CHAPTER 10
In the not too distant future three remarkable sights will appear in the sky. They will be the signs which Messiah described to His disciples so long ago. As a group, these signs will climax twenty centuries of hope by the followers of Messiah. The first sign, which was covered in a previous chapter, will be the sign of the end of the age.
But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (Matthew 24:29).
A few months later, a second sign will appear in the heavens. It will be the sign of the Son of Man (Messiah).
And then the SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN will appear in the sky... (Matthew 24:30).
Messiah did not say what the sign would be. Whatever it is, when it comes we know that something extraordinary is about to happen. Immediately after the sign, all Messiah's followers will become immortal, and they will be taken up into the clouds! Every believer will be affected—those who are alive, as well as those who have died. Even the Old Testament saints will be included. This event is commonly known as the rapture.
Then there will be a third sign in the heavens.
...and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:30-31).
The concept of resurrection was well known among the Jews. Their prophets taught that at the end of the age, the spirits of the dead would receive resurrected bodies:
Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits. (Isaiah 26:19).
There is a description of that general resurrection in the Book of the Revelation. Just before heaven and earth pass away, all the dead will be raised. At that time, they will stand before Messiah, who will open the books and judge the deeds of each of them. Anyone whose name is found in the Lamb's (Messiah's) book of life will be joyfully ushered into the holy city, the new Jerusalem. The rest are thrown into the lake of fire, which the Bible calls the second death. (See Revelation 20:11-15).
But there is more to the story. Though unknown to the prophets of the Old Testament, God had planned a selective resurrection program which is to occur a thousand years before the final, general resurrection. It was necessary because God has plans for the saints that cannot wait. For one thing, He desires them to take part in the final battle (Armageddon) to establish His kingdom on earth. What's more, they are to be priests and reign with Messiah during the next thousand years.
There are three means by which these saints are assembled. (1) The Rapture is the first part of God's plan to gather and equip the saints for service during the Millennium. The Bible describes those who are raptured as "first fruits to God and to the Lamb (Messiah)." (See Revelation 12:4). That means there will be other saints harvested later. The ones who come later will be from one of these additional sources: (2) those who are harvested at the third sign—when Messiah comes in the clouds, and (3) those who are killed by the false prophet for refusing to worship the beast. These who are martyred will be brought to life shortly after Armageddon at what the Bible calls, the first resurrection.
Although the word is not in the Bible, "rapture" has become the common name for a well known and cherished prophecy. Messiah was the first to mention this coming event. Standing before the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus told Martha that her brother would be raised. She misunderstood, assuming Messiah was talking about the general resurrection on the last day. But His answer showed that something better than the general resurrection was in store for His followers:
He who believes in Me shall live even if he dies (speaking of the dead in Christ), and everyone who lives (speaking of those who remain alive) and believes in Me shall never die (John 11:25-26).
It was Paul, however, who fully developed the rapture doctrine of the Bible. He told how believers, both dead and alive, would one day be removed from the earth by Messiah:
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).
At that time, Messiah descends with a shout. Just as He spoke to Lazarus in the tomb, He shouts to His brethren in the graves. Upon hearing His voice, they are raised from the dead! But it is different than with Lazarus. They are not merely "revived" in their old bodies; these saints are equipped with imperishable, glorified bodies just like Messiah's.
Then the voice of the archangel is heard. One of the chief duties of the archangel is to watch over God's people. Here he orders the angels to prepare to gather the "transformed" saints who are assembling in the clouds. Finally, a trumpet is blown, and Messiah sends forth these angels to collect the saints. For centuries a trumpet has been the instrument used to signal the people of Israel, either for war or for a solemn assembly. In this case, both apply.
When the sign of the Son of Man appears in the sky, all believers, both living and deceased, will become immortal. This is necessary because "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable" (I Corinthians 15:50). After being transformed, the believers will be raptured from the earth.
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we (followers of Messiah) shall not all sleep (die), but we shall be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised IMPERISHABLE, and we shall be changed (I Corinthians 15:51-53).
Interestingly, rapture doctrines have become so prominent that Bible students are grouped according to the time they think it occurs. Almost every prophetic discussion seems to focus on this event. Many regard it as the climax of End Time prophecy. It is called the "blessed hope" of New Covenant believers and is thought to be the means by which God removes His people from tribulation.
With all that emphasis, you would think the rapture was a major theme in Scripture. Surprisingly, it is specifically taught in just the two passages shown above. What that means is that despite its current emphasis, the rapture is but a small part of the End Time process. It is just one of the ways God gathers His saints—which is part of the preparation for the coming Millennial Kingdom—which in turn leads to the new heaven and new earth. In other words, the rapture may be a wondrous event, but it is by no means the central focus of End Time prophecy.
For a short period, perhaps ten days, the raptured believers are gone from the earth. During that time, God sends angels to speak to the rest of mankind. The first angel proclaims the gospel message. He announces that Jesus is Messiah and tells of His soon return. Despite the best efforts of the church and missionary organizations, over half the world has never heard of Messiah or His Gospel. Moreover, even the most optimistic cannot see how those people will be reached. According to Scripture, it is this first angel who will complete the task.
