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Series Code: TPP
Program Code: TPP000008A
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00:11 Well, welcome back, folks.
00:14 Glad you're here. 00:16 Do you think that what we've been studying is important? 00:20 I think it's vitally important that we understand these things 00:23 'cause we are living in the times of fulfillment 00:27 of many of these prophecies that we find in Daniel 00:30 and Revelation. 00:32 The title of our study at this moment 00:34 is Secret Rapture Fallacies. 00:38 But before we see what those fallacies are, 00:41 we want to ask for the Lord's guidance 00:43 and so I invite you to bow your heads as we pray. 00:47 Father in heaven, You have told us in Your Word 00:50 that we should rightly divide the word of truth. 00:54 We want to handle Your Bible with reverend hands. 00:58 We want to see what You want to teach us. 01:00 We don't want to inject into the Bible 01:02 what we wanted to say. 01:04 So we ask, Lord, 01:06 that as we study about certain secret rapture fallacies, 01:11 arguments that are used 01:12 that when we look carefully at them, 01:14 they don't square with scripture 01:16 that you will be with us in our study. 01:18 We pray this in the precious name of Jesus. 01:21 Amen. 01:25 I'd like to share with you the futurist belief 01:28 concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ. 01:32 Futurists believe 01:35 that the second coming of Christ 01:36 will be in two stages. 01:39 One stage will be that He will come 01:42 and those Christians who are ready 01:44 will be rapture to heaven, 01:47 where they will spend a period of seven years, 01:52 seven literal years. 01:54 After spending seven literal years in heaven, 01:58 according to this futurist view, 02:01 Jesus will return to the earth with all of the rapture saints 02:06 and he will set up His kingdom 02:09 here on earth for 1000 years. 02:13 And basically the reason why they believe this way 02:18 is because Jesus made two promises to His people. 02:24 First of all, Jesus made the promise 02:27 that He would take His people to heaven. 02:31 Did He make that promise? 02:33 You know, John 14:1-3, 02:37 "Let not your hearts be troubled. 02:39 You believe in God, believe also in me. 02:42 In my Father's house," where's the Father's house? 02:46 Our Father which art in heaven, 02:50 "in my Father's house are many mansions, 02:51 if it were not so, I would have told you, 02:54 I go to prepare a place for you. 02:56 And if I go to prepare a place for you, 02:59 I will come again and receive you to myself." 03:01 So Jesus promised to take His people to heaven 03:04 at the Second Coming. 03:06 But Jesus also promised 03:10 that the meek will inherit the earth. 03:13 So the question is, how can Jesus fulfill both promises? 03:17 How can He fulfill the promise to take God's people to heaven, 03:21 and at the same time 03:23 to give them the earth as their inheritance? 03:27 Well, those who believe in the rapture, 03:28 they say there's only one way in which God can fulfill, 03:34 Jesus can fulfill those two promises. 03:36 And that is, if He comes 03:39 seven years before His glorious coming 03:42 and He takes His people to heaven 03:45 for seven years that fulfills the first promise. 03:49 And then, after the seven years, 03:53 He brings them back to the earth, 03:55 and then the meek will inherit the earth. 03:58 So they say in order to fulfill those promises, 04:01 there has to be a pre-tribulation rapture. 04:04 Because if there isn't a rapture 04:06 before the Second Coming, 04:07 then if Jesus just comes to the earth 04:09 to stay on the earth, 04:11 He didn't fulfill both promises. 04:13 Seventh-day Adventists have a different view. 04:16 We believe that there's a different way 04:18 in which this can be fulfilled. 04:20 And that is that when Jesus comes a second time, 04:24 there will only be one stage, the glorious Second Coming. 04:28 He will come 04:29 and He will take His people to heaven for a 1000 years. 04:35 And then after the 1000 years, 04:37 He will bring them back to the earth 04:38 and the meek will inherit the earth. 04:41 So you don't have to invent a pre-tribulation rapture 04:45 in order for Jesus to fulfill both promises. 04:48 Jesus fulfills both promises 04:50 by taking His people to heaven for 1000 years. 04:53 And then by bringing them back, 04:56 making a new heavens and a new earth 04:58 and then the meek inherit the earth. 05:00 And I've heard Adventists say, 05:02 "I want to live eternally with Jesus in heaven." 05:05 You're wrong. 05:06 You're not going to live forever with Jesus in heaven. 05:10 You're going to live with Jesus a 1000 years in heaven. 05:14 And then you're going to come back to this earth 05:16 and Jesus is coming back 05:18 and the whole center of the universe 05:20 is coming back here, 05:21 and the meek will inherit the earth. 05:25 Now in our study, 05:26 we are going to look at seven futurist arguments 05:32 in favor of a pre-tribulation rapture. 05:37 And the first argument is based 05:40 on 2 Thessalonians 2:3. 05:45 Before we read verse 3, however, 05:47 I need to give you a little bit of historical background. 05:51 The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4 05:54 that Jesus would descend from heaven and then he said, 05:57 "And we who are alive and remain." 06:01 So the Thessalonians got the wrong conception 06:05 that the Apostle Paul was predicting 06:07 that he was going to be alive when Jesus came 06:08 because he says we who are alive and remain. 06:11 So the Thessalonians, they quit working 06:14 and they became fanatical, you know, and so on. 06:17 And so the Apostle Paul felt it necessary 06:19 to write them a 2nd epistle which is 2 Thessalonians. 06:22 And in 2 Thessalonians, he's going to explain to them 06:26 that the coming of Jesus is not imminent. 06:29 In other words, the coming of Jesus in his day 06:31 is not gonna take place real soon. 06:33 Something needs to happen before that transpires. 06:38 So he writes to them a 2nd epistle. 06:40 Now let's read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. 06:45 "Now, brethren, 06:47 concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 06:50 and our gathering together to Him, 06:52 we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, 06:57 either by spirit or by letter, 07:00 or by word, or by letter, 07:03 as if from us, 07:05 as though the day of Christ has come." 07:07 The Apostle Paul is saying the day of Christ has not come. 07:10 And then he's gonna go on to say 07:12 that something needs to happen before Jesus comes. 