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The Rapture of the Church - Part One of Eight
Introduction
Bible prophecy is a fascinating subject to study, and sincere Christians have a variety of views concerning the end-times. I believe that when we try to be as thorough, objective, and unbiased as possible, the weight of scriptural evidence supports the pre-tribulational view of the Rapture (these terms will be explained in a moment). Does It Really Matter?
Does it really matter whether or not we know anything about end-times events? Our salvation is not affected by our views of end-times prophecies, so what difference does it make if we study those prophecies or not? Consider that 1 out of every 3 verses in the Bible is prophetic in nature, according to Bible scholars (as reported by many authors, e.g., these Google search results  ).
This means that roughly one-third of the Bible deals with prophecy. Prophecy is obviously very important to God, and therefore it should be important to us as well.
Notice what God says: "do not treat prophecies with contempt" (1 Thessalonians 5:20)The book of Revelation is the only book in the entire Bible that pronounces a special blessing on those who read it and take it to heart, and we can see in the above verses that this blessing is given at the beginning and at the end of the book of Revelation. Prophecy is very important to God, and 1 Thessalonians 5:20 (above) says that we must not treat prophecies with contempt. Therefore, let's be careful that we don't dishonor God by considering Bible prophecy to be a waste of time or impossible to understand. Definitions
Here are some scriptural explanations for various terms that will be used throughout this series: 1. "The Rapture"
Someday Jesus will come down out of heaven, and then He will "snatch up" all Christians (living and dead) off of the earth to meet Him in the clouds. This "snatching up" of Christians is often referred to as "the Rapture of the Church" (or "the Rapture") by pastors and Bible teachers. Here's what the New Testament tells us about the Rapture: [Jesus is speaking] And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day...No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day...Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. (John 6:39-54)The above passages tell us that Jesus will come down from heaven (with a loud command and the trumpet call of God), and then every dead Christian will be physically resurrected from the dead and will rise to meet the Lord in the air, and then all living Christians will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. In "the twinkling of an eye" our mortal bodies will be transformed into immortal bodies, and we will be with the Lord forever. The Greek word harpazo (translated as "caught up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, above) means "catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force)," according to Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary. In the Latin Vulgate Bible, the Latin word for "caught up" or "snatch up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 is where we get the English term "Rapture" for this event. Some people don't believe in the Rapture because they say that the word "rapture" does not appear anywhere in Scripture. However, the words "Trinity" and "Second Coming" (for example) never appear in the Bible either, yet all of these concepts are taught quite clearly in Scripture. But again, the term "Rapture" that we use for this event does come from the Bible (the Latin Vulgate translation). Throughout this series we'll discover when the Rapture will happen in relation to other end-times events. 2. "The Second Coming"
Someday Jesus will return to the earth and set up a new government, and then He will reign on earth for one thousand years (which pastors and Bible teachers refer to as "the Millennium" and "the Millennial kingdom"): "He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:2)Jesus' future return to the earth is often referred to as "the Second Coming" by pastors and Bible teachers. We'll take a close look at the Millennium a little later. Here are the basic differences between the Rapture and the Second Coming, which will be explained throughout this series:
Notice that the events that will take place at the Rapture are essentially the opposite of the events that will take place at the Second Coming. The Rapture and the Second Coming are two separate and distinct events that will occur at two different times (seven years apart) as we'll see throughout this series. 3. "The Antichrist"
In the future there will be a world leader who will proclaim himself to be God and will carry out a horrific persecution against Christians and the nation of Israel. The Bible refers to him as "the man of lawlessness," "the antichrist," "the beast," and so on: "After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He [the future ruler] will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." (Daniel 9:26-27)In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 (above) and Revelation 13:1-8 (above) we can see that this future ruler will be controlled by the devil, and we usually refer to him as "the Antichrist." As we will see, the Antichrist will rule most of the world for the final three and a half years before the Second Coming. There's some debate about whether the Antichrist will be a Jew or a Gentile:
4. "The Tribulation"
