THE RAPTURE: TIMING
The rapture will occur at an unknown day
and hour between the midpoint and the end of the 70th week.
Dan's 70th week begins with the
signing of a covenant that allows the Jews to have a temple (not
divinely authorized) and perform animal sacrifices (not divinely
approved or accepted). Dan. 9:27. This is probably represented by
the first seal of Rev. 6.
The white-horse rider is a benevolent world ruler who promotes the
covenant that brings peace to the Middle East.
The church is still on the earth as
God's evangelistic agency and will function in that capacity "UNITL
the Son of Man comes." Mat. 10:22, 24:14.
Israel is still under national discipline (Luke 21:24) and will not
even respond to God in a national capacity UNTIL the Son of man
comes. Mat. 23:39.
Seal #2 shows us someone who will
remove THE peace from the earth.
This represents the breaking of the covenant by the beast and the
start of the tribulation at the midpoint of Dan's 70th week.
What follows in seals 3-5 are effects that result from the beast's
oppressive reign - the wrath of man and the wrath of Satan - that
among other things KILLS the martyrs of seal#5. (Satan's wrath, not
God's wrath - God does not kill the martyrs). Rev. 13:7; 12:17.
Among these martyrs are the ones who are KILLED at Mat. 24:9, ON
ACCOUNT OF MY NAME.
Mat. 24:9ff describes the tribulation. "then they will deliver you
up to tribulation."
V. 15-21, "THEREFORE when you see the abomination . . . then there
will be a great tribulation."
Mark 13:14-19, "when you see . . . for those days will be a
tribulation such has not occurred since the beginning of the
creation which God created, until now and never shall."
So, after the tribulation begins at
the midpoint of Dan's 70th week, at seal #2 and continues through
seals 3-5,
John is shown seal #6 - the arrival of the Day of the Lord via the
cosmic and earthly signs. These are the very same signs as at Joel
2:31 and Mat. 24:29.
Mat. 24:9-28 (Mark 13:14-23) shows us
the tribulation
Rev. 6:2-5 shows us the tribulation
Mat. 24:22, the trib will be cut
short, amputated from its "expected" duration at an unknown day and
hour by the decree of God the Father.
It is his "expected" reign because the reign of the beast is 3 1/2
years (42 months). His reign cannot be cut short - it is decreed.
BUT - his oppression of the elect can be cut short and interrupted
by the return of Jesus at an unknown day and hour - that is, at an
unknown day and hour AFTER the reign of the beast begins, but before
his reign ends.
At an unknown day and hour -
Mat. 24:29 shows us the cosmic and earthly signs AFTER the trib.
Rev. 6:12-14 shows us the cosmic and earthly signs after the trib.
Mat. 24:30 shows the panic of the
earth-dwellers.
Rev. 6:15-16 shows us the panic of the earth-dwellers.
At the same unknown day and hour -
Mat. 24:30 shows the arrival of Jesus in the clouds of the sky in
power and great glory.
Rev. 6:16 shows the arrival of Jesus (presence)
RAPTURE - At the same unknown day and
hour -
Mat. 24:31 shows us the SKY-gathering of the elect - after the trib
and therefore out of the trib.
(Mark 13:27, FROM the farthest end of the earth UNTO the farthest
end of heaven).
Rev. 7:9ff shows the RESULTS of Christ's presence at the 6th seal.
The great multitude who come out of the great tribulation.
Rev. 7:1-8 represents the conversion
of the 144k Jews after the arrival of Jesus and the removal of the
elect.
Mat. 24:39 shows us judgment after (on
the day of) Christ's arrival via the flood illustration.
Luke 17:28-30 tells us that Jesus also used the illustration of
Sodom's destruction.
Rev. 6:16 shows us the arrival of God's wrath - on the day that the
earth-dwellers see His presence.
This is still during the 70th week.
The arrival of Jesus and the DOL is followed by the specific
judgments from the trumpets of Rev. 8-9.
The 7th trumpet will end the 70th week. Rev. 10:7; 11:14-15.
However, the 5th trumpet will last for
5 months. Rev. 9:1-5.
Therefore, the second coming of Jesus will occur AT LEAST 5 months
before the end of the week and before the end of the beast's reign.
AND, the tribulation will be cut short AT LEAST 5 months before the
end of the week.
Since there are 4 trumpets before #5 and one trumpet after #5, a
reasonable amount of time should be allowed for those trumpets
before the 7th trumpet will announce the end of the week.
Accordingly, the pre-wrath view states that the one and only second
coming of Jesus and the attendant rapture of all of Christ's elect
ones will occur at an unknown day and hour 6-18 months before the
end of the 70th week.
So-
The first 5 seals represent the tribulation.
The trib is cut short by the 6th seal arrival of Jesus at an unknown
day and hour.
The sky-gathering of the elect occurs at that unknown time.
Then the wrath of God is poured out on the earth-dwellers.
The 7th trumpet represents the end of the week.
7 bowls follow during the next 30 days after the end of the week.
Toward the close of that 30-day period, Jesus will DESCEND
PHYSICALLY to the earth - going first to Edom, then to Jerusalem and
then to Megiddo.
This is NOT the second coming - this is a physical descent many
months AFTER His arrival in the CLOUDS of the sky with power and
great glory.
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