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The Rapture -- Is It
Scriptural?
The question of The Rapture is one that Evangelical Christians are widely divided over.
Some very knowledgeable Bible students have stated that this must be so as it is
obvious from the Scriptures that Christ must make two trips to earth at the end
time. In other words, a Second and a Third Coming in this time frame. The
third time is when He comes in all His glory and at which time He brings with Him those He
had previously raptured. I believe the Scriptures sustain this scenario of two
comings. The ones that He brings with him, as revealed in Scripture, are not the
ones that most believers of the rapture are expecting.
In order to understand who are raptured and when, it is necessary to fully understand
who the 144,000 are and their role in end-time events. To avoid unnecessary
repetition I suggest you read my short study on the 144,000 to help us to better identify
this group.
We need to remember that the 144,000 are personally selected by God to fulfill a
specific task -- to reveal Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue and
people prior to His coming in glory. To prepare them for this task they are filled
and sealed by the Holy Spirit. They are referred to throughout the book of
Revelation as "The servants of God" or His servants the prophets" or
"His Servants." Prophets are commonly designated as "My servants the
prophets" throughout the Bible. John, in Revelation, is referred to as His
servant John. John is an outstanding example of a prophet of God. Notice in
the first two verses of the Book of Revelation that the book is a revelation of Jesus
Christ and to show His servants (144,000) what must soon take place.
Rev. 1:1,2 -- The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God
gave Him (Christ) to show His servants what must soon take place. He
made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw
-- that is, the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This indicates that the Book of Revelation was primarily for the 144,000. It
would be through the Word of God (Bible) and the testimony of Jesus that this revelation
would be accomplished. We need to remember that the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit
of prophecy.
Rev. 19:9,10 -- Then the angel said to me, "Write:
Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he
added, "These are the true words of God."
At this I fell at his feet to worship
him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with
you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Now the angel classifies himself as a prophet of God. He has direct communication
with the Holy Spirit and transmits these messages to the earthly prophets. In this
case to John and the 144,000. Remember the manner that Christ states the Holy Spirit
will inform His servants?
John 16:12-15 -- I have much more to say to you, more than
you can now bear.
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes,
he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only
what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
"He will bring glory to me by taking
from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is
mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to
you.
Now we can see these 144,000 revealing Christ through the Word of God (Bible) and the
testimony of Jesus, which is being in daily communication with Jesus as mediated by the
Holy Spirit. These are prophets in the fullest sense of the word.
In Revelation we are shown the four angels at the four corners of the earth holding
back the four winds of the earth to prevent the winds of the Great Tribulation from
devastating the earth.
Rev. 7:2-4 -- Then I saw another angel coming up from the
east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four
angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
Do not harm the land or the sea or the
trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.
Immediately following this selecting and sealing of the 144,000 the winds were released
and the devastation produced by the Great Tribulation began as described so well in
chapters 8 & 9 of Revelation.
It is this time of great tribulation that these servants the prophets begin
their 1260 days of prophesying. They do this by preaching the everlasting gospel
from the Word of God and by the testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of prophecy, which
we were introduced to at the beginning of this book. It is important to see the
evidence that these witnesses in Revelation 11 are referring to these same 144,000
servants.
Rev. 11:3,4 -- And I will give power to my two witnesses,
and they will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees and the two
lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
The olive trees represent the source of the oil that kept the lamps burning in the
temple. The oil itself is a symbol of the Holy Spirit which is the author of the
light. The two lampstands represent the light -- the Word of God. Here
again we see the two indispensable agents that will be utilized in revealing Christ to the
world prior to His coming in person.
Vss. 5,6 -- If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes
from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm
them must die.
Notice the correlation of this with the experience of Elijah.
2 Kings 1:9,10 -- Then he (the king) sent to Elijah
a captain with his company of 50 men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting
on the top of a hill, and said to him, "Man of God, the king says, ‘Come
down.’ "
Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from
heaven and consume you and your 50 men!" Then fire fell from heaven and
consumed the captain and his 50 men.
These men -- these witnesses -- are a type of the prototype, which was
Elijah the prophet. We have this further confirmed in the 6th verse.
Rev. 11:6 -- These men have power to shut up the sky so
that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying.
Remember that they prophesy for 1260 days (or 3-l/2 ys).
James 5:17 -- Elijah was a man just like us. He
prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and
a half years.
I believe that these men -- whoever they are, are in fulfillment of the
prophecy of Malachi.
Mal. 4:5 -- See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before
the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
These witnesses will also be a type of another great prophet.
