Understanding The Word

A Pre-Tribulational View

This will be a series of at least 4 parts (maybe more) as I try to get all the information pertaining to this event out…even if it’s just to one person….to teach that the Rapture is so much more important than a lot of people really realize. 

I have really realized in the past few years that this Subject is so much more involved than people are really aware. The Word of God is not slack in anything…and it has meaning throughout its entirety.  We do not always understand every little meaning…but as the time of the end draws ever near this subject is becoming of most importance…not only for the saved but the unsaved…as it is the unsaved that will deal and make decisions of the aftermath, and it the saved who will answer at the Judgement seat of Christ.

I had not planned on making this a long blog, because I figured…everyone has their own belief of the Rapture; there is so much on the internet regarding this subject so I was just going to put down the fundamentals…..But you can see where my problem was…..I, wanted it to be quick and easy….it wasn’t what God wanted.

So as I continued in prayer and writing everyday…more and more came out regarding the information on this event….and anyone who talks with the Lord knows, He will not let up when you ask Him questions, and sometimes He really likes to talk in the middle of the night.  (I would have it no other way if He continues to teach me and guide me into the understanding of Him.)

So going forward as long as I am here on this earth…I will continue to write what He wants me to write about and even if it takes more time that I would like….He is always in control and the timing is always perfect.

Let’s get started

There is much confusion, contention, debate, and much frustration in the Body of Christ and even among unbelievers regarding this subject….many videos are all over social media regarding these two separate events that it is flabbergasting to me that we are still not in alignment in the Body of Christ regarding this issue….

Having so much diverse opinions within the Church is causing  such division that I am honestly at a loss to understand why so many people are willingly falling away into false teachings and doctrines; and in doing so are causing hurt, confusion, and even torment among brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as to unbelievers for they see the infighting and hearing such conflictions that they mock the Body even more and in mocking us…mock the promise of Jesus…..why should they believe if even His own lack faith and belief in Him?

Due to the fact of people’s lack of faith, trust, knowledge, and understanding of the Lord….we have to continuously  stress scripture over and over again….hoping that one day the Holy Spirit will reach people and show them the same truth that He has shown others. We have to go behind all the false teachings and undo such spiritual confusion that only with the willingness of the people we are teaching and through the Holy Spirit can we even begin to Hope we get thru….

What is the Rapture?

I also need to mention that most of us who hold a Pre-Tribulational view also believe that children under the age of accountability (usually around 12-13 years old) and mentally incapable people will all be taken along with the saved believers (I will go into detail why this belief makes sense below)

Contrary to popular belief, the Rapture is the Blessed Hope for all saved believers in Christ…..

“Looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” Titus 2

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is also considered the Day of Christ (Not to be confused with the Day of the Lord.)

The Word ‘Rapture’

So many people are up in arms always arguing that the word ‘Rapture’ isn’t in the Bible…(and like a lot of other people say, ‘the word Bible isn’t in the Bible either, but we still read it and say it….’)

This to me is such a tireless and baseless argument that so many people are clinging too for no other reason than they want to….Because a rational brain would conclude that the Bible before translation to English was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin……

We know this for fact….so all it takes is looking up the actual verse where the Rapture applies and find the original word:

The original Greek word is Harpazo and this word means:

‘to seize, to snatch, to carry away…’

The original Latin word used is Rapio….or Rapturo; they both have the same meanings:

‘carry off, to seize, to snatch; to pluck; to catch away; and it is where we get the English word Rapture from….’

(So for those who continue with the argument that the word ‘Rapture’  is not in scripture…just shows the ignorance and lack of investigation into the original language.)

This is why you will hear people combining Rapture and Harpazo together because they mean the same thing, and therefore doesn’t this conclude that caught up means to be snatched, to be carried off by the Lord?   If not…what else could it mean? As this is a literal verse….not a metaphor….or a parable….it is a literal action that is going to take place.

The Dead in Christ

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” 1 Thessalonians 4:14

In this context….sleep means dead in Christ….their spirit and soul is in heaven with Jesus and He brings them with Him in order to retrieve their bodies that are on earth….

There is much debate on this as well depending on what religion you are in or what you believe….but again Scripture makes the difference of actually resting or sleeping and being dead (asleep) very plain….

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8

Why there is any debate that when scripture is talking about being dead in Christ means people are asleep in the grave (in other words soul sleep) is not biblical at all and the confusion with this matter honestly is beyond me.

How can you be absent from the body and present with Lord unless your spirit and soul leave your body when the Body shuts down and stops working (dies)? Also what about people who are cremated or die in a fire?  Where is their soul sleeping?

When we pass on, if we are saved……we go immediately to heaven…but our bodies stay here on earth, whether it is as dust in cremation or being buried….and our soul and spirit go straight to heaven.

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Stephen is a perfect example of why ‘soul sleep’ is not true, as he even saw heaven as he was dying…so to state he then would just go into a state of sleep is not paying attention to what the verse says……

“And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God…..And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, Lay not this sin to their charge.  And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 7: 56 & 60 (when Stephen was being stoned to death.)

The reason that the Dead in Christ rise first, is because the Lord has to pull all their bodies together from wherever they are in the earth in order to meet with us who are alive and already have bodies together.

Why all children will go in the Rapture

I am of the personal belief that because we are in the Age of Grace that all, ALL children, infants, unborn babies and mentally incapable people will go in the Rapture….I know that there are some who are of the belief that only the saved believers  children will go…but I disagree and let me tell you why….

