“WILL THERE BE TWO RAPTURES OR
A RAPTURE AND A TAKING?”
“WILL
THERE BE TWO RAPTURES OR
A RAPTURE
AND A TAKING?”
Dear
Reader, many years ago, in our earlier studies, we accepted that those
caught
up in the Christian ‘rapture’
(1 Thess 4:16-18) were one and
same as the
‘mill and field’ people (Matt 24:40-41).
We
then wrote an article or two, on there being two raptures … one
before
the seven year tribulation, followed seven years later by the ‘mill and
field’
ones (Matthew 24:40).
But
further study has revealed otherwise to our understanding.
Owing
to the exactness of the King James Bible English, we now
discover that
there
will be a Christian rapture
(1 Thessalonians 4:17) before the
seven year
tribulation, followed by the ‘mill and field’ ones being taken
(Matthew
24:40), like Noah (Matthew 24:37-39), seven years later at the coming
of the
Son of man (Revelation 19).
The
question is this: “ARE THE TAKEN ONES RAPTURED?”
Dear
Reader, we have simply studied the terms and various phrases
of Matthew
chapter 24 … to understand them in their time frame and context
… as follows …
1.
the sign of thy coming (Matt
24:3)
The
disciples would not have had any knowledge of the 2,000 years of our
current
church age, with Christ in heaven (Hebrews 10:12), but are wanting to
know the signs
of Christ coming again to earth as the Son of man as they knew him at
that
time.
The
word ‘signs’ only ever applies to Israel … not to
Christians.
Furthermore,
Paul’s gospel of
the kingdom
of God
of Christ’s
perfect works
and perfect
blood, would have been unknown to them.
They
knew however, that they were in Christ’s kingdom of heaven on
earth
with Christ’s perfect works and imperfect animal blood …
a works
gospel as outlined in Matthew 5-7 … explained further down this page
(Point 4).
2.
end of the world (Matt
24:3)
The
disciples wanted to know what the coming world events would be, that
would lead
to the end of the world … and that is what Christ is about to tell them
in
Matthew’s 24th chapter.
3.
endure
to the end
(Matt 24:13;
Matt 24:42-45,46-49,50-51 )
The
seven year tribulation … Daniel’s 70th week, will be a time
of works
salvation … a Jewish dispensation of temporary salvation
with
animal blood.
This
dispensation will reveal those who would show their works as worthy
like the
faithful and wise servant (24:42-51) … and in particular … the enduring
hunger … not taking the mark to buy and sell (Rev 13:17;14:9-10); wars
and
rumours of wars; famines, pestilences and earthquakes; the abomination
of
desolation setting up in their temple; fleeing to the mountains … in
short the
beginning of sorrows (Matt
24:8) and great tribulation (Matt 24:21) and false prophets (Matt
24:24) (Matt 24:6-7,15) … and so on.
4.
gospel
of the kingdom
(Matt 4:23; 24:14)
Christ
comes preaching the gospel of the kingdom (Matt 4:17, 23) …
outlined in
Matthew
chapters 5-7.
This
is not Paul’s gospel of the kingdom of God (Acts 16:31) but
Christ’s
gospel of bringing in his kingdom of heaven on earth.
CHRIST’S
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
that he wanted instituted on earth, can be
explained as follows … which had the disciples alarmed, saying “Who
then can be
saved?” (Matt 19:25)
Christ
preaches “If you (Israel) continue to believe that I, Christ, on your
behalf,
can fulfil not only the outward obedience to the OT ten
Commandments
(Matt 5:18) … but the inward ‘pure in heart’ requirements (Matt
5:8; Matthew
5:21-22,Matthew 5:24 Matthew 5:27-28
and so on) … plus you continue to shed
imperfect animal
blood in the temple for the remission of sins past
(Romans 3:25)
… plus not walk away but endure to the end (John 6:66; Matt
24:13) … you
will not burn in hell fire … but indeed
qualify yourselves for Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22-23) … and
then I
(Christ) shall come and take you into heaven (Ephesians 4:8) … whereby
your
redemption will be complete (Colossian 1:14). In short, your entry into
the
kingdom of God (Mark 1:14) will be via your passage through my kingdom
of
heaven here on earth.”
