Most of my life has been pretty supernatural. As I've been telling everyone over the last few years at 14 I met Satan four times and at 23 I asked the Lord Jesus to come into my life by repenting and I met him that night in the spirit too.
We went flying together.
Sounds strange? I get it.
In fact, so strange, I really had a hard time coming clean and telling people these things. Now, it comes out with ease. You see we're taught to believe that the supernatural isn't real and everything in life is more like a "Brady-bunch" experience. The trouble with that theology is; It's not true. Life is naturally supernatural. I believe we are programmed into believing otherwise so we never reach our fullest potentials and to make us look at the word of God as a fairy-tale. But, since this post is going to be about the rapture, I won't get into that any more here. I just say this to say. My post is something I searched the answer for. I don't have the "perfect paper" style of writing. However, what is written is my testimony of Jesus Christ in the perfection it is with TRUTH, sincerity, and accuracy of the scriptures. I don't have proof writers either so if you see a run-on sentence or comma out of place look over it because what I'm using this post for is honest and matched up to the word of GOD for the truth it is that people seek. I hope it blesses you the reader to see Jesus Christ for his perfect work. This work could possibly need to be bookmarked so as to come back to it as reference material or to finish reading it. It's mighty long.
As the title says: We're gonna talk about "rapture"
Is the rapture a real event or is it made up by John Nelson Darby? Was the rapture introduced in the 1800s? Or was it around long before then? Are there any scriptures beyond the popular scripture verses commonly used to support this idea? Let's explore the answer to these questions every believer in Christ should have a firm understanding of. Prompted from hearing claims of the sort. That simply isn't true.
Let's use the word of God to prove this out.
Since hearing the rapture isn't true I decided to look up a few scenarios given by "main-stream" that claim the rapture concept is new. Here's the buzz from CNN:
"The rapture concept is relatively new. It started with an Anglo-Irish theologian, who in the 1830s invented the concept. This may come as a shocker to many, but it’s a fact: Before John Nelson Darby imagined this scenario in the clouds, no Christian had ever heard of the rapture.
The idea was popularized by Cyrus I. Scofield, an American minister who published a famous reference Bible in 1908, one that developed the idea of an elaborate series of final periods in history known as dispensations. Scofield, like Darby, read the Book of Revelation as a vision of the future, not a fiery dream of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70."
Let me ask you something. Who is the best person to go to when you're trying to figure out what the material is saying? The author right? Do you believe the author of this CNN article went to the Lord for his answers or historical documents? We may never know that, and before we go into picking his statement apart, I must state a few things. Going to the author of this text is a profound experience when he answers you and his answers are never wrong. It's he- The Creator of all things, Abba Father - who led me to this understanding, and there is only one way to explain in its entirety (that I know of) and that's writing it the way I found out.
Back to CNN's article; Let me point something out that's terribly wrong. The error beings at this sentence: "It started with an Anglo-Irish theologian;" and ends with "Before John Nelson Darby imagined this scenario in the clouds, no Christian had ever heard of the rapture."
The article CNN author linked talks about William Miller and his way of interpreting the scriptures was different than anyone before him. They explain how he set a "timeline" of events that would lead up to the Second Advent known as the second coming of Christ in 1843, and they were terribly disappointed when it didn't happen; decided it didn't happen because of the time changes from BC to AD. Then, sometime later John Nelson Darby came into the picture and began talking about a "rapture".
As you can see from the excerpt of the article the CNN author believes "it’s a fact: Before John Nelson Darby imagined this scenario in the clouds, no Christian had ever heard of the rapture."
Which simply isn't the truth.
First, let me say this. Unlike what the author of this CNN article thinks no man needs to interpret the bible. It is written:
2 Peter 1:20 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
So, here we have it. The word of God tells us no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. According to both linked articles, the authors say these men were interpreting scriptures. Not, I asked God and he showed me type scenario, and I'm here to tell you unless you're asking God (the author of the scriptures) you're never getting the authoritative answer.
Having asked Father many questions over the years, I know from experience; no man can teach you better than God himself. I learned this over the last 21 years. If you want to move mountains in your life (or even someone else's), break chains, or learn who "God" is you must "eat" the word of God. It is written: "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by reading Romans 10:17 And you must have some kind of faith to really want to know the heart and mind of the Lord, so that we may know his word. After all, the word was with God and the Word was God and the Word became flesh and dwelt among men.In times past, I made many mistakes of going from one teacher to the next to learn what the word was saying when I should've gone straight to the Lord for my answers. I prayed fervently for understanding. Cause none of the bible made sense to me and yet I knew without a doubt the word was perfect from meeting the Messiah the night I was redeemed. I searched under every rock and every bush until the Lord began showing me revelations that caused me to realize my error. I no longer make that mistake. If I want to know something I ask EL ELyone, whom I know as Abba Father, in the name of Jesus.
