Will There Be Two Raptures?

Biblegems #226

Question: I have heard that some think there will be two raptures, a pre-tribulation & a post-tribulation. What is your understanding of that?

There will be only one Rapture of the Church. Here’s why.

What the Rapture Is

The Rapture refers to an event the Bible speaks of where the followers of Jesus, dead and alive, will be “caught up” to “meet the Lord in the air,” and from then on “be with the Lord forever” (1Thess. 4:17). That is the moment when, “in the twinkling of an eye,” we will be transformed and receive our glorified, resurrection bodies (1Cor. 15:52).

When The Rapture Takes Place

The two passages referred to above, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, contain the key information about the timing of the Rapture that the rest of Scripture agrees with.

• The Rapture Takes Place At Jesus’ Return (i.e., the Second Coming):

         1Thess. 4:14 God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  

In other words, when Jesus Returns He will be accompanied by His followers who have already died and gone to heaven. At the same time, Jesus’ followers who are still alive on the earth at His Return will be “caught up together with them in the clouds (i.e., ‘raptured’) to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess 4:17).

• The Rapture and Second Coming take place at “the last trumpet:”

         1Thess. 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

The Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus are inseparable. They are each part of the same event, and that event occurs only once, at “the last trumpet:”  

1Cor. 15:51b-52 …we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 

This “last trumpet” is mentioned in both passages as a key to the timing of the Rapture and Second Coming of Jesus. It refers to the Old Testament prophecies in which a warning is given to the peoples of the earth that the Lord is about to pour out His wrath. The “last trumpet” announces “the Day of the Lord” the prophets foretold:

         Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming.

Both 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians place the Rapture and Second Coming “at the last trumpet” (1Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16). Since there is only one “last trumpet,” there is also only one Second Coming and only one Rapture.

And here is the really good news in all of this: those who are “caught up” to meet the Lord in the at His Second Coming will not experience the judgment of God’s wrath on the Day of the Lord.

         1Thes. 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The “Shortened” Last Days

Biblegems #219

Question: What is meant in Matthew 24 where Jesus says “those days will be shortened for the sake of the elect”? Is this a reference to the seasonally shorter days of Autumn / Winter, or something else?

In Jesus’ description of His Return in power and glory in Matthew 24, verse 22 records these words: “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”

If, as the question suggests, these shortened days refer to the annual shortening of days known as the Winter Solstice, wouldn’t that give us an approximate timing of Jesus’ Return in terms of the season?

This is not the case, however. The shorter days of winter, when the North Pole’s tilt away from the sun reaches its peak (23.5 degrees) also puts earth’s southern hemisphere that much closer to the sun. Consequently, the shorter winter days in the north are also the longest summer days in the south. Jesus describes days that are “shortened” simultaneously for the entire planet.

When Jesus says “those days will be shortened,” He is talking about “the Great Tribulation” in the preceding verse:

         Matt. 24:21 For then there will be great distress [i.e. “great tribulation” -KJV], unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

Jesus said this “Great Tribulation” will be triggered by the Antichrist setting up the “abomination that causes desolation” prophesied by Daniel, referring to the prophecy in Dan. 9:27.  

Matt. 24:15 So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand…

According to Daniel 9:24ff., a period of seven years at the end of history as we know it—known as Daniels’s 70^th Week—will conclude with this final 31/2 year period Jesus calls “the Great Tribulation.” Many have incorrectly assumed that the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord are the same thing. That is not the case. The Tribulation decribes the wrath of the Antichrist against God and the Church. The Day of the Lord is the wrath of God against the Antichrist and all rebellious mankind.

Jesus taught in Matthew 24:22 that the Great Tribulation period of 3 ½ years would be shortened “for the sake of the elect”—His Church. Those days of great persecution against the Church will be so brutal that “no one would survive” if Jesus did not shorten this 31/2 year period of horror. Jesus goes on to teach in Matthew 24 that the Great Tribulation is cut short by the appearing of Jesus at His Return and the rapture of the Church:

         Matt. 24:30-31 At that time [i.e., cutting short the Great Tribulation, v. 22] the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory [i.e, the Second Coming of Jesus]. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect [i.e., the Rapture] from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Blood Moons And Bible Prophecy

Biblegems #184

Question: Are the so-called ‘blood moons’ of 2014-2015 a sign of Christ’s Second Coming? Is God using these celestial events to remind us of the ever-forward movements of His plan?

Since the universe exists as the creation of God for His purposes, all that exists has purpose and meaning. That would not be the case if the universe were merely the result of a chance explosion. The Bible explicitly states that the heavenly bodies were designed by God to serve as “signs and seasons” for mankind,  (Gen. 1:14-17; Ps. 147:4; 19:1-3. see also, Biblegems #116, Christmas In The Stars).

