The "church" is not what most people think "it" is. The true CHURCH is not a building or an organization. The CHURCH is a living Body, the "ekklesia," literally, "the called-out assembly." When Jesus said He came to build His "church," this was the word He used, and the Bible, God's Word, tells us that God knows those who are His because He chose us in Christ before the foundations of the world were laid (Ephesians 1:4). All that Jesus came to do through His death on the cross was and is for this Body, and all He is coming to do when He returns is to gather this Body, some from every people, tribe, nation and tongue, to Himself, in what the Bible calls the "Rapture."
As I have said previously, someone commented recently that there will be no Rapture, that the word does not even appear in the Bible. But it comes from the Latin translation of "caught up" or "gather up," as this event is described in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and elsewhere. There WILL be a Rapture and those who have died previously as believers in Christ Jesus will have their bodies raised from the grave and reunited with their spirits at the sound of the trumpet call, while those who are still alive will be transformed "in the twinkling of an eye" and all will meet the Lord Jesus together in the air. MUCH more could be said about that event, but my purpose today is to talk about the TIMING of the Rapture and the importance of knowing the order of the events leading up to it and what comes after it.
I and others believe the Bible teaches the timing of the Rapture to be AFTER the "Great Tribulation," and that the Rapture will be followed by the "Day of the Lord," God's wrath and judgment upon those who remain on the earth. Why is this important? I have shared before that many in the visible church today who claim to know God, to believe in Jesus and even to be filled with His Spirit seem to "lose their faith" in the face of suffering and trials. They question God or they question their own faith or they question what they have been taught. Something must be wrong!!
What is wrong is their "theology," or their lack thereof!! They don't know the sovereign God who works ALL things together for the good of His people, of those who love Him because we know He first loved us. If your theology is right, you understand that God is wiser than you are and that He is with you in the hard times just as He is with you in the good times. You understand that His ways are above your ways and that faith means trusting Him when you don't understand what He is doing. Bad theology leaves people vulnerable to doubts, worry, anxiety and fear.
The same is true when it comes to "end times." If you believe the true Church will be "raptured" BEFORE the Great Tribulation, and you see the temple being rebuilt in Jerusalem and a man rising to power and the nations coming against the Jewish people and you keep expecting the Rapture to take place and it doesn't, what will happen to your "faith"?? God SAID that His people are not appointed to suffer His wrath, and if the entire final seven years is His wrath, believers should have been protected and taken from this world before the Antichrist comes and certainly before the Great Tribulation occurs.
So I ask in my book, " ... the end.", ... "What if much of the visible church is planning to be 'raptured,' only to be called upon by God to endure the Great Tribulation??" Some have quoted Revelation 3:10, "Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on earth," and taught that God is promising to deliver His people BEFORE the Great Tribulation. But is that the case?
I write, "God has 'kept' the Church through persecution and trials since its beginning! He 'kept' Noah and his family during the time of the flood. He 'kept' Israel through the plagues in Egypt. The question we need to answer on the basis of God's Word alone and not on our own ideas or theories is this: Is the entire seven years, Daniel's 70th week, the Great Tribulation AND the Day of the Lord? Are they one and the same thing? OR, does God make a distinction between the two?"
If you would like to read much more about this you may order my book by emailing me: pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org. I urge you to pray for understanding, not only of "end times," as we draw nearer to these events every day, but also an understanding of God's call to suffering for His people. There IS a purpose in trials and suffering and God is able to strengthen us who believe for whatever He calls us to bear. Faithful endurance is part of our calling, so stand firm in your faith in Jesus Christ whatever you may be called to bear, whether today, tomorrow or at any point in the future. Our Father in heaven is with us. Our Savior Jesus Christ is Lord and is reigning over all things from His heavenly throne. And His Spirit dwells within us, empowering us for the battles at hand.
Do not allow the circumstances of your life or in the world to turn your attention away from Jesus, for IN THE END ... WE WIN!!! We WILL endure, "by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony!" ARE YOU READY???
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