RAPTURE - WHAT is the Rapture? Joel Richardson End Times Conference Session 2

what exactly is the rapture and when will it happen does the bible actually tell us and give us an answer for that does the Rapture happen before the seven year period of tribulation starts or in the middle or at the end join us for part two of our end times timeline conference with Joel Richardson and he's going to help us make sense of all of this watch now [Music] all right welcome back to our end times timeline conference we are now on session two super excited for Joel Richardson to be with us all right we are going to talk about a very very controversial topic that makes everyone really happy I literally had a girl email me about a week ago said she really was hoping that I was listening to David Jeremiah because she disagreed with everything I was going to say and she refuses to come back to Bible study and I was so shocked I was like are you kidding so we are going to talk about this biblically we're not going to talk about this like uh the movie where we talked about Left Behind uh the Rapture isn't going to be like planes crashing and and trains and and the whole world's chaotic it it literally that's not even biblical so just so FYI on that so we're going to talk about that there's lots of emotions that come when we talk about the Rapture the bumper sticker says in case of rapture this car will be unmanned it seems to me that it should be that you put on the front of the car that's where the real danger is right you get him don't you Sean has your sense of humor it's the cutest thing okay so perhaps your kid out of the way um right but so talk to us about what exactly is the rapture so let's start there okay so first let's just say the word rapture comes from the Latin word like raptura which comes from the Greek word it's so where do we even get the word rapture the Greek is harpazo which kind of means to snatch or to to grab so you've got so you've got this reference that's where the word comes from and it's used specifically to describe the moment when Believers will rise to meet the Lord in the clouds now you go you know what is this all about so the origin of the term comes from Paul's comments specifically in first Thessalonians where he uses the Greek word hapazo again meaning to snatch or to cease and he also explains it in quite a lot of detail in First Corinthians 15. so these are two of the key texts we're going to look at these quite a bit now to understand this again whenever we want to understand what the New Testament teaches we want to First understand what does the Old Testament teach again the New Testament is really just commentary expansion on previously established Concepts so the Old Testament taught two concepts one is that the day is coming someday in the future when God when Yahweh would come from Heaven he would come from heaven in in anthropomorphic form by the way in the form of a man to save his people so again those who are biblically literate who are familiar with the promises of the prophets they knew someday God was coming from Heaven they also knew which we've already looked at that the day is coming when the bodies of the righteous dead would be raised up out of the ground Okay so the the the righteous that have died would be raised unto immortality so when Paul discusses the Rapture in the New Testament essentially what he's answering is he goes he goes guys so we know that God is going to come we know that the dead are going to be raised and we know those two things happen together he goes so what happens if we're still alive because all these dead bodies are coming up but what happens to us and that's where Paul goes let me explain what's going to happen if you haven't died yet and so that's really where the whole idea of this Rapture comes from so it's you know super popular again in Christian discussions because of left behind but we have to understand like get rid of all of this sort of Christian you know discussion that we've been raised on just get back to the founding like what was Paul talking about what was the first century Jew what were the questions that first century Jews and early Believers were asking and that's where Paul really kind of uh elaborates on it so first in Matthew 24 actually Jesus talks about this a bit as well but so in again the Olivet discourse Jesus's sermon on the end times in verses 29-31 we'll read through this Jesus said now pay attention because we're going to get into this in much more detail but overwhelmingly the vast majority of Christians today say that the Rapture happens before the tribulation before the seven years that's called pre-tribulation of pre-tribulationism we're going to talk about that this is what Jesus said people go what do you believe about the Rapture and I just read this and I go I believe that but immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened the moon will not give its light the Stars will fall from the sky the powers of the heavens will be shaken these are the cosmic signs then the sign of the son of man will appear in the sky and all the tribes of the Earth are all the tribes of the land will mourn and they will see again with their eyeballs the son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great Glory when he will send forth his angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together his elect from the four and