Further
to the OT law, Christ comes and applies the more exacting spiritual
‘heart’
screws of motivation and intent with his constitution … his
set of
rules … The Kingdom of Heaven Manifesto found in Matthew
5-7.
In
summary:
Christ’s
kingdom of heaven on earth was Christ’s perfect works +
imperfect
animal blood = entry only into Abraham’s bosom (and no longer
available
today).
Paul’s
kingdom of God is Christ’s perfect works + Christ’s
perfect
blood = entry straight into heaven
While
today, not everyone will have heard Paul’s gospel of the kingdom of God
(which
is the reason people say “The rapture can’t happen for many years
yet”), but in
the seven year tribulation, every body will have heard Christ’s gospel
of the
kingdom of heaven … and then the end of the world will come (Matt
24:14).
5.
him
in the field not to return back for clothes
(Matt 24:18)
This
reminds us of Lot’s wife looking back (Genesis 19:26).
These
‘two’ … the mill and the field ones … will be the worthy ones taken
(Matt
24:40) who have endured to the end (Matt 24:13) … not returning back
and not
being deceived and so on as outlined above.
6.
after
the tribulation
… sun darkened … (Matt 24:29)
The
battle at Armageddon then ensues (Matt 24:30) … described in Revelation
19.
7.
Son
of man coming in the clouds
(Matt 24:30; Matt 24:37,44)
As
Christ rose bodily into
heaven, he comes out of heaven physically as the Son of man …
as
with the Christian rapture when Christians bodily meet the Son of man
in the
clouds (1 Thess 4:16-17)
8.
this
generation shall not pass
(Matt 24:34)
There
have been all sorts of explanations of this.
Quite
simply, ‘this generation’ is the generation of Daniel’s 70th
week.
The
70th week Jews are the completion of the 69 weeks generation
(Daniel
9:24-27).
9.
As the days of Noe … so shall the coming of the Son of man be … Noe
entered the
ark … TOOK them all away … so shall the coming of the Son of
man be …
two in the field … one TAKEN … two at the mill … one TAKEN
(Matt 24:37-40,41)
These
taken will not be raptured like physical Christians to
meet the
physical Son of man in the clouds in the air (1 Thess 4:17), but as
like Noah
was taken into the ark, a type of Christ, these will also be taken
into
Christ as the Son of man when he comes to earth.
Questions:
“If
being taken (mill & field people) are the same as caught
up
(Christians), would God not use the same word for both populations?
“Why
couldn’t God say Christians will be taken instead of caught up?”
“And
vice versa, why couldn’t God say that the ‘mill & field’ people be
caught
up instead of being taken?”
The
answer lies in the different meanings of ‘caught up’ and
‘taken’ …
as follows …
(a)
The
term ‘caught up’ is for those who are ALREADY a
possession
of Christ as Christians are already a Christ’s possession.
Think
of it as being ‘caught’ as in a fisherman’s catch.
Christians,
as the ‘saved fish in the sea’, are already in Christ’s salvation net,
and will
simply be caught up out of the ‘world’s sea’ in Christ’s net … being
Christ’s
possession already.
They
will be raptured but not taken.
(b)
The
term ‘taken’ is for those who WILL be a
possession of
Christ … as they aren’t yet.
Conclusion:
1.
The
‘mill & field’ people are not Christ’s possession before he
comes in
Revelation chapter 19 (unlike Christians before the rapture) … until
they have
proved themselves by enduring to the end (point 3 above).
2.
As with Noah, taken seven days into the ark before the
deluge,
the enduring ‘mill and field’ taken ones can probably expect
something
similar … being taken into Christ before he pours his wrath out on the
earth.
Harley
Hitchcock
This
website’s front page is:
www.
THE RAPTURE AND THE 2ND COMING ARE NOT THE SAME
