Vivid Christianity
Teaching Christians how to live a "vivid" Christian life.


The Rapture of the Church - Part Seven of Eight

Part One    Part Two    Part Three    Part Four    Part Five    Part Six    Part Eight


by Dave Root, VividChristianity.com, last modified on 05/14/2024.


Introduction

In Part Seven we'll look at "the judgment seat of Christ" and "the bride of Christ," and we'll see how these only fit with the pre-trib view of the Rapture.


The Judgment Seat of Christ

Imagine that a husband and wife go on a weekend trip because their son is old enough to live on his own for a couple of days. They leave him some written instructions that tell him to water the plants and take out the trash and cut the grass and clean his room, among other things. When they return from their trip, they ask their son if he had followed their instructions. He replies, "No, I didn't feel like reading all of that because I didn't understand some of it and I didn't want to do those things, but I love you with all my heart and I'm trying to be a good person!" To his shock, his parents discipline him (perhaps severely) for rebelling against their authority because he should have obeyed them even if he didn't want to. The analogy is that many Christians are doing exactly what that son did. They don't spend much time reading God's written instructions (the New Testament) and they're not trying very hard to obey God's instructions. They say that they love God with all their heart and they're trying to be a good person (just as the son said in the above illustration), but those are not the same as obeying God's commands.

When the New Testament tells all Christians to do something, that's God telling us to do it (whether we want to or not). If we don't obey His instructions then we are rebellious children, and what do parents do to rebellious children? They discipline the rebellious children. What if the children still don't obey after being disciplined? They're forcing the parents to use more severe discipline. In exactly the same way, when we don't read and obey God's instruction manual (the New Testament), we're forcing Him to discipline us (perhaps severely) as rebellious children. The painful consequences for our wrong beliefs or lack of obedience are no one's fault but our own.

In Hebrews 12:5-11 we're told that God disciplines His children through painful hardships. We're also given examples of Christians who were sick or died for not being properly obedient to God (e.g., Acts 4:33-5:11, 1 Corinthians 11:26-32). God is not playing games, so we need to take the New Testament seriously and learn what He expects of us, and then make sure we're obeying Him in all things (even when we don't want to). As Christians, we have one job here on earth: to obey everything that God tells us to do (in His written instructions and His spoken instructions). We are periodically tested and then evaluated on the basis of our obedience, and we'll be rewarded or disciplined (perhaps severely) depending on how we choose to respond to these tests.

In order to determine if we're being disciplined by God, and the reason for it, and how to make it stop, it's important to know how to discern God's guidance within us (see my article called How to Discern God's Guidance). If you're not able to discern His answers yet, then ask another Christian (who is able to discern what God says) if and why you're being disciplined because God might tell that person how you're disobeying Him. If you don't find out why God is disciplining you then you're not likely to correct your disobedience and God will be forced to give you more severe discipline. Recently I was frustrated by having insomnia every night. It turned out that I was being disciplined because God had told me to do something and I wasn't doing it correctly. When I asked how to do it correctly and was obedient, the insomnia immediately went away. This is one reason why it's important to learn how to discern God's guidance, because if we don't correct our disobedience then we're likely to be disciplined even more severely.


So we will receive discipline (perhaps severely) here on earth for not obeying God, but in addition, we might also suffer loss in heaven.

In the following passages we're told that all Christians will stand before God and He will judge the things we did on earth. Then we'll receive what is due us, whether good or bad. We're also told that fire will test the quality of our earthly works, and if they're all burned up (i.e., if they weren't works of obedience) then we will suffer loss as one escaping through the flames.

If we suffer loss in heaven, it's our own fault for not being diligent enough to find out what God wants us to believe and do. If we're not trying to be fully obedient to God in this life, we're jeopardizing our future in heaven:
"You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." (Romans 14:10-12)

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10)

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5)

"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8)

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7)

"And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:4)

"And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." (1 John 2:28 NKJV)

[Jesus is speaking] "Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done." (Revelation 22:12)

[Jesus is speaking] "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12)

[Jesus is speaking] "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:20)

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor." (1 Corinthians 3:6-8)

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)

"Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." (James 3:1)

"For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17)
The above passages show that all Christians will stand before God and He will judge the things we did on earth (Romans 14:10-12, above). Then we'll receive what is due us, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10, above). Many Christians will be ashamed before Him (1 John 2:28, above) and will suffer loss at this judgment (1 Corinthians 3:11-15, above).

