GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
06-12-2022
PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN
PDF: GBC06122022NOTES
Christian Soldier 79, Doctrine Of The Rapture, 6.
We have now begun;
Point 7. The Contrasts Between the Rapture and the Second Coming or Advent of TLJC.
So far, I gave you;
Eleven principles concerning the difference between the Rapture and the Second Advent.
Then we noted;
The pre-tribulation Rapture, in lot of passages from REV 4:1 to REV 18:24.
Then beginning with REV 19:1, we went back to the Church-age being mentioned.
Now, here is where we left off on Wednesday evening when we noted that……
Those who deny the Rapture, (those involved in Calvinism; Lutheran; Presbyterians; Roman Catholics; (not all but some) promote cleaning up the world and to usher in the kingdom of God.
However, notice what our Lord said beginning in…..
JOH 18:33 Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"
JOH 18:34 Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"
JOH 18:35 Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what have You done?"
JOH 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." Or not of this world.
And then I dedicate verse 37, for those who teach that Jesus never claimed to be God.
However, let’s begin with JOH 18:33 Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"
JOH 18:34 Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"
JOH 18:35 Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what have You done?"
JOH 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
Next is a verse where our Lord claimed to be a King.
JOH 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
JOH 18:38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no guilt in Him.
Let me show you how subtle this teaching is.
They teach that Adam forfeited his lawful inheritance when he rebelled against God; GEN 3, when both Adam and the woman ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and evil.
GEN 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
GEN 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
They were told that they could eat from all the trees in the Garden, (hundreds or thousands) but not to eat of one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
If they ate from it then the original language says “muth, muth.”
“muth, muth” says the day that you eat from it you shall die spiritually and then eventually you will die physically.
Look at GEN 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;
GEN 2:17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die. "
”surely die is muth, muth = one death happens instantly, the second death happens over a period of time referring to physical death.
And when the Bible says in….
ROM 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord – it is talking about spiritual death not physical death.
This is why our Lord taught back in JOH 3:1-8, that there is a spiritual death and a physical death.
JOH 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
JOH 3:2 this man came to Him by night, and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
JOH 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
JOH 3:4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
JOH 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
JOH 3:6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
JOH 3:7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
JOH 3:8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Then, those who deny the Rapture teach that both Adam and the woman forfeited their lawful inheritance as well as Noah when his family ended up divided and rebelled against God; GEN 9.
GEN 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
GEN 9:2 "And the fear of you and the terror of you shall be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.
GEN 9:3 "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.
GEN 9:4 "Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
GEN 9:5 "And surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man.
GEN 9:6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.
GEN 9:7 "And as for you (Noah), be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it."
GEN 9:8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
GEN 9:9 "Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you;
GEN 9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.
GEN 9:11 "And I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth."
GEN 9:12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations;
GEN 9:13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.
GEN 9:14 "And it shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud,
Every time you see a rainbow, it is a sign that God would never destroy the world again until the end of human history.
And this is how the believer is to live his life;
Not only should we live our life in light of the time in which we are born, but we should also live for eternity.
It was one of our own who listens everyday who told me something that really stimulated my curiosity.
She told me about a saying that she would use to build up the one she is referring to.
It was something like this;
The reality of life is recognizing the reality of eternity.
The reality of eternity is recognizing that one day this old world would pass away and the earth and its work will be burned away and a new Earth will be accepted.
For in;
2PE 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a
thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
Now, in GEN 9:15 notice that the Lord said to Noah; And I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.
GEN 9:16 "When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." However, we know what happened.
I don’t know how many of you realize that Noah was given the same command as Adam.
Since it’s easy to get to go back to GEN 1:28.
Adam and the woman were was told in GEN 1:28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
However, go to GEN 9:1.
GEN 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
Therefore;
Satan received this inheritance when he caused Adam to sin.
He conquered the world in one day by Adam's default.
However, then they say that….
God restored the inheritance to His people when He defeated Satan on the cross; COL 2:13-15.
