any instant (as we have been forced fed to believe)....... when scripture clearly states in multiple places that near the mid-point of the final 7 years of this era the “elect” composed of three different groups (the Christian Church dead and alive, the alive Jewish remnant and the whole dead and to be resurrected house of Jacob) will be gathered by Jesus and the angels on a day known only by the Father (for security / safety purposes) to a new ark-like structure in the Middle East (as in the days of Noah) where all three groups will be protected from the forces of the Satanic realm. And once there inside this ark-like enclosure all three groups will be handled differently.

 

The Christian Church once inside this enclosure will be “born again”(John 3) by bathing in the “living waters” (Zechariah 14), “wells of salvation”(Isaiah 12) of the new river which emanates from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14) containing the blood and Spirit of Jesus who deposited these most precious of commodities there 2000 years ago at His crucifixion.(John 19:30 and John 19:34) They, the church, the bride, will all have their “physical union” with Jesus (like in the Jewish wedding) by immersing in the blood and Spirit filled waters.....the essence of the Lord Himself.

Then the Father will throw a huge party within this security zone.....”the marriage supper of the Lamb”..... for the bridal party and quests (Jewish remnant). And just like the parable Jesus gave of the wedding ceremony in the Matthew 22....anyone caught trying to enter or sneak into this ark-like enclosure will be arrested by the staff (angels) and cast into outer darkness. Then I believe (as per the example / exact foreshadow in the Book of Joshua) the rapture of the church or Jesus's coming in the clouds above this enclosure will happen the day after the wedding feast. The church as per 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 from within this ark-like enclosure will hear the shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God and will rise to meet Jesus in the clouds above to be always with the Lord Jesus.

 

The alive Jewish remnant (for the remainder of the 7 years) that have been gathered and brought inside this enclosure will as per many scriptures have to re-establish the blood covenant relationship with the Father as was in the time of Moses with animal sacrifices.

 

The third group who will have been gathered to the extreme eastern end of this massive ark-like enclosure are the whole house of Jacob, hundreds of millions of them (Ezekiel 37) who God restores bodily but not Spiritually or consciously. When the time is right (found in the Book of Ester) God the Father blows His Spirit in them (Ezekiel 37:14) and uses them as His end times army (Joel 2:11). This army is purposed to kill one third of the population of earth at that time.(Revelation 9) God the Father sets up His earthly throne there in the eastern end of this massive ark-like enclosure in Elam (as per Jeremiah 49:38) obviously to be there to oversee and command His army. The ride of and the extreme horrors of this army is chronicled in many areas of scripture as they kill one third of the population who would not accept the gospel of the kingdom and chose evil over good.......especially those who had evil in their hearts concerning the Jews as it was in the story and time of Ester. Instead of the Jews being killed it was those who plotted their demise. All of this foreshadowed in the Book of Ester including time intervals that will be again valid in the end times.

 

In summary to this post I have in this writing added yet another trusted scriptural voice, that of Paul the apostle with his two qualifying parameters / conditions...... in an effort to shed yet more light on what really happens during the 7 final years of this era.

There is no imminent rapture as we have been force fed to believe but a “gathering” by Jesus and the angels of not only the Christian Church but of all the end times harvest “elect” who will be gathered and brought to the Father's “then” present house (or metaphorically His barn) which is a huge (hundreds of square miles big) ark-like enclosure in the Middle East as is described in Zechariah and Isaiah.

 

So again...... for all of you who continue to date hop (like I did for decades) from one feast to the next to the next trying to pin the tail on the rapture donkey.........RELAX concerning that......watch, wait and minister the gospel where you can. The ministry of the two witnesses, the destruction of Rome and three popes, the arrival on the world stage of the antichrist and the continued falling away of the relationship between mankind and Jesus (the gospel) have to yet happen before we are “gathered” and then later raptured.

 

Jesus insured us that we would escape the wrath of He and the Father which starts about mid-7 years but there are no promises of what we may experience in the wrath arena before that.

 

Look at how the Christian church has been persecuted in the Muslim countries in the last couple of decades. What makes you think that can't happen in America and Europe with what is happening politically. If the Demon-rats (Democrats) lie and deceive their way into power in the US, I see Jesus's words of Matthew 9-12 coming true sooner than anyone could imagine and the Christian Church being hated and hunted and terrorized right here in the USA.......just like Jesus prophesied in those verses. We Christians spew hate speech daily when we recite the bible....at least as viewed by these demonically indwelled debased people foreseen by Paul in Romans 1. A sobering chapter for the decline of morality and human standards worldwide but especially here in America.

Satan has tainted almost all aspects of society......do you really think he hasn’t altered or tainted with the true rapture scenario?

Please read the bible for yourself and make your own decisions and conclusions. Don’t let the talking heads on TV ministries who are hawking videos and books and making a living off the bible convince you of falsehoods and deception. If you read the bible for yourself and ask God for discernment you won’t be easy marks for the ever growing false church that has largely taken over Christendom.

”if possible even the elect would be deceived”....... That’s a warning by God that should give all of us pause and trepidation.

 

Blessings Doves...........John B