Throughout this series we'll see that the Bible describes a future seven-year period of unprecedented suffering and distress during which God will pour out His wrath on the earth. It will begin when Israel signs a seven-year treaty or contract agreement of some kind with the Antichrist, and it will end at the Second Coming. This seven-year period of time is often referred to as "the Tribulation" by pastors and Bible teachers. As we'll see later, the Antichrist will break his treaty or contract agreement with Israel at the mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation period, and then he will begin a terrible persecution of the nation of Israel. According to the pre-tribulational view of the Rapture, the Rapture of the Church will happen before the seven-year Tribulation begins. According to the mid-tribulational view and the pre-wrath view and the mid-wrath view, the Rapture will happen during the seven-year Tribulation period. According to the post-tribulational view, the Rapture will happen at the end of the seven-year Tribulation period (as Jesus is returning to the earth at the Second Coming). In this series we'll see that all of the scriptural evidence supports the pre-trib view. Recall that Jesus said that His Father's house (heaven) has many rooms or mansions (depending on the Bible translation), and that He was going there to prepare places for us, then He will come back and take us there (John 14:2-3). So He will come back and "snatch up" all Christians and take us to our rooms or mansions in heaven, and we refer to this event as the Rapture. According to the post-trib view, when Jesus returns at the Second Coming, He will "snatch up" all Christians to meet Him in the clouds, then He will take us down to the earth with Him. In other words, the post-trib view says that we will return to the earth with Jesus after the Rapture, not be taken up into heaven, which contradicts John 14:2-3 and other passages that we'll examine throughout this series. Therefore, the post-trib view is wrong. As we saw, all Christians will be "snatched up" to meet the Lord in the air when He comes for us at the Rapture, and therefore those who are left behind will all be unsaved. During the seven-year Tribulation there will be "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language" (Revelation 7:9) who will receive salvation after the Rapture (according to the pre-trib view), which means that people will have a second chance to receive salvation after being left behind at the Rapture. Again, the Tribulation will be a seven-year period of unprecedented suffering and distress during which God will pour out His wrath onto the earth. 5. "The Great Tribulation"
5a. What is the Great Tribulation?
The following prophecy describes a period of time that's called a "seven," and when we examine this prophecy in Part Two of this series we'll see that the "seven" is referring to the seven-year Tribulation period. According to this prophecy, the Antichrist will desecrate the Jewish temple at the mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation by setting up "an abomination that causes desolation": "He [the Antichrist as we'll see in Part Two] will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." (Daniel 9:27)In the following passage, Jesus said that when this "abomination that causes desolation" (Daniel 9:27, above) is standing in the Jewish temple, this will signal the beginning of a time of great distress: "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again." (Matthew 24:15-21)The words "great distress" in the above passage are translated as "great tribulation" in some versions of the Bible. Therefore, the mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation will be the beginning of "the Great Tribulation" (as pastors and Bible teachers sometimes call it), which will be a time of unprecedented distress on the earth. 5b. We know exactly how long the Great Tribulation will last
In order to determine exactly how long the Great Tribulation will last, a little background information is needed. In Daniel 4:23-25, the prophet Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream by saying that the king will live with the wild animals until "seven times" had passed by. Daniel 4:32-33 says that when this prophecy came true, King Nebuchadnezzar lived with the wild animals for "seven times," and his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his fingernails became like the claws of a bird. Notice that seven hours or seven days would not be enough time for the king's hair and nails to grow so long. The "seven times" refers to seven years, and in fact the NIV footnote for Daniel 4:16 says that "seven times" can be translated as "seven years." In addition, Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary says that the Hebrew word for "times" in these verses means "a set time; techn. a year: - time" (emphasis added). So depending on the context, this Hebrew word for "time" can have the meaning of "year." Three chapters later in the book of Daniel we see a prophecy concerning the Antichrist, and Daniel used that same Hebrew word again: "He [the Antichrist] will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time." (Daniel 7:25)We'll look at this prophecy in more detail later, but for now let's look at the expression "a time, times and half a time." In this context, "time" refers to one year, "times" refers to two years, and "half a time" refers to half a year, so the total time period here is three