He Shall Raise Us Up on the Last Day

Ok, here comes a controversial and touchy subject. The "rapture" of the church. For those that don't know, the rapture of the church is the "snatching away" of the elect in the end times. The controversy about this "snatching away" has to do with when it will occur. Some believe in a secret rapture of the saints before any tribulation occurs, some believe it will happen midway through, and others believe that it happens after the tribulation, before God's wrath. This last stance is the one I take, and I believe the Bible is very clear on it. Please allow me to show you what I have studied. I believe knowing the truth about the rapture is very important, because we are coming closer and closer to the end, and I don't think enough Christians are prepared for what we may face in our lifetime. This is a long read, but I encourage you to stick it out and please give me feedback, whether you agree with me or not. I am ultimately looking for God's Truth on the matter, and while nobody has been able to Biblically show me otherwise yet, I am still willing to hear people out! I'm not looking to defend a belief that doesn't coincide with God's Word. So with that being said, here we go...

First, it is very important to please pray and ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us His Truth. Pray that He leads you in this, and that He give you discernment to analyze this study for yourself. He is the Teacher after all. If He shows you any errors of mine, please do not hesitate to show me!

My study began with Matthew, Chapter 24. In it, Jesus gives us the signs that the end of the age are upon us. Here's Matthew 24:1-44:

[1] And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
[2] And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
[3] And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
[4] And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
[5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
[6] And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
[7] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
[8] All these are the beginning of sorrows.
[9] Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
[10] And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
[11] And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
[12] And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
[13] But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
[14] And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
[15] When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
[16] Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
[17] Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
[18] Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
[19] And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
[20] But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
[21] For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
[22] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
[23] Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
[24] For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
[25] Behold, I have told you before.
[26] Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
[27] For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
[28] For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
[29] Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
[30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
[31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
[32] Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
[33] So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
[34] Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
[35] Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
[36] But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
[37] But as the days of Noe 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.

Please take the time to read this passage, it's very important. With that said, I want to point out a few things. First off, verses 5-12 are all things that are happening NOW, to varying degrees. Many coming in the name of Christ (Joel Osteen, Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Creflo Dollar, Pat Robertson, Todd Bentley, Benny Hinn, the list goes on and on). I believe that verse 5 refers to both people claiming to actually BE Christ (they're already out there) and those that claim they are OF Christ, or IN Christ. So we are seeing this all over the place today. Next, the wars and rumors of wars: Iraq, Afganistan, Israel, Palestine, Iran, nuff said? Famines are all over the place, earthquakes are happening at a much greater frequency and severity. Christians in non-Christian countries are being killed for their faith - just ask Paul Washer. False Prophets are everywhere. Finally, the love of many is waxing cold. Selfishness is the trend of the day. Nobody has time for anyone else, and "we're number 1!" A good way I gauge that is the way people drive these days. Think about it.

Ok, now for some intense stuff. Jesus warns that when we see the "abomination of desolation" stand in the holy place (temple), to flee. Keep in mind, Jesus is warning his people about what they will go through in the end times. He's warning about the antichrist here, saying to flee, to run away, to pray our plight isn't in the winter or the sabbath day (a blog on the sabbath is coming soon!) Notice verses 21 and 22. I have to write them here again, they are of the utmost importance.

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

So a timeline is developing. We have all the birth pang signs - the false Christs, the wars, earthquakes, love of many growing cold - and now we are warned of the antichrist's arrival along with tribulation that the world has never seen before! Jesus says for the elect's sake these days will be shortened, out of mercy. Now, many have tried to explain away the meaning of the word "elect" as being the Jews. This is preposterous. When Jesus died he saved both the Jew and the Gentile, with the Gentiles being grafted into the vine, both collectively being the elect. Romans 9-11 explain this very clearly.

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

There is no doubt that the elect pertains to both Jews and Gentiles, anyone that calls upon the Lord to be saved. The Jews aren't a special sort of elect, there's nothing in the Bible that shows that. There's no secret rapture that leaves behind Jews that have an opportunity to realize Jesus is the Messiah. Where is this in Scripture?

Moving on, Jesus starts to explain how His coming back will look. Everyone will be able to see Him. Next we have three of the most critical verses possible on this subject.

