The Rapture of the Bride of Christ is the next event scheduled inside the plan of God which was spoken into existence complete from beginning to end in a "moment" before time. With its occurrence the Church Age will come to its conclusion and the final chapter of the history of the world will begin with The Great Tribulation. All who have failed to heed the warnings clearly stated by the Word of God that would have pointed each to an escape of this gruesome period of history, will be engulfed by the horrors it will bring. Deceit, betrayal and perversion will be the norm. No one will be safe or can be trusted. Once entered, the only available exit will be through the passageway of physical death which will be so common as to not be a second thought on the mind of a twisted and bloodthirsty world. "Bro. Chip", during his adolescence, became fascinated by the intricate detail emerging and revealing itself from the scripture. He became captivated by the depth of which God's message existed just beneath the surface text within the Word of God written to his mirror image creation, man. Already addicted to the study of God's Word in regards to the Return of Jesus Christ (Rapture/Second Coming) he was enveloped by the merger of these multiple studies into a single work and recognized a pattern which presented itself within the structure of those teachings. Spurred by a love for sharing what was perceived by him as the knowledge of the truth as presented by the writers of God's Word while under direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, this publication documents those findings. The conclusions presented here are the results of his thirty-three year study and stand in declaration of these truths.
Many regard the idea of a pre-Tribulation rapture as an escape for cowardly Christians who wish to escape not only the coming Tribulation but the present trials and responsibilities of life. This book will help to dispel that idea as the reader will see clear, biblical evidence of a pre-Tribulation rapture. This evidence is God's design to bring us comfort and encouragement in these last days. This study, in four parts, thoroughly investigates the subject of the rapture. Part one lays out the groundwork for the rapture, in which we focus mainly on a study of Daniel 9. Part two is a short study of the kingdom of God, so the reader can better see the significance of the rapture. In part three we inspect each reference to His coming and show whether it refers to the rapture or to His glorious appearing. In the last section our scope of study is narrowed to showing why the rapture must come before the Tribulation. I highly recommend this book to you if you have any doubts about the rapture.
Israel was not prepared for the first appearance of the Messiah. Yet Israel had esteemed religious leaders, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and an awesome Temple. Likely they felt they were ready to welcome the Messiah. Today members of the church sound like they are ready for the next appearance of Christ, when He comes to rapture the church. But it would be prudent to consider that we could also be making a tragic mistake. Jesus warned us to Keep Watch! This warning was given using parables. One such story concluded that if the owner of the house had known when the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not been robbed. Jesus said that if we are not ready when the rapture occurs, there will be consequences. We will feel robbed, as if struck by a thief who comes in the night. The last time Christ appeared - His people were not prepared, and Christ suffered. When Christ comes to rapture the church - many of His people will not be prepared. But this time - it will be the unprepared believer who will suffer. Christ will be coming with power and great glory. Jesus warned us to keep watch - you need to understand why! INTRODUCTION Current rapture theories assume that there will be only one rapture of the church. It will be a defining moment when, from among God's people, only Israel will remain on earth. But such a limited view of the rapture has resulted in conflicting theories. Advocates of each rapture theory zealously explain why the other theories are wrong. To resolve these contradictions, and more importantly to get at the truth, the possibility of two separate raptures needs to be considered. An early partial rapture followed by a complete rapture of the church, much later, meets the criteria upon which the leading rapture theories are based. From this perspective we find in scripture an early rapture that marks the end the Church Age. While it is the birthright of every believer to participate in this early rapture, those destined for discipline, such as promised the Laodicea Church, will be left behind on earth (Revelation 3:19; Matthew 24:50-51). Other theories place the rapture much later in the final seven years, and emphasize that the church must be raptured prior to God's wrath upon the earth (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9). What is found in scripture is a complete rapture of the church, accompanied by the resurrection of God's people, just before the seven bowls of God's wrath (Revelation 14:14-16). In the past this harvest has been largely ignored; it is frequently interpreted as having only symbolic meaning. Casual observers of our rapture debate sometimes observe that our theories do not matter. Do any of the current theories change the way we live on a daily basis? Some say that knowing that the "blessed hope" of rapture is imminent gives Christians greater security. It is sometimes stated that this security allows believers to live an enhanced Christian life. But is there any proof? After all, a primary criticism of the arrogant Laodicea Church is that they place too much emphasis on their own security (Revelation 3:17). When Christ appears, there is a requirement that His people must be prepared. John the Baptist was sent in the first century (Matthew 3:1-6). Two witnesses in Jerusalem will prepare Israel for His second coming (Revelation 11:3-6). Those of us with military experience can witness to the fact that when a senior officer is to visit - those who do not prepare in advance will likely regret not having done so. How much exponentially more must we be prepared for the next appearance of Christ. With the early, partial rapture countless believers will be caught off guard. The Sardis Church is an example of believers who are not ready: if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. (Revel
Israel was not prepared for the first appearance of the Messiah. Yet Israel had esteemed religious leaders, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and an awesome Temple. Likely they felt they were ready to welcome the Messiah.Today members of the church sound like they are ready for the next appearance of Christ, when He comes to rapture the church. But it would be prudent to consider that we could also be making a tragic mistake.Jesus said "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. (Matthew 24:42-43 NIV)Jesus said that if we are not ready when the rapture occurs, there will be consequences. We will feel robbed - as if struck by a thief who comes in the night.? The last time Christ appeared - His people were not prepared, and Christ suffered.? When Christ comes to rapture the church - many of His people will not be prepared.? But this time - it will be the unprepared believer who will suffer.? Christ will be coming with power and great glory.Jesus warned us to keep watch - you need to understand why!
Christians today are widely being taught that the next event on the prophetic calendar is the "any moment" and "signless" Rapture of the Church. Thus, the bride of Christ will not have to go through the Great Tribulation. But is that what the Bible truly teaches? The Church in the Coming Great Tribulation examines the biblical doctrine of the Rapture and its timing in relation to the Day of the Lord, as revealed by Jesus and the apostles. If you have questions about the Rapture, or doubt some of the things that are being taught by modern-day prophecy teachers, this timely work sheds light on the subject and will help clear up any confusion you might have.
Now completely revised and enlarged, using quotations from the New International Version -- John F. Walvoord's classic work on the Rapture! The Rapture Question examines the four views of the church's role in the tribulation: Partial Rapturism, Pretribulationism, Midtribulationism, and Posttribulationism, with the revised edition particularly discussing the current debate between pretribulationism and posttribulationism. In updating his work, the author also added treatments on the Rapture in the Gospels, in 1 Thessalonians 4, in 1 Thessalonians 5, in 2 Thessalonians, in 1 Corinthians, and in Revelation. A bibliography of current literature plus general and Scripture indexes are included.