07:17 And that's found in verse 3. 07:19 Let no one deceive you by any means. 07:23 For that day, that is the day of the coming of Jesus 07:26 will not come 07:28 unless the falling away comes first 07:33 and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. 07:39 Now, you'll notice here that it says 07:40 that Jesus will not come 07:42 until the falling away comes first. 07:46 Now it's interesting to notice 07:49 that futurists such as Hal Lindsey says 07:54 that the expression falling away 07:57 needs to be translated 08:00 the departure or snatching away. 08:04 And he applies that to the rapture of the church. 08:08 In other words, the falling away is not really an apostasy, 08:12 the falling away is simply a snatching away 08:16 or the departure of the saints from the earth 08:19 at the moment of the rapture. 08:21 That's the way that he translates the word 08:25 falling away, 08:27 which is actually one Greek word. 08:29 I checked as many Bible versions as I could find 08:32 to see if it would be proper to translate snatching away 08:37 or the departure of the saints to heaven at the rapture. 08:41 I could find only one version of the Bible, and actually, 08:44 it's not a very well known version, Wuest's version, 08:48 where it is translated to make it fit the Rapture. 08:52 All of the other versions that I read, 08:55 translate this expression falling away, 08:58 not as the departure or the snatching away, 09:03 but they translate it in different ways. 09:06 Let me give you some of those versions. 09:08 The New International Version 09:09 and the English Standard versions translate 09:12 until the rebellion comes first. 09:16 The North American Standard Bible 09:19 has it this way, 09:20 "Let no one in any way deceive you, 09:23 for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first." 09:28 So it translates this not as departure or snatching away, 09:31 but the apostasy comes first, 09:34 and the man of lawlessness 09:35 is revealed the son of perdition. 09:37 The King James Version and the New King James 09:40 translates the falling away. 09:43 The Bible and Basic English translates 09:46 falling away from the faith. 09:48 The Darby Bible interestingly enough, 09:51 you know, Darby was a futurist, 09:53 but the Darby Bible translates the apostasy, 09:57 the Douay-Rheims version, 09:59 which is a Roman Catholic version 10:01 translates not the departure 10:03 or the snatching away but the revolt. 10:06 Jesus cannot come before the revolt takes place. 10:09 The New Century Version translates 10:12 that Jesus cannot come 10:14 until the turning away from God takes place first. 10:18 The New Living Translation translates 10:21 that Jesus cannot come 10:23 until the great rebellion against God takes place. 10:28 And the Wuest translation translates, 10:32 because that day shall not come, 10:34 except the aforementioned 10:35 departure of the church to heaven comes first. 10:39 That is the only version that I found 10:42 that speaks about snatching away 10:44 or the word departure 10:45 referring to the departure of the saints 10:48 from earth to heaven. 10:50 Now, the translation of this verse 10:53 should not be very difficult. 10:56 Because the word that appears in Greek, 10:59 the word that is translated 11:00 departure or revolt or rebellion 11:04 is the Greek word 11:06 apostasia? 11:10 Let me ask you what English word do we get from apostasia? 11:15 Apostasy, folks. 11:17 Jesus cannot come until the apostasy takes place. 11:21 What apostasy 11:24 was the Apostle Paul speaking about? 11:27 He was talking about the apostasy 11:28 of the Roman Catholic Church. 11:30 Jesus could not come until the apostasy. 11:33 It's not un-apostasy. 11:35 It has a definite article 11:37 and tell the apostasy takes place. 11:41 Now, it's interesting this word appears only one other time 11:44 in the New Testament. 11:46 It appears in Acts 21:21. 11:51 The Book of Acts 21:21, 11:54 only one other time does this word apostasia appear 11:59 and notice what it refers to. 12:02 Speaking about the Apostle Paul, 12:05 whom they were always accusing 12:07 of not following what Moses wrote. 12:09 It says, "But they have been informed 12:12 about you, that is Paul, 12:14 that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles 12:18 to forsake Moses." 12:23 That word forsake is the same word apostasia. 12:26 What does that mean 12:28 that they accuse the Apostle Paul, 12:29 that he was teaching people to forsake Moses? 12:32 It means that he was teaching people according to them, 12:35 to apostatize from what Moses wrote 12:39 that they should not follow what Moses says, 12:41 but that they should apostatize from the writings of Moses. 12:46 And so it's properly translated 12:49 that the Apostle Paul according to them, 12:52 he was teaching the Gentiles to forsake Moses 12:55 or to apostatize from Moses sent 12:57 saying that they ought 12:59 not to circumcise their children, 13:01 not to walk according to the customs. 13:04 By the way, the verbal form of this word, 13:08 which is apostanai, 13:11 is used in classical Greek to describe a boat 13:16 that is drifting away from the port, 13:19 because it is not strongly anchored. 13:23 That will be an apostasy from the faith. 13:26 If you are not anchored well in the faith, 13:28 you will drift away. 13:30 So it can be translated 13:31 until the drifting away takes place. 13:35 No way in the world can you say 13:37 that the word departure means the departure of the church 13:40 from earth to heaven at the rapture? 13:43 That is a private interpretation 13:46 of Hal Lindsey among others, 13:50 Tim LaHaye futurist 13:52 who believe in the rapture of the church, 13:54 they are injecting into scripture 13:56 what they believe, 13:58 but it does not fit with the meaning of the word. 14:01 The second point that I want to deal with 14:05 that rapturists use, that futurists use 14:08 to defend their doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture 14:12 is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10. 14:17 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10. 14:21 Here it says, "For God did not appoint us to wrath." 