The Residence of the Church after the Rapture

Where will the Church reside during the Millennium?

By Abraham Israel

One of the most intriguing question which I believe that the Church has not asked itself is ‘Where will we [i.e. the Church] reside during the time when we will rule the earth for a Millennium along with Jesus very soon?’ I believe the Bible gives the answer very clearly if we will only see through the Scripture with the mind of the Spirit like the Berean believers did in the first century when Apostle Paul spoke the word of God to them. They received the scriptures from Paul with all readiness and at the same time searched the Scriptures to find out whether these things were really so. God the Holy Spirit was so impressed with their thirst for Scripture that He commended them by making Luke the theologian and the first historian of the Church to record these events and even call these believers as “fair-minded and noble”. O what a commendation from God! (Acts 17:10-12). If we too are eager to know in-depth about our future residence right from the Scripture, God the Holy Spirit will also teach us now of all great mysteries of God and commend us as He did the first century believers (1 Cor 2:13-14). So tighten your seat belts and get ready for a take-off!

What did Jesus say?

Jesus said, “1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” We know right from the words that Jesus spoke above that He was speaking to the disciples about the future residence of the Church. During the time of Jesus’ ministry, the Church did not come in to existence on earth, but on the day of Pentecost forty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Church was established on earth through the prophetic words and sermon exposition of Peter the Apostle just as Jesus has predicted to him before His death on the Cross (Matthew 16:17-20).


The Church of Jesus Christ is a gathering or assembly of those who believe that He is “the Son of the living God”. Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of the living God are those people who are likened to an unshakeable building on the rock who is Jesus Christ (John 6:40; 20:31; 1 John 5:13). These assembly of people are also those who will hear the sayings of Jesus and do them in their daily life (Luke 6:46-49). Those who do not do the basics of building their day to day life based on what they believe will experience great ruin in their lives instead of the blessings of God which they are entitled to experience (Luke 6:49). Those who hear the words of Jesus and accept it as believers but do not do them will suffer loss of reward for eternity but will be saved based on what Jesus has achieved for them on the Cross (Luke 6:49; 1 Cor 3:11-15). The unbelievers on the other hand will not accept the teachings of Jesus Christ but will resist them naturally because of powerlessness in their lives to fulfill it (John 8:37, 43-45; 6:44). The Lord wants the believers to be influenced by the good things of the word of God that the believer’s stores in his heart. Only the believers has the ability to bring forth good fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives (Gal 5:22-23). The Church is not a material building where people gather to worship God, instead the Church is the people of God who gather in a place to worship God together. Essentially the requirement for a Church is just two or three gathered together in the name of Jesus (Matt 18:20). It can even be a single family of Father, Mother and their Children in a house. So only in the apostolic first century Church, the Church was called by the family name in which the Church was actually conducted, such as "Aristobulus' [household]" (Rom 16:10), "Caesar's household" (Phil 4:22), "household of Onesiphorus" (2 Tim 4:19), "[household] of Narcissus" (Rom 16:11), "household of Stephanas" (1 Cor 1:16), "household of God" (Eph 2:19) and "household of faith" (Gal 6:10) [as a collective universal Church of all other house Churches around the world]. These were all house Churches in which the gathering of believer’s took place.


The word ‘Church’ in Greek is 'ekklēsia [pronounced 'ek-klā-sē'-ä']' and in a Christian sense means ‘1) an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting 2) a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake 3) those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body 4) the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth 5) the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven'. From the various meanings given above for the word ‘Church’, we can conclude that it is the common assembly of the people of God who are on earth and also in heaven who have received Jesus as “the Son of the living God” for the past two thousand years (Eph 3:14-15, 21).

The Arrangement

In the Jewish tradition, the bridegroom would go to the bride’s house and the Father of the bridegroom would pay the father of the bride the bride price as the first step in to ‘the marriage arrangement’. The Father of the Bridegroom who is God the Father, made the arrangement and then paid the bride price to appease the other facet of Himself who is the God of perfect Justice and Righteousness, and also the Owner and Creator of all human beings (Is 30:18; Duet 32:4; Mal 2:17; Ps 85:10-11, 14; Eccl 12:1; Is 40:28; 1 Peter 4:19). The bride price was the blood of His Son. Ephesians 5:25 states: ''Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;'' John 3:16 says: ''For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,'' By giving up the Son and by shedding the blood of the Son the bride price was paid to the God of Righteousness and Justice, and so the marriage arrangement was sealed with blood. This is the reason Apostle Peter clearly said, "Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19). Once the bride would accept to marry the bridegroom by partaking of the wine that the bridegroom would bring, it seals and shows the acceptance from the bride to marry the bridegroom. This is symbolical of a sinner believing the blood of Jesus and partaking in it as the sign of accepting Jesus Christ as his very own Bridegroom, Lord and Savior (1 Peter 3:1-6; John 6:53-55; Matt 26:27-29; 1 Cor 11:25-26).


Then the bridegroom would promise the bride that he  would prepare a place for her in his father’s house and that he would come suddenly one day and take her to his father’s house to be with him forever very soon. Just before fulfilling the act of redemption on the Cross of Calvary [which is the bride price to the bride's Father], Jesus told to His bride the Church [i.e. the apostles and all believers] and promised according to the same Jewish marriage tradition that He would go to the Father's house in heaven and prepare a place of residence for them all so that from the time of the wedding ceremony of the lamb they would be able to stay in the Prepared place forever (John 14:3; Rev 19:6-9).

The Preparation

The second step in the Jewish wedding system is known as the preparation. That is the period of the betrothal. It lasts for at least a year but could also last for many years especially if the arrangement was made when the bride and groom were only children. During the period of the preparation, the bride will prepare herself to be a fitting wife of love for her mate. Essentially the bride is being trained and prepared to take on the role of a wife, as she prepares herself to be a fitting bride for her mate. The Church as the bride of Christ is being prepared for the future role of Christ's wife (Eph 5:22-32). This is the period of time that she is observed for her purity. That is why Apostle Peter spoke about this 'preparation period' saying, "...Conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were .... redeemed with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:17-19). In other words Apostle Peter is saying, 'Because the bride price for purchasing you has been paid by Christ to marry you in the future, stay pure as His dear bride without defiling yourself with sinful lifestyle and self indulgence through getting washed in the blood of Jesus as much as you can.' 


