The article below is the final excerpt from chapter twelve of my manuscript, Waiting for The Day and Hour. This piece is the introduction to chapter twelve, and the last nine posts followed it.
Since this book is about the rapture of the body of Christ it would be a good idea to designate chapter number twelve to it. Throughout this book, I have mentioned the coming of the Lord for his church often, so writing about it in this chapter may help highlight some important facts about this event. The rapture is contentious because so many Christians know little about it. There are several reasons why Christians lack this knowledge. Here are three, but there may be many more: 1) They may be recent converts. 2) They do not believe in the rapture. 3) They are not interested in being educated about this important event. The only legitimate reason for having little or no knowledge of the rapture of the body of Christ is number one: They are recent converts. The other two reasons are because they oppose the Holy Spirit—yes, that is right. Groups two and three may look and sound strong in the Lord, but they resist the truth the Holy Spirit reveals.
What a believer feels is not the
best way to judge whether or not the Spirit of God is speaking to them. The
child of God should hear his voice clearly within their spirit or in their ears.
However, reading the Holy Scriptures is the primary way God speaks to his
church (illumination will come because God is faithful). The New Testament is
God’s way of speaking to his church. The Old Testament is what God teaches his church
about the people whom Jesus the Savior came into the world. The church needs to
know that the Old Testament is about the history of Israel and the things God
prophesied and promised her. What God promises Israel does not necessarily mean
that God has promised it for his church. Christians need to distinguish between
Israel and the church.
The Spirit of God leads God’s
people into all truth, and the rapture is the truth that he has been revealing since
Israel’s statehood was renewed. Sadly, most Christians and pastors have been in
defiance to endtimes prophecy for several decades. After Israel’s statehood was
renewed, many pastors preached about the coming of the Lord. They did it
regularly. In the mid-1980s, my cousin went up to receive Christ after my
pastor was finished preaching on the Tribulation Period and the rapture. But
over the last 40-50 years, the pulpit has become mute on the message of
endtimes. Many pastors do not even believe the world is in the endtimes—the
endtimes began with the rebirth of Israel’s sovereign government. The large
group of Christians and pastors who have cast away endtimes doctrine refuse
vehemently to hear anything about this teaching. Instead of endtimes teaching
sounding like a songbird in the ears of the church, many regard it as a
screeching red-tailed hawk. Many scold their pastor after he teaches on it. When
a rapture disbeliever hears the word, rapture, they get confrontational. Some can
get very angry. I have experienced it. Their opposition to the word rapture,
and the teaching of endtimes prophecy could be that they fear the rapture happening.
They may fear meeting the Lord face-to-face. They may fear standing before the
Lord at his judgment seat—I will write about the judgment seat of Christ below,
under the heading, The Bema Seat.
Some have the idea that the
rapture is a bad thing. They think of it this way because they believe it could
disrupt their plans. Destroy their agendas. Every pastor thinks the Lord has a calling
on their life, but by what some say, it reveals their calling has no place for the
rapture. These people symbolically push the rapture away so their calling will
be fulfilled—they believe if they do not preach it or speak it, the rapture
will not happen. God does not contradict his word. He will not promise anything
to anyone if it goes against Scripture. The attitude of every pastor and Christian
should be what they have been called to will happen if the rapture does not
happen first—and be happy with that. That is the best way of approaching a
personal calling or church program. However, one of the main reasons why many
Christians (including pastors) reject the fact that the rapture will happen
during this generation is because they love the world and the things of the
world. This is proof that the love of God the Father is not in them (1 Jn.
2:15). “The desires of the flesh and the
desires of the eyes and pride of life [Or pride in possessions]” (1 Jn. 2:16b),
are entrapments of the world. The lovers of this life are not from God. James,
the half-brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55), and the leader of the Jerusalem
council (Acts. 15:13; 21:17-19), said that being friendly with the world is
being hostile to God—he calls them μοιχαλίδες (moichalídes) adulteresses (Jms.
4:4a). Therefore: “Whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes the enemy
of God” (Jms. 4:4b).
