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"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works"   2 Timothy 3:16, 17

 

Pre-Tribulation Rapture Part II

Leslie M. John M.A
Continued from Previous Page

Standing on Mount Olives:


Zechariah 14:4 "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".

1 Thessalonians 4:17 "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".

These prophecies tells us that Jesus will physically be on the earth to rule from Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of David. These two prophecies from Zechariah 14:4 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17 show us that Jesus will descend from heaven and after the seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy is completed He will step on Mount of Olives. He will judge nations and then rule from the throne of David for one thousand years. Jesus is waiting until all His enemies are brought to His footstool. It is quite relevant here to meditate on the Psalm of David, where David prophesied the LORD (that is the Father) said to the Lord (that is The Son, Lord Jesus) to sit at His right hand, until He makes all His enemies his footstool.

"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool" (Psalms 110:1)

After the seventieth week of prophesy as mentioned in Daniel 9:24 is fulfilled Lord Jesus Christ, with his bride i.e the Church, will step on the Mount of  Olives. This is the Second Advent of Lord Jesus Christ on this earth. The First Advent was when Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a Manger (Luke 2:7,12 and 16). Lord Jesus Christ with the resurrected saints will step on the Mount of Olives which is before Jerusalem on the east side. He returns to this earth with the armies of heaven as described in Revelation 19:14. It says:

"And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean"

When the feet of Lord Jesus Christ touch the mount of Olives it will 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". The people who persecuted Jesus will try to flee through this valley. This valley is called "Valley of Jehoshaphat" (Joel 3:1-2). There was neither a valley nor is now a valley by the name of "Valley of Jehoshaphat" but this is future event. The meaning of the phrase "Valley of Jehoshaphat" is "The Lord Judges". This is the throne of Lord Jesus from where he judges the nations of this earth. This judgement is not Great White Throne judgment, but it is the judgement of what is described as "Sheep and Goat Judgment" as we read in Matthew 25:33-46.

Until His enemies are brought to His footstool


Psalms 110:1-7 "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head".

This psalm is fully a gospel concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, who executes the office of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king. The Father promises a prophetical office to Lord Jesus in verse 2, a priestly office in verse 4, and kingly office in 1, 3, and 5 to 6. The Jews never accepted this fact lest they should accept Jesus as their Messiah. Stephen gazing into heaven testifies in Acts 7:55 that he "saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God". Paul an Apostle of Lord Jesus Christ wrote in Ephesians 1:20

"Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places"

The writer of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 1:3 that Lord Jesus "...being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high". He is our high priest, "We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens" (Hebrews 8:1) and "...after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12). Recalling the Psalm of David, where David called Lord Jesus as his Lord and the Son of God, Jesus points this fact to Pharisees, who often tried to trap him. Pharisees of old believed that David said these verses about the Messiah, and yet the modern Pharisees denied this fact. When Jesus pointed this fact in Mark 12:36 "For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool", they were speechless.

"And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation". (Mark 12:38-40)

Immediately after the prophesy about the LORD, the Father, making all the enemies of the Son, Lord Jesus Christ, to come to his footstool is complete the second coming of Lord Jesus will take place and the Church will have rapture into the clouds to meet him in the air. The time and seasons are known only to the Father. Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only". The second coming of the Lord Jesus will be after the false teachers have brought in heresies and wrong doctrines among Christians and false prophets saying that Jesus has already come and he is 'here' and/or 'there' and after the revealing of the 'man of sin', the 'son of perdition', who is Antichrist. Jesus warned us to be careful not to believe when false prophets say, "Lo, here is Christ, or there..." Matthew 24:23

2 Thessalonians 2:2-3 “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”.

In 2 Thess.2:3 there is a reference to 'falling away'. This word 'falling away' means here that there will be apostasy. It also means that there will be deviation from the truth. It will be the beginning of sorrows after the revealing of Antichrist, when those, who hate Jesus hand over believers to persecutions. (Matt 24:9 and 10). The yielding to such persecutions during the Great Tribulation period will come as a result of the aggressive demands from the false teachers, temptations, and worldliness. Those, who do not have enough knowledge of Jesus Christ, would yield to such persecutions, and those, who are strong enough in faith will resist such temptations, and persecutions. These persecutions are the result of 'great tribulation' from Antichrist, the 'man of sin', who is the 'son of perdition'. He will be revealed to the world, when the Holy Spirit, the restrainer ceases to work in the world to comfort the believers. Such revealing of Antichrist will not be until the Holy Spirit, the 'restrainer' is taken away from the way. The restrainer will be taken back when the Church is raptured. The believers, who are living and waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ to come again, will be 'caught up' together with those, who are dead in Christ. The dead in Christ will rise first to meet the Lord in the air and we, who are living and remain shall be 'caught up' together with them in the clouds to be with the Lord for ever. There is no reason for we, the believers to be sorrowful or worried about the things that shall come to pass after we are 'caught up'. It shall be the time for we, the believers to receive rewards at the 'judgment seat of Christ' which is also known as 'Bema seat'.  These rewards are given while we are with the Lord in the clouds (2Co 5:10 and 1Peter 5:4).  The rewards are given for the works that the believers in Christ do on this earth. True, we do not want to gain the whole world and lose our soul. Our works should be to gain rewards from our Lord at the 'Bema Seat', when we will be with the Lord Jesus Christ, on His coming again from heaven.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: It is for this blessed hope that we the believers in Christ wait for”.

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