The Bible tells us exactly when the Gathering of the Saints happens (the Rapture), so why is it so controversial?

Jesus, Daniel and Paul together leave no room for doubt!

rapture

In Matthew 24, Jesus said the Abomination of Desolation would begin the Great Tribulation, and that He would return in the clouds with power and glory immediately after the Tribulation.

But wait! Jesus said no man knows the day or hour...

Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

1 Thess 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

What else did Jesus and Paul say about it?

We should definitely KNOW when the time is near and we should WATCH and PRAY!

Luke 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. ... 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Escape what? The snare... the surprise...

The parable of the virgins with oil, and those virgins who were unprepared = we should be prepared and watch...

Matt 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

1 Thess 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

We are NOT IN DARKNESS that that day should overtake us as a thief! Only those in the world, those in darkness, will be overtaken as a thief...

Jesus said to the church, IF YOU DON'T WATCH, I WILL COME ON YOU AS A THIEF! It's ONLY those who don't belong to Jesus, those in darkness, that will be surprised!

Rev 3:3  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.

Mark 13:37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Jesus did not say we would not know the approximate time, He only said we would not know the exact day or hour. We will know the "time" and will be prepared. He gave us much information about what to expect!

He even told the disciples that it's not for them to know... It was not going to happen in their lifetime!

Act 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

He gave us signs that will herald His coming, and told us when this would all happen, so we will know!

Now that we've cleared that up, let's look at exactly what to look for, and when this time is:

The event Jesus is referring to in Matthew 24:15 is Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 11:31. The Antichrist will confirm the covenant for seven years and will be an abomination to God and will make it (the holy place; the Temple) desolate in the middle of those final 7 years.

Take note of what the end of this prophecy brings:

Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Each "week" is a week of years, or a 7 year period. The prophecy will make an end of sins and will bring in everlasting righteousness and seal up the prophecy... this will only be accomplished when God abolishes sin and destroys the wicked and sets up His kingdom, which we see in Revelation 20 and 21.

In the midst of the final "week", the middle of the final 7 years, is when this abomination of desolation will happen...

Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Daniel 11 also shows us this abomination of desolation as it gives us details about the time of the rule of the Antichrist.

Dan 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

He will come to his end at the end of his rule...

Dan 11:45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Daniel 11 is continued into Daniel 12 and gives us the time frame of this event.

Dan 12:6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8  And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.  10  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.  11  And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

So Daniel specifically tells us that this event will happen 3.5 years before "all these things shall be finished". (time (1 year), times (two years) and a half (half a year) = 3.5 years, and 1290 days = 3.53 years)

These things are what Daniel 11 and into Daniel 12 just said. It's the time of the Antichrist who will "come to his end", and "at that time", "there will be a time of trouble such as never was". This "time of trouble" is the same thing Jesus is referring to if we continue reading in Matthew 24:15 when He says "when we see the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet", Mat 24:21 "then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

So Daniel and Jesus together specifically say that the Abomination of Desolation will start the Great Tribulation and that it will last for 3.5 years.

Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. ... 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Daniel confirms exactly what Jesus said in Matt 24 and Mark 13! The Abomination of Desolation starts the Great Tribulation, adds that it will last for 3.5 years, and ends with the return of Christ where He will take over the world.

Daniel 7, 9 and 11-12 shows us that the Abomination of Desolation will be the event in the middle of the final 7 years, and that it will begin the tribulation, which will end at the return of Christ, which is when the Antichrist comes to his end (the end of these things).

This proves absolutely without a doubt, 100% surety, that we know for sure that this is all encapsulated in that final 3.5 years and will happen exactly as we are shown in the prophecies. It cannot be something that's already happened!

Is it within the realm of possibility that we're past the prophecies of the Antichrist or maybe even past the time of the Millennial Reign of Christ? Click Here

We have multiple places in the Bible that give us very specific times that things will happen:

Old Testament verbiage: A time is one year, times is two years, and an half or the dividing of time is half a year. So this is 1+2+.5 = 3.5 years.

Take note that the scriptures give us that time frame in several ways; 1260 days, time times and an half, and 42 months. This diversity in the verbiage gives us the proof that it's actually 1260 literal days. It's 3.5 years.

Which of these are referring to the time of the Antichrist?

To see more documentation showing all the scriptures that show us this 3.5 year timeline, Click Here

Let's look at what else Daniel and Paul said about this event:

Remember what Daniel 7 showed us...

Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. ... 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

This coming of the Ancient of Days, and the saints possessing the kingdom, is Jesus' return and the "battle" of Armageddon where He takes over the world and rules with a rod of iron for 1000 years.

Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus , and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection .

Notice that it says, "this is the first resurrection"? This event marks the beginning of the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ after the tribulation. If this is the first resurrection, then it's pretty obvious that there isn't another rapture that happens sometime before this. And, John saw the souls of them that died for Jesus and did not take the mark of the beast or worship him. If we aren’t here during the end of the seven years when the mark of the beast is implemented, there would be no one who would fit this description.

Revelation 13 confirms this is the Antichrist spoken of in Daniel 7:

Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. ... 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

He (the Antichrist) will make war with the saints and all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life.

Paul reveals when the "gathering of the saints to the Lord" will happen:

2 Thess 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

That day, the day Christ returns, will not come until after the antichrist is revealed. We've seen that this event (the abomination of desolation where the antichrist is revealed) does not happen until half way through the final seven years. What is the abomination of Desolation? - Click here to see

1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump : for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished , as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Paul tells us that the dead will be raised and that we will be changed at the sound of the Last Trumpet.

Notice how Revelation 10 shows us that the sounding of the Last Trumpet, the 7th Trumpet, ends the Mystery of God? 1 Tim 3:16 Tells us that the mystery is that God was manifest in the flesh! It's the identity of Jesus that is the mystery of God. So, when Jesus is revealed as He appears in the sky to gather His saints, the mystery is finished.

1 Thess 4:16 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: 17 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.

The Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the trumpet of God, and the dead shall rise first and then we that are still alive will be caught up with them together in the clouds. Is there another trumpet that brings the rapture? Not that I've ever read in the bible. This, again, is the 7th trumpet.

How did Jesus conclude these events:

Conclusion: Christ will return to destroy the Antichrist and take over the world immediately after the tribulation, which follows the abomination of desolation, and He will gather the saints (the rapture) at that time.

Scriptures show us that this event will be loud, bright, seen by the whole world and definitely won't be something we wouldn't know about or be missunderstood!

All of these scriptures tell us the same things:

  1. When the Lord returns it will be as the lighting flashes across the sky. It will be with a shout, with the sound of the trumpet, with power and glory. Every eye shall see Him.

  2. It will be a surprise to the world as the Antichrist is ruling a one world government and proclaiming peace and safety, then the Lord will come.

  3. When He comes, the saints will be gathered to Him in the air, in the clouds.

  4. Then we will see the wrath of God poured out on the world.

  5. Then He will descend on the nations gathered against Israel and will wipe them out and destroy the Antichrist.

  6. When He touches down on the Mount of Olives, there will be an earthquake bigger than the world has ever seen.

  7. He will set up His kingdom and put down the leading nations and destroy Islam, the fourth beast of Daniel 7, the last ruling one world government that the Antichrist is using to rule the world ( the iron mingled with clay of Daniel 2).

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