To state that Jesus would only take the saved believers children and not the unbelievers is placing their parents salvation on their children…and that the children of the unbelievers will pay for their parents unbelief…..

Children have no concept of sin, wickedness, and abominations as a child because most aren’t even taught and they do not have the mental capability to understand what immorality is unless taught….so why would God punish them for not knowing Him….not knowing about Him….and not understanding Jesus dying for Sins?

It only makes sense for God…who knows all things…to have enough common sense to take the saved believers  children…because to leave them to die….implies a cruelty to His nature that He does not have ( I will not even go into people not understanding God in the Old Testament….for what may look cruel to humans, is not cruel if you understand God)….He is always just and fair….Even if He knows that when a child dies or a person who does not understand right and wrong will come to Him anyway…why leave them behind to suffer terribly just for them to come home (die) in a few days, weeks and years later? For the infants will die before anyone can get to them….

…….And, it only makes sense to take the unbelievers children….(not only to make a point to them that are left; as this is a part of the judgement and wrath of God on the unbelievers) but because He does not punish the children for their parent sinfulness and lack of teaching  them about God.

Humans must know and be able to understand right from wrong and the consequence of each…..we all know that children have a sin nature because we are all born sinners….but this is no way implies that they cannot be saved by their lack of comprehension of Sin….for they do not know they are sinning and are sinners. This is where the belief in the age of accountability comes in.

The Age of Accountability

The age of accountability refers to a person’s mental state of being able to make a capable decision on whether to accept Jesus Christ for salvation or deny Him as a savior….

Where we get this age usually is in reference to the Judaism age of Jewish boys at their Bar Mitzvah which is around the age of 13.  However….depending on how mature in understanding a child is the age of accountability may be lower or slightly higher….

It is the awareness of understanding the consequences of your choice and action….lacking common sense, or uncaring of the consequences by no means says you do not understand the accountability of such actions. It also has no basis in the lack of maturity in life.

The Rapture is an escape and a rescue

So very many people want to make others feel bad by telling us we are just trying to escape….but in all honestly while we do want to escape what is coming….why not look at it for a rescue from the coming Evil? Jesus Christ who died and rose again is coming to rescue us from the clutches of the Antichrist, False Prophet, The Beast, and Satan, that will be coming to the earth during the Tribulation period….

Why does He do this? 

All you have to do is look around you in the world today and you can see such depravity, lawlessness, immorality, murders, stealing, pedophiles, Satanists, sacrifice rituals, sexualization of children, drugs becoming paramount in people’s lives and not for good…..paranormal activity…..UFO’s all over the place….and so much more that the bible warned us of that if it were not for us (the church) being here and in the way….all of this would be so rampant taking over that you would see nothing but wickedness just like Noah and Lot….

This is only the beginning….for when we are taken out of the way…..all of this will manifest to such extremes as never in the world history has seen the like….along with natural disasters with volcanoes, earthquakes, hail, floods, tsunami’s, tornadoes….

Governments and laws will be changed in order to allow such things to take place….it is why anyone who is left behind and finds Jesus as Savior will be killed; tortured….or worse…… for fun, for entertainment and will be running and hiding and trying to survive where they will not be able to hide for long….

There will be such a time as never before and that to me is saying a lot considered what the Bible and history has shown us in the evil minds of men…..imagine the time to come is x10 of all the evil ever done on the earth since the beginning.

Don’t forget that this is not even taking into the account of God’s Wrath and Judgement…..the 7 trumpets, 7 vials, and the 7 seals.

Does all of this not need some type of escape plan and someone to execute a rescue…if you knew what was coming would you not try to rescue every one that you could? Would you not rescue your family, friends, children, pets….If you were Jesus…would you not rescue your sheep?   Your own body?  Your Bride?

Why the Lack of Unbelief in the Rapture

The questions are: Why is this?  Why is there such confusion and discord?  Why such contention regarding this subject? Why such a lack of faith and knowledge? Why such unbelief? Why lack such understanding?

The easy answer is demonic influence and Man’s stubborness,(we can always blame the demons for everything)…..but……

The harder answer for many to swallow is: a purposeful (meaning to be willfully blind) misconception/misunderstanding of scripture, not listening to the Holy Spirit, or lack of belief in a Loving, Merciful, Faithful, and Just God.

The latter answer is why people who do believe in the Pre- Trib Rapture are mocked by fellow brothers and sisters….it is why when we try to explain scripture our fellow family try to always argue, put us down, tell us we are lying and spreading false hope to everyone, continuously calls us cowards for wanting an excuse to escape and not stand up for our belief or even die for Christ……

You also have people who don’t believe because deep down they feel they should go thru something horrendous in order to prove their faith in God (self- martyrdom)….some feel unworthy to escape because they feel they deserve to go thru this judgement for reproof and refining, some feel they are special enough to be supernaturally protected during this time and nothing will touch them (this is self-glory/self-righteousness)

Some even believe that the Church replaced Israel so the Tribulation and Rapture don’t even exist…and some people just plainly lack faith in the Love that Christ has for His own Body and Bride….

What is actually sad is that most of the people who expect to  be or even want to be here during the Tribulation Period have no concept of what the Tribulation really consist of else they would want to escape and be rescued too….

This is not just hurting the Body….but some people are really starting to get hateful towards those of us who teach A Pre- Tribulational Rapture….If hatefulness is inside your heart, maybe you need to stop and think where it is coming from….just because we disagree should not bring such hatefulness towards each other.

“Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 1:21

To Be Continued……..