Rev. 11:6b -- and they have power to turn the waters into
blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
This reveals that they also come in the Spirit and power of Moses.
These correlations with these witnesses to Elijah and Moses are so definite and strong
that some feel that Moses and Elijah will actually come down and be the two witnesses
described here during this period. I would like to show from Scripture that this
couldn't be.
Rev. 6:9-11 -- When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under
the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the Word of God and the
testimony they had maintained.
They called out in a loud voice,
"How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the
earth and avenge our blood?"
Then each of them was given a white robe,
and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants
and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
Here we see several of the witnesses, who have been revealing Christ, martyred for the
Word of God and the testimony they had maintained. We know these can't be Elijah and
Moses because several were martyred and given white robes and told to wait a little longer
until the number of their fellow servants (prophets) who were to be killed as they had
been was completed. From this we know those had to be many witnesses to fulfill the
numbers in this statement. We now come to the statement which shows where their
fellow servants, who were scheduled to be killed as they had been, takes place.
Rev. 11:7,8 -- Now when they have finished their
testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill
them.
Their bodies will be in the street of the
great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was
crucified.
Where the witnesses are martyred is not necessarily Jerusalem. The whole world
will be ruled by the Antichrist and sin and violence will be rampant in every country.
The world gazing on their unburied bodies for 3-l/2 days does not necessarily mean
TV transmissions via the evening news from Jerusalem. Sodom and Egypt are figurative
and so then would be Jerusalem.
These witnesses were selected from every nation, tribe, language and people. This
would let each tribe, language, group, etc. have the gospel presented to them by those who
would know their culture, beliefs and customs better than anyone else. They would be
the best possible witnesses. This also indicates where each of them will be martyred
-- in every nation, kindred, tongue and people. The place where they have
continued their witness until they finish their testimony. Note Christ receiving the
scroll with seven seals:
Rev. 5:9,10 -- And they sang a new song: You are worthy to
take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you
purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom of
priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.
This is speaking of the group that Christ purchased with His blood. He wrote His
name on their forehead to indicate that they are His personal property (Rev. 14:1).
These are the ones who come to life and reign with Christ for 1000 years (Rev.20:4b).
One important benefit of preaching the gospel of Christ to the whole world at
the present time is to get people in as many countries as possible to accept Christ, and
that they develop that relationship with Christ which will produce the best possible group
for God to select His special servants from. When they have finished their testimony
they will be found (by the beast from the Abyss -- Antichrist) where they have
always been -- preaching to and teaching their people in every nation, kindred,
tongue and people. This will not require technology for all the earth to view their
unburied bodies. I'm sure it also will be prominently carried via the news media.
After 3-l/2 days, following their martyrdom, an amazing thing takes place:
Rev. 11:11,12 -- But after the 3-l/2 days a breath of life
from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven
saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a
cloud, while their enemies looked on.
No question about it, the witnesses were taken to heaven. Verse 14 says the
Second Woe has passed -- (the Second Woe is the Sixth Trumpet). The Third Woe
(Seventh Trumpet) is coming soon. This Seventh Trumpet signals the end of the Great
Tribulation.
I would like to point out how this resurrection correlates with Paul's description in 1
Thess. 4.
1 Thess. 4:14 -- We believe that Jesus died and rose again
and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
We would have to admit that the 144,000 martyrs would qualify as those who had fallen
asleep in him. He doesn't say all who had fallen asleep in him. I doubt
that Paul knew more than his simple statement says because it probably had not been
revealed to him. He thought he would be in the group alive at His coming when this
statement was made.
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 are fallen asleep.
This means that those who are raised at this resurrection will precede those saints who
will be gathered later. How much later this doesn't state.
Vs. 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." (See Revelation 11:12 -- "Then they heard a loud voice
from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to
heaven in a cloud.")
1 Thess. 4:16b -- "And the dead in Christ will rise
first." (See Rev.11:11 -- A breath of life from God entered
them and they stood on their feet.)
These passages would indicate that Christ makes a special trip to this earth to
resurrect and rapture the first fruits of His harvest. Then the events in 1 Thess.
4:17 follow at a later date.
1 Thess. 4:17 -- After that, we who are still alive and
are left will be caught up together with them (the 144,000) in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air.
This reunion occurs when Christ comes in all His glory to free the imprisoned
Israelites in Jerusalem; then collects His living saints all over the earth and brings
them to unite with the restored Israelites as one nation in the millennial kingdom.
There is a section of Revelation 14 entitled "The Harvest of The Earth."
This is worth consideration in relation to the above.