14:25 Would you agree with that, 14:27 that God is not appointed us to wrath? 14:29 Of course, "God did not appoint us to wrath, 14:33 but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 14:37 who died for us that whether we wake or sleep, 14:41 we should live together with Him." 14:43 So God did not appoint us to wrath. 14:46 So what's futurists say 14:48 is that because God's people are not appointed to wrath, 14:52 they cannot be here at the time that God pours out His wrath 14:56 and the seven last plagues, 14:58 because God has not appointed us to wrath. 15:01 So God's people cannot live here 15:03 during the time that God is pouring out His wrath 15:05 in the seven last plagues. 15:08 There's a serious problem with that point of view. 15:11 You say, "Well, what is it?" 15:14 Let me ask you, "Is it true 15:16 that the outpouring of God's wrath 15:18 at the end of time in the seven last plagues 15:21 is without any mixture of mercy? 15:23 Is that true?" 15:24 It most certainly is true. 15:26 It's the full wrath of God without any mixture of mercy. 15:32 Is it possible for God's people to be here during that period 15:36 and not be appointed to wrath? 15:39 Absolutely. 15:41 Let me ask you this. 15:43 Did God rapture out Israel 15:45 when he poured out the 10 plagues upon Egypt 15:50 or were they here? 15:52 They were here. 15:53 But what did God do? 15:55 He shielded His people 15:58 so that the wrath that fell upon the Egyptians 16:01 would not fall upon them. 16:04 Let me ask you, 16:06 did Daniel go through the lions' den experience? 16:11 Yes. Did he suffer the wrath of the king? 16:14 Supposedly the wrath of the king, 16:16 it was the wrath of the princess really. 16:19 But the king did 16:20 what the princes said that he should do. 16:23 The law of the Medes and Persians 16:24 could not be changed. 16:25 So let me ask you, 16:27 "Did Daniel so to speak go through this severe tribulation 16:30 in the den of lions?" 16:32 Yes, but did God protect him? 16:35 Yes, He did. 16:36 How about the three young men? 16:38 Did they go through the fiery furnace? 16:40 Where they in the fiery furnace? 16:42 Absolutely. 16:43 But did Jesus come into the furnace 16:45 and protect them from being destroyed? 16:48 Yes. 16:50 Now, Daniel 12:1 16:54 tells us that at the very end of time, 16:56 when the king of the north 16:58 which is the same as a little horn and the beast 17:00 goes out to kill and destroy many, 17:03 Michael shall stand up, 17:05 that great prince who stands 17:07 watch over the children of his people, 17:09 there will be a time of trouble such as never was. 17:12 But in that time of trouble, 17:14 God will protect His faithful people. 17:17 In other words, it is possible to be on this earth 17:20 during the outpouring of God's wrath 17:22 without suffering God's wrath. 17:25 So just because this verse says, 17:28 God has not appointed us to wrath 17:30 doesn't mean that we can't be present here 17:32 when God pours out His wrath, 17:34 and God protect us 17:36 from the manifestation of His wrath. 17:40 Incidentally, if you go with me to Psalm 91, 17:44 which is known as the tribulation psalm. 17:47 It's the psalm of a time of trouble. 17:49 Notice Psalm 91:7-11," 17:53 A 1000 may fall at your side 17:57 and 10,000 at your right hand, 18:00 but it shall not come near you. 18:04 Only with your eyes shall you look 18:07 and see the reward of the wicked, 18:10 because you have made the Lord who is my refuge, 18:13 even the Most High, your dwelling place. 18:16 No evil shall befall you, 18:19 nor shall any plague come near your dwelling." 18:23 Is it possible to be here during the plagues, 18:25 and not have the plagues afflict you? 18:28 Absolutely. 18:30 Once again verse 11, 18:32 "For he shall give His angels charge over you 18:36 to keep you in all your ways. 18:39 So just because the text says 18:41 that God has not appointed us to wrath, 18:43 doesn't mean that we can't be here 18:45 during the manifestation of God's wrath, 18:47 and that God is gonna protect us, 18:49 the wrath of the plagues is not gonna fall upon the righteous, 18:52 it's gonna fall upon the wicked, 18:54 but God's people will be present here. 18:57 Notice Isaiah 26:20-21. 19:00 Isaiah 26:20-21. 19:03 This speaks about this time of trouble at the very end 19:06 when God's wrath is being poured out upon the earth. 19:11 It says there in Isaiah 26:20-21, 19:14 God is speaking to His people, 19:15 "Come, my people, enter your chambers, 19:20 and shut your doors behind you, hide yourself, 19:24 as it were for a little moment, 19:26 until the indignation is passed. 19:29 For behold, the Lord comes out of His place 19:31 to punish the inhabitants of the earth 19:33 for their iniquity, 19:35 the earth also will disclose her blood, 19:38 and will no more cover her slain." 19:41 So God says for a little moment, 19:44 "Hide until the indignation is passed." 19:48 And Ellen White wrote 19:51 that not one of God's people will perish 19:55 during the final time of trouble 19:56 after the close of probation. 19:58 The wrath is not meant for God's people. 20:01 The wrath is meant for the wicked. 20:04 But God's people will be here. 20:06 And they shall see as it says in the Psalms, 20:09 "They shall see the reward of the wicked." 20:13 The third argument that is used by those who believe 20:16 in a pre-tribulation rapture is found in Revelation 3:10. 20:22 Revelation 3:10. 20:27 It says there, "Because you have kept My command," 20:31 he is writing to the churches, 20:33 "because you have kept My command to persevere, 20:37 I also will keep you from the hour of trial 20:43 which shall come upon the whole world, 20:45 to test those who dwell on the earth. 20:50 So what those who believe 20:51 in a future rapture of the church say, 20:54 see very clearly he says here, 20:56 that God will keep His people from the hour of trial. 21:01 And that must mean that God is gonna keep them 21:03 by taking them out of the world. 21:07 Well, fortunately, 21:09 the same verb is used in another key text 21:14 that shows that you can be in the world 21:18 at the time of the tribulation, 21:20 at the time of the test or trial, as it says here, 21:23 and you can be kept in the midst of the trial. 21:26 Notice John 17:15, where the same, 21:30 this very same verb is used. 21:33 John 17:15. 21:35 Of course, this is the great intercessory prayer of Jesus 21:39 in favor of His people. 