John 14;1-4, Rapture not 2nd Coming; Ruling and Reigning; Jewish Wedding; 16 Proofs Pre-Trib Rapture; Rapture vs. 2nd Coming

John 14:1-4
The Rapture is not the Second Coming; What will your
“mansion” in heaven look like?; Ruling and Reigning With
The Lord; Zola Levitt on The Jewish Wedding; 16 Proofs of a
Pre-Tribulation Rapture; Jesus promised “I will come again”;
John 14 parallels 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Rapture vs. 2nd
Coming comparison; Why are so many Christians confused
about Prophecy?
A beautiful shot from Knight Island in Prince William Sound. Spring is definitely in the air! Cp Expressions

BIBLE IN FIVE
Pastor Dave Kooyers
Valley Bible Fellowship
Box 433
Boonville CA 95415
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(707) 895-2325
God bless you as you examine His Word,
Your servant in Christ, 2Cor. 4:5
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• In review;
• NAU John 13:33 "Little children, I am with you a
little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said
to the Jews, now I also say to you, 'Where I am
going, you cannot come.’
• The outcry of the disciples resulted in John
chapter 14.

John 14:1, Another Deity Claim
• NAU John 14:1 "Do not let your heart be
troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
• When Jesus said, “believe in God, believe also
in Me” he was equating himself with God. For
any mere human to say this would be sheer
blasphemy.
• Jesus has/had two natures. He is the only
person who has ever existed with two natures.
The Monogeneas! (John 3:16)
4

Rom 6, 8, John 14, "In Christ"
• http://www.dts.edu/media/play/in-christ-pentecost-j-
dwight/
• In Christ
• J. Dwight Pentecost on August 27, 2010 in DTS Chapel
• Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, distinguished professor emeritus
of Bible Exposition, reflects on the Apostle Paul's theology
of what it means to be "in Christ”.
• “We Have 'NOT' Been Made Righteous, But 'DECLARED'
Righteous! Never Seen By the Father Apart From The Son!
"In Christ"! Our Destiny Has Already Been Accomplished!”
by Donald Ray Henry
5

John 14:2, A Place For You
• NAU John 14:2 "In My Father's house are
many dwelling places…
• <3438> μονή mone
• Meaning: an abiding, an abode
• Usage: abode(1), dwelling
• This word is only used it here and NAU John
14:23 …We will come to him and make Our
abode with him…
7

• Jesus has been preparing your/my place for 2000 years!
• I can't wait to see it.
• Isaiah 6:1 In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord
sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His
robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each
having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with
two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one
called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the
LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." 4 And
the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of
him who called out, while the temple was filling with
smoke.
8

• NAS Revelation 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a
door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had
heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come
up here, and I will show you what must take place after these
things." 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne
was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3 And He
who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in
appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an
emerald in appearance. 4 And around the throne were twenty-
four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders
sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their
heads. 5 And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and
sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire
burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; 6
and before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like
9

• crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living
creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7 And the first creature
was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third
creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was
like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each one of them
having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and
night they do not cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD God,
the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come." 9 And when
the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits
on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-
four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and
will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their
crowns before the throne, saying, 11 "Worthy art Thou, our Lord
and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst
create all things [John 1:3, Colossians 1:16], and because of Thy will they
existed, and were created."
10

John 14:1-2, Rule And Reign On Earth,
Reigning With The Lord gracethrufaith.com
• Q. …we’ll be reigning with Jesus in New Jerusalem… How can we
reign with Him? Does He need our assistance or advice? Maybe
we’ll represent him in some part of the planet to other peoples and
tribes? If so how can we then be at the same time in the New
Jerusalem? Or will we just enjoy His presence and eternal
fellowship as He will be simultaneously with us in the New
Jerusalem and on the surface of the planet Earth?
• A. Speaking of the Church, Rev. 5:10 says, “You have made us to be
kings and priests to serve our God and we will reign on Earth.” In 1
Cor 6:2-3 Paul said we’ll judge both the world and the angels. The
Greek word for judge also means to rule over or govern, and in
Biblical times rulers were also judges.
• In John 14:1-2 the Lord said that that our home will be “in my
father’s house” and Rev 21:27 says that only those whose names
are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life can inhabit the New
Jerusalem. Only the Church’s names are so inscribed. We’re not
informed as to how all of

John 14:1-2, Rule And Reign On Earth,
Reigning With The Lord gracethrufaith.com
• this will translate into daily activity, but the Bible clearly promises
these things.
• Being with the Lord doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be at His side
every moment of every day, any more than a husband and wife
who are “with”each other are always in each others presence. And
remember, when Jesus came out of the tomb it was as a physical
being (Luke 24:39). I take that to mean He’s a physical being
today. When He told the disciples He would be with us, always,
even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20), He didn’t mean physically
standing in our presence, He meant in spirit through the Holy
Spirit. Therefore I don’t think of Him as physically being on Earth
and in the New Jerusalem at the same time.
• Finally, throughout history, earthly kings have ruled portions of
their kingdoms without being physically present there. (Think of
the King of England who also ruled Canada, Australia, India and
Hong Kong at the same time.) Surely if they could do that in their
natural states then it wouldn’t be a problem for the Lord, or for us
either.”

John 14:2-3, A Mansion Or A New Body?
• Q. In John 14:2 Jesus said he goes to prepare a place for us. I’ve
heard that the “place” prepared may not be a mansion or room but
that it may be the new body Jesus prepared. My question is: why
do we need a place (room; mansion)? When we get there, there
will be no private entertainment such as television, we probably will
not have a need to be alone so we won’t need a room for solitude,
we won’t need the privacy of using a bathroom because the body
will probably consume all of what we eat, and we probably won’t
need sleep due to the nature of our glorified bodies. A lot of things
we do on earth will not be needed in the New Jerusalem.
• A. I’ve been asked this question a number of times and it always
mystifies me because to me a plain sense reading of John 14:2-
3 leaves no doubt as to what the Lord was saying. I understand
your question, but what does need have to do with anything? We
are children of the King of the universe, co-regents with His Son. Do
a king’s children only have their basic needs met? (Is your earthly
home only sufficient for your basic needs?) On top of that we’ll be

John 14:2-3, A Mansion Or A New Body?
• living in a place that’s 2/3rds the size of the moon, with streets made
of purest gold and decorated with every kind of precious stones (Rev.
21:15-21).
• Also you’re making several assumptions about what our next life will
be like when the truth is no one knows what we’ll be doing or how
we’ll be doing it.
• In John 14:2 the Greek word translated “mansions” in the KJV and
“rooms” in the NIV literally means a dwelling or abode. The word
translated “place” is an inhabited place. Neither of these words is ever
translated “body” even when they are used metaphorically which in
this case there is no reason to do. One of the golden rules of Biblical
interpretation tells us;
• “When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, seek no
other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual,
literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in
the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths
indicate clearly otherwise.”
• In short, I believe John 14:2-3 means just what it says.”

