The ”Catching Up” Of The Remnant
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 – See the note below.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain [“to survive”] until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout [2752- “a call, summons, an order, command; specifically, a stimulating cry”], with the voice [5456- “a voice, sound, tone”] of the archangel and with the trumpet [4536- “trump, trumpet”] of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up [726] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
NASU
NT:726 harpazo (har-pad'-zo)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from a derivative of NT:138; to seize (in various applications):
KJV - catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to seize, carry off by force: ti (Matthew 12:29)
to seize on, claim for oneself eagerly (Matthew 11:12)
to snatch out or away (Matthew 13:19); ti ek cheiros tinos (John 10:28 f); tina ek puros, proverbial, to rescue from the danger of destruction, (Jude 23) to seize and carry off speedily, (John 6:15; Acts 23:10);
used of divine power transferring a person marvelously and swiftly from one place to another, to snatch or catch away (Acts 8:39); passive (Rev. 12:5)
In this passage, Paul speaks of the order of God in the snatching away/being caught up of His faithful servants on earth (i.e. our ascending to meet Him “in the air”). It involves the shout with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God (see the Bible study The Sound Of His Coming). Within this passage I see another confirmation of those who will be in the first catching up, or snatching away of God’s people, and how it will occur.
Paul declares that “the dead in Christ will rise first.” I believe this includes those faithful servants who have literally died, and those who, at the gathering of Christ, are “alive and remain” and have followed the Holy Spirit’s leading at the end of this age, submitting to a spiritual death in Christ.
Every Christian throughout history has passed over into their eternal inheritance in the Lord through a physical death. For the last group it will be different. The corporate Body of Christ is coming to our end, a death of sorts before our crossing over at the end of this age. Therefore we will also cross over through death, not as everyone else before us, but a death nonetheless. It is a new way through which we have never passed before (Joshua 3:4); a new way in a new thing.
Jesus’ pattern of entering into His glory (i.e. His ascension) is ours to follow; suffering, death, and then glory. The only way for us to go from glory to glory, from one level of glory into a greater one, is through the same process. We will be led by the Holy Spirit to the death of one area, only to be led to the next. There is no other way, no other shortcut by which we will be glorified with Him.
Also, according to Paul’s inspired word of prophecy, the Lord will not ascend completely to the earth at this time, but will meet His Bride and her attendants (Psalm 45) “in the air,” for the wedding feast, not on the earth (Feast of Trumpets is the type). It is not until the very end of this age when Christ will come to the earth in great wrath to carry out His justice upon all that is wicked (Day of Atonement is the type). His Bride, who has at that time been joined together with Him, will then reign with the Bridegroom’s authority, right into the millennium. Because of their faithfulness in regards to the marriage covenant of the Lamb, they too will reign over the nations with the authority of their Husbandman.
The Hidden Day; Our Day Of Being Hidden In Christ
The way to be among those who will be hidden on the day of the Lord’s anger, is to remain in Christ through obedience. Christians who do not drift away from Him through spiritual apathy (Hebrews 2:1-3) will be the ones who are “snatched away” on “The Hidden Day.” They are the faithful servants of the Lord.
Jesus made the following conditional promise to His followers (i.e. Christians);
“Remain in Me, and I will remain in you [the immediate condition]. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me [the final condition], he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”
(John 15:4-6/NIV)
The Greek for remain is meno (men'-o). It’s defined as “to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy), to abide, to not depart, to remain as one is, not to become another or different.” Branches are a picture of a Christian. They are attached to the tree. Jesus is teaching His disciples that a Christian can become detached from Him by not “remaining in Him.” This should concern all who claim to be Christians.
When we separate ourselves from Him through continued disobedience, without repentance, we will be thrown into the fiery judgments that will occur on earth with the rest of the world. This is what Paul spoke of in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth when he warned them to be careful how they partook of the bread and the cup of the Lord in what we now refer to as communion. He said;
“Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.”