The bride price will be used to adorn the bride with all ornaments and keep the bride scented and ready for any time exit to the bridegroom's palace which will be prepared during this time. We too as the bride of Christ use the blood of Christ in preparation for the day of rapture which is our day of permanent exit from this earth to the bridegroom's new prepared palace which is in the New Jerusalem. Actually the New Jerusalem is the Father's house that Jesus has spoken in the gospel of John fourteenth chapter verses two and three. Once the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ along with His saints gets over, then we all will get settled once and for all in the new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1-2, 9-10). Paul states that the Church has been espoused, or betrothed, to one husband. The goal is that she might be presented a pure virgin to Christ (2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:26-27, 29). This preparation process is what we call as 'sanctification or separation'. Jesus Himself has gifted to His bride the Church all the fivefold ministries of Eph 4:8, 11 as a gift to adorn, sanctify and cleanse herself and to make her look glorious with the washing of water by the word, that she should be set apart without any spot and blemishes in character for the day of rapture (Eph 5:26-27; 1 Sam 16:7).

The Fetching of the Bride and additional adornment in the Bridegrooms Father’s house                               

In the Jewish wedding system, on the wedding day the groom would go to the home of the bride exactly when his father tells him to fetch her to his home. On the particular day in which the Father of our Lord Jesus has ordained (Matt 24:36), Jesus will return to the home of the bride which is the earth. The bridegroom would usually come with a great sound of trumpet suddenly and will not enter the house of the bride, but rather he would stand outside it and send His servants to fetch the bride and will return immediately to his prepared place in his father's house. This is what Apostle Paul said will happen to the Church in 1 Thess 4:16-17, "16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." O what a parallel truth! The angels are His servants who will fetch the Lord's bride from her home which is the earth. Our Lord will stay in the air outside the bride's home. Then the Lord through His angels will transform all the dead carcass of all the believers in to the glorious royal body as like Jesus Himself (1 John 3:2). Then like as eagles they will gather together to meet the Lord in a moment of time and in a twinkling of an eye (Matt 24:27-28; Is 40:31).

After the bridegroom takes the bride to his prepared place, he will actually take away what he does not like and will beautify her with more of what he likes. He will reward her with the best of all he has for keeping herself pure and for being ready when he came to fetch her away to his house (2 Tim 4:8). After we are caught up as a Church on the day of rapture, we will be taken straight to the New Jerusalem [i.e "holy Jerusalem" (Rev 21:9-10) and also called as "heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb 12:22-23)] which has been prepared for us as a bride adorned for her husband (John 14:1-3; Rev 21:1-2). This is the reason why Apostle Peter told the Church believers, “Nevertheless we [the believers (2 Peter 1:1-2)], according to His [whose? Jesus’ (John 14:1-3)] promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13). From this above verse we clearly see that the Apostles in the first century understood that the permanent residence of the Church will not be on this present earth after the millennium rule of Jesus Christ, but will be in the new earth and the new heaven in which the glory of Jesus and His righteousness will dwell. Compared to the eternity the Church will be spending on new heaven and new earth, the thousand year rule of Jesus Christ and His saints on earth will pass on as like a single 24 hour day according to Apostle Peter (2 Peter 3:8). When Peter told to Jesus that they as apostles of Jesus Christ has left all and have followed Him, then he said to Jesus, ‘What shall we have? ’To Peter Jesus promised that they as rulers along with Him will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel after the regeneration and restoration of the earth through the glory of Jesus Christ (Matt 19:27-28; Luke 22:28-30). The time of regeneration starts only after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and not after the rapture of the Church. This is also described by Luke the first historian of the Church as “the times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). Yet Peter clearly understood that they will rule the present earth from the new Jerusalem and also admonished the believers not to look forward to the Millennium rule on this present earth but to the new heaven and earth which is the real inheritance of all the saints for eternity in which the New Jerusalem will finally rest (Rev 21:1-2, 9-10).


In the same way Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 describes the Judgment Seat of Christ where the wood, hay, and stubble of what we have decorated ourself with our own effort will be burned away and the gold, silver, and precious stone of His precious glory ornament of submission to His Spirit's Character will be given great reward and accolades (1 Peter 3:3-5). We will be eternally rewarded for all the "walking in the Spirit" that we have done to please Him (Gal 5:16, 25-26). Only the "fruit of the Spirit" keeps us already adorned for the reward of Jesus in the future and nothing other than this will do to please Jesus to give us our prize and our reward prepared for us in advance (Gal 5:22-23; John 8:29; 15:8). This is what Apostle Paul meant when he described in 2 Cor 5:9-11, "9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences." Here in the above verse 11 the word  'terror' of the Lord means 'phobos' pronounced 'fo'-bos' in Greek. It means 'a healthy fear of God, [Spirit's] dread which strikes terror [in our soul against evil], reverence for one's husband'. Knowledge of the healthy fear of God is a byproduct that comes to a believer when he follows God. It can be compared to the healthy fear of one’s husband which comes to a wife out of passion and respect for him. This fear is not a unhealthy fear of going to hell but the healthy fear of love, submission and thankfulness of a wife towards her husband’s unconditional love and provision towards her in spite of her weakness (Eph 5:25, 1 Peter 3:7). The Lord has not redeemed the Church and loved it by giving His own life so that he could strike her with terror on the day of adornment, that too before all angels in heaven on the day of His wedding. But He has redeemed us the Church which is his bride, to show all the angels in heaven of how His ornaments of unconditional love and grace might abound by the one act of sacrifice that He has achieved for His bride the Church and the saints of all ages (Rom 5:18-21; Eph 3:9-11). Praise the Lord!

The Ceremony

The ceremony was conducted in the home of the groom. Only a few, usually the immediate family and two witnesses, were invited to come in and observe the wedding ceremony.


Apostle John says in Revelation 19:6-9, "5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”" First of all the group that is rejoicing, declaring and loudly proclaiming excitedly that the marriage of the lamb has come are none other than all His servants and those saints small and great of those who fear Him. Because all these saints small and great are all part of the marriage of the Lamb this is why they say, "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." All the saints even up to the rapture of the Church are part of the marriage supper of the Lamb. These are the blessed category of saints. Those who do not get raptured will not be able to attend the marriage of the Lamb and will enter in to the Great Tribulation (Matt 24:20-22). This is the reason the Church saints are blessed than the tribulation saints of the end time, who will be either martyred or else will enter in to Millennium with their physical bodies. The family of God are all those saints who have believed God even up to the rapture of the Church (Gal 3:7, 26-29; John 1:12).

