Nearness of the Rapture

[Da Servant]

My wife opened up the Bible on Saturday morning. God guided her hand to Nehemiah 8:16-9:3. It speaks of the Feast of Tabernacles and the reading of the law. I think God is communicating the very nearness of the Rapture. Even if not this directly, he may be speaking of Ezekiel 37, the re-uniting of the house of Judah and the house of Israel, which precedes Ezekiel 38 & 39. Let us read the words of the Lord and do them; let us also confess our sins before the Lord. It may be he will be gracious and forgive our sins.

[OneLight]

Yes, His time is very near, nearer then we could ever believe. We all need to seek His will in our lives, nothing more and definitely, nothing less. Only He knows the way and we are guided by His Spirit in the darkness of this world for He is the lamp onto our feet. Time is short, so be as the wise virgins and be sure your lamp is full. Pray not only for yourselves, but for all your loved ones.

[Babbler]

The coming of our lord will be witnessed by all. He will not come in secret. His coming is a ways off. We may go to him before the world sees his coming. Paul said two things must happen first; the mass apostasy and the appearance of the lawless one. During his reign the dross will be eliminated from the silver.

[OneLight]

I do not believe in the pre-trib rapture, though I have stated that the rapture is closer then we could ever believe. The apostasy is already happening. Look around. I don't know where we are on the time-line, but I do not believe His coming is a ways off.

[Bible2]

Da Servant said:

My wife opened up the Bible on Saturday morning. God guided her hand to Nehemiah 8:16-9:3. It speaks of the Feast of Tabernacles and the reading of the law. I think God is communicating the very nearness of the Rapture.

Wouldn't the Feast of Tabernacles be more a type of the coming Millennium (Zechariah 14:16) than a type of the Rapture?

Da Servant said:

Even if not this directly, he may be speaking of Ezekiel 37, the re-uniting of the house of Judah and the house of Israel, which precedes Ezekiel 38 & 39.

Isn't Ezekiel 37:22-24 referring to what will happen during the coming Millennium, which Millennium will be followed by the Gog/Magog event of Ezekiel chapters 38-39, as shown in Revelation 20:7-9?

Da Servant said:

Let us read the words of the Lord and do them; let us also confess our sins before the Lord. It may be he will be gracious and forgive our sins.

Amen (James 1:22, 1 John 1:9).

And let us also prepare ourselves to go through the coming tribulation of Revelation chapters 6-18, for Jesus won't return and gather together (rapture) the church until immediately after the tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31). Jesus can't return and gather together the church until sometime after there's a falling away (an apostasy) in the church and the Antichrist sits in a rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem and declares himself God (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, Matthew 24:9-31, Daniel 11:31,36, Revelation 11:1-2). For when Jesus returns to gather together (and marry) the church he will destroy the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:1,8, Revelation 19:7,20). Before Jesus returns, the church will have to go through the world-reign of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:7-10, Revelation 14:12-13, Revelation 20:4, Matthew 24:9-31).

When Jesus returns, he will descend bodily from heaven on a white horse (1 Thessalonians 4:16, Revelation 19:11-21, Zechariah 14:3-4, Acts 1:11-12) with all the holy angels (Matthew 25:31, 2 Thessalonians 1:7) for all the world to see (Matthew 24:30, Revelation 1:7, Matthew 24:27). Then those in the church will be resurrected or changed in the twinkling of an eye into immortal bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:21-23,51-53). Then the church will be caught up together/gathered together (raptured) (Matthew 24:31, 2 Thessalonians 2:1) into the sky to have a meeting in the air with Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At that meeting, Jesus will judge the church (Psalms 50:4-5, cf. Mark 13:27, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Luke 12:45-48) and then marry the church (Revelation 19:7) in the clouds, before the church mounts white horses and descends back down from sky (the first heaven) with Jesus (Revelation 19:14) as he wages war against, and completely defeats, all the armies of the unsaved world, who will all have gathered against him (Revelation 19:19-21, Revelation 16:14-16). Then the resurrected and changed church, including those in the church who were beheaded by the Antichrist (the beast), will reign on the earth with the returned Jesus for the full 1,000 years of the Millennium (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29).

After the 1,000 years are over, the devil will be released from the bottomless pit and by deception bring about the Gog/Magog event and be defeated for the last time (Revelation 20:7-10, Ezekiel chapters 38-39). At least seven years after the end of the Gog/Magog event (Ezekiel 39:9), the great white throne judgment will occur, in which all those who hadn't been resurrected and judged at Jesus' return will be resurrected and judged (Revelation 20:11-15). After the great white throne judgment, God will create a new heaven (a new first heaven: a new sky/atmosphere for the earth) and a new earth (a new surface for the earth) (Revelation 21:1). Then God the Father will descend from the third heaven in the literal city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2), the Father's house (John 14:2, Revelation 21:3), and he will dwell on the new earth with Jesus and the church in New Jerusalem forever (Revelation 21:3, Revelation 22:3-5). In one area outside the walls of New Jerusalem on the new earth will be the lake of fire (Revelation 22:15, Revelation 21:8) in which all of unsaved humanity will be tormented forever in fire and brimstone with the devil and his fallen angels (Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11, Matthew 25:41,46, Mark 9:45-46, Isaiah 66:24).

[Fez]

No one, not one of us can tell. We can speculate of course, and study.

However...

It is going to happen sooner or later, but the sooner or the later is in His hands.

In the meantime, we wait, and watch, and pray, and walk before Him, and in Him.

[nebula]

I think God is communicating the very nearness of the Rapture.

The nearness of His coming, yes. But not the rapture.

[Jedi4Yahweh]

My wife opened up the Bible on Saturday morning. God guided her hand to Nehemiah 8:16-9:3. It speaks of the Feast of Tabernacles and the reading of the law. I think God is communicating the very nearness of the Rapture. Even if not this directly, he may be speaking of Ezekiel 37, the re-uniting of the house of Judah and the house of Israel, which precedes Ezekiel 38 & 39. Let us read the words of the Lord and do them; let us also confess our sins before the Lord. It may be he will be gracious and forgive our sins.

Yes, I believe the coming of the Lord is soon and maybe in our lfie time, who knows. As far looking for a pre-tribulation rapture...no That is a false misconception. The only rapture we will see is at the end of the tribulation at the Last Trumpet just before the wrath of God is poured out. This is called the second coming of the Lord in which the dead will rise to gather all his saints and punish evil doers. Also, called the great and terrible day of the Lord.

1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The traditional rapture scripture (1Co15:52) refers to the "rapture" happing at the last trumpet. How can the last trumpet be before the tribulation period if there is another significant trumpet event at end of the tribulation. See next scripture.

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Compare with Joel:

Joe 2:30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

[Fez]

The coming of our lord will be witnessed by all. He will not come in secret. His coming is a ways off. We may go to him before the world sees his coming. Paul said two things must happen first; the mass apostasy and the appearance of the lawless one. During his reign the dross will be eliminated from the silver.

Joe 2:11 The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it?

Joe 2:12 "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

Joe 2:13 and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

Instead of tearing our hair out worrying, we should just rend our hearts. Lay ourselves at the foot of the Cross. He is coming and there is nothing anyone is going to do to stop Him

And wait for Him as refined silver, because the crucible that is going to separate the dross when He does come is going to be an "uncomfortable" place. Rather we try and get a head start?

[OneLight]

I think God is communicating the very nearness of the Rapture.

The nearness of His coming, yes. But not the rapture.

Interesting comment Sis. Care to expound? You did a great job before!