1 The Prophetic Horizon What’s Next? Does the Bible teach that the Rapture comes before the Tribulation? AΩ Gregory B. Williams
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1
The
Prophetic
HorizonWhat’s Next?
Does the Bible teach
that the Rapture comes
before the Tribulation?
AΩ
Gregory B. Williams
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2
Revelation 20:4&5
4And I saw the souls of
those who had beenbeheaded because of their
testimony for Jesus and
because of the word of
God. They had not
worshiped the beast or his
image and had notreceived his mark on their
foreheads or their hands.
They came to life and
reigned with Christ a
thousand years.5(The rest
of the dead did not come tolife until the thousand
years were ended.) This is
the first resurrection.
If these Christians
are beheaded for
refusing the mark
of the beast, then
they MUST have
been in the
Tribulation.
Yet they came upin the FIRST
RESURRECTION.
And what is the First Resurrection?
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 . 17 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. I Thessalonians 4:16, 17 NIV
This is one of many scriptures that lead me
to doubt the pre-tribulation rapture theory.
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This is another… I Corinthians 15:51,52
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep,
but we will all be changed in a flash, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will
be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Let us reason together about this “Last Trumpet”
Two possibilities exist:
(Only one of which may be true.)
Either
or This last trumpet IS
the seventh trumpet in
Revelation 11,
It IS NOT the
seventh trumpet
in Revelation 11.
If it IS then that means
the Rapture comes inthe middle of the
tribulation. Rev. 11:15
If it is NOT , then it MUST
come either BEFORE orAFTER the seventh
trumpet of Rev. 11:15.
If it comes BEFORE,
then the designation
“LAST” would be
nonsense: There would
be seven trumpets after
it. Also, the indicator,
“LAST” means it comes
in a series. –Where are
the others?
If it comes AFTER
the Seventh Trumpet
in Rev. 11, then the
rapture would come
during God’s Bowls of
Wrath in the last half of
the tribulation. –Not a
possibility according to
I Thess. 5:9
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4
TheProphetic
Horizon
What’s Next?
A Study By
Gregory B. Williams
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FOREWORD
My goal in this research piece is not to be argumentative or
confrontational. Paul said, “Who are you to judge another man’sservant? To his own master he stands or falls.” Therefore, I do
not hereby attempt to prove anyone wrong. I am merely bringing to
the attention of any interested parties the very revealing and
sometimes astounding findings of my research on the sequence of
end-time events.
I am sure that you have heard it all before. I had. Your mind is made
up and it is common knowledge that the rapture could hit any day. I
thought so too. In fact, the impetus for this very study was to
prove to myself from the Bible alone that the rapture will be
the kick-off point for the seven-year tribulation period.
I had always heard that the rapture would be the spark to set off the
tribulation. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins produced several
thousand pages (the Left Behind series of books) telling the story of what happens after the rapture. So it must be true, right? Even the
Masons have a pre-concocted story of what they will tell the world
after the rapture, –how it was their doing. But somehow I wasn’t
convinced. The concept just didn’t ring true. I am the kind of
person who filters everything he hears through the scriptures in his
head and heart. And for that reason I needed two or three stalwart
witnesses from the Word to let the truth be established. I foundmuch more than two or three, but they didn’t testify the way that I
thought they would. What I found turned my view of end-time
events inside-out.
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There is no mathematical formula for the date and time, of course.
That was not my goal. History has shown that path to be an
embarrassing dead-end. My goal was simply to prove to myself that
the rapture is the next event on the prophetic horizon. With all
sincerity and urgency, I can say that I found overwhelming proof that it is not. In fact, as the pieces began falling into place, what I
found was very startling, but rang true to my heart as opposed to
the thud that the pre-tribulation rapture theory left. Another thing I
found was that according to the prophecies, many, many people
who claim to be Christians (perhaps a majority) will not be able to
see and understand what I am about to say. I pray that you will.
Jesus told His disciples, "… every teacher of the law who has been
instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a
house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as
old." (Matthew 13:52)
Dear Lord, Help us to maintain a teachable spirit
as we search your Word for new treasures.
All quotations from
the New International Versionunless otherwise noted.
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HOW TO PROVE IT…?
In order to assuage my doubts and prove from the Bible that all I
had heard was true and that the rapture certainly precedes the
tribulation, I started with a word study on the word, resurrection
–trying to piece together everything the Bible had to say about the
events surrounding the Lord’s return. Of course the word, rapture,
is not in the Bible, but that didn’t hinder me. I knew that a mass-
exodus of all Christians, living and dead, from the face of the earth
simultaneously would leave a very big footprint in time that had to
show up in scripture somewhere. I studied the words of Jesusconcerning the last days. I carefully examined the words of Paul,
looking for conditions and sequences of events pertaining to what
he calls, “the day of Christ .” And Revelation… is like the Grand
Central Station of prophecy fulfillment. Even a passage of Peter’s
second letter comes into play to reinforce the others once the pieces
begin falling into place. Furthermore, these passages have
references all over the Bible. It is a massive web of information that seems daunting. I freely admit that I can’t explain all of it. But I
know this much, when viewed from a certain vantage point, events
seem disconnected and incoherent, but when viewed from another
vantage point, things start to click into place. I think I have found
that point.
LET THE READER UNDERSTAND
As I said, I searched the Bible for weeks and months, hoping to find
that irrefutable passage of scripture that interlocked with and made
sense of all the references. —The one that brought meaning and
cohesiveness to the individual parts. And I found it —but it wasn’t what I expected.
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The turning point came when I was poring over Matthew 24. There
is a point where Jesus says, “When you see the Abomination of
Desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet,…” right at this point
Jesus stops and says, “–Let the reader understand —“ WOW! I
must have read that a dozen times, but this time it dawned on me tonot take for granted that I knew what He was talking about and go
do a word study on this obviously pivotal event. Here was Jesus
looking straight into the camera in mid-sentence, and saying to ME,
“—Let the reader understand—.” It was as though He were
granting understanding to me, or commanding me perhaps, to go to
Daniel’s writings and prayerfully search the scriptures for my
answer. He knew that I wanted to know –and He was handing methe key to the first door. So I did. I went straight to Daniel and
studied it to digest the Abomination and try to get set in my mind
why Jesus was instructing me to study and understand this event.
