Isaiah had a vision of the “catching up” of the Church in what we know as the rapture. This is how Isaiah saw it, “Your dead shall live; Together with My dead body (Christ, who died and rose again) THEY SHALL ARISE. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall CAST OUT the dead. Come, my people, ENTER YOUR CHAMBERS (for the marriage supper of the Lamb) And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, UNTIL THE INDIGNATION (za‛am: to denounce, curse, the pouring out of God’s wrath) IS PAST. For behold, the LORD comes out of His place TO PUNISH (pour out the wrath of God on) the inhabitants of the earth FOR THEIR INIQUITY…” (Isaiah 26:19-21)
Paul describes this event like this, “…the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST. Then WE who are ALIVE AND REMAIN shall be CAUGHT UP (harpazō: to carry off by force, rapturo in Latin) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall ALWAYS be with the Lord. Therefore COMFORT ONE ANOTHER with these words (there is no comfort in the tribulation).” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) Kind of like what happened to Enoch, “By faith Enoch was TAKEN AWAY (metathesis: to be removed) so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken, he had this testimony, that HE PLEASED GOD” (Hebrews 11:5).
So, when will this all take place? “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first…and now you know what is restraining (preventing it from happening), that he (the anti- christ) may be revealed IN HIS OWN TIME. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains (the Holy Spirit in the Church) will do so until He is taken out of the way (by the rapture). AND THEN the lawless one WILL BE REVEALED, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8)
So, we WON’T BE HERE for the tribulation! “Watch therefore and pray always that you may be COUNTED WORTHY TO ESCAPE all these things (the tribulation) that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will KEEP YOU from the HOUR OF TRIAL WHICH SHALL COME UPON THE WHOLE WORLD, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10)
“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your (Pre Trib) redemption draws near.” (Luke 21:28)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham