Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
020521
First thing that takes place after the rapture is the Big Genuflex.
We begin with 1TI 3:16 And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness [or Christ living in a human] : He who was revealed in the flesh [in the human body], was vindicated or justified in the Spirit, Beheld by angels [in the angelic conflict], Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory [His ascension, resurrection and Session].
1TI 4:1 But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly says that in later times some [believers] will fall away from the faith [fall away from doctrine] , paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
We are now ready for another major doctrine that is extremely important for us to understand and that is the Doctrine of what is known as THE BIG GENUFLEX.
Point 1. Definition and Description. The Big Genuflex is the interim event between the Rapture and the Judgment Seat of Christ.
By interim I mean the in between state of the winner individuals being Raptured and then receiving their divine blessings for serving the Lord, there is a time that all of us.
Therefore, it is a time for both the glorification of the Father's plan and the recognition of our Lord's battlefield victory which was bestowed on Him at His session.
This explains the phrase “every tongue shall confess to God.”
What is confessed is the fact that our Lord's royalty demands the resurrection believers of His royal family all say thank you for what He has done for us.
This is told to us in 1JO 3:1-2, See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
1JO 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.
Therefore, in resurrection body the entire royal family will identify the Head of the family, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.
In our moment of greatest happiness we will be talking about the Lord Jesus Christ and be totally in awe of Him.
This explains the relationship between Rom 14:11 and Phil 2:9‑11.
For example, in Rom 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”
In PHI 2:9 Therefore also the God has highly exalted Him to the maximum, and bestowed on Him the name or rank which is above every name,
PHI 2:10 in order that at the title of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
PHI 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So the Big Genuflex is the moment of maximum +H for all believers which is perpetuated forever .
It is followed by the Judgment Seat of Christ or the distribution of the blessings of the winner believers.
And we make that happiness meaningful by receiving our eternal rewards and decorations.
First of all, when REV 4:1 says After these things I looked, and behold, a door {standing} open in heaven, what is the apostle John referring to?
After these things speaks of the seven churches mentioned in Rev 2 and 3.
In REV 2:1 ”To the angel of the church in Ephesus
REV 2:8 ”To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
REV 2:12 ”To the angel of the church in Pergamum”
REV 2:18 ”To the angel of the church in Thyatira”
REV 3:1 ”To the angel of the church in Sardis”
REV 3:7 ”To the angel of the church in Philadelphia”
Then notice in REV 3:14 ”To the angel of the church in Laodicea.”
Now, after the apostle John got the attention of the seven churches in Rev 2 and 3, notice the first verses mentioned in REV 4:1.
REV 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven [Rapture], and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”
This is when the Trumpet blows and the dead in Christ all rise up to heaven.
REV 4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.
That is TLJC in His Session.
REV 4:3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
REV 4:4 And around the throne were twenty‑four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty‑four elders [presbuteros or winner pastors as found in 1Pe 5:1] sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.
If you don’t believe that look at 1Pe 5:1 Therefore, I [Peter] exhort the elders [presbuteros] among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,
1PE 5:2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
1PE 5:3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.
1PE 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Now, back in REV 4:5 And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
REV 4:6 and before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
REV 4:7 And the first creature was like a lion [Matthew], and the second creature like a calf [Mark the worker];, and the third creature had a face like that of a man [Luke], and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle [John].
REV 4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
REV 4:9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,
REV 4:10 the twenty‑four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
And the they all are in union with the statement in REV 4:11 ”Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created.”
So the Big Genuflex is a great time of celebration, however, you won't lose this fantastic happiness at the Judgment Seat of Christ even if you receive no reward, due to your failure in life.
Point 2. Jesus Christ has three categories of royalty.
Divine royalty. He is coequal with the other members of the Trinity. His title is “Son of God.”
Jewish royalty. Mary is descended from Nathan; Joseph from Solomon. His title is “Son of David.”
Battlefield royalty. The first and second royalties combine to form a third royalty at the cross.
At the cross, our Lord received the judicial imputation of our sins, which provided salvation for all mankind, and was the strategic victory of the angelic conflict.
This victory plus His resurrection, ascension, and session is the basis for our Lord's battlefield royalty.
This unique royalty establishes Christ as the ruler of both regenerate man and elect angels forever.