What I found cascaded into a whole slew of answers to vexing
questions and pulled into focus other previously fuzzy pieces of the
puzzle.
DANIEL SETS THE STAGE
The term, Abomination of Desolation, is one of those great terms
in the Bible that can serve as benchmarks to nail down a sequence
of events because it is called the same distinctive thing in both
Testaments. Daniel records the event as part of the antichrist’sdesecration of the temple in Jerusalem (which as of this writing
does not exist) and the setting up of himself as God–the turning
point of horror for the non-Christian Jews who trusted him, but
then see him for who he really is and flee to the mountains to the
East.
Another benchmark term is, “…tribulation (or distress) such as
has not happened from the beginning of nations until then.”
These two are linked in Daniel’s vision:
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DANIEL 11:31 AND 12:1-2
31 "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple
fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will
set up the abomination that causes desolation.
1 "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects
your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress
such as has not happened from the beginning of nations
until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose
name is found written in the book —will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:
some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting
contempt.”
This little passage is just pregnant with meaning. (I mean WOW!)
But it doesn’t say when it will happen. For a push-pin in the
timeline, we must look back to the overview of events in Chapter 9.
Here we find that blessed benchmark again:
DANIEL 9:27
He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In
the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice
and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up
an abomination that causes desolation
, until the end that
is decreed is poured out on him.
“In the middle of the seven” is the push-pin in the timeline.
According to Daniel, to whom Jesus Himself referred us, The
Abomination of Desolation happens in the middle of the seven
years.
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And what exactly is this Abomination of Desolation? Daniel gives
another of those helpful benchmarks in this same chapter, which is
echoed in II Thessalonians, Chapter 2:
DANIEL 11:36
"The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify
himself above every god and will say unheard-of things
against the God of gods.
II THESSALONIANS 2:4
He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything
that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself
up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Now we have two important pieces of information to take back to
Matthew 24 and fill in the blanks:
1. The Abomination of Desolation includes the antichrist makingvery bold statements and setting himself up as God.
2. The Abomination of Desolation happens in the middle of the seven
years.
Here we have the WHO, the WHAT, the WHEN and the WHERE, but
we do not yet have the WHY. Let us return to Matthew 24 and
continue putting the pieces together.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
Jesus’ disciples came to him after He finished telling off the
Pharisees and Sadducees in Chapter 23. He had very likely just
signed His own death warrant by exposing them as hypocrites and
calling them snakes. He let them have both barrels in front of the
people from whom they received their most prized possession,
adulation. He hit them where it hurts and He knew it.
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As they were beating a hasty retreat from a stunned and seething
group of religious politicians who could do no wrong, His disciples
chimed in with this deep and sobering spiritual revelation: “Hey
Jesus, Look at all these cool buildings we’ll be in charge of when
you’re King!” (I am paraphrasing, of course.)
I imagine Jesus was still shaking when He said, (still paraphrasing)
“What?! Where have you Bozos been for the last thirty minutes? Do
you not realize that I just signed my own execution order in there?
These buildings mean nothing. In fact, it won’t be long before
they’re all gone!”
Assuredly this stern message about the destruction of Jerusalem
shocked and confused them. They couldn't get past hoping Jesus
would become King and they, His Cabinet. After He calmed down
and was sitting on the Mount of Olives, they apprehensively
approached Him seeking more detail to this horrendous revelation.
Jesus' dire answer gave them little hope of human glory, and only a
promise that things would get worse before they got better. He said,
MATTHEW 24:4-6
(Deep sigh)
"Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come
in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive
many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but seeto it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen,
but the end is still to come.
These are not omens of the last days. These are natural occurrences
that Jesus knows are going to make people panic and wonder if it is
the end of the world. He warns us to be aware of them but to
disregard them as to eschatological sequence. Wars and rumors of
wars are not a sign of His coming. But then comes a transition
period:
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THE BEGINNING OF BIRTH PAINS
Wars and disasters begin to accelerate for some reason. What could
be causing it? Luke's recounting of this Olivet Discourse is almost
identical to the one in Matthew, only he gives a little more detail inthis section. In Luke's parallel passage he records Jesus as saying
next:
LUKE 21:10,11
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and
great signs from heaven.
→Luke adds “ fearful events and great signs from heaven” to what
is recorded in Matthew.
And then we go back to Matthew for the finishing touch:
“All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
This is the Transition Period. When we combine these two parallel
passages we get a clearer picture of (and reason for) this event:
THE TURNING POINT…
Matthew 24 continued…
9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put
to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of
me.
THEN YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL NATIONS —
This is the turning point, the beginning of the end, because there
has never been a time when ALL NATIONS have hated and put to
death Christians. So far, there has always been a safe haven
somewhere for believers. –Some nations were even founded by
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Christians. Now think about it. What could this huge, cataclysmic
turning point be? What is causing all nations to pass laws that
Christians deserve to die? ALL NATIONS! What happened? Is it
because the Muslims have taken over? Maybe, but I do not see any
evidence of that in scripture. If it were the Muslims, they would bepersecuting everyone who is not a Muslim –not just Christians.
The evidence that I do find is this: At some point in time this is
going to happen:
A charismatic leader on the world stage bent on conquest
An insane galloping increase in war
Wide-spread food shortages
Shocking and numbing quantities of death –demanding some
response, even if it is Draconian.
But Why?
Human nature is such that when terrible, frightening things are
happening, a mob-like mentality sets in that can cause good people,
even Christians, to tend to blame somebody and do things that they
normally would not. When people fear for their lives they will
commit acts that would normally make them shudder.
These four events that I have listed are the results of the opening of
the first four seals of the apocalypse. It is easy to imagine that theevents of the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ all happen
sequentially, but a careful examination results in a finding that
some are an overview, some are a sequential storytelling, and some
are parenthetical sections like, “meanwhile, back at the ranch.”
Various literary mechanisms must be used in the telling of an epic
to bring into the flow of the main story, pertinent side stories and
tangents that tie together in the end. And this book is a onethousand, seven-year end-of-the-world epic. It takes a lot of careful
study and comparing with other scripture to put the pieces together
in order.
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For example, the telling of the opening of the seals in Chapter 6, is
an overview of the entire seven years. When you read the book of
Revelation in light of Daniel, you see that the antichrist (first seal) is
active all seven years, from the signing of the treaty to his demise at
Armageddon. You see that Wars (second seal) continue mostlyunabated throughout. Famines (third seal) grow worse because of
the plagues and war; and Death (fourth seal) is evermore
widespread. So, all of these first four seals must cover the entire
seven years.