[29] Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
[30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
[31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

I can't stress the words in red enough. Jesus comes back right after the tribulation, and with the great sound of a trumpet has His angels gather the elect! This can't be any more straightforward than it is. I know, you probably have questions like "what about being caught up" and the like. I will address this from every angle I can. This chapter is the foundation for everything.

Next, Jesus describes more of how things will look at the end. Skip ahead to verses 40 and 41, two of the most twisted verses in all of the Bible.

[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.

See! See! The rapture! Ah, not so fast my friend. :) Now that we've examined these verses in the context of everything Jesus is saying here, we can easily see that the people taken up are taken at the second coming of the Lord. The ones that survive the tribulation.

So to summarize up to this point, here's what we have. We have the signs of the end of the age, then the warning to flee when the antichrist arrives, then the second coming of Jesus in the clouds, then the angels gathering up the elect. This passage is also illustrated in Mark 13:5-37 and Luke 21:5-36. I would encourage you to read those also, it will give you a great background and show you that the Bible is in agreement with itself about this. (We know the Bible cannot be wrong, so therefore we must test every verse that has to do with this, and they must all align.)

Now that we have established the backbone of this study, let's branch out into the supporting verses. 1 Corinthians 15 talks about the resurrection of Christ and our inheritance. Verses 51-52:

[51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
[52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

I'm not sure if I really need to explain this, but I will. The pre-tribulation stance likes these verses, because it's easy to see the "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" part and immediately think "rapture." Ah, but Paul gives us a reference point that fits directly with the timeline Jesus Christ gives us in the gospels: at the last trump. This is the trumpet we read of in Matthew 24:31. This is coming together isn't it!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
[13] But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
[14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
[15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
[16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
[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.
[18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Crucial, crucial stuff here! We see in this passage that same exact timeline Jesus gave in the gospels, once again. The Lord comes, the trumpet sounds, THEN the ones that are still left after the tribulation meet the Lord in the air.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 is another excellent passage defending this. Here we receive a warning about the antichrist:

[1] Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
[2] 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.
[3] 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;
[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Here we learn that BEFORE Christ shall come, BEFORE anyone is taken up (the elect), BEFORE it's all said and done, there has to be a falling away (departure from Christ) and the antichrist has to reveal himself and sit in the temple! Once again, this is directly in line with Matthew 24. It even references the antichrist standing in the holy place, Matthew 24:15. Christians will see and experience the antichrist and his tribulation.

More words from Jesus here that coincide with a post-tribulation rapture. John 6:39-40:

[39] And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
[40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

It doesn't get any clearer. Jesus Himself says twice in a row that he will raise His people up at the last day. He doesn't say He'll do it secretly, or He'll raise the Jews up at the last day, or He'll raise some people up, then raise the rest up later. No, He will raise ALL His elect at the last day.

John 11:24 shows that believers in Jesus knew as well. This passage is about Jesus' resurrecting Martha and Mary's brother. Let's see what Martha says:

[24] Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

A more lengthy passage is Jesus' parable about the kingdom we find in Matthew 13:24-30, then explained in verses 37-43. I know this study is getting long, but I feel I should still paste the verses here! I want you to read them.

[24] Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
[25] But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
[26] But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
[27] So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
[28] He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
[29] But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
[30] Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

explained:

[37] He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
[38] The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
[39] The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
[40] As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
[41] The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
[42] And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
[43] Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

This passage is awesome. Jesus paints us an amazing picture. I hope the meaning of this is clear to you. We see that the harvest is at the end of the world, not at some special time beforehand. The angels gather the elect, and the unrighteous are gathered and thrown into the fire. Does this sound like a pre-tribulation rapture to you? Everything happens at Jesus' second coming, the end of time!

Well that's pretty much the extent of my study on the rapture! Thank you very much for taking the time to read this, I hope it has helped. I hope that from this you can see that the only "rapture" we will have is the ultimate gathering of the elect at Jesus Christ's second coming in glory! I encourage you to share this message with anyone you know, because the more we are prepared for the times to come the better off we will be. We want to be strong in Christ if we are to face this tribulation, and if most Christians don't even believe we will suffer, what will it do to their faith if they face the sword, or if they are deceived when the antichrist hits center stage?

Again, I would encourage you to leave any feedback you have from this, whether it be positive or negative. I'm willing to hear and read differences of opinions, as long as they can be shown through Scripture. Thanks again!