Tag Archives: the rapture

Heaven: By Death or by Rapture

Posted on by
Reply

We should know

that for the Christian there are two avenues to heaven: one is through death and the other is through the Rapture. And since death is what we see now, we will start there.

Entrance into heaven through death. Some would say that when the body dies the soul goes into a time of sleep until Jesus comes. They call if “soul sleep.” But that is a false teaching. In 2 Corinthians 5:8 Paul tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. In death the body dies but the soul lives on in heaven with the Lord.

But what happens to the soul at death? Is there any need for a change to the soul? To make it pure and holy? Yes. Since the soul is the entire nature of man and is his entire personality, the soul as well as the body is sinful. When we are saved, salvation comes to our soul (Ja. 1:21), but even after our conversion, the soul is affected by sin the same as our body is. Hence, the soul of the righteous, entering heaven needs a full cleansing. According to the Westminster Confession of Faith,

The bodies of men after death return to dust, and see corruption; but their souls, (which neither die nor sleep,) having an immortal substance, immediately return to God who gave them. The souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies.”2

Now, there is also the question of the intermediate state, or the intermediate heaven.

The intermediate heaven. This state is the state of the soul without the body, from the time between the death of the body to the point at which the body is raised and transformed at the Rapture. There is much false teaching on this subject, such as soul sleep—as previously mentioned. And there is also the Catholic doctrine of purgatory: that after death the soul goes to a place to be purged from sins by much pain and suffering, so to be purified for heaven. But this is such a slam to God, teaching that the sufferings of Christ were not sufficient to atone for our sins, that we must add our own sufferings to His. Really, we can add nothing!

However, aside from false teaching, there are some things that we can consider a bit regarding the intermediate state. I say “a bit” because Scripture in not clear on the subject; and it gives us no definite teaching. Nonetheless, here are two passages we could examine for maybe a small bit of truth.

Luke 9:30-31. Here is the Mount of transfiguration, where while Jesus was praying (with Peter, James and John present), His face was changed and His clothing became white and gleaming. And then suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and they were talking to Jesus about His departure (His death). Now we know that both of these men died a long time before this; but here they stand in some kind of a glorified body. I would say that this is definitely an example of the intermediate state of heaven.

 Here is what we may observe from this passage regarding what the intermediate state is.

  • It is having some kind of a glorified body.
  • It is being able to speak in a normal language. They did not use any kind of heavenly language.
  • It is having friendly communication with Jesus. They were talking with Jesus as a close friend; they were discussing His departure. This suggests that we may have regular communion with Jesus and will be discussing whatever is on our heart.

Revelation 6:9-11. Here is a passage revealed to us as the Lamb (Christ) broke the fifth seal during the Tribulation. It opens up to us the conversation of certain people who were martyrs for their faith. In verse ten we have a portion of that conversation—a prayer to God. They cried out to Him with a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

And then in verse eleven is the response by God. “There was given to each of them white robes and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer…”

Here is what we may observe from this passage regarding what the intermediate state is.

  • There will be prayer in the intermediate state. These martyred souls were waiting on God to avenge their blood and were crying out in prayer to Him. We may also conclude that there will be a sense of anticipation for God to make all things right.
  • They will know what is happening on earth. These martyrs seem to know what is happening on earth—that God was refraining from judging (v. 10). It may be this way for all who die before the Rapture.
  • They will have bodies that are able to wear clothing. They were given white robes.
  • They are holy and pure—cleansed from all sin. The white robes are symbolic of purity; Jesus will give them these garment to remind them of their holiness and of His shed blood for them.
  • We will be at rest in the Lord. They were told to rest for a while longer. This state of rest is confirmed to us in Revelation 14:13 of what this intermediate state basically is—that we will rest from our labors; the labor of keeping the commandments of God and having faith in Jesus. So, here in this state we will have glorified souls perfected in God, and we will no longer have a need to persevere in the faith. We will be at rest in the Lord and waiting for our new glorified body.