Here we should notice three things in the above Rev 19:6-9 verses, 1) The phrase "marriage of the Lamb has come" means, the end of the ages of Satanic rule over the world in which the Church saints lived is over and God who has been waiting to live among His creation will be fulfilled through this ceremony for the first time in all the millenniums right from the time past of the creation of the old earth and heaven to that present time in the New Jerusalem. 2) The saints have already become the wife of the Lamb and so the reward and beautification has already been over and as a result they are clothed in fine linen clean and white which represents the righteousness of the saints. The wife of the lamb is now glorified. There is no spot, no wrinkle, no blemish nor any such thing upon her. 3) The white linen is the righteous acts of the saints which must have been given to them during the Beautification ceremony of the Judgment seat of Christ [i.e. Bema seat Judgment or reward ceremony] (2 Cor 5:9-11).


The Bottom line in Rev 19:6-9 is, Firstly the rapture of the Church has taken place and the multitude of saints begin to praise God for it, Secondly the beautification of the Church follows and the saints are beautified with the glory ornaments of the Spirit which is symbolically said as "granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright". Thirdly the marriage ceremony of the Lamb takes place in which the Church and the Lord Jesus will get united in unbroken union for eternity ahead. Fouthly, because the marriage has taken place the Lamb Jesus Christ will give a supper for everyone present in New Jerusalem. This "marriage supper of the Lamb" (Rev 19:9) which the Lamb of God Jesus Christ gives to the whole community of saints and angels in the New Jerusalem should not be mixed with the "supper of the great God" (Rev 19:17) which God the Father will give to all those who reign on earth during the inauguration of the Millenial rule of Jesus Christ along with all the saints after the battle of Armageddon gets over (Matt 25:34; 26:28-29; Rev 16:12-16; 19:17-21). Actually when Jesus said "Assuredly I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God" (Mark 14:25) to the Apostles, He was conveying a twofold message of the establishment of the Spiritual kingdom of God on earth from the time of His resurrection and a physical kingdom of God on earth after His Second Coming (Luke 17:21; Matt 19:28). All the Apostles believed and waited for a physical kingdom of God even moments before the ascension of Jesus. But at the point of time Jesus revealed to the apostles that the time of physical kingdom of God on earth is a mystery that will be unveiled to them only later (Acts 1:6-7), which He later revealed  through the Holy Spirit to Apostles like Peter (2 Peter 3:5-15), Paul (Acts 26:14-18; Gal 1:11-12; 1 Thess 4:13-18) and John (Rev 1:1-3, 19) as He had previously promised them all (John 16:7, 12-14) . So the Apostles from that point of time began to understand and expound the Scripture which Jesus had spoken to them as something that has already been fullfilled spiritually (Mark 14:24-25; Acts 1:1-3; 10:41) and also which will happen physically after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this present earth.


The two exclusive witness of the marriage of the Lamb in heaven will be God the Father and the Holy Spirit according to Apostle John (1 John 5:7). This above group of the saints and the Trinity are the only immediate family and two witnesses who will be part of the wedding ceremony. These are the only people who will come in and observe the wedding ceremony. The ceremony will take place in the New Jerusalem which in itself will be prepared "as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev 21:1-2, 9-27; Heb 12:22-23). In other words, the bride which is the Church will be adorned in the Heavenly New Jerusalem because it was actually prepared for the consummation of the long relationship that God had planned with His creation, which will fully be fullfilled only after the New Jerusalem will be lowered in to the new heaven and be made to finally rest on the new earth (Is 65:17; Rev 20:4-6; 21:1-8). During the thousand year rule, Jesus Christ and His saints will rule this present earth from the New Jerusalem which is the real residence of the glorious saints. This Millenium rule of Jesus and His saints will end with a glorious battle of Gog and Magog in which all rebellion against God will be once and for all be destroyed, judged and will be thrown in to eternal hell fire. Immediately after the battle, the old heaven and earth will be destroyed with the fire of God and will melt away and become as gas in the atmosphere (Rev 20:7-15; 2 Peter 3:10-13).


Apostle Peter said that the world system of governance perished during the Noah's flood "with water", but he says that the present earth and the heaven which have been preserved by the eternal word of Jesus are reserved for fire unto the day of White Throne Judgement, before which the present earth and the heaven will be destroyed along with the ungoldly men in the final battle of Gog and Magog at the very end of the Millenium rule of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:6-7; Rev 20:7-10). Note, only the world [i.e. World system of governance but not the earth and heaven] perished during Noah's flood, but the very present earth and heaven will be completely destroyed and the elements of earth along with all the works that are in it will melt and be burned up before the white throne jugment (2 Peter 3:10-13). Apostle John agrees with the above truth by saying in Rev 21:1, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea." In other words what Apostle John is saying is, as the old heaven and old earth vanishes away by God's prepared judgment of fire in which all the earthly elements will melt completely to become as gas in the atmosphere, only then I saw the new heaven and the new earth. New comes only after the old is passed away. With this event of the passing away of the old heaven and the earth, the word of God which says, "...For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor 4:18) will be thus fullfilled for eternity.


Even the white throne judgment will be conducted in a place other than the present heaven and the earth because at the very appearance of the "great white throne and Him [i.e. Christ] who sat on it", the present earth and the heaven will flee away (Rev 20:11; John 5:22, 26-29). In other words, the moment "the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them" (v13) immediately the fire of God will engulf the present earth and the heaven to melt it completely away to become as gas so that there was no place found to stand on for those rebels who were in direct rebellion to God's rule over them through Christ (Rev 20:11). The meaning of this verse "the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them" (v13) means, the wicked unbelievers and ungodly people who have ever died physically right from the day of the first Adam right through the ages [i.e. 7 Millennium since God created man and a woman] even upto that time of white throne jugment will be resurrected in their natural bodies and then will be judged for all their ungodly evil works and will be thrown eternally in to the lake of fire [i.e Hell (Gehenna in Greek)] where the fire quencheth not and where the worms never die (Mark 9:43-44; Matt 18:8-9; Rev 20:14-15). Jesus also called this resurrection as "resurrection of condemnation" for those who have done evil by having no faith in God's atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ (John 5:28-29). This is a real physical resurrection of all unbelievers coming out of their literal grave. The unbelievers will come out of their grave whether they died on the sea or land by the power of the life giving command that Jesus will give to their dead bodies (John 5:28-29; Rev 20:13). Then the unbelievers will be judged in a place other than the present earth and heaven which was prepared for this magnificent white throne judgment. They will be judged for their worthless evil works (Rev 20:13). The Bible clearly reveals that the wicked angels who rebelled against God's authority during the creation of the earth and have continued in the same way ever since even upto the starting time of the Millennium, will be judged by the saints and Jesus Christ in the white throne judgment (Is 24:21-22; 1 Cor 6:1-3).