from the Four Winds from one end of the sky to the other so here's Jesus talking about the rapture after the tribulation and then you've got Paul in First Corinthians he says but now Christ has been raised from the dead like he goes there was actually Christians in Corinth who goes I don't believe in the resurrection of the Dead Paul goes if you don't believe in the resurrection of the dead then your faith means nothing if there's no resurrection of the Dead Jesus hasn't even been raised and your whole faith is worthless and you're like giving up all the pleasures of this world for nothing and people that have died in Christ are just gone like he's like this is you can't get rid of the Resurrection this is everything because Christ has been raised from the dead and he calls Jesus the first fruits he's kind of the the first to rise from the dead and then he gets into some technical stuff for since my Man Came Death By One Man Came Death so also by a man will come the resurrection of the dead as in Adam all die so also in Christ all will be made alive but each in his order Christ so the first fruits that's Jesus he's first he has already been raised from the dead and then he says and after that those who are Christ's at his coming now here's where he he gets into the he goes but I'm going to tell you a mystery because you guys are going but what happens if we're still alive he goes we're not all going to sleep some of us are going to remain alive when he says sleep that's a euphemism for death he says but we will all be changed in the in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet the trumpet will sound the dead will be raised Immortal imperishable and we will all be changed and first Thessalonians 4 uh he kind of lays it out again in some detail I'm going to skip forward he goes guys I don't want you to be uninformed so Paul says listen up Christians don't be ignorant understand these things these are this is Christianity 101. he says concerning those that have fallen asleep those who believe the Believers that have died so that you won't grieve like the rest of the world who doesn't have hope because if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so God will bring with him when Jesus comes back who is with him those who have fallen asleep the pre-tribulational Rapture says that we get raptured up to heaven seven years later he comes back and we're with him Paul says the only ones that come back with him are those that have died right and Jesus said the Rapture happens after the tribulation so then he says this he says we say this to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the lord we who are believers and are on the earth and remain alive until Jesus comes we're not raptured out beforehand he says we will not go before those who have fallen asleep the Lord himself will descend from heaven there it is again with a shout with a voice of an archangel with a trumpet of God the dead those that are asleep those that have died they will rise first and then we who are alive will be caught up to meet them in the air in the clouds and will always be with the Lord after that Comfort one another with these words so that that's really the foundation for both the Old and the New Testament concept of the Rapture and we're going to get into it in a lot more detail okay so let's go and talk about what the differences are because there's a bunch of different different Rapture positions on this and um everyone here probably has at least one of them so just go through each one of them yep okay so you've got the and you know this is where people get confused especially you know if you're kind of new to this you've got the pre-tribulational view now these are all references to when people believe the Rapture happens with reference to the final seven years so the pre-tribulational Rapture believes and here's a timeline that the Rapture happens at the beginning of the seven years and then seven years later Jesus returns so the pre-trib guys they'll point to some passages that talk about is coming and they'll say well that's the Rapture they'll point to other passages that talk about is coming and say well that's the return of Jesus and it can be really confusing again this is overwhelmingly the most popularly taught idea concerning the Rapture by a lot of you know great guys names that you know we all know that are have very prolific teaching Ministries TV shows and churches and this type of thing again Left Behind series teaches this over 50 million copies in that series sold so you go like we've got like what less than 350 million people in the United States that's like one I mean that's like a lot of Christians have been discipled on Left Behind books and you know even just as Lisa said you know you have one someone says well I like this teacher and you don't agree with him I'm not coming like isn't this so biblical I'm of Paul I'm of Apollos I'm of Christ ooh you know and and Paul goes I want you to check the scriptures to make sure what I'm saying is biblical we should be students of the scriptures not students of a particular favorite teacher and play and and fight and choose teams we should be people of the book right I don't want anyone to be here Joel Richardson fan I will absolutely confuse you and let you down then you have the mid-tribulational Rapture especially when you tell jokes that's where it gets bad the