Secrets Of The Kingdom
Rapture and The Second Coming
Rapture of the Bride of Christ (the redeemed saints).
“We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have
fallen asleep in Him.
According to The Lord's Own Word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till The Coming of The Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For The Lord Himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud Command, with the Voice of the Archangel and with the Trumpet Call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet The Lord in the air. And so we will be with The Lord forever.”
1 Thess 4:14-17 NIV
This will take place before the Great Tribulation.
The Day of Rapture will not come until two things happen:
first, there will be a time of great rebellion against God.
Secondly, the man of sin will be revealed—the anti-Christ
who is "the son of hell"
“Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”
2 Thess 2:3 NIV
The anti-Christ will be revealed in his time.
The coming of "the lawless one" will be in accordance with the work of satan.
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing.
2 Thess 2:9-10 NIV
What is the mystery of iniquity?
It is satan's secret power of lawlessness against God.
The anti-Christ and his false prophet will work with 'a lying spirit'.
The anti-Christ will operate with a strong delusion—'the lie'
(v.11).
Jesus Christ will overcome "the lawless one" by His Holy Spirit—The One Who is "The Breath of His Mouth", and by the Splendor of His Coming (v.8).
Jesus died and then came back to life again, and at Rapture, He will raise up all the Christians who have fallen asleep in Him. Therefore, Rapture is a death and resurrection experience.
Only through Christ Jesus—death will be swallowed up in victory.
At the time of Rapture, all GOD’s children who are still physically alive (in the flesh), shall in no way precede into His Presence (with Heavenly bodies) ahead of those who have fallen asleep [the glorified saints who are already in Heaven with The LORD].
All the saints who are still alive at that time shall not have any advantage at all over those who have previously died naturally in The Lord.
Then, “The LORD Himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud Command, with the Voice of the Archangel and with the Trumpet Call of God…”
The LORD will come with “a great Voice like the calling of a war trumpet” (Rev.1:10 AMP).
He will come with a “shout”—with the Voice of the Archangel, and with the Trump of GOD (read I Thess.4:16 KJV). The Living Bible puts it this way:
“…a mighty shout…and with the soul-stirring cry of the Archangel and the great Trumpet-Call of God.”
Revised Standard Version says:
“…a cry of Command, with the Archangel's Call, and with the sound of the Trumpet of God.
Amplified Version records:
“… a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an Archangel, and with the blast of the Trumpet of God.
And Complete Jewish Bible reveals:
“…a rousing cry, with a Call from one of the ruling angels, and with God’s shofar…”
"Shofar" [Heb.] is a ram's horn; used as a Hebrew wind musical instrument.
Only those who hear The Voice of the Archangel and the sound of the Trumpet will rise from the dead.
Then, ‘the dead in Christ’ will rise first, rapt in His Power. In other words: “those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise”.
And when all the believers who have departed this life in Christ rises first; all who are still clothed in flesh, yet alive in Christ also, shall simultaneously be caught up (with new bodies) along with the resurrected dead in the clouds to meet The LORD in the air.
At this instance, the physical bodies of millions of saints will fall to the earth—dead; this will result to a great pandemonium in the world, to those left behind. The corpses of ‘the Raptured saints’ will lie everywhere, in every nation—the world will not have enough grave to bury the dead!
Even as we are gathered up to meet Him Who is “The Alpha And Omega, The First And The Last”, even so always through the Eternity of the Eternities we shall be with The LORD!