WHERE IS THE RAPTURE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT? (Part 1 of 2)

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ACCURATE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE!
“WHERE IS THE RAPTURE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?” (Part 1 of 2)

QUESTION: “Hello ABM, I can’t find the word “rapture” in the Bible. What am I missing? Where is it?”

ANSWER: The word “rapture” is not in the Bible as it is a man-made title, but it is known by other names and phrases in the Bible. The word “trinity” is not in the Bible either, as the three persons of God are called “the Godhead” (Rom 1:20)

EXPLANATION:
There are two raptures that are ‘book-ended’ by the two advents of Christ coming to earth.

Rapture #1. The Christians before the 7 year tribulation
Rapture #2. The Tribulation saints at the end of the tribulation

There are at least twenty-eight references for the rapture of the Christians off the earth with five in Philippians, seven in 1Thessalonians, and two in 2 Thessalonians, three in 1Peter and four in the Timothy’s with mentions in Titus, 1&2 Corinthians, James and 1John.

LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING

THERE ARE FOUR APPEARANCES OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

1^st Advent

Rapture #1

The Lord comes FOR his saints

Rapture #2

2^nd Advent

The Lord comes WITH his saints

Christ comes to earth the 1^st time

Rapture of Christians - church age saints

before the tribulation

Rapture of the tribulation saints at the end of 7 yrs

The Lord Jesus Christ comes to earth 2^nd time at end of the tribulation

Matt 8:20; 9:6; 20:18

1Thess 4:15-18

2Thess 2:1-4,5-8

Matt 24:30-31;
Mat 24:40
Mat 24:41
Mat 24:42

Rev 19:14-16

Matt 26:64

Christ as the Son of man

Jesus comes in the air as the Son of God

the Son of man

Matthew 20:18

Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,

1 Thess 4:16-17

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, … and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:

Matthew 24:29-31

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Revelation 19:15-16

… mouth goeth a sharp sword, … smite the nations: … rule them with a rod of iron: … wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

The following is a further in-depth examination of the order of events of rapture #1 (2Thess 2:1-4,5-8)

… THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST…. OUR GATHERING TOGETHER UNTO HIM …THE DAY OF CHRIST

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by (2) the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by (3) our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that (2) the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for (2) that day shall not come, except there (1) come a falling away first, and (5) that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only (4) he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall (5) that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:” (2Thess 2:1-4,5-8)

See if you can follow the order of events as outlined in the above verses. As you can see in these eight verses, the order of events is (are) mixed up.

The following is the actual order of events:

(1) First

There is a falling away

(2) Second

Then Christ comes, the day of Christ

(3) Third

Our gathering together with him at the rapture

(4) Fourth

Then he (the Holy Spirit) which letteth (restrains) is taken out of the way

(5) Fifth

Then that Wicked, the anti-christ, the son of perdition, that man of sin, is revealed

The anti-christ is only revealed after the Christians are taken off the earth. Why? Otherwise Christins would take out front page ads in the newspapers warning everyone. Furthermore, it is to be the world that will be duped by the anti-christ posing as Christ. They won’t know the difference.

Part 2 will give you more scriptures that you can locate, for the rapture of the Christians, with an explanation as to who writes them and why – mainly Paul.

Harley Hitchcock

**** ****

www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com

Part 2
Dear Reader, please read on …

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