This final ceremonious consummation of God living with His bride side by side in the new heaven and new earth with men, having the new Jerusalem in the midst of the new earth will be fulfilled on that day (Rev 21:1-7). This fulfillment will be the last nail in the coffin of Satan and his cohorts who would have been thrown in to the eternal fire by then, going through the works based Judgment of angels by the saints in the final WhiteThrone Judgment (1 Cor 6:3; Rev 20:11-15). These fallen rebellious angels who had tried in the ages past to make the earth a demonic Hell will once forever will be destroyed. The marriage of the lamb is the original purpose of God for man that has been disrupted by the rebellion of Satan and his demonic cohorts. The new Jerusalem, along with the coming new earth and new heaven after the millenium rule of Jesus Christ is a proof of God's power to fulfill His plan even after the rebellion of Satan and his cohorts in their much influenced, orchestrated and instrumental fall of man. Once and for all Satan's wisdom will finally be proved by God to be a complete failure and foolishness to himself. Praise the Lord!

The Marriage Feast

In the Jewish wedding system the marriage feast has many more people invited. Whereas a few are invited to the wedding ceremony, many others are invited to the marriage feast to celebrate the marriage of the son. All the angels in heaven will partake and rejoice with the lamb and His wife which is the Church.


The marriage feast will start in New Jerusalem immediately after the Reward ceremony for the saints [i.e. Bema seat judgment of Christ (2 Cor 5:9-11)] and the consumation of marriage of the Lamb with the Bride the Church going through ceremonious union of marriage. This marriage feast will be over before the Armegeddom war after which Jesus Christ will rule the earth with a rod of iron along with the saints (Rev 19:9, 15).

When Jesus went back to heaven at the time of Ascension, one main purpose he went back was to prepare a place for the bride which is the Church (John 14:2-3). The place He is preparing for the bride is known as the New Jerusalem which is the abode of God for eternity, which will be lowered from the present place and will placed in the centre of the new heaven and earth after the millemium rule of Jesus Christ, just as the city of Jerusalem is physically present in the centre of this present old heaven and earth. And God will continue to live among His people as one family, nobody from the present old earth will be able to enter this new earth unless they are written in the Lamb's book of life, so only Apostle John writes, “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life."(21:27) (Rev 21:1-8). In the white throne judgment the Book of life will be taken to search for the names of the Millennium saints who will be segregated away from the unbelievers of the Millennium just as the Goat and Sheep Judgement of the nations at the starting time of the Millenial rule of Jesus Christ (Matt 25:31-46). Then those people whose names are not found written in the Book of Life will be cast in to the lake of fire forever (Rev 20:15) and those people whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will enter in to the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:27). By entering in to the New Jerusalem they will then be able to inherit, inhabit and have dominion in the new heaven and the new earth (Rev 21:1-8). To have dominion and rule the earth is the original purpose of God for man which will be fullfilled by the nations of those saved saints in the new heaven and the new earth (Gen 1:26-28, 31; 2:1-3; Rev 21:24-26). There will be kings in the earthly saved nations under the king of kings (Rev 21:24; 19:16). The kings will be chosen based on the faithful service that they have done on the old earth for God (Matt 25:14-23; 2 Tim 2:12; Col 3:23-25; Gal 6:9-10; Eph 6:7-8).


The New Jerusalem which is described in Revelation 21:9-22:5, will become the home of the Lamb’s Bride from the time of rapture onwards. After the marriage feast gets over in the New Jerusalem the saints of God will rule the present old heaven and earth from it. Once the thousand years are over the New Jerusalem will be placed in the middle of the new heaven and new earth, and then the new heaven and earth will permanently be inhabitated by the saints of all time and will become the residence of the Church for eternity (Rev 21:1-7). There will be saintly nations in the new earth from which the kings of the new earth will bring their glory and honor in to the New Jerusalem to worship the king of kings (Rev 21:26; 19:16). When the New Jerusalem comes out of present place in the highest heaven of heavens, all the believers will come in it with God and His glory to inhabit the new heaven and the new earth. This is the reason when the Angel carried Apostle John in the Spirit and showed "the great city, the holy Jerusalem", he called this "New Jerusalem" (21:2) as the "the bride, the Lamb's wife" (Rev 21:9-11). 


If we ask the question, 'Why did the saints not occupy the new heaven and new earth before this time?The first reason is because only on the day of White Throne Judgment all the believers who lived on earth after the Second Coming [i.e. first (Rev 20:6; Matt 24:30-31)] resurrection of the Tribulation saints right through to the end of Millenium in their natural bodies, will finally be able to receive their glorious supernatural body exactly like the body that Jesus have had during His earthly rule (Luke 24:36-43; 1 John 3:2; Rev 20:11-15). Only after the Millenium rule of Jesus Christ gets over, during the White Throne Judgment the Millenium saints will be resurrected in their glorious bodies as their names will be present in the Lamb's book of life (Rev 20:15; 21:27). The Millenium saints will live in their glorious new bodies along with the saints of the Old Testament, the Church and the Tribulation saints in the new heaven and new earth forever and ever. The second reason is because only at the end of the Millennium rule of Jesus Christ will all the enemies of God be completely destroyed once forever from the entire universe at the ultimate end of all rebellion in the final Gog and Magog battle and God will completely take control of His creation and will start to inhabit in them as "all in all" for eternity ahead (Rev 20:7-10). This is beautifully described by Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 15:23-28 which says, "23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all." Here we see some important truths of God's word revealed in the  preceding verses. Three orders of resurrection Apostle Paul have revealed here in these above verses. The Greek word used here for the word 'order' is 'tagma' which means 'rank or company'. It is used only here, but it is used in Sept. of a company of soldiers (Num 2:2; 2 Sam 23:13).