Keep in mind that the New Testament is the instruction manual for all Christians (no matter what denomination you're a member of), written by God through human authors, and in His omniscience He made sure that it's relevant even to this day. In it, God tells us what to believe and what to do. If we don't properly obey Him, the painful consequences for our wrong beliefs or lack of obedience are our own fault for not being diligent enough to find out what He wants us to believe and do.

The judgment in the above passages is not for determining who is or isn't a Christian because only Christians (i.e., the Church, the body of Christ) will take part in the judgment seat of Christ. Instead, the purpose of the judgment seat of Christ is to reward us for our obedience to the Lord while we were on the earth. All of the things we've done in obedience to the Lord are like gold, silver, or precious gems, but all of the things we've done that are not in obedience to the Lord are like wood, hay, or straw:
"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)
The above passage tells us that our earthly works will be tested with fire, and then we'll receive rewards (or we'll suffer loss as one escaping through the flames) based on the quality of our works. Therefore, we should examine ourselves while we still have time to "store up treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20). Will we have any "gold, silver, and costly stones" (actions of faith and obedience) that will survive this fire? If we suffer loss at this judgment, it's our own fault for not being diligent enough to find out what God wants us to believe and do. If we're not trying to be fully obedient to God in this life, we're jeopardizing our future in heaven.

Even after reading this, most Christians will probably assume that they'll be fine at this judgment because they assume that they're being obedient to God. Yet how many of them are diligent enough to find out what the New Testament actually tells us to do (not just what they've been told or what feels right to them) so that they can be certain they're obeying God's instructions?

Notice that the judgment seat of Christ will take place soon after the Rapture:
"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5)

"And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:4)

[Jesus is speaking] "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." (Revelation 22:12)
The above passages tell us that we'll receive our rewards after Jesus returns for the Church, which indicates that the judgment seat of Christ will take place soon after the Rapture. Later in this article we'll see that this will take place in heaven, which means that we'll be taken up into heaven after the Rapture. This shows that the post-trib view is wrong because it says that we'll come back to earth with Jesus after the Rapture rather than being taken up into heaven. The mid-trib views are all wrong as well because we'll see that there's a reason why we'll be in heaven during the entire seven years of the Tribulation.

Only the pre-trib view of the Rapture fits all of the scriptural facts.


We Will Reign on Earth with Jesus

One aspect of our rewards concerns our individual positions of authority in the Millennial kingdom (Jesus' thousand-year reign on earth). Notice that all Christians will reign on earth with Jesus (the word "saint" in the Bible essentially refers to a holy or righteous person, including all Christians as in 1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV and Philippians 1:1 NKJV - Easton's Bible Dictionary Offsite Link):
"If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!" (1 Corinthians 6:1-3)

"To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations - 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' - just as I have received authority from my Father." (Revelation 2:26-27)

"I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years." (Revelation 20:4)

"Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6)
The above passages show that when Jesus returns at the Second Coming to physically reign on the earth for 1,000 years, all Christians will reign with Him. Many people believe that we'll spend eternity in heaven, but the Bible says that we'll be on earth during the Millennium. So after the Rapture, all Christians throughout all time will be in heaven, and we'll be there for 7 earth years (the 7 years of the Tribulation period), then we'll return to earth with Jesus.

After the Second Coming, Jesus will set up His government on earth. This government will not be a democracy, it will be a theocracy that will last for 1,000 years. During this time, each Christian will have a certain level of authority as we reign with Jesus in His government, based on our level of obedience to God here on earth. This means that even though we'll all be sinless and we'll all be immortal, we will not all be equal in authority. For example, notice that Jesus said that there will be those who are "least" and those who are "greatest" in the kingdom of heaven:
"Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:19)

"I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." (Matthew 11:11)

"Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:4)
The above passages tell us that in the kingdom of heaven there will be those who are "least" and those who are "greatest" based on their obedience to God here on earth (Matthew 5:19, above). We will not all be equal.

In fact, even the twelve apostles were not all treated equally, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, Matthew 17:1-8) points out that there was an "inner circle of disciples." For example, when Jesus was about to be transfigured He specifically took three of the twelve apostles with Him up to the top of the mountain to witness the event:
"After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them." (Mark 9:2)
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave these three apostles orders not to tell anyone what they had seen, so they kept the matter to themselves:
"As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves" (Mark 9:9-10)
The Transfiguration was not the only incident in which Peter, James, and John were singled out from the rest of the Twelve:
"While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?" Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe." He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James...He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat." (Mark 5:35-43)

"They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled." (Mark 14:32-33)
The twelve apostles were not all treated equally by Jesus, and Jesus said that there will be those who are "least" and those who are "greatest" in the kingdom of heaven. We will not all be equal. After you get to heaven, you won't have any more opportunities to be obedient to Him on earth, so if you don't want to find that you're among the least in heaven then it's important to begin obeying Him in all things while you still have the chance. Many, many Christians who thought that they were good Christians and members in good standing in their denominations will be shocked and ashamed (1 John 2:28 NKJV) when they are told that they are among the least in heaven because they were never diligent enough to fully obey God.

