Aliens and the Antichrist: Unveiling the End Times Deception (26 page)

God will also withhold his wrath from those who are saved during the great tribulation, though he won’t restrain the Antichrist. We know this from the fact that all of the tribulation saints mentioned in scripture are those who will be slain by the Antichrist (Revelation 13:7-18; 15:2-4; 20:4-6), rather than the many terrible punishments issued directly from God. And even though it will be their initial lack of faith that results in their suffering in the tribulation, God will even bestow upon them a special blessing because of their dedication to him during this tumultuous time (Revelation 14:13).

Revelation 14:13

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, says the Spirit that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.

Concerning the 144,000 Jews mentioned in the book of Revelation, who will be the Jewish saints (Messianic Jews) during the time of the great tribulation, the first four trumpet angels will be ordered not to hurt Earth, trees, grass, and seas until the 144,000 are sealed. This seal will serve as a protective barrier for the Jews to protect them from the trumpet judgments that follow. Special direction will then be given to the fifth and sixth trumpet angels to hurt only those men who won’t be sealed by God’s faithful angels (Revelation 9:4). After this, the 144,000 Jews will again be protected, this time from demon creatures loosed in Revelation 9:1-12, and the 200 million demon horsemen liberated out of the same Abyss to slay one-third of all men at a certain hour.

Revelation 9:4

And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

With all these facts taken together, it should be easy to conclude that the wrath of God during the great tribulation is poured out upon the world
because
of the unjust killing of his saints, not because he just wants to hurt everyone in the entire world,
including
his saints. It should be well understood that God has not appointed his own children to wrath (Ephesians 2:1-9). Jesus even told his disciples that everyone should strive to be worthy of escaping the tribulation (Luke 21:34-36). Why would he say this if there were no hope of escape? To escape the tribulation means to get out before it happens—which is common sense, in my opinion, but some people need more explanation. That is why my argument about the rapture of the church occurring before the great tribulation has logical reasoning with scriptural support behind it as well, which I obtained from Finis Dake’s
God’s Plan for Man,
and I will now divulge.

Ephesians 2:1-9
(bold emphasis added)

And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and
were by
nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

2. The Pretribulation Rapture of the Church Is Consistent with Scripture

The main mistake about the rapture of the church doctrine that confuses people more often than anything else is the mixing up of the rapture of the church with the second coming of Christ. The rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ are two separate events that have a few similar elements. Despite their similarities, they are definitely two distinct events that fall in line with specific periods.

The second element of confusion concerning the rapture of the church has to do with its definition. The reason I’ve been saying the phrase “rapture of the church” is because there will be more than one rapture. This alone can bring confusion, but it shouldn’t, in light of the fact that each rapture is for a specific group of people (specified with the term “each in his own order”—1 Corinthians 15:20-23). The rapture that people argue the most about is the one specifically for the church, because this one will cause the biggest shock to the sleepy, modern world, but it is frequently mixed up with the other raptures that follow it, especially that of the tribulation saints. Now I will provide the details and clarification about these two common misconceptions of the rapture.

1 Corinthians 15:20-23
(bold emphasis added)

But now is Christ rose from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so
in Christ shall all be made alive.
But
every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

2.1. Mixing Up the Second Advent of Christ with the Rapture of the Church

The rapture of the church is a distinct event in itself and takes place at least seven years before the second coming of Christ (Daniel 9:27). The rapture takes place before the tribulation (which will be explained in detail below), and the second coming after the tribulation. The rapture of the church is the time when Christ comes for the saints that are physically alive, and for the physical bodies of those who have been dead in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). The second coming, on the other hand, is when he comes back to Earth with all of the resurrected saints in order to drop them off (Zechariah 14:1-5; Jude 14; Revelation 19:1121). At the rapture, Christ takes all ofthe resurrected saints to heaven (1 Thessal- onians 3:13, 4:16; Colossians 3:4), and at the second coming, he leaves heaven with them (Revelation 19:1-21). At the rapture of the church, Christ does not come down to Earth, but flies in the sky (1 Thessalonians 4:16), while at the second coming, he does come down to Earth (Zechariah 14:4; Matthew 24:29-31).

Daniel 9:271

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.

*Each day in Daniel’s seventieth week represents one year. Prior to this seven year period is the rapture of the church, and at the conclusion of this last week in Daniel’s vision, Jesus returns to the Earth in the second advent.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17—rapture of the church1
(bold emphasis and bracketed comments added)

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him [Jesus will bring the spirits of Christians from ages past, in order to reunify them with their resurrected, physical bodies]. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent 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.

*It would make no sense to pull everyone up into the air, and then put everyone back down on the Earth again. Some have postulated that this is a customary Jewish greeting similar to the greeting of a famous dignitary, but there is no hard evidence to support such an interpretation. Would God really levitate several hundred million people into the air in a global, public display, just to say “Hi,” and then set them back down on the Earth again? I think this scripture makes more sense when understood as being the first part of the same event spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 3:13, mentioned below.

1 Thessalonians .3:1.3—rapture of the church
* (bold emphasis added)

To the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

*In this scripture, Jesus comes not to the Earth, but from the Earth, going to heaven, before God the Father, with all of his saints, in order to present them to God the Father.

Zechariah 14:1–5—second advent (bold emphasis added)

Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah:
and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Jude 1:14-15—second advent
(bold emphasis added)

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the
Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Revelation 19:11-21—second advent
(bold emphasis added)

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 Him. 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 goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Colossians 3:4—rapture of the church
(bold emphasis added)

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Matthew 24:29-31—second advent

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then 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. 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.

Unfortunately many people jumble all of these scriptures together to support one conclusion or another—but missing only one or two scriptures can end up resulting in a contradiction. It helps to be familiar with the entire Bible, and to be capable of comparing and contrasting all these scriptures with logical consistency, in order to see that the second coming of Christ and the rapture of the church are in fact two different events. Following is a detailed, brief analysis of the rapture of the church, and then the second advent of Christ coming to Earth, after which it should be clear that these are two distinctly different events.