[H2]. THE LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS:

1Thessalonians 4:14-17, “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus, ¹⁵ for this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep, ¹⁶ for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. ¹⁷ 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.”

When we move to 1Thessalonians, we see the order in the Rapture developed much fuller, and the verses we look at are 4:13-18. The purpose of writing this was for Paul to provide comfort as he explained in the final verse – 1Thess 4:18, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” The reason there had to be comfort was that the Thessalonians let Paul know they were disquieted and concerned, even agitated, about the fate of the ones among them who had died without the Lord returning.

When Paul was with them, he explained that the Lord was coming back to gather His own (in the Rapture). At that time, they expected the Rapture (that event) to be imminent, and some of their number had died; therefore, those alive were thinking the dead ones had missed out because they died. In verse 13, Paul said he did not want those believers to be uninformed, and he did not want them grieving. Paul then had to explain carefully to them the order of events in the Rapture, and they are these:

1. Verse 14 – The whole teaching of the Rapture depends on the resurrection of Christ Himself. He is the first fruits. This AGAIN is another parallel with 1 Corinthians, cementing these two passages closely as one.
2. Verse 14 – When the Lord appears in the air for His saints, He is going to bring back with Him the spirits of all those who have already died as believers. The New Testament never speaks of a believer dying; it always says “fell asleep.” These who return with the Lord are the first to be changed, as in 1 Corinthians 15:53.
3. Verse 15 – The first order is given: “We who are alive shall not precede those who have died.” (We shall not be caught up before them, it means. They go first.)
4. Verse 16 – The Lord leads the way (as He shall also do at the second Coming in Rev 19), and He shouts. I am taking an educated guess that what He says is what is recorded from heaven in Rev 4:1, “Come up here!” 4:1 is the Church being taken to heaven at the end of the Church age, where the great worship scene then occurs in Rev 4 and 5.
5. Verse 16 – The voice of the archangel will be heard, but we don’t know here, now, what he says. Michael comes, but with the angel band also, I think. The trumpet is also mentioned in Rev 4:1, a rapture verse, and is heard at the same time. The trumpet is always a summons for an assembly and also was used to rouse the army from sleep in the early morning. This will correspond with the Feast of Trumpets (those 7 feasts are a remarkable study). There are those who think when the Rapture happens, it will correspond with the Feast of Trumpets, “Rosh Hashana,” and it is an interesting thought, but we can’t know for sure.

For those who like to consider things, here is something for you. I AM NOT DATE-SETTING, AND I DON’T BELIEVE IN SETTING DATES. Seven is God’s perfect number. It is used more than 50 times in the book of Revelation. In the Bible, seven means not only perfection but completion, for if it is perfect, it is complete.

I believe God’s completion for the human race in its history before the eternal state of Revelation 20/21 is 7,000 years (whether exact or not, I can’t say). There are about 2,000 years between Adam and Abraham; about 2,000 years between Abraham and the Lord Jesus on earth; about 2,000 years from the Lord until now; and there will be 1,000 years in the Millennial reign. In total, 7,000 years. If you want to break it up a bit more, the Lord was born in 4 B.C., and the crucifixion was in 29 A.D. (some say 30 A.D. [He was about 33 when He went to the cross.]). There will be 7 years of Tribulation. A.D. 30 plus 2,000 is 2,030. Take off the 7-year Tribulation, and you have 2023.

THESE DATES AND NUMBERS ARE ONLY GUIDELINES. I am not date-setting but will draw only one conclusion – The Rapture must be close, and many witnesses testify to that as seen in the R.R. postings!

6. Verse 16 – Paul plainly says, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” Consistent with the wording of 1Cor 15:52, the dead will rise first; the perishable are first. The mortals rise second.
7. Verse 17 – Those of us who are alive at the Rapture and remaining on earth are next to be caught up to the Lord. He will be in the clouds, and we are caught up in the clouds. The very probable meaning is that we are caught up with clouds, into the clouds, but this following analysis is an interesting thought I won’t pursue.

From Greek scholar F B Meyer – “[ἐν νεφέλαις] not instead of εἰς νεφέλας (Moldenhauer), but either in clouds, i.e., enveloped in clouds, or better, on clouds, i.e., enthroned in their midst.” [the Greek “en” is normally “in, on” whereas “eis” is “into.”] There are some who have made a case for “believers rising in clouds” – clouds of believers rising. When the Lord comes, He invades Satan’s territory with the absolute command of authority. Satan is the prince of the power of the air.