Similarly, the fifth seal is a vision of the souls under the altar in
heaven who have been killed for their testimony of God and His
Word. This is not an isolated incident that happens between the
fourth seal and the sixth seal. Martyrdom has been going on since
Abel was murdered, and during the seven-year term of this scroll,
will accelerate viciously.
Likewise, the sixth seal is a snapshot of the very last day when the
sun turns black and the moon to blood and all men, rich and poor
cry out for the rocks to fall on them to hide them from the face of the One who sits on the throne and the Lamb. This is the day when
Christ returns with Bride in tow, to set His feet on the Mount of
Olives, initiate His Kingdom, and put down all rebellion for a
thousand years.
The seals on the scroll are like the title on the cover of a book. They
reveal the general contents of the whole book and give a glimpse
into what is coming. Then, when the seventh seal is broken, andthe book is opened, we get to see specific events unfold in
chronological order. The first event after the opening is the scene of
an angel casting a fire-filled censer to the earth accompanied by
lightning, thunder and an earthquake. I assume that this is similar
to a starter’s pistol in a race. Soon after, the Seven Trumpets begin
to get people’s attention (including the rider on the white horse)
and spur them to action.
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FEARFUL EVENTS AND GREAT SIGNS FROM HEAVEN
Now we have a possible answer to the question of what starts the
world-wide persecution of Christians: If these seals and trumpets
do not happen consecutively, but concurrently, then the first trumpet sign could be the event that kicks off the persecution. It
stands to reason because a supernatural falling of blood, fire and
hail from the sky, a third of the trees burning up and all the green
grass burning up would cause the population in general to want to
blame someone. Who are they going to blame? How about those
Christians pointing to their Bibles, saying, see! We told you! Then
the next sign hits,
“The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a
huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of
the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the
sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”
Something like this could cause a lynch-mob-mentality panic. These
frightful end-of-the-world type disasters are plainly foretold in theChristians’ book of prophecy, so they must have some control over
it. –They must be stopped at all costs. The Nations will be eager for a
strongman/dictator type who has a plan (or seven-year treaty
perhaps) to bring these evil Christians to heel. “He is riding a white
horse, you know. He must be a good guy.” And then this happens:
The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing
like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water — 11the name of the star is Wormwood. A third
of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the
waters that had become bitter.
“O.K. That’s it! Start rounding up the Christians! Their God is doing
this.” It can’t be the Jews because even though the Christians say
that their God is the same as the Jews’, the Jews do not believe the
book of Revelation. The Jews will disavow these happenings to save
themselves and many Christians will start disavowing each other
for the same reason. Widespread panic and self-preservation
measures will set in. This causes war, war causes famine, and
famine causes death. Hail, Hail! The Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse are all here! Then the fourth trumpet sounds:
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12The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun
was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a
third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light,
and also a third of the night.
These things would definitely qualify for the “fearful events and
great signs from heaven” that Jesus said would be the beginning of
birth pains; things that would jump-start the great worldwide
persecution. And there is no mention of rapture yet.
It seems readily apparent that these things coming upon the earth
as the Christian New Testament predicted will provoke three
things:
1. M illions of people who know better but aren’t doing it will
realize what is happening and turn to God.
2. Other millions who just pretended to be Christians and
ignored the truth will jettison their Bibles and Church
membership to save themselves and their families from the
coming wave of persecution, torture and death.
3. A lot of angry people are going to want to take this out on
somebody.
So simultaneously we have a worldwide revival and apostasy and
bloodbath.
Now imagine the scene: If all the Christians are gone, who are thetalking heads going to blame for all this? But if they are still here,
then all the world’s wrath (men’s wrath, not God’s wrath) will break
out against those who are pointing to their Bibles and saying, “See?
We told you.” This could definitely cause ALL NATIONS to
persecute and kill Christians. Those whose hearts are hardened will
turn into murderous mobs seeking revenge on those whose God did
this to their friends and loved ones. The few who hold to thetestimony of Christ will become sacrifices to their gods!
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PARENTHETICALLY
Many propose that the rapture will come before the tribulation
because we are not appointed to wrath as written in
I Thessalonians 5:9, “For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Even though Paul wrote that we are not appointed to wrath, we
must remember that Jesus suffered men’s wrath; and so too did all
the apostles. Further, according to II Timothy 3:12, so will “ any one
who desires to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus.” If then, we are
appointed to men’s wrath; it must be God’s Wrath from which we
are excused.
Now to my point: Are the trumpet signs God’s wrath?
We assume that they are because they are so horrendous, but let us
look carefully at the appearance of God’s wrath in the book of The
Revelation of Jesus Christ and find out for sure when God says His
Wrath appears:
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The following timeline shows the appearance of God’s Wrath
10 times in the Book of the Revelation. Not once is the term used to
refer to a trumpet —or even mentioned among the trumpets.
GOD’S WRATH as it appearsin Revelation:
Seals Trumpet Signs Bowls of Wrath1.2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
1&2. The first two usagesare in the sixth seal. It is a
flash-forward to the Last
Day (sun-black, moon-
blood, men crying out for
rocks to fall on them) when
Jesus returns to set up His
Kingdom. The sixth seal is
not the wrath –it is
depicting the wicked of the
earth suffering God’s wrath
on the Last Day. The six
seals (Conquest, War,
Famine, Death, Martyrs and
Final Judgment) are all
spread across the entireseven years. It is an
overview.
3. 11:18 “The Nations wereangry and your wrath
has come.”
4. 14:10 She will drink the wine
of God’s wrath.
5. 14:19 Grapes cast into the
wine-press of God’s
wrath.
6. 15:1 Seven last plagues are
God’s wrathcompleted.
7. 15:7 Seven Golden Bowls
full of the wrath of
God.
8. 16:1 “Go pour out the Bowls
of God’s wrath upon
the earth!”
9. 16:19 Great Babylon given
the wine of the
fierceness of God’s
wrath.10 19:15 Jesus treads the
winepress of God’sWrath.
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And if the Bible doesn’t call the Trumpets “Wrath”
…then why do we?
Surely Satan’s wrath and men’s wrath is ever-present, but only
after the seventh trumpet is God’s wrath upon the nations
announced.
