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View Full Version : The Gathering of the Jews and the Rapture of the Saints



Finestwheat
12-07-2006, 07:22 PM
Revelation 7.9 is a vision of an event of something that is going to happen at the first rapture and also speaks of eternal blessings. By comparing 7.9 with 12.5 you can see the first rapture, a harbinger or advanced party.

Matt. 24.32-Matt. 25.31 is speaking to Christians, the Church. Before 24.31 is full of Jewish background terminology and localized restrictions such as Judea and sabbath, but after v.31 this is not the case. There is no moral demand prior to v.31, just to flee. But after v.31 we are to be watchful and ready-which actions are the responsibility of the saints. Non-Christians can not understand these truths of our returning Christ. And prior to v.31 is to be literally interpretted to flee in the winter and a literal sabbath. But after v.31 is spiritually interpretted. V.26 is a literal chamber, but the house in v.43 is spiritually interpreted. What is concerning the church is spiritually interpreted as in Matt. 13.11-13: Mat 13:11 And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

James 1.1 confirms the 12 tribes of Israel as being of Israel. James was an elder of the Jerusalem church so naturally he would speak to the tribes of Israel as well. The 12 tribes of Israel is not the Church. So the gathering of the 12 tribes speak of gathering Israel from all the 4 corners of the earth, and we see that happening today already. Matt. 24.31 is the gathering of the Jews. Verse 31 is fulfillment of 23.39: "Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord". After the Great Tribulation the Lord shall "gather together His elect": the "elect" or "chosen" are the Jews who scattered among the nations. "From the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other" - This does not denote rapture, for here is the idea of erchmai, not parousia. Here is a gathering together (see Deut. 30.3-5): "That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. If [any] of thine be driven out unto the outmost [parts] of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he bring thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers." Afte the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jews were either killed or captured. They were scattered among the nations. Now the Lord begins to call them back (see Is. 43.5-7): "Fear not: for I [am] with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; [Even] every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him." They shall return from the east, the west, the north and the south. "From the four winds" (Matt. 24.31) - Wind is moving all the time: the Jews have no settled place in which to live but had wandered all over the world for a very long time.

The gathering spoken of in v.31 is not the rapture of the church because (1) parousia has already passed with the raptures at first rapture and the rapture at the start of the last trumpet of the Tribulation. Rapture is within the scope of parousia because it takes two to meet in the air. (2) A gathering together is a gathering, not having connection with parousia. (3) If it was parousia it would be totally foreign to the preceeding passage of tribes of Israel who will not be raptured during the parousia. (4) By pointing to the Jews it agrees with Matt. 23.37: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!. (5) at the trump of God, the Lord shall come to the air to rapture the saints before the gathering of the Jews since Jesus does not step down while He is still in the air. He gathers the Jews when He steps down (Zech. 14.4) at the 1260th day. From the 1290th to the 1335th day, Jesus gives Israel their place as the center of all nations. (6) The context is shown to be concerning the Jews.