8. Verse 17 – From that point onwards, we will always be with the Lord, firstly as the espoused Bride, and then in Rev 19, the actual married Bride.
9. Verse 18 – The Rapture is coming. Believers from all ages, look up because your redemption draws near; yes, we are redeemed, but THEN we are “the redeemed,” fully righteous and unflawed in the Lord’s hands. All the slip-ups, all the failures behind us, fully loved in the Lord’s grace.

[I]. IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE:

All which transpired in the points 1-9 above happens in this way – 1Cor 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” The Greek for “in a moment” is “εν ατόμω” (en atomō). “atoma/o” was the Greek word from which the English “atom” came. The word comes from the Greek verb meaning “to cut.” When the atom was discovered, it got that name because it was thought it was the smallest particle of matter that could no longer be cut = the very smallest particle you could get. Of course, now the atom is itself a whole universe. In Paul’s reference, it means a particle of time that is indivisible. It is instantaneous.

The word rendered “twinkling” (“ῥιπή” = ripe, from “ρίπτω” [rhipto], means “to throw, a cast, jerk,” as of a stone); and then “a jerk of the eye,” that is, “a wink” – Commentator Robinson. It can mean “the downward motion of the eyelid” or a blink of a light, or of the eye. All that is so quick. So shall be the Rapture.

THE CHURCH WILL NOT ENTER THE TRIBULATION!

The Rapture is called “the blessed hope,” and it cannot be called that if what we have to look forward to is fear, wrath and judgment. Titus 2:11-13, “The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Christ Jesus.” We do not look out for the Tribulation; we look out for that which is the hope that is within us.

There are definite verses to prove the Rapture must happen before the Tribulation can start. But before that, we consider the following:

The Tribulation does not begin until Revelation chapter 6, and in the two previous chapters, we see the Church in heaven having been raptured in Rev 4:1. It is already there before the first seal is broken. The wrath of God against sin was what the Lord endured on the cross. He did that on our behalf. The Lord took the wrath meant for me in Himself and paid the penalty in full. How awful would be the justice of God if He demanded that I have to suffer that wrath by being in the Tribulation after the Son of God already suffered the wrath for me? I covered that horrible dishonoring doctrine that places Christians in the Tribulation in an earlier section.

Now the verses that prove the Church does not enter the wrath of the Tribulation:

1Thessalonians 1:9-10, “They themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

1Thessalonians 5:9, “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

[J]. ONE LAST THOUGHT:

The Rapture is a glorious hope, and as this world darkens, I want the Lord to come. I really do want the Rapture to happen. For another reason, I want it to happen, there has been a terrible slaughter in the recent past in Nigeria and Sudan at the hands of Islam, and Christians are in terrible torture and suffering. It is horrific. In China, Christians are suffering awful persecution. Afghanistan is the latest place for atrocities against Christians. Indeed, in every place where Islam is in power, there is violence and persecution against Christians. Islam is of Satan. I want the Lord to come to deliver His hurting people.

In a post called “Why Are You Cast Down My Soul in This Present World?” on R.R., I mentioned the heaviness that is holding the world in its clutches. The non-Christian battles to understand the chaotic times and has no hope or any certainty about the future. The Christian should know what is in store in future events, but sadly, many don’t because the truth is denied them for two reasons.

The first is they are not taught it by church leaders who don’t bother to learn themselves. The second is that there seems to be a mentality among so many who claim the Christian name but are so complacent that they couldn’t care less. That is sad.

I recently finished a deeper Bible study on the church at Smyrna, and I asked the people, “Would you yourself like to be in those days of persecution and martyrdom, or would you prefer conditions like the ones we now live in?” Well, they all chose the latter option, as I think we all would, but they understood that the church was more dedicated and holy under persecution. None of us likes to suffer. Then I asked, “When is the church the most vibrant and healthiest?” They knew the answer to that – persecution refines God’s people. All the dross will leave, and the gold remains.

It could well be time that the Lord is going to bring in persecution and hard times into the western church so that the refiner’s fire might blaze among us. We are in the days of the Laodicean mindset. Read the posting to RR I titled “Zebra Matters” that deals with lukewarm Christianity.