John 14:2-3, 3:29, Zola Levitt’s Explanation
Of The Jewish Wedding
• Jewish Wedding Ceremony http://raptureready.com/soap2/wriston1.html
• By Joy Wriston
• I was brought up in a church that believed in the Pre-Trib Rapture but in college encountered other views. I noticed that they mostly used the same verses but interpreted them differently so wondered if my interpretation could be the one that was wrong. Then I discovered Zola Levitt and his explanation of the Jewish roots of the Rapture confirmed for
me that the Pre-Trib view is the accurate one.
• This is my synopsis of his teaching gleaned from his book, An Israeli Love Story( a fictional story which explains the Jewish wedding ceremony). Anyone who wants to research this further can do so as there are many articles from different sources on the Internet.
• The First Century Jewish Wedding Ceremony
• In the first century, when a young man saw a young lady he liked, he consulted with his father. Sometimes the father picked the girl and no consultations were necessary. But when the father approved of the choice of a bride, the young man would go to her house and speak with her father. (p.105)
• At the bride’s house three very important things would occur: The groom would make a covenant with the bride, an actual contract; he would drink a cup of wine with her which sealed the covenant and he would pay the bridal price for her to the father. The bridal price was to make sure the groom was serious about the covenant—he had to pay a price.
After the covenant was made, the cup had been drunk and the price paid, the groom would make a speech to the bride telling her that he was going to leave her and return to his father’s house to prepare a bridal chamber for her, sort of a honeymoon suite.
• The words he would say were “I go to prepare a place for you.” He would be gone for a long time. He would have to build and finish the bridal chamber and have it approved by his father. It would have to be stocked for enough provisions to last for the prescribed seven days for a honeymoon of that time period.He would want it to be beautiful for her.
• It had to be done right to win the approval of the groom’s father. During that year or so that the groom was building the bridal chamber, if anyone asked him when the wedding would be, he would say. “I don’t know. Only my father knows.”And that was true.He couldn’t go back to get his bride until his father approved the chamber and told him to go
get her.(pp.106-108)
• Meanwhile, the bride was waiting with dignity. She wore her veil whenever she went out so that other young men would know that she wasn’t available. Now she was called “set apart,” “consecrate.” And “bought with a price.” She was no longer her own person but an individual contracted to another and she conducted herself in a way that respected
that agreement. She didn’t seek after other young men. She prepared herself for marriage by gathering her trousseau and waiting for her groom. She was at home every night, especially as time went on and she knew he could be coming.
• The tradition was for him to come at night, especially midnight, to try to take her by surprise. It was to be “an abduction.” The bride would be waiting with her “bridesmaids,” her sisters or whomever she wanted in her wedding party. They would all have oil in their lamps just in case the groom did come at night. As time went on they were sure to be
ready every night. (pp.109-110)
• One night the groom did finally come. It was customary for the groom’s party to shout as they neared the bride’s house.When the bride heard that shout, she knew her groom had come to get her. The groom and his friends would rush in and grab every girl in sight, being sure to get the one with the veil (the bride). He needed her veil as the party would
be going through the streets and she was not yet married. The bride’s father and brothers looked the other way as long as it was the young man with the contract. (p.110)
• The entire wedding party would head towards the groom’s house, traveling through the streets and laughing. People would know there was a wedding going on but couldn’t tell who the bride was because the bride was covered by the veil. The bride and groom would enter the bridal chamber while the wedding party waited outside along with the
wedding guests (friends of the groom’s father). Everyone waited outside the wedding chamber until the groom told his trusted friend through the door that the marriage was consummated.
• Then the guests began celebrating an accomplished marriage. The guests would spend the next seven days there celebrating until the bride emerged with her veil off. Now the couple were husband and wife. Then there would be the marriage supper where everyone would joyfully congratulate the new couple. Afterwards, the young couple would leave
the father’s house and go to a permanent home the husband had prepared for them. (p.111-113)
• Jesus as the Bridegroom
• The New Covenant
• Hebrew 8:8 quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 which states:
• “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah; not like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord.‘But this is the
covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to
the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquities and their sin I will remember no more.”
• The New Covenant had to do with the Messiah’s coming and had to be signed in blood. Abraham had to divide animals when the Abrahamic Covenant made the Jews the chosen people (Genesis 15:10). In Moses’ day, the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the doorposts saved the firstborn of the Jewish believers (Exodus 12:7). Then later on Mount Sinai, the
Mosaic Covenant was established. It required repeated blood (animal) sacrifices specified in the Law for the forgiveness of sins/offenses against God (Exodus 20:24).
• The Davidic Covenant included burnt and peace offerings which required the shedding of animal blood (2 Samuel 6:17-18, 1 Chronicles 16:1-3). It’s the blood that makes the Covenant go into effect. When the Messiah (Jesus) came, John the Baptist called Him ,“The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Isaiah 53:7 says the
Messiah “would be led as a lamb to the slaughter.” When Jesus died on the cross, it was as a sacrifice for us; dying in our place with our sins placed on Him.
• That the relationship of God and Israel has always been a marriage is made clear in the book of Hosea. In Jeremiah 31:32 God says He has been a “husband” to Israel.Paul compared marriage to being like the relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:22-33). The church is referred to as the bride of Christ or betrothed of Christ (Revelation
17:9; Ephesians 5:25-28; 2 Corinthians 11:1-4).
• Jesus said that He only came for the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” When Gentiles came to faith in the Jewish Messiah they were grafted into the Jewish tree, and were called the spiritual seed of Abraham (Matthew 15:24; Romans 11:17).
• The Cup
• At the Passover supper Jesus drank the cup with his disciples and stated “This is My blood of the new covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28) God promises, “I will forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34) In the Jewish faith, the cup at the Passover supper is called the “Cup of
Redemption.”
• The Price
• Jesus paid the bride price. He even asked His Father if it was worth it. (Luke 22:42-44) In the Garden of Eden Jesus prayed, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but yours be done. And His sweat fell like great drops of blood while He was contemplating the cross. God sent an angel to strengthen His Son. That was His
answer. Jesus paid the price for us.
• “I Go to Prepare a Place for You”
• In John 14:2-3 Jesus tells His disciples, “ In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” His ascension into heaven is recorded in Mark 16:19-20 and Luke
24:50-51.
• The Bride Awaits
• Jesus is still at his Father’s house preparing a place for us. And we are awaiting His return in a consecrated way—bought with a price; set apart (1 Corinthians 6:20; John 17:14-26, Romans 12:2;1 Peter 1:15-16.) “We are to act like the covenanted bride and be waiting at all times for our Bridegroom to come.We are to have oil in our lamps and be ready to
travel, even at night (Matthew 25:1-46).Our oil is the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity who came to the Jews at Pentecost after the Messiah ascended. We are each to be filled with the Holy Spirit and always ready to go (Acts 2).
• Jesus performed a vast Jewish courtship with His believers. “The Lord will return for His bride. There will be a bridal chamber in heaven where Jesus and the church will spend seven years - like the ancient seven days, and there will be a marriage supper like the Jews used to have. Every detail of Jesus’ great wedding will be accomplished and it will be
carried out in the exact traditions of the Jewish people, because Jesus is Jewish!”
• The Return of the Bridegroom
• In the Jewish holy days, “Shuvuot (Pentecost) – that’s the harvest holiday. All summer following Pentecost the people plant and till the ground. But when the trumpet sounds, on what we now call Rosh Hashanah, the old Feast of Trumpets, the crops are in and the harvest is finished. Jeremiah, just to mention one prophet, could see that we wouldn’t be
ready—not all of us.
• “The summer is ended and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).Paul gave us a wonderful picture of that moment when the groom will return for His bride.” For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). (pp. 149-151)
• That fulfills everything.You have the shout of the bridegroom to notify the bride of his coming; you have the trumpet to finish the harvest and to proclaim liberty for God’s people. We (Jews) used to blow the trumpet on each Jubilee to proclaim liberty…well, this is real liberty (Leviticus 25:10).
• Just as a Jewish bridegroom called for his bride unexpectedly, and took her to his father’s house, Jesus will take His Bride (believers) away quickly, changed in the twinkling of an eye. (1 Corinthians 15:52). The Bride is to be ready and waiting with her veil on so that anyone who sees her pass will not know who she is.
• People in today’s world also don’t recognize the bride of Christ. They see people going to church but don’t recognize them as the Bride. It’s as if true believers are wearing a spiritual veil making them unrecognizable to the world. After the Bride has gone on to her wedding, the world still won’t recognize who she was.
• The House of the Father of the Groom
• When the bride and groom arrive at the groom’s father’s house they will find a large gathering of wedding guests who are friends of the father. When the Bridegroom brings us to His Father’s house we will also find the Father’s friends there as wedding guests. These are the Old Testament saints, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the prophets, and the faithful
chosen people who lived prior to the coming of the Messiah.
• But first the bride and groom must go into the bridal chamber for seven days. And the groom’s friend waits outside the chamber until he hears the groom’s voice. Then he tells the guests when the marriage is consummated. In John 3:29 the Pharisees were questioning John the Baptist if he was the Messiah. John told them: “He that has the bride is the
bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom who stands nearby and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.” The marriage is accomplished when the bridegroom’s voice is heard.
• The “honeymoon” in heaven is the judgment seat of Christ. We will go before the Messiah and He will look at our works done for Him while we were in the flesh.We (believers) are all His servants and we do both good works and bad. In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 Paul wrote:
• “No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it for it is to be revealed with fire and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work
which he has built on remains, he will receive a reward (crowns). If any man’s work is burned up he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
• This has nothing to do with sins. They were all covered at the cross. God isn’t going to charge us for what is already paid for. If you accept Jesus as Messiah (Savior) all your sins are forgiven. The “honeymoon” is where the groom removes the bride’s veil and knows her secrets. Even with our “bad” works, love is the healing factor. If you want a “good
honeymoon” follow the Lord and do your good works for him. Either way, keep in mind that Jesus loves you and will be very glad to see you.
• The MarriageSupper
• The announcement has been made that the marriage is consummated. The Lord has examined everyone’s works and the crowns have been awarded. Now there is great rejoicing and celebration. The marriage is official and the great marriage supper (what we would call the reception) will commence. The Bride will be greatly honored:
• “Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:7-8).
• Notice that the Bible now says “wife” instead of “bride.” The honeymoon is finished and we are now married to the Lord. After the supper is over, we’ll leave to live and reign with our Husband in His millennial kingdom.
• jdwriston@gmail.com
Don't squint! The complete article
follows after the THE END slide.