HERE IS DIRECT SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE:
Revelation 11:15-18
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,
And there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of
our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever
and ever."
16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones
before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was, because you have taken
your great power and have begun to reign.18
The nations were angry; and your wrath has come .The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name,
both small and great — and for destroying those who
destroy the earth."
Here it is!
God’s Wrath comes right after the seventh trumpet!
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This is it! The seventh trumpet has sounded. It is the end of the
age of which Jesus spoke —the end of the rule of mankind upon
the earth!
Now it is time for God’s reign of wrath upon the earth whilerewarding his prophets and saints in heaven at the 3½ year
Judgment Seat of Christ and Marriage Supper of the Lamb! It fits!
Conclusion: I Thessalonians 5:9 cannot be used
to prove a pre-Tribulation Rapture.
CLOSE PARENTHESIS
So, if the Trumpets are fearful events and great signs from
heaven that all hell is about to break loose, then this could very
well be the reason for all the persecution.
Let us return to Matthew, Chapter 24 for one more clue beforemoving on:
THE FALLING AWAY FROM JESUS’ LIPS…
Matthew 24
10 At that time (the time of persecution/tribulation –the
first 3 ½ years) many will turn away from the faith and
will betray and hate each other, 11and many false
prophets will appear and deceive many people.12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of
most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end
will be saved.
(Quick Question: “…the love of most what? will grow cold.” Sinners? Is Jesus worried about the love of sinners growing cold?
If all the Christians are gone then this must be who He is talking
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about. It doesn’t make sense. He must be speaking about the love
of CHRISTIANS growing cold. –And why? Keep reading.)
“AT THAT TIME…”
If it is true that we have now entered the first half of the
tribulation and the trumpets are sounding, then there are going to
be a lot of fair-weather Christians who are going to be very
disillusioned, very disappointed that JESUS LIED TO THEM
ABOUT THE RAPTURE! They may even be angry enough to betray
to the authorities those other fanatical Christians, who said, “I
told you so.” They’ll ask , “What happened to the rapture? Whereis this ‘ coming’ He promised? ” Oh, wait, this brings another piece
of the prophetic puzzle into play:
II Peter 3:3,4
First of all, you must understand that in the last days
scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil
desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes
on as it has since the beginning of creation."
OBSERVATION: If people are wondering where His COMING is,
then He must not have come when they thought He would .
ERGO: If everyone believes the rapture comes before the
tribulation, then there are going to be A LOT of frightened and
bewildered Christians asking this very question:
WHERE IS HE?!
All the pieces fit together!
In this light, I submit that the scoffers are not unbelievers, no— the murderers are going to be unbelievers. The scoffers are going
to be disillusioned and angry “Christians” and false prophets.
Furthermore…
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22
Peter goes on to say,
17 Therefore, dear friends, SINCE YOU ALREADY KNOW THIS, be
on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the
error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.
Now you know –where the promise of His coming is…
Just at the seventh and last trumpet.
Peter’s warning is for Christians. And it carries dire con-
sequences (falling from our secure position) if ignored. When
the rapture doesn’t happen before the signs start happening,
don’t blame God or curse Jesus. They didn’t say it would, —but
that’s what everyone thinks!
Again, this fits with another puzzle piece…
II THESSALONIANS 2:11
(Still talking about the rapture, Paul says :)
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion
that they should believe the lie.
With all I have learned, I personally believe that the
strong delusion is the pre-tribulation rapture
theory that even Bible scholars believe and purport
on very weak and disjointed grounds.
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THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS, DON’T TOUCH T HAT DIAL!
As you can see, this side trip to Daniel, Chapters 9, 11 and 12 has
led to a avalanche of prophetic puzzle pieces, which when viewed
from a mid-tribulation rapture vantage point, all fall into place.
But that’s just the start. There’s much more. People believe in the
pre-trib rapture because they want to. It’s easier –it’s safe. They
cannot bear to think of actually having to face loss of property orlifestyle or life for Jesus. No –He’s the giver. He wants to make all
of your dreams come true… Poppycock! That’s what TV
preachers tell you to get your money. We were created to make
God’s dreams come true of having a family with members that
live not to themselves, but unto Him and each other —at the cost
of their lives.
Jesus said:
Matthew 16:24
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross and follow me.”
Mark 8:35
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Paul said:
2 Timothy 3:12
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted,”
The easy road leads to the wide gate.The hard road leads to the narrow gate.
Please stay with me on the hard road and explore more proof that
the rapture is not a “Get -out-of-Tribulation-Free” card.
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PAUL’S OWN ORDER OF EVENTS
In I Thessalonians, Chapter 4, Paul gives us our most complete
picture of what the rapture looks like from our perspective. (I say
that because later we’re going to see what it looks like fromheaven –and the Old Testament.)
I THESSALONIANS 4:15-17
15 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 fallenasleep. 16For 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. 17 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.
This is what it look s like but there is no indication of the rapture’s
placement on the timeline other than benchmark terms that may
turn up elsewhere:
The Lord will come down from heaven.
It will happen with a loud shout or command.
Michael (the only angel dubbed “archangel” in scripture,
Jude 1:9) will speak or shout something.
The trumpet call of God will sound.
Dead Christians will be resurrected.
Right after that, the living Christians will be caught up withthem to meet the Lord in the air.
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But in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, he wows us with
the actual sequence of events:
II THESSALONIANS 2:1-3
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and our gathering together to Him
, we ask you, 2
not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by
spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though
the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by
any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling
away comes first, and the man of sin
is revealed
, the son of perdition,… NKJV
I had read this many times and never realized that the actual
sequence is right there! It is rather obscure though, so we have to
look at it closely:
First of all, we can see that the subject of this passage is very
clearly labeled: “…concerning the coming of our Lord JesusChrist and our gathering together to Him.” …and our gathering
together to Him… That’s the rapture! DON’T LOSE THAT! Some
people try to change the subject of this paragraph to “Judgment
Day” when Jesus sets His feet on the Mount of Olives, destroys His
enemies and sets up His Millennial Reign. That is not the day He
gathers us, that’s the day He brings us back . In context, Paul also
calls the subject of this paragraph, “the Day of Christ” and “that Day.” We call this the rapture.
Secondly, Paul is giving us a stern warning that there will be
deception surrounding this event. And boy, is there!