Rev. 14:14-16 -- I looked, and there before me was a
white cloud and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown
of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him
who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap
has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
So he who was seated on the cloud swung
his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Notice what it says here -- that he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle
over the earth, and the earth was harvested. These martyred witness's dead bodies
are unburied in every nation, language, etc. In the harvesting of the witnesses in
Revelation 11:12 it states "and they went up to heaven in a cloud."
This reveals Christ coming down in a cloud and harvesting the earth as the initial
phase of the harvest. This is in harmony with Paul's description -- "For
the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command" etc.
Notice that the second phase of this harvest is carried out by the angels.
Rev. 14:17-19 -- Another angel came out of the temple in
heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
Still another angel, who had charge of
the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle.
"Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's
vine, because its grapes are ripe."
The angel swung his sickle on the earth,
gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath.
The Seven-Last-Plagues represents the winepress of God's wrath.
Rev. 15:1 -- I saw in heaven another great and marvelous
sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues -- last, because with them
God's wrath is completed.
The 144,000 were harvested just before the Seventh Trumpet sounded. The Seventh
Trumpet announced the end of the reign of the Antichrist and the beginning of Christ's
reign; the first item of business being the beginning of God's wrath -- "Your
wrath has come." This wrath to be expressed in the Seven Last
Plagues.
The second item of business "The time has come for rewarding your servants the
prophets." These for sure are the 144,000 and they have been raptured to
heaven the previous week. They had previously witnessed for 1260 days into this time
frame of 1335 days of the time of the end. That leaves 75 days before the 1335th day
when Christ returns to earth for His glorious Second Coming to collect His living
saints. At that time Christ will destroy the Antichrist along with the One World
Order with its 10 kings and their armies representing the nations of the earth.
Rev. 17:12-14 -- "The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings
who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority along
with the beast...
"They will make war against the
Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings
-- and with Him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."
This is about as good a description of the 144,000 that one could give in four words.
In John's visits to heaven in vision, does he see anything of this group of 144,000
and identified as being there? Yes, in several places. John always gives some
background description to make sure we know this is in heaven.
Rev. 14:1-4 -- "Then I looked, and there before me
was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his
Father's name written on their foreheads.
And I heard a sound from heaven like the
roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like
that of harpists playing their harps.
And they sang a new song before the
throne and before the four living creatures and the elders.
No one could learn the song except the
144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
These are those who did not defile
themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever
he goes (Faithful followers). They were purchased from among men and offered
as first-fruits to God and the Lamb.
Here we see them in heaven where they have been redeemed from the earth. This
family portrait was probably noted shortly after their arrival. It also mentions
that they were offered as first-fruits to God and the Lamb. Notice God's
instructions to Moses concerning the first-fruits:
Lev. 23:9,10 -- The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the
Israelites and say to them ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you
reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you
harvest.‘"
Vs. 11 -- He is to wave
the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf."
This is to be handled separately from the harvest and is to be dedicated to God and
given to the high priest and his family for their consumption only. God, in speaking
to Aaron the high priest, advised him as to the use of the first-fruits offering.
Num. 18:11 -- This also is yours: Whatever is set aside
from the gifts of all the wave offerings (first-fruits) of the Israelites. I
give this to you and your sons and daughters as your regular share.
This service of the first-fruits is pointing to the 144,000 who are harvested first in
earth's final harvest. They are dedicated to God and given to Christ (our high
priest) and become His personal possession. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes
because they have been given to Him as God's first-fruits. They are His faithful
followers.
We can now see that these first-fruits were harvested at the very end of the time of
the Great Tribulation. Can you imagine that in earth's final harvest that God would
rapture all the born again Christians to heaven just before the Great Tribulation began --
3-l/2 years before the 144,000 were raptured, and that He could still call the 144,000
God's first-fruits? Wouldn't they be the last fruits? Israel was instructed to bring a
sheaf of the first grain you harvest.
Are there other sightings of this group in heaven during John's visits in vision?
Yes, there are several.
Rev. 7:9 -- (The great multitude in white robes) After
this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from
every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the
Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
Vs. 13 -- Then one of
the elders asked me, "These in white robes -- who are they, and where did they come
from?"
Vs. 14 -- I answered,
"Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of
the great tribulation: They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb.
Vs. 15 -- Therefore
they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple.
This group is claimed to be the saved of all ages, the raptured ones before the Great
Tribulation, etc., but it can't be. These are limited to those who have come out of
the Great Tribulation. This has to be speaking of the same group we were reading
about in chapter 14.
