From the book by Dr. David Jeremiah
FOUR
ISLAMIC TERRORISM
COMMENT:
Jeremiah goes into some detail about Islam in this his fourth
point of ten points to keep your eyes on, for the countdown to
the last years of this age, and Christ's return.
His section HEADINGS are:
Is Islam Militant or Peaceful?
The History of Islam
The Habits of Islam
The Hatred of Islam
The Hopes of Islam
Responding to the Islamic Threat
Muslims are not Beyond the Reach of God's Grace
I will not spend much space to this section of the fourth point
of the ten points that Jeremiah gives. For one main reason: there
is NO prophecy in the entire Bible that teaches an all out, full-
blown, nuclear war, between Islam and the Western world is to
happen before Jesus returns. Sure, there may well be terrorism
from Islam fanatics here and there, and there may well be the
kind of hand to hand combat between the West and Islam
fundamental crazy people, as we are experiencing in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
The fanatical cult of Islam may want to rule the world for Allah,
but it is NOT going to happen. There will come an ARAB "king of
the south" led by EGYPT, who will somehow "push at" (we are given
nothing in the Bible as to what this "push at" could be - any
thoughts are pure speculation) the coming "king of the north"
(the resurrected Holy Roman Empire of Europe) as Daniel 11:40-45
tells us. The "king of the north" will defeat in battle (and we
are not told what kind of battle it will be i.e. hand to hand or
rocket bomb etc.) the "king of the south" and will sweep down
with might and power and armies, into the Holy Land, to desolate
Jerusalem and defeat, capture, and scatter the Jews.
So Islam and the Arab nations that form the "king of the south"
in the latter days of this age, are prophecied to be vanquished
by the Beast power to fully arise in Europe in the last years of
this age.
Now on to David Jeremiah's take on the "secret rapture" - one of
the main teachings of the Protestant fundamental prophets of the
last 100 years or so - Keith Hunt
......
FIVE
Vanished Without a Trace
ONE OF THE MORE POPULAR CBS TV SHOWS IS THE FICTIONAL drama
"Without a Trace." It is set in New York City's special FBI
missing persons unit. Each episode is devoted to finding one
missing person, and, usually, one of the agents assigned to the
case develops a strong emotional interest that carries the story
along. In reality, the FBI has no dedicated missing persons unit;
investigations into disappearances are assigned to agents on a
case-by-case basis. At the end of each episode, however, the show
does touch on reality by providing public service information to
help the FBI locate real-life missing persons.
Another TV show built on the theme of missing persons was
the Fox Broadcasting drama "Vanished." The plotline centered on a
Georgia senator whose wife apparently vanished into thin air.
That series failed to attract enough viewers to survive the
season, provoking anger among those who had become hooked when
the thirteen aired episodes never resolved the mystery.
And mystery is exactly what the word vanished implies.
Headlines about people who vanish rivet our attention: "Relatives
Wait for Word of Vanished Sailors"; "Man Vanishes After Concert";
"Search Continues for Woman Who Vanished"; "Police Say Man
Vanished Without a Trace." We read such headlines with eerie
wonder: What could have happened to the missing person? How could
he have simply been there one moment and not the next?
According to the Bible, a time is coming when this very
thing will happen on a massive, global scale. A day is coming
when a billion people will suddenly vanish from the face of the
earth without a trace! And when that event occurs, calling in the
FBI will be of no use. A TV series based on the mystery would
never have a conclusion, for these vanished people will never
again be seen until the Lord Himself returns. What will this
worldwide phenomenon be like? That is a question in the minds of
many who-through popular novels, sermons, or religious
writingshave heard of this event but don't understand it. They
know that Christians call it the Rapture, yet they have little
idea what it means or what in the world is going on that could
bring it about. In this chapter I will seek to resolve this
common confusion.
COMMENT:
Jeremiah thinks there will be about ONE BILLION people who will
vanish away in this "secret" (and it is a secret as you will see)
rapture. First, he is very mistaken to think a BILLION people are
true Christians on this earth. The truth of the matter is that
99.9% or more of this billion are NOT true Christians at all.
They are still in spiritual blindness, deceived by a FALSE
Christianity. They will NOT be in any resurrection (or "rapture"
as the fundamenatl prophets like to call it). Second, it is a
resurrection rapture, if you will, that happens only AT the
VISIBLE coming of Christ, when He will return in only ONE EVENT;
the Bible nowhere teaches a TWO-PHASED coming of Christ, with a
period of 7 or 3 and 1/2 years between (depending which "secret
rapturists" you are listening to).
Many other studies on this Website SMASH to a billion pieces the
teaching of the "secret rapture" - Keith Hunt
......
The Great Disappearance
Some of us are familiar with massive evacuations, which
leave large areas empty and desolate, as if their inhabitants had
simply vanished. As I mentioned in a previous chapter, I pastor a
church located in the fire zone of Southern California. In
October 2007, we witnessed the largest evacuation of homes in
California history, and the largest evacuation for fire in United
States history. Emergency personnel evacuated 350,000 homes,
displacing I million Californians as sixteen simultaneous fires
swept through our community.
Imagine a person who missed the call to evacuate, waking up
after everyone was gone and stumbling through the acrid smoke and
empty streets, confused and amazed, wondering why he had been
left behind. That person's reaction would be nothing compared to
the shock of those who witness the coming worldwide evacuation.
The Bible tells us that on that day, millions of people will
disappear from the face of the earth in less than a millisecond.
And the purpose of that evacuation is similar to that of the
emergency evacuation of Southern Californians: to avoid horrific
devastation. This evacuation will remove God's people from the
disastrous effects of coming earthquakes, fire, and global chaos.
As Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz explain, the evacuation itself
will create considerable chaos and destruction:
Jumbo jets plummet to earth as they no longer have a pilot
at the controls. Driverless buses, trains, subways, and cars
will cause unimaginable disaster. Classrooms will suddenly
be without teachers ... Doctors and nurses seem to abandon
their patients in the middle of surgical operations, and
patients will vanish from operating tables. Children
disappear from their beds. People run through the streets
looking for missing family members who were there just
moments ago. Panic grips every household, city and country.
COMMENT:
The "god" that some people serve and try to tell others about, is
the god of this world, that would come up with such a crazy and
horrific scene of death, just to bring his children to himself up
in heaven somewhere. When I was first introduced to this teaching
at the age of 19, after coming to Canada and meeting Protestant
fundamentalists, I literally LAUGHT at such a teaching, then I
was SOBERLY ANGRY because these fundamental teachers really DID
BELIEVE such an idea and really do expect it to be as you have
just read about in the above.
The truth of correct Bible prophecy is that TRUE Christians will
be scattered across the face of the earth, in the forests and
valleys and hills, to escape the wrath of Satan through the Beast
power. True Christians will be in their place of safety,
protected by God from the Beast power. They will not be living in
society as we know it today. They will have fled or been killed
by the Beast power. When Jesus does come in glory and VERY
VISIBLE, then the resurrection of saints or instant change will
happen to God's children, and they will disappear into the air,
the clouds, to meet with Christ on the sea of glass, in the
clouds, and be ready to then continue to return to earth, to the
Mount of Olives, at Jerusalem, with Christ.
True Christians at the end time will NOT be flying planes,
driving buses, teaching in schools, working in the fire
department, driving taxis, or coach buses.
The plain truth of the saints resurrection or instant change, is
all expounded in-depth to you in other studies on this Website -
Keith Hunt.
......
Attempting to put realism into this event for my first youth
group as a fledgling pastor, I utilized the idea of an imaginary
newspaper covering the recent Rapture. The lead article read:
At 12:05 last night a telephone operator reported three frantic
calls regarding missing relatives. Within fifteen minutes all
communications were jammed with similar inquiries. A spot check
around the nation found the same situation in every city. Sobbing
husbands sought information about the mysterious disappearance of
wives. One husband reported, "I turned on the light to ask my
wife if she remembered to set the clock, but she was gone. Her
bedclothes were there, her watch was on the floor ... she had
vanished!" An alarmed woman calling from Brooklyn tearfully
reported, "My husband just returned from the late shift ... I
kissed him ... he just disappeared in my arms."
COMMENT:
No! There will be no such scene. The resurrection of the saints
(and/or instant change) will happen ONLY when Jesus comes VISIBLY
to this earth. And that time will be AFTER the Beast power rules
the Western world, AFTER the time of trouble to come on earth as
NEVER before, or never will be again. There is no "secret"
rapture within the imagined stories given above by Protestant
prophets. When Jesus comes true Christians will be the salt of
the earth, scattered here and there, living APART from the world,
AWAY from the world, just as it was during the dark or middle
ages, when the Beast and its woman church ruler, was persecuting
and killing true saints of the Lord. You need not fear the
scenario above from Protestant prophets, for it will never happen
as they, seemingly with joy at times, try to fear you into
accepting Jesus as Savior. It's somewhat like what they joyfully
entered into decades and hundreds of years ago, with their
teaching of literally burning in hell-fire, with angony and pain,
for all eternity, unless you "gave your heart to the Lord" and
walked to the front as "saved" Christians - Keith Hunt
......
These two descriptions of the coming disappearance are quite
disturbing. Considering the devastation, loss, grief, and
confusion the event will cause, it may seem strange that it is
called the Rapture. According to my online dictionary, the word
rapture means "an expression or manifestation of ecstasy or
passion," and "being carried away by overwhelming emotion."
Everyone wants that kind of euphoric delight, which is why
marketing experts have made rapture a popular term in today's
culture.
There's a perfume called Rapture, and also a well-known New
York City-based rock band. Many novels and movies carry the word
rapture in their titles. A concert-promoting agency calls itself
Planet Rapture. One sporting goods company even sells a set of
golf clubs called Rapture! The world is looking for rapture, so
marketers offer it everywhere.
So why would Christians use Rapture, of all terms, to denote
a chaotic event when a billion people will suddenly disappear
from the earth? The word Rapture is the Latin version of a phrase
the Bible uses to describe the catching away of all Christians
before the end times.
The focus is on looking at the event not from the viewpoint of
those who remain, but from that of those who are evacuated. All
true Christians will be caught up from the earth and raptured
into the presence of the Lord before the seven-year period of
evil, the Tribulation, breaks throughout the earth. This will
fulfill the promise He made to His disciples in John 14:1-3:
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe
also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there
you may be also.
COMMENT:
Did you notice, without any Scripture reference, the JUMP from
saints being caught up to meet with Christ (which is the truth of
the resurrection and instant change, of saints when Jesus comes
in VISIBLE GLORY) and Jeremiah's off the bat LEAP to telling you
the "caught up" is BEFORE the 7-year period of evil and
tribulation. That is what "rapturists" believe and teach. It is a
teaching that Christ's second coming is in TWO phases, the first
secret and invisible, and the second, with glory and very
visible. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!! Here is not
the time in any in-depth way to expound to you the errors of the
"secret rapture" teachers. I have done that in other studies on
this Website. John 14 is talking about the time when the saints
will be with Christ in His Kingdom on earth, but has nothing to
do with a "secret" anything at some invisible coming of Christ -
Keith Hunt.
......
