The Bible, The Lord’s Multi-millennial Strategic Plan for Human History, indicates 6 group rapture-type events that occurred/will occur on the cusp of His 6 predicted age-transitioning global judgments. The Bible does not use the word, rapture. Paul uses the phrase, ‘caught up’, to signify how The Lord’s bona fide saints will be raised high above, in a nano-second, from pending destructions below. That phrase is cited 4 times in the New Testament, 3 in Paul’s writings, and once in Revelation, referring to Jesus, The Lord God. (See: Ages Transitions Global Judgments (Poem) and Mid-ages Musings (Series).)
Here are the first 4 group rapture-type events:
#1. Noah and His Family
Just before it began to rain for the first time on Earth, Noah and his family were raised high above, from pending destructions below. In the ark, they were lifted up above the heights of the mountains, as The Lord judged all un-repentant sinners in the global flood. When the ark settled on Mt. Ararat, this crew of 8 disembarked to a quasi-new, restructured Earth in which, likely unknown to them, were oceans and continents. Though the Earth was transformed, they were not. Nor were they resurrected from the dead, nor raptured into Heaven. The Lord’s pre-flood decision to not destroy all of humanity, was based on allowing Grace to Noah to be a ‘quasi-Adam’, from whom humanity would be re-grown. So thank God this crew was saved, and were not raptured into Heaven! Thus, this constitutes the 1st group non-resurrection, rapture-type, event.
References: Genesis 6 -8, 1 Peter 3:18-22 and 2 Peter 2:4-5.
#2. 1st and 2nd Ages Saints
Matthew 27:51-53 record the 1st combined group resurrection, and 2nd rapture-type event. It occurred when Father God cast upon Jesus, His global judgment for every sinful human act that had occurred, and would occur throughout our history. This judgment came with a Grace proviso: it would only be applied to people, past and future, who would believe and receive His forgiveness by faith. The immortal twins (souls and spirits) of every deceased saint from the 1st and 2nd ages(who had died in faith in/toward the unseen/unknown God), BELIEVED as The Lord preached His Gospel of saving Grace to them. (Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 3) Sadly, the overwhelming majority of us since then, DON’T.
Debates swirl in Christian communities about the likely size and extent of this event. The Lord revealed to me it was when He globally fulfilled David’s prophecy in Psalm 68:18, resurrecting ALL 1st and 2nd ages bona fide saints from the upper region of hell/hades, to the new, eternal Earth He had, centuries earlier, promised to Isaiah. Some of you might retort, ‘But in Acts 1:9, He visibly ascended ALONE into Heaven!’ Yes, He did, with no visible humans, and possibly with invisible angels. That verse refers to His second, post-resurrection ascension. Together, John 20:17-20 an Acts 1:9 affirm He ascended into Heaven twice. For some unknown reason, many pastors and Bible teachers might overlook this fine point. Ergo, folks ‘in the pews’ miss it.
References: Matthew 27:51-53, Psalm 68:18, Ephesians 4:7-10, 1 Peter 3:19, 4:6, Isaiah 65:17 and 66:24, Missed Insights from Matthew 27 (Series), and Earth’s Next Versions (Series).
#3. Third Age Saints
The 3rd group rapture-type event will be of all 3rd age, bona fide, sustainable Christians. It will be the 2nd combined group resurrection, and the 3rd rapture-type event. Paul indicates this event will occur prior to the uncloaking of the anti-Christ man. He further reveals all sustainably faithful saints who will still be alive at the time of this event, are not be appointed to The Lord’s wrath against all un-repentant sinners. This raises the question, what explains the presence of Christians in the apocalypse, many of whom will be beheaded by the anti-Christ’s regime? (See: Christians in the Apocalypse (poem), and Christianesque (Poem).)
References: Romans 1:18, 2 Corinthians 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-18, 5:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, and Missed Insights from Revelation 20.
#4. 4th Age Saints
The 4th group rapture-type event will be of all 4th age, bona fide, sustainable Christians. It will be the 3rd combined group resurrection, and 4th rapture-type event. This will be The Lord’s harvest from the great tribulation - the apocalypse, pictured in Revelation 7. The possible timing of this event may be either sometime prior to the Marriage Supper of The Lamb (Revelation 19), or just prior to The Lord’s landing back on Earth after that event, with all His angels, and all His saints from the first 3 ages of history. The purposes of His return will be to end the apocalypse via the Armageddon War, cast the anti-Christ and his prophet (prime minister?), as immortal beings, into the lake of fire (likely somewhere on the new Earth), lock-up-and away satan's entire kingdom into a bottomless pit for a thousand years, and to start His long-promised Millennial Reign. Whew! That's quite a list for a short, intense period! Speculations vary regarding whether The Lord's physical return to Earth will include ending the Ezekiel 38 invasion into Israel, or whether this will be done previously from Heaven.
This group of 4th age saints will likely include a combination of new saints, plus many 3rd age saints who will have become lukewarm, backslidden, then fully apostate (falling away from the faith) during the closing years of this current, 3rd age of history. Many apostate believers will likely return to strong faith, possibly when they realize they missed the group resurrection-rapture of 3rd age believers, and will, therefore, face the wrath of the anti-Christ.
Friends, I trust this point will deeply inspire, then move you to resist all forms of lukewarmness, backsliding and apostasy during what certainly appears to be these closing years of the current, 3rd age of human history! Moreover, I hope it will also inspire and move you to help warn others, especially people who have already left the faith, of what lies ahead for those who will survive the pending age-transition.
Tip: Sharing some relevant posts in this blog might help to open the eyes and hearts of saints and former saints on this critical matter.
Several historical and cultural factors indicate Christian lukewarmness, backsliding and full apostasy are spiking across the world, especially in the west. For example, the spike in Christian nationalism is very likely the results of folks’ growing impatience and frustrations that the ‘demonstration effects’ of their ‘salty and light’ righteous lifestyles, have had little-to-no impacts on the spiritual degradation across the world. Yet, The Bible explicitly predicts the spiritual degradation we see all around us! The Lord never encouraged His bona fide saints to seize the levers of governments, in efforts to force sinners to live righteously!!! Our test is only to be faithful to what He called us to be, and to do, and to leave the results to Him! Ergo, Christian nationalism is a clear devilish deception for which many former believers, sadly, have fallen. As a result, they sin by directly dis-obeying The Lord's commands to His saints, and thus, are blindly fulfilling Paul’s apostasy predictions in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and 1 Timothy 4:1! Imagine that...
Christian nationalism:
I find it strikingly curious that saints are willing to sin,
in order to force sinners to live righteously.
Imagine that!!!
Revelation 20:5-6 indicates this particular resurrection/rapture event will be the END of what is defined as ‘the FIRST resurrection’. From this, we should discern the word, first, is definitely NoT a numerical reference, since there will have been several resurrections prior to this one. This is akin to the non-numerical reference in Revelation to ‘second death‘. Folks who think sinners cast into the lake of fire will instantly be just another death as we currently understand death, are severely mistaken! That's simply another devilish deception.
References: Revelation 7:9-17, 20:4, Audacious Christians (Series), Tribulation Age Precursors: Roads Beckoned, Then Taken (Poem), Laodicean Lackadaisicalness (Series), and Lake of Fire: A Preview (Series).