and a half years. For example, here are some things that Bible scholars say about this expression: "Or a year, two years and half a year" (alternate translation in the NIV footnote for Daniel 7:25, above)In order to determine how long the Great Tribulation will last, another useful piece of background information is the identity of the "woman" in Revelation 12:1-6: "A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon [the devil] with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days." (Revelation 12:1-6)In the above passage, the "dragon" is the devil (see Revelation 20:2), and the "woman" is the nation of Israel. For example, Israel was sometimes described as a woman in the Old Testament (e.g., Isaiah 54:5-6, Jeremiah 3:6-8, Ezekiel 16:7-14). In addition, the imagery of the sun and moon and twelve stars in Revelation 12:1-6 (above) is described in a dream that Joseph had: "Then he [Joseph] had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." When he told his father [Jacob] as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?"" (Genesis 37:9-10)To recognize the imagery here, recall that Jacob's name was changed to "Israel" in Genesis 32:28. Jacob (Israel) had twelve sons, who became the twelve patriarchs of Israel (Acts 7:8). One of Jacob's sons was Joseph, who had the dream in the above passage (the dream describes Joseph's brothers as "eleven stars," and Joseph himself is the "twelfth star"). There are no other symbolic descriptions of a sun, moon, and twelve stars anywhere else in the Bible, so the "woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head" in Revelation 12:1-6 (above) is usually taken to be a reference to the nation of Israel. This is further confirmed by the fact that the "woman" (Israel) gave birth to a male child who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter, and who was snatched up to God and to His throne (Revelation 12:1-6, above). This male child is a reference to Jesus because Jesus was birthed out of Israel (e.g., Isaiah 9:1-7), and Jesus was snatched up to God's throne (at His Ascension in Acts 1:6-11), and Jesus will rule the nations with an iron scepter (Psalm 2:7-9). All of this evidence indicates that the "woman" in Revelation 12:1-6 (above) refers to the nation of Israel. One more useful piece of background information is the fact that the Jews used a lunar calendar (30 days per month, based on the moon's cycles) rather than a solar calendar like many of us use today (based on the sun). For example, notice that some of the Jewish religious festivals were based on the lunar cycle: "Also at your times of rejoicing - your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals - you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the LORD your God." (Numbers 10:10)So the Jews had a lunar calendar with 30 days per month (360 days per year) based on the movement of the moon. This can also be seen in the description of the Flood: "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month - on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark...The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days." (Genesis 7:11-13, 24)The above passages tell us that the waters flooded the earth for 5 months, and notice that those 5 months are equivalent to 150 days. This further confirms that there were 30 days per month in Old Testament times. Now that we've gathered some background information, we can determine how long the Great Tribulation will last by examining the following passages: "He [the Antichrist] will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time." (Daniel 7:25)As we'll see throughout this series, the above passages all take place in the context of the Antichrist's persecution during the seven-year Tribulation, and we've already seen that "a time, times and half a time" refers to three and a half years (Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 12:14, above). In addition, forty-two months is also three and a half years (Revelation 11:1-2 and 13:5, above). And based on the lunar calendar (which has 30 days per month), 1,260 days is also three and a half years (Revelation 12:5-6, above). These passages indicate that the Antichrist will persecute the nation of Israel for three and a half years. We've seen that the Antichrist will desecrate the Jewish temple and exalt himself as a god and begin this terrible persecution at the mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation, which will begin the Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation will be the second half of the seven-year Tribulation period, and it will last for exactly 1,260 days (Revelation 12:5-6, above). But why will the distress become much worse at the mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation period, initiating the Great Tribulation? My article called End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes (see sign #14) shows that there will very likely be a restraining influence on the Antichrist during the first half of the Tribulation period that will be removed at the mid-point of the Tribulation, enabling the Antichrist to further his plans. When Jesus returns to the earth at the Second Coming, He will kill the Antichrist and his armies and rescue the persecuted people, which will bring the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation to an end (for the fascinating scriptural details, see my article called The Second Coming). 5c. Will the Great Tribulation be cut short?