mid-tribulational Rapture is um you don't really hear very many people that hold this anymore there are some but the idea is that the Rapture happens right in the middle of the Rapture when the Abomination that causes desolation is set up again it's kind of a minority view much much more popular View today is the pre-wrath rapture we're going to talk about this in a little bit more detail but the pre-wrath Rapture it's a little bit more technical essentially what it teaches is that the last three and a half years the Great Tribulation is broken up between the tribulation of Satan and then part of it is the wrath of God so they would say the first six SEALS or at least the the portion of the seals that take place in the last three and a half years that that we're here but sometime in there we don't know that's why I put the question marks we don't know when we're going to be caught up and then the Lord will blow the trumpets pour out the bowls of wrath of God on the earth on unbelievers and so that's called the pre-wrap very very popular and to a degree I kind of hold this view but I hold a modified version of it I think this view look every view has some problem texts that are difficult to explain and I think this one I have some some texts that are difficult to explain but then sometime later well so the idea is we're raptured we go up to heaven for a little bit and then he comes back sometime and and wipes out the Antichrist at Armageddon kills the Antichrist at Armageddon so that's the pre-wrath Rapture then you have the post tribulational Rapture now this was the view of the early church um the idea is basically that the Rapture and the return of Jesus are one in the same they happen at the same time at the end of the seven years this classic post-tribulational view also has some problems I personally hold to a view that's kind of a combination of the pre-wrath and the post-tribulational uh view I'm not going to get into it it gets technical the difference between these two it's it's really minor because here's the thing when we look at all of these you can get into all of the technical issues what does the Bible say and what about the seals and the trumpets of the book and we can argue this forever but from a pastoral perspective like but how does this affect believers both pre-raph and post-trib are preparing the church to face the Antichrist and the tribulation one of them says we we leave you know a little bit earlier than the other one it's like an inch difference um I have such a big mouth I'm sure I'm going to get beheaded before the end anyway so it doesn't really matter to me like from a pastoral perspective the point is the church needs to be prepared for what's coming the the real danger and we'll talk about this in my opinion the pre-tribulation Rapture is overwhelmingly taught it appeals to the flesh it appeals to the American gospel which does not teach us to take up our cross does not teach us to endure patient tribulation it kind of does and it kind of doesn't and it tells us that we will not live to see the Antichrist the potential there now if I'm wrong let's just game this out if I'm wrong and I get raptured at the beginning worst case I'm pleasantly surprised I'm like fantastic you know what I mean like I hope I'm raptured tonight like I'm all for it I'm Pro pre-trip I'd even wouldn't mind getting run over by a truck tonight for that matter but that's beside the point everyone wants to be with Jesus worst case I'm pleasantly surprised but if the vast majority of American and Global Christians who if we're to be honest hardly read their Bibles they just listen to a sermon if they go I'm never going to see it and then I'll sudden it happens the potential for confusion potential even shipwreck of faith deception it's it's a legitimate pastoral concern and again the scriptures are very clear that there is no pre-tribulational Rapture that I respect and love a lot of these guys that teach it um but it's it's not in the it's not in the scriptures so to me I don't really care I I you know I don't theology Geeks we like to debate you know pre-wrath post-trib let's get into the details we can do that forever for the most part there's such a small difference and it that would certainly be one of the dumbest issues in the world to like actually fight about but the point is we need to be prepared for what's coming and so that's kind of an overview as well as some of the uh practical ramifications and implications and that was really why we wanted to do this conference my heart and I know it is on your heart that where we as a church are absolutely not prepared for any of this if we think we're going to be raptured out of here yeah it's going to be like yeah whatever all right so let's go to question number nine we often hear that the Rapture is imminent people tell me this all the time oh no I just I was at a church last week and the pastor gets up and he says um we're just waiting for Jesus's return he's coming back any day and I almost wanted to punch him in the face okay sorry that's hard but I mean it's like it's like please stop telling people that because that gives really false hope and because it's not it's like the Rapture is not imminent so talk about that yeah so are you scared now to sit by me that I'm gonna punch you in the face I want to punch people in the face all the time so all right so here's a quote from