Lesson 3. REVELATION' S RAPTURE

SUB-TITLE: "WILL JESUS RETURN SECRETLY. . . TO RAPTURE HIS OWN SAINTS?

   BIGFOOT . . . SASQUATCH, YETI . . . all these names have been given to a legendary creature, that is describes as being tall, hairy, stinky, and walks upright as a human.  The Bigfoot craze was put into high gear, by film made by Roger Patterson in  N. California in 1967.
    I have no idea if this film is real or faked, but two years after Patterson died, a Bob Heironimus confessed that he was hired to wear a Bigfoot suit while Patterson filmed him walking in the forest, yet Patterson passed a lie-detector test!
    Question: "Is there such a thing as FOOL-PROOF lie detector?
     YES, it's your Bible and mine!  We are going to use it to test the Question within this lesson' s sub-title.

1. What is the Rapture?
Note: No such word is in any Bible's translations. It began in Scotland, in the 1840' s by a Mrs McDonald, who told her experience to her local parish priest. She said, that a image appeared at the foot of her bed, but that woke up each time because the room turned icy cold, but the image told her that those believing in Christ, would "Rapture  to Heaven", in secret and thereby avoid the end time Tribulations. She told her priest, that she knew it was Demonic due to the cold. But this was very appealing to this church system, because with it, they could teach that none in their flock need to worry about any tribulations nor see its affect!
     As one might guess, most of Protestantism have embraced this as Bible fact, but is it?

John 14:1-3. "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
Note: Jesus left this earth, ascending to Heaven, but HE promised to return  {Matt. 6:9 +} and take His saints with Him. So all shall be here, during the troubles of the tribulations, Just as Israel was during the plaques on Egypt!

     Isaiah 25:9. "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
Note: that is for all those who have overcome sin, with obedience and faith. but what about those who reject Christ or God the Father?

     Revelation 6:16. "And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:"
Note: There shall be near the "Time of the END", only two groups of people, 1. Those that obey GOD, and live. 2. Those that obey men, these are they who will perish by His power.

4. When will Jesus be coming back?
     Matthew 24:36. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
Note: Matthew 16:3. "And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?"
What then are these signs? They are found in the following chapters: Matthew 14; Mark 13;  and Luke 21.

5; OK, why is it so important to know HOW Jesus is coming?
     Matthew 24:5-6. "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet"  .Matthew 24:11. "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."

Note: In this 24th chapter Jesus said no less than three times, "Let no man deceive you," and referred to it twice more in " believe it not" in VS. 23,26 of Matt 24. So I ask you dear reader, think you Jesus knew this would become very important? That no MAN deceive? Always check it our for yourself, never, ever take the words of man/men for the Word of GOD! No not even this one!

6. How cam we tell the true Christ from the false one?
NOTE (j.b.) Please remember the we shall meet Him in the clouds, REASON? Christ at this time shall NOT set foot upon earth, but the INSTEAD OF CHRIST, the meaning of the Greek translated as ANTI, Satan, will not be able not allowed to duplicate this, and he will walk ON this earth!

Acts 1:10-11. "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
Note: If one tells you Jesus will or has come in secret, believe it NOT! Because.....

7. How many people will see Jesus at the Second Advent?
     Revelation 1:7. "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
Note Not only the Just but ALL eyes, shall see him. Have you ever seen a lightning flash even though your eyes were shut tight? HE shall be much brighter that that!

8. BUT. . .BUT ISN'T JESUS SECRETLY COMING TO RAPTURE HIS CHURCH?
   
Matthew 24:25-2. " Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

Note: Please know and remember this event is called THE Coming, not A coming, The word THE indicates one definite article or event.

9. But. . . doesn't the Bible say He's coming as a thief in the night?
     1 Thessalonians 5:2. "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."

NOTE: Please read this carefully. Does it tell YOU what or who is coming as a thief in the night? "...the day of the LORD....." is come as a thief, but not Christ! That day SHALL be as UNEXPECTED as a thief to most! Because they are not found ready! But all who have studied these lessons, and totally surrendered to God's will by accepting and obeying Christ, shall be ready, because they learned about HIM and developed a personal relationship with both!

10. Does life go on as usual the day of the LORD?
     2 Peter 3:10. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."
Note: When Jesus returns, He shall be the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords,, the heavens shall pass with a great noise, the elements {rudiments} will melt and the works of men shall be burned up, so can you see there's not a thing that is secret about His return?

11.  Doesn't the Bible say that some will be left behind?
     Luke 17:36-37. "Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles[ vultures] be gathered together."

Note: Jesus told the disciples that there will be 2 kinds of people when He comes. One will be taken, the other will be left. One will go with Jesus to Heaven , the other shall be food for vultures as they shall perish at His return. The ones who stay shall be died, and as there is none to bury them, but Satan and his demons, who will not lift a finger nor shovel as they to are burned up!
Question: How many people survived the FLOOD, 8 only who were inside the Ark!

12. What happens to the wicked at Christ' s Return?
       Matthew 13:27-30. "So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." 2 Thessalonians 2:8. "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:"
Note:These are the wicked living at the time of His return!

13. What other signs will follow the true coming of Christ?
     1 Corinthians 15:52. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Thessalonians 4:16. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:"

NOTE: There shall be a resurrection. The dead shall be RAISED with perfect, new bodies. ,[no not this bent arthritic one]. There will be a load noise. The LORD shall come down from Heaven with a SHOUT  with the TRUMP  [trumpet] of GOD. Those who died believing in Christ shall RISE first. Does all this still strike YOU, as a secret? NO, my friends, this shall be the loudest, most memorable event in Earth's history. The coming of Jesus will capture the attention of all.

** I(n a recent Scripts Howard News survey  they found that only 36% of Americans believe in the Resurrection, yet it is mentioned more than 40 times in the Bible. It is a certainty in the Scripture, yet sadly, 85% of us call self a"Christian", how sad is that?**

14. Will Jesus be coming by Himself?
      Matthew 24:30-31. "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

Note: With all His angels... Remember that ONE angel at Christ's tomb reduced a legion of Roman soldiers as dead men! So.....
      Daniel 7:10. "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.  Revelation 5:11  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Note: In 2 Kings a story of one angel destroyed some 185,000 enemy soldiers in order to save God's people. Can you imagine how bright and glorious Jesus' coming shall be? With millions of millions of angles with HIM and The Father?

15. Will Jesus spend time on earth before He takes us up to Heaven?
       1 Thessalonians 4:17-18. "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
Note: If someone claiming to be Jesus Christ, walking around on this earth, you can be sure he's an impostor a counterfeit Christ!  The Bible says His saints shall go UP, and MEET HIM IN THE AIR/CLOUDS! 

16. How does Jesus want us to prepare for His coming?
     Matthew 24:44. "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh"  .
Revelation 12:17. "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Note (j.b.) ".. the remnant.." means a "Copy of the original church as that one set up by Christ and the apostles, meaning follow Christ's example, and accept Him and HIS WORD, for it is our ONLY 100% spot-on LIE DETECTOR!

Question: Would you like to plan on going home with Jesus?
Answer:........................................?  Email me.

1 Thessalonians 5:4  :But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."

Next: ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS  SAVED?   "Can a Christian choose to turn away for Jesus?"  YES!

Want more? Visit a Seventh day Adventist Church any Saturday/Sabbath @9:15 A.M. You just might be very glad you did.

Questions?................Comments?
www.servant@frontier.com
johnb.

other sites:  wwwblbn.org    www.desiremedia.org      www.amazingfacts.org

Thanking YOU for your time jb