(1 Corinthians 11:27-32/NIV)
Through the next few verses, may we all take serious the Holy Spirit's admonition to examine ourselves while we still have the time to do so. Lord, help us to see what we need to see!
Colossians 3:1-4 – Paul begins by saying, “if you have been raised up with Christ.” He is referring to someone who has become a Christian. They have been, “raised us up with Christ,” and “seated with him in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 2:6) To those who have been raised up with Christ, who are now hidden in Him, he then exhorts to, “keep seeking [“to seek after, to seek in order to find, aim at, strive after”] the things above.” We are commanded by Paul to, “Set your mind [“to think, set the mind on, to seek or strive for”] on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden [“to hide, conceal, to cover (i.e. the atonement)”] with Christ in God.” So, in order to remain hidden in Him, we must “keep seeking the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” It’s earthly pursuits without Christ that will remove the protective covering from us.
1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking [2212- “to seek after, to seek in order to find, aim at, strive after”] the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind [5426- “to think, set the mind on, to seek or strive for”] on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3 For you have died and your life is hidden [2928- “to hide, conceal, to cover”] with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
NASU
1 Corinthians 15:51-54 – Paul speaks of the “mystery” of God, that “in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet,” we will be changed/transformed. I believe that this will occur on one of the two days that are declared as the Feast of Trumpets. But which day, and which hour of that day, we do not know.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed [236- “to make different, to change, to transform”],
52 in a moment, in the twinkling [4493- “a jerk (of the eye, i.e. by analogy, an instant”)] of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound [4537- “to trumpet, i.e. sound a blast”], and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed [236].
53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.
NASU
Matthew 5:13-16 – “Tasteless” salt is a picture of the characteristics of foolish virgins. By definition they are “foolish” Christians that “act foolishly.” These are the “outer court” worshippers who are busy with religious activities without drawing near to the presence of God. They are “distant” worshippers, drifters of sorts. John says in Revelation 11:1-2 that they are to be left out. The area they occupy will be given over to the nations. By definition of the Greek, they will be cast out, or driven out from the temple. This reminds me of the time when Jesus cleansed the temple by driving out the moneychangers who had turned His Father’s house into a place of business (John 2:13-17). We now have a need for this to occur once again. The “business” of religion has leavened the church body. And as someone once so wisely declared, “When a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?”
13 "You [i.e. Christians] are the salt of the earth; but if the salt [i.e. a Christian] has become tasteless [3471- “to be foolish, to act foolishly”; i.e. a characteristic of a foolish virgin], how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out [cast out] and trampled underfoot [2662- “to tread down, to treat with rudeness and insult”] by men.
14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden [2928- “to hide, conceal, to cover”];
15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works [see Ephesians 2:10], and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
NASU
Hidden In The Day Of Trouble
The following verses refer to “the day of trouble [“tribulation, distress”],” the day of God’s judgment on earth known in the Bible as “the Day of the Lord” in many passages. This is the horrific day of His wrath that quickly approaches us, in which all wickedness will be judged. It’s pictured, in type, by the Day of Atonement. (See the Bible studies Jacob’s Trouble, The Day Of The Lord, and the section entitled The Return Of Jesus Christ And His Judgment in the Bible study The Return Of Jesus Christ.)
Psalm 20:1 – See the article Iwo Jima Sulphur Island for more on those who will be led by the Holy Spirit up to the secure, high ground, in Christ.
1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!
NASU
Psalm 27:5-6 – The psalmist mentions the Lord’s tabernacle in this passage.
5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
NASU
Psalm 41:1-3 – Within this Psalm are many promises from the Lord for those who “consider [“to look at, to consider, to give attention to”] the helpless.” One is that you will be delivered [“to escape, slip away, deliver”] in the day of trouble, and remain alive. (See Matthew 25:41-46.)