John 14:2-3, Zola Levitt’s Explanation of
“Jewish Wedding Ceremony”,By Joy Wriston
• “I was brought up in a church that believed in the Pre-Trib Rapture
but in college encountered other views. I noticed that they mostly
used the same verses but interpreted them differently so wondered
if my interpretation could be the one that was wrong. Then I
discovered Zola Levitt and his explanation of the Jewish roots of the
Rapture confirmed for me that the Pre-Trib view is the accurate one.
• This is my synopsis of his teaching gleaned from his book, An Israeli
Love Story( a fictional story which explains the Jewish wedding
ceremony). Anyone who wants to research this further can do so as
there are many articles from different sources on the Internet.
• In the first century, when a young man saw a young lady he liked, he
consulted with his father. Sometimes the father picked the girl and
no consultations were necessary. But when the father approved of
the choice of a bride, the young man would go to her house and
speak with her father. (p.105)
• At the bride’s house three very important things would occur:

• The groom would make a covenant with the bride, an actual contract; he
would drink a cup of wine with her which sealed the covenant and he would
pay the bridal price for her to the father. The bridal price was to make sure the
groom was serious about the covenant—he had to pay a price. After the
covenant was made, the cup had been drunk and the price paid, the groom
would make a speech to the bride telling her that he was going to leave her
and return to his father’s house to prepare a bridal chamber for her, sort of a
honeymoon suite.
• The words he would say were “I go to prepare a place for you.” He would be
gone for a long time. He would have to build and finish the bridal chamber and
have it approved by his father. It would have to be stocked for enough
provisions to last for the prescribed seven days for a honeymoon of that time
period.He would want it to be beautiful for her.
• It had to be done right to win the approval of the groom’s father. During that
year or so that the groom was building the bridal chamber, if anyone asked
him when the wedding would be, he would say. “I don’t know. Only my father
knows.”And that was true.He couldn’t go back to get his bride until his father
approved the chamber and told him to go get her.(pp.106-108)
• Meanwhile, the bride was waiting with dignity. She wore her veil whenever
she went

• out so that other young men would know that she wasn’t available. Now
she was called “set apart,” “consecrate.” And “bought with a price.” She
was no longer her own person but an individual contracted to another and
she conducted herself in a way that respected that agreement. She didn’t
seek after other young men. She prepared herself for marriage by
gathering her trousseau and waiting for her groom. She was at home every
night, especially as time went on and she knew he could be coming.
• The tradition was for him to come at night, especially midnight, to try to
take her by surprise. It was to be “an abduction.” The bride would be
waiting with her “bridesmaids,” her sisters or whomever she wanted in
her wedding party. They would all have oil in their lamps just in case the
groom did come at night. As time went on they were sure to be ready
every night. (pp.109-110)
• One night the groom did finally come. It was customary for the groom’s
party to shout as they neared the bride’s house.When the bride heard that
shout, she knew her groom had come to get her. The groom and his
friends would rush in and grab every girl in sight, being sure to get the one
with the veil (the bride). He needed her veil as the party would be going

• through the streets and she was not yet married. The bride’s father and
brothers looked the other way as long as it was the young man with the
contract. (p.110)
• The entire wedding party would head towards the groom’s house,
traveling through the streets and laughing. People would know there was
a wedding going on but couldn’t tell who the bride was because the bride
was covered by the veil. The bride and groom would enter the bridal
chamber while the wedding party waited outside along with the wedding
guests (friends of the groom’s father). Everyone waited outside the
wedding chamber until the groom told his trusted friend through the door
that the marriage was consummated.
• Then the guests began celebrating an accomplished marriage. The guests
would spend the next seven days there celebrating until the bride
emerged with her veil off. Now the couple were husband and wife. Then
there would be the marriage supper where everyone would joyfully
congratulate the new couple. Afterwards, the young couple would leave
the father’s house and go to a permanent home the husband had
prepared for them. (p.111-113)…” [full article after “THE END slide]

John 14:2-3, 16 Proofs of a Pre-
Tribulation Rapture, By Kent Crockett
• 16 Proofs of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture
• By Kent Crockett
• Proof #1: Revelation 19:11-21 doesn't mention a resurrection.
• The rapture is a resurrection of those "in Christ" (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Isn't it a little bit odd that in Rev. 19:11-21, which is
the clearest picture of the second coming of Christ, there is no mention of a resurrection? The rapture will be the biggest
event since the resurrection of Jesus where hundreds of millions of Christians will be resurrected and translated, yet
there isn't any mention here. Don't you think it deserves at least one verse? The rapture isn't mentioned because it
doesn't happen at the second coming.
• Proof #2: Zechariah 14:1-15 doesn't mention a resurrection.
• This is an Old Testament picture of Jesus returning to earth at the second coming. Again, no mention of a resurrection.
• Proof #3: Two different pictures are painted.
• In the Old Testament, there were two different pictures painted of the Messiah-one suffering (Isa. 53:2-10, Ps. 22:6-8,
11-18) and one reigning as King (Ps. 2:6-12, Zech. 14:9,16). As we look back on these scriptures, we see they predicted
two separate comings of the Messiah-the 1st coming as a suffering Messiah and the 2nd coming (still future) as a
reigning King.
• In the New Testament, we have another picture added. Again, we have two pictures painted which don't look the same.
These two different descriptions of Jesus' coming point to two separate events we call "the rapture" and "the second
20
Don't squint! The complete article
follows after the THE END slide.

• Proof #1: Revelation 19:11-21 doesn't mention a
resurrection.
• Proof #2: Zechariah 14:1-15 doesn't mention a
resurrection.
• Proof #3: Two different pictures are painted [2 comings,
Messiah suffering/reigning].
• Proof #4: The Known Day and the Unknown Day
• Proof #5: A door open in heaven (Rev 4:1)
• Proof #6: "Come up here." (Rev 4:1)
• Proof #7: The 24 elders have their crowns.
• Proof #8 Holy ones are already with Jesus in heaven (Zech.
14:5, Rev. 19:14)
21

• Proof #9: Kept from the hour of testing (Rev. 3:10)
• Proof #10: Angels don't resurrect people when they gather
them for judgment.
• Proof #11: Both the wicked and the righteous can't be taken
first.
• Proof #12: Jesus returns from the wedding.
• Proof #13: Jesus will receive us to Himself, not us to receive
Him (John 14:2-3).
• Proof #14: The one who restrains is taken out of the way. 2
Thess. 2:6-7
• Proof #15: The separation of the sheep and goats (Matt.
25:31-46) 22

John 14:3, “I will come”
• NAU John 14:3 "If I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come [verb indicative present middle] again
and receive you to Myself, that where I am,
there you may be also.
• The “I will come” is a verb indicative present
middle. The “present” means that it could be
translated literally as, “I am coming”. Charles E.
McCracken says, “it carries a future force… to
emphasize the certainty of Jesus return for his
disciples…” 2
4

THE RAPTURE AND JOHN 14
by Thomas Ice
• “…I believe that John 14:1-3 speaks of Christ's return at the Rapture
for His church… Arno Gaebelein tells us that Christ is unveiling a new
revelation about the Rapture of the Church:
• “But here in John xiv the Lord gives a new and unique revelation; He
speaks of something which no prophet had promised, or even could
promise. Where is it written that this Messiah would come and
instead of gathering His saints into an earthly Jerusalem, would take
them to the Father's house, to the very place where He is? It is
something new. And let it be noticed in promising to come again, He
addresses the eleven disciples and tells them, “I will receive you unto
Myself, that where I am ye may be also." He speaks then of a coming
which is not for the deliverance of the Jewish remnant, not of a
coming to establish His kingdom over the earth, not a coming to judge
the nations, but coming which concerns only His own…” http://pre-
trib.org/data/pdf/Ice-TheRaptureandJohn14.pdf 25

26• http://pre-trib.org/data/pdf/Ice-TheRaptureandJohn14.pdf

John 14:2-3, gracethrufaith.com
Living In Heaven, Reigning On Earth?
• Q. “…we will live in heaven with Christ…How does Revelation 20:4-6 fit into
this? If we are reigning with Christ for that 1000 years it must be on earth…
• A. …John 14:2-3 clearly says that Jesus went to Heaven to prepare a place for us
there, and that’s where He’s going to take us in the Rapture, even though Rev.
5:10 indicates we’ll reign on Earth. Maybe we’ll be like the historical kings of
England who lived in London but ruled over such geographically diverse places as
Canada, Australia, India and Hong Kong without ever actually to them.
• We find out from Rev. 21 that the home Jesus built for us and will take us to is the
New Jerusalem which is seen coming down out of heaven (see especially Rev.
21:27). But John never said that it will land on Earth. In fact a calculation of its
dimensions shows that it’s far too big to fit in Israel or any other place on
Earth. Personally, I believe the New Jerusalem, which is about 2/3 the size of the
moon, will orbit Earth in close proximity like a satellite would. From there we’ll
reign with Christ.
• Conversely, while God reigns in Heaven, Ezekiel 43:7 tells us He will live in Israel
on Earth during the Millennium.
• Rev. 20:4-6, which is about tribulation martyrs and not the Church, says they are
part of the first resurrection and will also reign with Christ, but are not called
kings. The Bible doesn’t say where tribulation martyrs will live after their
resurrection.
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/living-in-heaven-reigning-on-earth/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

John 14:2-3, gracethrufaith.com
Is The New Jerusalem Heaven?
• Q. Am I correct in thinking that the New Jerusalem is not actually
heaven? Will the New Jerusalem be our home for eternity or does
anyone know for sure? The Bible does not give any hints , as far as
I know, as to what will happen after the Millennium, so are we to
assume that it will be our eternal home?
• A. Here’s what I think. In Rev. 21:2 John reported seeing the New
Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, which tells us that’s where
it had previously been. I believe this is the place Jesus has been
preparing for us since He left and when He comes for us in the
rapture, this is where He’ll take us (John 14:2-3). When it comes
down out of heaven we’ll be in it because we’ll have been living
there for the preceding seven years. The New Jerusalem will
continue to be our home for at least 1,000 more years, and maybe
for all eternity. While it might not actually be Heaven, it will have
come from Heaven and whether we realize it or not, it’s the place
we’re referring to when we say we’re going to Heaven to be with
Jesus.