Back in the New Testament.
COL 2:13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
COL 2:14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
COL 2:15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
That’s all true except the fact that they take this passage to back up their erroneous views and take passages out of their context.
They teach that Christians are required to pursue the same program of world dominion which God originally assigned to Adam and reassigned to Noah.
But they apparently forgot what the Lord said to Adam.
GEN 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
Again,
Ignorance of dispensational truth, and an inaccurate understanding of the Word of God is the reason for the erroneous views.
They have been led astray and distracted to help Satan clean up his world and create further accusation against God.
When in reality God’s program for the human race is not to take over the world but is found in many passages such as;
1TI 2:3-4, This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
These conflicting views impact the "way" believers are involved in this present society.
And……
Each viewpoint produces different action as far as the Christian way of life is concerned.
The point of those who deny the Rapture is that:
They teach the victory of God's kingdom on earth during and continuous with our present era, the time in which we live.
They also teach that we are living in the Millennium and we have to take over the world now with things like peace treaties and all the lies that we see in socialism and communism and capitalism.
They think that we are in the Millennium and therefore we should do our part to "change" the world!
Now, a pre-millennialist, which is what we are, believes that Christ's intervening judgment will destroy the current society and then Christ will institute Millennial conditions.
And so most people who get involved with this
anti-rapture creature credit movement……
arrive at these views not from the study of scripture but by the romantic attraction of changing the world.
Some believe that their job is to rebuild our apostate civilization into the kingdom of God, and so pave the way for the coming Millennium.
So, Whether they think that we are bringing in the Millennium or that we are living in it now, they are totally deceived.
This, of course, contributes greatly to Satan's plan to try and counterfeit the Millennium and get individuals to help him clean up the world and make it a better place to live.
Remember that Satan's major objective is to be "like" God, as found in;
ISA 14:14 Satan said "I will make myself like the Most High"
This is actually one of the most important principles concerning Satan, and it also one of the least known principles about Satan.
This is why we are warned in
2CO 2:11 in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
Satan has deceived the world including the Christian church to make us think that he is totally opposite of God.
In fact…..
One of the meanings of 2TH 2:4 which says that Satan opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship, is that Satan makes you think that he is something that he is not, but really, he is!
First of all, he wants you to think that he doesn’t really exist.
In 1948 “LIFE” magazine published a piece titled “The Devil” by Whittaker Chambers which included the statement that,,,,,,
’The Devil’s cleverest wile is to make men believe that he does not exist.’
He wants you to think that he is this ugly looking creature with a red epidermis......
carrying a trident.....or a pitch fork,
having a forked tail.....with green eyes......
horns on his head and fangs from his mouth....
And this isn't the devil at all....
If the devil walked in here tonight, every single one of you ladies would swum or float right to him because the devil is the most beautiful creature whoever came from the hand of God.
And probably one of the most shocking things you will ever hear is the fact that the devil is not interested in getting people to sin.
He is vitally interested in getting you to perform human good.
And if you are a do-gooder living under the power of your old sin nature then the devil applauds you but he doesn't bother with you.
Satan is actively interested in putting down any believer anywhere who knows Bible doctrine.
Satan is interested in performing all the good he can and eliminating the bad.
Satan is not interested in immorality.
Immorality is embarrassing to him because he is the ruler of this world.
And as the greatest creature ever created, this world is an insult to his leadership.
Satan's plan is to get humans to produce as much human good as possible and to infiltrate the plan of God with human good.
The only way he can do so is to persuade believers to perform human good.
And…..He cannot do this to a believer who has a knowledge of doctrine but a believer who is ignorant of doctrine and therefore a sucker for human good every time.
Human good appeals to approbation lust!
Human good appeals to power lust.
Human good appeals to the O.S.N.
And, as far as most believers are personally concerned;
The only contact the devil will have with them will be the fact that they performed an X amount of human good to help the devil clean up his world.