1 How blessed is he who considers [7919- “to look at, to consider, to give attention to”] the helpless [1800- “one who is low, poor, reduced, helpless, weak”]; The Lord will deliver [4422- “to escape, slip away, deliver”] him in a day of trouble [7451- “bad, evil, distress, calamity”].
2 The Lord will protect him and keep him alive [see 1 Thess. 4:16-17], and he shall be called blessed upon the earth; and do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
3 The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; in his illness, You restore him to health.
NASU
Psalm 50:14-15 – Paying our covenant vows to the Lord will cause Him to hear us “in the day of trouble.”
14 "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High;
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."
NASU
Nahum 1:5-8 – The prophet declares that the Lord is “a stronghold in the day of trouble,” when the earth and all that is upon it are shaken. Also, that “He knows those who take refuge in Him.” The Lord “knows” them, versus those who refuse to take refuge in Him, in particular those among His own children. I believe these are the rebellious children that He will say, “Depart from Me, I don’t know you,” meaning you are not spending intimate time in your relationship with Him, you do not, through your life’s actions, acknowledge Him as your Lord and Savior. After turning to Him, you now live by your own strength, your own will, without acknowledging Him in your daily decisions (i.e. walking in the flesh vs. the Spirit; Galatians 5:16-26).
5 Mountains quake because of Him and the hills dissolve; Indeed, the earth is upheaved by His presence, the world and all the inhabitants in it.
6 Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken up by Him.
7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows [3045- “to perceive and see, to admit, to acknowledge”] those who take refuge in Him.
8 But with an overflowing flood [like the days of Noah; Matthew 24:37-41] He will make a complete end of its [Nineveh’s] site, and will pursue His enemies into darkness.
NASU
Zephaniah 1:14-18 – The day of the Lord is the final Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) when He carries out His sentence against mankind for their rebellion against Him. Like Nahum, the prophet declares/decrees that the Lord “will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth” (see Isaiah 26:20-21, and Jeremiah 25:30-33 below).
14 Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly; listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
15 A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.
17 I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord's wrath; and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.
NASU
Zephaniah 2:1-3 – America is now the nation without shame, and even more tragic, the people of God in America. I believe that we are being summoned by the Holy Spirit to gather together as one, in Christ, before the Feast of Trumpets is fulfilled at the end of this age (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). The prophet warns His people to gather together before the decree of God’s judgment (Feast of Trumpets) in chapter one when “the day of the Lord’s anger” is brought forth, or comes into being (Day of Atonement). The warning to those who have been carrying out His ordinances is to continue to seek righteousness and humility, so that “Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger.”
The word “perhaps” could be very unnerving unless you understand the rest of this revelation. Some versions say “it may be,” and “if by any means.” The Hebrew for it is 'ulay (oo-lah'ee) which means “peradventure; perhaps; suppose; if; unless.” If the Lord is carrying out judgment, He will not punish the innocent. He knows your deeds and your walk with Him, those who serve Him and those who do not (Malachi 3:16-18). These are the ones that, as I said at the beginning, He will look upon with favor (Isaiah 66:2). They will be hidden in the day of trouble.
1 Gather yourselves together [7197- “to gather, to assemble”], yes, gather, O nation [1471- “nation, people, heathen (often referring to Gentiles)”] without shame [3700- “to long after; to be colorless, obscure, be eclipsed (of sun or moon)”], [NKJV – “Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation.”]
2 Before the decree takes effect [3205- “to bear, bring forth, beget”] — The day passes like the chaff — Before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you.
3 Seek [1245- “to search out, to seek, to desire, to strive after”] the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances [4941- “a verdict, judgment, justice, a sentence or formal decree, divine law, rights”]; Seek [1245] righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps [194- “peradventure, perhaps, unless, suppose”] you will be hidden [5461- “to hide, to conceal, to cover (i.e. the atonement)”] in the day of the Lord's anger.
