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Welcome to From the Pulpit and Classic Sermons.

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Each week we bring you a different message

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from some of history's greatest speakers and the

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Christian faith, and powerful sermons from modern preachers

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too.

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This week we have Grant Jeffery with his

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message, The Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.

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Did you know that the Bible presents the

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resurrection, the rapture, as a central doctrine of

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the teaching of Jesus Christ?

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Saint Paul says that if Jesus Christ is

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not physically risen from the dead, then we

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are all in our sins and we are

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fools to be Christians.

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The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ is attested

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by many witnesses, over 500 of which were

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alive when Paul was writing around 62 A

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.D. The resurrection is critical to our beliefs

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as Christian, and it is critical to our

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hope for the future.

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Hi, I'm Grant Jeffery, and I'm proud to

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introduce Bible Prophecy Revealed.

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I am excited about this topic, dealing with

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the rapture.

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Many people have questions about the rapture and

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wonder about whether the rapture is truly taught

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in the Bible.

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I've even had individuals say to me, I

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don't believe in the rapture.

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I say, well, what do you say?

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Are you saying that you don't believe in

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the resurrection of the body?

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Do you believe that you're going to be

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a disembodied spirit or ghost throughout eternity?

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Is that what you think the Bible teaches?

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And they usually smile and say, no, that's

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not what I'm saying.

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I don't believe in the rapture.

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What they're really saying when I get to

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the bottom of it is, they're wondering or

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disbelieve in the pre-tribulation rapture.

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It's the timing of the rapture that is

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the area of controversy.

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Well, first of all, I think it's important

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that we understand the purpose of the rapture.

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And in this program, we're going to examine

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why we must be raptured.

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Then we'll also look at the indications of

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what the timing is, whether it will be

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before the Antichrist, during his reign, or at

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the end of his reign at the Battle

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of Armageddon.

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But believe me, the subject of the rapture

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is critical because it is the promise of

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Jesus Christ that our bodies will not remain

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in the grave, will not remain in the

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dust, but will be transformed into a body

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that is fit for eternity.

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That's the promise of the gospel.

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That is the unique promise of Jesus Christ.

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Do you know that when we bury an

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individual in the ground, we say that by

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saying dust to dust, we are proclaiming our

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belief that death and burial in the ground

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is not the end.

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That's why Christians called it a cemetery.

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It was a sleeping place for the body.

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The spirit was with Jesus, but the body

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rested in the ground, not forever, but until

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the day of the glorious rapture, the resurrection.

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One of my favorite topics in Bible prophecy

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is the subject of the rapture, the resurrection

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of the saints.

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You know, Jesus' resurrection was central to his

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life and ministry, and yet there are many

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people today in the church who misunderstand the

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resurrection and misunderstand the timing of the resurrection

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and why it would be timed the way

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it is.

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We find in 1 Thessalonians 2.19, a

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wonderful phrase in which Paul writes, for what

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is our hope or joy or crown of

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rejoicing?

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Are not even ye in the presence of

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our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

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Paul says the rapture, the resurrection is our

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joy.

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He says it's our rejoicing, it's our hope,

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it's our crown of rejoicing.

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So, do you rejoice in the hope of

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resurrection?

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You should, because while other generations of Christians

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died in faith without having participated in the

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rapture before their death, they will ultimately participate

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in the rapture when you and I are

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raptured.

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But for those of us living, we have

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the promise that if we are alive when

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Christ comes, we'll not have to pass through

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the portals of death, but we'll pass from

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life to life eternal.

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In 1 Thessalonians 4.16 and 17, here's

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what Paul has to say.

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He tells us, for the Lord himself shall

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descend from heaven with a shout, and the

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voice of the archangel, and with the trump

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of God, and the dead in Christ shall

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rise first.

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Then we which are alive and remain shall

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be caught up together with them in the

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clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

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So shall we ever be with the Lord.

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In this famous passage, a tremendous amount of

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excellent teaching about the rapture is found.

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For example, the Lord himself is going to

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come at the revelation when he comes down

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to the earth, and he comes down to

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the earth to defeat the armies of Antichrist

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and the armies of the kings of the

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east to defend Israel from what would otherwise

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be certain destruction.

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And when he comes down, according to Revelation

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19, he comes with the millions of saints.

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If we come down from heaven with Jesus

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riding on white horses, and we are in

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our resurrection body, and we're wearing robes of

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white representing the righteousness of the saints, then

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obviously, logically, at some point previous to Armageddon,

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we have received a resurrection body.

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Because all Christians, those who are in heaven

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now in their spirit, and those who are

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alive at the time Christ comes in the

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air, are going to have a resurrection body.