Followers of Christ who are raptured will be spared the
trauma of death and the coming disasters that will occur when the
Tribulation breaks out upon the earth. That is indeed a cause for
true rapture on the part of those who love the Lord and long to
be with Him.
COMMENT:
Jesus did give a promise that some would escape the tribulation
to come on this earth in the last days - Luke 21:36 and
Revelation 12. But that promise has nothing to do with some
secret rapture flying you off to heaven. Revelation 12 clearly
shows the woman or church, the true saints of God, in the
WILDERNESS, "her place" of protection from the powers of the
Beast's armies, who go out after her. Some saints are protected,
some saints must yet die for THE faith. So it has always been
down through the ages, some of God's children must die for the
faith, some live on, while still on earth, to continue to teach
and preach the true Gospel of Christ. So it will be again during
the last 42 months of this age - Keith Hunt.
......
One morning recently I spoke about the Rapture during a
series of messages on prophecy. Later I was told that on the way
out of church, a girl expressed confusion to her mother about
something I had said. "Dr. Jeremiah keeps talking about all the
signs that are developing concerning the Lord's return. And then
in the next breath he says that nothing needs to happen before
Jesus comes back to take us home to be with Him. I don't
understand!" It seemed to this girl that I had contradicted
myself. First, I seemed to say that certain prophesied signs
would occur before the coming of Christ; then I seemed to say
that nothing needed to occur before Jesus comes to claim His own.
The girl's honest confusion deserves to be addressed because I
believe she speaks for many who are similarly puzzled about
events relating to the Rapture.
Most of the misunderstanding comes from confusing two
events: the Rapture and the Second Coming. When we talk about the
signs that signal the return of Christ, we speak not of the
Rapture but of the Lord's ultimate return to the earth with all
His saints.
COMMENT:
Ah, now we see the open announcement of this strange idea that
the Second Coming of Christ is in TWO phases. One is "secret"
while the other is "visible." The Old Testament prophecies on the
Messiah coming in GLORY and POWER to rule the whole earth is
TECHNICOLOR BLAZED with ONLY ONE VISIBLE coming of the Messiah to
establish the Kingdom of God on earth. AND so also is the New
Testament, when you read it as a child would read it, as I read
it when a child, and never saw ANYTHING to teach a "secret
invisible" rapture of the saints, to meet a secret invisible
first phase coming of Christ - Keith Hunt.
......
According to the book of Revelation, this coming of Christ
occurs after the Rapture and differs from it in at least two
ways: First, the Rapture will be a "stealth event" in which
Christ will be witnessed by believers only. His second coming, on
the other hand, will be a public event. Everyone will see Him.
"Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him,
even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will
mourn because of Him" (Revelation 1:7; see also Zechariah 14:1,
3-5; Revelation 19:11-21).
COMMENT:
Do you see, are you seeing how Jeremiah is telling you things
that are supposed to be in the Bible. You as "dumb sheep" like
this little girl in his story, as not supposed to know anything
about the Bible, so he tells you what it says, and of course you
are to believe it. Hence he just tells you that the Bible teaches
this "Two Phased" coming of Christ, the one phase invisible and
not known until it happens, the other the VISIBLE coming of
Christ that he can quote a Scripture from. I guess so, for the
Bible is full of Scriptures that speak about the ONE and only
VISIBLE Second Coming of Christ - Keith Hunt.
......
Second, all believers are raptured. He will immediately take
them back into heaven with Him. But when Christ returns to earth
seven years later in the Second Coming, He is coming to stay.
COMMENT:
Once more he tells you, but it is just words he writes, and
anyone can write words. Where ... where indeed is the verse in
the Bible that tells you the saints at the resurrection to meet
Christ, go back to heaven for 7 years? If you find it, let me
know! Keith Hunt.
......
This return, usually referred to as "the Second Advent,"
will take place at the end of the Tribulation period and usher in
the Millennium-a thousand-year reign of Christ on this earth. So,
first, the Rapture will occur seven years before the Second
Advent. At that time Christ will take us to be with Him in
heaven, immediately before the seven-year tribulation period.
Then second, we will return to earth with Him at His Second
Advent.
COMMENT:
Again, do you see it? Jeremiah just lays out words, tells you
what the Bible is supposed to teach you. That the "rapture" or
resurrection of saints (and instant change for those alive) with
occur 7 years before the Second Advent. We are back to him
telling you the Bible teaches a TWO PHASED coming of the Second
Coming of Christ. It is all HOGWASH!! It is the worst Bible
reading I have ever come across, well, I guess the teaching of
the law of God being done away, and the fourth commandment not
for us today, is just as bad a Bible reading - Keith Hunt.
......
There is another important difference. There are no events
that must take place before the Rapture occurs. It's all a matter
of God's perfect timing. When I preached that signs are
developing concerning the Lord's return, I referred to events
that must yet occur before the return of Christ in the Second
Advent.
The prophecies I spoke of concern the Second Advent, but
that does not mean that the Rapture doesn't figure into prophecy.
Future events cast shadows that are precursors to their coming.
Since the Rapture takes place seven years before the Second
Advent, the signs that point to the Second Advent cast shadows
that clue us in to the imminent Rapture. The fact that the
Rapture precedes the Second Advent makes the signs portending the
Advent all the more immediate and ominous. For those who are left
behind, the Rapture will give irrefutable confirmation of
end-time events, seven years before they come to pass.
COMMENT:
Jeremiah speaks as if the "rapture" BEFORE the Second Advent is a
fact. You need to get your nose and eyes in the Bible and prove
if his dogmatic utterance is the truth of the matter.