John 14:3, Rapture vs. 2nd Coming
• Compass International said, “To distinguish
between scriptures about Rapture and the
Second Coming of Christ, you must determine
if the verse is referring to the Lord coming "for"
His saints (1 Thessalonians 4:16) or "with" His
saints (1 Thessalonians 3:13). Tommy Ice, in his
book Prophecy Watch (Harvest House), gives
the following comprehensive list:
• http://compass.sowingcircle.org/gml/gmlTemplateHTML.cfm?ContentID=196
• For additional information on the topic of the timing of the Rapture, Compass
published an article in our monthly eNews titled Is Rapture This September? (You'll
need to scroll down to April
2011).http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs011/1103404634488/archive/11036095
33893.html

John 14:3,
Rapture vs.
2nd Coming
• http://compass.sowingcircle.org/gml/gmlT
emplateHTML.cfm?ContentID=196

John 14:3, 10 Truths about the
Rapture
• 10 Truths about the Rapture
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzGeoO84uv0&l
ist=TLFgJ5mz6ATd8yMDAxMjAxNg
• Published on Jan 8, 2016
• Defense of the Doctrine of the Rapture. Suitable for
young and old. Recorded by Dr. Andy Woods. Andy is
a professor of Bible and Theology at the College of
Biblical Studies in Houston, Texas, USA. He also the
Senior pastor of Sugar Land Bible Church. For more
videos visit http://bestmin.org/biblestudyvideos/
32

John 14:2-3, GotQuestions.org
Where Will We Go After Meeting Him In The Air?
• Q. When we are raptured, where will we land, after meeting
Jesus in the air? Heaven? The New Jerusalem? Neither?
• A. According to 1 Thes. 4:16-17 we will meet the Lord in the air
and after that we will always be with Him. In 1 Cor. 15:51-
53 Paul said we’ll be changed from mortal to immortal in the
process. In John 14:2-3 Jesus said we’re going to “My Father’s
house” where there are many mansions (literally; dwelling
places, abodes) and where He has been preparing a place for
us. And the writer of Hebrews said, “But you have come to Mt.
Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You
have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful
assembly …” (Hebrews 12:22).
• Personally, I believe when these verses are all taken together,
they mean we’ll be going to the New Jerusalem.

John 14:3, Second Coming
compass.org
• “…Jesus is coming back to the earth!
• Jesus IS coming back to reign as King on the Earth—and we
will have the privilege of reigning with Him!
• . . . they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign
with Him for a thousand years. —Revelation 20:6 Looking
forward to His return as King of Kings is an incredibly exciting
thought. The Bible says He will stand again on the Mount of
Olives. in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives
. . . —Zechariah 14:4
• It's encouraging to know that, at some time in the future,
every stand we took for Christ, every tear we shed, and
every difficult endurance will eventually be revealed as an
eternal investment.. . . God will judge the secrets of men
through Christ Jesus. —Romans 2:16

John 14:3, He Will Deliver!
• “The hope we have in Christ is an absolute
certainty. We can be sure that the place Christ
is preparing for us will be ready when we
arrive, because with Him nothing is left to
chance. Everything He promised He will
deliver.” Billy Graham

John 14:3, Rapture
He Will Receive Us To Himself
• NAU John 13:36 … you will follow later.”
you, I will come again and receive you to
Myself, that where I am, there you may be
also.
• The Gentile Bride, And The Rapture, Israel My
Glory, November 7, 2015, Charles E.
McCracken, page 25
• Article is after THE END slide
36

By Mike Gendron on Facebook, 3-14-2016
• In closing;
37

Why are so many Christians
confused about eschatology?
• “Sound doctrine produces passionate convictions which will flow
from an accurate interpretation of Scripture. As Christians we must
"rightly handle the word of truth" to avoid being misled (2 Tim.
2:15). As we study the Word of God we must seek to understand
what the author intended to say within its historical context.
Scripture should be interpreted according to its literal, grammatical
and historical sense, unless figures of speech are employed.
• Prior to the Reformation, the Roman Catholic religion used the
allegorical method to interpret Scripture. Tragically, the Reformers,
and many protestants today, share a similar eschatology with
Catholicism. They arrive at their view of end times by using the
same allegorical method of interpreting Scriptures. They both hold
to an amillennial view of
38

Why are so many Christians
confused about eschatology?
• the end times which means they deny a literal 1000 year reign of
the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth (Rev. 20:1-6; Zech 6:12-13; 8:2-
3; Zech 9:10; Ezek. 39:21-29). They both deny the rapture of the
Church (1 Thes. 4:15-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; John 14:1-3). They both
deny the distinction between the church and Israel (Rom. 9:6-8).
• To deny a future earthly kingdom of Jesus is to deny His glorious
role in restoring the earth. Jesus, the last Adam, must
successfully rule, restore and subdue the earth because the first
Adam failed (Gen. 1:26-28). We have this promise from God’s
Word: “the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the
Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one” (Zech.
14:9). May God be glorified as we study and understand His
prophetic Word!”
39