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One of the things that's misunderstood by a

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lot of people is the purpose of the

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rapture.

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The purpose of the rapture resurrection is this.

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God has to transform your mortal body, which

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either for dead Christians lies in ashes in

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the ground, or for those who are alive

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when Jesus comes, is a body that is

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not fit for eternity.

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It's mortal, it's corruptible.

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And God tells us that he is going

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to take our body and transform it into

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a body fit for eternity.

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Now the word rapture actually was introduced by

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a great Christian teacher in 385 AD named

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Jerome.

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He was one of the fathers of the

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early church.

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And in his writings and translation of the

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New Testament into Latin, he came to this

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passage in 1 Thessalonians, and he came to

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verse 17, and says that we which are

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alive and remain shall be caught up together.

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And he looked at that word caught up,

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and he used the best Latin word possible,

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which was repair.

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Repair is to snatch up by external force.

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And what he was saying is, that's the

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best word.

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And in the Latin, of his version of

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the Bible that was very popular all the

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way from 385, all the way up until

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the King James Bible, repair was used.

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That became the origin of the word rapture,

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used as a noun.

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The snatching up of the bodies of both

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those who died in the grave, and those

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who were alive.

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The purpose of the rapture is to transform

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your body into a body fit for eternity.

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In 1 Corinthians 15, 53, you'll find that

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what God is saying is that for this

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corruptible, in other words, our natural body in

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verse 53, must put on incorruption.

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And this mortal must put on immortality.

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Your body is corruptible.

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Your body is mortal.

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It must put on incorruption.

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It must put on immortality.

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Right now, your body is not fit for

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heaven.

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It's not fit to travel at the speed

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of thought from heaven to earth and back,

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so that you might rule and reign with

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Jesus Christ, as we are promised in several

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places.

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The Bible tells us that we're going to

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appear at the judgment seat of Christ.

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There we're going to receive crowns and awards

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that we might enjoy for eternity.

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Well, if you are in disembodied spirit, which

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is what our fellow Christians in heaven are,

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they don't have a body.

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They're there in spirit.

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Remember Jesus said to the thief on the

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cross, today, you'll be with me in paradise.

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Paul said to be absent from the body

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is to be present with the Lord.

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So the Bible does not teach soul sleep.

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No, those who die in the faith, believers

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in Christ, are instantly transformed.

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Their body goes into the ground, their spirit

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goes to heaven, the new Jerusalem called paradise,

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and there it is joyfully, consciously in the

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presence of Jesus and the other saints.

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But you don't yet have a body.

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You can't eat and drink at the marriage

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supper of the Lamb unless you have a

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body.

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And for those who think, well, that must

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just be a symbol.

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No, because we are told clearly that our

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body in the resurrection is going to be

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like Jesus' body when he rose from the

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dead.

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Well, what was his body like?

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In Luke 24, we're told that when Jesus

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was resurrected, he appeared in the middle of

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the upper room, where his disciples were wondering

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what in the world is going on.

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And Jesus looked at them, and they looked

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at him, and they thought they'd seen a

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spirit or a ghost.

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You see, it's very hard for people to

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get their minds around the idea that in

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the resurrection, our body is going to be

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as real as it is today, only now

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indestructible, immortal, incorruptible, not subject to disease or

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accident or death, but real.

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How real?

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Jesus said, do you have here any broiled

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fish or honeycomb?

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And he sat down with his disciples in

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his resurrection body and ate and drank with

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them.

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Why?

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He obviously wouldn't have starved had he not

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eaten.

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But I believe he wanted to demonstrate that

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in heaven and in eternity, we're going to

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enjoy the good things of God's creation without

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sin.

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And we're going to be able to eat

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and drink if we want.

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We know that even the angels eat.

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We're told, talking about the manna that God

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sent supernaturally from heaven in the exodus, that

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God sent them the corn of heaven, that

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he sent them angels' food.

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He fed them to the full.

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In other words, manna was one of the

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foods that angels eat.

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So if angels eat and Jesus tells us

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we're going to eat at the marriage supper

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of the lamb, and he tells us our

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body is going to be like his in

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the resurrection, then we have the confidence that

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we're going to eat and drink.

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We're going to be able to enjoy all

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the good things of creation, both in heaven

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and in eternity of heaven that is so

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vast that we've already measured that there are

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at least 50 billion galaxies like our Milky

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Way, filled with trillions of stars.

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And now we're finding that half the stars

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we've examined have planets.

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I doubt very much that God created all

271
00:11:48,210 --> 00:11:51,350
of this universe in its vast nature, and

272
00:11:51,350 --> 00:11:53,530
only planet Earth would be viable.