Let's use a little common logic and sense. You have a good chunk
of the Christian world proclaiming and teaching for the last 100
years or so, that this rapture 7 years before the Second Advent
of Christ, is a fact. You have millions who have bought and
soaked up the books "Left Behind." You have husbands and wives,
and other relatives and friends of "saved" Christians who have
taught this doctrine to their husbands or wives or friends. Now,
if people are going to just "disappear" into thin air, as they
drive a car, fly a plane, kiss the husband or wife a good-bye for
the morning, drive a school bus full of children, be in the
office or factory with many others who will be "left behind" -
then with THAT MIRACLE before the eyes of masses of people, you
would think it would work in favor of God and in a way less
favorable for an anti-christ to come on the scene and rule the
world. With masses of people seeing such a miracle, many having
been told for years that such a God made miracle was going to
happen, it would, you may think, actually TURN people to the
Lord, bring them to their knees and pick up the Bible and want to
be "saved" - get on God's team, NOT the now on the scene anti-
christ. Such a miracle of millions, or as Jeremiah says, a
BILLION people in one second, working around all the jobs on the
planet, all of a sudden disappearing, that kind of a miracle
should bring people towards God, not lead them off into the arms
of the anti-christ.
But as I've proved to you in other in-depth studies on this
Website, no such fancy disappearing act in a society of the world
as it is now, is going to happen; certainly NOT 7 years before
the visible Second Advent of Christ takes place - Keith Hunt
......
The New Testament indicates that the Rapture of those who
have put their trust in Christ is the next major event on the
prophetic calendar. In other words, the Rapture awaits us on the
horizon - it could happen at any moment. This is the clear
message of the Bible, and it is a truth I have taught
consistently for more than thirty years.
COMMENT:
No, such a teaching is NOT the clear word of the Bible, no matter
how dogmatic and how many times such Protestant prophets tell you
it is. As Jesus said, "Thy word is truth." God's word is truth,
not prophets like David Jeremiah. Get your eyes in the Bible and
stop being hoodwinked, side-swiped, and smushed by Protestant
prophets - Keith Hunt
......
Unraveling the Rapture
The apostle Paul was the first to reveal the details of the
Rapture. He wrote of it in his first letter to the Corinthians,
but it was in his first letter to the church in Thessalonica that
he presented his most concise teaching on the subject.
Like many today, the Christians in that city were confused
about the events that would take place in the future. They, too,
wondered what in the world was going on. While they believed that
Jesus was coming back someday, they could not figure out what
would happen to their Christian parents and loved ones who had
already died.
So Paul wrote to instruct them concerning God's plan for
both the living and the dead in the Rapture. In this writing, he
explained in detail exactly what the Rapture is all about.
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who
have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in
Jesus.
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 will by no
means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in
Christ will rise first. 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18)
This passage tells us all we need to know about the Rapture.
Let's look more deeply into what Paul said, point by point.
First, he wrote: "But I do not want you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning those "who have fallen asleep, lest you
sorrow as others who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). In
this statement, the apostle addressed the ignorance of the
Thessalonians concerning the state of those who had died
believing in Christ. The word he used to describe that state has
great significance for every believer today. Paul said that they
had fallen asleep. For the word translated asleep, he used the
Greek word "koimao," which has as one of its meanings, "to sleep
in death." The same word is used to describe the deaths of
Lazarus, Stephen, David, and Jesus Christ (emphasis added in the
following examples):
Lazarus: "These things He said, and after that He said to
them, 'Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him
up.'" (John 11:11)
Stephen: "Then he [Stephen] knelt down and cried out with a
loud voice, `Lord, do not charge them with this sin. And when he
had said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:60)
David: "For David, after he had served his own generation by
the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and
saw corruption." (Acts 13:36)
Jesus Christ: "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and
has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
(1 Corinthians 15:20)
This concept of death is emphasized in the wonderful word
early Christians adopted for the burying places of their loved
ones. It was the Greek word "koimeterion," which means "a rest
house for strangers, a sleeping place." It is the word from which
we get our English word cemetery. In Paul's day, this word was
used for inns or what we would call a hotel or motel. We check in
at a Hilton Hotel or a Ramada Inn, expecting to spend the night
in sleep before we wake up in the morning refreshed and raring to
go. That is exactly the thought Paul expressed in words such as
"koimao" and "koimeterion." When Christians die, it's as if they
are slumbering peacefully in a place of rest, ready to be
awakened at the return of the Lord. The words have great import,
for they convey the Christian concept of death, not as a tragic
finality, but as a temporary sleep.
COMMENT:
Indeed death is SLEEP. You need to study the in-depth studies on
this Website that proves from the Bible what happens at death.
The study is called "Death - then what?" - Keith Hunt
......
In the next part of the Thessalonian passage, we find Paul
affirming their hopes that their loved ones will live again. He
did this by tying that hope to the Resurrection and the Rapture:
"lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him
those who sleep in Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 4:13c-14). Here Paul
tells the Thessalonians (and us) that God's plan for our future
gives us such a new perspective on death that when someone we
love dies, we are not overcome with sorrow and despair, for on
that day when those who are alive in Christ are raptured, those
who died in Christ will be raised to be with Him.
Paul reasoned that Christians can believe this promise of
resurrection because it is backed up by the resurrection of
Christ Himself.
COMMENT:
Ah, ah, did you catch it, Jeremiah calls the "rapture" the
RESURRECTION! And that is what the plain language of the NT calls
it - the RESURRECTION not some "secret rapture" - Keith Hunt.
......
The logic is simple: if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, is it hard to believe His promise that He can perform the
same miracle for us and those we love?
Paul did not forbid us to grieve; it is natural to feel
sorrow when a loved one passes away, even when that loved one is
a Christian. We miss the person terribly, and as Tennyson put it,
we long for "the touch of a vanished hand and the sound of a
voice that is still." Jesus Himself wept by the tomb of Lazarus.