The first order of resurrection will be "Christ the firstfruits" on the day of rapture of all the saints which will happen before the "great tribulation" starts (Matt 24:21). How can we say that "Christ the firstfruits" means the Church at the time of resurrection? [Note: It does not say 'Christ is the firstfruit' but "Christ the firstfruits' which means Christ along with the firstfruits of believers whom he will raise at the time of resurrection during rapture] Because the Apostle Paul has clearly told that the believers have the firstfruits of the Spirit and are waiting eagerly for the time of rapture by groaning to God in prayer for it to happen soon (Rom 8:23). Christ who is "the firstfruit is holy" (Rom 11:16) [Note the singularity of the phrase]. "Christ the firstfruits" (1 Cor 15:23) [Note the plurality of the phrase which indicates Paul was speaking about believers]. Usually a family consisting of a singular leader is described as the firstruits to God when pointed out by Paul in the same book of 1 Corinthians as his 'firstfruits' of conversion in area of Achaia (1 Cor 16:15). Then the second order of resurrection will be "those who are Christ's at His [Second] Coming" to the earth. Then the third and the final order "comes [at] the [ultimate] end" after the Millennial rule of Jesus Christ in this present earth. How do we know that Apostle Paul is surely describing about the resurrection order of saints? Because after describing all the orders of resurrection Apostle Paul says, "the last enemy that will be destroyed is death". Apostle John clearly has indicated that only after the great white throne judgment "Death and Hades were cast in to the lake of fire [and destroyed forever]. This is the second death" (Rev 20:14; 20:11-13, 15). This shows that the saints of all ages [i.e. OT saints, NT saints, Tribulation saints, Millennial saints] will only inhabit the brand new heaven and the new earth after all the enemies of God are fully destroyed at the end of the millennial rule of Jesus Christ (Rev 21:1-4, 8). The complete list of the order of resurrection of all saints which includes the third and final order for those who lived during the millennial rule of Jesus Christ on earth will be over only during the great white throne judgment (Rev 20:12-13, 15). Amen. Praise the Lord!


The Church will actively rule this present old heaven and old earth for a thousand years along with Jesus Christ from New Jerusalem, after which the Bridal city of New Jerusalem will be lowered in to the new earth. Then the Old Testament saints along with the Church which is the bride of Christ, Tribulation saints and the Millenium saints will inhabit the new heaven and new earth forever. Praise the Lord!


The ceremonies of the Judgment seat of Christ [i.e. Bride beautification ceremony], and the marriage of the Lamb and the supper of the Lamb will take place after the rapture of the Church and before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this present earth. These are the relationship between the Jewish wedding system and the Church as the Bride of Christ. Some things have been fulfilled, some things are in the process of being fulfilled, and others are still in the future. There is a great future for those who have believed in the Messiahship of Jesus. Watch out saints! You can almost hear the trumpet sound of the Messiah’s Coming!

When will the Church be secretly taken up?

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Why we must Biblically believe in the Rapture of the Church before Tribulation?

By Abraham Israel

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Frequently people ask this question, ‘why we must believe that the Church will be raptured before tribulation?’ The following points are some of the important points that gives us the reasons why we must believe in the rapture of the saints before the tribulation starts,

1. First of all, the rapture of the saints before the tribulation is the only Biblical argument that can be proved fully from the scripture without any discrepancy. [Note: After the 'abomination of desolation' the rapture may happen any moment, after the rapture the tribulation will start immediately].

2. Jesus Himself admonished the Church to be watchful for the imminent end time event of rapture (Luke 21:36; Mark 13:33-37), so that no one may be found sleeping and thus miss the rapture. To sleep is not to be aware of what is happening in the spiritual world because of lack of conscious connection with Jesus daily (Mark 13:37; Luke 21:34-35; 1 Thess 5:4-6).

3. Paul told the believer’s to comfort one another and encourage one another with the message of rapture (1 Thess 5:11). The reason for such comfort he gave in the preceding verses which says, “…God did not appoint us [i.e. believer’s] to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ [i.e. when He appears for salvation at the time of rapture (Heb 9:28; 1 John 3:2-3)]" (1 Thess 5:9-10).

The rapture of the Church in essence is not an escapist message but a message of comfort and hope for the Church. This is the only message that will surely bring hope and comfort for the end time Church in our generation, which is presently going through turbulent times of much persecution and hate from the world.

4. Jesus spoke of a particular day in which people would suddenly be taken up. One will be left behind and the other raptured, after which Jesus predicted a catastrophe of destructive wrath of God which would come upon the wicked world in an unprecedented way for its evil life style (Luke 17:30-37; Matt 24:40-44; Mark 13:14-19).


This destructive wrath of God will be in the magnitude of the destruction that happened during Noah’s and Lot’s generation, the only time when God destroyed the whole earth by a rising flood because of His wrath and then a whole city completely by raining fire and brimstone from heaven. It was a complete and an absolute destruction in the olden days (Matt 24:36-39; Luke 17:26-29). Jesus Himself said that the wrath of God will be so intense, if God in His mercies does not stop, no flesh or humans will be left alive in the earth. But for the leftover believer’s sake, surely God has promised to intervene and shorten the days of wrath (Mark 13:20; Matt 24:22).

5. Jesus again and again emphasized about the imminency of the rapture event through various parables, metaphors and derivatives. He described the characteristic of suddenness of this event of rapture which nobody living at that time period in the world would expect or even realize until suddenly the wrath of God would be poured out on the wicked world. But He specifically spoke to the believers to be alert and ready during this autumn season of Apostasy in which suddenly the flight of believer’s will take place on the day of rapture (Matt 24:42,44; 25:13; Mark 13:32, 35-37; Luke 17:27, 29-30; 21:35-36). This rapture event is described metaphorically as a lightning flash which would be identified only by those who will be watching the spiritual sky (Matt 24:27; Luke 17:24; Mark 13:33-37). The spiritual sky is the voice, conviction and revelation of God and His word through His Spirit.

6. The resurrection of martyrs who died in all the ages past because of their faith in God and believers who will be beheaded during the tribulation wrath of God will be resurrected when the last trumpet will be blown at the second coming of Christ to the planet earth (1 Cor 15:50-58; Matt 24:31; Rev 20:4-6). Then Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats in the Judgment of nations before His millennium reign will start. There are three categories of people Jesus mentioned in the Judgment of nations; they are sheep, goats and the brethren of Jesus. The goats are unbelievers alive in their physical bodies, the sheep are believers who will be alive in their physical bodies, and the third group of people who will be pointed by Jesus as “these My brethren”, “one of the least of these” in Matt 25:40 and 45 will be the saints who will be raptured before tribulation together with the martyrs of all ages and the tribulation saints who will be beheaded by Antichrist (Matt 25:31-46; Rev 19:7-9, 13-14; 20:4-6). After this Judgment of nations Jesus and His brethren will rule the world in their glorious bodies (Matt 19:27-29). These brethren of Jesus will be none other than the sanctified Church saints of all ages past (Heb 2:11). The unbelievers after the Judgment of nations will be thrown in to the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41, 46; 13:41-42). All the nations will be judged based on how they helped all the saints by faith during the tribulation time, in which they will be hungry, thirsty, will be strangers, naked, sick and will be thrown in to prison because of the persecution of the Antichrist. These believers in Jesus will be helping their brethren by risking their own life and putting it on stake, just like Rehab helped the spies of Israel to escape the clutches of the people of Jericho (Josh 6:17). The living believers in their earthly bodies will be invited by Jesus after the judgment of nations to live in the millennial kingdom of Jesus on earth (Matt 25:34). They will then multiply, repopulate and fill the earth again with human beings just as the days of old before the millennium (Matt 13:43).

