| A STUDY ON THE
RAPTURE
Section
6 - Conclusions
Conclusions
The Rapture and the Second
Coming are two distinct and separate events. This is in accord with the
the different operations of the two evangels. The sequence of events for
each occasion is definitely different. Complete confusion results if we
equate the two sets!
The whole of Scripture, except
for Paul's letters, is addressed to the people of the covenants. The major
part of these writings is concerned with the setting up of the kingdom
of Israel, the transference of world dominion to the nations, and the promises
of the restoration of that kingdom to Israel.
Many events will precede
this setting up of the promised kingdom of God on earth. The man of lawlessness
will come on the scene, the great tribulation will follow. Christ, the
Messiah, will then come to restore the kingdom and
bring to fruition the promises of God which He had confirmed at His First
Coming. This will be followed by the defeat of the Antichrist, the incarceration
of Satan in the submerged chaos, and the resurrection of the faithful of
the people of Israel who will then receive eonian life, a quality of life
promised them from the beginning for continued faithfulness. Their places
will be in the kingdom that will only then be set up, wherein the twelve
apostles will rule the twelve tribes of Israel, who will, in ttheir turn,
rule over the nations as their kings and governors. Their realm, then,
will be the earth for the one thousand years and on through the
period of the new heavens and new earth - for the last two
eons of the five eons that were created in the beginning for God's purpose..
When the kingdom is
restored, its people will realise that it is not really
their kingdom,
set up by their own power and conquests, but
entirely
God's!
We, believers of the nations,
under the evangel of the Uncircumcision, and as His complement, have our
lot bound in Christ's - which is the headship over all in the heavens and
on the earth. Our privilege will be to judge messengers throughout
the far-flung reaches of the universe.and, to adapt our bodies for such
operations in our realm, we await our Saviour Who will transfigure the
bodies that we now have into bodies like His in keeping with the glory
that will be ours then. Following Christ Who is already vivified as the
firstfruit, we will be the next class to receive vivification.
By the time the faithful
of Israel are raised and given control of the restored kingdom, we would
have been occupied, for some time already, with judging the messengers
Will we, then, not
be with Christ, as His complement, when
He comes in glory to the earth to set up the kingdom?
As God pre-designated Christ
to be the Head of the universe, and as our lot was cast in Christ's, it
is by God's design that we will be involved in Christ's glory, too!
Though our realm is inherent in the heavens, this does not preclude
us from participating in the joys and other glories of our Head.
Eph.1:9-12
making known to us the secret of His will
(in
accord with His delight, which He purposed in Him)
to
have an administration of the complement of the eras,
to
head up all in the Christ--both that in the heavens and that on the earth--
in
Him in Whom our lot was cast also,
being
designated beforehand according to the purpose of the One
Who
is operating all in accord with the counsel of His will,
that
we should be for the laud of His glory, who are pre-expectant in the
Christ.
Scripture asserts that, from
'the snatching away' we will always be together with the Lord.
This should tell us that we will not be left out of witnessing His moment
of triumph. He will surely want His complement to be with
Him in that grand moment of glory! We will be there to see the fruition
of all the prophecies of Scripture relating to that time - all that we
have read and studied about. We will see Him enjoy, and enjoy with Him,
some of the fruits of His selfless labour of love in His Father's service.
We eagerly await that momentuous
Day when our Lord comes to meet us in the air! Meanwhile, we need to apply
ourselves, with all diligence and faithfulness, to serving each other for
the upbuilding of the ecclesia which is the body of Christ, His complement.
November 2001
Back to:
....Main
menu of articles
....Section
1 - Introduction
....Section
2 - God's Different Operations
...................
- The Different Evangels of Scripture
....Section
3 - The Different Operations
of Holy Spirit
...................
- The Nations Are Being Called Now
...................
- What Lies Ahead
....Section
4 - Post-Rapture Operations
....Section
5 - The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
...................
- Comparison of Rapture and Second Coming
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