21:40 It says there in John 17:15, 21:43 "I do not pray 21:45 that you should take them out of the world, 21:51 but that you should," what? 21:53 "Keep them from the evil one." 21:56 Is it possible for God's people to be in the world 21:58 and still be kept by God? 22:01 So is it possible that God's people 22:03 will be kept in the hour of trial, 22:07 in the hour of test and still be on this earth 22:10 or do they have to be taken out of the world to be kept? 22:13 No, they can be kept here because Jesus prayed, He said, 22:18 I'm not praying that you take them out of the world. 22:21 I'm praying that in the world, you will what? 22:24 You will keep them from the evil one. 22:27 Are you understanding? 22:28 And so scripture interpret scripture, 22:32 once again, those who believe in futurism 22:34 are injecting their private interpretations 22:37 into the Holy Scriptures. 22:41 Incidentally, in Galatians 1:3-5, 22:45 Galatians 1:3-5 22:49 even though the specific word is not used, 22:52 the specific verb, the concept is there. 22:55 It says there, 22:56 here the Apostle Paul is writing to the Galatians. 22:59 "Grace to you and peace from God the Father, 23:03 and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, 23:07 that He might deliver us 23:09 from this present evil age." 23:14 Are you understanding what this is saying? 23:16 So why did Jesus get Himself? 23:19 That He could deliver us from this evil present age. 23:22 So what does that mean? 23:23 It means that Jesus actually gave Himself for our sins, 23:28 so that we could be rapture away. 23:31 No, it's so that even though we live on this earth, 23:35 he'll deliver us from this present evil age 23:37 even though we live here. 23:39 He keeps us in the midst of an evil world. 23:44 The next argument that is used, this is number four, 23:48 is found in Luke 21:36. 23:52 Luke 21:36. 23:56 And once again, 23:57 those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, 24:00 harp on this particular verse, and they say, 24:02 "This clearly shows 24:04 that God's people are not going to be here, 24:06 because they're going to escape everything 24:08 that's happening on the earth." 24:09 Luke 21:36 says, 24:12 "Watch therefore, and pray always 24:16 that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things." 24:22 Jesus has just described the things 24:23 that are happening immediate before Second Coming. 24:26 So it says, you know, when these things happen, 24:29 Luke 21, is parallel to Matthew 24. 24:32 When you see all of these things happen, 24:35 he says, "Pray 24:37 that you don't have to go through them, 24:38 pray that you're worthy to escape all these things 24:43 that will come to pass 24:44 and to stand before the Son of Man." 24:45 So basically, the argument is that you need to pray 24:48 that the Lord will help you to escape 24:50 this period of tribulation, 24:52 by being rapture away from the world. 24:55 Is that really what the text is saying? 24:57 No, let's read again the verse. 25:00 It says, "Watch therefore, 25:01 and pray always that you may be counted worthy 25:03 to escape all these things that will come to pass, 25:07 and to stand before the Son of Man." 25:11 So the big question is, 25:14 how can you escape the tribulation, 25:16 if you're going to be standing when Jesus comes? 25:19 Are you following me or not? 25:21 Let's go to Revelation 6:16-17. 25:25 Revelation 6:16-17. 25:31 It's speaking about the second coming of Jesus, 25:33 remember the word to stand. 25:36 It says there in Revelation 6:16-17, 25:39 "And the kings of the earth, the great man, the rich men, 25:41 the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, 25:46 hid themselves in the caves in the rocks of the mountains, 25:49 and said to the mountains and rocks, 25:52 "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him 25:55 who sits on the throne, 25:57 and from the wrath of the Lamb." 25:58 Is this describing the second coming of Jesus Christ? 26:03 It most certainly is. 26:04 Is it describing the outpouring of God's wrath? 26:08 Yes, it is. 26:09 And now the question is asked, 26:11 "For the great day of his wrath has come 26:14 and who is able to stand?" 26:20 It would be ridiculous to say 26:21 that unless there were people on the earth to stand. 26:26 Are you following me or not? 26:28 And so when the Apostle Paul says here, actually Luke says, 26:33 and in a moment, I'm gonna read a statement from Paul 26:35 in 1 Thessalonians. 26:37 When Luke says 26:38 that you should be counted worthy 26:39 to escape all these things 26:41 and to stand before the Son of Man. 26:42 It means that you will not be caught up 26:45 in the apostasy you know be caught up 26:47 and be among the unfaithful. 26:50 And that you will be able to stand when Jesus comes 26:53 when he ask, "Who will be able to stand?" 26:56 The Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, 26:59 speaks of those who will not be able to escape, 27:03 they're the wicked. 27:04 It says, "For when they say, 'peace and safety', 27:08 then sudden destruction comes upon them 27:11 as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, 27:14 and they shall not escape." 27:19 So who are the ones that escaped, 27:20 the ones that are rapture off to heaven? 27:23 No, the ones that are faithful in the midst of the tribulation 27:27 that is described in the context of Luke 21:36. 27:31 Who is not able to stand 27:33 when the wrath of God is manifested on the earth? 27:36 Those who are unfaithful to Jesus Christ, 27:39 but it's not speaking at all 27:41 about a pre tribulation rapture. 27:45 Now, argument number five that is used, 27:48 is found in Revelation 4:1. 27:53 It says, "After these things I looked", 27:55 this is the beginning of the seven seals. 27:57 "After these things I looked, 28:00 and behold a door standing open in heaven. 28:04 And the first voice which I heard 28:05 was like a trumpet speaking with me saying, 28:08 speaking to John, "Come up here. 28:11 And I will show you things 28:13 which must take place after this." 28:17 So John is told God tells John, "Come up here." 28:21 Hal Lindsey and others say 28:24 that this is speaking about the Rapture. 28:26 In other words, 28:28 when John has told come up here, 28:30 that speaking about the rapture of the church to heaven 28:34 before the tribulation, 28:36 and then he says that everything 28:38 in Revelation 4:1, 28:41 from the point that God says to John, "Come up here," 28:44 he says, "That's the rapture of the church. 