How thoroughly we understand GOD and HIS ways depends on what HE decides to reveal to us as we "meditate" upon HIS Word. Our part is to read what is written and think upon that which we have read, as accurately as we can. Using un-biblical terms only contributes to our confusion and often vales from us a fuller understanding of HIS truth. Few subjects prove this out as effectively as does the "Rapture," which is another term not found in the Bible, but rather given to us from Church Traditions.
More has probably been written by the hand of man about the Rapture then any other "Biblical" topic. Rarely is an understanding of something sought more fervently for the tickling of the ears than this one. We have heard about the "pre seven year rapture", the "pre-tribulation rapture", the "mid-tribulation rapture" and the "post-tribulation rapture". Then there are the a-millennial historicists, the post-millennial historicists, the pre-millennialists and the futurists. Each term describes differing opinions about the Rapture, which of course itself is not even in the Bible. We would do well to leave them to their "traditional views" and go back to the Word of GOD and see what HE is willing to tell us about the subject.
The reader would be advantaged if he were aware of some basic principles concerning GOD's Word. The Bible is a collection of writings by over forty "holy men of GOD" during a period of about sixteen hundred years. Never are we to assume that any passage was written to all peoples everywhere throughout all time. Each chapter, each epistle
, each book and each testament must be read in light of to whom and for what purpose it was written. The Apostle Paul set this forth concerning the writings of Moses when he wrote, "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law" (ROMANS 3:19). The Lord declared as much concerning His ministry when, "he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (MATTHEW 15:24). To pretend that certain passages were written to us when they were not, is a blatant misinterpretation of the Scriptures.
When Yeshua (Jesus) left the disciples at the mount called Olivet to ascend into heaven, He was leaving those to whom He had been sent. His ministry was unto the "children of Israel". So when the two men dressed in white that stood by said unto them, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (ACTS 1:11), the promise of His return was unto His Jewish followers. The Jews that believed on Him were the ones anticipating His return. Thus Peter and the other Apostles for almost forty years sought out Judeans, in the land of Israel and among the various countries where they had been dispersed, declaring unto them the hope of His return.
ACTS 3:19-21 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Indeed, if Israel had repented, the Messiah would have returned and put in motion all the prophecies concerning the end time, about "which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began". But alas, the Judeans rejected the Apostles as they had rejected the Lord Himself. Therefore, at the close of the book of ACTS, the apostle Paul declared unto the unbelieving Jews that for them time had run out. "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed..." (ACTS 28:28-29).
For the forty years of the book of ACTS, the Epistles written during that time were for the most part to "the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad". As were the synoptic gospels, these Epistles of James, Peter, John and Jude were written to the Judeans. Likewise, the epistles written by Paul during this time were to the Judeans. On occasion he might digress and write unto the converted Gentiles, but generally he wrote unto "my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh."
Not until after ACTS, do we find Paul writing to believers totally independent of the Judean. In those seven post-ACTS Epistles he writes about "the mystery of GOD's will", which had been "hid in GOD", concerning a group of believers, saying, "he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world". One must distinguish between the promises made to the believers who were chosen "from the beginning" (2nd THESSALONIANS 2:13) with those promises made to the believers chosen "from before the foundation of the world" (EPHESIANS 1:4). We have done our best to assemble for you the Dispensational Position of the Gospels and Epistles here.
Only after understanding these distinctions can we "rightly divide" the three different aspects of Christ's return. First, there is the "appearing", the epiphaneia, which is directed toward those from all nations who were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. Then there is the "return", the "second coming", the parousia, which is directed toward the believing Jews and Proselytes. Finally, there is the "Revelation", the apokalupsis, which is directed toward the unbelieving world. Below are given applicable passages for the reader to consider.
The epiphaneia.
COLOSSIANS 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear [phaneroo], then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
1 TIMOTHY 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing [epiphaneia] of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 TIMOTHY 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing [epiphaneia] and his kingdom;
2 TIMOTHY 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing [epiphaneia].
TITUS 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing [epiphaneia] of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
The parousia.
MATTHEW 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming [parousia], and of the end [sunteleia] of the world?
MATTHEW 24:27,31 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming [parousia] of the Son of man be....And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.MATTHEW 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming [parousia] of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming [parousia] of the Son of man be.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:22-25 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming [parousia]. Then cometh the end [telos], when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1 THESSALONIANS 4:15-17 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming [parousia] of the Lord shall not prevent [proceed] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
2 THESSALONIANS 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming [parousia]:
JAMES 5:7-9 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming [parousia] of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming [parousia] of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
2 PETER 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming [parousia] of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
1 JOHN 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming [parousia].
The apokalupsis.
MATTHEW 24:30 And then [after the tribulation of those days, vs. 29] shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
2 THESSALONIANS 1:7-9 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed [apokalupsis] from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
1 PETER 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing [apokalupsis] of Jesus Christ:
REVELATION 1:1 The Revelation [apokalupsis] of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass [or, occur swiftly]; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
It is interesting that the parousia is never used in the context of Christ's return in the epistles written after the book of ACTS. It is equally interesting that epiphany is never used before the end of the book of ACTS, in the context of Christ's return. The parousia is for those believers chosen "from the beginning", while the epiphaneia is for those believers chosen from "before the foundation of the world". Concerning the parousia we are told much, but concerning the epiphaneia we are told little, only that there are definite distinctions between the two. The apokalupsis is what GOD shows the believer that HE is going to "quickly" do to the unbelieving world.
During "ACTS", while the hand of GOD was still stretched out to the nation of Israel, the Apostles hoped for the immediate return of their Lord. However, that was put on hold after Paul pronounced the fulfillment of the third and final declaration of Isaiah's prophecy concerning Israel's blindness.
ACTS 28:25-28 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
At the appointed time, GOD will once again take up HIS dealings with Israel where HE left them at the close of the book of ACTS. Then at His parousia, the Lord will return in the clouds and receive unto Him the dead in Christ and those believers who remain, and so shall they ever be with the Lord, "in the clouds". These being primarily Judeans we expect they will enter "holy Jerusalem", which descends out of heaven from GOD. But for those of the epiphaneia, they will find their seat above holy Jerusalem "in heavenly places". As for the unbelievers, they shall wish to dwell under the mountains.
REVELATION 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