NASU
Isaiah 26:20-21 – This sounds very similar to what God instructed the children of Israel to do when He released them from enslavement in Egypt. The most important thing for them was to place the blood of the lamb on their door and to remain within their dwellings in order to be protected from the angel of death.
20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you [see Matthew 25:1-13; the ten virgins]; hide [2247- “to withdraw, to hide oneself, to remain hidden”] yourselves for a little [4592- “a little or few”] while [7281- “a wink/twinkling of the eye, i.e. a very short space of time”; see 1 Cor. 15:51-54 right below] until his wrath has passed by.
21 See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer. [The innocent blood!]
NIV
Jeremiah 25:30-33 – The Lord declares through Jeremiah His judgment “against all who live on earth.” It’s a “disaster” that will spread “from nation to nation.” He says that He will shout against all nations. Those slain by the Lord will be from one end of the earth to the other. Because of the amount of the dead, their bodies will be left to decay on the earth like refuse, or manure. The stench will be awful.
30 "Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them: "'The Lord will roar [7580- “to roar; used of a lion, conqueror”] from on high; He will thunder from His holy dwelling and roar [7580] mightily [7580] against His land. He will shout [1959- “acclamation, a shout, a cheer”] like those who tread the grapes, shout [6030- “to respond, answer, reply, to testify”] against all who live on the earth.
31 The tumult [7588- “uproar; by implication, destruction; a crash”] will resound to the ends of the earth, for the Lord will bring charges [7379- “a strife, a controversy, a quarrel, a case at law”] against the nations; He will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to the sword,'" declares the Lord.
32 This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Look! Disaster [7451- “bad, evil, distress, misery, calamity”] is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth."
33 At that time those slain by the Lord will be everywhere — from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like refuse [1828- “manure”] lying on the ground.
NIV
Isaiah 56:1-2 – The Lord is saying to those who have ears to hear and are listening so as to obey, to keep doing what is right because “My salvation [“yeshuw`ah (yesh-oo'-aw)”] is about to come and My righteousness to be revealed.” Jesus’ name in the Greek of the New Testament (i.e. Jehoshua) is a transliteration of the Hebrew “Joshua” (i.e. Yehowshuwa` [yeh-ho-shoo'-ah]) meaning “Jehovah is salvation,” (i. e., “is the Savior”). I see in this a prophecy of Jesus coming again.
1 Thus says the Lord, "Preserve [8104- “keep, to protect, retain”] justice [4941- “a verdict pronounced (favorable or unfavorable), judgment, rights”] and do righteousness [6666- “rightness, justice, righteousness”], for My salvation [3444- yeshuw`ah (yesh-oo'-aw); “salvation, deliverance, victory, aid”] is about to come and My righteousness [6666] to be revealed [1540- “to uncover, to remove, to disclose, to make known”].
2 "How blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who takes hold of it…”
NASU
The Last Trumpet Of God
(This section is also in the Bible studies The Joyful Sound Of The Trumpet, and The Sound Of His Coming.)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – In the Galilean wedding customs, the bridegroom would go away to prepare a place for his bride he was betrothed to. The father would let his son know when everything was ready and the time for him to return for his bride and bring her to the “place” he had prepared in his father’s house had come (John 14:2-3). And so it will be at the end of this age when Jesus returns, per the command of His Father, for His Bride and her attendants in the church (Psalm 45:13-15). The Greek for “shout” is specifically defined as “a shout of command.”
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout [2752- ““a call, summons, shout of command”], with the voice [5456- same Greek in 1 Cor. 14:10] of the archangel [“a chief angel”; Michael in Jude 9] 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 [726] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. [See the section To Snatch Away or Not To Snatch Away further below for more on our being “caught up together.”]