To summarize, after the pre-trib Rapture we'll take part in the judgment seat of Christ. The purpose will be to judge our earthly works and to give us what is due us (whether good or bad), as well as to establish our positions in the Millennial government based on our level of obedience to God here on earth. If we're not trying to be fully obedient to God in this life, we're jeopardizing our future in heaven.

Even after reading this, most Christians will probably assume that they'll be fine at this judgment because they assume that they're being obedient to God. Yet how many of them are diligent enough to find out what the New Testament actually tells us to do (not just what they've been told or what feels right to them) so that they can be certain they're obeying God's instructions?


The Bride of Christ

Who are the bride and the bridegroom in the following passages?
"Then John's [John the Baptist's] disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast."" (Matthew 9:14-15)

"To this John [the Baptist] replied, "A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice."" (John 3:27-29)

"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!"" (Revelation 22:17)
Revelation 19:7 tells us that the bridegroom is Jesus (the Lamb of God as in John 1:29 and Revelation 17:14):
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." (Revelation 19:7)
The bridegroom is the Lamb (Jesus), but who is His bride? There are several ways in which we're told that the Church is the bride of Christ:

  1. Paul told the church at Corinth that he had promised them to one husband, meaning Christ:

    "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him." (2 Corinthians 11:2)
    In the above passage, Paul said that the Corinthian Christians will be presented as a pure virgin to our husband, Jesus (along with the rest of the Church). Obviously we're not yet perfect or pure, but by the process of sanctification and by the cleansing of the Word of God we're being made holy for Christ:
    "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:25-27)
    The Church (the body of Christ) will be as pure as a virgin when she's presented to Jesus at the wedding because Christ gave Himself up so that she could be cleansed (Ephesians 5:25-27, above). We will be without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, and holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:25-27, above). As we'll see in point #3, the bride will be cleansed and purified at the judgment seat of Christ shortly after the Rapture and before the wedding.

    Paul was specifically referring to the Church in both of the above passages, saying that the Church will be presented as a pure bride to Jesus Christ. We are the bride of Christ.

  2. Paul said that Jesus and the Church will be united in marriage:

    ""For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church." (Ephesians 5:31-32)
    Jesus and the Church (the body of Christ) will be united in marriage, so we are the bride of Christ.

  3. At the wedding of the Lamb, the bride of Christ is described as wearing fine linen, bright and clean, which symbolically represents the righteous acts of the saints (the comment that "Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints" is part of the Scripture passage):

    ""Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)" (Revelation 19:7-8)
    Notice that at the wedding of the Lamb, the bride has already been purified and all of her unrighteous acts have been burned away, making her pure and ready to be presented to Jesus for marriage. Recall that the judgment seat of Christ will take place just after the Rapture, and it's there that all of the righteous deeds of the bride will be purified and all of her unrighteous deeds will be burned away. These unrighteous acts are symbolically represented as wood, hay, and straw (which are flammable and will burn away in a fire):
    "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)
    Only the Church will go through the judgment seat of Christ and be purified, so we are the bride of Christ.


The Church (everyone who receives salvation after the cross up until the Rapture) is the bride and Jesus is our bridegroom. The judgment seat of Christ and the wedding of the Lamb will take place in heaven after the pre-trib Rapture while the seven-year Tribulation rages on earth.


The Jewish Marriage System

The Jewish marriage system in the first century involved several steps, and all of these steps were "foreshadowings" of the marriage of Jesus and the Church (the body of Christ):

  1. In the first century, the father of the groom made all of the arrangements for the marriage, and there was a bride-price that had to be paid. After the covenant of marriage was made, the man and woman were considered to be "set apart" for each other, and they were regarded as husband and wife. For a detailed and fascinating description of ancient Jewish marriage traditions and their parallels with the marriage of Jesus and the Church, see Ancient Jewish Marriage Traditions and Their Fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah Offsite Link.

