The BIG Picture (Q&A)

(See part #4 here) Let's now look at the 'gleanings' and determine who had a part in this resurrection.  The descriptions of the second half Tribulation Martyrs The next stage of resurrection, (at the end of the tribulation), pertains to the GLEANINGS (of Physical Israel). Those that make up the 'gleanings' part of the first resurrection are (for the most part)  ' Physical' Israel'. But before we get to this physical group, there are a few other things to mention that occur at this endpoint, but still have a connection to the mid-point events. I want to remind you of three words that were mentioned in the course of this series when we discussed the harvest terminology and the mid-point resurrections. Read the following two scriptures again to get the context, Brethren   Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they crie...

(See part #3 here) Let's now look at the 'main harvest' and determine who had a part in this resurrection.  Who are those who are awakened in the main harvest? The next stage of resurrection, (at the mid-point of the tribulation), pertains to the MAIN HARVEST (of Spiritual Israel). Those that make up the 'main harvest' part of the first resurrection are 'Spiritual' Israel' and can be considered as, Group #1 (Resurrection) The resurrection of the ACTS church (that existed between Pentecost and 70AD with the fall of Jerusalem) . This group is also known as the 'Little Flock'  of believers under the administration of the 12-apostles. The interesting thing with this group is that their souls are before the alter in heaven at the opening of the fifth seal (which is a certain amount of time BEFORE the mid-point of the tribulation. The scripture below tells us that they receive white robes (which I interpret as resurrection bodies) at this point. This...

Answer Request: What is your take on Rapture: The Second Coming of Christ? The rapture and the second coming of Christ are two separate events that make up the WHOLE 7-year return of Jesus Christ in the end times. The Rapture This is the catching away of the people who make up the ‘Body of Christ’, that is, the people who have responded in faith to the grace gospel; trusting in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the atoning work for their right standing before God. This event happens before the signing of the peace treaty by the antichrist with Israel, which initiates the 7-year period of prophesied Tribulation. This event is ‘silent’. There is no fanfare attached to it! No trumpet sound, no graves opening and people being resurrected, no visible meeting the Lord in the clouds. All these visible events happen at the mid-point of the tribulation when Jesus actually appears in the clouds and another resurrection and rapture occurs. Remember, the body of...

(See part #2 here) Let me put some focus on what is the meaning of 'first fruits', and then we will look at who makes up this part of the resurrection.  What is first fruits? The harvest began with the first fruits, which concerned the first fruits and grains to ripen in the season and were offered to the LORD as a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Exodus 23:16,19).  Leviticus 23:9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.  Just as the firstfruits of the harvest were a sacrifice to the LORD so Jesus Christ was sacrificed for our sins and raised to life for our justification (Romans 4:25); hence, he's the firstfruits of the resurrection of the righteous.  In 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23, Paul teaches that Christ in his bodily resurrection is the "firstfruits of those who have fall...

(See part #1 here) The resurrections throughout the end times have a close correlation to how Jews would harvest their fields or vineyards under the law. To provide you with some context, let's have a look at the following two scripture passages, Harvest Terminology Leviticus 23:9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. ——— Leviticus 19:9 When you reap the [main] harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God. There are three terms above that I'd like to draw your attention to. They emphasize the three parts of the full harvest process; the first fruits, the mai...

The Bible speaks of 2 resurrections:   The resurrection of the Righteous  The resurrection of the Unrighteous Both Jesus and Paul mention these resurrections in the following scripture verses, John 5:28 ...for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out— those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. Acts 24:15 having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, that there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous;   (Also see: Daniel 12:2) As you can see, there will be resurrections of both the righteous and unrighteous. This doesn't mean, however, that there will only be two resurrections in number, — just that there are two TYPES of resurrections:  In Revelation we find some more details pertaining to the resurrections, Revelation 20:4-6 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority ...

Does Matthew 10:20-21 speak of the saints who come to Christ during the tribulation? Matt.10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child : and the children shall rise up against their parents , and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew 10:16-23 is in reference to Jesus sending out the 12 to preach the Kingdom gospel. He gives very specific instructions for this task, but verse 21 and 22 is of particular interest, based on the change of topic, or the prophetic tone, that Jesus switches between whilst giving His instructions to the 12. The answer to the question is 'Yes'. Verse 21 is in reference to the persecutions that the tribulation saints will face.  Let's take a closer look, Verses 16 to 20 are general instructions for the 12 as to what the...