But because of our Lord's promise of resurrection, we are not to
grieve the way non-Christians do - as people to whom death is the
ultimate tragedy - for they have no grounds for hope.
Tim LaHaye is the coauthor of the famous "Left Behind"
series, which at last count had sold more than sixty-five million
books. He became fascinated with the doctrine of the Rapture as a
nine-year-old boy at his father's grave. He wrote:
My love for second-coming teachings, particularly the
Rapture of the church, was sparked as I stood at my father's
grave at the age of nine. His sudden death of a heart attack
left me devastated. My pastor, who also was my uncle,
pointed his finger toward heaven and proclaimed,
"This is not the last of Frank LaHaye. Because of his
personal faith in Christ, one day he will be resurrected by
the shout of the Lord; we will be translated to meet him and
our other loved ones in the clouds and be with them and our
Lord forever." That promise from Scripture was the only hope
for my broken heart that day. And that same promise has
comforted millions of others through the years.
COMMENT:
And yes, but as a child of nine myself, and one who was reading
the Bible, I also saw the teaching of the "resurrection" and the
visible glorious return of Christ, and I sure did not see any
"secret rapture" being taught in my KJV Bible - Keith Hunt.
......
As Dr. LaHaye said, the promise of the Rapture has comforted
millions, and it is right that it should, for it is a promise we
can depend on to be utterly sound.
The Chronological Program of the Rapture
As Paul continued in his letter to the Thessalonians, he
wrote:
"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord" (I Thessalonians
4:15a). Here Paul affirms that what he is about to say is by
divine authority. He is authorized to say it "by the word of the
Lord." This bold assertion suggests that what followed was not to
be taken lightly because it was a revelation given directly to
the apostle by God himself. In I Corinthians, Paul referred to
the Rapture as a "mystery" (15:51). And the biblical definition
of a mystery is "a truth that has not been revealed before."
Having established his authority to reveal what had formerly been
a mystery, Paul went on to explain the first of the sequence of
events that make up the Rapture.
There Will Be an Order of Priority
Paul then told the Thessalonians, "we who are alive and
remain
until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who
are asleep" (1 Thessalonians 4:15b). Here Paul was saying that
not only will those who have died in Christ be present at the
return of the Lord, but they will actually have a place of
priority. He said that those who are alive at the Rapture will
not be taken up to Christ ahead of "those who are asleep," which
means all believers who have died prior to the Rapture.
There is a linguistic root we need to examine here. The
Greek word "phthano" in this verse means "come before, precede."
When the Greek was translated into the English of the King James
era, the word "prevent" was used because it then carried the
meaning "to go or arrive before." Over many years, prevent has
come to mean "to keep from happening." The emphatic point of this
verse is that we will "by no means precede those who are asleep"
in Christ. Those who have died believing in Christ will take
precedence over us in the Rapture.
There Will Be a Return
Paul continued by saying, "For the Lord Himself will descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and
with the trumpet of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16a).
As you read these words, the Lord Jesus Christ is seated in
the heavens at the right hand of the Almighty Father. But when
the right moment comes, He will initiate the Rapture by literally
and physically rising from the throne, stepping into the
corridors of light, and actually descending into the atmosphere
of planet Earth from which He rose into the heavens over the
Mount of Olives two thousand years ago. It is not the angels or
the Holy Spirit but the Lord Himself who is coming to draw
believers into the heavens in the Rapture.
COMMENT:
Okay so far, up to the last words. Did you see them? Jeremiah
says it is the Lord Himself coming to .... "draw believers into
the heavenS..." - plural he used, for the secret rapture teachers
want you to believe saints at this resurrection GO BACK TO THE
THIRD HEAVEN - God's heaven, for SEVEN YEARS, before coming back
in the second phase of the Second Advent of Christ - Keith Hunt.
......
The details of this passage paint an amazingly complete
sensory picture of the Rapture. Paul even gave the sounds that
will be heard - a shout, the voice of an archangel, and the
trumpet of God.
The purpose and relationship of these three sounds have
generated considerable discussion. Some have claimed that the
shout is for the church, the archangel's voice is for the Jews,
and the trumpet is for all gentile believers. But these claims
are mistaken. The three allusions to sounds are not to be taken
as coordinate but rather as subordinate. Paul was not describing
three separate sounds; he was describing only one sound in three
different ways.
COMMENT:
Well yes, and no! The article word "and" is in the Greek. So it
is NOT three ways of saying the same thing at all. It is the
voice of the arch-angel AND with the TRUMP of God. But the idea
of one sound for the church, one for the Jews, and one for
Gentile believers, is totally the imagination of the mind of man
- Keith Hunt.
......
This sound will be like a shout, ringing with command
authority like the voice of an archangel. It will also be like
the blare of a trumpet in its volume and clarity. And the sound
will be exclusively directed and heard only by those who have
placed their trust in Christ.
COMMENT:
The last sentance is fully the idea of Jeremiah, there is no
backing in the NT for such a teaching - Keith Hunt.
......
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he shouted
"Lazarus, come forth!" (John 11:43). I've heard Bible
students speculate as to what might have happened had Jesus
forgotten to mention Lazarus's name. Would all the dead within
the range of His voice have emerged from their graves? At the
Rapture that is exactly what will happen. His shout of "Come
forth!" will not name a single individual, but it will be heard
by every believer in every grave around the world. All those
tombs will empty, and the resurrected believers will fly skyward.
This arising from the grave was the hope that Winston Churchill
movingly expressed in the planning of his own funeral. Following
the prayer by the archbishop of Canterbury and the singing of
"God Save the Queen," a trumpeter perched in the highest reaches
of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral sounded "The Last Post" (or
"Taps" as we know it). As the last sorrowful note faded, "high in
another gallery, sounded the stronger blaring 'Reveille.'" The
call to sleep was followed by a call to arise.