However, my wishing for the Rapture so I can leave this sinful scene – is that just me wanting to escape trouble and hardship in the world, and therefore a selfish motive? Am I focusing on M.E. and my desire and not showing compassion or thoughts for a dying world? No wonder Paul said he was torn between wanting to go and to remain. God bless us as that time draws near.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

END OF PART 4

ronaldf@aapt.net.au

Let’s start off with some Bible verses that will set the tone of this article:

“Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah” (Psalm 4:4, NKJV).

“So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone” (Numbers 32:12).

“God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11).

“You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97:10).

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).

“These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19).

“And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other” (Mark 3:5).

“Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Eph. 4:26).

“A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:7-8).

I start off with these Bible verses as a basis to show that the Lord is not opposed to his children becoming angered over the situations and trials and evils we awaken to every single morning, but we should not allow our anger to cause us to sin. The purpose of this article is to show that we need to stand up and be angered by what is happening these days and know that it is okay. So many of us have become numb to the evils around us, and I have to admit, I was there for a while. You watch the news day in and day out, and you don’t really let it bother you, or you try to just ignore it. I was trying to ignore it, hoping it would go away. The evils around us are not going away, and I can no longer stay numb. I have to speak out; I have to get mad. This is what this article is about.

I was watching a movie recently from the 1940s starring Robert Young and Margaret O’Brien. The movie is entitled Journey for Margaret. The plot of the movie quickly revolves around a U.S. journalist and his wife in England during World War II. During their stay, there was a bombing raid that left his wife unable to have children. His wife returns to the states, and it is then that Robert Young’s character befriends two children. Without giving away the end, I bring up this movie because of a line that really got me thinking. He says, after seeing children dying and knowing he can’t have kids, “Help me, Lord, to stay mad.” He had become numb to the war around him until that moment. This is what I was talking about above. My prayer is that I would never become numb to the evils around me.

Why am I mad? Here’s why:

Abortion

Abortions worldwide just this year: 29,606,871 (https://www.worldometers.info/abortions/). The number on this website increases each second. It makes me mad that every second a baby is being executed in what these foolish Democrats label “women’s health care.” Since when is murder health care? Anyone who kills these babies or supports killing these babies has to be demonically controlled. Take Texas as an example. I was so happy to hear Governor Abbott signed the heartbeat bill; however, the flood gates of attack have opened up against Texas by these Satanic fools (Romans 1). The Satanic church, Biden, Pelosi, Harris, and others are going to make it hard for more of these heartbeat bills to pass in other states.

As one example of the sickness that is the Democrat Party, Harris met with the individual who bragged of killing 67 babies in 17 hours. It was bad enough that our Vice Illegal resident would meet with this guy and give the time of day to this madness, but to brag about killing a whole lot of babies in a really short amount of time is even worse. This is the Romans 1 mentality of God turning them over to a depraved mind. I don’t understand how anyone would want to kill the most innocent among us, but it makes me mad that they do, and I want to speak out against this. Psalm 139 says that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” God created these babies in the womb, and nobody has a right to kill these precious ones. I am unashamedly pro-life, and I want everyone reading this to know it.

Gay marriage, homosexuality, transgender issues

I am unashamedly in favor of marriage between one man and one woman, and all else is a sin. It makes me mad beyond belief that the opposite is presented as normal, even being shoved down the throats of our youngest minds, bringing in so much confusion. The Biden administration has recently made it that private schools need to allow men who falsely believe they are women to share dorms with biological females. This type of behavior is rampant everywhere. It makes me mad because it puts women in danger of unspeakable harm. Men will use this for all sorts of depravity.

Homosexuals are not born that way; they are confused, and they need Jesus. I pray we would not be angry at the individuals; we are all sinners who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. We need to love all people, even our enemies. A lot of us work in places where we work with people in this sinful lifestyle, and we can’t easily evangelize vocally. The kindness we show these people might speak louder of who we are. The lifestyle makes me sick to my stomach, especially these drag queen story hours parents bring their kids to and the lesson’s kids are being taught in school that bring confusion.

A verse that comes to mind is this: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt 18:6).

Jesus was angered with those who would cause these little ones to stumble, and so am I. It is disgusting, and I pray that parents think about what their little ones are exposed to. Once again, this is proof of how demonic our government and schools are.