28:46 John symbolizes the church," till Revelation 19, 28:51 Jesus sitting on the white horse, 28:52 followed by the armies of heaven, 28:54 He says, "All of that takes place 28:56 after the church is rapture to heaven." 29:01 Now we're gonna see that has serious implications. 29:05 Because if Revelation 4:1 29:09 is speaking about the rapture of the church, 29:11 church is snatched away to heaven 29:14 and everything from Chapter 4 to Chapter 19 is still future. 29:18 After the rapture, 29:20 what happens with the proclamation 29:22 of the three angels' message now? 29:27 It's not for now, if you have that view, 29:31 because it's for the period, 29:33 the three angels' messages will be proclaimed 29:35 after the rapture of the church, 29:36 because Revelation 4:19 describes the events 29:39 that are still future 29:42 and eliminates the reason for the existence 29:45 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 29:48 serious stuff. 29:51 Now, it's very interesting. 29:53 You can clearly prove that when John has told, 29:58 "Come up here," it's not referring into the Rapture. 30:01 You say, "How do we know that?" 30:03 Because later on in the Book of Revelation, 30:05 John is on the earth. 30:09 In the three angels' messages 30:10 he says, "I saw an angel come down from heaven." 30:13 Hello. 30:15 In Revelation 18-1, it says, 30:17 "I see a mighty angel coming down from heaven." 30:20 What's he doing on earth? He was rapture in Chapter 4. 30:24 Are you following me or not? 30:26 And in Revelation 10:1-2, 30:28 "He sees an angel coming with from heaven 30:31 with a little book open in his hand." 30:33 Obviously, he's on earth. 30:35 So Revelation 4:1 cannot refer 30:37 to the rapture of the church to heaven, 30:40 because he's seeing things on earth. 30:44 He's on earth, he's seen angels descend from heaven. 30:47 And by the way, when God says to John, "Come up here." 30:52 He's not telling him to come up there physically. 30:58 Prophets were taken away to places 31:04 where they were not at in vision. 31:09 Ellen White, for example, we know this, 31:11 we know how this works, 31:12 because Ellen white went through the experience. 31:14 She spoke of an angel that took her to heaven. 31:19 And she saw the heavenly sanctuary, 31:20 the Holy in the Most Holy Place. 31:23 What does that mean that Ellen White was being ruptured? 31:26 No, it means that she was transported to heaven, 31:29 not physically, but in vision. 31:34 That's why for example, Revelation 17:3 says that, 31:39 "John is caught away 31:41 in the spirit of the wilderness." 31:43 In other words, in his mind, 31:45 he's being transported to another place. 31:48 Although he is physically present, 31:50 where he's at receiving the vision. 31:53 In Revelation 21:9-10, 31:56 an angel comes to John 31:58 and transports him to the holy city. 32:01 But this is happening, not physically, 32:03 this is not a rapture. 32:04 This is simply happening in vision. 32:08 And by the way, the visions were so real, 32:12 that the prophets actually thought 32:13 that they were there although they weren't. 32:18 You know, Ellen White several times. 32:20 When the Lord took her and showed her 32:22 all the wonderful things in heaven, 32:24 she said to the angel, "Don't make me go back." 32:27 Because the vision was so real. 32:28 Let me ask you, have you ever had a dream, 32:30 where it's so real, that you wake up sweating? 32:34 You know, like, for example, 32:36 if you're on a train that can't be stopped 32:40 and you're going and going and going, 32:43 and you're getting to the end of the tracks, 32:45 you know, you are breathing deep 32:47 and you are sweating, even though it's just a dream. 32:52 That's what happened with the prophets. 32:55 The prophets had the same basic experience. 32:58 So this argument where it says, "Come up here," 33:02 has nothing to do with a pre-tribulation rapture. 33:05 John is simply being caught up to heaven in vision 33:08 like he was in Chapter 17, like he was in Chapter 21, 33:12 like Ellen White was taken away in vision. 33:15 It has nothing to do 33:17 with the rapture of an entire church 33:19 before the tribulation, 33:21 before the glorious coming of Jesus Christ. 33:24 Argument number six 33:27 is found in 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13. 33:31 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13. 33:34 And this sounds pretty plausible. 33:35 You know, when you're superficial 33:37 in your study of Scripture, things might make sense. 33:40 But when you study them more carefully, 33:42 they don't make a lot of sense. 33:44 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, The Apostle Paul wrote, 33:49 "And I, the Lord, make you increase 33:52 and abound in love to one another, 33:54 and to all just as we do to you, 33:57 so that he may establish your hearts 34:00 blameless in holiness before our God and Father 34:05 at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 34:08 with all His saints." 34:11 Are you seeing the problem in that verse? 34:14 It's saying that Jesus is gonna come to the earth 34:17 with all His saints, 34:18 and those who believe in the rapture say, 34:19 He cannot come back with them, 34:21 unless He took them to heaven first. 34:24 Are you understanding me? 34:26 So how do we deal with this? 34:27 Where it says that 34:29 that God will retain the hearts of His people 34:33 blameless and holiness, before God and our Father 34:36 at the coming of Jesus with all of His saints. 34:39 Well, perhaps we need to take a look 34:40 at what the word saints means? 34:45 Is that referring to human beings? 34:47 Or is that perhaps another interpretation? 34:50 The Apostle Paul is actually referring back 34:53 to Deuteronomy 33:2. 34:56 Go with me to Deuteronomy, 33:2. 35:01 There's a speaking about God coming to Mount Sinai 35:05 to reveal his law to Israel and God did not come alone. 35:10 I want you to notice who he came with. 35:13 It says in Deuteronomy 33:2, 35:17 "The Lord came from Sinai, 35:20 and dawned on them from Seir, 35:24 He shone forth from Mount Paran 35:27 and he came with 10,000 of saints", 35:32 With whom did God come to Mount Sinai? 35:36 With 10,000 saints. 35:38 So he's bringing from heaven, all of the redeemed 35:41 to reveal his Mount Sinai? 