THE RAPTURE QUESTION

THE RAPTURE QUESTION

                There are many interpretations of scripture   and certainly the second coming of Christ is among them. And even though I do not push a pre-tribulation rapture doctrinally, it does seem to be outlined as such in the Fall Feasts of Israel. Rosh Hashanah pictures the catching away of believers, whereas Yom Kippur seems to speak of Christ’s return with His saints.

                Likewise we see in scripture 2 events involved in the return of Christ. At the rapture we are seen being caught up to meet the Lord in the air, but at His second coming when Jesus comes on a white horse with His saints to defeat Satan at the battle of Armageddon, there is no mention of a catching away. IN face Zechariah 14:5 speaks of the Lord coming with His saints just as Revelation 19 and then we see Jesus descending upon the Mt. of Olives and then riding into Jerusalem to set up His earthly millennial kingdom.

                Jews and Messianic Jews and early Christians there seems to be a consistent view of an earthly millennial kingdom, a pre-millennial view and a rapture. There is also a consistently solid view of a literal interpretation of Bible prophecy rather than an allegorical view. All we need to do is to look at how prophecy was fulfilled in the Old Testament and in the first coming of Christ to know that prophecy is intended to be taken literally.

                To this day, there are some who swear that the return of Israel to its land has nothing to do with Bible Prophecy or the last days, but to me this is just plain willful ignorance. I can understand how impossible it may have seemed before it happened. After all, the land of Israel was barren and desolate and the Jews had been scattered into every nation on the planet. They had presumably lost their culture, their language and even their belief in God.

                In a vision the Spirit of God asked Ezekiel: “Son of man, can these bones live?” So there Ezekiel stood in a valley of dry bones and he looks around and says: “Oh Lord, Thou knowest.” Ez. 37:3.

But in Ezekiel 36:24 God had said: for I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people and I will be yo7ur God. Thus says the Lord God, “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities I will cause the cities to be inhabited and eth waste places will be rebuilt. And the desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passed by. And they will say,’ This desolate land has become like a garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I the Lord have spoken and will do it.” 36:24, 28, 33-35.   

                In Ez. 37:11 God said: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.”

                If I were to name a single event that would force us to change our view of Bible prophecy, it would be the return of Israel. At that moment the allegorical method of interpretation should have died an instant death.  Here was a literal Bible prophecy being literally fulfilled in our day and this event sent many a Bible scholar back to the drawing board. So, when someone criticizes more recent interpretations of scripture saying that they have departed from traditional reformation teaching, guess what? Much of   the reformation teaching on Bible prophecy was wrong and based upon the allegorical method of interpretation largely based upon the unlikelihood of these things ever literally taking place.

                And yet we see all of these prophecies being literally fulfilled as we approach the return of Christ. So rather than clinging to perhaps outdated interpretations and coming out with guns blasting, we should rather become sincere students of the Word and humbly seek out the truth about these things.

                Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I make an effort not to be dogmatic about my interpretations of scripture. The way I look at it, God is much more interested in our having clean hands and a pure heart, for we will not be judged on our eschatology, but on our character and how much it reflects the character of Christ.

                I try to give equal respect to different views unless those views are evil and misleading. I do come down hard on false grace for it teaches that it doesn’t matter what we do. IT doesn’t call for repentance or a turning away from sin. It no longer calls us to deny self and to take up our cross and follow Jesus, or to become His disciples. In essence then false grace is diabolical.

                I also come down hard on those teachers and pastors that have abandoned the study of bible prophecy altogether. Why? Because the delusions that Satan is bringing upon the whole world will deceive if possible even the very elect and Satan is not in the nearest bar tempting people to have one more drink… he is in the church perverting our doctrines, breaking down our moral fences, making being a Christian easy by relaxing our Lord’s call to discipleship. Now we can live like the devil all week and then be a Christian for one hour on Sunday and call it good.

                Bible prophecy then, whether we understand it perfectly or not, keeps us in view of the soon return of Yeshua and causes us to live in the light of that fact. Bible prophecy also helps us to sort out the differences between Christ and antichrist. These differences are often more subtle than many might think for Satan is going to appear as Christ and so he will seek to appeal to our good side as well as our bad side. Many will follow Satan in his global pursuits thinking that they are serving God. Many will enter into the compromises of the ecumenical movement thinking that God is calling for unity at all costs.

                But our unity is not to be found in the melding together of a host of disparate religions… rather our unity will be found in Christ alone and in His Word alone and in His Spirit alone. When we are devoted to those things, He will keep us from falling and present us faultless before the throne of mercy.

                “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 24.

                But we have to be in Christ. We have to be born again. We have to repent and turn from our sins. WE have to be filled with His Holy Spirit. WE have to walk in His Word. We have to believe in the Gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to them that believe. We have to live by faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God. Being a Christian is a radical departure from this world system. It is a radical departure from self-will and the embracing of His will. To be a disciple is to enter into the disciplines of the Lord. It is to be changed into His likeness. It is to be sanctified and set apart, betrothed to the One.

                If I have an overriding message it is to follow hard after Yeshua. Be a student of His Word. Be devoted to Christ having forsaken all others. Have eyes only for Him. Cherish His Words as a breath of life from the Holy Spirit. Honor and respect His presence in your life. Do not grieve Him by making Him to participate with you in things that are contrary to His nature. Be aware of His presence at all times… be guided by it… hold an ongoing conversation with Him about everything. Life should be a long prayer… a common communion….a fellowship sweet. We live in a covenant signed in His own blood. His commitment to you is eternal and transcendent. He wants you saved more than you want it for yourself. Trust Him with your life and don’t be careless about it.

                We are a kingdom of priests. Are we feeding each other bread and wine or bologna?

                Jesus said that there were things about His second coming that we would not fully understand until they came to pass. Nevertheless prophecy has been given as a roadmap an outline of His agenda, a way to sort out the schemes of antichrist for the truth about Christ. So we may now understand everything that we will understand, but the key is in knowing Him so well that we can recognize a counterfeit when it comes and there are many counterfeits in the wind right now.

                Well then, what about the rapture question? The fall feasts seem to outline a pre-tribulation rapture and they seem to include Daniel’s 70^th week as the time of Jacob’s Trouble or the Tribulation. It is a time of awe and, for the Jews, a time when they first embrace the antichrist as their Messiah and then upon the abomination of desolation, they flee the antichrist and call upon the name of the Lord. They will look upon Him whom they have pierced and they will mourn for their mistake.

                In all of this the times of the Gentiles seem not to be involved… like there is a point when Yeshua turns back to His people the Jews to test them and to rescue them. AT that time the bride of Christ (The wise virgins) may be enjoying the marriage supper of the Lamb as seen in Revelation 19 when they return with Yeshua in the clouds.

                Personally I have always thought that the church also needs refining and that we must be around for at least the first half of the tribulation and that too seems to be borne out in Paul’s statement that the day of the Lord will not come until there is a falling away first that the man of sin might be revealed. So however it all works out, we will be here to see the antichrist and we will be among the remnant that has not fallen away. And that is why we need to have a deeply committed relationship with Jesus Himself.

                Shabbat Shalom everyone and have a very blessed day in Yeshua.