There Will Be a Resurrection
As Paul continued his writing to the Thessalonians, he
asserted that the expectation expressed by believers such as
Churchill is not vain. The coming resurrection is a reality. Paul
wrote, "And the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thessalonians
4:16b). As he indicates here, the call to resurrection at the
Rapture will not summon all the dead, but believers only. A time
will come much later when all the dead will be raised to stand
before the white throne in judgment. But at this first call, our
believing loved ones who have already died will arise to take
first place in the program of the Rapture.
COMMENT:
Oh it is very true that there will be a RESURRECTION of all the
saints of God from the time of Adam. There will be an instant
CHANGE from mortal to immortality for those still alive when
Jesus comes in POWER and GLORY and with a SOUND OF THE TRUMPET -
the LAST TRUMPET, as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 15 - and
VISIBLY - to establish the Kingdom of God on earth Revelation
11:15-19 - Keith Hunt.
......
There Will Be a Rapture
Paul explained the next event in the Rapture sequence: "Then
we who are alive and remain shall be caught up" (1 Thessalonians
4:17a). The words caught up are translated from a Greek word that
has as one of its meanings "to snatch out or away speedily." This
word emphasizes the sudden nature of the Rapture. Paul described
this suddenness in his letter to the Corinthians: ".... in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the
trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52).
In a split second the Lord will call all believers to
Himself to share in His glory; not one will remain behind. It is
hard to imagine just what that will be like, but I read a
paragraph recently that created this vivid picture:
Millions of people from all parts of the earth feel a
tingling sensation pulsating throughout their bodies. They
are all suddenly energized. Those with physical deformities
are healed. The blind suddenly see. Wrinkles disappear on
the elderly as their youth is restored. As these people
marvel at their physical transformation, they are lifted
skyward. Those in buildings pass right through the ceiling
and roof without pain or damage. Their flesh and bones seem
to dematerialize, defying all known laws of physics and
biology. As they travel heavenward, some of them see and
greet those who have risen from their graves. After a brief
mystical union ... they all vanish from sight.
COMMENT:
Jeremiah quotes from one of his Protestant prophet friends. It is
true that at the RESURRECTION of the saints when Jesus comes, in
His ONLY ONE coming, the bodies of dead or living saints will be
made immortal. The saints will be like Christ for we shall see
Him as He is (1 John 3:1-2) - Keith Hunt).
......
Lest such pictures as this lead us to think the Rapture is a
fanciful, futuristic dream, we find such experiences validated
historically. Throughout the Bible, we have records of several
people who had actual experiences very similar to the Rapture:
Enoch: "By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see
death, and was not found, because God had taken him'; for before
he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God."
(Hebrews 11:5)
Elijah: "Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that
suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and
separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into
heaven." (2 Kings 2:11)
Paul: "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in
the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know,
God knows - such a one, was caught up to the third heaven. And I
know such a man - whether in the body or out of the body I do not
know, God knows - how he was caught up into Paradise and heard
inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."
(2 Corinthians 12:2-4, emphasis added)
COMMENT:
No, Enoch did not go to the heaven where God lives! No, Elijah
did not go to the heaven where God lives! Paul, maybe so, for a
visit, but he tells us he did not know if it was as a man or in
his body or out of his body in something akin to what John
experienced in writing the book of Revelation. You need to study
my study "Enoch, Moses, Elijah - are they in Heaven? - Keith
Hunt.
......
I find it significant that twice in this passage Paul used
the words caught up, which are translated from the word meaning
"rapture" in the Greek language.
Jesus Christ: "And while they looked steadfastly toward
heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white
apparel, who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing
up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into
heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into
heaven.'" (Acts 1:10-11)
These records affirm the utter reality of the Rapture by
providing us with prototypes of sorts to show that God can
accomplish this coming event He promises to His people.
COMMENT:
There is no question that the Bible teaches an instant immortal
RESURRECTION (the Protestant prophets like to call it "rapture")
of the saints and an INSTANT change to immortality for the living
saints, at the Second Advent of Christ - Keith Hunt.
......
There Will Be a Reunion
Paul continued his explanation of the Rapture: "Then we who
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them [the
believing dead who have arisen] in the clouds to meet the Lord in
the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1
Thessalonians 4:17). Note that Paul began here with the word
then, which is an adverb indicating sequence. It connects the
previous events of the Rapture that we have already considered
with this final event in a definite order of sequential reunions
as follows:
1. Dead bodies reunited with their spirits
COMMENT:
Yes, the "spirit in man" does return to God at death (Eccl.12:7),
but that does not mean the "spirit" can walk, talk, see, etc.
while it is in heaven with God, awaiting the Resurrection. Death,
and the "spirit in man" are all fully studied on this Website - Keith
Hunt.
......
2. Resurrected believers reunited with living believers
3. Resurrected believers and raptured believers meet the Lord
As Paul pointed out, the ultimate consequence of this
reunion with the Lord is that there will be no subsequent
parting. After His return, our union and communion with Him will
be uninterrupted and eternal. This glorious fact alone shows us
why the word rapture is an altogether appropriate term for this
event.
COMMENT:
Call it what you will, use whatever word you want to discribe
this event, the facts do not change - the rapture is the
RESURRECTION! And that does not take place until the ONE AND ONLY
ONE coming of Christ, VISIBLY and with the SOUND of the LAST
TRUMP - Keith Hunt.
......