And third, He gives us the actual order:
…that Day will not come unless the falling away comes
first, and the man of sin is revealed, (NKJV)
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Do you see the order?
“…that Day will not come unless…
…the falling away comes first and the man of sin is
revealed.”
THERE WE HAVE IT!
1. The rebellion or falling away
2. The man of sin revealed
3. That Day
When does the rebellion begin?
–At the appearance of the trumpet signs. (Luke 21)
When is the man of sin revealed?
– In the middle of the seven. (Dan 9:27)
When is “That Day?”
–After the man of sin is revealed & at the 7th trumpet.
(II Thes 2:3)
Upon close examination, this passage clearly states that the
rapture comes after the falling away and the man of sin beingrevealed. —This last item Jesus pinned on the timeline by
referring to the Book of Daniel which says it would come at
the middle of the tribulation. So “That Day” (the rapture)
cannot occur until AFTER the middle of the Tribulation!
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PARENTHETICALLY
The Greek word translated to English, as “ falling away ” is the
word, apostasia. It means literally an “exodus” of some sort.
Those who propound the pre-tribulation rapture theory insist
that this word actually stands for the rapture. –The “exodus” is
the Christians leaving the earth. Semantically speaking and out of
context, that is a viable translation, but it doesn’t fit with the
other puzzle pieces or the context of the passage. It raises more
questions than it answers. It is interesting that the NIV rendersthe word “rebellion”, the KJV renders it “falling away” and the
NASB simply transliterates it as “apostasy.” No Bible version of
which I am aware renders it with a positive connotation such as
“the Blessed Hope” should have.
But for the sake of argument, let’s interpret it that way and
reconstruct the sentence,
“That Day (The rapture) will not come unless the apostasia
(rapture) comes first and the man of sin is revealed.”
My conclusion: “Apostasia” refers to the big backsliding
when Jesus doesn’t show up.
CLOSE PARENTHESIS
This passage in II Thessalonians is a very clear and important
announcement of the sequence of end time events. It bears
repeating and fleshing out with the other details we have
discovered:
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1. World-wide supernatural cataclysms start happening and
Christians get the blame for it, which causes the Christians-in-
name-only to fall away and all the other false religions and
new-age prophets to begin world-wide persecution of those
“ heretics” who believe the Bible. Masses of people who believed in the pre-tribulation rapture are perplexed and wonder why
they got “Left Behind” and where the promise of His coming is.
This is terrible! What’s the use? He forgot about us!
2. Because of the world-wide hysteria, a strongman is needed who
can bring a sense of order to the chaotic and bloody situation.He signs a seven-year treaty with the worst hotspots (mainly
the middle-east) to quiet the situation. Everyone says “Peace,
Peace” but then sudden destruction comes on them when the
strongman is finished using religion to take control and
declares all religions illegal. [I believe this is the beast (the
antichrist and his generals) devouring and burning the Harlot
(false religion) in Rev. 17:16-18] Then he sets himself up asGod. And why not? He is mankind’s only hope to stop God. He
came back from the dead, has his own miracle-working prophet
and a talking statue of himself. “Who is like the Beast!?”
3. Then this happens just before the seventh trumpet in
Revelation 11:
This is a huge piece of scriptural evidence for
the Mid-Tribulation Rapture–
Please read carefully!
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REVELATION 10
The Mystery of God is accomplished —
1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from
heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above
his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were
like fiery pillars. 2He was holding a little scroll, which
lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the
sea and his left foot on the land, 3and he gave a loud
shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, thevoices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the
seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard
a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven
thunders have said and do not write it down."
5Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on
the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore
by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the
heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is
in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There
will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the
seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the
mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he
announced to his servants the prophets."
Wow! What an incredibly regal announcement!
Voice of the Seven Thunders
Shout of a Lion
Face like the Sun
Legs like Fiery Pillars!
What is this staggering, stupendous
announcement?!
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NO MORE DELAY!
No more delay? …OK... …Delay for what?
–Oh, for the Mystery of God to be accomplished. (Some
versions say completed some say finished .) But what does it
mean? Obviously, it’s very important and it comes right before
the seventh trumpet in Chapter 11.
Wait, there’s a clue in the text!…
… , just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
YES! This prophetic passage would be a total dead end if His
prophets didn’t write it down somewhere, right? Let’s do a
word study and see if we can decipher what “the Mystery of
God” is.
*******************WORD STUDY********************
The word MYSTERY is found in the Old Testament only in the
Book of Daniel. Each time it refers to Nebuchadnezzar’s dreamthat Daniel interpreted. The dream was concerning a great statue
that represented a succession of empires or human governments
on the earth.
If this mystery is the mystery of God, then human governments,
at this point in Rev. 10, are finished and the government of Jesus
is about to begin. This is very interesting. It is true. The end of
the dream predicted that a stone cut out of the mountain without
hands would smash the entire statue and grow into a mountain
that covered the whole earth. (Dan. 2:35) That is the government
of Jesus destroying and replacing human governments.
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Furthermore, as we have seen, Revelation 11:15-18 (the chapter
immediately following this Regal Announcement) recounts the 24
Elders giving thanks to God for beginning His reign at the seventh
trumpet. This is one of many unexpectedly amazing puzzle pieces
that I have run across that fit. But that’s not all of the MYSTERY.Keep looking…
The word MYSTERY is found in the New Testament only in the
writings of Paul (and Revelation of course). Let’s look at these
instances and see if we can find a common thread –a definition of
THE MYSTERY THAT IS NOW COMPLETE.
Romans 11:25
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that
you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in
part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
(This is part of the mystery: Israel being partially set aside until the
full measure of the Gentiles are brought in.)
Romans 16:25
Now to him, who is able to establish you by my gospel and the
proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
mystery hidden for long ages past, 26but now revealed and made
known through the prophetic writings by the command of theeternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— 27to
the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
(Doxology. Doesn’t say what the MYSTERY is, but does say why it
exists: …revealed…so that all nations might believe and obey Him.)
1 Corinthians 15:51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all
be changed—52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised
imperishable, and we will be changed.
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(This mystery is not called The Mystery of God – just a mystery. Yet,
it is very interesting that Daniel’s mystery was the end of human
governments and this mystery is the rapture. It’s just amazing
how these pieces fit together!)
Ephesians 1:9
And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his
good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect
when the times will have reached their fulfillment —to bring all
things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even
Christ.