The Afghanistan situation

This will be a short one since this is all over the news right now, but I am angered by the fact that we have an impostor-in-chief who thinks more of the terrorists than he does of Americans. I was hearing on a talk radio program that Biden actually complimented the new Taliban government, calling them business-like and professional. I have not heard of terrorists referred to this way before. But this was said as a dad and his children were killed by a U.S. drone, and Americans have been left behind to fend for their lives. We have probably the most incompetent administration ever in the White House, and people are suffering as a result.

The signs are all around us. The Ezekiel war could begin soon, which gives me hope that the rapture is on the way. This situation itself is frustrating, though. I am angered that America is weak, and we are a laughingstock in the world.

Race issues

Race issues abound these days that just make me frustrated to no end because they are created issues that hardly have any basis in reality. Yes, there are those out there who make racist comments and have prejudices, but there is no such thing as systemic racism. Liberals and those who are historically illiterate believe this. Critical race theory that teaches that whites are supreme and need to apologize for their whiteness is foolish, as those of color hold prominent places in the United States. Black Lives Matter as a movement is angering because it is racist in and of itself. All lives matter.

All these groups do is fuel anger and cause destruction in their path. The liberals propagating these issues don’t even care about the ones they are supposedly fighting for. Most don’t even know the truth about the groups they are standing with. It angers me that these groups are allowed to exist. Politicians should be calling for an end to this kind of stupidity, but this is not happening. They are fueling the stupidity. This is angering, and I want to stay mad at this. I believe all lives matter to God, and all lives should matter to us.

Pandemic and Mandates

Lastly, I just want to touch upon the frustration and anger I have with the COVID fake pandemic issues that we just cannot seem to escape from until 100% of the world’s population gets the experimental vaccine that has been a huge contention among the masses. I am not ignorant that people have died, but people have died of a lot worse. COVID has a 99% survival rate. The problem, I believe, is that people fear death. People need Jesus. I am angered by misinformation on all sides and that it is hard to know who to believe. I am angered that the Biden administration is going to such lengths to force their will on society.

I am angered that people are so brainwashed that they will do what they are told without question. Yes, it is true that people are waking up, but we need more people to see the stupidity of wearing masks everywhere. Masks are ineffective. They have a place, but not as an accessory. Businesses should not be mandating vaccines. This is not their place. The term ‘safety’ has been cheapened. People are afraid, and the government and media are stoking fear. Shame on them.

I feel bad that people are so scared. Getting a vaccine might be unavoidable; the mandates of our incompetent leaders might be unavoidable. None of this is the beast system that is on the horizon; this is just the work of a government with a power grab.

America is not a Republic anymore, it is a communist country, and our communist leaders will stop at nothing to have total control over us, and this is very angering to me. Whether or not I am forced to get the jab, I want to make it publicly known that I am against this system of tyranny. I do not believe COVID was ever serious enough to justify this. This tyranny is worldwide and is setting the stage for a one-world superpower. It is inevitable and still angers me.

In Conclusion

I am so thrilled that all of these events are pointing to just how close we as believers are to being raptured, taken out of the way before judgment comes. This is the good news in a world of bad news. If you have not accepted Jesus, confess He is Lord, turn away from sin, and make Jesus the Lord of your life, then you will be raptured with the rest of us.

Things in this world are not going to get any better. I hope I have made it clear that now is not the time to stay silent and become desensitized to all the evil around us. It is easy to try to ignore it, but now is the time to speak. This is what I have decided to do – speak up. There is so much evil around us, but I do not want to sit on the fence. I want to make my feelings on these issues known, and I hope I can inspire others to do the same. The government can shove anything at us that they want, but we do not have to agree or go along with it. We might not always have a choice in every matter facing us, but we can speak our peace about the issues surrounding us.

The Lord is coming soon, and we can lift up our heads knowing that our redemption draws nigh because these things are happening at rapid speed (Luke 29:28). My prayer is the same as that of Robert Young’s character in the movie: “Lord, help me to stay mad.” I hope that would be your prayer as well, as we hold the evil at bay until the restrainer is removed at the rapture. Let’s stay on fire for the Lord and not lose our first love. And just know – if Jesus was angry by the evil in his day, it is okay for us to be angry in our day. Let’s keep looking up and know that Jesus is coming soon. This is our hope that we can hold on to.

Praise God! Maranatha.

Mark