Entrance into heaven through the Rapture. When God sees that the time is right for the dead to be raised, and for their souls to be united with new bodies, and for the living to be rescued from what is to come on this earth, then He will…

descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

This passage (above) pretty much lays it out, but let me summarize it in chronological order.

1. All believers from all ages of history who have died, they will be raised up and their decayed bodies will be transformed into imperishable, new bodies (1Cor. 15:53-54).

2. And the souls of those resurrected dead will merge with their new transformed bodies, so they will at last be souls with new bodies. Hence, this will be the end of their intermediate state (as previously discussed).

3. Then those who are alive will be changed (transformed) very quickly— “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52).  And they will be caught up (snatched up) together with those previously dead.

4. And then we will all meet the Lord in the air; and we will from then on, and always, be with the Lord in heaven.

2 John MacArthur, The Glory of Heaven (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1996), p. 71.

Why do more and more Nations want peace with Israel?

Posted on by
Reply

In the last few years nations have been more interested in establishing peace with Israel; more want to be a part of the Abraham peace accord. And now even Saudi Arabia is interested in peace.

What is happening? Surely, these nations are not turning their back on their own Muslim religion in favor of the Jewish religion. They still hate Israel. Yet they want peace. They are tired of war. And they surely don’t want war with Israel.  

Also, what is happening is the confirming of biblical prophecy. It is all coming together. According to Ezekiel 38, Israel will soon, and more and more, be a nation where the people are secure, living in safety and a land that has recovered from war, and also a very prosperous and fruitful land (vv. 8, 11,12,14).

And so it is interesting that, as prophesied, the nations closest to and all around Israel are now more peaceful to Israel. But the nations further out from Israel will soon war with Israel. These nations in particular are Russia (or Gog), Iran, Turkey, and a few others. The leader of this group will be Russia. And the reason they will want to go to war with Israel is found in Ezekiel 38:12-13. They will be looking to plunder and steal her land and wealth.

I don’t think I will see all this happen in my life time. I think this (the war of Gog and Magog) will happen sometime after the Rapture. But isn’t it exciting to see things all come together—to see Israel become more secure than ever before; to see the popularity of the Abraham accord—even now with Saudi Arabia.

Christian, our time of Rapture is just around the corner. Keep looking up!

World Peace, Temple Preparation and The Peace Covenant

Posted on by
1

We can’t be sure when the Antichrist will be Satan inspired to the point where he will know who he is and what he will do; but it seems to me that when he begins to work toward world peace, and especially peace with Israel, that that may be the point at which Satan starts to inspire him in his thinking. We know that he won’t be fully possessed and controlled until the midpoint of the Tribulation, but it could be that for a time, at certain points along the way that he will be Satan inspired, even if he is not fully aware of what Satan will want him to do. Here are a few ways in which he will demonstrate world peace and peace with Israel.

1. After the Rapture he may try to comfort the world by bringing a logical explanation of the disappearances. And he will no doubt agree with the top new agers.

2. He will bring a hearty endorsement of the new global religion, and this will be seen as the best way to draw people together in peace.

3. He may take credit for Israel’s success over the Muslim’s failed invasion of Israel in an effort to move the world toward him as a hero and as Israel’s champion. We don’t know how he will manage this, but with today’s fake news in the media, we know that any evil thing is possible.

4. He will make plans and put himself in charge of building the third temple. This will most certainly stir the hearts of most Israelis and they will see him as a hero of peace for Israel and for the world.

I think the signing of the 7-year peace covenant will certainly be tied to his promise to help Israel build their temple. And I think it will guarantee a peace for Israel as they reinstate their worship in the temple without Muslim conflict.

Now we know that the peace plan will be broken in the middle of the week (after three and one-half years), but nonetheless, all that this man will do in terms of world peace for Israel and for the world will be a sign that the beginning of the Tribulation is coming soon; and as soon as he signs that peace agreement, that will be the beginning point of the Tribulation (Dan. 9:27).