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: metatithemi
Phonetic Spelling: (met-at-ith'-ay-mee)
Definition: to transfer, change
Usage: (a) I transfer, mid: I go over to another party, desert, (b) I change.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then 1899 we 2249 which 3588 are alive 2198 5723 [and] remain 4035 5742 shall be caught up 726 5691 together 260 with 4862 them 846 in 1722 the clouds 3507, to 1519 meet 529 the Lord 2962 in 1519 the air 109: and 2532 so 3779 shall we 2071 0 ever 3842 be 2071 5704 with 4862 the Lord 2962.
The words "shall be caught up" is denoted by G726 and G5691; meaning is as follows:
Pronounce: har-pad'-zo
Strongs Number: G726
Orig: from a derivative of 138; to seize (in various applications):--catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force). G138
Use: TDNT-1:472,80 Verb
Heb Strong: H1497 H2862 H2963 H3920
- 1) to seize, carry off by force
2) to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly
3) to snatch out or away
Ephesians 5:32 - This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Matthew 25
John 3:29 - He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
Revelation 21:2 - And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
2 Corinthians 11:2 - For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.
Matthew 25:6 - And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Through these scriptures, we are told Jesus, the Messiah, is the bridegroom and the church (us who profess our faith and are obedient) is the Bride. We're also able to surmise a moment in time will come upon the church -at an hour that no one knows-, and the bride (the church who made herself ready), will be removed.
Before we go into more of the scriptures. Let me back up a second to re-enforce a few points made already. Not because I believe anyone of us is "slow". It's more so because of all the lies we've been programmed to believe.
1 Thessalonians tells us those who remain will be "caught up" "snatched away". How does anyone miss this? How does anyone who truly believes the word of God fix their mouths to say there is no rapture? I can see someone claiming the word isn't in the bible; cause it isn't. But, through the process of transliteration rapture means arpazw- caught away- and when Enoch was translated he was "carried away to a new place"; the same thing!
As I mentioned, I met--and flew with--the Messiah the night I was baptized. When I snapped out of the vision--really out of body experience-- I landed on my feet as if I fell out of the sky. I'd laid down to sleep and woke up landing on my feet at the end of my bed! My experience was more real than anything I've experienced here on earth. I felt so alive, so at peace, so loved, and in a way, I've realized doesn't exist on this earth. I've heard everything negative one can hear about this. "Oh, your a nutcase"; "meth hurts people"; "you need mental help". I've heard enough to know people simply have little to no knowledge of the spiritual realm, and those who do, are almost always involved with some sort of sorcery/witchcraft. Even many who would associate themselves with "the church" have no idea how real the spiritual realm is and how quickly this age is ending; let alone how quickly the "snatching away" will be.
Let me provide the solid proof anyone of us need to know about this beautiful event:
It's already been verified there will be a moment in time when "those who remain will be caught up to be with the Lord forever". If you consider this moment to be something else other than a "snatching away" please comment on what your understanding is.
There are three very significant events soon to unfold. One is the gathering of the Church (as we know this is the BRIDE), the second is the sealing of the 144 thousand; 12,000 of each of the 12 tribes of Israel, and the third is the restoration of Israel. It's my understanding these events unfold almost simultaneously.
Let's review these scriptures outlining the event: Revelations 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Joel 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
3:10 Because 3754 thou hast kept 5083 5656 the word 3056 of my 3450 patience 5281, I also 2504 will keep 5083 5692 thee 4571 from 1537 the hour 5610 of temptation 3986, which 3588 shall come 3195 5723 2064 5738 upon 1909 all 3650 the world 3625, to try 3985 5658 them that dwell 2730 5723 upon 1909 the earth 1093.
Pronounce: tay-reh'-o
Strongs Number: G5083
Orig: from teros (a watch; perhaps akin to 2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly, by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from 5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from 2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), i.e. to note (a prophecy; figuratively, to fulfil a command); by implication, to detain (in custody; figuratively, to maintain); by extension, to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively, to keep unmarried); by extension, to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively, to keep unmarried):--hold fast, keep(- er), (pre-, re-)serve, watch. G2334 G2892
TEMPTATION (read these screenshots for their definition)
Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom
Revelations 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
Matthew 24 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Revelations 7:1-47 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given the power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
What's important to note is the angel who has the seal of the living God is calling out to the four angels who's been given the POWER TO HARM the land and the sea saying "do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God".