35:44 Of course not. 35:46 Who did he come with? 35:48 Who did he come to Mount Sinai with? 35:50 Who are the saints that he came to Mount Sinai with, 35:52 when he revealed the law? 35:54 The angels. 35:57 So notice once again. 35:59 It says," He shone forth from Mount Paran, 36:02 and he came with 10,000 of saints." 36:04 Remember that 10,000 figure, with 10,000 of saints, 36:09 from His right hand came a what? 36:12 A fiery law for them. 36:14 Is this speaking about the revealing of the law 36:16 at Mount Sinai? 36:17 Was it written in letters of fire? 36:19 Yes, it was. 36:20 So with whom did God come to Mount Sinai 36:23 when He revealed His law? 36:25 With 10,000 of what? Of saints. 36:28 Who were those saints, humans or angels? 36:31 Angels. 36:33 The expression 10,000 refers to angels. 36:37 Notice Revelation 5:11 36:40 and you can also write down Daniel 7:9-10. 36:44 Revelation 5:11, what does 10,000 mean? 36:48 Who are the 10,000 saints 36:51 that God comes to Mount Sinai with? 36:54 It says, "Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels 36:57 around the throne, 36:59 the living creatures and the elders, 37:00 and the number of them of the angels 37:03 was ten thousand times ten thousand, 37:06 and thousands of thousands. 37:09 So to what does the expression 10,000 refer? 37:13 It refers to the angels. 37:15 And so the question is, when the Apostle Paul says 37:19 that, when Jesus comes, 37:21 He will come with all His saints, 37:26 is that talking about Him coming with human beings 37:29 that have been rapture to heaven? 37:30 No, He's coming with what? 37:32 With the angels. 37:34 By the way, the word saints is really the same word 37:39 that is translated holy in the New Testament. 37:43 So it can be translated with his holy ones. 37:47 Let me ask you, does the Bible describe the angels as holy? 37:53 Not only does the Bible describe them as saints, 37:56 the word saints means holy. 37:58 The Bible says that they are holy. 38:00 Notice Mark 8:38, 38:03 Mark 8:38, 38:08 "For whoever is ashamed of Me," here Jesus is speaking, 38:12 "and My words 38:14 in this adulterous and sinful generation, 38:17 of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed 38:21 when He comes in the glory of His Father 38:24 with the holy angels." 38:30 So who is Jesus bringing back with Him? 38:32 Human beings that have been raptured? 38:34 No, He's coming back 38:36 with all of His angels 38:41 if you allow scripture to interpret itself. 38:45 The seventh and last 38:46 is what's gonna take us the rest of our time, 38:49 a little bit more time. 38:52 Let's go to 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4, 38:56 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4, 38:59 and we'll read verses 13 through 18. 39:03 And in a minute I'm gonna tell you where the problem is. 39:06 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 39:11 "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, 39:14 concerning those who have fallen asleep," 39:17 that means those who have died, 39:19 "lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 39:23 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, 39:28 even so, God will bring with Him 39:33 those who sleep in Jesus. 39:35 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, 39:38 that we who are alive 39:40 and remain until the coming of the Lord 39:42 will by no means precede those who are asleep. 39:45 For the Lord Himself 39:46 will descend from heaven with a shout, 39:48 with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. 39:51 And the dead in Christ will rise first. 39:54 Then we who are alive and remain 39:56 shall be caught up together with them in the clouds 39:59 to meet the Lord in the air, 40:00 and thus we shall always be with the Lord. 40:04 Therefore, comfort one another with these words." 40:08 Now, where is the problem in this passage? 40:13 And it's found in verse 14. 40:16 So let's read verse 14, 40:19 "For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, 40:24 even so," 40:25 now listen carefully, "God will bring with Him," 40:31 that is with Jesus, "those who sleep in Jesus." 40:36 And so the point is, 40:38 that God cannot bring with Jesus, 40:43 those who slept, unless He took them to heaven first. 40:49 Are you catching the point? 40:51 Because it says here, 40:53 God, even so God will bring with him, 40:57 those who sleep in Jesus, 40:59 and so how can He bring those who slept with Jesus with Him 41:03 if He didn't take them to heaven before that? 41:06 Now, this problem can actually be solved very simply, 41:12 by a careful study of the passage. 41:15 Let's notice the concepts that we find here 41:18 in 1 Thessalonians 4. 41:20 Did you notice that it compares the experience of Jesus 41:24 with the experience of His people? 41:27 Once again, notice, 41:29 let's read verse 13, 41:34 "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, 41:36 concerning those who have fallen asleep, 41:37 lest your sorrow as others who have no hope. 41:40 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so." 41:46 What happened with Jesus is being compared 41:49 with what is gonna happen with His people. 41:55 So let's look at what happened to Jesus. 41:58 Did Jesus die? 42:01 Did He sleep? 42:02 Yes. 42:04 Did He resurrect? 42:06 He resurrected? 42:09 Was He then caught up in a cloud? 42:14 Are you with me or not? 42:16 Was He caught up in a cloud? 42:19 Sure. 42:20 Let's read Acts 1:9, Acts 1:9, 42:25 it says, "Now when he had spoken these things, 42:28 while they watched, he was taken up 42:31 and a cloud received him out of their sight." 42:34 So Jesus died, He resurrected 42:38 and 40 days later, he what? 42:43 He's caught up in a cloud 42:46 and where does the cloud take him? 42:49 The cloud takes him to His Father in heaven. 42:54 Notice Revelation 12:5-6, 42:56 you allow the Bible to interpret itself, 42:58 Revelation 12:5-6. 43:01 Speaking about the woman, it says she born a male child 43:03 who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. 43:06 And her child was what? 43:08 Was caught up to God and His throne. 43:13 So when the cloud catches Jesus up, 43:16 where does the cloud take Jesus? 43:19 The cloud takes Jesus to whom? 43:22 To where the Father is. 43:25 By the way, did Jesus present Himself 43:28 before His Father alone? 