273
00:11:54,250 --> 00:11:56,910
In fact, I believe when man is sinless,

274
00:11:57,650 --> 00:11:59,470
that we will be allowed to travel through

275
00:11:59,470 --> 00:12:01,770
the glory of God's universe and see the

276
00:12:01,770 --> 00:12:05,230
beauty of his creation and rejoice with the

277
00:12:05,230 --> 00:12:07,210
angels at his creation.

278
00:12:07,950 --> 00:12:09,670
How do I know your body is going

279
00:12:09,670 --> 00:12:11,250
to be like Jesus when he rose from

280
00:12:11,250 --> 00:12:11,610
the dead?

281
00:12:12,150 --> 00:12:15,870
Well, in 1 John chapter 3 verse 2,

282
00:12:16,390 --> 00:12:20,030
here's what John wrote, Beloved, now we are

283
00:12:20,030 --> 00:12:23,090
children of God, and it doth not yet

284
00:12:23,090 --> 00:12:25,730
been revealed what we shall be, but we

285
00:12:25,730 --> 00:12:28,650
know that when he is revealed, we shall

286
00:12:28,650 --> 00:12:31,190
be like him, for we shall see him

287
00:12:31,190 --> 00:12:32,050
as he is.

288
00:12:33,110 --> 00:12:36,750
The book of Philippians chapter 3 tells us

289
00:12:36,750 --> 00:12:37,450
the same thing.

290
00:12:37,830 --> 00:12:40,210
We're going to have a glorious resurrection body

291
00:12:40,210 --> 00:12:41,710
like the body Jesus had.

292
00:12:42,570 --> 00:12:44,690
That body is a body that is going

293
00:12:44,690 --> 00:12:46,450
to be fit that we can rule and

294
00:12:46,450 --> 00:12:48,890
reign and administer this earth with Jesus the

295
00:12:48,890 --> 00:12:49,270
Messiah.

296
00:12:50,290 --> 00:12:52,770
We're going to have a body that is

297
00:12:52,770 --> 00:12:54,250
like the body Jesus had.

298
00:12:54,550 --> 00:12:55,930
It's going to be a body without the

299
00:12:55,930 --> 00:12:58,250
limitations that were given to Adam and Eve

300
00:12:58,250 --> 00:13:01,590
and all of their descendants following the disobedience

301
00:13:01,590 --> 00:13:02,090
and sin.

302
00:13:02,930 --> 00:13:05,970
In fact, the rapture is going to reveal

303
00:13:05,970 --> 00:13:08,510
a body that is so glorious.

304
00:13:09,430 --> 00:13:11,430
Paul wrote about it and said that we

305
00:13:11,430 --> 00:13:13,870
can hardly imagine the things that God has

306
00:13:13,870 --> 00:13:14,690
prepared for us.

307
00:13:15,350 --> 00:13:17,070
But one of the big questions about the

308
00:13:17,070 --> 00:13:18,230
rapture is the timing.

309
00:13:19,250 --> 00:13:20,970
Is it going to take place before the

310
00:13:20,970 --> 00:13:22,970
seven-year tribulation period?

311
00:13:23,210 --> 00:13:24,650
In other words, pre-tribulation?

312
00:13:25,090 --> 00:13:26,390
Is it going to take place in the

313
00:13:26,390 --> 00:13:29,490
middle of the seven years, mid-tribulation?

314
00:13:29,810 --> 00:13:31,810
Or is it going to take place after

315
00:13:31,810 --> 00:13:34,910
the tribulation at Armageddon, the post-tribulation theory?

316
00:13:36,510 --> 00:13:39,570
Many who dislike the pre-tribulation theory have

317
00:13:39,570 --> 00:13:41,930
suggested that it's a Johnny-come-lately idea,

318
00:13:42,450 --> 00:13:45,110
invented only in the 1830s by John Darby

319
00:13:45,110 --> 00:13:46,310
and the Plymouth Brethren.

320
00:13:47,690 --> 00:13:50,610
However, I have discovered a book, a manuscript,

321
00:13:51,190 --> 00:13:53,510
written by Ephraim the Syrian.

322
00:13:53,890 --> 00:13:56,170
He was a great Christian saint, a deacon

323
00:13:56,170 --> 00:13:59,650
and bishop, and he wrote extensively in the

324
00:13:59,650 --> 00:14:00,250
early church.

325
00:14:00,670 --> 00:14:02,210
And he wrote a book on the Antichrist

326
00:14:02,210 --> 00:14:03,350
and the end of the world in which

327
00:14:03,350 --> 00:14:07,890
he clearly says, in 373, he says that

328
00:14:07,890 --> 00:14:10,270
the Lord will descend from heaven and will

329
00:14:10,270 --> 00:14:12,810
take us to be with himself, that we

330
00:14:12,810 --> 00:14:15,830
might escape the confusion that overtakes the whole

331
00:14:15,830 --> 00:14:16,130
world.