7. When the disciples asked Jesus about the sign of His second coming and the end of the age, Jesus did not hide anything from His disciples but chronologically and sequentially started to tell the disciples the scenario of the end time events, starting with the destruction of the temple that stood in the time of Jesus to His second coming to the earth in which He will establish the kingdom of God on earth physically. The only thing that He did not tell them was the exact hour and day of each event. The one thing I think often is, if Jesus has given all the details so plainly why are theologians and Bible experts make it so complicated for everyone to understand the word of God by adding their own ideas and theories to it?

Given below is the chronological and sequential order of the end time events that Jesus predicted will happen at the end times,

(i) Destruction of the temple that stood at the time Jesus ministered before two thousand years ago (Matt 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6, 20-24). (ii) Then Jesus spoke specifically to the apostles in the first century that a severe persecution against them will arise because of propagating the gospel. Jesus encouraged, exhorted and edified the apostles to patiently keep on working till their very end (Luke 21:12-19). (iii) Jesus admonished the end time generation not to be deceived by giving heed to the words of many deceivers who will arise in many parts of the world. Jesus has already warned the believers not to go after these deceivers who will come in Jesus name and will boast saying ‘I am Christ’ (Matt 24:4-5; Mark 13:5-6; Luke 21:8). (iv) Then Jesus predicted a period of accelerating birth pangs of sorrow which will come upon the end time generation as the signs of the beginning of the end times. In this period of time Jesus predicted many news of wars [i.e. World War 1, World War 2….war between Arabs Israelites, Palestinian terrorism against the nation of Israel] and rumors of wars [i.e. World War 3, Armageddon, end of the world, etc…]. Jesus told that the end is not yet even when they see the things described above. But after all these preceding events, nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, there will be famines [i.e. a period of time when there is not enough food for a great number of people, causing illness and death], pestilences [i.e. a very serious infectious viral diseases like HIV, STD’s, etc that spreads quickly and kills large numbers of people. Virus is an extremely small organism which causes disease in humans, animals and plants. These are also usually called as plagues], earth quakes in various places, commotion [i.e. terrorism and public unrest], fearful sights [i.e. great destruction like 911] and great signs from heaven (Matt 24:6-8; Mark 13:7-8; Luke 21:9-11). (v) Persecution of the End Time Church – The end time Church will be declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ in all the world through various methods with the power of God. Mighty signs, wonders and miracles will follow the gospel message in an unprecedented way. But the social and moral climate of the world will degenerate very badly during this time, so that the entire world will start to hate the Christians and will persecute the gospel propagators of the end time apostolic Church. Even within the Church many brethren will betray one another because of persecution. The lawless lifestyle of people will abound because the love of many will grow cold towards God and one another. This is the exact time in which the Jesus indicated that the nation of Israel [symbolically identifying it as a fig tree] will once again be reborn and will start to become stronger and stronger which will also indicate a unprecedented latter rain summer harvest very near ahead in which the end time apostolic Church will reap billions of souls and will bring them to maturity in the kingdom of God because it will be the end time season of summer harvest. I believe we are exactly living in this time of summer harvest. According to this verse in the Bible, this will be the terminal generation which will see all the end time events take place to the very end and also it says that Jesus will be standing at the heaven’s doors ready to rapture the Church away to heaven during this period of time (Matt 24:32-35; Mark 13:28-31; Luke 21:29-33). Saints wake up! We are very near than when we first believed. Jesus will surely build His glorious end time Church. No matter how severe the persecution that arises, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against” the end time Church (Matt 16:18). Jesus described particularly this period of time in the gospel to encourage the end time Church to understand that it is He who will be in control of all these end time events (Matt 24:9-14; Mark 13:9-13; Luke 21:12-19). The urgency, priority and the focus of the end time apostolic Church should be to preach the gospel to all the nations (Matt 24:14; 13:10). The Church of the end time should learn to endure these persecution and trials and keep proclaiming the gospel till rapture takes place (Matt 24:13; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:19; Rev 3:7-11). Many false prophets will rise up during this period of time and will deceive many (Matt 24:11). So the Church should discern about these wolves in sheep’s clothing by their fruits and should not get deceived because of lack of discernment (Matt 7:15-20). These deceivers will always form a faction and will have followers who will follow them. They will have a peculiar spirit of divisiveness to isolate and divide the Church of Jesus Christ (1 John 2: 18-19). The anointing within us will send a danger signal when we interact with these deceivers (1 John 2:20-22; Mark 2:6-8). We cannot determine whether a spirit is of God or the devil by the manifestation in itself, but it is the source when checked will reveal the reality of its character. This is the reason John the Apostle advised the first century apostolic Church to check every spirit by making it to confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. The spirit of the Antichrist which is in the world can never be able to confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 4:1-3). If a person does not want to hear the gospel and hates it, he is already influenced highly by the spirit of error (1 John 4:4-6). The bottom line is, “…darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over [you] the end time Church, and His glory will be seen upon [you] the end time Church.” (Isaiah 60:2). (vi) The temple will again be built up in the end times as in the former times. Preparation is already on in Jerusalem to build it. A seven year peace covenant will be made by Antichrist with the nation of Israel, so that the Jews will again be able to offer gifts, sacrifices and offering as in the days of Old Testament times to conduct the temple rituals without any problem. Because the Gentiles will co-exist with the Jews, they will be trampling the city of Jerusalem till the second coming of Jesus Christ to this planet earth. The Bible says that the city of Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luke 21:24). According to the Bible the times of the Gentiles will only end with the final kingdom of Antichrist (Dan 2:44; 7:8-14; 8:21-25). The Antichrist will be the last one to trample and make the city of Jerusalem and its temple to be desolated (Daniel 9:27). At the middle of the covenant at three and half years Antichrist will break the covenant and will enter in to the temple to stop and influence the independent offering of gifts, sacrifices and offering of worshippers, which up to that time will be controlled by the priests of the temple and its managing society. This is one of the seasonal sign of rapture that Jesus particularly told the believer’s in Judea to watch for and thus flee out to the mountains to escape being caught by the evil clutches of Antichrist (Matt 24:15-19; Mark 13:14-17). (vii) Jesus told all the believer’s to watch and pray at this time so that they may not be left behind during the tribulation (Matt 24:20-22; Mark 13:18-19; Luke 21:36). (viii) During this period of time, the apostasy of the Church and self-indulgence of people will reach its zenith (Matt 24:23-26; Mark 13:21-23, Luke 21:34; 17:23). (ix) Exactly at this time of callousness of many, the rapture will happen in a twinkling of an eye, as like the lightning that comes from the east and flashes to the west. The believer’s will be raised up in their glorious bodies, will gather together and will fly away like young eagles to meet the Lord in the air (Matt 24:27-28; Mark 13:18; Luke 17:24-37; Isaiah 40:31). Jesus indirectly told the apostles that the days will come when they will understand that the end times will not be seen by them in the first century. Then the apostles will desire for the day of the Son of Man [because this will be the time of fulfillment of God’s promise of reaching the whole world with the gospel before the rapture takes place (Luke 17:22, 26; Matt 24:14; Mark 13:10)] but they will not see it because they will all be dying mostly within the first century itself (Luke 17:22). (x) Immediately after the rapture takes place, the destructive wrath of God will start to be poured out on the wicked world (Luke 17:27-29). This tribulation wrath of God will have the potential to wipe out the whole human race if it is not stopped. But for the sake of believer’s to be left alive on the earth when Jesus comes back, God will shorten the time of tribulation wrath (Matt 24:21-22; Mark 13:19-20). This tribulation wrath will come suddenly upon the whole human kind as a snare (Luke 21:35; 17:26-30). The revelation of the Son of Man is only to the believer’s during the day of rapture (Luke 17:30; 1 John 3:2; John 14:1-4). Jesus exhorted all the believer’s living through the tribulation to pray without losing heart because God may soon avenge the Antichrist by His wrath hearing the prayers of the saints, and also when the Son of Man comes to rule on the earth (Luke 18:1-8). (xi) After the tribulation of those days will get over, the signs of the Son of Man will appear in heaven and all the tribes of the earth will mourn for the messiah to come and deliver them from the curse of Antichrist. Then they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt 24:29-30; Mark 13:24-26; Luke 21:25-27). Jesus has clearly instructed the left behind believer’s to look up and lift up their heads in prayer towards God and receive strength to victoriously face tribulation even from the beginning of tribulation in hope for them to be delivered when Christ comes. Only those believer’s who will look up to God daily during those times will have the strength to even die as martyrs (Luke 21:28; 18:1-8; Rev 20:4). (xii) During the second coming of Jesus Christ to establish His millennial kingdom and rule with a rod of iron, the last trumpet will be blown and all the dead martyrs of the tribulation time will be resurrected in their glorious bodies. At this time “death will be swallowed up in victory” by Jesus Christ forever. But the living believer’s will be left on the earth to populate it again (Matt 24:31; Mark 13:27; Luke 21:27). You may ask a question here, how do you know for sure that only the martyrs of tribulation time will only get resurrected and the living believers will go onto live in the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ? Because when we see Rev 20:4-6 resurrection and compare it with the last trumpet resurrection of 1 Cor 15:51-54, we can clearly know that the resurrection mentioned in both the places can only happen in Matt 24:31 according to the law of last event of trumpet in the Bible.