John MacArthur again great amazing teacher he says the New Testament is consistent in its anticipation that the return of Christ might occur at any moment so the idea is like at any time in church history thousand years ago today tomorrow right now it could happen now you know like that's the idea like any moment there are no signs that's the doctrine of imminence um here's another quote from the same article he says from the very earliest days of the church the apostles and first generation Christians nurtured in Earnest expectation and fervent hope that Christ might suddenly return at any time to gather his church to heaven now let me say this I partially agree with Pastor John but what he's specifically saying I disagree there has always been throughout church history this sense of urgency the sense of expectation but the idea that we could be raptured suddenly without any preceding signs is Thoroughly unbiblical and the early church never believed this this is we're going to actually I've we probably won't read them all but I've included a whole bunch of quotes you'll often hear people today say all of the early church writers were pre-trib that is a flat out Brazen lie I will debate anyone publicly over this issue it is a lie I've had I've You Know spoken in conferences I was a conference like 7 000 people and I'm sitting in the front row and the Pastor's going like all of the early church were pre-trib okay dummy dummy and I'm just sitting there going like you have no idea what you're talking about right now like I can quote these guys off the top of my head and you're misquoting you know I'm just there's like this kind of weird like hostility over this if you don't believe this like you're rejecting basic Christian doctrine I'm going let's look at let's be bereans let's look at what the scriptures say now let me explain what I mean when I say I agree well first we've got some verses these are some of the verses that are cited as evidence biblical evidence for imminency James 5 8 says you too be patient stand firm because the Lord's coming is near okay I agree with that I just don't think it teaches imminency Titus 2 13 we wait for the Blessed hope the Glorious appearing of our God and Savior Jesus Christ I go yeah that's the Blessed hope the problem is that's not talking about a pre-tribulational silent Rapture that's talking about his glory in glorious means in radiating Shining Light like the sun his appearing to the whole world this is when he returns and comes in radiant shining Glory this is not where he comes to snatch up you know from a pre-tribulational perspective snatch up the Believers and then come seven years later our blessed hope is his return again and the resurrection that comes with it therefore keep watch Matthew 24 because you don't know what day your Lord will come we're going to look at that verse specifically in some more detail therefore keep watch because you don't know the day or the hour so imminence is taught by those who teach the pre-tribulational Rapture as I said is entirely unbiblical Paul specifically said he stated clearly the Rapture the day of the Lord and He linked those two together the coming of the Lord and the Rapture he says they cannot happen unless the apostasy and the revealing of the Antichrist comes first so first let's look at this some of these we're going to read over and over again but it's good to to do so second Thessalonians 2 1-4 Paul says now we request you Brethren with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him so he links the coming of our Lord and are being raptured into one thing and he says so that you won't be quickly shaken you won't get upset Disturbed or you know from someone that has a you know a message or a letter to the effect that the day of the Lord has come so now he says the coming of the Lord and our being gathered together to him he calls it the day of the Lord and then he says let no one in any way deceive you for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed the son of Destruction like again I love and respect these guys I don't know how you can get around this like it's so clear and now again there's articles that'll be you know 15 pages that'll explain this doesn't really mean what it appears to say you know and I'm just a big I'm a simple guy and I'm a fan of Simplicity if you need 15 pages to explain why something doesn't actually mean what it doesn't seems to say to everyone who reads it I go my dad was a commercial fisherman you know he would be like yeah that's that's a bunch of crap you know I mean like I kind of just like that you know I'm saying like you know it when you uh you know it when you see it now the terms the day of the Lord the coming of of the Lord Jesus so so here's where I agree with Pastor John is these are euphemisms to refer to all of the events that surround the return of the Lord so how did the apostles how did the early church what what how were they living out this urgency and expectation there's really two things that that they were um warning of they wanted the church to be prepared to face the great tests and tribulations that proceed his coming again use the analogy of birth the birth can come at any time but the birth doesn't come without birth pains first they understood that they're like be ready because Jesus can come in any time but that means be prepared for the tests and the trials of