When a Christian loves the world
and the things of this world, it is because the world is where their heart and
mind are. Paul taught the church to focus on heaven, for that is where Christ
is (Col. 3:1). The mind of the Christian is to be fixed on the things in heaven
and not on the things of the earth (Col. 3:2). The Western church has plenty of
people that have ears that itch for their lusts, therefore they seek teachers
that will teach what they lust after (2 Tim. 4:3). Many in the Western church
do not want to hear truth, but rather, they want men and women behind the
pulpit to preach fiction (2 Tim. 4:4). This was prophesied by the apostle Paul
and its fulfillment is happening in this generation.
Endtimes theology, specifically
the rapture, is not taught in most churches today because their pastors are
defiant. They are rebellious. They believe their will for their congregation is
more important than God’s plan. Some pastors are heretic servants. They have
chosen to reject what God has commanded them. Maybe because they fear their
congregations will shrink if they preach on the endtimes. Some pastors are not bothered
resisting the study of endtimes doctrine. Neither are they worried about being uneducated
on the rapture of the church. Their conscience is not pricked. Therefore, their
congregations suffer from endtimes anorexia. Many in the church have been starved
of endtimes doctrine for so long that they have become rapture anorectic. They
have lost their appetite for endtimes teaching, especially on the rapture. If only
many in the church would realize that they are spiritually gaunt. The rapture
anorectic may think they are well nourished, spiritually strong, and healthy
because they get an electric jolt up and down their spine when the worship team
plays energetic tunes. Or because their pastors know how to stir their
emotions. But spiritually, they are
scrawny rebels. They disobey the word of God for tainted doctrine. They want to
feel good about themselves instead of hearing the truth. They are moichalídes (adulteresses).
When a Christian is serious about
learning and understanding the word of God, the Holy Spirit will guide the
believer into all truth, even the disputatious rapture teaching. As I said
above, the Holy Spirit has been revealing endtimes doctrine more clearly since
Israel’s statehood was renewed because that prophesied event triggered the
teaching of this doctrine. This generation is to focus on endtimes doctrine, especially
teaching about the rapture of the body of Christ. As the day of the rapture gets
near, the Spirit of God reveals this truth more clearly in the hearts of those
who listen. The message has clarity to those who believe it, but the message is
mute in the ears of those that resist it.
Are They Sleeping?
God has scheduled a day and a specific hour when he will miraculously remove the body of Christ from this world. Those alive when the trumpet sounds will be seized suddenly into the eternal realm. Those that are in heaven, in soul and spirit, will be reunited with their dead bodies they left behind on the earth. Their present condition is why the apostle Paul calls them “the dead in Christ.” Their bodies are dead, but their spirits are not. It does not matter the condition of their dead body because God is a master at recreating. Paul said that those who are dead in Christ are κοιμωμένων (koimoménon) “sleeping” or κοιμηθέντας (koimithéntas) “asleep” (1 Thess. 4:13-14). Because Paul used this terminology to describe the dead in Christ, some believe that a Christian who has passed away and is waiting for the rapture to occur is asleep. They think the soul and spirit of the dead in Christ are comatose or in hibernation.
Paul was not using koimoménon in
the literal sense but metaphorically. The sleeping or, in hibernation, theory conceives
the dead in Christ as being in a state of unconsciousness. They do not even
hold the theory that they are in a state of altered consciousness that would produce
dreams like in the different stages of sleep. But they believe they are in an incognizant
state. This theory teaches that once a Christian dies, they are in hibernation
until the day the trumpet sounds to assemble the church in the eternal realm. This
would mean that the apostles Paul, Peter, John, and Silas would not even know
where they were. They passed away almost two millennia ago. So, for nearly 2000
years, they have been in hibernation. The theology of being asleep in heaven means
their state of unconsciousness would hinder their ability to recognize Jesus.
The people who believe the dead
in Christ are sleeping believe that once the rapture occurs, their soul and
spirit will awake out of slumber. But I do not think this is what Paul meant
when he said the dead in Christ are sleeping. I believe he meant they are at
rest from their work done in this world. It is similar to being retired from a
long career. They are resting from their labors. They are fully conscious of
where they are and who they see in heaven. They know they are in heaven. In heaven,
there is peace compared to the trouble, anxiety, and worry here in the world. And
that is what the dead in Christ are enjoying: Heavenly rest.