John 14:2-3, 3:29, Zola Levitt’s Explanation
Of The Jewish Wedding
• Jewish Wedding Ceremony http://raptureready.com/soap2/wriston1.html
• By Joy Wriston
• I was brought up in a church that believed in the Pre-Trib Rapture but in college encountered other views. I noticed that they mostly used the same verses but interpreted them differently so wondered if my interpretation could be the one that was wrong. Then I discovered Zola Levitt and his explanation of the Jewish
roots of the Rapture confirmed for me that the Pre-Trib view is the accurate one.
• This is my synopsis of his teaching gleaned from his book, An Israeli Love Story( a fictional story which explains the Jewish wedding ceremony). Anyone who wants to research this further can do so as there are many articles from different sources on the Internet.
• In the first century, when a young man saw a young lady he liked, he consulted with his father. Sometimes the father picked the girl and no consultations were necessary. But when the father approved of the choice of a bride, the young man would go to her house and speak with her father. (p.105)
• At the bride’s house three very important things would occur: The groom would make a covenant with the bride, an actual contract; he would drink a cup of wine with her which sealed the covenant and he would pay the bridal price for her to the father. The bridal price was to make sure the groom was serious about the
covenant—he had to pay a price. After the covenant was made, the cup had been drunk and the price paid, the groom would make a speech to the bride telling her that he was going to leave her and return to his father’s house to prepare a bridal chamber for her, sort of a honeymoon suite.
• The words he would say were “I go to prepare a place for you.” He would be gone for a long time. He would have to build and finish the bridal chamber and have it approved by his father. It would have to be stocked for enough provisions to last for the prescribed seven days for a honeymoon of that time period.He would
want it to be beautiful for her.
• It had to be done right to win the approval of the groom’s father. During that year or so that the groom was building the bridal chamber, if anyone asked him when the wedding would be, he would say. “I don’t know. Only my father knows.”And that was true.He couldn’t go back to get his bride until his father approved
the chamber and told him to go get her.(pp.106-108)
• Meanwhile, the bride was waiting with dignity. She wore her veil whenever she went out so that other young men would know that she wasn’t available. Now she was called “set apart,” “consecrate.” And “bought with a price.” She was no longer her own person but an individual contracted to another and she conducted
herself in a way that respected that agreement. She didn’t seek after other young men. She prepared herself for marriage by gathering her trousseau and waiting for her groom. She was at home every night, especially as time went on and she knew he could be coming.
• The tradition was for him to come at night, especially midnight, to try to take her by surprise. It was to be “an abduction.” The bride would be waiting with her “bridesmaids,” her sisters or whomever she wanted in her wedding party. They would all have oil in their lamps just in case the groom did come at night. As time
went on they were sure to be ready every night. (pp.109-110)
• One night the groom did finally come. It was customary for the groom’s party to shout as they neared the bride’s house.When the bride heard that shout, she knew her groom had come to get her. The groom and his friends would rush in and grab every girl in sight, being sure to get the one with the veil (the bride). He
needed her veil as the party would be going through the streets and she was not yet married. The bride’s father and brothers looked the other way as long as it was the young man with the contract. (p.110)
• The entire wedding party would head towards the groom’s house, traveling through the streets and laughing. People would know there was a wedding going on but couldn’t tell who the bride was because the bride was covered by the veil. The bride and groom would enter the bridal chamber while the wedding party
waited outside along with the wedding guests (friends of the groom’s father). Everyone waited outside the wedding chamber until the groom told his trusted friend through the door that the marriage was consummated.
• Then the guests began celebrating an accomplished marriage. The guests would spend the next seven days there celebrating until the bride emerged with her veil off. Now the couple were husband and wife. Then there would be the marriage supper where everyone would joyfully congratulate the new couple.
Afterwards, the young couple would leave the father’s house and go to a permanent home the husband had prepared for them. (p.111-113)
• Jesus as the Bridegroom
• The New Covenant
• Hebrew 8:8 quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 which states:
• “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah; not like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’
declares the Lord.‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying,
‘Know the Lord’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquities and their sin I will remember no more.”
• The New Covenant had to do with the Messiah’s coming and had to be signed in blood. Abraham had to divide animals when the Abrahamic Covenant made the Jews the chosen people (Genesis 15:10). In Moses’ day, the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the doorposts saved the firstborn of the Jewish believers (Exodus
12:7). Then later on Mount Sinai, the Mosaic Covenant was established. It required repeated blood (animal) sacrifices specified in the Law for the forgiveness of sins/offenses against God (Exodus 20:24).
• The Davidic Covenant included burnt and peace offerings which required the shedding of animal blood (2 Samuel 6:17-18, 1 Chronicles 16:1-3). It’s the blood that makes the Covenant go into effect. When the Messiah (Jesus) came, John the Baptist called Him ,“The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John
1:29). Isaiah 53:7 says the Messiah “would be led as a lamb to the slaughter.” When Jesus died on the cross, it was as a sacrifice for us; dying in our place with our sins placed on Him.
• That the relationship of God and Israel has always been a marriage is made clear in the book of Hosea. In Jeremiah 31:32 God says He has been a “husband” to Israel.Paul compared marriage to being like the relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:22-33). The church is referred to as the bride of Christ or
betrothed of Christ (Revelation 17:9; Ephesians 5:25-28; 2 Corinthians 11:1-4).
• Jesus said that He only came for the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” When Gentiles came to faith in the Jewish Messiah they were grafted into the Jewish tree, and were called the spiritual seed of Abraham (Matthew 15:24; Romans 11:17).
• The Cup
• At the Passover supper Jesus drank the cup with his disciples and stated “This is My blood of the new covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28) God promises, “I will forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34) In the Jewish faith, the cup at the
Passover supper is called the “Cup of Redemption.”
• The Price
• Jesus paid the bride price. He even asked His Father if it was worth it. (Luke 22:42-44) In the Garden of Eden Jesus prayed, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but yours be done. And His sweat fell like great drops of blood while He was contemplating the cross. God sent an angel to
strengthen His Son. That was His answer. Jesus paid the price for us.
• “I Go to Prepare a Place for You”
• In John 14:2-3 Jesus tells His disciples, “ In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” His ascension into heaven is recorded
in Mark 16:19-20 and Luke 24:50-51.
• The Bride Awaits
• Jesus is still at his Father’s house preparing a place for us. And we are awaiting His return in a consecrated way—bought with a price; set apart (1 Corinthians 6:20; John 17:14-26, Romans 12:2;1 Peter 1:15-16.) “We are to act like the covenanted bride and be waiting at all times for our Bridegroom to come.We are to have
oil in our lamps and be ready to travel, even at night (Matthew 25:1-46).Our oil is the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity who came to the Jews at Pentecost after the Messiah ascended. We are each to be filled with the Holy Spirit and always ready to go (Acts 2).
• Jesus performed a vast Jewish courtship with His believers. “The Lord will return for His bride. There will be a bridal chamber in heaven where Jesus and the church will spend seven years - like the ancient seven days, and there will be a marriage supper like the Jews used to have. Every detail of Jesus’ great wedding will
be accomplished and it will be carried out in the exact traditions of the Jewish people, because Jesus is Jewish!”
• The Return of the Bridegroom
• In the Jewish holy days, “Shuvuot (Pentecost) – that’s the harvest holiday. All summer following Pentecost the people plant and till the ground. But when the trumpet sounds, on what we now call Rosh Hashanah, the old Feast of Trumpets, the crops are in and the harvest is finished. Jeremiah, just to mention one prophet,
could see that we wouldn’t be ready—not all of us.
• “The summer is ended and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).Paul gave us a wonderful picture of that moment when the groom will return for His bride.” For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we
who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). (pp. 149-151)
• That fulfills everything.You have the shout of the bridegroom to notify the bride of his coming; you have the trumpet to finish the harvest and to proclaim liberty for God’s people. We (Jews) used to blow the trumpet on each Jubilee to proclaim liberty…well, this is real liberty (Leviticus 25:10).
• Just as a Jewish bridegroom called for his bride unexpectedly, and took her to his father’s house, Jesus will take His Bride (believers) away quickly, changed in the twinkling of an eye. (1 Corinthians 15:52). The Bride is to be ready and waiting with her veil on so that anyone who sees her pass will not know who she is.
• People in today’s world also don’t recognize the bride of Christ. They see people going to church but don’t recognize them as the Bride. It’s as if true believers are wearing a spiritual veil making them unrecognizable to the world. After the Bride has gone on to her wedding, the world still won’t recognize who she was.
• The House of the Father of the Groom
• When the bride and groom arrive at the groom’s father’s house they will find a large gathering of wedding guests who are friends of the father. When the Bridegroom brings us to His Father’s house we will also find the Father’s friends there as wedding guests. These are the Old Testament saints, Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, the prophets, and the faithful chosen people who lived prior to the coming of the Messiah.
• But first the bride and groom must go into the bridal chamber for seven days. And the groom’s friend waits outside the chamber until he hears the groom’s voice. Then he tells the guests when the marriage is consummated. In John 3:29 the Pharisees were questioning John the Baptist if he was the Messiah. John told
them: “He that has the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom who stands nearby and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.” The marriage is accomplished when the bridegroom’s voice is heard.
• The “honeymoon” in heaven is the judgment seat of Christ. We will go before the Messiah and He will look at our works done for Him while we were in the flesh.We (believers) are all His servants and we do both good works and bad. In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 Paul wrote:
• “No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it for it is to be revealed with fire and the fire itself will test the quality of each
man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on remains, he will receive a reward (crowns). If any man’s work is burned up he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
• This has nothing to do with sins. They were all covered at the cross. God isn’t going to charge us for what is already paid for. If you accept Jesus as Messiah (Savior) all your sins are forgiven. The “honeymoon” is where the groom removes the bride’s veil and knows her secrets. Even with our “bad” works, love is the healing
factor. If you want a “good honeymoon” follow the Lord and do your good works for him. Either way, keep in mind that Jesus loves you and will be very glad to see you.
• The Marriage Supper
• The announcement has been made that the marriage is consummated. The Lord has examined everyone’s works and the crowns have been awarded. Now there is great rejoicing and celebration. The marriage is official and the great marriage supper (what we would call the reception) will commence. The Bride will be
greatly honored:
• “Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:7-8).
• Notice that the Bible now says “wife” instead of “bride.” The honeymoon is finished and we are now married to the Lord. After the supper is over, we’ll leave to live and reign with our Husband in His millennial kingdom.
• jdwriston@gmail.com

John 14:3, The Rapture
• The Christ in Prophecy Journal
• Rapture New? Get a Clue!
• Posted: 12 Mar 2013 06:50 AM PDT
• By Nathan Jones
• "I wish I could believe there is a Rapture in the Bible, because that would be something really great to look forward to. Sadly, the rapture theory was first spoken of by a sickly woman in 1830 and the ministers at that time
just ran with it as prophecy." – Mariano, New YorkIf I were to receive a dollar for every time somebody told me there is no mention of a rapture in the Bible and that the concept is a fairly modern day invention, I'd have
enough money to pound a considerable dent into the federal deficit (depending on the Administration, that is).
• Can the Rapture, separate and apart from the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, be found anywhere in the Bible? How does looking forward to the Rapture bring us hope? And, is the Rapture as a whole too new of an idea to
be true? Get ready to give me that dollar, Mariano!
•
Rapture in the Bible
• The Bible does indeed teach about the Rapture of the Church. First Thessalonians 4:17 in particular speaks of an event called "the Rapture," derived from the Latin word rapio which was translated from the original Greek
word harpazo.Rapio means "to catch up, to snatch away, or to take out," and that's how it's often written out, as in that verse which reads, "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."
• Other references on the Rapture are found in Isaiah 26:19-21; Malachi 3:17; John 14:1-4; I Corinthians 15:51-58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
•
Encouragement to the Believer
• The Apostle Paul states that the Rapture is meant to encourage believers during this age (1 Thessalonians 4:18). And yet, what encouragement could the Rapture bring to any believer who thinks they will have to endure all
the horrors of the coming 7-year Tribulation? What would be the point of the Rapture then? It wouldn't really be as Mariano has stated, "something really great to look forward to."
• True encouragement and hope comes from the Bible's teaching of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. We know that the Rapture will happen before the Tribulation because according to the Bible the Church isn't destined to endure
God's judgment on the world. God has promised the Church a rescue beforehand. For example in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 we are told "to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues
us from the wrath to come." (See also 1 Thessalonians 5:9; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:4 and Revelation 3:10).
• Evidences of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture also come from Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 who comforted the Church of Thessalonica when he wrote, "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to
him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come." The church there was concerned
that they had missed the Rapture and were living in the Tribulation. Paul assures them in verse 3, "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the man doomed to destruction." In other words, they'd know if they were living in the Tribulation.
• The only hope that could comfort the Church Age Saint staring into the face of the horrors of the Tribulation is that they will not have to endure it. These words from Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:18 provide that very
encouragement and hope of the Lord rapturing the Church beforehand.
•
An Ancient Concept
• Those who argue that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view is just "too new" to be considered viable point to John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) as its originator, and they claim he took the idea from a 15 year old girl named
Margaret MacDonald. But, is that assessment historically accurate? Indeed, it is not.
• The Early Church fathers' such as Barnabas (ca.100-105), Papias (ca. 60-130), Justin Martyr (110-195), Irenaeus (120-202), Tertullian (145-220), Hippolytus (ca. 185-236), Cyprian (200-250), and Lactantius (260-330) wrote
on the imminent return of Jesus Christ, the central argument for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view.
• When Augustine (354-430) began spiritualizing the Bible, his view of a non-literal interpretation took hold of the Church until the Renaissance, obliterating the Premillennial and Pre-Tribulation Rapture views in favor of
Amillennialism. But, some Medieval writers such as Ephraem of Nisibis (306-373), Abbot Ceolfrid (c. 642-716), and Brother Dolcino (d. 1307) wrote statements that distinguished the Rapture from the Second Coming.
• When the chains of allegorical interpretation began to fall off, beginning with the Reformation in the 1400's and 1500's, writers such as Joseph Mede (1586-1638), Increase Mather (1639-1723), Peter Jurieu (1637-1713),
Philip Doddridge (1702- 1751), John Gill (1697-1771), James Macknight (1721-1800), Thomas Scott (1747-1821) and Morgan Edwards (1722-1795) all wrote concerning the Rapture occurring separate from the Second
Coming. Even in the more modern church, those like William Witherby, who wrote about the Rapture in 1818, were precursors to John Darby in support of the Rapture.
• The Rapture is indeed then not only biblical, but supported throughout Church history. And, Mariano is absolutely right in one respect, for the Rapture sure is "something really great to look forward to." It's our "blessed
hope" (Titus. 2:13).
• You are subscribed to email updates from The Christ in Prophecy Journal