His title is “King of kings and Lord of lords,” this new battlefield royalty explains several passages in Revelation where Christ returns with the bride to be acknowledged by all; e.g., Rev 19:12.
Rev 19:12 And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself.
Our Lord's new royal title is revealed in Scripture, Rev 19:16, as being “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
Point 3. At the Big Genuflex, we will acknowledge Christ's battlefield royalty together with all of creation.
We can understand the confession of the royal family immediately following the Rapture based on the concept of Christ's battlefield royalty, for we will be in total awe of Him.
Our praise of our Lord's strategic victory is our recognition of what Christ accomplished from the cross to the session.
The tactical victory will then be recognized at the Judgment Seat of Christ by the imputation of eternal rewards to all mature believers who will glorify Christ forever, Isa 53:4,11-12.
Blessing and rewards which glorify Christ fulfill prophesies in the Old Testament.
Isa 53:12b ”Then He will distribute the spoil to the great ones.”
Christ was willing to suffer on the cross that we might share in the plunder of His victory.
So the Big Genuflex, our acknowledgment of Christ in eternity, will be the greatest moment of worship in history, full of great singing.
In time, we acknowledge Christ by our daily intake of doctrine.
Now, remember that there has always been and there still is an attack on the daily intake of Bible doctrine.
We live in a day and age when the kingdom of darkness has all kinds of influence with apostate believers who have a sounding board of some form or another.
And I'm not talking about unbelievers but believers being used by Satan to discredit doctrinal teaching and the believer's commitment to the daily intake of doctrine.
These individuals make it seem like you’re a fanatic if you take in doctrine daily, or that you are getting puffed up because of too much knowledge.
However, what does the scripture say?
In NEH 8:18, a revival was taking place in Israel because of the desire for doctrine from their teacher, Ezra, the priest.
And please notice what it says;
NEH 8:18 And he read from the book of the law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance.
We have also noted that TLJC made doctrine His delight on a day by day basis as well; PRO 8:30 Then I [doctrine] was beside Him, as a master workman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him,
Doctrine was a daily thing for TLJC and it should be a daily thing for us.
Doctrine also promises blessings to those who listen to it daily in PRO 8:34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts.
TLJC made it crystal clear that we would need the word of God daily to survive in Mat 4:4 and Luk 9:23.
Luk 9:23 And He was saying to them all, “if anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
TLJC also taught doctrine every day in Luk 19:47 And He was teaching daily in the temple; and the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him,
LUK 22:53 While I was with you daily in the temple,
The early church met daily and they were becoming strong in doctrine and increasing in number; Act 16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.
So, do not be deceived by individuals who are sent to try and stop your momentum in the PPOG which only comes from your consistent intake of Bible doctrine.
You can see why Satan loves to discredit the daily intake of doctrine.
PSA 145:2...”Everyday will I bless thee”
PSA 61:8...”I will perform my vows or my responsibilities daily”
PSA 72:15... ”Daily shall He be praised”
In fact PSA 119:164 says...Seven times a day I will praise Thee because of your righteous judgments.
PSA 1:2 ”But his delight [the mature believer] is in the Law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”
ISA 8:9 ”My Lord, I have called daily upon you.”
The apostle Paul cease not to warn everyone night and day in ACT 20:31 ”Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
Paul tells us in 2CO 4:16 that our inward man the new creature is renewed day by day, 2CO 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
The early church recognized the importance of this daily commitment also!
In ACT 2:46 the early church continued daily with one accord in the temple, ACT 2:46 And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple,
In ACT 5:42 they ceased not to preach and teach about TLJC daily in the temple, ACT 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
It's very sad in our day an age that there is such an attack upon the daily P.M.A. of B.D.
The average Christian church meets twice a week!
Where did they get that schedule from?
Well, I'll tell you where they didn't get it from, the Bible.
In 2CH 8:14, The Levitical priests would praise and minister daily.
In 2CH 31:16, They would enter the house of the Lord for their daily obligations.
In EZR 3:4, they offered burnt offerings daily, according to the ordinance, as each day required.
In JER 7:25, the Lord says ”Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all my servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them.
In ACT 19:9, the apostle Paul taught doctrine and reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
In HEB 10:11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering
HEB 10:25 says Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some,