your faith that will come with it beforehand it was not just something that just happens apart from birth pains and also and this is very important to make sure all of us be ready be prepared to make sure that we are in the faith test yourselves test your actions test your life are you living according to the things you say you believe because if you're not you might be deceiving yourself you know listen we we we look out we're like you know the public school teachers politicians the mainstream media they're liars and I'm like yeah there's like a lot of deception out there but the biggest deception that we need to really watch for are the lies that we tell ourselves that's like the biggest danger and so the message of the Apostles is check yourselves test yourselves that you are in the faith because when he comes back the Hypocrites will be assigned the Lake of Fire and and just because you go to church and call yourself a Christian doesn't mean that you're necessarily living in truth and so he says be prepared because the Lord could come it could come suddenly the trials and the tests that will precede it and the Judgment that follows when he returns are very and people go but one saved always saved I said the confession I'm like yeah but you're committing adultery you're an alcoholic you're addicted to pornography on and on and on but you go to church on Sunday that doesn't mean you're okay check yourselves right so this is for all of us and so this this is what the early church and the apostles meant when they when they said like they had this sense of urgency be prepared be prepared and this resounds down through history for all of us right so that's what it means okay that's that's where I go I agree with it I don't even like the word imminency I like the word urgency live with the sense that this could come suddenly rapidly you don't and even just forget the Great Tribulation like your tribulation could come tomorrow could come today you could get a car accident you know what I mean get stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of your life and that's the trial like be prepared for tribulations and maybe the Great Tribulation be prepared to face antichrists be prepared to face the Antichrist like this is again Christianity 101. so and then further oh so here's just some of the verses I'm going to actually skip over these that where they're communicating this they're like the whole world they're like oh peace and safety woohoo you know it's funny this very specific phrase he goes like the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief for those that are unprepared and he goes while the world is saying peace and safety and multiple times and you know God bless them but when George Bush W was President he would say he would quote this peace and safety and then he would say in our time and I'm like he's almost directly quoting II Thessalonians while they're saying that sudden destruction will come upon him in other words all of a sudden they're like honey the bird veins are here you know what I mean my water just broke ah you know like you just you don't know when it's coming and it Paul goes right when they're saying everything's great suddenly the birth pains will come so that's for those that are unprepared so you get that type of a language in Matthew 5 John the Baptist and this was um one of the passages when I got saved the preacher was preaching from the words of John the Baptist the acts at the root of the tree has already been laid therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance for every branch that does not bear fruit will be cast Into the Fire like these are the warnings of the prophets in in John the Baptist and Jesus and the apostles but here he's baptizing the Pharisees come out he goes you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the Wrath to come he's going you're coming out here repenting to be baptized who warned you but how do you escape the wrath to come through repentance that's that's the whole point so you get that kind of imagery now think about this the thing about the logic of imminency in order for the Rapture to happen and then the seven years to unfold the Antichrist will establish a covenant with Israel and re-establish sacrifices in order for that to happen Israel needed to be re-established as a nation how can you say before you know like let's say a hundred years ago before Israel was even a nation it was just like a wasteland largely occupied by Arabs and a very few number of Jews how can you say that there are no signs that need to be fulfilled the Rapture couldn't have happened before last century because there are signs in the prophets which have to take place before these events can unfold and and I've you know I've thrown this out to some of the guys I won't say names and they just said well Israel could be established in a night in one day like what are you talking about this thing took like 50 years you can't just re-establish a nation suddenly like that like that's just strange it doesn't that doesn't make any sense so and that's just one example that's one issue why just imminency is just as it's taught by the pre-tribulational crowd it's not biblical I agree with them in terms of the church had this sense and it could happen at any time it could happen suddenly it could happen rapidly and we need to be prepared for that but that didn't mean