1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
The rapture is the event where believers (dead or alive) will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord before His second coming.
There is a rapture in the end time
Question is when does rapture happen?
Before, during or at the end of tribulation?
AOG believes rapture happen before tribulation happen.
Is there an ultimate verse that proves rapture will take place just before great tribulation.
There is a possibility....
The pre-tribulation rapture is part of the end-time system view of John Darby's dispensationalism theory.
It is not a matter of right or wrong. Whether pre or post, please just make the trip
Book of revelation does not have any verse to describe ...
The book of Revelation does not have any verse that mentions the concept of rapture as described in 1 Thessalonians 4
1 Thessalonians 4
As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.[b] The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. 9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. Believers Who Have Died 13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Revelation 4:1-2
After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
This is not a verse mentioning about rapture. Examine the text ''come up here does not mean rapture becos caught up and come up is not referring to same event.
Context ...
"Come up" = (Revelation 4:1)
"Caught up" = (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
The phrase "Come up" does not refer to the same event as the rapture.
John was not raptured out of the tribulation. He was still on earth seeing the revelation
Even though pre trib verse is not found in revelation, AOG still believes in pre trib rapture
However, Be prepared for the worst case scenario if pre trib rapture does not happen
Choose to major in what is certain God's word. Certain is God will return but how or when but we need to hold that loosely on uncertain details.
Hope for the best but be ready for the worse
God do allow His people to go through personal tribulation:
Moses
Job
Nation of Israel became slaves of Egypt for 40 years
Israel exile in Babylon
Jesus to go through the cross
God wants to use personal tribulation to strengthen and purify us for His purpose
Firstly, Revelation does not mention the concept of rapture, but it is found in,
1 Thessalonians 4:17
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Secondly, we hope for pre-tribulation rapture but must be ready to persevere through the tribulation if it does not occur.
Revelation 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
These heavenly books serve two purposes:
- to account for the deeds of everyone on earth, and
- to contain the names of those loyal to Christ
Are believers still judge by the book of deeds?
His records will also be found in book of deeds since our name already written in book of life
Book of deeds validate a believers loyalty and devotion to Christ through action and behaviour on earth
What happen when we sin against God on earth...?
Will God use believers human falleness against him? NO!
Salvation is solely by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, there is nothing we can do to earn it.
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
Romans 3:22
This righteousness is given through faith in[a] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,
What we cannot earn in human effort, we will not lose through human failure.
If we cannot earn salvation through human effort, we will not lose salvation through human failings.
Only unbelieving....
As long as we do not reject Jesus
The books of deeds may show our falleness. But God will not use that against us.
If we are loyal and devoted believers of Christ, our lives must represent Christ
These records will validate our transformed lives ....
We should Not be motivated to live by fear by the book of deeds
We don't have to earn God's love, He has already love us.
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