    The book, Manners and Customs in the Bible (Victor H. Matthews, p.72-73), describes the Jewish custom of paying a bride-price. For example, in order for David to marry King Saul's daughter Michal, the bride-price that Saul wanted was for David to bring him 100 Philistine foreskins (1 Samuel 18:20-27). David paid the bride-price in the form of blood and death.

    God the Father has made all of the arrangements for His Son's wedding, and Jesus paid the bride-price with His own blood. The first step in the marriage ceremony of Jesus and the Church was completed at the cross after Jesus came to His bride's "house" (the earth) and established a new covenant with her (analogous to the marriage covenant mentioned a moment ago). The Church has now been set apart for Jesus to be presented to Him as a pure bride after the judgment seat of Christ.

  2. Another step in the ancient Jewish marriage system was "the fetching of the bride." Here's how it worked:

    "After the marriage covenant was established, the groom left his bride at her home and returned to his father's house, where he remained separated from his bride for approximately 12 months. This afforded the bride time to gather her trousseau and prepare for married life. During this period of separation, the groom prepared a dwelling place in his father's house to which he could bring his bride later.
    At the end of the period of separation, the groom came usually at night to take his bride to live with him. The groom, best man, and other male escorts left the groom's father's house and conducted a torch-light procession to the home of the bride. Although the bride was expecting her groom to come for her, she did not know the time of his coming. As a result, the groom's arrival was preceded by a shout, which forewarned the bride to be prepared for his coming." (Maranatha Our Lord, Come!, Dr. Renald E. Showers, p.165)
    So a first-century Jewish bride and groom were physically separated for a period of time before the wedding, and similarly Jesus and His bride have been physically separated for a period of time. A first-century Jewish bride didn't know when the groom would return to "fetch" her, and similarly we don't know when Jesus will return to "fetch" us.

    The above quote also points out that during the separation, the groom would prepare a place in his father's house to which he would bring his bride after the "fetching." Notice how this sheds new light on a well-known passage of Scripture:
    "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2-3)
    Jesus has prepared the new home for His bride, and in the above passage He promised to return to fetch us and take us back to His house with Him. The Greek word that's translated as "take" in the above passage is the same word that's used in Matthew 1:20 and 1:24 when Joseph "took" Mary home as his wife. When Jesus comes to fetch us, He's not coming to stay where we are (the earth), but instead He will "take" us so that we may be where He is (heaven, where He has prepared a place for us). Therefore, this is a coming of the Lord in which He will not actually be returning to the earth, so it's not the Second Coming. This "fetching of the bride" is what we call "the Rapture":
    "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
    The above passage says that the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, and then we'll be "fetched" ("caught up") to meet Him in the air. Jesus will not simply drop us off in heaven and then return to the earth because the above passage says that we will be with Him forever. As we've seen throughout this series, the above passage describes the Rapture, and it fits with what Jesus promised us in John 14:2-3 (above). Jesus will come unexpectedly to fetch His bride, and we'll be "caught up" to meet our bridegroom in the air, and then He will take us back into heaven to the place that He has prepared for us.

    We've seen throughout this series that only the pre-trib view of the Rapture says that Jesus will come to rapture us suddenly and unexpectedly at any moment. The pre-trib Rapture is the fulfillment of this step in the marriage ceremony of Jesus and the Church.

  3. Another step in the ancient Jewish marriage system was the wedding. The wedding of Jesus and the Church will take place in heaven after the Rapture and after the judgment seat of Christ:

    "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)" (Revelation 19:7-8)
    At this point, the bride's righteous acts (done on earth) have been purified at the judgment seat of Christ, where all of her unrighteous acts were burned away as we saw above. By her righteous acts of obedience on earth, the bride has made herself ready for the wedding. (The word "saint" in the Bible essentially refers to a holy or righteous person, including all Christians as in 1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV and Philippians 1:1 NKJV - Easton's Bible Dictionary Offsite Link).

  4. The final step in the ancient Jewish marriage system was the wedding feast:

    "During the seven days of the wedding feast, the bride and groom remained hidden in the bridal chamber (Gen. 29:21-23, 27-28) for "the seven days of the huppah." Afterwards, the groom came out of hiding, bringing his bride with him, but with her veil removed so that everyone could see who she was." (Maranatha Our Lord, Come!, Dr. Renald E. Showers, p.165)
    With this in mind, notice that the following passage mentions the wedding of the Lamb, and then the wedding supper of the Lamb, and then the Second Coming:
    "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty." (Revelation 19:7-15)
    In the above passage we see the wedding of the Lamb, and the wedding supper, and then the Second Coming. A first-century Jewish bride and groom came out of hiding together after the seven days were over, and similarly Jesus and the Church (the body of Christ) will come out of "hiding" together at the Second Coming after the seven years of the Tribulation are over. In the above passage, the bride is wearing fine linen, bright (the Greek word also means "white" according to Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary) and clean, which symbolizes the righteous acts that we did while we were on the earth.