When You're Down
By Melvin Newland, John 14:1-6
• When You're Down
•
• By Melvin Newland
John 14:1-6
•
•
• Have you ever hadone of those days when everything goes wrong? It doesn't make any difference how hard you try, it just seems that everything backfires on you? The harder you try, the worse it gets. I'm convinced that all of us have had days like that.
•
• I heard a story that illustrates this point very well. It is about a lady at the airport who bought a Kit Kat candy bar to eat while she was waiting for her plane.
•
• In the crowded waiting area she spied an empty seat at the end of a row. Rushing to get it, she quickly propped her hang up bag againstthe end of the row, sat down, & placed her purse & several smallitems on the table between her & a rather large man seated there, & then turned back to straighten her hang up bag.
•
• With everything finally in order, she was ready to eat her Kit Kat candy bar. But to her surprise, as she started to reach for it, she saw the manin the next seat unwrapping her Kit Kat candy bar, & she watched in utter amazementas he broke off a section & ate it.
•
• She thought, "Well, my goodness, I've never seen such gall." She glared at him, & he looked at her, but no words were exchanged.
•
• She was so furious at what he had done that she decided that if he was going to be that brazen about it, she could be brazen, too. So she reached over to him, broke off a piece & ate it herself. Then he broke off another piece & ate it.
•
• It became almost a duel between the two of them to see who would get the most. Quickly the candy bar was consumed, & she sat there just boiling that someone would be so rude & so presumptuous as to eat half of her candy bar.
•
• Well, after a few minutes of silence, the mangot up & left & then came back with another Kit Kat candy bar. He unwrappedit, broke off a piece & started eating. She thought, "Well, since he ate half of mine, I'm going to eat half of his." So she reached over & broke off another piece & ate it.
•
• Once again the samescenario was repeated until the whole candy bar was gone. She sat there thinking, "This is the most ridiculous thing that has happened to me in my whole life." She continued to glare at him, & he looked at her, with neither one saying a word.
•
• Just then, over the intercom came the announcement that her plane was ready for boarding. So she opened her purse to get her boarding pass &, to her utter embarrassment, there was her Kit Kat candy bar. She had eaten half of 2 of his candy bars, & her candy bar was still in her purse!
•
• There are times, I suppose, when things really start to go wrong. Your whole world seems to be crumbling around you & you wonder what is going on.
•
• That is probably about the way the apostles are feeling as we come to the 14th chapter of John. Their week had begun gloriously with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, & people waving palm branches & shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the nameof the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!" (John 12:13)
•
• Even the Pharisees & the chief priests who had been plotting againstJesus hadcried out in despair, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!" (John 12:19)
•
• But Jesus had not come to establish an earthly kingdom, & He refused the crown. Disappointed & thwarted in their dreams of a Jewish kingdom with Jesus as their miracle working king, the fickle crowd beganto change. And soon the priests were once again seeking someone to betray Jesus into their hands.
•
• So as the 14th chapter of John opens, we see Jesus & His apostles in the upper room where they have eaten the Passover meal together. Jesus knew exactly what the next few hours would bring.
•
• He knew Judas would betray Him. He knew about the illegal trials of the night, & how troubled the apostles would be. He knew of the cross & the borrowed tomb. And He tried to prepare the apostles for all that. So He begins to comfort them.
•
• Is there anyone who needs comfort here this morning? I know that there are. We lose loved ones. People lose jobs. Some have physical problems. Others are lonely & depressed. We experience all kinds of troubles.
•
• But Jesus says that part of the solution to a troubled heart is trust, & He tells His apostles to trust in 3 things. "First of all, trust in My presence. Secondly, trust in My promises. Thirdly, simply trust in Me."
•
• TRUST IN MY PRESENCE
•
• First of all, Jesus tells them, "You can trust in My presence." In Vs. 1 Jesus begins by saying, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me."
•
• What is Jesus saying there? Is He saying, "You trust in God, now it's time to trust also in me?" Or is He saying, "I know you trust in God, & you also trust in me. Now remember, when you can no longer see me, don't stop trusting in me."
•
• You see, we have always found it easier to trust in things that we can see & touch. We have a little bit of Thomas in us, don't we? Remember, Thomas said, "Unless I see the nail marks in His hands & put my finger where the nails were, & put my handinto His side, I will not believe it" (John 20:25).
•
• So Jesus shows him & he believes. "Then Jesus told him, "Thomas, becauseyou have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen & yet have believed" (John 20:29).
•
• The Bible teaches us that the things we can see are only temporary. The automobile in which you rode to church today is temporary. This building, the pews on which you are sitting, all are temporary. All are subject to decay.
•
• The story is told about a busy mother who put her two boys to bed. After tucking them in & listening to their prayers, she bid them "good night" & heaved a sigh of relief saying, "Now I can have some time to myself."
•
• So she went into the bathroom, took a nice warm shower, & washedher hair. Stepping out of the shower, she put on her old robe, wrapped her head in a towel, applied a thick layer of white moisturizer to her face, & then headed for the den.
•
• But just then she heard sounds of a pillow fight going on in the boy's bedroom. Irritated, she threw open their door, & said, "You kids get right back in bed & don't make another sound." Then she turned off the light & slammedthe door. The two boys turned to each other & said, "Who was that?"
•
• We look in the mirror & see our aging bodies, & realize that they are temporary, too. All the things you can see & touch are only here for a little while & then are gone. But the things you can't see last forever.
•
• This is a hard lesson for us to learn, isn't it? Yet it is an important lesson, because when we face troubles & difficulties in life, we need to remember as Christians that Jesus has promised, "I will be with you always. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Trust in My presence."
•
• TRUST IN MY PROMISES
•
• Then Jesus tells them, "You can trust in My promises." In vs's 2 & 3 Jesus says, "InMy Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go & prepare a place for you, I will come back & take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
•
• God gave many promises both in the Old & New Testaments. He promised the children of Israel a land where there would be milk & honey. It took a while for the promise to be fulfilled, but finally it was fulfilled.
•
• He promised a Messiah, & that took a long time. But it, too, was fulfilled. Jesus the Savior was born.
•
• Now God promises that He is coming back for us. Someday we'll be with Him forever & ever. Sometimes we grow impatient, but the scripture says, "You can trust the promises of God. This promise will be fulfilled, too."
•
• The Bible uses a lot of different words to describe heaven. In one place it is called "a country" indicating the vastness of heaven. In another it is called "a city" indicating a large number of inhabitants.
•
• It is called "a kingdom" indicating that there is a governmental structure to it all. It is called "paradise" indicating its beauty & desirability. But here it is called, "My Father's house," & that is another way of saying, "It is home."
•
• Home is a place where you can be yourself. Home is where you can take off your necktie & kick off your shoes. Home is where you can say what you are thinking. Home is where you're always accepted & loved. You're not just a guest. You are a resident. You live there. That is home.
•
• Jesus is saying, "I'm going to take you to My Father's house, & it will be your home, too. You'll be a part of the family. You'll be home where you belong."
•
• He says, "InMy Father's house are many rooms." The KJ version says, "manymansions."We like that word. But "mansion" is not the best translation of the Greek word Jesus used. Probably the best is "dwelling place" or "rooms."
•
• You see, the word that Jesus used comes from the eastern custom that when a son grows up & gets married, he brings his bride back home again. Andthe father adds another room onto His house for them.
•
• Then when another son grows up & gets married, they add another room. The house just keeps getting bigger & bigger, as the family stays together.
•
• "InMy Father's house," Jesus said, "are many rooms... I am going there to prepare a place for you... I will come back and take you to be with me...." We're almost there, people. Don't become discouraged or fainthearted.
•
• Marian Anderson, the great singer, was once asked, "What is the most memorable moment of your life?"
•
• When she answered, she didn't mention the time she sang before the president. She didn't mention the time that she was invited to sing before the king & queen of England. She didn't mention when she sang before 76,000 people on Easter morning in Washington, D.C.
•
• She said, "The most memorable moment of my life was when I came home to my mother & said, `Mama, you don't have to take in laundry anymore.' That's the most memorable moment of my life."
•
• Stop & think about heaven. Much of me is already there. My nameis written there. My citizenship is there. My God is there. My Savior is there. My inheritance is there. My parents are there. So much of me is already there.
•
• Soon His promise will be fulfilled, & we'll be in our Father's house. We'll get new bodies, & we won't have to worry about getting old & sick & all the other things that plague us here. "Trust My promises," He says.
•
• TRUST IN ME!
•
• Thirdly, Jesus is saying, "Trust in Me." In vs's 4-6 Jesus says, "`Youknow the way to the place where I am going.' Thomas said to Him, `Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' Jesus answered, `I am the way & the truth & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"
•
• What a wonderful promise! He is saying, "I'm not just going to show you the way, or tell you the way, or write out the instructions on how to get there. I'm going to come & take you by the hand to My Father's house. Then you'll be home."
•
• Do you have burdens this morning that you think you cannot bear? Are you troubled? Are you worried or anxious? Do you feel empty inside? Do you feel lonely? Do you feel lost? Confused?
•
• A few years ago Dave Galloway told of a soldier who returned from Viet Nam. His parents were socialites, very well to do. It was near Christmas, and they were getting ready to go out to the first of the round of parties of the Christmas season.
•
• Just then the phone rang, & it was their son on the phone. "Mom," he said, "I'm back in the States." She said, "That's wonderful! Where are you? Will you be home for Christmas? Can you get here in time for the parties? Everybody will just love to see you."
•
• He answered, "Yes, I can be home for Christmas, but I want to ask you something first." "What is it?" she asked. "Well, I have a friend with me from Viet Nam. Can he come?"
•
• "Oh, of course," she answered. "Bring him along. He'll enjoy the parties, too." "Wait a moment, mom," hesaid, "I need to explain something about him. He was terribly wounded, & lost both legs & one arm. His face is disfigured, too."
•
• There was silence on the phone for awhile. Then the mother said, "That's all right. Bring him home for a few days." "No, mom, you don't understand. He has nowhere to live. He has no one else. I want to bring him home & to let our home be his home."
•
• The mother was quiet again. Then she said, "Son, that just wouldn't do. What you're asking would be very unfair to us. Why, it would disrupt all our lives. I'm sure there are government agencies that would be more than glad to take charge of him. Look, just you hurry home for Christmas now, & then maybe you can visit him once in a while."
•
• "Darling, I'm sorry, but we've got to rush or we'll be late for the party. Call us againas soon as you know when you'll be home. Goodbye."
•
• When the parents returned home from the party that night, there was an urgent messagefrom the California police asking them to call.
•
• They telephoned, & the officer said, "I'm very sorry to have to call you, but we have just found a young soldier dead in a motel room. His face is disfigured, & he has lost both legs & one arm. From the documents on him it would appear that he is your son."
•
• Whatever your burdens are this morning, the solution to a troubled heart is still the same, to trust, to trust in His presence. "I'll never leave you," He said. "I'll always be beside you. Don't forget My presence."
•
• Secondly, "Trust My promises. When everything seems dark & gloomy, when everything seems to be falling apart, remember My promises."
•
• "Then trust in Me. You won't get lost. You won't go astray. I'm the way, & I'll take you by the hand & lead you to My Father's house."
•

