Signs of the Times

Our Winter Series at Signs of the Times Part X The Rapture Pastor Brett Peterson

Last week we covered the Sixth seal – and established that the breaking of the sixth seal is the start of the ‘Day of the Lord’. • Paul, writing to the Church about the Rapture says this… • (1Co 1:8) who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The day of the Lord is glorious (the Rapture and Marriage supper), but at the same time terrible (judgment and wrath)It is exactly when we are rescued from that wrath!

Events of the sixth seal…. World mourns, hides in caves – wrath is about to begin Sun & moon grow dark Meteor shower Israel saved Rapture After the rapture, everyone who believes will be a part of the nations that live on the new earth, but not part of the Church.

Rev 21:24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Rev 21:25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; Rev 21:26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; • Back to the sixth seal – we know the wrath of God is about to start at this exact point; Rev 6:12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal,…. • Rev 6:17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

1Th 1:9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 1Th 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. • The word rescue is very specific… • ῥύομαι rhuomai • ‘To draw or snatch from danger, rescue, deliver’. • It is only used for someone in danger and thus rescued.

1Th 1:9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 1Th 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. ἀναμένω anaménō - to wait patiently – continue steadfastlydon’t give up waiting! • Present infinitive - to keep on waiting for • It does not mean it is imminent or unexpected! • Don’t give up, or give in, but give all for Jesus!

1Th 1:9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 1Th 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. The Rapture - Tit 2:13 waiting for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, • What does He do at the Rapture?

Notice the rapture is called an ‘appearing’ of Jesus.It is never referred to a ‘secret’ or hidden event that no one sees.It will come like a thief, but everyone will see it!

1Th 1:9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 1Th 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. The Rapture - Tit 2:13 waiting for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, • to appear. An appearing, appearance. Epipháneia is spoken of the first coming of the Lord Jesus (2Ti_1:10). Also of the Rapture Epiphaínō (G2014) in the mid. pass. form, epiphaínomai, to appear, to manifest oneself.

1Ti 6:14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1Ti 6:15 which He will bring about at the proper time--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

2Ti 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 2Ti 4:8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Tit 2:12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, Tit 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory (glorious appearing) of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, Tit 2:14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

1Th 1:9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 1Th 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. ῥύομαι - rhúomai To draw or snatch from danger, rescue, deliver from fire, drowning, etc.You need to be in danger in order to be rescued! • When does this wrath come! At the breaking of the 6th seal! • It is important to know what the Bible says about this – this is what we will be rescued from!

Rev 6:12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; Rev 6:13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. Rev 6:16 and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; Rev 6:17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand? • Same word here – ‘appearing’!!!

Jer 23:19 "Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked. Jer 23:20 "The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it. • We will be rescued from the wrath at the appearing of the Lord. • In the last days we will understand it. • We are in the last days! • How will we be rescued?

The Rapture

What is the Rapture? • The Rapture: • 1 Cor. 15:50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. • 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--

How will we be ‘changed’? • 52 in 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. • 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

How will we be ‘changed’? Rom 8:23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. • 52 in 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. • 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

We will be changed in an instant, however the whole event of the Rapture may take longer • He will come in the clouds - a ‘glorious appearing’ • There will be an announcement of His coming and a trumpet call • The dead in Christ will rise first • Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up(changed in an instant) • Then we will be gathered together to meet the Lord in the air!2Th 2:1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, Mat 24:31 "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. • Mat 24:32 "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; • Mat 24:33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. • Mat 24:34 "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

The main support for the Rapture is this verse… • 1 Thess. 4:15 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 fallen asleep. • 16 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 (gathered together) with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. • 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Strong's 726. arpazwharpazoto seize:--catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force, as in rescuing a drowning person), gathered. • In Latin this is RAPIO. It is from rapio that we get the word Rapture. • Thus, "Rapture" has the literal meaning of being caught up, gathered, or snatched away. • 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. • 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Mat 24:40 "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Mat 24:41 "Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. Mat 24:42 "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. Mat 24:43 "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Mat 24:44 "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. • Any verses talking about not knowing the day or the hour or passages talking about Jesus coming like a ‘thief in the night’ are all talking about the Rapture of the Church – not the second coming!

The Rapture is the most glorious event that will ever occur in history. It is when the Church (both those who have died and those who are alive, will be taken to be with Jesus Christ. This is the first resurrection. This is the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ to the world! • When does this event occur?

First, what do all Biblical scholars agree upon… 2nd Coming of Christ • Whether pre-trib, post-trib, or pre-wrath, most pre-millennial scholars agree on the following timeline of events…

End time events in perspective 2nd Coming of Christ The 70th week

2nd Coming of Christ Pact The 70th week

2nd Coming of Christ Pact Armageddon The 70th week

Abomination 2nd Coming of Christ Pact Armageddon The 70th week

There are many views… 2nd Coming of Christ Rapture? Rapture? Rapture? Rapture? The 70th week

These four are the most accepted… Pre-wrath Post Pre Mid 2nd Coming of Christ Rapture? Rapture? Rapture? Rapture? The 70th week

What does the Bible say?Here is what we know for sure…Joh 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." 1Th 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,1Th 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. • The first point that three of the views agree upon – we will not be here for the wrath of God.

So, when does the wrath of God occur?Rom 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, (seventh seal – trumpet judgments)This comes at the end of the sixth seal, when the wrath begins…Rev 6:16 and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; Rev 6:17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" The wrath begins at the breaking of the seventh seal. This is the ‘trumpet judgments, and the last trumpet starts the ‘bowls of wrath’.