Much stress is placed on a group that no one could number. Have you ever tried to
count 144,000 people? Maybe 100, but in the middle of the count you would worry you
probably had already counted one and had to start over. A thousand? -- almost
impossible! A hundred and forty-four thousand? -- forget it!
Another portrait is presented in chapter 15:
Rev. 15:1-3 -- I saw in heaven another great and marvelous
sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues -- last, because with them
God's wrath is completed.
And I saw what looked like a sea of glass
mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast
and his image and over the number of his name.
They held harps given them by God and
sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb...
Once again we have a group in heaven who have come out of the Great Tribulation and
have been loyal to God in spite of the efforts of the Antichrist. They have those
identifying harps and sing the song of Moses and the Lamb -- the song that only the
144,000 could learn to sing.
John notes other appearances by which he has identified this group in heaven, but I
want to list only one more important one. This is the one that constitutes the first
resurrection:
Rev. 20:4-6 -- I saw thrones on which were seated those
who had been given authority to judge. (The 24 elders' thrones to show this is a
heavenly setting.)
And I saw the souls of those who had been
beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word of God. They
had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads
or their hands.
They came to life and reigned with Christ
a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1000 years
were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy are those who have part
in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be
priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
Notice the descriptions of those who constitute the First Resurrection:
1. All martyred because of their testimony for Jesus. These are
martyred prophets. (The testimony for Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy -- Rev.
19:10)
2. And because of the Word of God. (They are martyred because of
proclaiming the everlasting gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.)
3. Refused to worship the beast or his image and had not received his mark on
their foreheads or their hands. (Only from those who experienced the Great
Tribulation.)
4. They came to life and reigned with Christ 1000 years.
5. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1000 years were
ended. (This would point to that last resurrection to take place at the time of the
Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the 1000 years.)
6. This is the First Resurrection.
I believe that, with this information, we can see that there is indeed a rapture which
occurs at the close of the Great Tribulation and is limited to the 144,000. We have
considered only a few of the many places in Revelation where the activities of this group
are described.
Another point of importance is this spiritual hardening of the Israelites at the time
of the crucifixion which, according to Paul, was to last until the last Gentile had been
called in -- (Rom. 11:25). This occurs when the witnesses have
finished their testimony. The reason for this is because the last Gentile had made
his decision for or against Christ after being fully informed.
Then begins the 70th week of literal days when God will confirm a covenant with the
Israelites and bring them salvation. It is at the end of this week that the
witnesses are raised to life and raptured to heaven. This is more adequately covered
in my booklet on the 70 weeks of Daniel 9.
This is the week that God removes the sins from the Israelites and removes this
spiritual hardening that they had maintained for 2000 years. Notice the things God
accomplishes for them during this week:
Eze. 36:25,26 -- I will sprinkle clean water on you, and
you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
I will give you a new heart and put a new
spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
(He has removed the spiritual hardening.)
Zechariah mentions the same cleansing from sin of the Israelites during this same time
period. (None of these things can take place until the last Gentile is called in.)
Zech.13:1-3—"On that day (Day of The Lord) a fountain
will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them
from sin and impurity.
On that day, I will banish the
names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more," declares the
Lord Almighty. "I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from
the land.
And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother, to whom he was born will say to
him, ‘You must die, because you have told lies in the Lord's name.’ When
he prophesies, his own parents will stab him."
This 70th week is initiated by the witnesses finishing their testimony. They are
all killed by the middle of the week and after 3-l/2 days a breath of life from God
entered them and they were called to heaven. This is the termination of this week.
During this week God is removing sin and impurity and bringing in everlasting
righteousness to these rebellious Israelites. At the same time it states that he
"will remove the prophets from the land." These are the 144,000 --
the only prophets mentioned as being in the land at this time of earth's history. It
also reveals that there are no other real prophets left because if anyone still claims to
be a prophet he could only be a false prophet. The real prophets had just been
raptured to heaven.
Some may say that it must take a longer period than one week for God to bring about the
cleansing of the Israelites and putting away sin and impurity, etc. We have just
read from Zechariah where he states, "On that day" this will be
accomplished. "On that day" could represent a longer period of time
but note this passage:
Zech. 3:8,9 -- "Listen, O high priest Joshua and your
associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring
my servant, the Branch.
See, the stone I have set in front of
Joshua? There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on
it," says the Lord Almighty, "and I will remove the sin of this land in a
single day."
