Biblical facts on the Anti-Christ, resurrection of the body, and the Judgment Seat of Christ (pt.2)

The Bible makes a clear distinction between:

1. The Rapture of the Church and;
2. the Return of Christ with all the Saints.
1. The Rapture of the Church is when all saints alive and dead are taken to Heaven and removed from Wrath of God’s Divine Judgment predicted to come upon the Earth after the Church is taken out.

· 1 Thess 4:16-17…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.

God’s mercy removes the saints from this predicted covenant of Satan’s Kingdom under the directive of the man of sin. The Rapture provides an escape for the child of God from the Wrath and Judgment of God that will occur during the seven year Tribulation period.

2. The return of Christ with all the saints is distinctly different from the Church being caught up in the Rapture to meet with Christ in the air. Why? When Christ returns with all the Saints, two things take place that are different than in the Rapture.

A. Christ comes back in Divine Wrath to Judge an ungodly world without mercy.
B. After Divine Judgment is executed, Christ brings all the saints from Heaven with him to establish His Kingdom on Earth.

· 1 Thess 3:13…To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

· Jude 14-15…And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints

· 2 Thess 1:7-8…when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed 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:

· Rev 19:11-15…And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 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.

In the Rapture, the Body of Christ is removed from Earth before the man of Sin takes over. When the Church is taken out so likewise is the mercy of God from upon the earth. The hinderer of Gods mercy (The Holy Spirit) steps aside after the Rapture of the Church, which in turn allows the man of Sin to step in and confirm the Covenant as prophesied in Daniel 9:27. From the Apostle Paul’s knowledge of the Old Testament he understood the return of our Lord in Divine Wrath. Having converted from Law to Grace by the power of a resurrected Lord, revelation of the Church which was a mystery in other Ages was thus revealed to Paul by the Spirit of God.

· Eph 3:3-5… How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

The Anti-Christ foreseen by Paul and predicted by Daniel provides a basis for the Tribulation that takes place after the Rapture of the Church.

The next verse is a highly misinterpreted verse however contradiction is taken away when timeframes are established correctly. The Holy Spirit that held back the powers of Satan* through the ages, thus steps aside and the man of sin steps in. The falling away mentioned is present tense activity as the closing of this Age prepares the child of God for the Rapture of the Church. By looking to Christ the child of God has a God given escape from Tribulation that is yet to come. When the Church is caught up to meet with Christ in the air the wickedness of Satan’s Kingdom allows Great Tribulation to take place, as never known before to man. During the Gentile reign of the Anti-Christ the Abomination of Desolation (like placing swine on the alter as a sacrifice) spoken of by Jesus (Matthew 24:15) will take place in the Jewish Temple. The Anti-Christ will thus exalt himself above God.

· 2 Thess 2:3-10…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; 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. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth* that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let,* until he be taken out of the way*. 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: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;

*Two more things occur during the Great Tribulation. Both follow the Rapture of the Church: First, is during the Tribulation there's a war in heaven when the Devil is cast out of heaven to the earth* and is no longer the accuser of the Brethren in the presence of God. Second, is the remnant of Israel’s seed** that will keep the commandments of God and have a testimony of Christ. Both occurrences happen during Israel’s Tribulation which follows the Rapture of the Church. Neither of these events have happened yet and won't until Christ takes the Church out of the picture.

· Rev 12:7-17...And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth*, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ**.

The Rapture which is the Churches final Judgment also points to the resurrection of every child of God’s body placed in the grave, since the death of Christ. The physical bodies of all redeemed saints will rise from the grave in the same manner as Christ’s bodily resurrection before His Ascension. At the last trump, when Christ descends from Heaven, to remove the Church from this present world… bodily resurrection occurs… and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then, all saints which are alive in Christ will be caught up to meet with Him in the Air. The Rapture is the closing of this Church Age.

· 1 Cor 15:52…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.

· 1 Thess 4:16-18…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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.