How do men respond to the angel's message? The Bible says most will continue in their rebellion. Many, however, will believe and come to faith in Messiah. Then, despite murderous pressure, they refuse to worship Antichrist or his image. For this, a great many of them will be killed. Within a few days of the rapture, those remaining on the earth will see Messiah's third sign—the Son of Man coming on the clouds.
Just as the lightening comes from the east, and flashes to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be (Matthew 24:27).
This spectacle will be with great power and glory. Man has never witnessed anything like it. For many, His coming will mark the beginning of a glorious new life. The angels will gather them as part of the last great harvest of the earth.
They will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other (Matthew 24:31).
Then all the people remaining on the earth will mourn. At last, they will begin to comprehend the consequences of choosing this life over salvation. They will experience what the Old Testament calls "the day of the Lord." As far as God is concerned, the whole world (system) lies with the evil one and is fit only for destruction.
After the first angel preaches the gospel of Jesus the Messiah, another warns men not to worship the beast (Antichrist) or receive his "mark." Meanwhile, Antichrist's right-hand man, the false prophet, orders that any who refuse to worship the beast or receive his mark are to be beheaded. As mentioned, many will refuse and be martyred at that time.
What is the status of those who die for refusing the mark? Do they miss out on the Millennial Kingdom, just because they didn't survive until the final harvest? Rest assured, God has made provision for them as well. According to the Revelation, those martyrs attain the same status of the believers that were raptured and/or harvested before them. They too will reign with Messiah during the Millennial Kingdom.
"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth!" says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them" (Revelation 14:13)
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and THEY CAME TO LIFE AND REIGNED WITH MESSIAH FOR A THOUSAND YEARS (Revelation 20:4)
Q. Is the sign of the end of the age the next prophetic event?
A. No. Antichrist will be revealed "conquering" before the sun and the moon are darkened (along with earthquakes). In addition, some form of the third Jewish temple will be in operation before the sign of the end of the age.
Q. Will there be a sign given for the Rapture?
A. Here is where we will part company with many Bible teachers. Most teach that there is no sign for the Rapture. They say it could happen at any moment—without warning. This may keep believers in line, but it doesn't square with the Scriptures. Notice the order of events in Matthew 24:29-31.
This means there are actually two signs for the rapture. The sign of the sun and moon darkened shows it is near (at the door), and the sign of the Son of Man shows it's happening.
Q. After the sign of the end of the age, can we pin down the exact time the rapture takes place?
A. Not quite. But we can come close enough that we won't be caught unprepared. After all, that is the whole purpose of the sign. When the sun is darkened and the moon will not give its light, we know Messiah's coming is near. How near? A few months at most.
When you see these things happening, recognize that He (Messiah) is near, right at the door (Mark 13:29).
Q. Can we determine a time of the year for the rapture?
A. Looking back to the passage in I Corinthians 15:52 we see that the believers will be changed at the last trumpet. It is possible that the trumpets provide a clue to the time of year the Rapture takes place. To explain, let's look at the Jewish Feasts. Altogether, seven Jewish Feasts were instituted by God, each celebrated on a specific day. Notice the relation of the feasts to the redemptive works of Messiah:
REDEMPTIVE EVENT..........DAY FULFILLED
AND PERHAPS IN THE FUTURE:
It doesn't take much imagination to suggest that the remaining events might also fall on the appropriate Feast days. If this is correct, you will be interested to know that the Feast of Trumpets (ROSH HA' SHANA) falls in September. If this pattern holds, you can expect the sign of the Son of Man in that month.
Q. How long is the period between the rapture and the final harvest?
A. Probably ten days. Jesus told the church at Smyrna that they would have tribulation ten days. That is also the number of days between the Feast of Trumpets (the possible date for the rapture) and the Feast of Atonement. The latter feast may well be the day Messiah returns with all the saints.
Q. Isn't the Lord supposed to come like a thief?
A. Many teach that the Lord is going to come in secret (as a thief) to "catch away" the believers and then be gone before anyone notices. This implies no one knows when He is coming, not even the believers. While it is true that Messiah said we will not know the day or the hour, that doesn't mean we can't know the approximate time of His coming. Scripture states that believers will not be surprised when He comes:
For you yourselves know that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. But you, brethren, are NOT in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief (I Thessalonians 5:2,4).
Q. What will the resurrected bodies be like?
A. The Bible calls Jesus, "the firstborn among many brethren." Obviously, this isn't referring to His natural birth; what is in view is His resurrection body. Messiah was the first to receive an eternal, resurrection body, and one day the bodies of Messiah's followers will resemble His. Based on what was written about Messiah after He was resurrected, we know we will still be human in appearance. We will walk, talk and eat, but we won't be bound by the restraints of this dimension. The most important characteristic of the new bodies, however, is that they will never die.