Joshua, in this passage, is symbolic of Christ. This week where a covenant was
confirmed with the Israelites to bring in righteousness and putting away of sin and
impurity does not take seven years -- but seven days. In this
statement we note that he will remove sin from the land in a single day. I would
like to mention the statement that Christ makes to the church at Philadelphia. This
is much quoted to promote The Rapture and has definite merit.
Rev. 3:10 -- "Since you have kept my command to
endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come
upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth."
This hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test them is from the
Antichrist.
Rev. 13:15 -- And he (the beast from the Abyss) had
power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both
speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be
killed.
This is a Universal Death Decree to all who refuse to worship the image to the
beast. It will be a modern version of the three Hebrew children's test when they
were commanded to bow down and worship the golden image in the land of Babylon. This
test will be worldwide and Scripture does not outline the specifics of this command, but
it does require worship of a false god. This is the hour of trial that is coming to
the whole world which the 144,000 will be excluded from facing. Notice how this
comes about:
Rev. 11:7 -- Now when they have finished their testimony,
(after 1260 days of prophesying) the beast from the Abyss will attack them, and
overpower and kill them.
Vss. 11,12 -- But after the 3-l/2 days a breath of
life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet and terror struck those who saw
them.
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to
them, "Come up here," and they went up to heaven in a cloud.
The testimony of the 144,000 begins immediately before the Great Tribulation, so at the
time their testimony ended it is 1260 days into this time of the Great Tribulation.
When they are raised from the dead and called up to heaven the Seventh Trumpet sounds,
which is the official signal ending the time of the Great Tribulation. The Seven
Last Plagues immediately follow. Daniel tells us the time when this Universal Decree
is set up to be enacted.
Dan. 12:11,12 -- From the time the daily sacrifice is
abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1290 days.
Blessed is the one who waits for and
reaches the end of the 1335 days.
Could any decree be a greater abomination or cause greater desolation of God's people
than one which required them to renounce their allegiance to God and to worship a
counterfeit God, or be put to death?
To pinpoint the starting point of the 1260 days of witnessing of the 144,000 we turn to
Revelation 7.
Rev. 7:1-4 -- After this I saw four angels standing at the
four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind
from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.
Then I saw another angel coming up from
the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the
four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: "Do not
harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the
servants of our God."
Then I heard the number of those who were
sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
* (See Appendix)
Immediately following the sealing of these witnesses the way was cleared for these
winds to be released by the four angels; -- this to begin the Great Tribulation.
Note how this comes about:
Rev. 8:2-5 -- And I saw the seven angels who stand before
God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
Another angel, who had a golden censer,
came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of
all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne...
Then the angel took the censer, filled it
with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,
rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Vs. 6 -- Then the seven angels who had the seven
trumpets prepared to sound them.
This passage reveals the four angels ready to release the winds, to bring harm to the
earth. This harm is the Great Tribulation. The angel from the east calls to
them to wait until he has sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets were set to begin the devastation.
Before this started, the angel at the golden altar filled his censer with incense and
coals from the altar and hurled it onto the earth. This represents the termination
of a holding back of this long-delayed event -- the Great
Tribulation. This service, which was terminated in heaven, was represented in the
earthly sanctuary as the evening-morning sacrifices, or the daily as it was commonly
known.
The 144,000 were sealed and began their witnessing immediately prior to this casting
down of the censer, which is the time the clock starts ticking on this 1335 day time
envelope, called the final Day of The Lord.
The witnesses were all martyred just before the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet.
They were raptured to heaven 3-l/2 days following martyrdom. The Seventh Trumpet
sounded immediately following. This would represent 1260 days into this 1335 day
time frame.
We read earlier how that, from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the
abomination that causes desolation is set up, (Universal Death Decree to those refusing to
worship the image to the beast) there will be 1290 days. This would be 30 days after
the Seven Last Plagues were initiated and at a time when the 144,000 are around the sea of
glass in heaven; thus fulfilling the promise God had made to them that they would be kept
from "the hour of trial" to test all the rest of the world at that time.
Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the 1335 days -- because that
represents the return of Christ to this earth to slay the wicked and to redeem His living
saints.
We must not fail to consider the prophecies concerning this time by the greatest of all
prophets -- Christ Himself.
Luke 17:26-37 -- Just as it was in the days of Noah, so
also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.
People were eating, drinking, marrying and
being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and
destroyed them all.
It was the same in the days of Lot.
People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.
But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and
sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
It will be just like this on the day the
Son of Man is revealed.". . .
I tell you, on that night two people will
be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.
Two women will be grinding grain
together; one will be taken and the other left.
‘Where, Lord?’ they asked.
He replied, ‘Where there is a dead
body, there the vultures will gather.’