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
NASU
NT:726 harpazo (har-pad'-zo)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from a derivative of NT:138; to seize (in various applications):
KJV - catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to seize, carry off by force: ti (Matthew 12:29)
to seize on, claim for oneself eagerly (Matthew 11:12)
to snatch out or away (Matthew 13:19); ti ek cheiros tinos (John 10:28 f); tina ek puros, proverbial, to rescue from the danger of destruction, (Jude 23) to seize and carry off speedily, (John 6:15; Acts 23:10);
used of divine power transferring a person marvelously and swiftly from one place to another, to snatch or catch away (Acts 8:39); passive (Rev. 12:5)
1 Corinthians 15:51-54 – Paul speaks of the “mystery” of the exchanged life, of the Lord’s children being transformed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” This means that there is a last trumpet that will sound off, signaling the moment when the faithful servants of the Lord will put on immortality in Christ. It is at this time that the Lord will reign over all the world and will pour out His wrath on all that is wicked (Revelation 6:15-17). It is also when death will be defeated. It’s interesting that Revelation, chapter 11, refers to two witnesses and the seventh, and final trumpet.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed [236- “to make other than it is, to transform, to make different, to exchange one thing for another”],
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet [4536]; for the trumpet will sound [4537- “to sound a blast”], and the dead will be raised imperishable [862- “not liable to corruption or decay, immortal”], and we will be changed [236].
53 For this perishable [5349- “decayed, corruptible”] must put on the imperishable [861- “incorruption, sincerity”], and this mortal [2349- “liable to death”] must put on immortality [110- “deathlessness”].
54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.
NASU
Matthew 24:29-31 – The trumpet call of God is what will gather His elect. One of the names for the Feast of Tabernacles is the feast of ingathering.
29 "Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
31 And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet [4536] call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
NIV
1 Corinthians 14:7-8 – The trumpet must sound a “clear call” or no one will “get ready for battle.”
7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes?
8 Again, if the trumpet [4536] does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?
NIV
Revelation 1:9-11 – While imprisoned on the island of Patmos, John says that he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day,” which wasn’t Sunday, but the day of the Lord’s wrath, and he heard “a loud voice [5456- “a voice, sound, tone”] like the sound of a trumpet.”
9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day [i.e. the day of His wrath], and I heard behind me a loud voice [5456- “a voice, sound, tone”] like the sound of a trumpet [4536],
11 saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."
NASU
Revelation 8:1-2, 6 – John describes the breaking of the seventh seal by the Lamb (Jesus). The seven angels who stand before God prepared to sound the seven trumpets of judgment given to them. Chapter 8 describes the judgments in the first four trumpet blasts, chapter 9 the fifth and sixth trumpets, and chapter 11 the seventh (see below).
1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared [2090] themselves to sound them.
NASU
NT:2090 hetoimazo (het-oy-mad'-zo)
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from NT:2092; to prepare:
KJV - prepare, provide, make ready. Compare NT:2680.
(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)
to make ready, prepare
1. the act of preparing
2. the condition of a person or thing so far forth as prepared, preparedness, readiness:
Revelation 11:15-19 – The seventh angel and the seventh trumpet, the last trumpet, is when the Lord takes over on earth and begins to literally reign.
15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."
16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17 saying, "We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
18 "And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
NASU
Amos 5:18-20 – See the note below.
18 Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord [see Rev. 1:10 at the beginning], for what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light;
19 As when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, or goes home, leans his hand against the wall and a snake bites him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
NASU
Many in the church say they cannot wait until the coming of the Lord and the establishing of His government on earth, as if they are ready, but they are not prepared. I see the current delay of the Lord as mercy, giving us all more time to deal with the sin within us so that we, His people, are not judged with the world (1 Cor. 11:32). For many who long for the day of the Lord it will not be as they think, if they do not repent. They assume they’ll be protected, but they will not. Instead, when it does not happen as they were taught and believed, they will, as the Lord spoke to my wife, curse God and die.
