Paul said that there would be a catching away of true believers in the twinkling of an eye, and that those who are caught up “raptured” will be alive when it happens, but they will not go before the dead saints go (1 Thessalonians 4:17, 1 Corinthians 15:52).
In other words, there is a time at the end of time, here on earth, just before the Lord’s second coming (in judgment), that the dead in Christ are resurrected in their new bodies, and caught up with the Lord in the air…and those who are on the earth and living and in Christ will go immediately afterwards with them; also in our new bodies, and we will be forever with Him.
This is the group of saints who are riding with Him in judgment at the second coming to the earth. He will come with 10,000 of his saints…(Jude 1:14, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, Rev. 19:14). The number is representative and not actual. It means a lot, but not a whole lot. It’s a relatively small number. I believe these are the faithful, sanctified believers… so why do all the dead in Christ go? Because death sanctifies the heart, actual or spiritual death. Remember the constant exhortation to die to self…this is it. The lukewarm or “earthy” or earthbound believers will have to stay after the rapture, to be purified as wrath begins, but will be beheaded right before the whole unbelieving world takes the mark of the beast. They will not rule and reign with Christ in the same capacity as the pure-hearted, circumcised in heart, believers who were “doers of the word and not hearers only (James 1:22).
* Why would God exhort believers to be doers of the word and not hearers only unless He saw that there was a group of believers who heard the word but really didn’t do the word? James calls them “double-minded”. Their spirit has received Jesus so they are saved, but the flesh has not come in line. And the only reason for this is rebellion towards God and a love for the things and thoughts of the world…earthy. So these are believers who are not yet the “one” that Jesus was pleading for in John 17. He pleaded that all believers would be one in God, body, soul and spirit.
“Such a person is double-minded, unstable in all they do…” (James 1:8). I believe these are believers who are alive and remain at the rapture but do not go with the Lord because they were willfully double-minded and not yet one in Christ…hidden with Christ in God, that is.Why would Jesus ask the Father for believers to be hidden with Him in God if all believers already are? Doesn’t make sense.
Remember that doing the word mostly, falls short. We are doers of the word when we have lost every ounce of rebellion towards God’s will. It doesn’t mean we don’t stumble. It means that the flesh has been cut away from the heart forever and the result is one who has Jesus Christ seated on the throne in his heart. His every unction is to do the word of God only and always. He is always growing and getting more like Christ while here but the heart has been made pure…the will is God’s alone.
We are told that God continues gathering the church until a certain day when the saints are removed. When is the day that He stops gathering her? When the fullness of the gentiles has come in. This is the time of the rapture, when the fullness of the church is gathered. No gentiles will believe during the wrath, only Israel. This is the time of Jacob’s trouble.
So when is the day the church is fully gathered? We know! We don’t know the date but we do know the day. It is either at the same moment or just before Israel is unblinded as a nation!!!
When is Israel unblinded as a nation? It’s the day the beast or antichrist sets himself up as God in the temple of God claiming that he is God (2 Thess. 2:4). It has to be at the 3.5 year mark of the last 7 years. Has to. Every prophetic scripture comes into focus if we see this.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 says this: “Let no man deceive you by any means, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition”.
This is the actual verse. Yours may have an italics verse added, disregard it, it is not in the word of God but put there by man in hopes of making the word more understandable. But in this case, it needs to be removed to see what is really said. Paul is saying that first, before the church is raptured, there will be a falling away or an apostasy of the “church”…then the man of sin (antichrist) is revealed. He is not revealed at the 7 year mark. It is a mystery. He is in disguise until the 3.5 year mark and then he reveals his true identity, and God’s wrath (the allowing of satan to do his horrible thing) is set in motion.
Isaiah said this concerning these last days before the Lord’s return, please read and know this prophecy, it’s there for the taking and is as plain as day.
Here it is:
“His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yes, they are all greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come, they say, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. THE RIGHTEOUS PERISH (ACTUAL WORD IS VANISH, NOT PERISH). The righteous vanish and no one notices: merciful men are taken away, and no one considers or thinks about the fact that the righteous were just taken away from the evil to come” (Isaiah 56:10-57:1).
It’s as clear as day and cannot be confused with any other event or time. Isaiah is talking about the actual current righteous who are doers of the word, and not all believers who are positionaly righteous in Christ.
So the righteous, or the single-minded believers are taken away from the evil, or wrath that is coming upon the earth which we know is only the last 3.5 years of the last 7. Very easy.
I also believe that believers who are not interested in or refuse to even see that there is a rapture are those who at this point are not going. They will be refined during the first part of wrath and have to be beheaded to be purified. This is what will purify them, making them submit and give whole hearts to God.
These are the only gentile believers during the wrath. The rest of the people are the lost, and the nation Israel. God tells us that no one can believe during the wrath except for Israel, because they ( gentiles) have crossed the point of no return with their unbelievable defiance of God. He sends delusion to blind them irrevocably. Remember that the lukewarm believers during this time have already believed before the delusion was sent. They are saved but lukewarm.
Next time… How we KNOW there is a millenium coming and how we know precisely when.
God has given us prophecy to know and not to trick us. But it takes a heart thinking on God to want to know. The rest are blinded. They do not love God and this proves it.
So how can we be certain we will go if it happens in our lifetime? Stop resisting the Spirit. That’s it. Mortify the flesh and God will sanctify you wholly, body, soul and spirit (1 Thess. 5:23).
Choose life! He is coming soon!