the Rapture can happen no you know like that was just never never part of the story so okay now okay number ten uh many churches in the United States believe that the Rapture is the next thing on the prophetic timeline we talked about this Millions have read the Left Behind series uh you know Jack Hibbs Greg Laurie uh you know here's my my question I don't know where we if I ask this now or if we do this later why why is it that these guys believe this like it makes noise like we see in the Bible it makes perfect sense here is there did they start on this like many many years ago like this whole pre-tribulation Theory like where did this come from I think I'm getting ahead of the place but go ahead there's a big history here and I'm not sure if I get into this I know I feel like we do but I don't remember because yeah we get into it another question but by the way she put the names in there I didn't put the names in the question oh did you not put them up there no no no she put jack you put jack I I would have just said well there's a whole bunch of them and you know what I mean no these are good guys but yeah they're very adamant Greg Laurie for what it's worth is now actually left Calvary Chapel he's Southern Baptist Jack Hibbs is I think he's still the point is a lot of these out west particularly you know California Calvary Chapel dominates and as a denomination um Chuck Smith Etc like you have to be pre-trip like it is a like you have to sign a statement that says I'm pre-trib I by the way I run into a lot of calories and they like pull me aside and they're like I'm not pre-trip you know like like I can actually there's a handful um and uh you know it but it's weird it's like you and I'm going that's like a weird like of all the doctrines out there you have to sign a statement that says you believe the rapid Rapture happens here on the timeline I'm like I don't know just it's a weird thing but there's a history there which we'll talk about let's just talk about whether or not it's biblical so I'm going to make a very strong statement there's not a single verse there is not a single verse in the Bible that teaches a pre-tribulational Rapture just the opposite and actually leading pre-tribulational Scholars will admit this they'll say it's a doctrine that is inferred from so they'll say for example the Bible teaches imminency which we just discussed they'd be like because the Bible teaches imminency there must logically be a pre-tribulational Rapture you go where's the verse they go well there's no explicit verse it's inferred so the guys that are real Scholars will admit this but the average person that goes to the church gets everywhere in the Bible and I go show me a verse and they're like you're an idiot you know like or here's a chart or here's a video you know and I go just don't send me a link to a video show me the verse you know because this is the verse that did it for me the one you have in Matthew 29. so as we've already seen Jesus clearly places the Rapture after the tribulation again I was at this big conference and I you know look when I'm in a man's house I respect that man if I go to conference and the teacher's pre-trib I just don't touch it but I went to this conference years ago in Minneapolis and you know maybe a thousand people there and I didn't know they were pre-trib and I got up and I just started like hammering pre-trib and um man I I then this other guy got up and did a whole message rebuking me it feels so funny but I just go guys like sorry but let me just read this you know because someone asked me the question they go what do you believe about the Rapture I said let me just read the words of Jesus immediately after the tribulation of those days he will gather together his elect from the Four Winds from one end of the sky to the other I said that's what I believe that's all I said I just read it I said that's what I believe and um and a firestorm ensued but let's look at some more Paul tells us I'm going to spend a few minutes on this question this is important let's look at the scriptures together Paul tells us that Christians should expect relief from trials and tribulations of this age specifically again the pre-tribbers teach that Jesus comes in the clouds and we're raptured and it's it happens in a twinkling like the world probably won't notice he doesn't come in blazing fire with his angels in glory he comes and kind of quietly snatches us then later he comes back in blazing fire and glory with his angels Paul tells us that we will receive relief specifically when Jesus comes in flaming fire if the pre-tribulational Rapture was true we would have received relief seven years prior to when he comes in flaming fire so in second Thessalonians chapter one Paul says we speak proudly of you among the Churches of God because of your perseverance of faith in the midst of all the persecutions and afflictions that you endure because you guys are enduring all kinds of afflictions that's great you're a great example this is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you're going to you're considered worthy of the kingdom of God because you're not turning back and he says for which indeed you are suffering here look at this is Christianity he commends them for suffering for the kingdom of God he goes for only all it's only just that God he's going to repay with Affliction those who are afflicting you