billiefan2000
21st August 2003, 09:47 AM
http://www.raptureready.com/rap16.html
Most of my contemporary heroes in proclaiming prophetic truth from God’s Word believe and teach that Jesus, in the Matthew 24-25 Olivet Discourse, did not touch on the rapture. Paul the apostle, it is believed–with good reason—was the first to reveal the “mystery” that is the rapture.
The late, great Dr. John Walvoord; my close friend now with the Lord, Dr. Dave Breese; Dr. Dwight Pentecost; and other scholars of impeccable credentials all have believed and taught that the Olivet Discourse didn’t touch on the rapture.
After considerable time looking into the matter, however, I believe that Dave Hunt is right again –as he most often is.
Jesus did, I –like Dave—am convinced, plainly told of the Rapture that will occur at some unspecified time before His second advent.
Although the answer is not essential to my belief in this regard, it is wise to ask in examining the matter: Would Jesus leave out something so important as the rapture of his Church, before the terrible time of tribulation falls upon rebellious mankind?
Certainly, despite the arguments to the contrary by all who literally hate even the mention of a rapture, Jesus tells us in Revelation that He will remove His own of the Church Age before the time of God’s wrath.
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10).
Those are the words of the Lord Jesus!
True, they were given after His glorious ascension to sit on the right hand of God’s throne, but I must think that He had something to say about such a profound event while still in mortal flesh here upon earth.
Jesus told us that not even He knew the day or hour of His coming, but the Father only.
That statement couldn’t be about the time of His actually touching down on Mount Olivet in the Second Advent, because even the believing remnant of Jews will be able to count down to the nearly precise moment of that event, beginning the countdown from the time the abomination of desolation sits in the temple, declaring himself to be God (read 2 Thess. 2).
Jesus had to be referring to His coming in an event prior to that Olivet touchdown at the conclusion of Armageddon.
And talk about another surprise coming He does!
He even goes so far as to shock us by comparing His sudden coming to that of a thief breaking into a home that’s not prepared for an intruder.
This is where many of my dear colleagues say Jesus couldn’t be referring to himself in the Rapture.
Our Lord is no thief! I agree; He is no thief.
But, I didn’t make the comparison –Jesus did! Such a startling statement by our Lord must be looked at as closely as possible.
The Lord goes through the complete Tribulation era in giving the prophecies.
He next tells of His glorious coming at the second advent.
Next, He goes back to before the tribulation era, and says to watch for events, using the fig tree parable.
When it is putting forth leaves, etc., that generation can know His coming is very near, indeed. (Most believe the fig tree parable to allude to the nation of Israel being again a major mover and shaker on the world scene.
Remember, Jesus cursed the fig tree on His way to Jerusalem, and it withered. In the Olivet Discourse, He predicts a stunning comeback!)
After all of these prophetic things, the Lord returns to the time before these tribulation things occur.
He sets up things His own should be observing, etc., so as not to be surprised. Jesus said:
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:35-44).
The Apostle Paul expounds greatly on the “thief” theme introduced here by Jesus.
It’s too long to go into in this limited space, but please read 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 5.
Note how Paul uses the “thief” passages.
Notice, particularly, how he uses the pronouns –we-they; us-them; you-they, etc.
Paul is talking plainly to the Church, as was the Lord Jesus in the above Scriptures.
Also, consider the Apostle Peter’s words: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10).
Peter here gives the entire day of the Lord, from Christ’s coming in the rapture to the complete remaking of the heavens and the earth.
It all begins “as a thief” breaking in upon an unsuspecting world!
Again, most scholars I know have said Jesus isn’t addressing the rapture in these Scriptures.
They say the following passages show that one will be taken and one left.
The one taken will go into Hades, while the one left will be left for God’s kingdom work.
I disagree.
They base their assumptions on the fact that Jesus’ words about one being taken and one left indicate a 50%-50% split.
And, not nearly that many will be raptured.
I disagree that this means an even split. This is simply the Lord saying that some will be taken (in the rapture) and some --the majority – will be left to go through Tribulation.
Another factor to consider is that Jesus indicates that things will be relatively normal when this happens; i.e., two will be resting in bed and two will be working on the job.
This doesn’t sound like the tribulation hour at the time just before Jesus comes back to me!
Notice that Jesus immediately follows this up with the fact that no one knows the hour or day the master will come to make this division.
This can’t be the second advent, when Jesus returns to judge the nations.
Everyone can know exactly when that will take place –based, again, on 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 2, counting down from the time at the mid way point of the Tribulation era when Antichrist, indwelt by Satan himself, sits in the temple on Moriah and declares himself to be God –and thus demand that all worship him as God.
There are those who would argue that Paul is the one who showed or revealed the mystery of the rapture.
It is true that the great apostle gave us details.
He showed us the truth of the mystery Jesus began giving in the Olivet Discourse, I believe.