The Comforting Purpose of the Rapture
After completing his description of the Rapture to the
Thessalonians, Paul wrapped up the passage with this practical
admonition: "Therefore comfort one another with these words" (1
Thessalonians 4:18).
Here the apostle was telling both the Thessalonians and
believers today that it's not enough simply to passively
understand what was just explained about the Rapture, Christian
death, and the Resurrection. Our understanding should spur us
toward a certain action - to "comfort one another." And in the
preceding verses he gave exactly the kind of information that
makes true comfort possible. When believers suffer the loss of
family members or dearly loved friends, we have in Paul's
descriptions of Christian death and resurrection all that is
needed to comfort each other in these losses. Christian death is
not permanent; it is merely a sleep. A time is coming when we and
our loved ones will be reunited in a rapturous meeting, when
Christ Himself calls us out of this world or out of our graves to
be with Him forever in an ecstatic relationship of eternal love.
Nineteenth-century Bible teacher A. T. Pierson made this
interesting observation about these things:
It is a remarkable fact that in the New Testament, so far as
I remember, it is never once said, after Christ's
resurrection, that a disciple died - that is, without some
qualification: Stephen fell asleep. David, after he had
served his own generation by the will of God fell asleep and
was laid with his father. Peter says, "Knowing that I must
shortly put off this my tabernacle as the Lord showed me."
Paul says, "the time of my departure is at hand." (The
figure here is taken from a vessel that, as she leaves a
dock, throws the cables off the fastenings, and opens her
sails to the wind to depart for the haven) ... The only time
where the word "dead" is used, it is with qualification:
"the dead in Christ," "the dead which die in the Lord."
As Pierson implies, Christ abolished death so completely
that even the term death is no longer appropriate for believers.
That is why Paul wrote that we should comfort one another with
reminders that for Christians, what we call death is nothing more
than a temporary sleep before we are called into our
uninterrupted relationship with Christ forever.
Today as never before, we are beginning to see the signs of
our Lord's impending return. Some of these signs we have already
covered - the rebirth of Israel as a nation, the growing crises
over oil, the reformation of Europe in accordance with Daniel's
prophecy, and the growth of militant, radical Islam. All these
developments point toward that day when our Lord will come to
rapture His followers out of this world.
COMMENT:
For sure we are closer to the Lord's return than we were last
year. But people have been proclaiming the "soon impending
return" (even if to them it is first the secret rapture event) of
Christ for AT LEAST the last 100 years! Jesus will return, NOT in
some secret rapture event, but in His ONE and ONLY ONE visible,
powerful, glorious event, at the sound of the LAST trumpet. Many
prophecies have yet to come to pass. The idea that Christ can
return at ANY SECOND is TOTALLY incorrect!! I told you in 2004
(on my front page of this Website) that Jesus WOULD NOT return
before 2010. As we get into 2012/13 I will tell you if it is
likely that Jesus will return before 2020 - Keith Hunt.
......
I believe it is the Rapture that will trigger the
cataclysmic upheavals that will ravage the earth for the seven
years that follow it. The Tribulation will come about by the law
of natural consequences. According to Jesus, Christians are the
salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14). Salt prevents
decay; light proclaims truth. When all the Christians in the
entire world are removed from the earth in one day, all the salt
and all the light will suddenly be gone. The result is
predictable. You may think the world today is degenerating into
rampant greed and immorality, and indeed it is. But as bad as
things are becoming, we can hardly overstate the horror that will
occur when society loses the tempering influence of Christians.
COMMENT:
And I tell you that such a miracle as done in the general work-a-
day world as some BILLION Christians disappearing in some "secret
rapture" would turn masses of people towards God and the Bible,
not into the iron cage of the anti-christ - Keith Hunt.
......
As the Bible teaches, every believer in Christ is indwelt by
the Holy Spirit. This means the Holy Spirit ministers to today's
world through followers of Christ. When all Christians are
removed from the earth, the restraining ministry of the Holy
Spirit will be completely absent. No salt! No light! No
indwelling Spirit of God! The result will be horrific. Jesus
himself described what will happen next: "For then there will be
great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of
the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless
those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved" (Matthew
24:21-22).
COMMENT:
Wellll.... kinda nice to put Christ's words AFTER a paragraph by
Jeremiah's words, but if you see the CONTEXT of Jesus in Matthew
24, you will see NO context of a "secret rapture" having taken
place before Jesus uttered verses 21-22 - Keith Hunt.
......
As these dire words are being fulfilled during the
Tribulation period, we who are followers of Christ will have
already been raptured to heaven. This is another source of great
comfort for Christians.
COMMENT:
Again, nice to tell people what the Bible teaches WITHOUT one
shred of Scripture to back it up, or to take a verse and tag it
on to your teaching of what you say the Bible teaches. You need
to get your eyes into the Bible for yourself, that is the ONLY
way you will know who speaks the truth of God - Keith Hunt.
......
No promise has been more precious to believers than the one
made to the church of Philadelphia in Revelation:
"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep
you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world,
to test those who dwell on the earth" (Revelation 3:10).
Please note that our Lord's promise is not merely to keep us
in the hour of trial, but rather from the hour of trial. As Paul
wrote, "God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). The promise
is that we who are believers will not experience the horrors of
the Tribulation, and this is an enormous source of comfort.
COMMENT:
So parts of the Church of God had, and have, the "place of
safety" teaching, where all the last living saints will be taken
to one wilderness location on earth, and spared the great
tribulation. The Protestant prophets have their "secret rapture"
teaching, where the saints will be unexpectedly taken to God's
heaven. The one teaching is as bad as the other. BOTH are WRONG!