As we saw earlier, Paul had said that the dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thess. 4:16). I believe this is a reference to not only the literal dead at Christ’ return, but to the spiritually dead as well who are “alive and remain.” This again is a clue to who will rise first with the Lord and who among His children will have to go through great tribulation because of a stubborn, unrepentant, rebellious heart that did not prepare themselves at the midnight shout (Matthew 25:6), making the necessary preparations for His return.
Recognizing The Joyful Sound Of The Lord’s Trumpet
Psalm 89:14-18 – See the note below.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.
15 How blessed are the people who know [3045- “to perceive, to distinguish, to recognize, to acknowledge”] the joyful sound [8643- “blast of the trumpet, shout of joy”; see more in def. below]! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance [6440- “face, presence (Numbers 4:7)”].
16 In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted.
17 For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted. [The “appointed time” of the Lord’s favor; Elul!]
18 For our shield [4043- “a shield (i.e. the small one or buckler); fig., a protector”] belongs to the Lord, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
NASU
OT:8643 teruw`ah (ter-oo-aw')
(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
from OT:7321; clamor, i.e. acclamation of joy or a battle-cry; especially clangor of trumpets, as an alarum:
KJV - alarm, blow (-ing) (of, the) (trumpets), joy, jubilee, loud noise, rejoicing, shout (-ing), (high, joyful) sound (-ing).
(Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
an alarm, a signal, a sound of tempest, a shout, a shout or blast of war or alarm or joy
a) an alarm of war, a war-cry, a battle-cry
b) a blast (for marching)
c) a shout of joy (with religious impulse)
d) a shout of joy (in general)
To those who know the Lord, and are looking for His return, desiring to keep themselves pure (1 John 3:2-3), the sound of the trumpet will be a joyful sound. But to those who walk in rebellion against Him, it will be a sound of terror and extreme agony of soul because it is the sound of their judgment. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem during what we refer to as “Palm Sunday,” He wept bitterly over the city, declaring their coming judgment due to their lack of recognizing who He was;
“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize [1097- “to come to know, recognize, understand, perceive”] the time [2540- “an occasion, i.e. set or proper time; due measure, opportune or seasonable time, a fixed and definite time”] of God's coming to you [1984- “inspection, visitation”; 1 Peter 2:12 – “coming again in judgment”].”
(Luke 19:42-44/NIV)
Isaiah 58:1-2 – See the note below.
1 "Shout [7121- “to call, to cry out, to proclaim, to summon”] it aloud, do not hold back [2820- “to withhold, to refrain”]. Raise your voice like a trumpet [7782- “shofar”]. Declare [5046- “to tell, explain, inform, announce, to stand boldly out opposite”] to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
NIV
The Lord tells the prophet to not hold back, but to raise his voice like a trumpet (shofar) and declare to His people their rebellion against Him. These prophetic trumpets of God have been crying out against the sin in the church for quite a while. We are just like the Israelites. The church wants God to judge the wicked “as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.” What many in the church do not understand is that when He comes near, they too, along with the world, will experience the justice of God for their rebellion against Him (1 Corinthians 11:27-32). They’re not exempt from His wrath.
The New Moon and New Things
Isaiah 42:5-9, 13 – The Lord declared to Isaiah “new things” before they came into being. The prophet Amos said, “Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel [“secret or confidential plan”] to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7/NASU)
5 Thus says God the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it,
6 "I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8 "I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.
9 "Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you."
13 The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout [7321- “to shout, to raise a sound, to cry out, to shout a war-cry or an alarm for battle”], yes, He will raise a war cry [6873- “to cry, to roar, to cry out (a battle cry)”]. He will prevail against His enemies.
NASU
Isaiah 48:3-7 – The Lord again declares to Isaiah that He reveals “new things” before they happen. He refers to them as “hidden things unknown to you.” I believe that the hidden truth of “The Hidden Day” is now being made known to us because the “appointed time” of the Lord draws near.
3 I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
4 For I knew how stubborn you were; the sinews of your neck were iron, your forehead was bronze.
5 Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, 'My idols did them; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'
6 You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? "From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you.