The following points proves that the last trumpet resurrection is the resurrection at the second coming of Jesus Christ, (a) The last trumpet is the last and final trumpet to be sounded according to its order, time and sequence of all the trumpets mentioned in the Bible. The Greek word for ‘last’ is ‘eschatos’ which means ‘last in time or in place’. This last trumpet will be the last one blown in all the end time events. There is no more any trumpet mentioned in the whole of Bible after this event (1 Cor 15:52; Matt 24:31). Hence it is the second coming trumpet sound. (b) In 1 Thess 4:14-18 Paul focuses the trumpet sound to the time we the believer’s will get resurrected and will meet the Lord in the air and we will be with Him forever. Here the context of his message is the message of comfort. In 1 Cor 15:50-58 Paul focuses the trumpet sound to that of inheriting the kingdom of God which Jesus also told the living believer’s in Matt 25:34. Then Paul says not all believers will die, but all we [i.e. those who have been martyred for Christ’s sake] shall be changed. (c) Then according to the context, he does not focus on giving out a message of comfort rather he focuses on the message of victory by saying “Death is swallowed up in victory”. This cannot be rapture because the believer’s who will be left behind after the rapture will still die beheaded by Antichrist. Only at the time of second coming Christ will completely win over ‘Death and Hades’ forever. (d) With the message of victory Paul encourages the believer to steadfastly continue in the work of the Lord which is to keep sharing the good news of salvation through Christ. This is a victory message given to the believer’s who specifically go through the tribulation. The work they will do for God will be rewarded at the time of Judgment of nations. For Christ will reward them with the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world (Matt 25:31-46). They will inherit it as His obedient spiritual children’s (1 Cor 15:50). Hurrah! During the tribulation time many children of God who will know the Lord intimately in a personal way will surely do great exploits even in the midst of life threatening persecution (Dan 11:32-35). (e) Only when Christ sits on the earth, the sting of death and Hades will lose its power against Him completely because He has won over it and will hold the key of Death and Hades in His hand on earth. At the end of His rule on earth, Jesus will throw both Death and Hades in to the lake of fire (1 Cor 15:55; Rev 19:11-16; 20:11-14). Only those sinners who will rebel against Him will prematurely die during the millennium because of the curse that will come from Him (Isaiah 65:19-20). The bottom line during tribulation is, Death and Hades will still rule at its pinnacle on earth through a Antichrist. During the time of tribulation the key to the bottomless pit [i.e. Hades] will be given in to the hands of the fallen star Lucifer the Devil (Rev 1:18; 9:1; Luke 10:18; Isaiah 14:12). (f) In 1 Thess 4:16-17 Paul describes about two categories of people who will be raptured during the trumpet sound, (i) The dead in Christ will rise first (ii) We who are alive shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. As a result both these categories will continue from that time to be always with the Lord forever. But in 1 Cor 15:51-52, Paul describes all the believers of only one category rising up, they are “the dead will be raised, incorruptible, and we [i.e. the martyrs during the tribulation and of all times past] shall be changed”. (g) The resurrection of tribulation martyrs is a mystery compared to the rapture because Paul says “…we shall not all sleep [i.e. all believer’s living at the time of tribulation will not die (Matt 24:22)], but we [i.e. those who have been martyred for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God (Rev 20:4-6)] shall all [i.e. the martyred saints of every era] be changed….at the last trumpet [i.e. second coming of Christ (Matt 24:31)].” (1 Cor 15:51-52). (h) In the martyr’s resurrection Jesus will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet [i.e. last trumpet], and they will “gather together His elect” all over the earth (Matt 24:31; Rev 20:4-6). But in the Judgment of nations, after Jesus sits on His throne, all the nations will be gathered before Him, only then Jesus will start to separate the sheep believers from the goat unbelievers (Matt 25:31-34, 41). If the martyred tribulation saints were standing in the judgment of nations before the throne of Jesus to be separated from unbelievers, How can they sit at the same time to judge, live and reign with Jesus? (Rev 20:4). This clearly shows that the martyr’s resurrection will happen at the exact time of Jesus’ second coming to the earth. Then all the martyred saints will sit along with Jesus in their glorious bodies and will judge the nations because judgment will be “committed to them”. Praise the Lord!