By using the content of the New Testament, we can trace where Jesus has been since His resurrection, and how He will return at the end of the ages. After Resurrection Jesus was in a glorified body for 40 days in Jerusalem, appearing to His inner group of friends, disciples and eventually to many people, Mary Magdalene, John 20:14-16 Mary The Mother Of James, Salome, And Joanna, Matthew 28:9 Peter, Luke 24:34 Two Disciples On The Emmaus Road, Luke 24:13-16 The Disciples, John 20:26-28 Over Five Hundred People, 1 Corinthians 15:6 James, 1 Corinthians 15:7 After He Ascended After Jesus ascended, He remained in a position “in the clouds”. Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. This position is in a spiritual context. A cloud of glory hid Jesus from the sight of the disciples, but Jesus remained in this ‘invisible’ position in the clouds of glory due to two reasons, (1) If Israel were to believe the test...

Answer Request: One thing I'm having trouble with is understanding how the Lord Jesus is FAR ABOVE ALL THINGS, yet we with Him? I'm not sure if I understand the context of this question, but when Jesus ascended into heaven he ascended in stages (as you probably know). He ascended into the clouds, then into that place above the brightness of the sun, then into that place FAR ABOVE ALL. This is in my view, the place at the right hand of God the Father in the 3rd heaven. We are joined to Him when He comes back down into that place above the brightness of the sun, that place from which the "Shout" will go out for us to meet with Him in the rapture. So, in the context of how the Lord Jesus is FAR ABOVE ALL THINGS, it is the place He occupies right now, at the right hand of God. Answer Request: And then seeing Him AS THE LAMB in Rev.5 and trying to see how the transition happens. Will we see that scene in Rev.5? Why or why not? N...

Answer Request: If only the saints hear the trumpet at the time of the rapture, will they witness the angel blowing it as well? To answer your question in short, I believe in the rapture of the Body of Christ, and that it is imminent, BUT I will not be on earth to hear the trumpet. Why? Because, according to my interpretation of the rapture event, I will be in heaven at least 7-years before the trumpet is sounded. My interpretation of the rapture event is based on the two scriptures below, but I see the WHOLE rapture sequence taking place in stages and over at least a 7-year period of time. If you are interested in a more detailed answer, I'll explain a bit more below. The general understanding of the rapture for most Christians is that Jesus will appear in the clouds with a shout, at the voice of an archangel and at the trump of God. Then the dead in Christ will rise first and after that, those who are alive will be caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord in the a...

Acts 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Answer Request: All Old Testament believers, when they died, their bodies were left in the grave, but their souls went to hell, to Abraham's bosom. When Christ led captivity captive , He cleared all out from Abraham's bosom taking them to Paradise, the third heaven. That's where the souls of David and Abraham are now. From this passage above, can we assume that although David's body is corrupted in the grave, and his soul was l...

The first death is when someone comes to the end of their human life and they pass away. At a later point they are called up in one of the resurrections, either to enter life, or to enter eternal death, — which is the second death . Notice this verse, Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection [having died the first death ]: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. The person is blessed if they have part in the first resurrection, (having died in order to be resurrected). Why are they blessed? Because the first resurrection is to eternal life and an eternal and glorious inheritance. How did they come to be blessed? They responded in faith to the gospel (or good news) that God provided them in their day to come into right-standing with Him and receive salvation from His righteous and holy wrath on all who reject Him in unbelief. The second death has no power o...

Does Matthew 24:37-47 possibly give a person examples of the rapture even if the passage doesn't call it by name? Matt.24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45 Who then is a faithful...

Answer Request: What is it about the mark of the beast that connects it to loss of salvation? Salvation is anything pertaining to what can enable or PREVENT people from receiving God's gift of salvation. So how is it a mark on the hand or the forehead as mentioned in Revelation can undo or show a decision that has been made against the good news of Jesus' work of redemption for us? What are the elements of that mark which must be present and intrinsic in order that it comes true as predicted that none who have the mark will have eternal life? One must remember that although sin separates man from God, it is their faith in a 'gospel' that saves them. Salvation has ALWAYS been by having faith in God; by trusting God's word above anything else. The word 'Gospel' is translated as "good news". This good news is ANY message that God chose to reveal to man at that point in time when they lived. If that person heard the good news that God com...

A personal interpretation of the destinations of Israel and the Body of Christ according to a dispensational right division of scripture. Genesis 22:16-17 ... By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou [Abraham] hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son [from sacrifice]: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; In the above reiteration of the covenant promise to Abraham, God mentions two very different locations. The stars and the sand. Now what is significant of these? Why did God speak of these two locations? There MUST be a reason! Nothing God says is insignificant or meaningless! So, in order to understand the meaning of this, we need to look into other scripture for confirmation. Scripture must interpret scripture! Before we continue, I want to point out that this is not the ON...