The Rise of the Antichrist

Posted on by
1

Even before the Rapture of the church—which will come before his ultimate rise to power—the Antichrist will be a man fully engaged in the military. We see this about him in Daniel 11:37-38; it says that “he will honor a god of fortresses.” In fact, it also says that “he will honor him [his military god] with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures”—which means that he will spare no expense in financing his military might.

We also know that he will at some point rise to power in the government; and ultimately it will be the government of the E. U.  I say that because of what it says in Daniel 9:26. In that verse, “the prince who is to come” is referring to the Antichrist; and “the people of the prince” are the Romans, the ones who destroyed the city and the sanctuary—which already happened in A.D. 70. Therefore, this passage is prophesying that the Roman people (which is part of the E.U.) will have a prince, and this prince will be the Antichrist.

We don’t know for sure when it will all come about, but we know that there will be ten kings with ten kingdoms that will be set up in the E. U. It is my guess that he will be totally engaged in that work, so much so that he will have no time for a normal life; for as Daniel 11:37 says, “And he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all.”

He probably won’t be fully convinced in himself that he is God (2 Thess. 2:4) until Satan possesses him at the midpoint of the Tribulation. However, I imagine that he will be demonized before that time, to the point that he will have no time for anyone else except himself; and he will more and more believe that he alone will fix the problems of the world.

In addition to government and military business, he will make it his business to aid and encourage those religious leaders who will be setting up a new global religion. For I think he will see how all the world is being influenced by the new religion and he will see that he must jump on that bandwagon to be effective himself.

In fact, Scripture (Rev. 17:2-3) seems to indicate that he and all the world leaders will be influenced and taken in with her false teaching, to the point that she (the harlot, which is the name given to the false religion) will control him. But soon, when he is given full power by Satan, he will destroy her.

Shortly after the rapture of the church, and after the Ezekiel war (Ezek. 38-39), he will find his opportunity to focus on world peace.

The Ezekiel Invasion

Posted on by
1

There are many scholars who believe that the Ezekiel invasion (Ezek. 38-39) happens during the Tribulation. But other scholars take the view that it will happen either before the Rapture or between the Rapture and the Tribulation. I believe, with Ron Rhrodes and Thomas Ice, that it will probably occur just after the Rapture and will set the stage for the signing of the peace covenant with Israel and the Tribulation.

As it is given to us by the prophecy of Ezekiel, God calls out Gog, who is probably a demonic inspired Russian leader; and He summons him, with all the nations under him, to invade the small country of Israel. The countries that come under his command are these:

  • Russia (called in Ezekiel Rosh)
  • Turkey (called Meshech and Tubal and Gomer and Beth-togarmah)
  • Iran (called Persia)
  • Sudan (Ethiopia)

And there will also be “many people with you” (I think this terminology suggests that non-military people will come with all the troops to join in the battle).

Scripture says that God will call them into battle at a time when Israel will be living securely ((Ezek. 38:8, 11-12, 14)—which is now. And these nations will cover the land of Israel “like a cloud” (v. 16). This suggests that they will completely cover the land; in fact, verse 15 says, many people, a great assembly and a mighty army will come. They will probably have tanks and trucks, and helicopters and planes, and some may even be on horseback. There will be millions of them that will come to do battle.

Hence, it appears that God will draw them in, in order to bring His four-fold judgement on them at this chosen time and place (Ezek. 38:19-22).

A great earthquake. Though this quake will be great, Scripture indicates that it will be local to the land of Israel. All living creatures and all men (in that region) will shake at His presence; and the mountains and every wall will be thrown down.

Infighting. Verse twenty-one tells us that God will “call for a sword against him [Gog]…Every man’s sword will be against his brother.” Hence, it appears that God will so confuse them that all communication will breakdown and no one will know who the enemy is. This strange phenomenon, as you may know, happened a few times before in Jewish history, where each time it was the Lord’s doing (Judg. 7:22; 1 Sam. 14:20; and 2 Chron. 20:23).

Disease. Because of all the dead bodies, and because of so many birds and animals feasting on them, this will cause on outbreak of disease.