332
00:14:16,470 --> 00:14:19,550
It is a clear pre-tribulation rapture statement

333
00:14:19,550 --> 00:14:23,470
that is made 15 centuries before most people

334
00:14:23,470 --> 00:14:25,390
thought it was ever discussed.

335
00:14:26,070 --> 00:14:29,710
Naturally, the Bible did not lay out precisely

336
00:14:29,710 --> 00:14:31,170
when the rapture would take place.

337
00:14:31,590 --> 00:14:34,170
God wanted us to be on our tiptoes,

338
00:14:34,610 --> 00:14:36,690
in a sense, urgently expecting him.

339
00:14:36,810 --> 00:14:39,190
He tells us constantly to watch, for you

340
00:14:39,190 --> 00:14:40,210
know not when he comes.

341
00:14:40,790 --> 00:14:42,890
But at the same time, Jesus condemned the

342
00:14:42,890 --> 00:14:45,950
spiritual leaders of his day for being aware

343
00:14:45,950 --> 00:14:48,610
of the physical signs of the weather and

344
00:14:48,610 --> 00:14:50,190
not being aware of the signs of the

345
00:14:50,190 --> 00:14:51,290
coming of the Son of Man.

346
00:14:52,190 --> 00:14:53,830
The prophecies are being fulfilled.

347
00:14:54,010 --> 00:14:55,210
Israel is back in the land.

348
00:14:55,790 --> 00:14:57,290
We're living in the last days.

349
00:14:58,170 --> 00:15:01,710
There are some Christians who rather facetiously say,

350
00:15:01,710 --> 00:15:03,570
well, I'm not a pre-trib or post

351
00:15:03,570 --> 00:15:04,390
-trib or mid-trib.

352
00:15:04,730 --> 00:15:06,030
I'm a pan-tribulation.

353
00:15:06,390 --> 00:15:08,010
I believe it'll all pan out in the

354
00:15:08,010 --> 00:15:08,230
end.

355
00:15:08,770 --> 00:15:11,210
Well, that may sound funny, but it's irresponsible.

356
00:15:12,130 --> 00:15:14,550
If you read Revelation seriously as I do,

357
00:15:15,450 --> 00:15:17,370
the seven-year tribulation will be the worst

358
00:15:17,370 --> 00:15:20,870
period of time in God's entire history of

359
00:15:20,870 --> 00:15:21,290
mankind.

360
00:15:21,970 --> 00:15:24,070
It will be a time of such unparalleled

361
00:15:24,070 --> 00:15:27,010
horror and judgment upon the earth that it's

362
00:15:27,010 --> 00:15:30,150
very doubtful that many Christians could live if

363
00:15:30,150 --> 00:15:31,230
that was God's purpose.

364
00:15:31,470 --> 00:15:32,830
But I do not believe it is.

365
00:15:33,490 --> 00:15:35,090
It is a time when God is going

366
00:15:35,090 --> 00:15:37,410
to turn back to Israel with the church

367
00:15:37,410 --> 00:15:39,990
taken out at the rapture before the tribulation.

368
00:15:40,570 --> 00:15:42,870
God is going to cause the rising of

369
00:15:42,870 --> 00:15:46,830
the two Jewish witnesses, Elijah, probably Moses, and

370
00:15:46,830 --> 00:15:49,330
also the 144,000 Jewish witnesses.

371
00:15:49,770 --> 00:15:51,630
There's going to be a rebuilt temple and

372
00:15:51,630 --> 00:15:52,650
animal sacrifice.

373
00:15:53,410 --> 00:15:54,950
With all of this going on, it would

374
00:15:54,950 --> 00:15:56,890
be confusion if the church was still on

375
00:15:56,890 --> 00:15:58,050
earth at that time.

376
00:15:59,350 --> 00:16:01,570
My friends, we're living in the last days.

377
00:16:02,050 --> 00:16:04,630
All these prophecies are coming to pass.

378
00:16:06,290 --> 00:16:08,590
My friends, we're living in the last days.

379
00:16:09,190 --> 00:16:11,650
All these prophecies are coming to pass.

380
00:16:12,270 --> 00:16:14,770
When we look at it, some people ask

381
00:16:14,770 --> 00:16:16,710
me a question and say, Grant, is there

382
00:16:16,710 --> 00:16:19,770
a particular one single verse that points to

383
00:16:19,770 --> 00:16:23,150
the fact that the rapture happens before the

384
00:16:23,150 --> 00:16:26,030
coming of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist?