• Israel My Glory, November/December
2015, Waiting For His Shout, (the
rapture) page 25, John 14, Charles E.
McCracken
4
5

• THE RAPTURE AND JOHN 14
• by Thomas Ice
• I believe that John 14:1-3 speaks of Christ's return at the Rapture for His church.
• However, many who do not believe that the Rapture will occur before the tribulation say
• that this passage refers to Christ coming at death for a believer. There are good
• reasons why this passage is Christ's introduction of the Rapture of the church.
• CHRIST COMING AT DEATH?
• Preterist, Dr. Ken Gentry, believes that the Scripture “teaches that Christ comes . . .
• to believers at death (John 14:1a3)”.1
• Contrary to Dr. Gentry, Leon Morris notes, “The
• reference to the second advent should not be missed.”2
• So why does Dr. Gentry and
• others of his persuasion miss the thrust of this passage? Because to take this as a
• reference to a future second coming would contradict their theology. Why have the
• majority of ancient and modern interpreters take this text as a future second coming
• passage? Because the plain meaning, taken in context, of the language in this passage
• demands such an understanding.
• John 14:3, where Christ tells His disciples, "I will come again, and receive you to
• Myself," is an expression that is never used of death in the whole Bible. Commentators
• on this passage simply declare their view to be so, without substantiation. Yet, many
• times, various biblical texts speak of Christ coming in reference to His Second Advent
• (Matt. 24:27, 30, 37, 39, 42-44, 46; 25:31; John 21:23; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thess. 4:15; 2
46

"JOHN 14 AND 1 THESSALONIANS
4”, by Thomas Ice
• "JOHN 14 AND 1 THESSALONIANS 4"
• "A significant number of commentators note that our Lord's statements in John 14:1-3 parallels
another New Testament passage—1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.14
• Renald Showers points out a number of similarities between the two passages.15 However, it was
the late Mennonite commentator, J. B. Smith,16 who demonstrated just how extensive the
relationship of these two passages really are.17
• Dr. Smith made word-for-word comparisons between the Rapture passage (1 Thess. 4:13-18) and
a clear Second Advent text (Rev. 19:11-21) and found no significant parallels. "Hence it is
impossible that one sentence or even one phrase can be alike in the two lists," observes Dr. Smith.
"And finally not one word in the two lists is used in the same relation or connection."18
• He goes on to conclude that "It would be difficult if not impossible to find elsewhere any two
important passages of Scripture that are so diverse in the words employed and so opposite in
their implications. . . . We believe the comparison of the words of these two passages . . . describe
different events."19
• When it comes to a comparison between John 14:1-3 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 we see amazing
parallels. That John 14:1-3 is a Rapture reference is supported by the progression of words and
thoughts when compared to Paul's more extensive Rapture passage (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Observe
the following comparison:"
• READ MORE: "THE RAPTURE AND JOHN 14”, by Thomas Ice
• http://pre-trib.org/data/pdf/Ice-TheRaptureandJohn14.pdf 47

