Monday, May 26, 2025

Gather Together Before the Appointed Time

 


In my previous article, Enter Your Chambers,[1] I posted that a few Old Testament prophets prophesied about the rapture. They prophesied that the rapture of the body of Christ would happen before Israel’s 70th week would begin. They prophesied that the rapture would be pre-Tribulation. In that article, I wrote about Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa. 26:19-21). In this article, I will write about Daniel’s and Zephaniah’s prophecies about the rapture of the body of Christ. Keep in mind that these men had no idea that Gentile believers would be among Jewish believers who would either be caught up from the earth or raised from the dead to escape the outpouring of God’s endtimes wrath. It was not revealed to them that God would also make believing Gentiles his people, too. It was a mystery to them (Rms. 11:25; 16:25; Eph. 3:1-10).

Before I interpret what Daniel and Zephaniah prophesied about the rapture, I will write about a false narrative circulating throughout the church community. I have written about this in chapter fifteen of my manuscript, Waiting for the Day and Hour. Many in the church do not believe in the rapture. They say you cannot find the word rapture in the Bible. I have written why the word rapture is not in English Bibles. So, I do not want to go over it again right now. Christians who doubt the Bible teaches the church will be raptured also say, that Christians who believe in a pre-Tribulation rapture are incredibly deceived and are damning (causing or leading to condemnation or ruin[2]) those who listen to their teachings. It saddens me that the deceived are calling others deceived. The rapture doubters base their belief on misinformation being taught that the rapture doctrine first appeared in the writings of John Darby (1800-1882),[3] about 1830. John Darby taught that the church would be raptured before the Tribulation Period begins. Before his teaching, the church suffered from a false teaching called Amillennialism.[4] This was the dominant belief in the church from the time of Saint Augustine (354-430).[5] He popularized amillennialism in the church, and many held onto that false doctrine, making it standard theology.

Amillennialism teaches that the millennial reign of Christ (Rev. 20:1-7) is not a physical, literal 1000-year reign on Earth. It is only an analogy describing the church age. This false doctrine teaches that the millennial reign of Christ began at his first coming and will continue until his second coming. It says there will be no physical reign of Christ on the earth, but rather, his reign is only spiritual. It teaches that the 1000-year reign of Christ in the Book of Revelation is only symbolic and not literal. The Amillennialist believes the kingdom of God only exists in the hearts of Christians. This teaching insists there is no rapture of the church; it discredits the Scriptural truth about the rapture. This teaching says there is no seven-year Tribulation. Many churches worldwide still believe and follow the amillennial doctrine.

I also have written in chapter fifteen of my manuscript, under the heading, Ancient Church Fathers, who came after the Lord’s apostles, taught and wrote about the rapture of the body of Christ, saying it will be caught up before the Tribulation begins. As I wrote under this heading in my manuscript, I obtained this information from a book called The Rapture: A Pretribulation Rapture of the Church Viewed from the Bible and the Ancient Church (Second Edition), written by Ken Johnson. I have studied this information in other books through the years, but Ken Johnson’s book makes the information easy to understand.

Some of these ancient church fathers were:

1) Irenaeus (AD 120/140-200/203):[6] He was a disciple of Polycarp. Polycarp was a disciple of the apostle John.

2) Hippolytus (AD 170-235):[7] He was a disciple of Irenaeus.

3) Victorinus (Died about AD 303):[8] Victorinus believed in a pretribulation rapture. He wrote a commentary on the book of Revelation. Victorinus wrote that the church is the restrainer: “But the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:7b, CSB).  

4) Cyprian (AD 200-258):[9] He was the bishop of Carthage.[10] The Roman government killed Cyprian around AD 258. He taught that the rapture and the resurrection are the hope of the Christian.

5) Ephraem (AD 306-373):[11] Ephraem was a Christian theologian and writer in the 4th century AD.


Daniel 12:1-2

“At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape… Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt” (CSB).

The rapture of the church is being revealed to Daniel in this passage, but he does not know it. He did not know there would be a new creation. It was a mystery to him and the other Old Testament saints; I mentioned this above. The rapture was revealed to him by the angel dressed in linen, who talked with him on the bank of the Tigris River (Dan. 10:4-6). Daniel would have figured that this angel was referring to the nation of Israel exclusively, because the angel told him that his people would escape. The angel spoke to Daniel in terminology he could understand, because Daniel did not know what role the Gentiles would have in the endtimes. He would not have known that his fellow Jew (the apostle Paul) would be commissioned by his Messiah more than 500 years later to preach salvation to the Gentiles, and that they would become the majority of God’s people.

Verse one: The angel says בעת ההיא (ba'at hahi) “At that time” (Masoretic Text). What time was the angel referring to? He was referring to the time right before the 70th week of Israel begins. He declares that the archangel Michael will stand up. Michael is a chief angel and the arch angel who watches over the nation of Israel (Dan. 10:13, 21; Rev. 12:7). The reason he stands up is to witness the body of Christ being raptured, having their bodies redeemed, being transformed from their earthly bodies into heavenly bodies on the last day of the church age. He watches as the body of Christ all receive a body similar to his, the same kind that Jesus now lives in (Phil. 3:21).

Michael is not only standing to witness born-again Gentiles receive heavenly bodies, but every born-again Jew who put their faith in Jesus during the church age. He will also witness Daniel and all the Old Testament saints receive heavenly bodies once the church is raptured, because they had faith in their Messiah and were faithful to him before his incarnation. Michael will stand at this glorious event, as will all the other angels in heaven, as the Son of God receives his bride.

