Hi all,
When people ask me if I believe in the 'rapture', I ask them, "Which one? There are 7."
That
shakes them up a bit, and I'll explain below, but usually the next
question if they believe in a rapture, is something like: "Will we all
go, because I'm doing my best to live for the Lord but my friends live
like the world. Why should they get raptured?"
Before I can answer that question, I need to share about the 7 raptures...
Which rapture? There are 7
I
can state right from the start, going in chronological order I can
prove raptures 1 thru 3 and raptures 5 & 6 with just 1 verse per
rapture. And bad news - 1 thru 3 have already happened and 5 &
6 aren't for us. :(
The 4th rapture, speaking chronologically, is what I will prove to you in this series.
Here are the 3 we missed
1) Enoch - Genesis 5:24: "And Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him."
2) Elijah
- II Kings 2:11: "And it came to pass as they went on and talked that
behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted
them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."
3) Jesus
- Acts 1:9: "And when He had spoken these things, while they looked on,
He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight."
Here are raptures 5 & 6 that don't include us
5) The
2 witnesses - Revelation 11:12: ("And after 3 1/2 days the Spirit of
life from God entered into them)...and they heard a voice from heaven
saying to them, 'Come up here', and they ascended to heaven."
6) The
144,000 male Jewish evangelists seen in Revelation 7:1-8, then raptured
in 14:3: "And they sung a new song before the throne, and before the 4
beasts, and before the elders..."
In
my mind, honestly, I'm not convinced the 144,000 are raptured - they
could be martyred and find themselves suddenly before the throne. But
I'll give the benefit of the doubt to a rapture.
7) U-turn
rapture of the saints at Jesus' return. Some believe we go up at His
return, meet Him in the air, reverse course to return to earth.
I understand some would believe this if they don't understand rapture
#4, but all I've read of those who believe #7 is simply a
misunderstanding of #4, so I don't see a U-turn rapture.
But
since I can't explain what I don't know, I'll stick to the grace given
to me and share what I do know. And let me say doctrinal differences
should not divide us - we should celebrate Jesus whom we have in common -
but I need to share what I know in scripture and by revelation, and
when we all get to heaven Jesus can straighten us all out on any part of
our understanding that needs rearranged. :)
That leaves us with rapture #4
The
4th rapture in chronological order is the one that concerns us today.
It is not based on a 19th century preacher nor a sick girl's mystic
vision nor a best selling book, nor "I want out of here" theology. It is
based on a feast given by the Lord to Moses in Leviticus 23.
My
purpose in this series is to explain the feast that teaches there is a
rapture, when it will happen, then who can expect to be raptured. So
buckle your seat belts boys and girls 'cause here we go.
Leviticus 23 lists 7 festivals given by the Lord: The 4 spring feasts were fulfilled on their day.
They are Passover (cross), Unleavened Bread (cross/sinless life), First
Fruits (resurrected) and Pentecost (Acts 2:1). The 3 fall festivals
are: Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.
Zechariah
14:16 says the whole earth will celebrate Tabernacles, God living with
man, in the Millennial reign of Jesus. So we know 5 of the 7 festivals
were or will be fulfilled on their exact day as outlined in Leviticus
23. It is reasonable to assume the remaining 2; Feast of Trumpets and
Day of Atonement will be as well. The Day of Atonement is a type of the
return of Christ, while the Feast of Trumpets is a type of...
Rosh haShanah
The
Feast of Trumpets is also called Rosh haShanah (Head of the Year), Yom
Teruah (Day of Awakening Blast), Yom haDin (Day of Judgement), and Yom
haZikkaron (Day of Remembrance).
Why
these different names for the same feast? Because of what happens at
this time: The New Year, the coronation and wedding of Messiah, the
resurrection of the dead, the opening of the books of remembrance, the
rewards of the court, the gathering of the royalty of the kingdom.
Before we get into detail about all these events occurring at Feast of Trumpets, know that this feast is the only one of the 7 that starts on the New Moon
- the phase where the moon is not seen, hidden from view in the shadow
of the earth. Psalm 81:3 references this: "Blow the trumpet in the New
Moon, the time appointed on our solemn feast day." The other festivals
are on the Full Moon phase when it is full and bright- so why did God
start the Feast of Trumpets on the New Moon phase when the moon can't be
seen on earth?
The New Moon
Paul
wrote in Colossians 2:16-17: "Therefore let no man judge you about food
or drink, or holy days, or of the New Moon, or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come..."
We
can understand how food and drink are a shadow of the marriage supper
of the Lamb yet to come, and how holy days and Sabbath days are
fulfilled in Christ who is also our rest, and when He reigns the earth
will have a time of rest. But why is the New Moon a shadow of
something to come?
In Judaism the sun stands for the Lord, and the moon is a type of believers,
the accompanying stars represent the angels. The moon has no light of
its own but reflects light from the sun, it was made to rule the
darkness assisted by the stars. So a new moon is a type of believers hidden from view, and the Feast of Trumpets begins at the new moon.
According
to Rabbi Gaon who lists 10 things that will happen at the Feast of
Trumpets, the horn blown is the right horn of the ram caught in the bush
when Abraham offered Isaac. God provided a Substitute, and to
commemorate the resurrection of his son in type*, Abraham blew the ram's
horn - (shofar). (*Hebrews 11:19)
The
Talmud therefore, the collection of Rabbinic writings which along with
the Mishnah provide teachings and oral traditions of Judaism, says the
resurrection of the dead will occur at the Feast of Trumpets at the new
moon. (Rosh haShanah 3:3, 16a, 16b)
This horn which is only blown at the Feast of Trumpets, is called 'The Last Trump'. It is the 'last' because it resurrects the righteous dead, transforms the living, and hides them away with Messiah. (The High Holy Days, Herman Kieval, pg120)
The Last Trump
Paul
taught the Feast of Trumpets: "Behold, I show you a mystery: We will
not all die, but we will all be changed. In a moment, in the blinking of
an eye, at the Last Trump, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we who are alive will be changed." I Corinthians 15:51-53
By
using the term 'last trump' Paul ties the 'rapture' to the Feast of
Trumpets which is the feast that occurs at the new moon phase,
when believers will be hidden from earth with Messiah. If your spirit is
rejoicing right now as mine is it is because the Spirit of Truth within
bears witness to these truths...and we've only just begun...
Until next week, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
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