and to give you relief to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when does relief from Trials happen when the Lord Jesus will be revealed that's apocalypsis the apocalypse when he's revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire that's when relief comes when he appears visibly and we see him in flaming fire that's when the Rapture happens that's when relief comes not seven years prior it's clear and I I'll throw this out and and just the weird answers I get they're just like that doesn't have anything to do with us it's saying that we get relief in the sense that the people that persecuted us that's when they get punished and so but we receive relief seven years earlier but this is when we you know I'm just like just like stop like it's so clear you're making a fool of yourself like but I mean and then you're a jerk and I'm like I'm sorry I'm from Boston foreign my family's just allowed a bunch of not just Italians we get our new bodies when Jesus returns not seven years earlier okay First Corinthians 15. now Christ has been raised from the dead we've already looked at this he is the first fruits he's the first to be raised from the dead among those that died he goes percent you know I won't read it through again he goes it's all going to happen in a particular order Christ after those who are Christ at his coming oh whoops I didn't I left out the most important part that's where he says Christ will bring with him those who are asleep so those that have died come with him from heaven and then we who are alive are caught up to meet him like how do you get around that it's clear it's explicit the Rapture happens when he returns when he comes Paul specifically tells us the resurrection happens after the apostasy and the Antichrist we've already looked at that a few times will you stop for a second and talk about that when we get we give up with the apostasy because this actually scares me a lot for for people because I like they don't realize like and I feel like this is going to happen to so many Christians who don't know the Bible because they don't they have no idea what and they're going to walk away so I mean the old I mean not the old the the what is Paul talking about here he's he's referencing the Olivet discourse where Jesus did make one of the most terrifying statements in Scripture and um so in the Olivet discourse Jesus says then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death look look at how divided the country is right now look how much we hate each other look at Facebook look at social media political Seasons it's like it's just it's crazy like we're like teetering on Civil War and the Bloodshed hasn't really even started yet you wait till the Bloodshed starts listen you know the past decade or so you know work in the Middle East a lot I watched as Syria it was a beautiful Nation beautiful Nation you had Sunni Muslim Shia Muslims you've got Christians you've got druze you've got alawite Muslims you've got Kurds they're ethnic uh then you've got Arabs all these all live together relatively relatively peaceful and then what started again now it's been uh 11 years ago in the South you had protests we had protests against the government mistreating the sunnis the alawite government was mistreating the sunnis and the protests became riots the riots became a civil war here we are 10 years later a million people dead all together about 8 million displaced people's refugees cities destroyed in rubble and then Americans we go well those people are crazy that could never happen here we're like a few steps into it we're teetering on the brink but when everything ramps up is when the Bloodshed starts and that's when there's there's the point of no turning back then they will deliver you to tribulation put you to death and you will be hated by All Nations for my name's sake and then many will fall away Jesus said many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another you'll have all kinds of false prophets this and that and he actually says because of lawlessness will be increased the love of most will grow cold like that's terrifying people be like it's impossible to fall away and I'm like again let me just read the words of Jesus many will fall away and you go no but I was told once they've always saved it's impossible to fall away and I go what about the pastor that just renounced Christ and his successor that renounced Christ and this worship leader that renounced Christ and this other worship leader that just ran off with another woman who's a pastor's wife did they fall away well they weren't Christians in the first place like really because they were faithful at the prayer meetings for 15 years worshiping and giving themselves so then you go what's the difference between them and you so like I understand the concept if you're calvinist once saved always saved if you wrestle with condemnation oh no I I you know like I I stumbled I think God's rejected me you know this type of thing like look the Lord no one can snatch you out of his hand like there's those promises but there's also the dynamic throughout the scriptures that says watch yourselves don't think that you aren't just as susceptible as that guy and Jesus says when things get bad there's going to be a great falling away okay so that's what Paul's talking about he's going there's going to be the apostasy there's going to be