Eph 1, 3, Rewards,
1 Thessalonians 4 John 14
49

John 14:3, The Rapture, Last Call
Commentary by Jack Kelley
• Last Call
• Wednesday, June 25th, 2014Past Featured
• Prayer
• Prophecy
• Rapture
• Spiritual Gifts
• Commentary by Jack Kelley
• Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction (2 Thes. 2:3).
• “By tomorrow, there will be 175,000 more Christians than there are today.” So says Jim Rutz, author of Megashift, a book on the growth of Christianity in the world. He makes the point that Christianity, not Islam, is the world’s fastest-
growing faith. This is a fact that for the most part is overlooked because most surveys only count the traditional Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church in calculating the total number of Christians, while ignoring
Christian believers who aren’t part of either. And there are also hundreds of millions of Christians who are not associated with institutional churches at all. In many countries, they meet in homes and barns and caves, often in secret.
• “The growing core of Christianity crosses theological lines and includes millions of born-again people whose number is increasing every year” says Rutz. Westerners have missed this trend because the explosive growth is elsewhere. It’s
happening in places like China and India, Africa, and even Iran.
• It’s popular in some Christian circles to wax enthusiastically about the coming revival that will result in the conversion of the world, fulfilling Dominion Theology doctrine. According to this doctrine, the Lord can’t come back until
Christianity conquers the world. And indeed, if the trend documented by Mr. Rutz continues apace the entire world population would profess Christianity within 25 years.
• Where’s That Written?
• But the Bible speaks of no such revival. In fact it predicts just the opposite. According to 2 Thes. 2:3, the event that will precede the coming of the anti-Christ is a great rebellion, from the Greek apostasia, which means “a falling away,
defection, or apostasy.” Paul was predicting a departure from the truth at the End of the Age into a form of belief incompatible with Orthodox Christianity. He explained it to Timothy this way.
• For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears
away from the truth and turn aside to myths (2 Timothy 4:3-4). He had already warned us through Timothy that this new belief would have a form of godliness but would deny its power (2 Tim. 3:5).
• After true believers are raptured out of the end times church, the Lord will characterize those remaining like this; “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are
lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked (Rev. 3:15-17).
• Truth be told, the only revival predicted for Christianity comes during the post-church period known as Daniel’s 70th Week. Due to the rapture, a huge number of people who were left behind will remember the warnings they received
from friends who have disappeared, and an even larger number will be convinced by the literal fulfillment of prophecy right before their eyes. The result will probably be the largest increase of believers in all of history.
• What’s That All About?
• So, if Daniel’s 70th Week hasn’t begun yet, what’s this incredible growth of Christianity in Third World countries all about? And what’s fueling it? We’ll take the 2nd question first. The fuel is the Holy Spirit in an outpouring of miracles
not seen on Earth in many generations. People are being visited in dreams, healed in prayer services, and even raised from the dead as evidence of the power of God in areas where Christianity hasn’t become as “mature” as it has
elsewhere.
• And that brings us back to question one. What’s happening is that this outpouring is a sign that the Last Days are upon us. Think of it as God issuing a great “Last Call” before He rounds up His Church for the trip home. Remember, He
doesn’t want that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) Millions in the Third World are getting a last minute chance to climb aboard that train to glory.
• While much of the Western church serves up a version of Christianity so watered down for its seeker audience that it fits the definition Paul warned Timothy about, the Holy Spirit has found a less sophisticated audience in the Third
World. This audience doesn’t know about programs and denominations, multi-million dollar campuses and 40 Days of Purpose. It simply knows the miraculous power of God in action.
• Oddly enough, that’s always been the power that has drawn people into a life-changing experience. We’d do well to heed Paul’s own testimony to the Church in Corinth.
• “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you
in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s
power. (1 Cor. 2:1-5)
• The Greek word translated demonstration means evidence, or proof, such as would be presented in a court of law.
• Where’s Everybody Going?
• Contrast that with what some in the Western Church advocate now, which is a much different approach to bringing new folks into their pews on Sunday. They suggest downplaying the Bible, prophecy, prayer, and certainly the
manifestation of spiritual gifts. And it appears to work wonderfully well in our “more sophisticated” culture. In a recent survey to identify the fifty most influential churches in America, fully one half of all the votes cast were for
Saddleback (1st) and Willow Creek (2nd) two of our largest seeker-friendly congregations.
• Did the Lord have anything to say on this matter? Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to
life, and only a few find it. (Matt.7:13-14) Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems as if the seeker-friendly approach counsels making the gate wider and the way broader.
• But is that what it takes today? Or, could such an outpouring of the Spirit as is being experienced in the Third World happen to the Western church as well? Maybe it already has. Remember, from the mid 1800′s to the late 1900′s we
received several such invitations from God. The Great Awakening (mid 1800′s), the birth of Pentecostalism (1906), and the Jesus Movement of the 1970′s immediately come to mind. Each of these brought many thousands into the flock,
and each of them continues in one form or another today. How many times do we expect the Spirit to call before the end?
• For nearly 2000 years the work begun by Matthew and Thomas in the Far East seemed to have borne very little fruit but suddenly all that’s changed, verifying the Lord’s promise that His word would never return empty, but would
achieve the purpose for which He sent it. (Isaiah 55:11) As one famous evangelist proclaimed, “If the rapture happened today there would be more people missing from China than from the USA.” Something to think about. You can
almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.

John 14:3, The Rapture
http://compass.sowingcircle.org/gml/gmlTemplateHTML.cfm?ContentID=196
•
QUESTION FOR THE DAY
• Dear Compass,
• I am curious about your teaching that the Lord will sneak in and out with His saints. Which passages are you referring to for Rapture and which are for the second coming? And how do you determine which is which?
•
ANSWER:
• To distinguish between scriptures about Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ, you must determine if the verse is referring to the Lord coming "for" His saints (1 Thessalonians 4:16) or "with" His saints (1 Thessalonians 3:13). Tommy Ice, in his
book Prophecy Watch (Harvest House), gives the following comprehensive list:
• [Note: Click here to view on the web if the tables do not display well in your email.]
• Rapture VersesJohn 14:1-3
Romans 8:19
1 Corinthians 1:7-8
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
1 Corinthians 16:22
Philippians 3:20,21
Philippians 4:5
Colossians 3:4
1 Thessalonians 1:10
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
1 Thessalonians 5:9
2 Thessalonians 2:1
2 Thessalonians 2:3 (?)
1 Timothy 6:14
2 Timothy 4:1
2 Timothy 4:8
Titus 2:13
Hebrews 9:28
James 5:7-9
1 Peter 1:7, 13
1 Peter 5:4
1 John 2:28-3:2
Jude 21
Revelation 2:25
Revelation 3:10
• Second Coming versesDaniel 2:44-45
Daniel 7:9-14
Daniel 12:1-3
Zechariah 12:10
Zechariah 14:1-15
Matthew 13:41
Matthew 24:15-31
Matthew 26:64
Mark 13:14-27
Mark 14:62
Luke 21:25-28
Acts 1:9-11
Acts 3:19-21
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
2 Thessalonians 2:8
1 Peter 4:12-13
2 Peter 3:1-14
Jude 14-15
Revelation 1:7
Revelation 19:11-20:6
Revelation 22:7, 12, 20
• Also, it's easy to see the following contrasts of the two events:
• RAPTURE/
TRANSLATION 2ND COMING/
ESTABLISHED KINGDOM 1.Translation of all believersNo translation2.Translated go to heavenTranslated saints return to earth3.Earth not judgedEarth judged /
righteousness established4.Any moment, signlessFollows definite predicted signs5.Not in the Old TestamentPredicted often in the
Old Testament6.Affects believers onlyAffects all men7.Before the day of wrathConcluding the day of wrath8.No reference to SatanSatan bound9.Comes "FOR" His ownComes "WITH" His own10.He comes in the airHe comes to the earth11.He claims His brideHe
comes with His bride12.Only His own see HimEvery eye will see Him13.Tribulation beginsMillennial kingdom begins14.A mysteryNo mystery / predictedAdditional resource for this GML:
• For additional information on the topic of the timing of the Rapture, Compass published an article in our monthly eNews titled Is Rapture This September? (You'll need to scroll down to April
2011).http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs011/1103404634488/archive/1103609533893.html
• http://compass.sowingcircle.org/gml/gmlTemplateHTML.cfm?ContentID=196

Why the Rapture Is No New
Delirium, By Wilfred Hahn
• “Whenever I mention that my ministry is pre-Millennial, pre-Tribulational, and absurdities of all absurdities—believe in
the doctrine of the Rapture, I receive responses. For several reasons, my ministry generally has not entangled ourselves
in this issue. But, apparently, according to the responses we receive, to believe that a Rapture will occur brands one as
“low brow,” “gullible” and “escapist.”
• If anything, it seems that a spirit of derisiveness as well as smugness is becoming more prevalent. Nevertheless, over the
years we have observed that the “No-Rapture” proponents apparently feel unsettled with Rapture-believers. We receive
letters from supposedly well-meaning people who would like to convert us; some even want to “deliver” us to a post- or
mid-tribulation perspective.
• Interestingly, most of these respondents will agree that any differences in our perspectives are nothing over which to
lose fellowship, as long as both parties are pre-millennial. Yet, for some reason, they still want to disprove the Rapture
view, though it is not a “salvation issue.”
• Conversely, those who hold the Rapture view do not feel it an imperative to expunge the world of Rapture naysayers. As
mentioned, it is not a salvation issue. The Rapture believer knows that the non-Rapture-believing Christian is given
salvation through grace as anyone else, and moreover, will be taken up in the Rapture even while they remain doubters.
• So why “proselytize” them to the Rapture view, other than to gain the blessing of a full biblical alignment of one’s views?
• While not every variant of doctrine threatens one’s salvation, every deviation from Biblical truth does have its price.
• We wonder why there is such an opposition to the Rapture view. Just what spirit — or irritation — is behind these
attacks? The range of counter arguments and viewpoints range from the thoughtful to pure vitriol.
• It would be fine to debate the Rapture doctrine based upon Biblical exegesis. However, increasingly it seems that
Rapture-deniers resort to mostly unfounded and unbalanced allegations. They have not come to their opinion by way of
“scholarly” study, but rather shallow anti-Rapture propaganda.
• Recently, a friend (with an evangelical background and who was raised with the Rapture expectation) rather suddenly
changed his mind, announcing to me that he no longer believes in the Rapture. I was curious what was behind this
“conversion.” 52

John 14:3, Rapture
He Will Receive Us To Himself
• NAU John 13:36 … you will follow later.”
you, I will come again and receive you to
Myself, that where I am, there you may be
also.
• The Gentile bride, and the rapture, Israel my
glory November 7, 2015 Charles E. McCracken,
page 25
53

John 14;1-4, Rapture not 2nd Coming; Ruling and Reigning; Jewish Wedding; 16 Proofs Pre-Trib Rapture; Rapture vs. 2nd Coming

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