THE CHURCH RAPTURED - PART TWO

V. The signs of the Rapture


We may say, and be entirely scriptural, that there are no signs of the rapture as there are of the Second Advent. There never was a sign required to come to

pass or a prophecy to be fulfilled before the rapture. The rapture could have taken place any time in the past since the apostles, and can take place any

time now, or in the future, without a sign or prophecy being fulfilled. If there were certain things to be fulfilled first before the rapture then we would

be looking for those things to be fulfilled first instead of looking for the rapture as the Lord said, and Paul taught.


VI. The Lord’s Comings are Practical Doctrines


These doctrines of the Lord’s events (the rapture and second coming) are two of the most practical and fruitful ones in Scripture. They are real incentives

to holiness [1Jn. 3:1-3]; profitable in exhorting to watchfulness and faithfulness [Mt. 24-25;1Jn. 2:28]; patience [Jas. 5:7-8]; death to self [Col. 3:3-5];

endurance [1Pet. 1:7; 4:13]; holy conversation and godliness [2 Pet. 3:11-13]; soberness and righteousness [Titus 2:11-13]; consolation [1Thess. 4:13-18];

blamelessness [1 Cor.1: 4-8]; pastoral diligence and purity [ 1Pet.5: 1-4]; sincerity [ Phil.1: 9-10]; mildness [ phil.4: 5-6]; and hope [ 1Cor. 15].
The rapture will be to the saints the beginning of eternal and ever increasing joy and glory. The second coming will be to Israel and all righteous earthly

nations the beginning of eternal and ever increasing blessing and favor for believers entering the millennium.

Before considering many proofs that the rapture of the Church takes place before the fulfillment of any event, as revealed in Rev. 4:22, let us emphasize

again the importance of the threefold division of the book of Revelation as stated by Jesus Christ, Himself.

Since “these things” of Rev. 4-22 must be “after these things” of Rev. chapters 1-3 which concerns the churches, then “these things” must be after the

churches. Therefore, any interpretation which mixes the “things” of the Churches with the “things” which must be after the Churches is false and in direct

contradiction to the Lord’s statement and teaching of a threefold division of the Revelation in chapter 1:19; 4:1.

Thus, it is erroneous for instance, to place the historical birth and ascension of Jesus Christ into the 12th chapter of Revelation, identifying Him as the

manchild when the manchild and all that is related thereto are among the “things” which must be after the churches. For the same reason it is wrong to say

that any seal, trumpet, or vial of the book has been fulfilled, or that the 144,000 Jewish remnant could be some religious group of this age, or coming out

of this age.

We must therefore always keep in mind that the fulfillment of all these “things which must be hereafter” including the “things” concerning the two witnesses,

the beasts, the mark of the beast, the great whore (Babylon), and numerous other things will be after the Churches. And, any teaching which violates this

fact in any degree will lead to a wrong understanding of the book of Revelation.