Those who die in their sins are
another story. Their spirit beings do not go into the heavenly realm but go
into ᾅδης (Hades) hell, or the netherworld. Hades is a sojourn (a temporary
stay[1]) for
the dead in sin. In Hebrew, it is called שְׁאוֹל (sheol), which is hell
or the underworld. Sheol is a sojourn for the dead in sin. Hell is a stopover
for the disembodied spirits of those who die in their sins. Like the dead in
Christ, the dead in their sins are also fully aware of where they are. The
spirits and souls of those dead in their sins are in Hades only temporarily
because one day they will be transferred to a different place—stay with me. The
dead bodies of the dead in their sins are on the earth someplace, like those
who are dead in Christ. But during the great white throne judgment, the bodies
of the dead in their sins will be resurrected (Rev. 20:5a) and then cast into
the lake of fire after they are judged for the things they had done (Rev.
20:11-12). As I have said, Hades is only a sojourn for the dead in their sins.
Most have been laid over in Hades
for many years, centuries, and millennia. But once their bodies come to life
again and they are judged for their sins, they will be transferred to the lake
of fire (Rev. 20:14-15). The Scripture says the θάλασσα (thálassa) sea gave up
the dead who are in it (Rev. 20:13a). This may mean the nations will give up
the dead bodies of those that die in their sins. When it says “Death and Hades”
gave up its dead (Rev. 20:13b), it means the spirits of the dead in their sins.
Again, Hades is a sojourn for the dead in their sins. Therefore, the dead in
their sins will be reunited with their earthly bodies and be judged, then cast
into the lake of fire because their names are not recorded in the Book of Life
(Rev. 20:14-15). Those cast into the lake of fire, like the Antichrist and the
false prophet (Rev. 19:20), will not burn up like in a fiery furnace. Because
the lake of fire is a place of eternal torment. Notice: Revelation 19:20 records
that the Antichrist and the false prophet are cast alive directly into the lake
of fire, bypassing Hades. The chemical element sulfur, that fuels the lake of
fire, is to keep the eternal place of torment alive forever. Hades is a
temporary place of βασάνοις (vasánois) torment, or torture. However, the lake
of fire is a permanent place of vasánois for eternity.
We see an allusion to the dead in
their sins sojourning in Hades in Scripture (Lk. 16:19-31). Some people assume this
story is fictional. But I contend it is not. I believe it is factual. I presume
the episode between the rich man, Lazarus, and Abraham happened while Jesus
resided in the eternal realm as the God of Israel, before he left heaven to
become a man. I believe that both the rich man and Lazarus were Jews from the
house of Israel. Because the rich man was dead in his sins, he was cast into Hades
after he died (Lk. 16:22b - 23a). He may have been one of Israel’s evil kings or
one of the kingdom’s princes who reigned from Solomon’s palace. Because he was
dressed in purple and fine linen, and the food he ate was sumptuous[2]— “extremely
costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent” (Lk. 16:19). Lazarus was poor, and covered
in sores that likely were bleeding which attracted dogs (Lk. 16:20-21). He
begged for food outside the rich man’s gate, likely the palace gate. Lazarus
was received into a region of the heavenly realms when he died (Lk. 16:22a) because
he was must have been a righteous man in Israel (read Ezekiel 18:4 - 17; Prov.
18:10). Abraham’s κόλπος (kólpos) bosom, is an allusion to a location in the
heavenly realms. However, some would disagree with me.
In this historical narrative, Jesus
reveals that spirits in the underworld can see into the realm where the spirits
of the righteous are taken by the angels of God when they die (Lk. 16:23b - 24).
Abraham’s bosom can be seen from Hades because both are spiritual domains
outside of time and space. They both exist in the spiritual realm. But the place
of the righteous in the heavenly realms and Hades are far from each other,
because the rich man saw Abraham and Lazarus from faraway (Lk. 16:23b). Between
the spiritual domain of the underworld, and the spiritual domain of the
righteous is a χάσμα μέγα (chásma mega) big gap, or mega gap, or mega chasm.