7 They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot say, 'Yes, I knew of them.’
NIV
The Return [shuv]
The Return was a Christian solemn assembly held on Saturday (Shabbat), September 26, 2020 in Washington, D.C. It was Tishri 8 on the Jewish calendar. Because of the closeness to Tishri 10, the Day of Atonement when the sentence was sealed according to Jewish tradition, does this mean that we are that close to our sealing, individually and corporately, if not repented of? I believe so.
The advertising for the event said the following;
On the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower [see the Bible study The 400 year Release From Bondage], evangelical leaders from around the country are scheduled to gather at the Mall in Washington, D.C., to pray for America. The prayer event is called The Return, with prayer initiatives starting forty days before the presidential election and the main event slated for Saturday, September 26… “America and much of western civilization was founded on a biblical foundation stone, but it has turned away from that foundation,” says Jonathan Cahn… “We have not only driven God out of our public life, and have called what is good evil and what is sin good, but we have sacrificed the lives of over 60 million unborn children. And America’s fall from God is not only progressing, it’s accelerating, to the point that it is no longer just a falling away, but a war against the purposes of God [for more on the purposes of God, see the Bible study Reclaiming The Party Of Freedom]. We have a window of time, and the purpose of that window is return and revival [teshuva]. Without that return, America will be lost.”
During the gathering, Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic Jew, smashed a clay pitcher on stage based on what the prophet Jeremiah did as a sign to ancient Israel of what God was going to do to them and their city for their rebellion against Him (see Jeremiah 19:10-13). When he broke it, I felt it in my spirit. It was an overwhelming sense of fear and dread, as when a person stands before a judge who declares their sentencing for illegal behavior.
My wife and I were gathered together with other Christians on the lawn of our capitol building in Lansing, Michigan during this event. We were all on our knees, not seeing Rabbi Cahn on the big screen they had put up, but could only hear him. It was the frightful feeling of a decree from heaven, declaring the sentencing of His people. The Scriptures tell us that “judgment [2917 - “a decision, a decree, the sentence pronounced, a verdict”] begins in the house of God.” (1 Peter 4:17) I literally felt a Providential decree that I did not quite comprehend at the time, but knew that it was a serious, dreadful moment.
What I now understand, and thought to be true at the time, is that the judgment/decree of God was declared that day, not only over our nation’s capital and those who have fraudulently taken over, but in particular over the church in America. I believe this was, in type, the beginning of the end of the 30 days of Elul when, as the Jews would say, God pronounces a judgment. As I said, I didn’t fully understand at the time what had just occurred, but knew that a grave declaration had just been decreed by God.
If true, does this mean that, after the church’s declaration of judgment, the world is next in their fulfillment of the Feast Of Trumpets, followed by the final call, a shorter period, represented by the ten Days of Awe, to repent and have God turn the sentencing around, if necessary? (See my book 911; God’s Last Offer To The Church.) The psalmist declared, “Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees.” (Psalm 119:155/NIV) Either way, it would be wise to seek out the decree of God for your life so as to make sure you are truly ready for the final Yom Kippur when the Lord seals your fate.
Depopulating The Church
Further on in his book, the prophet Jeremiah once again refers to the smashing of jars. He said;
“Moab has been at ease since his youth; He has also been undisturbed, like wine on its dregs, and he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile. Therefore he retains his flavor, and his aroma has not changed. Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.”
(Jeremiah 48:11-12/NASU)
The Hebrew for “tip” is tsa`ah (tsaw-aw'). It’s defined as “to tip over (for the purpose of spilling or pouring out), i.e. (figuratively) depopulate.” It’s interesting that one of the definitions within Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance refers to depopulating. Is the pandemic we now find ourselves in a judgment from God that is being used to change His people’s aroma, so to speak, and to tip us over and even depopulate us!? And is the depopulation literal or in a spiritual sense the removing from His kingdom those who have rebelled against Him and chosen not to repent? It appears both.