"The days of the Son of Man," is referring to the end-time
period known as The Day of The Lord. It comprises 1335 days of which the first 1260
days -- or 3-l/2 Yrs. -- represents the rule of the Antichrist.
"The day the Son of Man is revealed," occurs on day 1335 and represents the time
of Christ's Second Coming. It is at this time that Christ judges the living of all
the earth and "His Harvesters" (the angels) harvests the wicked first.
The business as usual routine described above is speaking of just prior to the onset of
the Day of The Lord. At that time the greatest series of global catastrophes of all
time will occur. These calamities of the first 1260 days being brought on by the
Antichrist, and the last 75 days by God's Seven Last Plagues.
It will not be business as usual at that time; but, instead, men's hearts will be
failing them for fear of those things that are coming on the earth. Before leaving
this description, we must include the disciple's anxious request to know where those who
were taken -- were taken to.
Vs. 37 -- "Where Lord?" they asked. He
replied, "Where there is a dead body the vultures will gather."
These are the ones whom Christ has judged to be evil and wicked, and condemns them to
execution.
Now note the careful delineation of these events in Christ's parable of the weeds:
Matt. 13:24-30 -- The kingdom of heaven is like a man who
sowed good seed in his field.
But while everyone was sleeping, his
enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
When the wheat sprouted and formed heads,
then the weeds also appeared.
The owner's servants came to him and
said, ‘Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds
come from?"
"An enemy did this," he
replied.
The servants asked him, "Do you want
us to go and pull them up?"
"No," he answered,
"because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the
harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: ‘First collect the
weeds, and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into
my barn.’"
The disciples asked Christ to explain the parable of the weeds. Note His answer:
Matt. 13:37-42 -- He answered, "The one who sowed the
good seed is the Son of Man.
The field is the world, and the good seed
stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is at the end of the age, and
the harvesters are the angels.
As the weeds are pulled up and burned in
the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send out his angels,
and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
They will throw them into the fiery
furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
It may be well for us to see exactly how this great army of angels does the harvesting
at Christ's Second Coming. This is when the separation of the wheat and the tares
(weeds) takes place:
Joel 2:1-11 -- "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the
alarm on My holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble for the day of the
Lord is coming. It is close at hand -- a day of darkness and
gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.|
Like dawn spreading across the mountains,
a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come.
Before them fire devours, behind them a
flame blazes. Before them the land is like the Garden of Eden, behind them a desert
waste -- nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along
like cavalry. With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountain tops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
At the sight of them, nations are in
anguish; every face turns pale. They charge like warriors; they scale walls like
soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course. They do not
jostle each other; each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses without
breaking ranks. They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb
into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows.
Before them the earth shakes, the sky
trembles, the sun and moon are darkened and the stars no longer shine. (Signs in
the heavens at Christ's Second Coming.)
The Lord thunders at the head of his
army; his forces are beyond number and mighty are those who obey his command. (His
angel harvesters). The Day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who
can endure it?
I believe that this is the most graphic description of this harvesting of the weeds to
be found in the entire Bible.
Jer. 25:30-33 -- The Lord will roar from on high; he will
lift his voice from his holy dwelling and roar mightily against his land. He will
shout like those who tread the grapes. Shout against all who live on the earth.
The tumult will resound to the ends of
the earth, for the Lord will bring charges against all nations; he will bring judgment on
all mankind and put the wicked to the sword, declares the Lord.
This is what the Lord Almighty says:
"Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising
from the ends of the earth."
At that time those slain by the Lord will
be everywhere -- from one end of the earth to another. They will not be
mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like refuse lying on the ground.
It would be difficult to find a more graphic description of how the weeds (sons of the
evil one) are separated and executed, than those in these descriptions.
This execution includes all that causes sin and all who do evil. It is one
rapture we should all seek to avoid -- not one to look forward to.
Now that we see how all these things come about, let us see if we can fine tune the
timing for harvesting the weeds and gathering the wheat into the barn.
Matt. 13:30 -- Let both grow together until the
harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: "First collect the weeds
and tie them into bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my
barn." (No question about it -- the weeds are harvested before the
grain.)
The prophecy of Christ about the events associated with His Second Coming states:
Luke 17:29-37 -- But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and
sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
It will be just like this on the Day
the Son of Man is revealed. (The inhabitants of Sodom -- the weeds
were burned up by fire from heaven.)
This is slated to happen on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
When He comes in all His glory -- like the lightning which flashes from one
end of the sky to another.
Vs. 34 -- "I tell you, on that night; two
people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left."