So, we can now add the ‘wrath’To our timeline… Pre-wrath Post Pre Mid 2nd Coming of Christ Rapture? Rapture? Rapture? Rapture? wrath The 70th week

We can also remove ‘Post’ because they believe we will be here for the wrath, just protected. Pre-wrath Post Pre Mid 2nd Coming of Christ Rapture? Rapture? Rapture? Rapture? wrath The 70th week

This leaves three views to consider. Pre-wrath Pre Mid 2nd Coming of Christ Rapture? Rapture? Rapture? wrath The 70th week

The First half of the 70th week of Daniel is not wrath!However, it is a time of refining for the ChristianThe first half God is not dealing with the nation of Israel – they are follow the false Messiah.God only deals with them the second half!The first half God is purifying the Church!

First, lets address the arguments for pre-trib. Tim Lahaye came up with several reasons pre-trib is Biblical.Nowhere among their reasons will you find an appeal to a Bible verse which specifically states the Lord will return before the Tribulation. Why? Because it does not exist! LaHaye freely acknowledges the absence of any explicit pre-Trib passages.1To get an idea of how rare it is for a major Bible doctrine to be established without an explicit teaching in Scripture, consider the counsel of premier pre-Trib scholar, John Walvoord. In his writings he strongly condemns the promotion of any doctrine not explicitly taught in the Scriptures. He refers to such practices as "desperate exegesis."2 Desperate or not, the absence of a definitive text forces pre-Tribulationists to engage in that very practice.

How should the absence of an explicit pre-Trib text affect our inquiry? For one thing, it should raise the evidentiary standard for their arguments. These arguments are not being offered to confirm direct evidence—they are being offered in place of direct evidence. This is a fact that any honest Biblical scholar readily admits to!

Reason #1 for being a Pre-Tribulationist"The pre-Tribulation view is the most logical view of Second Coming Scriptures when taken for their plain, literal meaning whenever possible."3Pre-Trib Argument: The pre-Trib view provides the most logical fit.Pre-Tribulationists contend there is no single Bible passage outlining the order of end time events. II Thess. 2 does give us a clear order of events (more on this later)Matt. 24 gives us the signs of Christ’s coming to gather His elect for the four winds (clear order of events)

Pre-Trib Argument: The Pre-Trib view is based on the literal approach of interpreting Scripture.At least ten times in his book, LaHaye intimates that those who oppose pre- Tribulationalism do so because they have abandoned the literal approach. Over and over, pre- Tribbers charge spiritualization by opponents. Walvoord even refers to the "fact that spiritualization of Scripture goes hand in hand with denial of the pretribulation rapture."7Yet, this is exactly what pre-trib scholars do!This argument is easily disproved…

We find it is the pre-Trib camp which continuously engages in spiritualization. For instance, consider the treatment of Revelation 4:1. This, of course, is the verse where pre-Tribbers contend the rapture occurs. LaHaye freely admits the plain reading of the passage does not support a pre-Trib rapture teaching, yet that does not dissuade him from declaring it just the same. He writes, "The Rapture of the Christian is not explicitly taught in Revelation 4 but definitely appears here chronologically at the end of the Christian age and before the Tribulation" 8This is not taking the literal interpretation of this text in any way! • Rev 4:1 AfterG3326R1theseG3778 thingsG3778 • 1) with, after, behind 1) this, these, etc. • They say this phrase denotes a complete change in dispensations. It is ‘after the church age’ – after the rapture. This phrase does not mean that at all!

In fact, it is simply used to tell us the order that John received the visions and is use throughout the New Testament:Joh_3:22; Joh_5:1; Joh_6:1; Joh_7:1; Joh_19:38; Joh_21:1; Act_13:20; Act_15:16; Act_18:1; Act_19:21; Rev_1:19; Rev_4:1; Rev_7:9; Rev_9:12; Rev_15:5; Rev_18:1; Rev_19:1; Rev_20:3;They then say the ‘voice like a trumpet’ is the trumpet of the rapture, but it is the same voice that spoke to John in Rev. 1! • There are too many more examples of improper exegesis to go over this morning… • Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,

Notes:Tim LaHaye, No Fear of the Storm, p. 188. John Walvoord, The Rapture Question, p. 72. Tim LaHaye, No Fear of the Storm, p. 219. Hal Lindsey, There's a New World Coming, p. 122. Tim LaHaye, No Fear of the Storm, p. 240. Ibid., p. 220. John Walvoord, The Rapture Question, p. 72. Tim LaHaye, Revelation, p. 76.

Number Two"The Rapture is described as imminent.“9"No unfulfilled prophecy stands between the Christian and the Rapture, while many signs must be fulfilled before the Second Coming."10This is known as the ‘any moment’ theory of the Rapture. It could occur right now, or it could have occurred in Paul’ lifetime, or that of Martin Luther.First, we know that world events were not in place for the Rapture to have occurred prior to 1948. In fact, only in that past 20 years has the world been in the position to fulfill all the prophecies about the last days!

Note the following quote by Walvoord, as he seeks to establish the doctrine of immanency. "The prospect of being taken to heaven at the coming of Christ is not qualified by description of any signs or prerequisite events. Here [referring to John 14], as in other passages dealing with the coming of Christ for the Christian, the hope is presented as an imminent hope."11Did you get that? By pre-Trib logic, because rapture passages contain nothing to preclude immanency, they somehow "prove" immanency! And they ignore the fact that every passage on the Rapture gives signs that will occur prior to the event! • Joh 14:28 "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. • Jesus clarified when He would come later at the Olivete Discourse

Scriptural basis for the any moment rapture;Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. (Matt. 24:42). Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day or the hour. (Matt. 25:13). For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. (Matt. 24:44).However, in context, all of these passage have signs that precede the coming!!

1Th 5:2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 1Th 5:3 While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 1Th 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 1Th 5:5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 1Th 5:6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.

Signs of the Times