Four Steps on the Way to the Rapture The letters of Jesus in the book of the Revelation were addressed to seven actual churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). But they also serve as an admonition and encouragement to every church from every age, including us. As the Revelation is a prophetic book in its entirety, it is reasonable to look for a prophetic aspect in these letters. The letters of Jesus in the book of the Revelation were addressed to seven actual churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). But they also serve as an admonition and encouragement to every church from every age, including us. As the Revelation is a prophetic book in its entirety, it is reasonable to look for a prophetic aspect in these letters. The book of the Revelation begins, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by has angel unto his servant John” (Revelation 1:1). We also read in the last chapter, “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done…I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:6, 16). The era of the Church is also included in these verses; therefore, the sequence of these letters reveals a spiritual/historical development. According to 1 Corinthians 10:11, the Church is the end of the age. Jesus had predicted a development within the Church Age that has been fulfilled exactly, although the Rapture could have and can take place at any time, as the contents of the letters to the churches makes clear (compare Revelation 2:25; 3:11). The following is a comparison that cannot be denied. Today we can say with assurance that the end of the endtimes has come, and the Rapture is imminent. Let us consider three points in this connection: The Church at Thyatira “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will ut upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come” (Revelation 2:24- 25). Here the return of Jesus is mentioned for the first time in the letters to the churches. It is possible that the Church at Thyatira expected the return of he Lord to take place during its lifetime. It is striking that this message is directed to the Church, which is symbolic for the era of the Catholic Church. I believe this points to the fact that the system of the Catholic Church will remain until the Lord returns. While the apostolic Church Age (Ephesus) ended—also the time of the persecuted Church under the Roman emperors (Smyrna) and the Pergamus era under Constantine—the Thyatira period will last until Jesus appears for His Church. And the Catholic Church does indeed still belong to the most influential churches within Christianity. Jesus spoke of His return to a small, special group—a remnant within this church system. The NIV translates Revelation 2:24 this way: “Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching…” Apparently there are people who reject the false teachings taught by the aforementioned Church. These are probably the converted, born-again people within the Church, or those who have left it. We know that there are such people. The Church at Sardis “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. I therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Revelation 3:1-3). Here we have a reformed church system that was once alive (the time of the Revelation), and still bears the name of the Reformation (Reformed or Lutheran church), but is mainly dead, and denies the virgin birth, the full inspiration of the Bible, the miracles, the resurrection of Jesus, the position and restoration of Israel, as also the return of the Lord. It is a church system that is no longer watchful; that is, it no longer reckons with the return of Jesus for the Church and does not recognize this fact. The fact that the Holy Spirit no longer dwells in this church shows that it is no longer alive. Therefore, it is unprepared for the coming of the Lord like a thief in the night. It will miss the return of Jesus because it is not a living member of His Body. Those who simply belong to a Christian church without having experienced a personal conversion, and who have no personal relationship with the Lord, will be surprised by the sudden return of Jesus. All of this is in contrast to the living, born-again Church of Jesus, for whom the Lord will not come like a thief, But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them,as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day;we are not of the night, nor of darkness (1Thessalonians 5:1-5) The return of Jesus will come at a time in which the Catholic Church is effective with all its unbiblical additional doctrines (Thyatira), and in which there is an evangelical church (Sardis) that no longer has a relationship with Jesus. They run parallel to one another. The Church at Philadelphia “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:10-11). These words address a church that has returned to the biblical truths and doctrine. This applies to the Church Age in the time of revival, in which the Rapture was suddenly recognized again and proclaimed. At the end, a true Church will exist besides the two formal church systems, and will be kept from the hour of temptation that will come upon the world. These are believers who, whatever church they belong to, are part of the Body of Christ. The “hour of temptation” is the deception by the Antichrist. According to my knowledge, this will begin with the first half of the last seven years. In the first half, the world will be deceived, tempted, and lied to. In the second half, the deceiver will reveal himself as the beast and rule as a dictator, just like Hitler, who first deceived the people and then ruled over them cruelly. The Church, however, will be kept from the hour of temptation. This means that it will be raptured beforehand. Various Bible expositors disagree regarding whether this means the Church will be kept from the hour of temptation or taken out of it. The Greek word can mean either, according to the context. The people who believe the Church will have to go through the Tribulation say it means “out of.” Those who believe in the pretribulation Rapture understand it to mean “before.” Looking at the context and certain parallel texts easily settles the issue: In most Bible translations, the word “from” is written in Revelation 3:10. We must take this little word into consideration. One philologist in Germany commented, “I cannot understand how some people can translate this as ‘out of’ in this sentence.” This word “from” is also written in the following texts: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:9) and “to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). The actual key, however is this: We must not read the words “out of” or “from” out of their context, but in connection with the word “keep” (Greek =tereo): “I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation…” If we do not take this into consideration, it could be “out of” or “from.” In all the original Greek texts, this word refers to “keep.” The Holy Spirit would have used a different word if He had wanted to say that the Church would be kept in or through the Tribulation. The use of this verb can only allow for the following conclusion: complete preservation. It becomes even simpler when we ask whether something can be kept “out of” something? No, it can’t. You can save someone “from” something, but you cannot “keep” that person “out of” it. Linguistically speaking, it can only be understood in this way. For example, I cannot keep you “out of” a burning house if you are already in it. Likewise, the Lord cannot keep us “out of” the Tribulation if we are already in it. But we can be kept from the fire or the temptation. We may well, however, be kept “from” the fire; that is, we do not have to experience it. It becomes clear, therefore, that the Church will indeed be kept from the Great Tribulation by being raptured beforehand. “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11). This verse meant to the Church at Philadelphia at that time that the Lord could come during its lifetime. How much more does it apply to us? Hold fast to what you have, then, and do not let go; do not become lukewarm, but abide in Jesus. The Church at Laodicea “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). This verse should draw our attention to the fact that the coming of the Lord is imminent. We may use this verse in an evangelistic or edifying message, but we certainly find in it a reference to His return. We live during the time of Laodicea. Jesus is at the door. He is coming soon. When a person knocks at the door, that means he or she has almost arrived. We need an open door for the return of Jesus. We must not keep the door of our ears, conscience, or heart closed. Notice the parallel verses to this in Matthew 24:32-33, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” Do you see the steps leading to the return of Jesus? Four concrete steps have been given to us, and we can say that we have passed them all. The Rapture “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:1-2). These two verses contain seven striking terms that belong to the Rapture: •“after this” = after the Church Age; after the letters to the churches (Revelation 1:19). •“a door was opened in heaven” = Jesus, who stood before the door of the Church at Laodicea, has come. •“trumpet” = is mentioned twice in connection with the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52). •“voice” = the voice of the archangel (1 Thessalonians 4:16). •“immediately” = the Rapture of the Church to heaven, which will take place in the “twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). •“in the spirit” = the Holy Spirit will take the Church to heaven (Pentecost the other way around). •“throne” = the Holy Spirit will rapture the Church to the throne of God (1 Thessalonians 4:17- 18). The Holy Spirit and the Rapture A frequent question in connection with the Rapture concerns the following text: “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only he who now letteth [margin: hindereth] will let [hinder], until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked [margin: lawless one] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8). What is holding the Antichrist back? Some say the government, the law, angels, or the Holy Spirit. We always come closer to the truth when we look for parallel texts because the Bible explains itself best. The following verses clearly connect the Rapture of the Church with the working of the Holy Spirit: •“…the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip…” (Acts 8:39). The Holy Spirit raptured Philip, the evangelist, not vertically, but horizontally. •“For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest •(NIV: deposit) of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 5:4-5). •“…in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13-14). •The servant Obadiah said to Elijah, “And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth” (1 Kings 18:12). •The prophets’ sons said to Elisha, “Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send” (2 Kings 2:16). •“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:1-2). •“For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith” (Galatians 5:5). The Rapture will be the opposite of Pentecost. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came “suddenly” and baptized those present into one body (Acts 2:2 & 1 Corinthians 12:13). At the Rapture, the Body of the Church will just as “suddenly” be raptured out of the graves and from the earth (1 Corinthians 15:52). These texts make it clear that the Holy Spirit, who indwells the Church, will also rapture the Church to heaven. Three Closing Thoughts After the Rapture, Jesus will open the seven seals of judgment. Woe to those who have remained behind and come under the wrath of God: “…and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:16-17). The last journey is what counts. At the end of our lives, it will not be important how far we have traveled or where we have been. The only thing that will count then will be where our last journey will lead us. “Hold that fast which thou hast.” A man named Ernst Krupka, an evangelist, said, “I once read my New Testament right through and underscored in green all the verses that speak of the coming of the Lord. At the end of it my New Testament was almost painted green! And I could see that the majority of the verses are connected with an admonition to be sanctified daily. It became very important to me, on account of this, that the question of the return of Jesus is not just a question of time, but of sanctification. We should not reckon out the time, but let ourselves be sanctified.” And a man named Hans-Martin Ritz said in answer to the question, “Will you be there?” answered, “To know without acting upon your knowledge is worse than ignorance. You know the way. Have you taken the step? If you are hesitating with your answer, then do it now. Do it now, for tomorrow it may be too late!”
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 22:58:04 +0000
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