Of which night is He speaking? It can only be the night of the day that He will
be revealed; the day that He had just been describing. The night of that day begins
at sundown, according to God's method of measuring off the days. During that night
these people are being taken away. Notice the words of Jesus as He describes the
harvesting of the weeds to His disciples:
Matt. 13:40-42 -- As the weeds are pulled up and burned in
the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send out his
angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who
do evil.
Note Christ's statement on this prophecy in Matt. 24:
Matt. 24:41-44 -- Two women will be grinding with a hand
mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Therefore, keep watch, because you do not
know what hour your Lord will come.
But understand this: If the owner of the
house had known at which time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept
watch and would not have let his house be broken into."
If the owner of the house had known his house was going to be broken into, how could he
guard it? Was he to sit in his house with a shotgun? No, the only protection
against the house being broken into and "stealing" members of the household is
for the master of the house and its inhabitants to be faithful children of the Master of
the harvest. He, at this night, is harvesting only the weeds. Notice again the
description by Joel of the angels carrying out this harvesting.
Joel 2:9 -- They rush upon the city; they run along the
wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the
windows.
These are the angel harvesters collecting the weeds during the night
part of "that day that the Son of Man is revealed." Now that the weeds
have been harvested we come to the morning of the day of Christ's Coming.
Matt. 24:30,31 -- At that time the sign of the Son of Man
will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see
the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
And he will send his angels with a loud
trumpet call (harvesting the wheat), and they will gather his elect from the four
winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Paul speaks about this same day -- including the full 24 hours:
1 Thess. 5:1-9 (NEB) -- About dates and times, my friends,
we need not write to you, for you know perfectly well that the Day of the Lord comes like
a thief in the night...
But you, my friends, are not in the dark,
that that day should overtake you like a thief. You are all children of light, children
of day.
We do not belong to night or darkness,
and we must not sleep like the rest, but keep awake and sober. (That's how we
prevent our houses to be entered by the "thieves" -- the angel
harvesters -- on that night.)...
Vss. 9,10 -- For God has not destined us to the
terrors of judgment, but to the full attainment of salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
He died for us so that we, awake or
asleep, might live in company with him.
This is the rapturing that we need to be preparing for and we will
have no excuse for not being prepared for that glorious day.
Addendum
Are the 144,000
Literal Jews?
We know that the ten Northern tribes of Israel were conquered and carried off by Assyria
in 722 BC. They were soon blended into the nations of the earth with no trace of
them identifiable as Israelites. We also know that these 144,000 servants are
selected by God and specially sealed with the Holy Spirit 3-l/2 years before this
spiritual hardening of the Israelites is scheduled to be removed. This removal will
then allow these remnant Israelites to become reconciled to Christ and to obtain salvation
as His special people.
Rom. 11:25-27 -- "I do not want you to be ignorant of
this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a
hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so
all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I
take away their sins." (Paul quotes from Isaiah 59:20,21; 27:9.)
The 144,000 are selected by God to reveal Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue and
people prior to Christ's Second Coming. I believe they are selected to fill the
places of the 12 tribes of Israel by default. The Northern kingdom because of their
period of abandonment which was probably permanent. The places of the Southern
kingdom -- Judah and Benjamin, because of their continuing state of rebellion,
which was to end after the last Gentile was called in.
We must remember that those 144,000 represent the first fruits of this earth's harvest
(Rev. 14:4), and will be personally selected by God. He alone knows who each one
will be. Being the first fruits we know they will belong to Christ. We need
also to remember this:
Gal. 3:29 -- If you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Then why do we try so hard to insist that those must come from literal
Israelites? We can see from the events that happen at that time, that this is
unlikely. Some of them very well may be literal Jews who have fully accepted Christ,
but there would be a small pool of those to choose 144,000 from.
I believe these will mostly be represented by those wild olive branches that will be
grafted into the cultivated olive tree. This to replace those (Israelites) who were
removed for unbelief (Romans 11:17-20). These places were what the literal
Israelites were scheduled for but lost by default.
I believe the most compelling evidence why these servants of God (144,000) were not
literal Israelites is when we find out who gave birth to them. This is described as
an end-time pregnancy by two Old Testament prophets and one in the New Testament --
all describing this same event.
Micah 5:1 -- Marshal your troups, O city of troops, for a
siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel's ruler on the cheek with a
rod.
(See Matthew 27:28-30 -- They stripped him and put a
scarlet robe on him, and then wove a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They
put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him, "Hail, King of the
Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the
head again and again.)
