Advanced Parties in the Last Week

Advanced Parties in the Last Week

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Rev. 3.10). Notice it says not unto your falsely dividing denomination but unto the churches, that is to say, cities and locales as independent units and miniatures of the new city in the new earth. God never divides the body based on congregationalisms, so why do you? We need to rise above such divisions to abide in God's Word? If you are willing, then you ar ready.

There is only one second coming of the Lord, which spans the last week of 7 years.

"Except there come a falling away first" (2 Thess. 2.3). Christ will not be seen in Person by all the world until He steps down on the mount of olives (Zech. 14.4) after the Tribulation. This is His divide foreknowledge of events. Before then He is seen in 3rd heaven at the first rapture by the overcomer believers raptured alived "to the throne" (Rev. 7.9) for keeping the word of His patience. And then at the 19th month of the second half of the Tribulation He meets the harvest of the saints raptured to the air.

"The day of Christ" (2 Thess. 2.3) is seeing Christ in Person when He finally steps down on the mount of olives. The day of the Lord spans from first rapture to the end of the millennial reign of Christ. It is the period for the Lord. "Let no man deceive you by any means" (v.3a) for there will be some that say the millennial peace is now, or they will not see the last week is a full 7 years of His parousia, losing the blessing of Rev. 1.3. Legalizers will say Christ will not begin His parousia until He steps down on the mount of olives because the Antichrist must come first, so they seek the Antichrist first. Don't you know that the reason why the Restrainer (Satan) unrestrains the Antichrist is because the parousia has begun? It is because of God, not because of the Devil. The parousia did not begin because of Satan. Otherwise for you the Antichrist dictates God's actions rather than God dictating to Antichrist his paramaters. Therefore, the son of perdition, the Antichrist, does his nasty because of the first rapture and not before Christ begins the first rapture according to readiness to receive those who are ready. First rapture commences the consummation of this age and the return of Christ, or the day of the Lord. The rapture of saints, generally speaking, won't commence until the son of perdition is revealed, that is to say, until the last week commences. This allows for a first rapture before the trumpets and a rapture at the last trumpet. This is what Paul is saying. Be careful not to apply general verses to the specific structure of the raptures and events in the Tribulation. That would be a grave error.

Paul is not saying he wants to be in the body of Christ or that He wants to be resurrected as though he is unsure God will resurrect him. No! He already knows He will be resurrected unto Christ. What he is saying is that he wants to be included in the overcomer believers - the first resurrection, which is the best out-of out resurrection (Rev. 20.4) out of the general resurrection and rapture of the saints. This is proven by the words of Paul.

“The second death” of 20.6 is in contrast with “the first resurrection”, because the latter means to enjoy glory while the former means to suffer eternally. Hence the first resurrection is none other than the time of recompense (Luke 14.14, 20.34-36) - rewards, or loss of rewards in outer darkness for believers.

"And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just" (Luke 14.14). Some of those resurrected in Christ will reign during the millennial kingdom, some will lose this reward of reigning.

What Paul says in Philippians 3.11 is not an expecting to be raised from the dead (for all the dead shall be resurrected), nor an anticipating the resurrection of the spirit (for the resurrection of the spirit is already accomplished at the time of new birth).

"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (Phil. 3.11).

What Paul is looking forward to is the “out-resurrection” from among the dead, which is this “best” resurrection spoken of here in 20.5, even a reigning with the Lord.

"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection" (Rev. 20.5)

Read again Philippians 1.23-25. There in that epistle’s first chapter Paul is saying that he will live; he is not contemplating death.

"For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh [is] more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith" (Phil. 1.23-25).

How, then, can he be talking about resurrection? He clearly states in Philippians 3.20,21 that he waits for the coming of the Lord. Consequently, what he anxiously hopes for is to reign (Rev. 20.6) with the Lord.

"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" (Phil. 3.20-21).

“The rest of the dead” (Rev. 20.5) naturally includes all the unsaved sinners. Their resurrection will come to pass a thousand years later.

Men of the flesh see Paul as contemplating death and hopes for a general resurrection, but that is not what Paul is saying. He is saying here that he wants to be included in the rewards of reigning which is for those who are saved that keep His patient word to reign during the millennial kingdom. Naturally those who receive this reward will also be raised up at the first rapture also-raptured alive if they are alive at that time.

Jesus is not a thief that does not come to steal. He wants to be with His children, they are His and He wants to receive those who are ready first, so as a thief He comes to take them as though stealing, even the best first. Your accusation against Jesus that He is not like the thief is your attack against Christ. Many believers, and non-believers feel it too distasteful to be accounted ready to be received by keeping the conduct in Matt. 5-7. So shall there be consequences.

"But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up" (Matt. 24.43). Many do not have faith to believe Christ is the thief who comes to steal the best because they care not to be watchful and ready, so they accuse God of coming like a thief. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night" (2 Peter 3.10). Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, "And hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (Rev. 3.3). If you don't fulfill this condition you will be left unawares. "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" (Rev. 16.15). Some Christians are not watchful so they won't be ready at the first rapture or to receive the reward of reigning in the millennium. There are others who say they are of God, but then reject the Word of God on these truths and instead accuse Christ of being the thief by saying that he cannot be.

Parousia is a process which lasts 7 years, and Christ can raise His own at anytime during this period: either at the first rapture (Rev. 7.9, Luke 21.36, Rev. 3.10, Matt. 24.40-41) before the trumpets of the Tribulation, during the Tribulation 3.5 days after martyrs die like the two witnesses, or at the last trumpet of the Tribulation (1 Thess. 4.15-17, 1 Cor. 15.50-52, 23). We note there are at least 12 raptures and resurrections recorded in the Bible so this is no problem for Christ. God is not restricted to a one-time only rapture, nor is this in keeping with God's way to have firstfruits (Rev. 14.1-5) and a later harvest (14.14-16). That's why there is first the man-child overcomers raptured first (Rev. 12.5). First there is an Enoch raptured then the rapture of the saints in the Tribulation (Noah and the ark); first Elijah is taken, Elisha is left; Christ is raised, the saints go through the Tribulation; Philip is taken and the Eunuch is left; those enter into Canaan first, then those who are left cross the Jordan. There are always advanced parties and harbingers in every sphere. Always. No exceptions.

Many are hostile to the little brother by saying the twelve disciples as being purely Christians in direct contrast with the view of the pretrib school which considers these twelve as being merely Jews. As a matter of fact, however, these twelve disciples are Christians as well as representatives of the Jewish remnant. For example, in Matthew 10.5-6 and 23.3 we see that all have a Jewish background, a fact which is thus inapplicable to Christians. Is it rubbish what Matt. 10 and 23 says? The disciples are to make disciples of all the nations, but this does not change the fact they were born into the nation of Israel as Jews. How silly.

Israel will receive her covenant promise to be the center of all nations, and there is nothing an historicalist can do about it. When I say historicalist I am referring not only to non-premillennialist, but also posttrib premillennialists. Both groups consider most of a book of revelation to be already completed. If it were so, then it would no longer be a book of the future as Genesis 1-3 show us beginnings. Only learned scholars and historians would be saved which violates Acts 10.34. Would God leave us without such knowledge of the future? That would not be love and the Holy Spirit to not give us this information. John was not allegorizing past events at 95 AD, but speaking of the future in Rev. 2 & 3 (church age) and 6 (things that will happen in the world during the church age) before the first rapture of the last week takes place (Rev. 7.9) which before the Tribulation of the trumpets.