Is Rapture Biblical?

The Rapture: Why?

By Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor

www.omegaletter.com

"These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

According to the editors of the "World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative survey of churches and religions - AD 30 to 2200," there are 19 major world religions which are subdivided into a total of 270 large religious groups, and many smaller ones.

For eighteen of the world’s major religions and its 270 sub-divisions, the concept of the sudden and instantaneous translation of millions of adherents from one form of existence into the next is completely unheard of.

It is even a controversial doctrine within Christianity. There are entire huge subdivisions, or denominations within Christianity that totally dismiss the concept of the Rapture. I found a column at the appropriately-named AgainstDispensationalism.com that argues belief in the Rapture is little more than “The Arrogance of the West.” I chose that column to highlight because it is a shining example of why the Rapture is so controversial.


To Jerry Johnson, the president of something called the Nicene Council, the Rapture is “paperback” theology and a recent theological concoction never taught by the ‘historic church’.

(For context, the ‘historic church’ would be the one that embraces replacement theology. And my Bible is paperback).

Notes Johnson: “One is hard pressed to think that all of the great minds from St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin and Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that though they had read I Thessalonians 4 failed to understand the important teaching of a pre-millennial, pre-tribulation rapture.”

Then he lashes out with his best, Sunday punch.

“Pre-tribulation rapture theology is at its foundation conceited!”

This is the main objection to the doctrine of the Rapture – the misconception that the Rapture is a Great Escape. Why should Christians escape the Great Tribulation while others do not?

“It’s unfair and God isn’t unfair.”

One wonders if they find it equally unfair that some go to heaven and others go to hell. My bet is that some do, but others don’t. (But all would agree that Hitler shouldn’t go to heaven.)

That’s why God is God and theologians are not.

Assessment:

As noted, no other religion has anything resembling a Rapture doctrine, including whatever ‘historic church’ Jerry Johnson was referring to. So where did it come from and why is it there?

The first thing anybody does when trying to answer that question is to hopelessly complicate the issue so that whatever answer they come up with, it is practically impossible to decipher.

If you take enough verses from different places throughout the Bible, you can make a case for a Rapture, against a Rapture, for pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, amillennial, premillenial, or post millennial, with or without a 1000 year Kingdom.

I know that to be true because there are scholars that adhere to each and every one of those positions (which is why they have names for them) and I refuse to believe that they hold those positions without some kind of Scripture to hang them on.

If one sees the purpose of the Rapture as a “Great Escape” then it is easy to take verses from all over the Bible to refute it. Not because the Rapture is a false doctrine. But because that isn’t the purpose of the Rapture. Knowing why provides valuable clues as to when and how.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ promised His disciples that when He ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit would come upon them and indwell them and empower them. That indwelling Power would come upon and indwell all who believed.

Jesus called Him the Comforter. Jesus promised that He would abide with me forever.

Let’s examine the simplest questions first.

What does it mean when Jesus Christ makes a promise to the Church? Is it reliable? What does “forever” mean? Is there a time constraint on forever? When would forever run out? Does abide forever mean “abide forever for every generation but one?”

Houston, we have a problem. According to my paperback theology, the Comforter is:

“Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:7)

So, the Comforter is the Spirit of Truth and He indwells me. That’s what my paperback theology teaches me.

Then comes Part Two of the paperback Promise.

“I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.” (John 14:18)

So how to resolve this obvious “contradiction” in Scripture? There is only one way.

The Holy Spirit continues in indwell me throughout the Tribulation Period. Therefore, by the authority of the Word of God, specifically, 1st John 4:4, “Greater is He (the indwelling Holy Spirit) than he that is in the world.”

Since the indwelling Holy Spirit is greater and since He will not leave or forsake me during the Tribulation, it is not possible for the antichrist to overcome my indwelling Spirit and pledge allegiance to him.

But that contradicts Revelation 13:7 which says that he can. And it’s not a little contradiction, either.

For the antichrist to overcome an indwelt child of the Living God, he must defeat the Indweller. Unless the Holy Spirit no longer indwells me. And if He doesn’t, did He ever?

And if He did, where did He go? And how did He do that without breaking Jesus promise not to leave me Comfortless? The Tribulation is, after all, the time of greatest spiritual trial in all of human history.

And although every generation, from those thrown to the lions to those being massacred today in Iraq, have the benefit of the indwelling Holy Spirit, during the Tribulation I will be Comfortless?

How does that work? If the Rapture is a Great Escape from Tribulation for Christians, then wouldn't the opposite be when Christians suddenly have the Comforter ripped from them just when He is most needed?

And if I am still indwelt, then what is the purpose in sealing the Jews of Revelation 7 with the Holy Spirit so they can share the Gospel? What’s wrong with using me? Isn’t that my job since the Great Commission?

Here’s the Rapture narrative in summary. The Age of Grace began at Pentecost with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Age of Grace concludes at the Rapture with the withdrawal of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Promise to the Church is kept precisely as it was given by the Lord Himself.

Now, if one really works at it, one can find creative ways to portray the Rapture as the Great Escape and from there, all kinds of creative ways to dismiss it as paperback theology.

But the simplest answer is still the only one that makes sense.