Vs. 2 (Cont'd) -- But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you
are small among the clans of Israel, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler
over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (This to
identify Israel's ruler, spoken of in verse 1).
Vs. 3 -- Therefore Israel
will be abandoned (Therefore -- for this reason -- for the
unspeakable crime of the crucifixion) until the time when she who is in labor gives
birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.
This passage is very informative and tells us that this abandoning of the Israelites is
due to their role in the crucifixion. It also tells us that this is not permanent
and is only to last until she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his
brothers return to join the Israelites. We know from Paul's prophecy (Romans 11:25)
that it is to last until the last Gentile is called in. It has to be those Gentile
brothers who return to join the Israelites.
This still hasn't told us all we would like to know about, "she who is in labor
gives birth." Isaiah gives the key to understanding this pregnancy.
Isa. 66:7,8 -- Before she goes into labor she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of
such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? (Obviously a one-time event.)
Can a country be born in a day or a
nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she
gives birth to her children.
Isa. 66:14 -- When you see this, your heart will rejoice
and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his
servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.
Vs. 15 -- See, the
Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his
anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
Vs. 16 -- For with
fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be
those slain of the Lord. (Second Coming).
We know now that she who is in labor refers to Zion -- God's church in the
end-time. She gives birth to a son, a male child, her children
(144,000). Remember that the seven churches described in Revelation were located in
Asia Minor and were composed primarily of Christian believers from Gentile backgrounds.
The ante types of these churches represent churches of Christian believers at the
end-time. It is from these churches that the 144,000 are given birth. It is
beyond reason that these could represent the church of the Israelites. These
servants are also selected prior to the Great Tribulation and 3-l/2 years before the
Israelites are scheduled to accept Christ as their Savior.
The churches that give birth to these children in the end-time are represented as the
woman in Revelation 12:13-17. She is pursued by the serpent (Antichrist) and is
protected by God from his evil designs. She is carried to a place of safety in the
desert, out of the reach of the serpent. This can only be speaking of the Gentile
Christians as the Israelites have been turned over to the Antichrist to undergo punishment
of all that has been written (Luke 21:22). These events are to occur during the same
time period -- the time of the great tribulation.
This passage in Isaiah states that "the hand of the Lord will be made known
to his servants." The first verse in the Book of Revelation states that
the book was "to show his servants what must soon take place."
The Book of Revelation is making known to his servants what was prophesied in
Isaiah. There is one more pregnancy that we need to consider:
Rev. 12:1-5 -- A great and wondrous sign appeared in
heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars
on her head. She was pregnant and cried in pain as she was about to give birth...
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to
God and to his throne.
Some claim this represents Mary giving birth to Jesus, while others that it is God's
church giving birth to Jesus. It is obvious that this is speaking of the same
pregnancy as described in Micah and Isaiah. It cannot be referring to the birth of
Jesus.
The Israelites were abandoned at the cross and this abandonment was to last until "she
who is in labor gives birth," and the rest of her brothers return to join the
Israelites (Micah 5:3). These brothers, as we have previously noted, are the Gentile
believers from all over the world down to the last one that was called in. This has
to take place in the time frame of the Second Coming, when the witnesses have finished
their testimony.
Now, I would like to present the insight the Lord gives us concerning the restoration
of the Holy Land and the source of its inhabitants after Christ's Second Coming:
Isa. 44:1-5 -- But now listen, O Jacob, My servant,
Israel, whom I have chosen. This is what the Lord says -- ...
For I will pour water on the thirsty
land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring and my
blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like
poplar trees by flowing streams.
One will say, ‘I belong to the
Lord;’ (sounds like a Gentile Christian)
Another will call himself by the name of
Jacob; (obviously a literal Israelite).
Still another will write on his hand,
‘The Lord's, and will take the name of Israel.
I believe this last group is speaking of the 144,000. He writes on his hand "The
Lord's, and will take the name of Israel." If they were literal Israelites
they wouldn't need to take the name of Israel because it would be theirs already. He
writes on his hand "The Lord's," but remember that the Lord has already
branded him with His name. Notice the description of the 144,000 in heaven
where they have been redeemed from the earth.
Rev. 14:1 -- Then I looked, and there before me was the
Lamb, standing on Mt. Zion, and with him 144,000 who had His name and His
Father's name written on their foreheads.
What better way to indicate that these are ‘The Lord's?’ They are His
personal property because they are the first fruits of earth's harvest. The first
fruits always belong to the high priest in the earthly type; and in the anti type, Christ
is our high priest and this group follows Him wherever He goes, for eternity, because they
are His personal property.
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