Secrets of the Kingdom
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 saints on the Earth will be
transformed; this will result to a great pandemonium in the world, to those
left behind.
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!