385
00:16:26,650 --> 00:16:28,750
And I would point to this verse, Paul

386
00:16:28,750 --> 00:16:29,610
writing to the Christians.

387
00:16:29,750 --> 00:16:31,290
He says, we are to wait for his

388
00:16:31,290 --> 00:16:34,210
son from heaven whom he raised from the

389
00:16:34,210 --> 00:16:37,010
dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the

390
00:16:37,010 --> 00:16:37,710
wrath to come.

391
00:16:38,270 --> 00:16:39,630
I want you to think about the timing

392
00:16:39,630 --> 00:16:40,870
and sequence of this.

393
00:16:41,390 --> 00:16:43,930
He says Christians are to wait expectantly for

394
00:16:43,930 --> 00:16:46,730
his son from heaven, that's the rapture, whom

395
00:16:46,730 --> 00:16:49,950
he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which

396
00:16:49,950 --> 00:16:51,650
delivered us from the wrath to come.

397
00:16:52,130 --> 00:16:55,910
So Jesus coming from heaven, the rapture, is

398
00:16:55,910 --> 00:16:58,110
going to deliver Christians from the wrath to

399
00:16:58,110 --> 00:16:58,350
come.

400
00:16:58,810 --> 00:17:00,890
Now there's only two possibilities for the wrath

401
00:17:00,890 --> 00:17:01,330
to come.

402
00:17:01,970 --> 00:17:03,810
Either the wrath to come is the wrath

403
00:17:03,810 --> 00:17:05,890
of hell, or it is the wrath of

404
00:17:05,890 --> 00:17:06,569
the tribulation.

405
00:17:07,170 --> 00:17:11,050
Because from Revelation 6 to 19, the entire

406
00:17:11,050 --> 00:17:14,710
judgments poured out upon earth are the wrath

407
00:17:14,710 --> 00:17:16,990
of God poured on unrighteous sinners.

408
00:17:18,390 --> 00:17:20,410
Well, it can't be the wrath of hell,

409
00:17:20,849 --> 00:17:23,910
because his second coming doesn't deliver us from

410
00:17:23,910 --> 00:17:24,650
the wrath of hell.

411
00:17:24,869 --> 00:17:27,569
It's his first coming, his death, his atonement

412
00:17:27,569 --> 00:17:28,130
on the cross.

413
00:17:28,390 --> 00:17:31,870
That's what allowed us to escape the wrath

414
00:17:31,870 --> 00:17:32,790
to come.

415
00:17:34,090 --> 00:17:35,990
What we know is the rapture is going

416
00:17:35,990 --> 00:17:41,090
to allow Christians to escape the wrath that

417
00:17:41,090 --> 00:17:42,210
will come in the tribulation.

418
00:17:42,490 --> 00:17:42,610
Why?

419
00:17:42,750 --> 00:17:45,830
Not because we deserve it, but because it's

420
00:17:45,830 --> 00:17:46,650
God's purpose.

421
00:17:47,530 --> 00:17:49,610
From Genesis to Revelation, you will not find

422
00:17:49,610 --> 00:17:53,370
a single example of God judging indiscriminately between

423
00:17:53,370 --> 00:17:54,850
the righteous and the unrighteous.

424
00:17:55,630 --> 00:17:59,350
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5, 9, he

425
00:17:59,350 --> 00:18:02,470
says that God will deliver us from judgment.

426
00:18:03,250 --> 00:18:08,010
He says he's delivered us under salvation, not

427
00:18:08,010 --> 00:18:09,390
under the wrath of God.

428
00:18:09,590 --> 00:18:10,510
Here's the promise.

429
00:18:11,050 --> 00:18:15,070
Wrath will come, but not for those who

430
00:18:15,070 --> 00:18:16,450
put their faith and trust in Jesus.

431
00:18:23,430 --> 00:18:25,970
The promise of the rapture is surely one

432
00:18:25,970 --> 00:18:28,850
of the most intriguing and fascinating of all

433
00:18:28,850 --> 00:18:30,530
the prophecies that we could study.

434
00:18:30,970 --> 00:18:32,690
It is the hope of the church in

435
00:18:32,690 --> 00:18:33,470
this generation.

436
00:18:33,470 --> 00:18:36,090
When all the prophecies are pointing to Christ's

437
00:18:36,090 --> 00:18:39,490
return, because there is no specific time prophecy

438
00:18:39,490 --> 00:18:42,050
that points to the rapture, except we know

439
00:18:42,050 --> 00:18:43,890
that it's imminent, that it's going to happen

440
00:18:43,890 --> 00:18:47,630
before the Antichrist appears, then if the Antichrist

441
00:18:47,630 --> 00:18:50,730
is close, then the rapture, the resurrection of

442
00:18:50,730 --> 00:18:53,010
the church of Jesus Christ is even closer.