43:30 Or did Jesus take the firstfruits 43:32 of the dead with Him? 43:37 You remember when Jesus died, several resurrected with Him. 43:41 Matthew Chapter 27 says 43:43 that many saints who slept came forth from their graves 43:48 when He resurrected from the dead. 43:51 Those individuals when Jesus sent them to heaven, 43:54 Jesus took as a sampling 43:57 of when He's gonna take all of His sleeping children home. 44:02 So I want you to catch the picture here, Jesus died. 44:07 Jesus rose again. 44:10 A cloud of angels came for Jesus. 44:13 Jesus was caught up in the cloud. 44:16 And the cloud took Him with the Father's house, 44:19 with the firstfruits from those who slept. 44:24 Even so will happen with God's people. 44:28 Because the Apostle Paul says, as it happened with Jesus, 44:31 even so it will happen 44:34 with His people at the end of time. 44:35 So let's take a look 44:37 at what happens with God's people. 44:40 Did God's people die, 44:42 those who are in the grave when Jesus comes, did they die? 44:46 Yes, obviously. 44:48 Are they going to resurrect according to this passage? 44:51 They are going to resurrect. 44:54 Is God gonna send some clouds with Jesus to the earth? 44:58 Was the cloud sent to pick up Jesus? Yes. 45:01 Will clouds be sent to pick up the redeemed, those who slept? 45:06 Revelation 1:7 tells us, 45:08 "Behold, he is coming with clouds, 45:11 and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him, 45:15 and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him." 45:17 So a cloud is gonna come just like the cloud came for Jesus. 45:22 Are God's people going to be caught up in the cloud? 45:25 We just read it in 1 Thessalonians 4, 45:27 they're gonna be caught up in the cloud. 45:30 Notice Acts Chapter 1, Acts 1:11, 45:34 "This same Jesus, 45:36 who was taken up from you into heaven, 45:39 will so come in like manner, 45:42 as you saw him go to heaven." 45:46 So you'll notice here, in this passage 45:49 that God's people, those at least who die, 45:53 they will sleep, they will resurrect 45:56 a cloud which is the angels will come, 46:00 they will be caught up in the cloud 46:04 and then where will they be taken? 46:08 Where will they be taken? 46:10 They will be taken to heaven. 46:14 So let's review the parallel. 46:17 Jesus died. 46:19 He resurrected. 46:21 A cloud descended for him. 46:23 He was caught up in the cloud. 46:26 And he was taken to the Father's house. 46:29 With the redeemed, we have the same thing. 46:31 The redeemed, died in Christ, 46:35 they will resurrect, a cloud will descend, 46:38 the clouds will descend from heaven. 46:41 1 Thessalonians says 46:42 that they will be caught up in the cloud. 46:45 And then they will be taken to the Father's house 46:47 because Jesus said, 46:48 "In My Father's house are many mansions." 46:51 So is there a parallel between Christ and the redeemed? 46:56 Absolutely. 46:58 Now let's read this text again, verse 14, 47:03 and let's add an interpretation to the text. 47:08 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 47:14 "For if we believe that Jesus died, 47:17 and rose again." 47:20 And we know that after He died and rose again, 47:23 the Father caught Him up in the cloud to heaven, right? 47:28 "Even so", that means in the same way, "God," 47:33 that is the Father, 47:35 "will bring with Him," will bring with whom? 47:39 "With Jesus," 47:42 will bring with Jesus where? 47:46 To the earth or to heaven? 47:49 God who is in heaven, will bring with Jesus, 47:53 "those who slept in Jesus." 47:58 So God, what this is saying 48:00 is that God is gonna send the cloud, 48:04 the redeemed will be caught up in the cloud, 48:07 and then God will bring with Jesus, the redeemed where? 48:13 To the Father's house in heaven 48:15 because that's exactly what happened to Jesus. 48:17 Are you following me or not? 48:19 Now, some people say, wait a minute, Pastor. 48:23 Doesn't the Father come at the second coming? 48:25 So how could it say that that God is in heaven, 48:28 and He brings the redeemed with Jesus to heaven, 48:31 those who died and resurrected. 48:33 The fact is that we develop many times theories 48:37 that don't hold any water. 48:39 There's this theory that at the Second Coming, 48:42 Jesus and the Father are coming to this earth, 48:44 the Father is not coming to this earth, 48:45 the Father is gonna stay in heaven. 48:48 And He will bring the redeemed with Jesus to heaven. 48:52 It's not the redeemed coming with Jesus to earth. 48:55 God is bringing Jesus with those who died 48:59 and resurrected and are caught up in the cloud. 49:01 He's bringing them to the Father's house. 49:03 He's bringing all of the redeemed who died 49:06 of which the first redeem that He took at His ascension 49:10 was the sampling. 49:13 The Father's not coming at the Second Coming. 49:15 Let me read you this statement from Spirit of Prophecy, 49:17 then I'll give you a Bible verse. 49:20 This is from Review and Herald, September 21, 1886, 49:24 "The sacrifice of our Savior has made ample provision 49:28 for every repenting, believing soul. 49:31 We are saved because God loves 49:33 the purchase of the blood of Christ 49:35 and not only will He pardon the redeemed sinner, 49:39 or the repentant sinner." 49:41 God's not only gonna pardon the repentant sinner. 49:44 "Not only will He permit him to enter heaven, 49:49 but he, the Father of mercies, 49:53 will wait at the very gates of heaven to welcome us, 49:58 to give us an abundant entrance to the mansions of the blest." 50:03 The Father will be waiting at the gates, 50:06 and He will bring with Jesus, 50:09 those who rest or those who died. 50:10 Are you understanding this verse? 50:12 The verse is clear. 50:14 The emphasis is not on the descent, 50:16 the emphasis is on dying, resurrecting, 50:19 being caught up in the clouds, 50:21 and going to the Father's house. 50:23 So bring with Him doesn't mean 50:25 that God is gonna bring with Him 50:26 the saints from heaven. 50:27 It means that God is gonna bring with Jesus, 50:29 the saints to heaven 50:31 which are the totality of the saints who slept. 50:36 By the way, Acts 3:20, says, 50:39 "God shall send forth Jesus at the Second Coming," 50:45 He shall send forth Jesus. 50:47 Some people say, "Well, the Bible says 50:49 that Jesus will come in the glory of the Father." 50:51 Of course, because Jesus is the glory of the Father. 50:54 According to Hebrews 1:3, 50:56 "Doesn't say He's coming with the Father, 50:57 it says, He comes in the glory of His Father. 