When Jesus described the Great Tribulation, notice that He said, "If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive": "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now - and never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them." (Mark 13:14-20)According to the above passage, the Great Tribulation (the final three and a half years of the Tribulation) will be so terrible that no one would survive it if God had not "cut short" the days of the Great Tribulation. Some people interpret the above passage to mean that God will shorten the Great Tribulation so that it will be less than three and a half years, but there are several problems with that view. For one thing, a moment ago we saw that the Great Tribulation will last for 1,260 days, which is a very exact time frame. Notice that if God shortens that time frame then the Great Tribulation will not last for 1,260 days, which would contradict Revelation 12:5-6 (above). This makes it unlikely that God will shorten the length of the Great Tribulation. For further evidence, notice what an angel did when the prophet Daniel was given some end-times prophecies: ""At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people - everyone whose name is found written in the book - will be delivered."...Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river [probably the archangel Gabriel, who had earlier been told to reveal future events to Daniel in Daniel 8:15-16 and 9:21-22], "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?" The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed. From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days."" (Daniel 12:1,5-7,11)In the above passage we see a description of the time of unparalleled distress (just as Jesus described it in Mark 13:14-20, above), and we see "the abomination that causes desolation" (just as Jesus described it in Mark 13:14-20, above). Notice that in this context concerning the Great Tribulation, an angel lifted both of his hands and swore an oath by Him who lives forever that "It will be for a time, times and half a time." We've already seen that "a time, times and half a time" is three and a half years, and the angel swore a solemn oath with both hands lifted up to heaven that the Great Tribulation will last for three and a half years. In order to understand what it means for the Great Tribulation to be "cut short," let's look at Mark 13:20 again: "If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them." (Mark 13:20)This indicates that instead of allowing the Great Tribulation to continue until no one is left alive, God has already shortened those days by decreeing that they will last for three and a half years (exactly 1,260 days). Remember, God's plans and purposes were established long before the earth was created, and the plans of the Lord stand firm forever. His purposes will be carried out exactly as He had planned them: "But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." (Psalm 33:11)God knows "the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come" (Isaiah 46:9-11, above), and long ago He "cut short" the length of the Great Tribulation by decreeing that it will last for exactly 1,260 days. The Great Tribulation will begin at the mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation period when the Antichrist breaks his treaty or contract agreement with Israel and desecrates the Jewish temple, and it will last for the final three and a half years of the Tribulation until Jesus returns to the earth at the Second Coming. 6. "The Millennium"
After Jesus returns to the earth (at the Second Coming) He will set up a new government, and then He will physically reign on earth for one thousand years. This thousand-year reign of Christ on earth is often referred to as "the Millennium" or "the Millennial kingdom" by pastors and Bible teachers. However, some people feel that this view takes the book of Revelation too literally when it talks about the "thousand years." In order to determine whether the "thousand years" is meant to be literal or symbolic in the book of Revelation, let's first look at all of the occurrences of the Greek word chilia ("thousand") throughout Revelation: "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days [literally "one thousand two hundred sixty days"], clothed in sackcloth." (Revelation 11:3)These are all of the places where the apostle John used the Greek word chilia ("thousand") in the book of Revelation. In the above verses, if we set aside the "thousand years" for a moment and we focus on the other uses of the Greek word chilia, Bible scholars point out that John always used chilia in a literal way in those verses. Therefore, it's reasonable to interpret the "thousand years" as being a literal period of time based on John's normal usage of the Greek word chilia. Another reason for taking the "thousand years" literally is that John emphasized this phrase by using it 6 times in the space of 6 verses (as we can see in Revelation 20:2-7 above). This form of repetition in the Bible is always significant because it was a method of teaching that was used by Jewish Rabbis throughout history, and it's used periodically throughout Scripture. For example, in Genesis 2:4-9 there's a repeated emphasis on "the LORD God" (5 times in 6 verses), and this repeated emphasis on "the LORD God" is also found a few verses later in Genesis 2:15-22 (6 times in 8 verses). So the fact that John repeatedly emphasized the "thousand years" (6 times in 6 verses), plus the fact that those verses describe specific events that will happen before and after the thousand years, all support the conclusion that the Millennium will be a literal thousand-year period of time. Furthermore, notice that this period is sometimes called "the" thousand years, and notice the specific events that will happen before and after the thousand years:
This is unmistakably a specific block of time that has a definite beginning point and a definite ending point, and this block of time is specifically called "the" thousand years. People who don't believe in this literal, future thousand-year period of time sometimes say that we're in the Millennium now, and that the devil was "bound" at the cross in fulfillment of Revelation 20:2-3: "He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time." (Revelation 20:2-3)However, this view (which says that the devil was "bound" at the cross) contradicts the New Testament passages that describe the devil as a prowling lion who is actively engaged in combat against Christians, as in these examples: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9)The devil was certainly defeated at the cross, but he's still free and active. He has not yet been locked away and sealed in the Abyss. Since the devil will be bound in the Abyss at the beginning of the thousand years (Revelation 20:2-3, above), and since the devil is not bound yet (according to the above passages), this indicates that the Millennium is a future period of time. For all of these reasons, the weight of scriptural evidence supports the literal interpretation of the "thousand years" in the book of Revelation. This thousand-year reign of Christ on earth is often referred to as "the Millennium" or "the Millennial kingdom" by pastors and Bible teachers, and my article called What Will Happen after the Second Coming? provides numerous scriptural descriptions of what life and government will be like during the Millennium. In addition, my article called End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes provides further support for the literal interpretation of the thousand years (see sign #21). 7. "The Church"
7a. What is the Church?
A basic definition of "the Church" (with a capital "C") is that it's a group of people consisting of everyone who receives salvation (see my article called How to Receive Salvation) after the cross up until the Rapture. Everyone who has not received salvation is therefore outside of the Church. When people receive salvation, at that exact moment they automatically become members of the Church. Notice that this has nothing to do with church attendance because there are people who go to church but who have not yet received salvation, so they're not members of the Church (the body of Christ). When the word "church" is used with a lowercase "c" it usually refers to either a local church congregation or else it refers to an entity consisting of "The Christian community..., the church worldwide of all times" (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, ekklesia). So in essence, "the Church" (uppercase "C") is an entity consisting of all Christians (uppercase "C"), and "the church" (lowercase "c") is an entity consisting of churches (lowercase "c") or church leaders in general. For example, if we say that the Baptist church teaches this or that, we're not referring to every individual Christian who identifies as Baptist; we're referring to Baptist churches or church leaders in general. This is basically how these terms tend to be used in many Bible commentaries and Christians books and articles, although not everyone follows these conventions. 7b. Attributes of the Church
7c. When did the church begin?
Notice what Jesus said concerning the church (the entity consisting of churches in general): "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." (Matthew 16:18)Jesus said that He will build His church, which indicates that there was no such thing as "the church" when Jesus made this statement. At that point the church was a new thing that would be created in the future. Jesus used the Greek word ekklesia in the above verse, which means "assembly, church" (Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary). There were other ekklesias ("assemblies") in the Bible, such as "the assembly in the desert" (Acts 7:38), and public assemblies of citizens (as in Acts 19:29-41), and so on. However, in Matthew 16:18 (above), Jesus described a unique form of ekklesia that would be directly related to Him ("my church"). Notice that the church had come into existence by the time of Acts 2:47: "...And the Lord added to the church [ekklesia] daily such as should be saved." (Acts 2:47 KJV)Therefore, the church was created sometime after Matthew 16:18 (above) and before Acts 2:47 (above). In order to determine when the church was created, notice that John the Baptist had said that the Holy Spirit will one day be experienced by people in a new and different way through a "Spirit baptism" administered by Jesus: "John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."" (Luke 3:16)The Holy Spirit was active in certain people's lives during Old Testament times (as in Exodus 35:30-33 and Numbers 11:25-26), but in the above passage John the Baptist described a new experience of the Holy Spirit (a "baptism" of the Holy Spirit). After Jesus was resurrected, He reminded the disciples of this new Spirit baptism, and then He said that it will happen to them in just a few days: "On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:4-5)This Spirit baptism was a new thing that no one ever experienced before the cross. It's only experienced by Christians, which