443
00:18:54,010 --> 00:18:56,430
You know, over the years as I have

444
00:18:56,430 --> 00:18:59,690
taught this exciting topic of the rapture, I

445
00:18:59,690 --> 00:19:01,730
received many questions from individuals.

446
00:19:02,490 --> 00:19:04,330
A number of them naturally are about the

447
00:19:04,330 --> 00:19:07,090
timing of the rapture, what evidence exists in

448
00:19:07,090 --> 00:19:10,570
scripture that the rapture will be before the

449
00:19:10,570 --> 00:19:13,950
Antichrist, as opposed to being during the Antichrist

450
00:19:13,950 --> 00:19:17,470
rule, during the seven-year tribulation, or even

451
00:19:17,470 --> 00:19:20,710
at Armageddon itself, having endured the entire mark

452
00:19:20,710 --> 00:19:21,170
of the beast.

453
00:19:21,610 --> 00:19:24,230
These are valid, important questions that need to

454
00:19:24,230 --> 00:19:26,950
be answered by any serious student of the

455
00:19:26,950 --> 00:19:27,270
Bible.

456
00:19:27,930 --> 00:19:30,990
One question I have received is, explain why

457
00:19:30,990 --> 00:19:33,310
you believe that the scriptures reveal that the

458
00:19:33,310 --> 00:19:37,110
rapture will occur before the seven-year tribulation

459
00:19:37,110 --> 00:19:37,530
period.

460
00:19:38,030 --> 00:19:39,630
Here's the sequence very clearly.

461
00:19:40,170 --> 00:19:42,350
We're to wait for a future event, Jesus

462
00:19:42,350 --> 00:19:46,350
coming from heaven, the rapture, and then that

463
00:19:46,350 --> 00:19:48,290
event is going to deliver us from the

464
00:19:48,290 --> 00:19:48,990
wrath to come.

465
00:19:49,470 --> 00:19:52,350
Here I think is the clearest indication that

466
00:19:52,350 --> 00:19:55,370
what God is saying is that the deliverance

467
00:19:55,370 --> 00:19:57,550
of the church through the second coming of

468
00:19:57,550 --> 00:19:59,290
Jesus at the rapture when he comes in

469
00:19:59,290 --> 00:20:01,570
the air with the saints, the spirits of

470
00:20:01,570 --> 00:20:04,550
all those who died in faith, and then

471
00:20:04,550 --> 00:20:06,290
those who are alive and remain shall be

472
00:20:06,290 --> 00:20:08,010
caught up together with them in the air.

473
00:20:08,530 --> 00:20:10,990
We then will escape the wrath to come.

474
00:20:11,370 --> 00:20:14,190
It's very clear from Revelation 6 to Revelation

475
00:20:14,190 --> 00:20:16,970
19 that what is poured out from heaven

476
00:20:16,970 --> 00:20:19,890
upon unrepentant sinners during that entire seven-year

477
00:20:19,890 --> 00:20:22,010
period is the wrath of God.

478
00:20:22,430 --> 00:20:26,270
Remember, it begins with the four horsemen of

479
00:20:26,270 --> 00:20:28,990
the apocalypse which are clearly representative of the

480
00:20:28,990 --> 00:20:32,030
wrath of God as shown over 12 other

481
00:20:32,030 --> 00:20:33,370
times in the Old Testament.

482
00:20:34,050 --> 00:20:37,030
The fact is, I think the scriptures clearly

483
00:20:37,030 --> 00:20:40,070
show that God has not appointed us unto

484
00:20:40,070 --> 00:20:40,510
wrath.

485
00:20:40,810 --> 00:20:44,290
Saint Paul said, 1 Thessalonians 1.9, he

486
00:20:44,290 --> 00:20:47,110
said that God has not appointed us to

487
00:20:47,110 --> 00:20:49,450
wrath but to obtain salvation.

488
00:20:49,830 --> 00:20:51,770
Here are two contrasting destinies.

489
00:20:52,030 --> 00:20:55,610
One is that of unrepentant sinners who will

490
00:20:55,610 --> 00:20:58,090
endure the wrath of God poured out without

491
00:20:58,090 --> 00:21:01,010
mixture during the seven-year period, and then

492
00:21:01,010 --> 00:21:02,650
there are those who put their faith in

493
00:21:02,650 --> 00:21:07,490
Jesus as Christians, and their destiny is salvation.