Revelations 6:4And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. 9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season,
Joel tells us these beasts of the earth are given power and so does John in his revelations. But, what I feel more compelled to point out here is at this moment peace was taken from the earth and it's been said (plus I believe) the spirit bringing and upholding peace is the Ruach Kodesh because it is written "Love is peaceable" James 3:17 which comes from above from the Father. Also, it is written herein "and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine" which is a well-known reference to the indwelling Holy Spirit! Thus, through this verse, we know there's a "shift" that's occurred here on earth. The Prophet Zacheriah, Nahum, Isaiah, and Jeremiah give lots of detail about the days that come after once this "shift" occurs. The beasts would have been prevented from hurting the wine and oil when the angel with the seal of the living God told the four angels not to hurt anything until the seal of God was on the servants' foreheads. At this point, the Holy Spirit is GONE from the earth (Rev 18:23). Also, when they (those who died for the word) were crying out to the Lord was not for them to be taken up in the air. In fact, this verse tells us that "white robes were given unto every one of them"... They were crying out to him about him taking vengeance on the entire world. But, they were already with the Lord because they were given their white robes.
Now, to address the last line in those passages "until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." I was told around 3-4 years ago I would be beheaded. I was pretty perplexed as to why at the time. But, over the years I absolutely know why, and in the process of seeking answers, I was given the following revelations explained in this post.
When the Lord comes and gathers his bride (who made herself ready) the 144 thousand will be sealed and the beasts will be released to kill, steal, and destroy mankind. Those who have rejected the knowledge of God and have denied his name will remain and experience his wrath. The "elect" will have been sealed at the same time, or just after the Lord has removed all of his people, will remain for 1260 days. That means only 144k will have the Holy Spirit and the rest of the earth will be under judgment. The 144k will be out doing great exploits in the name of the Lord thy God working wonders like healing, preaching, summoning fire from the sky, and holding back the rain. These two Olive trees will be exempt from the Locusts (Rev 9) and will do great works in the name of the Lord while the rest of the world is suffering from this wrath.
So not only is the "rapture" a real event. It's an event that will occur suddenly for those who overcome the flesh. Those who are still afflicted with fleshly things fulfilling the things of the flesh will remain here to be tried. Will they overcome? Will the faith they profess become manifest? These answers can only be obtained by us once this comes to pass. The most important thing any one of us should realize is we are given the opportunity -through his word- to overcome the world, perfect our faith, and be made ready to leave when the bridegroom comes. Those who aren't ready are those who didn't use the word of God the way it's supposed to be used.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by reading. The word of God is sharper than any double-edged sword dividing the soul from the spirit and providing health to our bones and marrow. These people will be able to still get into heaven if they don't end up taking the mark. But, I do not believe these are the 144 thousand who will be put to death and the 144k are the ones who will be beheaded (see the two witnesses).
There are a few personal revelations I obtained through my walk that I will not share here today as I've spoken of them in other posts/videos in times past. What's important today is to note that we answered the question. That CNN author obviously doesn't have a personal understanding of the scriptures given by the Holy Spirit. If he did, he would know the relationship of the bride and the bridegroom and would be able to associate them to the "catching" away from (earth); coming to the conclusion that being "caught up" is a biblical principle speaking of a real event that will occur. It never ceases to surprise me how people believe the rapture wasn't "coined" until the 1800s because Enoch was translated long before then. Which is basically the same thing. Plus, they believe a man wrote the bible and that's a lie from the pits of hell. As you can see, there's no doubt in my heart or mind there will be a group of people who will NOT face death and it will be BEFORE the hour of temptation comes to try us on earth.
These are not man-made precepts. These are the Holy Words of the Creator that's been tried in the furnace of earth 7 times. The word that became flesh and dwelt among us. If you don't believe his words (that when heaven and earth pass away they will remain) then your faith is in vain.
Don't believe me. Ask the LORD thy GOD who gives to ALL men who asks of him liberally. Feeling compelled to leave off with this said. I heard once that God can not nor will he deny himself. If we deny his words we are denying him. And since Jesus is the truth, if you don't get the truth, believe the truth, and know the truth how can you expect to be apart of this amazing event? Satan is a great deceiver and he knows the word of God is perfect. So he attacks it. Causing people to "doubt" its validity. As long as you do this you will never be able to taste his promises and anyone of us could be those foolish virgins who didn't have their lamps full because of errors such as this.
I pray this blesses you to have a clear understanding, to desire to overcome, and to take the word literally if you don't already have the fire of the Lord Jesus burning in you.
Please, leave me a comment with your thoughts or questions below.
Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.
Psalms 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