In my Bible study Wholly Illumined No Dark Part, and chapter 15 in my book The Resurrected Bride, I discuss the issue of Jesus removing from His Body of followers all “dark parts” so that the faithful servants of His may “shine brightly.” I wrote the following;
The Bible declares that when Jesus returns, His Body will finally be a complete, perfected Body that is full of light, with no darkness in it. We will be wholly illumined, full of God’s glory, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.
This is the promised hope of gaining God’s glory that those who the writer of Hebrews described as having great faith never received. We are told this occurred so that apart from us they would not be made “perfect” (Hebrews 11:39-40). I believe the day draws near when we will finally become one complete Body in Christ that is full of His light.
In a discussion with His disciples regarding light and darkness, Jesus made the following statement;
"If therefore your whole [“complete”] body is full of light, with no dark part [“a division or share”] in it, it will be wholly [“completely”] illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays."
(Luke 11:36/NASU)
In order for the Body of Christ to gain God’s glory and be “wholly illumined” there will have to be the removal of all darkness from our midst. The intense trials of the final days of this age will accomplish this. It will be used to cleanse all remaining “dark parts” from within each one of us who are alive and remain at Christ’ return. We will either allow the fire of God to purify us, separating us from internal darkness, or it will separate us from Christ. Either way, as in the beginning of creation, God will once again separate the light from the darkness per our choice…
…harvest time is a time of separation. At the end of this age, we will separate ourselves from the darkness or be separated from the Body of Christ and thrown into the fire (John 15:6). This is the final gathering of God’s people.
Up until this point, both the righteous and the wicked have been allowed by God to grow together in His church. That has begun to change. Because the Lord is about to act in an extremely decisive manner, and is not willing that any should perish, especially among His own people, He is crying out through His messengers [the "trumpets"], saying, “Come out and be separate!” so as to be a people made ready for His return (Rev. 18:4-5, 2 Cor. 6:17-18, Math. 25:6).
After leaving the crowds, Jesus’ disciples came to Him and asked for an explanation of the parable of the tares. His disciples do the same thing today. He said to them [and us];
“The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom [don’t miss this! Jesus said “HIS KINGDOM”!!] all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire [again, see John 15:6]; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”
(Matthew 13:36-43/NASU))
This parable is one more teaching of Jesus about the “dark parts” being removed from His kingdom at the end of this age. They are defined as “all stumbling blocks and those who commit lawlessness” that are removed at harvest time and thrown into the furnace of fire. It’s a place where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Because the darkness has been removed, the willing Body will then be filled with the light of God, spotless and blameless before Him.
The Greek for “stumbling blocks” is skandalon (skan'-dal-on). It’s defined as, “a trap-stick, or snare, any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall.” Metaphorically speaking, it’s “any person or thing by which one is drawn into error or sin (‘entrapped’).”
The Greek for “lawlessness” is anomia (an-om-ee'-ah) which means, “illegality, contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness.” Through these two definitions it becomes obvious that all those who reject God’s truth and are used by the devil to lure others away from devotion to Christ through their error, choosing to not believe the truth revealed to them so as to be saved, will be gathered up and thrown into the fiery furnace of God’s judgment in the final harvest. They are the ones Paul said who “did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:12) Because of their removal, the rest of the Body will now “shine forth as the sun,” filled with the glory of God.
Jesus said that His angels “will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (See the Bible study Outer Darkness.) As we’ll see in the next sections, this is not the first time the Lord has declared a fiery judgment toward His people that walk in rebellion against Him. If we do not allow the Holy Spirit to remove the darkness from us, we will be removed from Him. This is why He will give a second chance to those of His children who stubbornly refuse to surrender to Him (i.e. figuratively revealed in the ten days between Trumpets and the Day of Atonement). We are the ones who determine our sentencing, whether we will be declared innocent or guilty before Him.
(Continued in part 4...)
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