When is the Rapture?

Isa 28:9-10
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
(KJV)

Knowledge and the understanding of doctrines (Bible teachings) takes full age, not those that are still on breast milk. Understanding and knowledge comes from being able to build line upon line and precept upon precept from the Word of God until we can see the full picture of God intended for us to see. The secret things belong to God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children. How will we get this revelation? By being of full age and having our senses exercised to discern both good and evil, the Bible says. If there is any topic or subject you would like discussed simply shoot me an email and we will see what the Word says. Right now I would like to start a several part series that will show us, from the Word, exactly when the "rapture" of the church will be. This should be interesting, but in order to unlock the mystery we must use several Bible keys to open our understanding. Unless you are willing to build line upon line and precept upon precept you will not have the mystery unfold before your very eyes. I will not tell you the answer of when the 'rapture' is but will allow the Word of God to reveal it to you. So for the next few Seeds I will building line upon line and precept upon precept so that we can understand knowledge and doctrine.

Remembering line upon line and precept upon precept let us begin:


1 Cor 15:51-52
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

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.
(KJV)

There are 4 schools of thought on the "rapture" or catching away. 1. There is not a rapture 2. It happens before the Great Tribulation period (7 yr period). 3. It happens mid tribulation period. 4. It happens after the tribulation period. All my life I have been pre-tribulation in my thinking. God would rescue the Church out of (before) the Great Tribulation. The keys to unlocking the mystery Paul spoke of is in the understanding: 1. where the dead are now? and 2. how many resurrections are there going to be?

Most of our thinking is based upon tradition rather than the Word. For that reason, tradition will not unlock the mystery. The key of tradition wont fit. Remember that all our belief system must agree with the Word and cannot contradict the Word. I had been unable to reconcile my belief system, based upon traditions of men, with the Word of God, until one day when the light came on so clearly. How did that happen? The keys to my understanding were based upon where the dead are now and how many resurrections. (I repeat for importance). The Lord had been instructing me in an understanding where the dead are to use it as line upon line and precept upon precept to get me to a greater understanding. We go from one understanding to a greater as the Lord gives us light and it is always based line upon line and precept upon precept. I don't have space here to go into this teaching on the place of the dead but challenge your to read here about the dead if you want to possess the first key. Once you gain this knowledge you will possess one of the keys needed to unlock the mystery...when is the Rapture?

click here: http://whatthebibleteachesabout.blogspot.com/2007/11/where-dead-are-now.html

Rev 20:4-5
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
(KJV)

Line upon Line: The Word teaches that there are 2 resurrections. The first and the last resurrection. Messiah was the first fruit of the 1st resurrection, and the "rapture" will be the conclusion of the 1st resurrection. First is birthed the Head (Messiah) and then the Body (believers). We know from yesterday's study that all the dead are asleep in the grave awaiting their resurrections. Some will be raised to life in the 1st resurrection and some raised to judgment and destruction in the last resurrection at the white throne judgment of God. In order for us to unlock the mystery of the rapture (the first resurrection) we must know that the dead are all in the grave awaiting the call of God. No one has yet ascended except Messiah and no one has yet been judged and sentenced to the second death. We know that the dead know nothing, they are not looking down from heaven, they are not praying for us, they are not suffering torments, but that they are simply asleep in their graves. For more advanced study on where the dead are now please refer to yesterday's study: http://whatthebibleteachesabout.blogspot.com/2007/11/where-dead-are-now.html

If there are only 2 resurrections then the Word must agree with our thinking. Pre-trib rapture says the 1st resurrection happens before the great tribulation and the reign of the Anti-Christ. Mid-trib rapture says the 1st resurrection will happen after the 3/5 years of peace under the rule of the Anti-Christ, but before the wrath of God (second 3.5 years). And the post-trib rapture says it will be after the 7 years of the Anti-Christ at the end of Armageddon.

All my Christian life I was a pre-trib rapture believer until one verse jumped out at me and knocked down my house of cards. My former belief could not unlock the mystery. What was that verse?


Line upon line:

I was always a pre-trib believer, believing as most of the Christian world that Messiah would come and take the believers out of the world prior to the Anti-Christ. In fact it would be the church leaving that would allow the Anti-Christ to take over. Oh, I had all the good arguments to prove my theory. Everything worked out just fine in my mind, until I began to understand where the dead are now and that there are only 2 resurrections. Meaning that everyone that doesn't make it in the first resurrection (the rapture) will not be resurrected from the dead until after the 1,000 year reign of Messiah upon the earth. If you think about it you will see then, according to my old belief, that if you didn't go in the rapture you would not rule and reign with Messiah during the 1,000 years. And then one verse caused my house of cards to fall to the ground. If the first resurrection (Rapture) takes place before the Anti-Christ reign and there is no other resurrection until after the 1,000 years what will I do with this verse?


Rev 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
(KJV)

Here we have resurrected people who died during the mark of the Beast, during the beast reign and they took take part in the 1st resurrection. Now I have to move my time table to include all the martyrs of the Beast reign, for they are definitely in the 1st resurrection!

Line upon line:


Rev 8:2-6
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
(KJV)

I had to move my time-line of the Rapture from before the rule of the Anti-Christ till after the reign of the Anti-Christ because those persecuted during the rule of the Anti-Christ will be in the 1st resurrection. Since there are only 2 resurrections and the dead don't go immediately anywhere (heaven or torments) it was necessary for me to understand unless the 1st resurrection ocurred after the reign of the Anti-Christ the martyred could not be in the 1,000 year reign of Messiah. The Word says the martyred are in the 1,000 yr reign and here is where it hit me: I will not tell you when exactly the Rapture will be but... the Word will: Seven Angels and seven trumpets.


1 Cor 15:52
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.
(KJV)

Be blessed, Billy and Jan Wells