Government, morals, education, art, commercialism, vast enterprises and organizations, and religious activity are included in the Satan's plan to deceive the human race.
In fact, The presence evil in the world is not due to Satan's intention to have it so but his inability to control the human race.
As Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary said.
"A serious question arises whether the presence of gross evil in the world is due to Satan's intention to have it so, or whether it indicates Satan's inability to execute all he has designed.”
The probability is great that Stan's ambition has led him to undertake more than any creature could ever administer."
This is why……
God's plan for the human race is not to clean up the devil's world, it is to offer salvation to the unbeliever and knowledge of doctrine to the believer.
What makes his deceptions so great are the overt similarities that he has with God.
Throughout history and prophecy there can be no doubt about the fact that the one thing Satan is after is worship from man.
And that's why he said to TLJC,
LUK 4:6 The devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
LUK 4:7 "Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours."
And that's why…..
During the Tribulation period the man of sin will demand the worship of the people of the earth or they will pay the penalty of death; REV 13:4-9
REV 13:4 and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"
REV 13:5 And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for forty two months was given to him.
REV 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
REV 13:7 And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.
REV 13:8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
REV 13:9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
Now skip down to REV 13:12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
REV 13:13 And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.
REV 13:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
REV 13:15 And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
Go forward to REV 14:9 And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand,
REV 14:10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
REV 14:11 "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
Next in REV 19:20.
In REV 19:20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
And that's why during the Tribulation period;
The man of sin will demand the worship of the people of the earth or they will pay the penalty of death.
In REV 19:20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
Now, Remember that;
The unregenerate and even regenerate humanity are said to be deceived by Satan.
And their delusion is both tragic and disgraceful because they don't have to be.
In REV 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world;
In REV 20:3 and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed {it} over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed;
Many religious leaders today have dreams of a transformed, regenerated world as a result of human effort by means of Christian service,,,,,
And Christian values and this is without foundation according to the word of God.
And this is a perfect description of what's going on today with most churches and with most Christians who are involved with trying to make the world a better place to live.
And this is what happens when individuals do not understand the importance of the Rapture position.
The Church is not here to help the devil clean up his world.
And Satan's deceptions in this area will continue until he is bound and consigned to the Abyss; REV 20:1-3.
REV 20:1 And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
REV 20:2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
REV 20:3 and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
But who will bind Satan and place him in the prison?
It is not the church or the believer that binds Satan, it is the Second Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so……..
There is a form of deception which has seized members of the human race so that they have failed to see the uncomplicated teaching of the Bible with respect to the course and end of evil.
Don’t let Satan trick you with his deceitful schemes.
For in 2CO 2:11, we read;
2CO 2:11 in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
Be Careful that you do not get involved with the Tree of knowledge of good and evil because evil is cleaning up the devil's world!
Be on the alert to the fact that Satan’s system of evil is to be like God: ISA 14:12-14; and to have a sound mind and be on the alert; 1PE 5:8.
1PE 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Now since we are in the book of Corinthians, be aware of Satan’s counterfeits that we need to be aware of in;
2CO 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
2CO 11:14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
2CO 11:15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.
This is why we constantly need to……
1JO 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
For those of you who live by your so-called guts or feelings and think that you would be able to recognize Satan’s ministers, remember the words of our Lord in HEB 13:2.
HEB 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
POINT 8. The Rapture and the Place of Human Good and Divine Good.
We begin with the warning
HEB 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
HEB 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
HEB 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
Notice that are spiritual senses have to be trained so that the form of deception that Satan uses to blind believers is that of negative volition toward doctrine.
So, When God declares the world to continue with increasing deception and to live in the lie until it is crushed by the infinite power of TLJC, there is little ground for any attempts to save the world or to transform it.
And that's exactly what those who reject the doctrine of the Rapture are trying to do, clean up, save and transform the world.
It's an amazing principle when you think of it!