means that it's directly related to the church. In Acts 1:4-5 (above), the church did not yet exist because this new experience of the Holy Spirit had not yet been received by anyone. Several days later, the disciples received this new experience of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost: "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:1-4)On the day of Pentecost (above), this new experience of the Holy Spirit was first received by believers, and this is the moment that Bible scholars tend to consider as being the birth of the church. For further evidence that the birth of the church was on the day of Pentecost, notice what the apostle Peter said: "As I [Peter] began to speak [to the Gentiles in Cornelius' household], the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"" (Acts 11:15-17)In the above passage, Peter said that Cornelius and his household received the same new experience of the Holy Spirit that the original disciples had received on the day of Pentecost, and Peter referred to Pentecost as "the beginning." As we've seen, the church was created sometime between Acts 1:4-5 and Acts 2:47, and this "beginning" that Peter mentioned (Pentecost) happened in Acts 2:1-4. The beginning of the church was on the day of Pentecost when this new experience of the Holy Spirit was first received by believers. Therefore, we usually refer to the period from Pentecost to the Rapture as "the Church Age." The Bible doesn't use this term, but it's a useful expression for describing the period of time in which the Church (the body of Christ) will be active on the earth. To learn how to receive this Spirit baptism for spiritual empowerment for the assignments that God needs you to do, see my series called How to Receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 7d. The relationship between the Rapture and the Church
At the Rapture, Jesus will be returning specifically for the Church (the body of Christ): "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him." (1 Corinthians 15:22-23)The above passages say that Jesus will resurrect "those who belong to Him" and those who are "in Christ." As we saw in section 7b (above), all of the members of the Church "belong to Christ" and are "in Christ." For example, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, etc., all died before the church was born, and therefore they were not Christians. They were not "in Christ," so they won't meet the Lord in the air at the Rapture. In addition, 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 (above) indicates that Jesus will only resurrect those who belong to Him when He comes. Therefore, if anyone receives salvation after Jesus comes then they won't take part in the Rapture because they didn't belong to Him when He came. The only people who will take part in the Rapture are those who belong to Jesus at the time of the Rapture, which is specifically the Church. 7e. The church has not "replaced" Israel
Some people believe that the church has "replaced" Israel, or that the church is the "new" Israel, or that the church is the "true" Israel, or that the church is the "spiritual" Israel, or that the church is "the Israel of God," or that Gentile Christians are "spiritual Jews." However, all of those views are easily disproved through an understanding of end-times prophecy (also see my article called Gentile Christians Are Not Spiritual Jews). Israel and the church are two separate and distinct entities, and God has separate and distinct plans for them as we'll see in Part Two. Conclusion
Recall that roughly one-third of the Bible deals with prophecy. Prophecy is obviously very important to God, and therefore it should be important to us as well. Notice what God says: "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps [tereo] the words of the prophecy in this book." (Revelation 22:7)In the above passage, the Greek word for "keeps" (tereo) means: "Particularly to watch, observe attentively, keep the eyes fixed upon, with the acc. (Rev.1:3, keeping for the fulfillment of the prophecy; 22:7, 9...)" (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, tereo)Therefore, we're told that we are blessed if we keep watching for these end-times prophecies to come to pass. My article called End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes shows that the end-times began with a specific event early in the 20th century. We're in the end-times now, and therefore Jesus could return for us at any moment. Are you ready? Notice what we're told to pray for: "If anyone does not love the Lord - a curse be on him. Come, O Lord!" (1 Corinthians 16:22)Come, Lord Jesus! Continue on to Part Two. For the glory of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, who came in the flesh, was delivered over to death for our sins, and was raised to life for our justification. Dave Root home page and email: https://www.vividchristianity.com "Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3) "Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist - denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:22-23) "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God." (1 John 4:15) "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." (1 John 4:1-3) "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." (2 John 1:6-7) "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25) |
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| All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (R). NIV (R). Copyright (C) 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. (Emphasis added.) |