    Notice what "the armies of heaven" are wearing in the above passage as they follow Jesus out of heaven down to the earth. They're wearing fine linen, white and clean, which is what the bride was wearing just a few verses earlier. God does not do things haphazardly, so there's a reason why God showed this to the apostle John. This indicates that since we're the bride of Christ, we're also the armies of heaven. We will come down from heaven (out of "hiding") with Jesus at the Second Coming, just as a first-century Jewish bride and groom came out of hiding together after the wedding feast. Since we will come out of heaven with Jesus at the Second Coming, this means that the Rapture will take place before the Second Coming. Therefore, the post-trib view of the Rapture is wrong.


These were the basic steps in an ancient Jewish marriage (as described by various Bible scholars). Again, for a more detailed and fascinating description of ancient Jewish marriage traditions and their parallels with the marriage of Jesus and the Church, see Ancient Jewish Marriage Traditions and Their Fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah Offsite Link.

The pre-trib view of the Rapture is the only one that fits the parallels between the ancient Jewish marriage system and the marriage between Jesus and the Church.


Jesus Must Remain in Heaven until the Time Comes to Restore All Things

People in the post-trib camp sometimes use the following passage to argue that the pre-trib and mid-trib views of the Rapture are wrong:
"and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." (Acts 3:20-21)
According to the pre-trib and mid-trib views, Jesus will come down out of heaven at the Rapture, and then He will go back up into heaven with all of the Christians whom He has "snatched" off of the earth, and then later He will come down out of heaven again at the Second Coming. The post-trib argument is that if Jesus will come down out of heaven twice (as the pre-trib and mid-trib views claim) then this means that Jesus will not remain in heaven until the time comes to restore everything, which seems to contradict Acts 3:20-21 (above).

But what does the Bible mean when it says that all things will be restored, and when will this restoration take place?

First, recall that after Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed the ground and all of Creation:
"To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field." (Genesis 3:17-18)

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Romans 8:19-21)
The above passages describe the curse that God placed on all of Creation as a result of the Fall. Romans 8:19-21 (above) says that this curse will someday be removed, which will happen when the time comes to restore everything (Acts 3:20-21, above).

Here are some things that Bible commentaries say about "the restoration of all things":
"restitution of all things - comprehending, probably, the rectification of all the disorders of the fall." (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Acts 3:21, emphasis added)

"as the grace of the Gospel was intended to destroy the reign of sin, its energetic influence is represented as restoring all things, destroying the bad state, and establishing the good - taking the kingdom out of the hands of sin and Satan, and putting it into those of righteousness and truth." (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible, Acts 3:21, emphasis added)

"the accomplishment of all promises and prophecies concerning the bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles, and the conversion of the Jews, and so the gathering in all the elect of God; and concerning all the glorious things spoken of the church of Christ in the latter day" (John Gill's Exposition of the Bible, Acts 3:21, emphasis added)

""Until the complement or filling up of the times"; that is, of all the events foretold by the prophets, etc. Thus, the Arabic: "Until the times which shall establish the perfection or completion of all the predictions of the prophets," etc. In this sense the passage means that the heavens must receive the Lord Jesus until all thrums spoken by the prophets in relation to his work, his reign, the spread of the gospel, the triumph of religion, etc., shall have been fulfilled. It also conveys the idea of the predicted recovery of the world from sin, and the restoration of peace and order" (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible, Acts 3:21, emphasis added)
As these Bible commentaries point out, "the restoration of all things" in Acts 3:20-21 (above) will include the removal of the curse that God had placed on all of Creation as a result of the Fall, and taking the kingdom out of the hands of sin and Satan, and the fulfillment of all of the prophecies concerning such things as the salvation of the Jews and the gathering of the elect in Matthew 24:29-31 (which we looked at in Part Four).

In order for this restoration to happen, taking the kingdom out of the hands of sin and Satan, Jesus will bombard the devil's kingdom through a series of 21 judgments before taking full possession of the earth as we saw in Part Three. The Rapture will take place shortly before those 21 judgments of God's wrath begin as we've seen throughout this series.

