1) The day we are gathered (the rapture) will happen AFTER the man of lawlessness, the one who proclaims himself to be God, is revealed:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-42) As seen above and below, the rapture will happen on the DAY OF THE LORD. That is also the same day as the unbelieving world is destroyed:
1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the DAY OF THE LORD has already come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come UNTIL the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-103) As you have seen above, the rapture happens on the DAY OF THE LORD. As well as the above passages and many others, this passage reveals that the DAY OF THE LORD happens at the END of the tribulation period:
6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7AND give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen WHEN the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power ON THE DAY he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-5:2
4:15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. 5:1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the DAY OF THE LORD (the day that we will be caught up in the clouds) will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Luke 17:26-37
26 "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to THE DAY Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But THE DAY Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be JUST LIKE THIS ON THE DAY the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left. 'Where, Lord?' they asked. He replied, 'Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.'"
2 Peter 3:10-124) You will see below that the saints will be persecuted for 3 1/2 years, and that the Lord will not rapture us until AFTER this time of tribulation. We will be raptured: (1) the day that Jesus returns on the clouds, at which time every eye will see Him (in other words, it won't be a secret coming); (2) at the sound of the last trumpet, (3) after the signs in the sun, moon, and stars; (4) when the kingdom is restored to Israel; and (5) as was said above, not until the day of the Lord, just before He pours out His wrath on the unbelievers.
10 But the DAY OF THE LORD will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to THE DAY OF GOD and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
Note: The above passage indicates that the Day of the Lord is the one and same day as the Day of God.
Clouds
1 Thessalonians 4:17
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Note: The above passage establishes that we will be raptured when the Lord comes in the clouds. The passages below establish the fact that the Lord comes in the clouds AFTER the great tribulation, the period of time when we are persecuted, a time which takes place at the very end of the age when the sun turns dark, etc. We are trying to show that the rapture does not take place until after the great tribulation, not before.
Mark 13:9-27
9 "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong — let the reader understand — then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now — and never to be equaled again. 20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect — if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. 24 "But in those days, following that distress, "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' 26 "At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
Luke 21:25-28
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. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time THEY will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, [YOU] stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near [redemption happens on the day of the rapture]."
Matthew 24:9-31
9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and YOU will be hated by all nations because of me (i.e., He is speaking to Christians because he says to them, "...because of me"). 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 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— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now — and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect — if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. (Verses 23 through 26 show that He is indeed talking to Christians.) 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. 29 Immediately after the distress of those days (see verse 9 to see what distress He is talking about), the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 30 At that time 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. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Revelation 13:7-10 & 14:9-16: 13
13:7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast — all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. 9 He who has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.....14:9: 9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." 14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud , and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud , "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested [the rapture].
Note: Notice in the above passage that the rapture takes place after the reign of the antichrist, just as it says in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4.
Note: Notice in the passage below that He comes with the clouds at the same time that every eye will see Him. And because He raptures us when He comes with the clouds, that means that it will not be a secret coming, and that there is only ONE second coming.
Revelation 1:8
7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.
Note: In the passage below, the kingdom is restored at the time that Jesus comes back on a cloud. And, as shown in passages above, He raptures us when He comes back on a cloud.
Acts 1:6-11
6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Note: The remaining passages in this the "Clouds" section, show that the day that the Lord comes in the clouds is the "DAY OF THE LORD." And the day that he comes in the clouds is the day that He raptures us, as shown in passages above. Please also notice that the trumpet is mentioned two of the passages. And, if you remember, we will be raptured on the day the trumpet sounds. You'll be reading more about that after this section.
Zephaniah 1:14-18
14 "The GREAT DAY OF THE LORD is near — near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. 15 That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, 16 a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. 17 I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth."
Nahum 1:3-6
3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. 5 The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. 6 Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him.
Joel 2:1-2
1Blow 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. It is close at hand — 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.
Ezekiel 30:33
For the day is near, the DAY OF THE LORD is near — a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.
Trumpet5) We are told that the saints will rule and reign with Jesus Christ. They are the ones that will possess the kingdom. And they are the very ones that will be persecuted.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 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.
Note: Notice in the passage above that the resurrection (which will happen when we are raptured) happens at the last trumpet (the 7th trumpet of Revelation when the end has come). Notice the same thing in the verse below: The rapture will happen with "the trumpet call of God." After you read the passage above and the one below, read the passage following the one below and notice the timing of that trumpet sound. It happens at the end of the great tribulation (after the distress of those days), which means after the period of persecution and at the end of the age. Again, we are trying to show you that there are not two comings, one for the believer and one on the day of the Lord. There is only one coming. We are persecuted for three and 1/2 years, then the Lord will rapture those that are left JUST BEFORE he pours out His wrath on the world, just like in the days of Lot.
Matthew 24:29-31
29 "Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' 30 "At that time 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. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
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. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Note: The following two passages are to show that at the last trumpet, the seventh one, the kingdom becomes the Lord's. And as show above, at is at the trumpet call of God that we, who are left and still alive, will be raptured. In other words, we are not raptured before the great tribulation, but after. It happens when Jesus comes and begins to rule and reign, which is when he judges those who have destroyed the earth.
Revelation 10:7
7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet [the last of the seven trumpet sounds], the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets."
Revelation 11:15-18
15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet , and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." 16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great — and for destroying those who destroy the earth."
2 Timothy 2:11-12
11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him.
Revelation 20:66) We will be raised up (resurrected) on the last day, and there can only be one last day, the DAY OF THE LORD:
6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Daniel 7:18-26
18 'But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever — yes, for ever and ever.' 19 "Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws — the beast that crushedand devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell — the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, 22 UNTIL the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came WHEN they possessed the kingdom. 23 "He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time [a year, two years, and one-half a year, which together equal 3 1/2 years]. 26 "'But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.
John 6:407) When he comes the second time, it is to " bring salvation." He also judges the earth when he comes. Unless there is a third coming, he will, at the one and only time of his coming again, both (1) bring salvation to us and (2) judge everyone else, and both will happen at the end:
40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at THE LAST DAY."
Hebrews 9:288) The following passage seems to indicate that the end comes right after we are raised:
28 So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Jude 14-15
14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
1 Corinthians 15:22-25In addition to the above, we have noticed in Scripture that the remnant of Israel does not believe in Jesus until he comes back, so the saints that are to be persecuted cannot be them. Also, if we say that God wouldn't persecute us, yet believe He would persecute precious souls who become converts after we have been raptured, that would mean we believe that what God wouldn't do to us, He would do to a world full of baby Christians. One more thing: Why does the Bible not mention the chaos that would result if millions suddenly left the earth? And one more thing: Why did God bother to tell us what is in the book of Revelation if we won't be here for the yet future events? If it is to be baby Christians that are to be persecuted and witness the events in Revelation, I doubt they'll have much time to study the book, if they are even allowed to have a Bible.
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes , those who belong to him. 24Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. MORE MAY BE ADDED. SOME MAY BE TAKEN AWAY.
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