The word “sign” in the Bible typically refers to prophetic events, such as the Return of Christ. Of His own Second Coming, Jesus said:

         Luke 21:25 There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.

Jesus expects His followers down through the ages to be able to understand these “signs”:

         Matt. 16:2-3  He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Blood Moons, as well as solar eclipses, do appear to be among some of the key “signs” associated with Jesus Return in power and glory:

         Joel 2:30-31 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD (see Acts 2:17-21).

However, before getting too concerned over Blood Moon appearances it should be remembered that these are familiar occurances down through history. This year’ s events—or any year’s events—do not by themsleves represent dire significance. We need to understand these “signs” in the heavens in relation to other signs the Bible indicates will be associated with the Day of the Lord.

According to both Old and New Testament prophecies, there are several “signs”—dramatic and catastrophic events on a cosmological scale immediately preceding the Day of the Lord’s Wrath. Perhaps the most complete picture in one place of this period is found in the book of Revelation:

Rev. 6:12-17  I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There

was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Notice the other “signs” alongside the Blood Moons which the old Testament prophecies indicate as well:

  • Massive, worldwide earthquakes (Jer. 4:23-24)

  • Mountains flattened; land masses twisting out of shape (Jer. 4:23a; Ezek. 38:20)

  • Starlight disappearing (Jer. 4:23b)

  • Stars (meteors and comets?) falling to earth (Matt. 24:29-31; 2Pet. 3:10)

  • Solar and lunar eclipses (Joel 2:30-31)

  • Shift in the earth’s axis (Amos 8:9)

  • Daytime Darkness (Amos 5:20; Zeph. 1:15)

  • The sky appearing to “roll up” in thick, dark  clouds (Zeph. 1:15)

When can humanity expect to see this cosmological disaster happen? As we saw in revelation 6:12, the Blood Moons and related events associated with the Day of the Lord take place with the opening of the “sixth seal.” That means the first five “seals” must take place first. The “Day of the Lord” described by the opening of the sixth seal takes place after the Antichrist has been revealed for who he really is:

         2Thess. 2:3-4 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day [the Day of the Lord] will not come until the rebellion [apostasy — falling away; rebellion] occurs and the man of lawlessness [i.e., the Antichrist] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction…

The Lord’s Return in the sky in great power, according to Jesus, will be accompanied by cosmic upheaval and the destruction of the Antichrist (Matt. 24:29-30; 2 Thess. 2:8). The Rapture of the Church, also according to Jesus, will take place “at that time” as we are gathered from the whole earth “to meet the Lord in the air” (Matt. 24:31; 1Thess. 4:17; 1Thess. 5:9). The Day of the Lord’s Wrath will begin with Jesus’ appearing and our being gathered to Him, at which time God’s wrath described above will be poured out upon rebellious mankind and the earth will be purged of the effects of sin (Is. 13:9; 2Thess. 2:8).

Are the Blood Moons we experience now a sign of Jesus’ Return? Only in as much as they cause mankind to wonder what may be coming upon the earth, and as they cause believers to “watch and pray” in anticipation of Christ’s Return. For every time there is a “blood moon” the media is flooded with speculation and the world turns to biblical prophecy. God in His grace gives us all ample time to turn to Him in repentance and surrender…before it is too late.

Modern Day Prophets?

Biblegems #159

Question: Are there modern day prophets in the church, or did prophecy cease with Jesus and the apostles?  How does Joel’s prophecy—“your sons and daughters will prophecy”—quoted in Acts 2:17 fit in with all of this? It concerns me to see people being called prophets and prophetesses.

The concern expressed by this question is very legitimate. There are many who proclaim to be prophets and are not, and many who are proclaimed by others to be prophets who are not. Such false claims, however, have always been the case. The fact that there are false prophets does not mean that there are no prophets.

Here’s what the Scripture has to say:

There will be prophets and prophetesses in the Last Days:

         Acts 2:17-18  In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

We have been in the Last Days since the birth of Jesus. In fact, the very end of the Tribulation period will be marked by the ministry of two witnesses who will prophesy for 3 ½ years:

         Rev. 11:3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.

The Bible describes prophecy as a gift of the Holy Spirit and encourages its use in the church and even gives instruction regarding how it is to be used:

         1Cor. 14:5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.

And…

1Cor. 14:31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.

And…

         1Cor. 14:39  Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.

And…

         1Cor. 12:7-10  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy…

A person, male or female, who prophecies is a prophet. However, the role of the modern day prophet is not to add to the revelation given in Scripture:

         Rev. 22:18-19  I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

The role of the modern day prophet is to bring instruction, guidance and edification to the Body of Christ, the church, for the common good as we saw in the passages above (1Cor. 12:7-10; 14:31).

Prophets are also to be tested so that they are recognized as legitimate (1 Jn. 4:1; Dt. 13:1-3; 1Cor. 14:32).