The RAPTURE~PART 2

2. This next verse talks about that those who are "alive" will be "caught up" to meet the Lord in the "air." Here is the verse:
"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. 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." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
This verse really seems to be implying that there will be a group of saints who are going to "caught up" or pulled up to meet the Lord in the air while we are still alive! Those words spell possible Rapture to me.
3. The next verse tells us of a "mystery"- that not all of God’s saints are going to "sleep" - and that this group is going to be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and that this event will occur at the last trumpet. I believe that the Last Trumpet is God’s last call to His people, and that it implies that whoever is saved and born again when this trumpet sounds off will be raptured and spared from having to go through the horrors of the 7 year Tribulation.
I believe that the word "mystery" is being used to let us know that God is keeping the possibility of a Rapture a secret and a mystery to the rest of the world. This is why many of the Scripture verses pertaining to this event do not perfectly spell it out or state it without any shadow of a doubt. However, there is enough of a hint in these verses for God's own people to pick it up, but not the rest of the unbelieving world. Here is the verse:
"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet." (1 Corinthians 15:51)
I believe that the words "last trumpet" tells us this event will occur at the end of times. The words "shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," really do describe what could be a Rapture - the immediate vanishing or disappearance of God’s people from the face of the earth in the snap of a finger.
4. The next verse is coming from Jesus Himself out of Revelations. Here is the verse:
"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." (Revelations 3:10)
This verse could be literal interpretation - that Jesus will keep His Body of Believers that are living at this time out of the hands of the Antichrist. He obviously will either do it by rapturing them off the face of the earth or by providing some kind of physical protection for them if there is no Rapture. My guess is that He will do this by rapturing them off of the earth.
5. Here is another verse from Jesus stating that we watch and pray that we be counted worthy to escape all the things that may be coming our way in the end times.
"Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:36)
This verse really seems to be hinting or implying once again that God is going to allow some of us to escape or be prevented from having to go through the horrific events of the Tribulation.
6. Now here are some additional verses that are not quite as strong as the above verses, but do suggest the possibility that God will keep us from these horrific events.
"... and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come." (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
This verse either means Jesus will deliver us before the wrath comes, which would line up with a Rapture, or it may mean when He comes down for the second time at the battle of Armageddon to put an end to all of the carnage with the Antichrist.
"For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
This verse could be implying that His Body will not be appointed or be subject to the events of the Tribulation - or the wrath could simply be pointing to people going to hell for refusing to accept Jesus and His gift of eternal salvation.

* Article written by Michael Bradley of Bible Knowledge Ministries. Their
website is a resource of Bible commentary and teaching.

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