Yes, those classified as "Philadelpia" Christians will be spared
from THE hour of tribulation, the last 42 months of this age, as
Jesus said in Luke 21:36, and where the book of Revelation tells
us in its chapter 12. Those saints will find safety and
protection in the "wilderness" as it was during the middle or
dark ages. But Satan will be allowed to go after the remnant of
her seed (the true church) and as other parts of Revelation show,
will be allowed to kill many saints at the end time. Is it less
Christian to be killed for your faith, than to be protected in a
wilderness place? Think how Paul and Peter died! Think about many
mentioned in Hebrews 11! I think you should know the answer! -
Keith Hunt.
......
How Shall We then Live?
We have been given two directives as to how we should live
as we anticipate Christ's return. We should be looking for Him
and living for Him.
We Should Be Looking for the Lord
Paul warned us in three of his letters to be alert and
watchful for the Lord's return:
Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great
God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13)
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait
for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20)
And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the
dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1
Thessalonians 1:10)
Wayne Grudem suggests that the degree to which we are
actually longing for Christ's return is a measure of our
spiritual condition. As he explains:
The more Christians are caught up in enjoying the good
things of this life, and the more they neglect genuine
Christian fellowship and their personal relationship with
Christ, the less they will long for His return. On the other
hand, many Christians who are experiencing suffering or
persecution, or who are more elderly and infirm, and those
whose daily walk with Christ is vital and deep, will have a
more intense longing for His return.
COMMENT:
Oh this is fundamental Protestant propagander talk. It is from
those who think card playing is wrong, any kind of dancing is
wrong, any movie thearter going is wrong, etc. and etc. Jesus
said, "I have come that you may have life, and have it MORE
ABUNDANTLY!" Such talk from theological "doctors" I'll bet would
also include my having a horse and spending time with her and
working at the Ranch, as "less they will long for His return."
Give me a break! It's time you "doctor" guys spent more time in
searching the Scriptures to see your false doctrines you teach,
and less time judging others as to how "spiritual" they are, by
your ideas of spirituality - Keith Hunt.
......
As Dr. Grudem suggests, the idea is not merely to watch for
Jesus' coming as we might watch for a storm in a black cloud, but
rather to anticipate it as something we look forward to and long
for.
We Should be Living for the Lord
The three great apostles, Paul, Peter, and John, all had
something to say about how we should live in the face of Christ's
impending return:
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all
men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great
God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He
might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself
His own special people, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)
Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner
of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness. (2
Peter 3:11)
Beloved, now are we children of God; and it has not yet been
revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed,
we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone
who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1
John 3:2-3)
You would think it obvious that since signs tell us that
Christ is coming soon, people would take extra care to live as
God would have them live - lives of purity and holiness. If you
know that guests are coming soon to your home but you don't know
exactly when they will arrive, you will keep your house swept,
picked up, and dusted in anticipation. You don't want them
ringing your doorbell with your dishes piled in the sink, beds
unmade, and mud prints tracking the carpet. The admonitions of
Paul, Peter, and John to stay ready by living pure and holy lives
are hardly more than just plain common sense. But common sense
does not always prevail in the lives of fallen humans, and that
is why these apostles felt it worthwhile to admonish us to live
as if Jesus could come at any moment. The fact is He can.
COMMENT:
Jesus is as near to coming as YOUR DEATH! Of course Christians
should keep their spiritual house in order - Keith Hunt.
.....
Two years after the wildfires of 2003, San Diego regional
authorities installed Reverse 9-1-1. The early warning system was
first used to warn residents of the approaching wildfires of
2007. Some home owners, however, did not receive a call or had
phone systems that screened out the warning call as an
unrecognized number. Others received the call but chose to ignore
it. Some of those who did not hear the warning did not vacate
their homes and, as a result, lost their lives.
God has sounded the warnings loudly and clearly. They have
come through His prophets in the Old Testament, through New
Testament writers, and even through Jesus Himself. The firestorm
is coming in the form of the seven years of tribulation, when no
Christian influence will temper the evil that will plunge the
earth into a cauldron of misery and devastation. But you can
avoid the destruction and be evacuated. You can enter your name
on the list of those who will hear the trumpet call of the
Rapture by turning to Christ and beginning to live the pure and
holy life that characterizes those who will enter heaven. As the
apostle John wrote: "But there shall by no means enter it [the
heavenly city of God] anything that defiles, or causes an
abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the
Lamb's Book of Life" (Revelation 21:27).
If your name is not in that book, when the Rapture occurs
you will be left behind to experience horrors worse than anything
the world has yet seen. I hope you will not wait another day;
turn to Jesus Christ now, before it is too late, and become one
of those who will hear His call on that great and terrible day.
COMMENT:
More "hell-fire" preaching from the Protestant prophets, but now
with the "secret rapture" and "great tribulation" as the carrot
held before your eyes. In the main they have given up on the old
"hell-fire" stuff of theology, but they sure run with the
rapture/tribulation carrots. If you are a true Christian you MAY
be counted worthy to be granted safety and protection with the
woman church, in the wilderness, during the earth's hour of the
greatest tribulation to ever come on this planet. Then again you
may be chosen to be one of the saints that must give their life
for THE faith once delivered to the saints, and if you are, you
will be in very good company with Paul, Peter, and thousands of
others who went before you. You should live for Christ NOW, and
every day in the future of your life. No matter if you die or are
alive when Jesus comes in power and glory at the last trump, if
you are faithful to your calling and choosing, you will be with
Him in the clouds, to receive your reward for your good works, to
rule with Him in the Kingdom of God on earth. First for a
thousand years and then with God the Father (Revelation 20, 21,
22) for all eternity.
Keep your eyes and mind in the Bible. Prove all things, and hold
fast to that which is good!
Keith Hunt
October 2009
......................
To be continued
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