The Rapture & The Glory of God
Israel is always God’s indication of where we are in prophetic history. Consider this verse: "Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days" (Hosea 3:5). King David, of course, was a pre-cursor to Messiah Yeshua, the One who is forever King of the Jews. The Magi declared Him King of the Jews upon his birth (Matthew 2:2) and Pilate identified Him as King of the Jews at the end of His life, asking, "Do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?" (John 18:39). Even the plaque above His head, declaring that for which He was crucified on the cross read, "YESHUA THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS" (John 19:19). I’m grateful to be able to say, this Yeshua is my King. How about you?
If you read my articles, you may notice that I’m somewhat pre-occupied with the Lord and His goodness. I became convinced, though the devil would like to have given me (and all of us, starting with Eve) cause to distrust His goodness toward each of us in particular and about His character in general. What better thing is there to be preoccupied with than the goodness of God? I wonder if it’s part of the calling of those who are "of Israel" for Hosea 3:5 does say, "they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days." Perhaps that is part of the draw to Jewish believers. We are invariably quite conscious of His goodness to us, not taking it for granted, being so grateful that He brought us to Himself. We know our "family" history -- the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s right out there on the pages of the Bible for all to see. Even so, He has "loved us (Israel) with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3a).
Anyway, my point is that Israel’s coming "to the Lord and to His goodness" is a sure sign that we are "in the last days." This is certainly not a new thought. Prophecies and their fulfillment abound at this time about the end of days. If we were to go by what was projected in the seventies, if you were around then, many expected we should have been ‘raptured’ away by now. I had no expectation then that we would still be here in 2009. And now, with such times of uncertainty as appear to loom before us, it causes us to look to the sky for the Lord’s return.
But when? How soon? What will precede His coming? What we can count on happening is this: "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Messiah 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 Thes. 4:16, 17).
The term that has been used in modern times for when Yeshua gathers His people to Himself "in the clouds" is not in the original Scriptures. The Greek term harpazô means "to snatch, seize, i.e., take suddenly and vehemently." This is the same meaning of the Latin word rapio "to seize, snatch, tear away." The English word was developed from the Latin which we use today known as "rapture." I do realize that the topic of the rapture is one that people feel pretty strongly about. There is, as we know, more than one interpretation from Scripture as to when it might take place. I have various friends, including pastors, who believe with all their hearts respectively that the rapture will take place:
before the tribulation (my personal favorite though not necessarily my confident expectation),
in the middle of the tribulation (Consider Rev.11:11, 12),
for those who are ready while those not ready must endure the rest of the tribulation (as per the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25:1-3), or
at the culmination of the age with all its tribulation when "the last trumpet" is blown. (as per 1 Cor 15:51, 52).
Much of the "rapture" doctrine expects that God’s people will be removed from times of difficulty or "tribulation" in the earth while others will be left behind to suffer, presumably until or unless they repent and realize who Yeshua is. I have some reservations about that interpretation, since many Christians throughout the world have suffered terribly over the centuries and gone through what they would have called "tribulation." Some from nations around the world who visit this website and read our articles and watch Sid’s shows online are suffering even today. First World nation folks have been relatively free of life-threatening persecution for our faith. But what if we find ourselves faced with such persecution and suffering? What if the rapture does not take place in the way many have hoped or expected.......
Click here for the rest of the original article...
|
|