Here is this world that abuses people, misuses them, takes advantage of them and yet people invest all of their time in trying to make it better.
But it's the same way even with people!
The ones you do the most for, take it for granted, become familiar with your treatment and expect it.
And then the ones who do the less for them get treated like kings!
The point is that most Christians are involved with movements and programs to try and make this world a better place to live.
And if you try to point out the danger, you are considered to be a heretic and even evil.
When in reality, these apostate believers are so influenced by evil that they cannot even see their very own deception.
As Isaiah said in ISA 5:20.
ISA 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Christians should not be involved in the attempted rescue of that which God has doomed to destruction which is this world system.
This world system is by its' very nature anti-God.
And again, this is a perfect description of what's going on in Christianity today.
God has doomed this world, under its present leader Satan to destruction and yet so many believers are working overtime to try and preserve the world that God has doomed.
And they are forgetting of course the fact that TLJC controls history.
Think of it....
Here is this world that the Bible describes as anti-god, and here are all these Christians sidetracked, minus doctrine, trying to clean up the "devils" world.
One of the greatest delusions Satan imposes is the supposition that only such things as society considers evil could originate with the devil, if indeed there is a devil at all to originate anything.
And…..
It is the Word of God which reveals the fact that governments, morals, education, art, commercialism, vast enterprises and organizations, and much of religious activity are all a part of the deception of Satan.
Satan even uses all the good which he can in the world to try and accomplish his goal which is to be equal with God.
What are the things he aims to accomplish?
He aims to be like the Most High!
And that is why,,,,,,,
The presence of evil in the world is not due to Satan's intention to have it so but the fact that Satan's ambition has led him to undertake more than any creature could ever handle.
The Bible teaches that the world system must be destroyed, not its evil alone, but all that is in it, both good and bad.
God will include nothing of Satan's failure into that kingdom which He will set up in the earth.
All the programs out today, whether Christian or non-Christian will be rejected when TLJC comes back to set up His kingdom.
And so, the Satanic lie is expanded to the point where its’ manifestation embraces all that is in the world and it is built on the one original idea which characterizes it all, namely, independence of God.
One thing that Satan promotes is independence from God.
He is the father of creature credit!
And today…..
Scores of believers are involved with trying to clean up the world and make it presentable for TLJC, when in reality they are helping the super creature genius, Satan himself!
Those of the world system are not influenced by God's word.
Even cosmic Christians are not influenced by Bible doctrine.
This reveals the far-reaching effect of the Satanic deception.
And so there you have the reason why many things that Christians are involved with are classified as evil.
They are not dedicated to doctrine.
They are not accurate in their doctrine.
They are not interested in doctrine.
They are too busy.
Too busy doing what?
Too busy cleaning up the devil’s world.
Too busy getting prayer back into schools.
Too busy because they are involved in politics!
Too busy blowing up abortion clinics.
Too busy killing doctors.
Too busy trying to make the world a better place to live.
Too busy sticking their nose into other people's business.
Too busy intruding into the privacy of other people.
Too busy destroying property.
Too busy trying to make this nation a "Christian nation" when we are a Client Nation.
In a priest or client nation to God, there exist all the concepts of freedom, including privacy, the sacredness of property and life, free enterprise, and little government with big people.
Yet evangelicals today want to pass laws which would, in effect, make all unbelievers outlaws.
His is wrong and evil.
Under freedom, people have the right to believe in Christ, to be evangelized, and to say no or yes to the Gospel.
People's rights must be protected whether we agree with them or not.
Furthermore, Believers in a client nation should be free to find their right pastor and learn the details of the PPOG from him, and as a result, to have a fantastic historical invisible impact.
In any client nation there are both believers and unbelievers, as well as many other religions besides Christianity.
There is no such thing as so-called "Christian laws, the standards for Christianity are found only in the PPOG and in our portfolio of invisible assets.
Therefore,
We have no right to interfere in the lives of others and dictate what they should wear, how they should think, or what they should say.
