Bible Studies
All the imminent Doomsday scenarios promoted by such sources as Hollywood, environmentalists, scientists, military, religious, and political authorities, do so in ignorance (1), or in denial, of at least one major prophecy (2).
The truth is that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to return to Earth, set up a kingdom that will rule over the nations for 1,000 years. This, in of itself, assures us of at least another 1,000 years of human history BEFORE the present world ceases to exist, and the new world, spoken of in Rev. 22: 1, is established.
Furthermore, this 1,000 year kingdom is not established until AFTER the seven year Tribulation dispensation (that precedes it) has come and gone. In addition to the seven-year Tribulation Period, and the 1,000-year Kingdom that follows, there is the unknown length of time that will pass between now, and the time that the Rapture takes place.
This unknown length of time could be relatively short as some believe the present-day “signs of the times” are indicating.
The Rapture and the Second Advent are two separate events that differ in timing, location, and purpose. There is a relationship between the timing of the Rapture and the timing of the Second Advent that follows.
The Rapture starts the seven (some teach 3 ½ ) year countdown to the Second Advent (the return of Christ). Those who interpret Scripture (as I do), teach that the Rapture takes place at the start of the seven year Tribulation period, whereas others interpret Scripture and teach that it will take place in the middle (3 ½ years) into the Tribulation period.
As a rule of thumb, Biblical dispensations do not overl ap.
The dispensation of the Church Age ends when the Church is taken away. The Tribulation dispensation begins in the absence of the Church. Some divide the Tribulation period into two halves, referring to the 2nd half (3 ½ years) as the Great Tribulation when most of the horrific events take place.
In any event, at the Rapture, the Lord and those who come with Him, along with those that are taken up in the Rapture, will gather around Him in the air ABOVE the Earth, whereas at the Second Advent, He and the returning Church are ON The Earth.
The purpose of the Rapture, among other things, is to take the Church, having fulfilled its Matthew 28: 19, 20 mission, away from the Earth, sparing Church Age believers from otherwise going through the horrific environment and events that will take place during the Tribulation Period.
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end (of the Church Age) will come (Matthew 24:14 NASB2020 parenthesis mine).”
The purpose of the Second Advent, among other things, is to establish the 1,000 year millennial kingdom in which the (returned) Church will rule the nations with Christ. This Kingdom will be headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel.
Once the Rapture takes place the timing of the Second Advent will be made known, as it will take place seven years later.
. . .
We are not told when the Rapture will take place, but Scripture tells us that the human environment at that time will be what it was like during the days of Noah just before the Flood (4).
On the one hand, in the days of Noah, there was wide-spread violence and gross immorality. On the other hand, many were going about their daily lives, independent of God, being oblivious or living in denial of their imminent destruction, foretold in Gen. 6: 3.
.. .
There are many prophecies to be fulfilled BEFORE the Second Advent can take place, but there are no prophecies yet to be fulfilled BEFORE the Rapture can take place. The Rapture could be years, or just seconds away!
Right now, God, in His omniscience, knows the exact year, month, day, hour, minute, and second when the Rapture and the Second Advent that follows, will take place.
But once the Rapture does takes place, the timing of the forth-coming Second Advent will be known to Man, as it will be seven (some teach 3 ½) years later.
The timing of the Second Advent does not mean that there aren’t going to be global events (e.g. Rev. 6/Rev. 8) that will impact the quality of life and greatly reduce the human population along the way.
Matt. 24: 22 speaks of one future and relatively short period of time is going to so horrific, that if it weren’t cut short (by the Second Advent), all of the human beings alive on the Earth would cease to exist. This horrific period of time takes place after the Rapture, but before the Second Advent (See Rev. chapters 6 and 8).
Scripture tells us that the Rapture will take place when it is not expected (5). It will all be over within the “twinkling of an eye (6),” that being a split second.
When the Rapture takes place, the world’s population will be engaged in their regular daily activities, when suddenly the born-again believers among them are taken away, leaving the others behind (7).
Imagine the reaction of these left behind if the Rapture should place in the middle of a worship service, or in the middle of a fan-packed sports stadium on live television.
In the days of Noah just before The Flood, people were living in denial or in ignorance of the Gen. 6: 3 warning. Then one day, it started to rain….. !
In our time, the world is once again filled with increasing violence and gross immorality. The majority (8) of the world’s population are living out their lives independently of God and the things of God, with little (if any) concern about the coming wrath of God and the persecution by the Antichrist.
But one day, at the appointed time, the Rapture WILL take place, ushering in the worst time period in human history to be alive, for those who are left behind.
At the Rapture, the last generation(s) of Church Age believers living here on Earth at that time, will not experience physical death, but will instantaneously have their natural bodies transformed into their heavenly bodies, and gather around the Lord in the air above the Earth.
The departed members of the Church, who had been indwelling their interim bodies (9) in Heaven, come with Christ at the Rapture, and exchange their interim bodies for their resurrected bodies that are raised up from the dust of their bodily remains that they had left behind when they died.
After being gathered together in the air above the Earth, the entire Church, consisting of all the departed believers over the course of the Church Age, and the last generation(s) of the Church Age here on Earth, goes to Heaven until the Second Advent takes place.
End of Part One
(1) Hosea 4: 6 (2) Rev. 20: 6 (3) 1Thess. 4: 16-17 (4) Matt. 24: 37 - 39 (5) Matt. 24: 44 (6) 1Cor. 15: 52 (7) Matt. 24: 40 (8) Matt. 7: 13-14 (9) 2Cor. 5: 1, 8
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