(Here is another facet of the Mystery –bringing all things together in Christ when the times will have reached their fulfillment.)
Ephesians 6:19
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be
given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the
gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains.
(Mentions the mystery, doesn’t say what it is.)
Colossians 1:24-27
Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh
what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25I have become its servant by the
commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its
fullness— 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and
generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27To them God has
chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of
this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
(The mystery is now disclosed to the saints. This mystery is Christ in
you, the hope of glory. This is good, but it gets better. Read on.)
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Colossians 2:1-51 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and
those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the
flesh, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together inlove, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of
understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of
the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge. NKJV
(This passage does not actually define the Mystery, but like a
“Rosetta Stone” it equates the Mystery of God with the Mystery of
Christ. They are one and the same. It also expresses Paul’s struggle
and desire to see the Church grow.)
Colossians 4:3
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message,
so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in
chains.(Speaks of the mystery, no info.)
1 Timothy 3:16
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He
appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by
angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the
world, was taken up in glory.
(Speaks of Jesus’ incarnation and departure.)
Hold onto your hat! I saved the best for
last. Read it carefully; it is the key andlines up with all the others!
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Ephesians 3:2-6
Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace
that was given to me for you, 3that is, the mystery made known to
me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4In reading
this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into themystery of Christ, 5which was not made known to men in other
generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's
holy apostles and prophets.
This is an almost exact quote from the Regal
Announcement!
And here is the definition.
6This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs
together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers
together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
READ THAT AGAIN!
THIS IS THE KEY TO THE REGAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
The benchmark wording is there
and the definition is there!
This was written so that you can understand the MYSTERY of Christ.
It was not made known to other generations.
…it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy
apostles and prophets
Definition of the MYSTERY: “…through the gospel theGentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together
of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ
Jesus.”
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That’s it! That’s the Mystery of God:
The Bringing Together of Israelite andGentile into one in Christ.
That is the Church –
The Bride of Christ!
Stick a fork in ‘er, boys, she’s done!
Let the weddin’ bells ring!
Time for the seventh trumpet!!!
And this one in Chapter 5 just for good measure:
Ephesians 5:32
This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and
the Church.
! WOW !
What more could you want? The Mystery is the Church and just
before the seventh trumpet in Revelation, Chapter 11, the Mysteryis complete. What’s left to do but pull it out? Now the
“last trump” in I Corinthians 15:52 does not need to be
explained away as something other than the seventh trumpet.
Also, II Thessalonians 2:1-3 does not need to have the subject
(rapture) changed in mid-sentence to mean Judgment Day. It
fits!
***************END OF WORD STUDY***************
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MEANWHILE, BACK IN JERUSALEM…
The Regal Announcement takes up the entire tenth chapter of
Revelation. But before the seventh trumpet sounds, another side-
story, in Chapter 11, needs to be brought in and tied togetherwith the other mid-tribulation events.
Here we see the brief account of a 3½ year ordeal for two
witnesses who prophesy in Jerusalem and have power to smite
the earth with all manner of plagues and curses. They protect
themselves with fire from their mouth, which consumes their
enemies. –Wow! (Allegorical or literal, it’s impressive!)
But when their 3½ years of testimony is over (and the Church is
finished) the Beast out of the Abyss slays them and their bodies
lie in the street for 3½ days and everyone celebrates. (I imagine
that this is when the Abomination of Desolation is set up. Since all
the wicked of earth are glad the two Witnesses are dead, they will
follow the one who takes credit for it.)
But then, the breath of life from God enters them and they are
resurrected right in front of God and everybody! As the horrified
bystanders (and CNN) look on, they hear a loud voice
commanding, “COME UP HERE!” And away they go!
PARENTHETICALLY
Some experts that I have read hold to the idea that this very same
phrase, “Come up here!” spoken to John the author in Chapter 4,
is proof of the rapture before the tribulation. But there is no
corroborating evidence to support that assertion. It seems to be
only wishful thinking. It is very weak evidence to say that since
the Church is not mentioned for several chapters that it must
have been raptured already. Maybe the focus is just on something
else for awhile. One of the laws of logical thinking is that “absenceof proof is not proof of absence.” It is entirely possible that the
Church is still here, it is simply not at the forefront of the
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narrative. A much more plausible understanding of the sequence
of events is right here in this section:
1. CHAPTER 10: The MYSTERY of GOD is completed.
2.
CHAPTER 11: The Two Witnesses have completed 3½years of testimony and are commanded to “Come up
here!”
3. CHAPTER 11 Cont.: The Seventh Trumpet sounds.
4. CHAPTER 14: The scene of the rapture from heaven’s
perspective.
5. CHAPTER 15: the Bowls of God’s Wrath.
This same phrase, “Come up here!” spoken in Chapter 11, has lotsand lots of corroborating evidence that this is the point when the
rapture occurs.
BLESSINGS AND WOE UPON THE GREAT
TRIBULATION SAINTS
After the two witnesses are caught away in Rev. 11, there is a
great earthquake and the seventh trumpet sounds. There are loud
voices in heaven declaring that the age of men’s rule on earth is
over. It has now become the Kingdom of our God and His Christ,
they cry. The 24 Elders worship God for finally taking control and
announce His wrath upon the earth. Then God’s temple is opened
in heaven to show “The Ark of His Covenant” dramatically framedby lightning, rumblings, an earthquake and a great hailstorm. Oh,
how exciting!
After this there are three more parenthetical pieces that reveal
actual events in figurative language. These need to be tied in to
the mainline story at the middle as well but they are immaterial
to the scope of this study on the sequence of events.
1. The woman and the Dragon. (Rev. 12)
2. The Beasts out of the sea and the earth. (Rev. 13)
3. The 144,000 with the Lamb on Mount Zion in heaven. (Rev.
14:1-5)
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Suffice it to say that these are things which are happening during
the first 3½ years, and at the middle of the seven they come to a
head, similar to the Two Witnesses.
After these important tangential narratives are tied in, threeangels appear with warning announcements of judgment to come
in the bowls of wrath about to be poured out. (Rev.14:6-12)
RIGHT AT THIS POINT (Rev.14:13) something very interesting
happens. (Another of the many threads that weave together the
viability of the mid-trib viewpoint):
A voice comes from heaven:
Verse 13:
“Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from
now on.” “Yes” says the Spirit, “They will rest from their
labor for their deeds will follow them.”