The righteous spirits and the spirits of sin cannot pass from one side to the
other (Lk. 16:26). The spiritual domain of Hades is a place of torment described
by the rich man’s agony (Lk. 16:24).
Some teach that when Jesus died
and went to Hades, he then led the saints of the Old Testament out of Hades and
took them with him when he ascended back into heaven (Eph. 4:8-10). They think
the Old Testament saints were in Sheol, they went there when they died. I
disagree with this theory because Sheol is a place of torment, as the rich man
said (Lk. 16:24). Paul does not say what he meant by this saying (Eph. 4:8),
but maybe one thing, Christ’s victory. He quoted King David from Psalms 68:18.
David prophesied Israel’s Messiah and his victory over death and sin, and then he
ascends to heaven. Paul quotes this prophecy, declaring Christ’s victory over
the fallen angels and demonic spirits. The same ones that had kept all men in
captivity to their power until Jesus’ death and resurrection. The “captivity
captive” are not the righteous of the Old Testament but are the powers of
darkness. Jesus took them captive, giving him victory over them. Paul declares
that by Christ’s victory, men can be free from Satan’s power. Jesus led his
captives, the principalities and powers of darkness, and exposed their shame with
his victory over them (Col. 2:15).
As the prophecy goes, concerning the
dead in Christ, those who are sleeping, they will rise first to meet the Lord
in the air, then, those caught up out of the world, will join them to meet
Jesus all together: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout
[or command], with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and
the dead in Christ will rise first … Then we who are still alive, who are left,
will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,
and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17, CSB).
The English phrase “caught up”
used in many English Bibles, in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, is derived from the Greek
term ἁρπάζω (harpazō). Paul used this word to describe himself being harpazō
(caught up) into the heavenly realm (2 Cor. 12:2, 4). John used this word when
he described Jesus being caught up to God (Rev. 12:5)—this happened when he was
raptured, or ascended, back into heaven (Acts 1:9). Harpazō means to grab with
force, or seized quickly. This Greek word is where we get the word rapture
from. It comes from the Latin word raptus, which means to seize. Most English Bibles
translate harpazō as the phrase “caught up” because of Paul’s analogy: in the
clouds and the air. Bible translators not only try to interpret Scriptures as
close to the original manuscripts as possible but also try to be grammatically
correct. In verse seventeen, the English translations attempted to be syntax[3] correct
by abiding by grammar rules while expressing Paul’s analogy, in the clouds and the
air. Therefore, being caught up sounds more appropriate since clouds are up in
the air. The Latin Vulgate[4]
reads: “Deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur cum illis
in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus.” Translated
into English, it reads: “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will
always be with the Lord.” Notice the word rapiemur in the Latin Vulgate. I put
it in italics. Rapiemur, when parsed,[5]
translates into the English phrase: “We will be carried away.” Rapiemur is
translated from the Greek term, ἁρπαγησόμεθα (arpagisómetha). Arpagisómetha,
when translated into English, reads: “We are raptured.”
As I have pointed out numerous times
in this book and the articles I post, Jesus commands the pastors and teachers
to teach endtimes doctrine so the church can make it part of their Christian
theology (Matt. 24: 45-51; Lk. 12:41-48). Rapture teachings help the believer
to grow in his salvation and be purified even as the Lord is pure (1 Jn.
3:2-3). Even so, individual Christians should take responsibility for
themselves and their family. If endtimes prophecy is void from the pulpit, Christians
can get taught from outside ministries. Endtimes teaching is available on the
internet, from videos and books. I am sure that every believer knows someone
knowledgeable in endtimes doctrine. Therefore, the door should be open to them
to share their knowledge.
Picture:
Free for use under the Pixabay
Content License
[3] What Is Syntax?
Learn the Meaning and Rules, With Examples
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/grammar/syntax/
(Accessed
3/27/2025)
[4] What is the Latin
Vulgate Bible
https://www.gotquestions.org/Latin-Vulgate.html
(Accessed
1/28/2025)