51:00 So we need to be careful about how we interpret scripture. 51:04 Now, let me just 51:08 end this particular study of this argument 51:14 by referring to Revelation Chapter 4. 51:17 And you don't have to go there, 51:19 I want you to just catch the picture. 51:21 If you read the last three pages of Desire of Ages, 51:24 you'll get the complete picture. 51:26 In Revelation Chapter 4, 51:28 God the Father is seen sitting on His throne. 51:32 He is surrounded, 51:33 or in the midst of the throne rather, 51:35 are the cherubim and seraphim. 51:38 They're called the four living creatures. 51:40 Around the throne of the 24 Elders, 51:44 which are the representatives of the worlds 51:46 that never sinned. 51:48 Before the throne are the seven flames of fire, 51:52 which represents the fullness of the Holy Spirit. 51:56 All of these beings in heaven 51:58 are singing a song in honor of God, the Father, 52:02 who is sitting by Himself on the throne. 52:06 And the hymn that they're singing 52:07 is in honor of the Creator, no redemption is mentioned. 52:12 Revelation Chapter 4 52:14 is describing the preparation of the heavenly throne room 52:18 for the return of Jesus with the redeemed 52:20 because He's left heaven and He's come to this earth 52:23 to pick up the redeemed. 52:25 That's the reason why you have all of these beings 52:28 waiting for Jesus to come back. 52:32 Absent from Chapter 4, 52:35 our Jesus, He's not mentioned there, 52:37 and the angelic hosts are not there. 52:40 So you say, "Where are the angels? 52:41 And where is Jesus in Chapter 4?" 52:44 Well, the fact is that they're on their way to heaven. 52:49 And so now, we have the picture in Revelation 5, 52:52 "The Father has sent a cloud, to pick up Jesus 52:56 with those who have died and resurrected. 52:59 Jesus is caught up with His people in the cloud, 53:03 the cloud, bring Jesus to the Father's house in heaven 53:07 with Jesus are all of the redeemed, 53:11 who resurrected when He died." 53:16 And as Jesus is ascending to heaven, 53:20 all the angels that are with Him 53:22 are singing that song of Psalm 24, 53:24 "Lift, open up the gates 53:26 and the King of glory will come in." 53:28 And the sentinel angel say, "Who is this King of glory." 53:34 And the ones that are outside, say, 53:35 "The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory." 53:37 So you have this song being sung, 53:39 Jesus is ascending with those who died and resurrected. 53:44 When He arrives in the city, 53:47 the gates of the city will open, 53:48 there's an explosion of praise. 53:51 You can read this in the last three pages of Desire of Ages, 53:55 Jesus enters through the gates. 53:58 And when He comes near to His Father, 53:59 He raises His hands and He tells 54:01 all of the heavenly beings to keep silent. 54:05 He goes into the presence of His Father. 54:09 And He presents the firstfruits, 54:12 those who resurrected from the dead 54:13 when He resurrected, 54:15 and He says, "Father, I need to know 54:17 that My sacrifice was sufficient 54:19 to bring all of My people home someday." 54:23 And it's everything is in suspense, 54:24 everything is in silence. 54:28 And then Ellen White describes 54:29 how the Father will embrace His Son. 54:32 And He will say, 54:34 "What You have done is sufficient 54:35 to bring all of Your people home at the Second Coming." 54:39 And then the Father says to all of the heavenly beings, 54:44 "Worship Him and now you can sing," 54:47 and you have in Revelation Chapter 5, 54:49 that explosion of praise 54:51 in honor of the Lamb who has been slain. 54:55 This story is gonna be repeated again. 55:00 Jesus will leave heaven with the clouds. 55:03 Those who died and resurrected 55:06 when Jesus comes will be caught up in the cloud, 55:08 and the journey to heaven will begin. 55:11 Once again, all the angelic hosts will be with Jesus 55:14 taking all of the redeemed from all ages. 55:18 And as Jesus nears the city, the song will be sung, 55:21 "Open up your gates 55:23 and the King of glory will come in." 55:25 The sentinel angel will say, "Who is this King of glory?" 55:27 The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory, 55:30 the gates of the city will open wide. 55:32 The Father will be waiting there, 55:35 and Jesus and the saints will enter 55:38 in the midst of rapturous praise. 55:43 Are you catching the picture? 55:46 That's what 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4 is talking about. 55:50 So in conclusion, let's once again read this verse, 55:54 by adding the explanation. 55:57 The Apostle Paul is saying, 55:58 "If we believe that Jesus died, and resurrected, 56:01 then is if we trust in Jesus, in His life, 56:04 and in His death, and His resurrection. 56:07 Even so, in other words, in the same way, as with Jesus, 56:12 God, that is the Father, God the Father, 56:15 will bring with Him, 56:17 will bring with Jesus to the Father's house, 56:21 those who sleep in Jesus. 56:25 So it's not Jesus bringing the saints from heaven 56:29 that He took seven years before in the Rapture. 56:32 It's Jesus coming with the cloud, 56:34 to pick up the saints, 56:36 and bring them to His Father's house. 56:40 And then the redeemed will live with the Father in heaven 56:45 and with Jesus for 1000 years. 56:49 And then after the 1000 years, 56:51 God's people will return to this earth with Jesus. 56:56 And Jesus will make a new heavens and a new earth. 57:00 He will eradicate evil, 57:03 He will eradicate Satan, his angels, and the wicked. 57:07 And He will create a new heavens and a new earth 57:11 in which righteousness dwells. 57:14 Jesus will have fulfilled both promises 57:17 He made to His followers. 57:19 He will have taken His people to His Father's house 57:22 for a 1000 years, 57:24 to reign with Him 57:25 and to perform a work of judgment. 57:28 And He will have also fulfilled the promise 57:31 that the meek will inherit the earth forever and ever. 57:35 You don't have to invent a pre-tribulation rapture 57:39 for Jesus to fulfill both those promises. 57:41 You need to understand 57:42 that we will be in heaven for a 1000 years, 57:45 and then we will come to this earth 57:48 and this will be our abode forever, not only us, 57:51 but God will come down, the city will come down, 57:55 and this will be the capital of the universe. 58:00 I pray to God that in that day, none of us will be missing. |
Revised 2019-09-30