Now why do you suppose that is in there?
What is different for “the dead who die in the Lord”
from THIS POINT on?
Now remember where we are,
The MYSTERY of GOD is completed,
The two witnesses have ended their 3½ year testimony
and have been resurrected and taken up to heaven.
The Seventh Trumpet sounds and several things happen:
o God begins to take control of the earth.
o Three tangential narratives tie in.
o A voice from heaven says: “Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord from now on.”
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The very next thing in the narrative is the scene of the
Rapture as seen from heaven. (–Same chapter, next three
verses. Hold tight, we’re coming to that.)
ANSWER:If I am correct about the sequence, then after this point , the souls
who turn to Jesus (i.e. the Jews and others who turn to Jesus after
the Abomination of Desolation) will have no “Blessed Hope,” –no
rapture to look for to save them. They have missed the bus.
After the Mystery of God is complete, and the seventh trumpet
sounds, there will be no more additions to the “Bride of Christ.”The souls who are saved after this (and this passage proves that
there will be some) become something different. “Their deeds
following them” means, I believe, that they get a special job in
heaven:
We see this in the overview back in Revelation 7. This portion of
the overview refers to the Great Tribulation saints. It mentions
being scorched by heat from the sun, which is the fourth bowl of Judgment. This group will serve God in His Temple rather than on
the earth as the Church does.
REVELATION 7:13-17
Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white
robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"
14I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the
great tribulation
; they have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15
Therefore,"they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple
;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over
them.
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16Never again will they hunger; never again will they
thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching
heat.17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their
shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
This is a fitting reward for those who endure with no hope of
escape. May God bless them with His Spirit and give them
strength.
Parenthetically, this passage also serves as part of the scriptural
foundation for referring to the last half of the tribulation as “The
Great Tribulation.” –The Day of the LORD; the Wrath of God. (See
also Matt 24:15-21, Rev.2:22, Zech. 14)
Similarly, this passage serves another purpose: It gives
supporting evidence that the Holy Spirit could not be the ONEtaken out of the way to allow the anti-christ free reign in II Thes
2:7. These people are saved after the seventh trumpet! You can’t
be saved without the Holy Spirit. –More on that later.
ON WITH THE STORY,
After the blessing on the Great Tribulation Saints, Rev. 14:14
begins the narrative of how the rapture looked from heaven in
the vision:
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REVELATION 14:14-20
The Harvest of the Earth
I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated
on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15Then another
angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to
him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap,
because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the
earth is ripe." 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his
sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Immediately after, this happens:17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too
had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who had charge of
the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him
who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather
the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its
grapes are ripe." 19The angel swung his sickle on the earth,
gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress
of God's wrath. 20They were trampled in the winepress
outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as
high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Paul gives his earthly view of the rapture in I Corinthians and I &
II Thessalonians, but this is John’s view of the rapture in
figurative language as seen from heaven. It seems readily
apparent to me that this “ son of man with a crown of gold on his
head ” is Jesus removing what he wants from the earth before theJudgment falls –the Great Winepress. The sequence fits as well:
the very next thing to happen in the narrative is not the first seal
or the first trumpet as the pre-trib viewpoint would dictate. No,
those are long gone. The next thing to happen is the introduction
of the seven angels with the seven last plagues –God’s Bowls of
Wrath. (Rev 15:1)
There you have the scene of the rapture from above ,
in sequence, just after the Seventh Trumpet
and just before the Bowls of Wrath
–as simple as it can be.
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MORE CLICKING PUZZLE PIECES…
DANIEL’S PREGNANT PASSAGE
I mentioned earlier that the passage in Daniel 11:31 ~ 12:2 was
“just pregnant with meaning.” If you will bear with me, let’s
revisit it and see if the mid-trib viewpoint will unravel another
controversial mystery.
DANIEL 11:31~12:2
"His (the antichrist’s) armed forces will rise up to
desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily
sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that
causes desolation.
Now we know that the Abomination of Desolation is in the middle
of the seven years, so what happens then?
" At that time…
Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will
arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not
happened from the beginning of nations until then.
Wait a minute! If Michael protects Daniel’s people, and he is
“rising” to do that, then why is there a time of distress afflictingthem such as has never happened before?
It doesn’t make sense.
It sounds like he’s not doing his job very well. Let’s zoom in and
take a closer look…
“...Michael, the great prince who protects your people,will arise .”
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OK, this word “arise” is sometimes translated “stand up” and
sometimes just “rise.” But it doesn’t make sense for Michael to
step up to the plate and strike out. Perhaps this levitation of
his is not to the people’s valiant defense. Perhaps he is rising to
go back to heaven!
That would explain the unparalleled distress breaking out and
the man of sin slipping by.
That would also explain how Michael came to be with Jesus in
the clouds to announce the rapture (I Thes. 4:16), just before
the seventh trumpet.
That would also explain how Michael came to be in heaven to
cast out Satan just after the seventh trumpet! (Rev. 12:7)
Now it makes sense!
Furthermore…
Accepting this possible and plausible interpretation of this
passage in Daniel about Michael, would also give us a logical
explanation to yet another controversial passage of scripture:
II THESSALONIANS 2:5-8
5Don't you remember that when I was with you I used
to tell you these things?
Sorry, Paul. I wasn’t there. What are you talking about?
6 And now you know what is holding him (the man of sin)
back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.7
For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work;but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so
till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one
will be revealed…”
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This is a pretty spooky passage of scripture. Paul refers to
something important that he told the believers in Thessalonica,
but we don’t know what that is. Let’s see if we can pick up a clue.
Perhaps God intended it as a mystery:
“…the one who now holds it back will continue
to do so till he is taken out of the wa
y.”
WHO IS THIS ONE?
This is another key to the sequence of events. I have heard some
purport that this ONE is the Holy Spirit. But the timing states that
this happens in the middle of the tribulation and we know that
the Great Tribulation Saints (Rev 14:13) are saved after they
missed the bus. (If they had been saved before the rapture, they
would have gone up in the rapture, wouldn’t they?) The HolySpirit is an absolutely integral part of regeneration to salvation,
so the ONE can’t be he Holy Spirit.
Hmm, What about the Church? Maybe it’s the Church. Well, the
Church is removed about this time, but this same chapter,
II Thessalonians, Chapter 2 states clearly:
Verses 1-3: (Paul’s Own Order of Events) The Church
leaves after the man-of-sin is revealed.
Verses 7-8: The ONE is removed before
the man of sin is revealed.
So, the ONE who leaves to allow the man-of-sin to be revealed
can’t be the Church either —the Church is still here when he isrevealed!
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Let’s look at the sequence again,
1. Trumpet Signs jump-start world-wide persecution.
2. 3 ½ years of persecution precipitates the “f alling-away.”
3. The ONE leaves. (loosing the “power of l awlessness”)
4. The antichrist is revealed for who he really is.
5. The Rapture Hits. (Church leaves)
6. The Great Tribulation Saints (Jew and Gentile) are saved
afterward, thereby necessitating a Holy Spirit here to savethem.
We have shown that “the One” could not be the Church or the
Holy Spirit. So who could it be that is taken out of the way to
unbridle the secret power of lawlessness culminating in the
revelation of the man of sin? Hmm… Are there some livingbeings other than men or the Holy Spirit whose job is to
restrain/battle evil beings in spiritual realms?
DANIEL 12
The Time of the End
1"Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who
stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise.
And there will be a time of distress such as never
occurred since there was a nation until that time;
NASB
Michael… will arise, and a time of unparalleled distress breaks
out . What does this mean? Has he been holding back someunseen evil?
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Now, if we accept and follow this line of reasoning, that Michael
has been “taken out of the way” to:
1. allow the antichrist to be revealed,
2. announce the rapture and
3. kick Satan out of heaven,
(all of which fit perfectly around the seventh trumpet,)
…then what is to become of Daniel’s people in great distress?
Oh, wait … here it is… right here in the next verse!
Daniel 12 continued…
2But at that time your people—everyone whose name is
found written in the book —will be delivered.
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will
awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and
everlasting contempt.
There it is! Now we have seen the Post-Trumpet — Pre-Wrath
resurrection/deliverance/rapture from:
Paul’s writin
gs (after the falling-away & the man-of-sin
revealed),
the Book of Revelation (between the Seventh Trumpet
and the Bowls of Wrath) —and—
the Old Testament (after Michael being pulled out & the
Abomination of Desolation allowed !)
All these fit together at the middle of Daniel’s 70th week!
From the Mid-Trib vantage point the Pre-Trib theory’s evidence
melts away like a snowman in Tahiti.
I believe three witnesseswith much corroborating evidence
and bonus cleared-up mysteries should be enough.
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NOW, WAIT A MINUTE…
The question arises: Why have people not figured this out
before? The last book of the Bible was written around 95 A.D. so
why hasn’t this sequence of events been widely known and
accepted?
Forgive me, I have to throw one more piece of the puzzle in here…
DANIEL, CHAPTER 12 CONTINUED…
4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book
until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall increase .”
9 …"Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed
up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be
purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will
continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will
understand, but those who are wise will understand.
My friend, the human psyche (the flesh) tends toward the wide
path with the broad gate. It tends to dismiss thoughts of death or
persecution. It is natural for people to shy away from information
which promises that things will get worse before they get better.
If I am wrong about this sequence of events, nothing happens, we
all go to heaven in a little row boat before the tribulation. But if I
am right, and we are handed over to the anti-christ for a time,
times and half-a-time (Dan 7:25), then a lack of knowledge and
preparation will cause the “falling-away” to be even bigger andmany more souls to be lost.
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IN CONCLUSION:
There is more to be discovered. But these many puzzle pieces
have had their say. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory that I set
out to prove let me down. The gauze-thin proofs offered tosupport it and the wishful thinking offered to defend it, by even
very learned men, are easily wiped away with common sense
once the Mid-Tribulation Rapture position is taken up. When
you’re on the right trail, solutions to vexing questions come fast
and furious.
So then, what is the answer to the question posed on the cover of
this book? What is the next event on the prophetic horizon?
I believe that since the seals on the scroll, opened by the Lamb,
are depictions of a sanctioning of the spirit of conquest and war –
and their accompanying conditions upon the earth— that we may
actually not know when this happens from our vantage point on
the ground. These wicked things will grow into place and we may
not witness the seed germinating. I believe that the first trumpet sign of hail and fire mixed with blood will soon thereafter cause
these wicked roots to grow rapidly, bringing the bitter fruit of
undeserved retribution upon those seen as responsible. But
actually, this is the next event that humans may witness from the
earth…
Revelation 8:1-6
Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets
When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in
heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven
angels who stand before God, and to them were given
seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden
censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much
incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the
throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers
of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s
hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire
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from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there
were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an
earthquake.6 So the seven angels who had the seven
trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
If this event is not visible from the earth, then the next event on
the prophetic horizon is hail and fire, mingled with blood from
the sky. –The first Fearful Event and Great Sign from Heaven.
–The first Trumpet Sign. –The Beginning of Birth Pains.
I believe that it has been prophesied for many centuries that most
people who think of themselves as Christian will not adopt and
understand this vantage point. On a corporate level this is anunavoidable tragedy of gargantuan proportions. But on a
personal level, those who refuse deception and stand firm to the
end; those who have truly been crucified with Christ and look
forward to this trial by fire will find in it a glorious putting-off of
the flesh and an exhilarating crash-course on living in the spirit!
I pray that you will take this to heart and be prepared to explain it
to others, thereby giving God glory for His advance warnings to
those who love the truth.
After all, that is what prophecy is all about.
Isaiah 45:18-22
Declare what is to be, present it —
let them take counsel together.
Who foretold this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?
Was it not I, the LORD ?
Isaiah 46:10
10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.
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ANOTHER SOON-TO-BE PRECIOUS SCRIPTURE
ISAIAH 57:1, 2
The righteous perish,
and no one ponders it in his heart;
Devout men are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.
Those who walk uprightly
enter into peace;
they find rest as they lie in death.
Copyright© 2009 as “Is the Rapture the next event on the prophetic horizon?” Done to prevent others from copyrighting it and killing it.
Gregory B. Williams
This booklet may be reproduced in any way and distributed with or
without charge. The author asks only that you notify him so that
he may rejoice with you in getting the truth out.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 BY International Bible
Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All
rights reserved.
greg*bwillia*ms_@*_cox._net (Remove asterisks and underscores)