The Resurrection of Life

(The Rapture and the End of Great Tribulation)

Jesus the Christ, the son of God when will he return?Almost any given day, there’s someone on the radio, tv and internet trying to tell the world when Jesus is returning or trying to narrow down a date and time period for this event. We are to be aware of the times we live in and to remember to continue in the apostle`s doctrine. I have seen and heard of false prophets and prophetess “mockers” whom have been teaching and preaching that there is no such thing or event of the church being raptured up out of the earth! They say there will be no rapture and all who believe are being deceived. The word “rapture” is not written in scripture but its meaning is derived by the statement of “shall be (caught up) together”. (I.Thess.4:15)-For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  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:  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.  Rapture means, the act of carrying off or the transporting of a person from one place to another. The mockers of our time laugh at this event, teaching against it and trying to overthrow the faith of the saints by getting them not to believe in the 1st. coming of Christ! The rapture is not an expression or state of intense feeling of bliss. This is what the false prophets want you to believe, but as you can see by scripture, THIS IS A REAL EVENT! This will be the day for the church to be glorified as the likeness of Christ` resurrection. (Phill.4:20)- For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (II.Tim.2:16)-But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.   And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. (Jude1:17)-But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

If you study the bible correctly through rightly dividing of the scriptures, you will see that Jesus the Christ has two coming events. The First coming event is” Christ coming from heaven, for to receive his saints (his church) and those from paradise (all saints that have died) to meet in the air and then go back into the heavens” (Known as the Rapture), and the Second event is” Christ coming with his saints and angels from heaven to return to the earth to make war and to reign over all nations.”(Known as the Day of the Lord) The arrival of the Beast and his earthly rule system is a key factor for the closeness of both events of Christ` coming. What some failed to realize is that the rapture is a spiritual resurrection; it is a judgment and redemption for the saints to now be made wholly glorified mind, soul and body. Christ Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life and Christ abides in his Father God, therefore eternal life is in God`s son. All resurrections of the just and unjust are by the voice of Jesus. The rapture is the son of God calling unto his saints to come be with him, making this a resurrection unto life.  In the rapture event it will be like thunder and lightning or as the speed of a twinkling of an eye. There will be a very loud sound and a quick movement of the saints being translated and meeting Jesus in the air, gathering unto the clouds. The loud sound comes from the voice of Jesus and the quickness is by the spirit. Jesus’ feet will not touch the earth, therefore no one on earth will see him or this event taking place because of its quickness. All those left on earth will just know after the loud sound that the earth now has missing people (church saints) from its population. Those saints that did not make themselves ready and who were not found blameless at the time of his coming will be left behind to go into the Great Tribulation.  The First resurrection is a two-fold event meaning it has two different time events, and both are a part and consider as the First Resurrection.

The Church of Christ will go into the beginning time of the 7 years Tribulation period, but will not go into the latter half (3 1/2 yrs.) known as the Great Tribulation which is the time of the Beast in his evil greatness and the Wrath of God.I.Thess.1:10-And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.  I.Thess.5:9-For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.Dan.12:1- And at that time(7 yr. Tribulation) shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people(Israel): and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time(Great tribulation): and at that time thy people(saints of God) shall be delivered(raptured saved out), every one that shall be found written in the book. The wrath of Satan and the wrath of God are not for the saints that have made themselves ready and are found blameless unto Christ coming. (Matt.25:1-13)  Only neglecting to be obedient to walking in the spirit and remaining in the Doctrine of Christ will cause you to be left behind and not be a part of the rapture and be left to enter into the time of the Great tribulation. Christ Jesus will return for his church before the Great tribulation and it will be at the last sounding of the seventh trump of God, delivering his church from the wrath to come. (I.Cor.15:52/Rev.11:15) When Christ calls for his saints (rapture) this is the judgment from Christ that you are justified and blameless to be made glorified. Remember Jesus spoke concerning this power he has to Martha in St. John 11:25, which says " Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead( in paradise), yet shall he live(be glorified):  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die(being alive on earth time of rapture-be glorified). Believest thou this?"  Basically Jesus just declares that both incidents are being a part of the First Resurrection, which is eternal life and not eternal death. Now the second time event after the rapture is when you are made a saint through the “Great Tribulation” aka the “Reign of the Beast”. This is through being beheaded or being put to death because of the refusal to obey the Beast (Anti-Christ) and to receive his mark, declaring the God and Father of Christ Jesus, that he is the only creator, and God that exist, and that you  rather die for him than to live and serve Satan. For all mankind in this time period must be willing to serve God and die for his sake or one must serve Satan and receive his mark of eternal damnation. In this time also all people of the earth will be under when the sent Angel from Heaven, will come to preach the Gospel-(Rev.14:6-10)" And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." These souls will be gathered into the “alter heaven” of God, until a fulfillment of time, about 3 1/2yrs. Rev.6:9- 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:Rev.6:11-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, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.Rev.7:14-  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.(Rev.12:11)  Also gathering will be all the holy angels of light, and then the 144 thousand Elect Jews. This will be a huge fellowship gathering of all that are in God`s Eternal Life of Light. This then will be all of the First Resurrection.  Jesus Christ will then have before him at the throne of his Father God Almighty, all the saints from the First world time, the Old Testament time, the New Testament time and the Great Tribulation time period.(Rev.7:9,10) Then Christ will be commissioned by God to return to earth with his saints and angels to continue to fulfill the inheritance of his earthly rule, destroy Satan and his works and Death.(Rev.19:11-21) The Day of the Lord is a event that begins with a war being made by Christ  with his army against the army and kingdom of the Antichrist and Satan, and afterwards continuing unto his reign of a thousand years’ time period. The (day) of the Lord means the time period of Christ Jesus reignment on earth, not a day of 24 hrs. of time. The "signs in heaven" are the last signs that will signify the beginning of the "day of the Lord" has come. (Rev.6:12-17/16:17-21/20:4-6)  The Second Resurrection is called the Second Death or the Resurrection of Damnation. This is the rest of all mankind (sinners) that are not a part of the family of the Light of God or all those whose names are not written in the Lambs book of Life. The Apostles Paul, Peter, and John received the revelation of the “Rapture” and the “Day of the Lord” from Christ, and taught it unto the church.

Below are two sets of several scriptures that support the two coming events of Christ and the Resurrection of Life. 

(THE FIRST COMING OF CHRIST)

*St.Joh.5:21-For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. *St.Joh.11:25- Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  *John6:44- No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.  *Dan.12:1- And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. *I.Cor.15:21- For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. Also, Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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.*I.Thess.4:15-For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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:  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.*I.Thess.5:23, 24-And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. *2 Thessalonians 2- Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  *II.Tim.4:1- I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;*Heb.9:28- So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.*Phili.3:20,21-For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.*Rev.3:3-Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. *Rev.20:4,5- I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.                                                                                                                           

(THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST)                         

*Acts1:11-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. *Matt.16:27-For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.  Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.  Mark8:38/Luke9:26 *IIThess.1:7- And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.( I.Thess.3:13) *II.Pet.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. *Jude 1:14-And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. *Zechariah 14:1-5-Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. *Joel 2:31, 32-The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. *Jerm.46:10-For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. *Rev.19:11-15, I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Amos 5:18 / Isa. 13:6 / Dan.7:18-28                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                              Min. Timothy  Irby