Heavy rain, hail, fire and brimstone. This final judgment will be most devastating. The skies will pour down heavy rain and hail so hard that it will kill. And the sky will also rain down fire and burning sulfur; this may be from volcanic eruptions caused by the great earthquake.

As I mentioned above, it is likely that the invasion, along with God’s judgment on the invading nations, will occur just after the Rapture of the church. And for the following reasons, that will set that stage for the signing of the peace covenant with Israel and the beginning of the Tribulation.

1. Since almost all Muslims will be wiped out by God’s judgment, this will open the door to a more peaceful, or at least compliant, interaction with them. Since their power and influence will be limited, it will be likely that Israel will dominate the holy sites and will have no trouble building their third temple on the temple mount.

2. Since the soon-to-be-Antichrist will probably reside somewhere in the E. U. and will be one of those who will question the invasion (read Ezek. 38:13), this will put him in a good position, after the failed invasion. In fact, he may claim that he had something to do with it.

3. This Antichrist, who by this time will be a great leader, will take advantage of the situation and will make great friends with Israel; and he will make to them great promises of peace—all fake promises.

Satan’s Master Plan for the World

Posted on by
2

Satan’s has a master plan for global control and world domination. As I see it, after Satan and the Antichrist (who will come on the scene later in the Tribulation), there are four levels of authority to Satan’s plan.

Level Four: Satan’s Elite Followers. Under Satan will be his followers, the Elite. The bible tells us that there will be Ten Kingdoms. They may exist now, or not. But they certainly will be revealed after the Rapture and in the Tribulation. Most of the elite leaders I think do exist now, and they are planning their schemes; and I’m sure they will have input into forming the ten kingdoms. And when the Antichrist comes on the scene, of course, he will have the most say in what happens, because he will be controlled and empowered by Satan.

We don’t know how connected all the elite are to Satan. Some may be true Satan worshippers, but others may be just blind followers. Regardless, all are willing followers—whether they truly believe in Satan or not.

Level Three: Suppliers of Big Tech. You’ve heard the saying, “follow the money.” Well, Satan is well aware that his master plan will need lots of money. Big Tech will be the suppliers of the master plan, and they will use their money and power to build the plan, and also to shut down all institutions and business that don’t go along with the plan—as they have jumped on board with the Great Reset, pushed by the founders of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab. Hence, we have seen recently how Amazon, Google, and Twitter very quickly shut down Parler, simply because they are a conservative company that does not agree with the master plan.

Level Two: Enforcers. The enforcers are very important. They are the link between Big Tech (and the Elite) and the common people, you and me. They are the liberal left politicians, along with the media. As it appears presently, almost all of the Democrats are in this group, from the House and Senate on down to the Governors and Mayors. If they are Democrats, it appears that they are included in the master plan. And certainly, if the police and the military are on the left side, they too will be included.

Level One: Willing Followers. This group is by far the largest. They do not have any authority, but their willingness to follow established liberal authority makes them powerful and very dangerous to all outsiders (those conservatives who are against the master plan). Their power exists in being reporters of all violations of the plan. Many will probably pride themselves in reporting violators and they will be rewarded.

3 Key Passages That Describe the Rapture — First Passage: John 14:1-3

Posted on by
Reply

In this new year, 2021, besides my regular blog posts, I will be reblogging from this bible prophecy blog. Happy new year!

Stephen Nielsen's avatarStudying Bible Prophecy

The following article is an excerpt from this book.

John 14:1-3

“Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Rapture picture

In this passage the rapture is described as Jesus receiving us to Himself that we may be with Him in the Father’s house with the Father.  We can only imagine how beautiful this place will be.  It will be wonderful!

The next two key rapture passages that I will write on  are…

 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

View original post

Hurt Not the Oil and the Wine — Ernie’s Musings

Posted on by
1

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. (Revelation 6:6) The Wuhan bug[1] continues to impact the world economy. Without a doubt, the virus presents […]

Hurt Not the Oil and the Wine — Ernie’s Musings