The impact of Christianity is found only in evangelism, yet few believers understand salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore,
To outlaw a certain segment of society because they do not adhere to Christian principles is a disaster.
To force a superficial theory of Christianity on all people becomes tantamount to tyranny.
We have the right to our opinions, but so do other believers and others who are involved in cults and religions or for that matter, even atheist have the right to believe what they want to believe.
We have no right to persecute or imprison such people.
The Bible clearly emphasizes that the impact of Christianity on a nation is definitely spiritual.
Christians have civil responsibility in military service, paying taxes, and in fulfilling certain civic responsibilities.
But This does not include violence, destruction of property, intrusion on the privacy of anyone, or any form of civil disobedience.
Yet Christian leaders in evangelicalism today are advocating civil disobedience.
The separation of church and state demands that the believer understand his role in society in terms of the will, plan, and purpose of God for the Church-age believer as a member of the royal family of God.
The spiritual impact of the PPOG not only opposes the present modus operandi of Christian activism, but assigns it to the arrogance of the cosmic system.
Another passage that proves a pre-tribulation Rapture is found in the great "object" of satanic attack.
According to REV 12, the object of satanic attack during the tribulation period is the woman, who produced the child.
REV 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;
REV 12:2 and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
REV 12:3 And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.
REV 12:4 and his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.
REV 12:5 and she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to god and to his throne.
REV 12:6 and the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by god, so that there she might be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
Approximately 3 and a half years!
Now, who is the woman mentioned in this passage?
It is a reference to Mary, the mother of our Lord.
In ISA 66:7 "Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy.
Or in;
ISA 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Therefore, the woman is a reference to Israel not to Jacob whose name was Israel!
Since this child is born to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, it can only refer to our Lord, the one whose right to rule because He is worthy!
Back to REV 3:20-21.
REV 3:20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.
REV 3:21 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
REV 3:22 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' Not to Israel but to thee church"
The one from whom our Lord Jesus Christ came from is Israel, not the Church!
However, he came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him in JOH 1:9-14.
JOH 1:9 There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
JOH 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
JOH 1:11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
JOH 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
JOH 1:13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
JOH 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
And at the time…….
Satan is cast out of heaven REV 12:9, and he goes forth having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time!
Let’s begin in REV 12:6.
REV 12:6 and the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by god, so that there she might be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. Or 3 and a half years.
REV 12:7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war,
REV 12:8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.
REV 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
REV 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night.
REV 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.
REV 12:12 "For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."
Now, The reason Satan turns against Israel can only be explained by the absence of the church.
The church has been the object of satanic attack throughout the Church age, .so why does Satan turn to Israel?
The reason is because the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ is gone so Satan's attack switches to Israel as well as the fact that the Restrainer has been removed as the Restrainer.
That would be God the Holy Spirit who has been removed at the Rapture.
One of the reasons why it is important to document the rapture accurately is that there are large movements in this nation which is based upon the belief that there is no Rapture!
This movement is called dominion theology or reconstructionism which teaches postmillennialist and anti-dispensationalists!
Explain:
These conflicting views impact the "way" believers are involved in this present society.
And each viewpoint produces different action as far as the Christian way of life is concerned.
The point of Christian reconstructionism is that it teaches the victory of God's kingdom on earth during and continuous with our present era.
Some even think that we are in the millennium and therefore we should do our part to "change" the world!
In fact, Some mis-interpret MAT 11:12 and LUK 16:16 and say that we are to take the kingdom that God has given us even by violence if necessary.
MAT 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.
LUK 16:16 "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
now, A pre-millennialist, which is what we are, believes that Christ's intervening judgment will destroy the current society and then He will institute millennial conditions.
Most people who get involved with this anti-rapture creature credit movement arrive at these views not from the study of scripture but by the romantic attraction of changing the world.
Many reconstructionist believe that their job is to rebuild our apostate civilization into the Kingdom of God, and so pave the way for the coming Millennium.