One of the most controversial and hotly debated questions among Christians in the recent past has been the timing of the rapture. It is very important to have a correct rapture view—very important. Below is a hypothetical rapture conservation which I hope will help Christians come to a better understanding of the rapture’s timing.
Question: Do you believe the scriptures, God’s Holy Word, the Bible, are the final authority in all matters of doctrine?
Answer: Yes, of course I do.
Question: According to the scriptures below, is the rapture part of an event known as the Day of the Lord?
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1 Thes 4:15-5:2
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 2 Thes 2:1,2
Answer: Yes, I see that the rapture is part of the Day of the Lord event.
Question: According to the scripture below, what happens before the Day of the Lord begins?
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: Acts 2:20
Answer: Well, it says that the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood before the Day of the Lord begins.
Question: According to the scripture below, when is the sun darkened and the moon turned to blood?
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; Rev 6:12
Answer: The sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood after the Sixth Seal is opened.
Question: Does scripture tell us that there Is any other time during the end times that the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood?
Answer: No.
Statement: We can therefore conclude that according to scriptures, the rapture, as an event of the Day of the Lord, must occur after the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood, which we know occurs after the Sixth Seal is opened.
Question: Do you agree with this statement?
Answer: I am not sure, that is a new concept to me, I have never had it explained to me like that before. I have always believed that the rapture will occur at the beginning, before Seal 1.
Question: I understand what you are saying. Let me show you a confirmation that the rapture occurs after Seal 6 is opened. According to the scriptures below, what do people see after the Sixth Seal is opened?
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Answer: They see the Lord.
Question: From your knowledge of scripture, during the end times when do people see the Lord?
Answer: At the rapture and at Armageddon.
Question: Which one of the two is the passage above referring to?
Answer: The Sixth Seal does not involve Armageddon, so it would have to be the rapture.
So you have affirmed;
1. The rapture is part of the day of the Lord.
2. That the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood before the day of the lord.
3. The sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood after the opening of Seal 6.
Therefore sound logic dictates that the rapture/day of the Lord event occurs after Seal 6 is opened and the sun is darkened and the moon turns to blood. And to confirm this you have also just agreed that Jesus appears in the sky after the opening of seal 6 and that this is not at Armageddon, so it has to be at the rapture.
Thus; you have just logically concluded and thereby proved that the rapture does not occur until after the opening of Seal 6. What do you believe now about the timing of the rapture?
Answer: __________________________.
So if the rapture will not happen until Seal 6 is opened, that means that all that are alive at the time will be faced with living through Seals 1 to 5. And there is a possibility that the Seals may already have been opened.
Are We Hearing the Hoof Beats of the 4 Horses of the Apocalypse?
Remember; the truth shall set you free.
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About the author: William Frederick; M.Div. has been preaching and teaching the Word of God for over 30 years. He has dedicated his life to serving God and helping others come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and understand essential end times Bible Prophecy truths. He is the author of several books including The Coming Epiphany and The Dollar Code. His articles are originally published on The End Times Forecaster Blog. From there, his articles are published and referenced on various prophecy related websites. If you would like to republish his articles, please feel free to do so, just please include the original link to the article. The more people that see this information the better, and we need to wake more people up while there is still time.
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William, you’re are always good at hiding your true meaning! And, as this article does so well, throw all kinds of information (crap) out to confuse your readers!! However, I see your intent!
ReplyDeleteThis tells the story:
"hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne,"
gematria equals 509=59, 59+95=154=55
55= Satan, represents the divine person, the total and complete man.
*He will only sit on the thrown for a short period!!! Rev 12:12....because he knows that his time is short!
Then, to complete the quoted statement:
Red characters=48x18=76, 76+67=143=44
44=is a focus on efficient and conscientious business building. 44 builds for both the present and the future. Clock, Death
59+76=135=36
3+6=9
36=Represents the devil or Satan, as well as the evil which it personifies. Thirty-six is the number associated with God's adversaries (or enemies).
9=The number of the perfection. As a product of 3 x 3, it is the expression of the perfection, the symbol of the virile power, in addition to be associated to the couple. Nine is the number of the one who accomplishes the divine will. According to the Cabal, it is also the number of the achievement. The freemasons have made it the eternal number of human immortality.
And finally, 36+63=99
99=Express a realized perfection state, since it is in relation with the number of the perfection, 9.
And now the question is.... will you publish this comment!?
Anon, you’re are always good at hiding your true meaning! And, as your comment does so well, it throw all kinds of information out to confuse your readers!! However, I see your intent!
DeleteYou are probably the only one in the world that holds to that interpretation.
I will pray that God would open your eyes to see the truth.
Clever!
DeleteBelow are other verses regarding the sun and moon darkened. This article, although well intentioned, has numerous incorrect interpretations of Scripture. There are two harvests, one before the Great Tribulation (the first-fruits) and one before God's Wrath, or the 7 Bowls, before the final war. We know this from Rev. 7, where the saints from the great tribulation are before the throne, and Chapter 20 where the first resurrection occurs. The most misunderstood verse in the NT is in 1 Thess. 4. Paul is not talking about the barley harvest of the first fruits, he is talking about the wheat harvest at the end of the Great Tribulation. We know this because the first resurrection occurs in Ch. 20 just before the reaping of the just and unjust at the second coming.
ReplyDeleteMark 13:24 24"But in those days, following that distress, "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
Joel 2:31 31The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
Isaiah 13:10 10The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.
Matthew 24:29-30 29"Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' 30"Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
Joel 3:15 15The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
Joel 2:10 10Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
Acts 2:20 20The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the LORD.
Ezekiel 32:7 7When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light.
Ecclesiastes 12:2 2before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;
Regarding the harvests, yes it is just that, a harvest of people not a pretribulation rapture. Hebrews 9:27
Delete“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
The rapture comes after the tribulation as stated in Matthew 29 (KJV) Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Your comment, although well intentioned, has numerous incorrect interpretations of Scripture.
Deletetribulation: Seals 1-4
great tribulation: Seal 5
Rapture: Seal 6
Rev 7: saints in heaven after seal 6 rapture
God's wrath: Seal 7 till bowl 7
Jesus returns with saints at Armageddon
Millennium begins
I do not have time for a debate, but if you want to see the scriptural read The Coming Epiphany
Thank you for standing for the truth, too many people follow man's gospel with itching ears instead of God's Truth.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to share this with you as it is a lawsuit from the people of America against the gov. Deadline to opt-in is Feb. 18th.
Hudoc.info
Dave Hodeges with Phil Hadok
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2A4-ogvjvyI
Thank you for your encouragement. That is the first that I head of that.
DeleteI am thankful that the Holy Spirit is our teacher! I once believed in the pre-trib rapture as that is what we were taught. But, it was the Holy Spirit that challenged me on this. I would now agree with what you say here as it was this verse and it's placement in the discourse that 'sealed' it for me: [Rev 16:15 KJV] 15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. It's outlining events, then cuts to this verse, then back to events. So to me it seems logical this is where the 'rapture' most likely occurs.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. The verse that did it for me was acts 2:20. It succinctly places the rapture/day of the Lord event after Sixth Seal events.
Delete