Therefore, when God says that it's time for the restoration of all things to begin, Jesus will first come down as far as the clouds and rapture all of the Christians, then He will take us back into heaven (remember, in Part Three we saw that before God pours out His wrath He first removes the righteous people so that they don't experience any of His wrath). Next, the 21 judgments will take place on earth during the seven-year Tribulation period in order to begin evicting the devil from the earth, which is a necessary part of the process of restoring all things to their pre-Fall state. At the end of the Tribulation period, the surviving Jews will all receive salvation (see my article called The Second Coming). Then Jesus will return at the Second Coming to take possession of the earth and complete the restoration of all of Creation.

Jesus will come down out of heaven for the pre-trib Rapture when the Father says that the time has come to restore all things, exactly as Acts 3:20-21 (above) describes.


Conclusion

In this article we saw that all Christians will go through the judgment seat of Christ in heaven shortly after the Rapture. This judgment is not for determining who is or isn't a Christian because only Christians (i.e., the Church, the body of Christ) will take part in the judgment seat of Christ. All of the things we've done in obedience to the Lord are like gold, silver, or precious gems, but all of the things we've done that are not in obedience to the Lord are like wood, hay, or straw. Our earthly works will be tested with fire, and then we'll receive rewards (or we'll suffer loss as one escaping through the flames) based on the quality of our works. Therefore, we should examine ourselves while we still have time to "store up treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20). Will we have any "gold, silver, and costly stones" (actions of faith and obedience) that will survive this fire? If we suffer loss at this judgment, it's our own fault for not being diligent enough to find out what God wants us to believe and do. If we're not trying to be fully obedient to God in this life, we're jeopardizing our future in heaven.

We also learned that after Jesus returns to the earth at the Second Coming and sets up His thousand-year government, we will reign on earth with Him, and our positions in His government will be established at the judgment seat of Christ. Again, if we're not trying to be fully obedient to God in this life, we're jeopardizing our future in heaven.

Even after reading this, most Christians will probably assume that they'll be fine at this judgment because they assume that they're being obedient to God. Yet how many of them are diligent enough to find out what the New Testament actually tells us to do (not just what they've been told or what feels right to them) so that they can be certain they're obeying God's instructions?

In addition, we examined several reasons why the Church (the body of Christ) is the bride of Christ, and we saw that the steps in the ancient Jewish marriage system were "foreshadowings" of the marriage of Jesus and the Church. Since the wedding of Jesus and the Church will take place in heaven while the seven-year Tribulation is raging on earth, and since the Church will return to the earth with Jesus at the Second Coming (to reign on earth with Him), this is further evidence that the Rapture will take place before the Second Coming. Therefore, the post-trib view is wrong.

Finally, we saw that Jesus will come down out of heaven for the pre-trib Rapture when the Father says that the time has come to restore all things, exactly as Acts 3:20-21 describes.


Back to Part Six.
Continue on to Part Eight.


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)
 
 
Modification History

  • 05/14/2024 - Added a definition of "saint" in the first paragraph in the section called "We Will Reign on Earth with Jesus."

  • 01/23/2024 - Added a definition of "saint" in the third bullet point in the section called "The Jewish Marriage System."

  • 01/19/2024 - Added a paragraph in the section called "The Judgment Seat of Christ." Added a paragraph in the section called "We Will Reign on Earth with Jesus." Slightly modified point #3 in the section called "The Jewish Marriage System." Added a paragraph in the Conclusion section.

  • 11/13/2023 - Modified the section called "The Judgment Seat of Christ." Slightly modified the section called "We Will Reign on Earth with Jesus."

  • 10/01/2023 - Slightly modified the section called "Jesus Must Remain in Heaven until the Time Comes to Restore All Things."

  • 02/08/2023 - Modified the section called "The Judgment Seat of Christ." Modified the section called "The Jewish Marriage System." Modified the section called "Jesus Must Remain in Heaven until the Time Comes to Restore All Things."

  • 07/23/2022 - Modified my closing statement.

  • 05/15/2022 - Modified the section called "The Jewish Marriage System."

  • 11/03/2021 - Made the font size a bit bigger and added a fish symbol as a favicon (which is displayed in the browser tab).

  • 02/14/2019 - Modified some of the wording.

  • 07/23/2004 - Added a new section called "Jesus Must Remain in Heaven Until the Time Comes to Restore All Things."

  • 03/03/2004 - New article.