494
00:21:08,130 --> 00:21:10,670
There's several other things that point clearly to

495
00:21:10,670 --> 00:21:12,170
the fact that the church is not on

496
00:21:12,170 --> 00:21:12,990
earth at this time.

497
00:21:13,630 --> 00:21:16,390
In sequence, in Revelation 4, John has been

498
00:21:16,390 --> 00:21:18,270
lifted up to heaven, and he saw 24

499
00:21:18,270 --> 00:21:20,750
elders with crowns upon their head.

500
00:21:21,410 --> 00:21:24,350
Now, Paul, in his writings, in his epistles,

501
00:21:24,470 --> 00:21:26,930
tells us, Henceforth there is laid up for

502
00:21:26,930 --> 00:21:29,270
me a crown of righteousness, and not only

503
00:21:29,270 --> 00:21:31,390
for me, but for all those that love

504
00:21:31,390 --> 00:21:31,810
his appearing.

505
00:21:32,270 --> 00:21:34,170
If you love the rapture, you're going to

506
00:21:34,170 --> 00:21:36,070
get a crown of righteousness, according to Paul.

507
00:21:36,350 --> 00:21:40,110
But notice he sees these elders with crowns.

508
00:21:40,410 --> 00:21:44,170
These 24 elders represent the church resurrected to

509
00:21:44,170 --> 00:21:44,390
heaven.

510
00:21:44,390 --> 00:21:48,150
If they have crowns, then the rapture's already

511
00:21:48,150 --> 00:21:50,630
occurred, and the judgment seat of Christ, in

512
00:21:50,630 --> 00:21:53,070
which crowns are given out, has already occurred.

513
00:21:53,630 --> 00:21:57,750
Three chapters later, in Revelation 7, John receives

514
00:21:57,750 --> 00:22:00,150
a vision of a great multitude that no

515
00:22:00,150 --> 00:22:02,450
one could number of every tribe, nation, kindred,

516
00:22:02,510 --> 00:22:02,870
and tongue.

517
00:22:03,330 --> 00:22:05,970
He asks the question logically, Who are these

518
00:22:05,970 --> 00:22:06,310
guys?

519
00:22:06,610 --> 00:22:08,530
He's already seen the rapture church.

520
00:22:08,890 --> 00:22:09,850
Who are these people?

521
00:22:10,110 --> 00:22:11,170
They're in heaven, too.

522
00:22:11,650 --> 00:22:13,610
And the angel says, These are they which

523
00:22:13,610 --> 00:22:15,590
come out of great tribulation, washed in the

524
00:22:15,590 --> 00:22:16,250
blood of the Lamb.

525
00:22:17,150 --> 00:22:21,490
Now, immediately, the angel's ready to pour out

526
00:22:21,490 --> 00:22:22,850
the judgment of God, the wrath.

527
00:22:23,270 --> 00:22:25,730
And the other angel says, Wait, we cannot

528
00:22:25,730 --> 00:22:29,210
do it until we seal the witnesses of

529
00:22:29,210 --> 00:22:29,450
God.

530
00:22:29,630 --> 00:22:33,050
And they begin to seal, supernaturally, 144,000

531
00:22:33,050 --> 00:22:35,690
righteous Jews, 12,000 from every tribe.

532
00:22:36,930 --> 00:22:40,610
Now, two chapters later, in chapter 9, God

533
00:22:40,610 --> 00:22:44,370
allows to be released from the satanic locusts

534
00:22:44,370 --> 00:22:46,650
that, as part of the judgment of God,

535
00:22:47,030 --> 00:22:49,830
they sting people so that everyone on earth

536
00:22:49,830 --> 00:22:53,990
is stung except the 144,000 servants of

537
00:22:53,990 --> 00:22:56,130
God who have been supernaturally sealed.

538
00:22:57,130 --> 00:22:59,050
And when we're told that for five months,

539
00:22:59,250 --> 00:23:01,010
people wish they could die, the pain is

540
00:23:01,010 --> 00:23:02,250
so great, but they can't die.

541
00:23:02,610 --> 00:23:03,910
Here's logically follow this.

542
00:23:04,390 --> 00:23:08,070
There's 144,000 righteous Jews sealed for protection.

543
00:23:08,730 --> 00:23:10,890
Everyone else on earth is stung by these

544
00:23:10,890 --> 00:23:12,090
demonic locusts.

545
00:23:12,190 --> 00:23:14,970
There's two groups that encompass the entire population

546
00:23:14,970 --> 00:23:19,070
of earth, 144,000 righteous Jews and everyone

547
00:23:19,070 --> 00:23:20,490
else, unrepentant sinners.