the Great Tribulation there's going to be betrayal the love of most will grow cold we're already kind of there right now we're all simmering we're angry like is this guy a Democrat is he a Republican are you Maga are you do you want to kill me um yes she does she wants to punch him in the face so that's what Paul's talking about here he says the day of the Lord the return of Jesus our gathering together cannot happen until the Antichrist is revealed first but let's look at a few more scriptures the Bible says specifically Jesus will remain in heaven until he returns and does two things restore all things and come back and crush his enemies like grapes okay in Acts 3 21 Peter preaching he says Jesus whom Heaven Must receive until what the Rapture when he comes down to Rapture every no until the restoration of all things about which God spoke through the mouth of the Holy prophets long ago Hebrews 10 says Jesus after offering one sacrifice for sins forever sat down at the right hand of God he is now they're in heaven waiting until what until he comes back and raptures the church no until his until the time comes for him to crush his enemies under his feet like a footstool or like grapes he will remain in Heaven until he comes back in Vengeance and and the Rapture and him coming back it's portrayed in scripture as a singular event every single verse in the Bible that talks about these it's really clear it's really explicit the preacher of rapture says that Jesus leaves heaven to Rapture the church seven years before these things I I can't get around the fact that it's a clear violation of the word of God the pre-tribulational raps are also specifically violates the high Priestly prayer of Jesus who prayed for believers not to be removed from the world but rather to be kept from the evil one look at this John 17 Jesus says I do not ask and I've I've got this is verse 15 and 20. I've got I've put two sections together read the whole thing I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them you preserve them from the evil one and then who he was just talking about the disciples and a couple verses later I do not ask on behalf of these alone but for those also who will believe in me through their word this is for everyone Jesus goes I'm not trying I don't want to remove them from the world I want to preserve them from the evil one that's always been his pattern he doesn't just pull us out of here the pre-tribulational Rapture teaches that the first this is critical the first resurrection happened seven years before the Bible says the first resurrection happens revelation 20. pay attention I saw Thrones and they that sat on them and the Judgment was given to them I Saw The Souls of those who had been beheaded they had their heads chopped off because of their testimony of Jesus because of the word of God those they did not worship the beast that's the Antichrist or his image they didn't receive the mark of the beast on their forehead or on their hand so these are those that lived through the tribulation they were martyred they came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years this is the first resurrection this is the first resurrection no no the first resurrection happens before people are beheaded and martyred and they have to take them no it says the people who did not take the mark of the beast and were killed are raised to life that is the first resurrection and and then one guy explained it he goes well the first resurrection has multiple Parts ah so this is first resurrection B type of explanations that you get no no it is it's multiple over first you know when I hear though too though too well these are the questions after the pre-trib Rapture and then they they got saved and that's who these people are so but it says it's the first resurrection so what are you talking about sorry see it's the Italian I'm just saying that that's that's what that's what I'm saying I'm just like that's not what the Bible says is they would say so the pre-trib Rapture would say that there are tribulation Saints well that's why they write these books what to do or they have websites what to do if you got left behind so we'll we'll apparently read the websites get saved yeah okay we have to take another Break um and then we're going to come back and we're going to talk about all the pre-trip verses the literal verses like okay well where are they getting this from they say the verse but let's look at them in context let me read one last verse go for it and then the pre-trib Rapture you can't get around it teaches two comings it teaches that there's one sort of Silent coming and then the Glorious coming Hebrews 9 27 inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and then comes the Judgment the idea is you'll only get one chance to live and then you're judged Christ also having been offered once to Bear the sins of of many will appear a second time for salvation for those who there's not two comings there's one coming so [Music] thank you

Channel: Women's Bible Study

Views: 21,183

Keywords: Women's, Bible, Study, womens bible study, bible study, End Times, End Times Conference, Joel Richardson, Rapture, Pre Trib, Post trib, Mid trib, Pre wrath, Pre tribulation rapture, Post tribulation rapture, Anti Christ, Mark of the Beast

Id: XfUhtx3mnGU

Length: 47min 34sec (2854 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 04 2023