The angel who looked like a man, dressed in linen, tells Daniel that there will be tribulation so bad that it will be unequaled to any other time in history (Jer. 30:7; Matt. 24:21; Mk. 13:19). The angel promises Daniel that before the Tribulation Period begins every Jew—"your people”—who put their faith in Jesus as Messiah, those whose names are found in the Book of Life יִמָּלֵט (yimmalet) “will escape” (Masoretic Text). The angel's statement reveals a pre-Tribulation rapture of the church. The church is promised to escape God’s endtimes wrath (1 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 3:10). Again, when Daniel hears these words, he has only the nation of Israel in mind.

Verse two: The angel prophesies that everyone who has died will be raised to life again. The ones raised to receive eternal life are all those who put their faith in Jesus as Lord. I must not deceive you, because even evil spirits believe that Jesus is Lord (Mk. 1:24; Lk. 4:34, 41; Acts 19:15; Jms. 2:19; 1 Jn. 3:8). People who are born again and faithful to God will be raised to eternal life at the rapture. Others will be raised to life to sit before Jesus at the White Throne judgment, because their names are not written in the Book of Life (Rev. 20:11-15).


Zephaniah 2:1-3

“Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation,… before the decree takes effect [Hebrew: gives birth]—before the day passes away like chaff—before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD… Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; [Or who carry out his judgment] seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD” (ESV).

In chapter eight of my manuscript, The Evil Rulers, under the heading, Alexander the Great, I wrote, Alexander was used by God to conquer the Philistine cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, and Gaza in 332-331 BC (Zech. 9:5-7). Zechariah does not mention Alexander by name, but he and his Macedonian army are referenced as the ones who conquered these cities. Before he and the Macedonians destroyed the Philistines, they destroyed: “the land of Hadrach (a district in Syria), Hamath (a principal city in Syria), Tyre and Sidon (cities in Lebanon)—Zechariah 9:1-4. The City of Tyre seemed impossible to conquer, but Alexander conquered it in about seven months in 332 BC” (The Evil RulersAlexander the Great). When the Macedonian armed forces were on their way to conquer Egypt, the Lord did not allow Alexander to attack Jerusalem or the temple (Zech. 9:8)—see the story behind the Lord’s intervention in chapter eight, as recorded by Flavius Josephus.

In the book The Rapture, Ken Johnson points out that Zephaniah records Alexander's capture of the Philistines in Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron (Zeph. 2:4-6)—page #84. In the days of Joshua, there were giant warriors, the Anakim, in these areas (Josh. 11:22). Gath, another major city of the Philistines, was the home of Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4). Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron were part of the tribe of Judah’s inheritance. But they could not retain it because the Philistines had iron chariots (Jdg. 1:18-19). Johnson also points out, that Zephaniah 2:7 reveals the renewed statehood of Israel, which includes Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Gaza on the seacoast (2:7). And, Zephaniah 2:8 prophesies that the modern state of Jordan (Moab and the Ammonites) will battle against the renewed state of Israel (Page #85). During the Arab-Israeli War in 1948, Jordan took possession of the West Bank,[12] but in the Six-Day War (1967), Israel recaptured and occupied the West Bank.[13]

Concerning Zephaniah’s prophecy above: The Lord gives warning to endtimes Israel to “gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation” before his wrath is released, “before the decree takes effect.” The decree is upon the nations and kingdoms of the earth in which he will release his burning anger (Zeph. 3:8). God will gather the nations and lead them into war in the Valley of Jehoshaphat where he will judge them, because they have harmed his people and divided their land (Joel 3:2, 12; Zech. 14:2-3; Rev. 16:16). The Valley of Jehoshaphat is the Kidron Valley which lies between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.[14] The decree is fulfilled during Israel’s 70th week period (Dan. 9:24, 26a-27; Rev. 6:1-19:21). He warns Israel to gather themselves to him before he releases that which he has decreed, his endtimes wrath. The time leading up to it will come quickly, as swiftly as chaff blows away. And then the day of his burning anger will take effect. The Lord repeats himself: “Before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD.” God is telling them they have the opportunity to escape his burning anger: “Perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.” This is an allusion to the rapture of the body of Christ. Many Jews have accepted this offer during the church age by putting their faith in Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. God tells Israel to “seek righteousness and seek humility.” The humble of Israel must “seek the LORD.” Those who do as he says will escape the “anger of the LORD.” They will be hidden in the Father’s house from the outpouring of the LORD’s wrath. This prophecy reveals a pre-Tribulation rapture.

 

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[3] Who was John Nelson Darby?

https://www.gotquestions.org/John-Nelson-Darby.html

(Accessed 5/12/2025)

[5] Saint Augustine

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Augustine

(Accessed 5/26/2025)

[6] Saint Irenaeus: Bishop of Lyon

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Irenaeus

(Accessed 5/26/2025)

[7] Hippolytus of Rome

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippolytus_of_Rome

(Accessed 5/26/2025)

[8] Victorinus of Pettau

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorinus_of_Pettau

(Accessed 5/26/2025)

[10] Carthage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage

(Accessed 5/12/2025)

[11] Saint Ephraem Syrus

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Ephraem-Syrus

(Accessed 5/12/2025)

[12] West Bank

https://www.britannica.com/place/West-Bank

(Accessed 5/23/2025)

[13] Six-Day War

https://www.britannica.com/event/Six-Day-War

(Accessed 5/23/2025)

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