548
00:23:21,090 --> 00:23:22,050
Where is the church?

549
00:23:22,490 --> 00:23:23,830
The church is not there.

550
00:23:24,230 --> 00:23:25,930
The church is already in heaven.

551
00:23:26,570 --> 00:23:29,930
That also explains why the Antichrist curses those

552
00:23:29,930 --> 00:23:32,170
who are in heaven, those who have escaped

553
00:23:32,170 --> 00:23:33,650
him, the Christians.

554
00:23:34,810 --> 00:23:37,370
A second question we're often asked is, why

555
00:23:37,370 --> 00:23:39,890
do so many Christians deny the pre-tribulation

556
00:23:39,890 --> 00:23:41,770
rapture so vehemently?

557
00:23:42,430 --> 00:23:45,350
I believe that some, in their lack of

558
00:23:45,350 --> 00:23:49,530
teaching, lack of study, somehow imagine the rapture

559
00:23:49,530 --> 00:23:53,870
is an escape clause for the American or

560
00:23:53,870 --> 00:23:56,870
worldwide church today, that somehow we will not

561
00:23:56,870 --> 00:24:00,030
go through persecution, whereas many other generations have.

562
00:24:00,590 --> 00:24:02,570
Well, my friends, if the Lord tarries much

563
00:24:02,570 --> 00:24:04,790
longer, we're going to have persecution even in

564
00:24:04,790 --> 00:24:05,270
America.

565
00:24:05,930 --> 00:24:07,950
The truth of the matter is God has

566
00:24:07,950 --> 00:24:10,210
never promised us freedom for persecution.

567
00:24:11,110 --> 00:24:14,390
The truth is many millions of Christians have

568
00:24:14,390 --> 00:24:16,290
been persecuted in the past and are so

569
00:24:16,290 --> 00:24:19,630
today in many countries of the world, but

570
00:24:19,630 --> 00:24:22,830
persecution is not essential to purifying us as

571
00:24:22,830 --> 00:24:23,570
many imagine.

572
00:24:24,190 --> 00:24:25,150
Think about it.

573
00:24:25,210 --> 00:24:26,850
All those Christians who come in the air

574
00:24:26,850 --> 00:24:29,710
with Jesus, millions of those did not go

575
00:24:29,710 --> 00:24:32,350
through persecution but died in their peaceful sleep.

576
00:24:33,210 --> 00:24:36,410
We also know that going through the tribulation

577
00:24:36,410 --> 00:24:38,670
is not something that will purify us and

578
00:24:38,670 --> 00:24:39,810
is necessary thereby.

579
00:24:40,850 --> 00:24:43,250
Again, all those who come in the air

580
00:24:43,250 --> 00:24:46,070
with Jesus at the rapture include both wonderful

581
00:24:46,070 --> 00:24:49,750
righteous Christians like Saint Paul and include Christians

582
00:24:49,750 --> 00:24:52,710
who had a kind of indifferent Christian following.

583
00:24:53,250 --> 00:24:55,650
What we know is we are saved by

584
00:24:55,650 --> 00:24:57,690
the blood of Jesus Christ applied to our

585
00:24:57,690 --> 00:24:59,010
heart plus nothing else.

586
00:24:59,730 --> 00:25:01,450
It is the judgment seat of Christ where

587
00:25:01,450 --> 00:25:03,690
justice is handed out to us, where we

588
00:25:03,690 --> 00:25:07,010
receive rewards and crowns and mansions that reflect

589
00:25:07,010 --> 00:25:08,090
our faithful service.

590
00:25:08,750 --> 00:25:10,730
I pray that the teaching of the rapture

591
00:25:10,730 --> 00:25:12,350
will excite you as it does me.

592
00:25:12,930 --> 00:25:15,030
It is a promise of God to the

593
00:25:15,030 --> 00:25:17,830
church that Jesus Christ is coming, first for

594
00:25:17,830 --> 00:25:19,890
his church and then seven or so years

595
00:25:19,890 --> 00:25:20,930
later with his church.

596
00:25:21,610 --> 00:25:22,430
God bless you.

597
00:25:23,850 --> 00:25:25,630
You've been listening to the From the Pulpit

598
00:25:25,630 --> 00:25:26,730
in Classic Sermons series.

599
00:25:27,110 --> 00:25:29,070
This week you heard Grant Jeffrey with his

600
00:25:29,070 --> 00:25:31,590
message, The Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.

601
00:25:32,230 --> 00:25:33,830
Tune in next week to hear Frilly Graham

602
00:25:33,830 --> 00:25:36,490
talk about the Great Judgment on From the

603
00:25:36,490 --> 00:25:38,190
Pulpit in Classic Sermons.