The Rapture can happen at any moment. Let us be watching!
--Terry James
Most of my contemporary heroes in proclaiming prophetic truth from God’s Word believe and teach that Jesus, in the Matthew 24-25 Olivet Discourse, did not touch on the rapture. Paul the apostle, it is believed–with good reason—was the first to reveal the “mystery” that is the rapture.
The late, great Dr. John Walvoord; my close friend now with the Lord, Dr. Dave Breese; Dr. Dwight Pentecost; and other scholars of impeccable credentials all have believed and taught that the Olivet Discourse didn’t touch on the rapture.
After considerable time looking into the matter, however, I believe that Dave Hunt is right again –as he most often is.
Jesus did, I –like Dave—am convinced, plainly told of the Rapture that will occur at some unspecified time before His second advent.
Although the answer is not essential to my belief in this regard, it is wise to ask in examining the matter: Would Jesus leave out something so important as the rapture of his Church, before the terrible time of tribulation falls upon rebellious mankind?
Certainly, despite the arguments to the contrary by all who literally hate even the mention of a rapture, Jesus tells us in Revelation that He will remove His own of the Church Age before the time of God’s wrath.
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10).
Those are the words of the Lord Jesus!
True, they were given after His glorious ascension to sit on the right hand of God’s throne, but I must think that He had something to say about such a profound event while still in mortal flesh here upon earth.
Jesus told us that not even He knew the day or hour of His coming, but the Father only.
That statement couldn’t be about the time of His actually touching down on Mount Olivet in the Second Advent, because even the believing remnant of Jews will be able to count down to the nearly precise moment of that event, beginning the countdown from the time the abomination of desolation sits in the temple, declaring himself to be God (read 2 Thess. 2).
Jesus had to be referring to His coming in an event prior to that Olivet touchdown at the conclusion of Armageddon.
And talk about another surprise coming He does!
He even goes so far as to shock us by comparing His sudden coming to that of a thief breaking into a home that’s not prepared for an intruder.
This is where many of my dear colleagues say Jesus couldn’t be referring to himself in the Rapture.
Our Lord is no thief! I agree; He is no thief.
But, I didn’t make the comparison –Jesus did! Such a startling statement by our Lord must be looked at as closely as possible.
The Lord goes through the complete Tribulation era in giving the prophecies.
He next tells of His glorious coming at the second advent.
Next, He goes back to before the tribulation era, and says to watch for events, using the fig tree parable.
When it is putting forth leaves, etc., that generation can know His coming is very near, indeed. (Most believe the fig tree parable to allude to the nation of Israel being again a major mover and shaker on the world scene.
Remember, Jesus cursed the fig tree on His way to Jerusalem, and it withered. In the Olivet Discourse, He predicts a stunning comeback!)
After all of these prophetic things, the Lord returns to the time before these tribulation things occur.
He sets up things His own should be observing, etc., so as not to be surprised. Jesus said:
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:35-44).
The Apostle Paul expounds greatly on the “thief” theme introduced here by Jesus.
It’s too long to go into in this limited space, but please read 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 5.
Note how Paul uses the “thief” passages.
Notice, particularly, how he uses the pronouns –we-they; us-them; you-they, etc.
Paul is talking plainly to the Church, as was the Lord Jesus in the above Scriptures.
Also, consider the Apostle Peter’s words: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10).
Peter here gives the entire day of the Lord, from Christ’s coming in the rapture to the complete remaking of the heavens and the earth.
It all begins “as a thief” breaking in upon an unsuspecting world!
Again, most scholars I know have said Jesus isn’t addressing the rapture in these Scriptures.
They say the following passages show that one will be taken and one left.
The one taken will go into Hades, while the one left will be left for God’s kingdom work.
I disagree.
They base their assumptions on the fact that Jesus’ words about one being taken and one left indicate a 50%-50% split.
And, not nearly that many will be raptured.
I disagree that this means an even split. This is simply the Lord saying that some will be taken (in the rapture) and some --the majority – will be left to go through Tribulation.
Another factor to consider is that Jesus indicates that things will be relatively normal when this happens; i.e., two will be resting in bed and two will be working on the job.
This doesn’t sound like the tribulation hour at the time just before Jesus comes back to me!
Notice that Jesus immediately follows this up with the fact that no one knows the hour or day the master will come to make this division.
This can’t be the second advent, when Jesus returns to judge the nations.
Everyone can know exactly when that will take place –based, again, on 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 2, counting down from the time at the mid way point of the Tribulation era when Antichrist, indwelt by Satan himself, sits in the temple on Moriah and declares himself to be God –and thus demand that all worship him as God.
There are those who would argue that Paul is the one who showed or revealed the mystery of the rapture.
It is true that the great apostle gave us details.
He showed us the truth of the mystery Jesus began giving in the Olivet Discourse, I believe.
The Rapture can happen at any moment. Let us be watching!
--Terry James