The Rapture Error on Era

[sandman]

The primary purpose of this post is to clarify an error of the era (era being a period of time) that I frequently see associated with the explanation of the “gathering together unto Him” (aka- the rapture). Actually, the error is not isolated to those in adherence to the rapture, but that is my focus.

As a proponent of the rapture, I will link a few chapters of scripture at the end of this post…

Additionally all scripture is linked to BLB to save space….


I am going on the assumption you are aware of the new covenant that was initiated on Pentecost to the Jews first… and later to the Gentiles in Act 10…..And that this “administration of grace” that God set up, that we are living in today “The body of Christ” …. is not an extension of the church of the Bride …spoken of in the gospels.

The bride is the bride, and the body is the body… The bride was not assimilated into the body…. There is NOTHING in the epistles that gives us any indication that the Church of the Bride continued….. It was a full stop….held in abeyance until after the grace period …. it resumes again in Revelation.

Currently we are in this dispensation of grace (better translated administration) which involves many things. Things that were not known until Paul received them by revelation from Jesus Christ (Gal 1:12) (Eph 3:1-9)


There are a few vailed indications in the gospels of things to come, which were lightly touched on by Jesus. But, other than that…. the greatness of what took place at Pentecost and the years following were just not known…nor were they available to be known during Christ’s ministry…..or anytime previous.

It was no secret that the gentiles would be blessed under Abraham …but nothing even close to the extent of what God revealed after Pentecost was known, written, or even thought about…

THE MYSTERY WAS A SECRET HIDDEN IN GOD….. Things like → The one body…. Jews and Gentiles fellow heirs …. the one new man …. salvation by grace ….born again with/of incorruptible seed …. spirit within unconditionally …. Christ being head of the body and us being members in particular…. and a few other things including “our gathering together unto Him” … These were things that even Jesus Christ did not know of, or know the fullness of… at the time …Because, it was hid in God → 1Co 2:7&8.

((Some people take offence at what I stated about Jesus…”He knew everything!” …well …no, he didn’t, just read the gospels. I believe He became aware sometime after the resurrection as per (Mat 28:18) which begs the questions→ who gave it … and when? But the prophecies and certain statements He made throughout the gospels would make Him a liar, if He did know everything ….He is NOT a liar))

Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired…

1Pe 1:11 Searching … sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow…

1Pe 1:12 …..The angels desire to look into….

With the understanding that this was a GREAT secret (mystery) hidden in God until it was revealed to Paul ….The OT (Old Testament) prophets including Jesus Christ… could not prophesize “anything” regarding this administration of grace ….and therefore, everything that was prophesize by Jesus Christ (which He got primarily from the OT scrolls)….. were the coming events …things that “were” going to be taking place next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BUT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~ and this is the greatest But ~~~~

God had something up his spiritual sleeve that was not written in OT prophecy nor spoken of by Jesus Christ ….It was a secret, a mystery, that God had kept hidden ….this unforeseen, untraceable administration of Grace… and everything it entails….

And …Wow! Aren’t we thankful…. Aside from this kicking the devil where it hurts …we should be eternally grateful for what God pulled off…….. We were Gentiles (goy) … we had nothing….. and Now we are sons & daughters of the most high God with the promise of eternity and so much more.

By God sandwiching in this unknown administration of grace….. it put a temporary halt to everything that Jesus spoke of in the gospels …………. Those are things that will resume when the era of the Church of God is completed …. I don’t know when that is, and neither does anyone else …. God knows….but it will culminate with the gathering together (rapture) of the body of Christ, both dead & alive…at which point the tribulation will technically begin … of which there are biblical earmarks that tell us that.

So, that is one reason we cannot use any prophecy from the gospels or the OT to substantiate or correlate anything regarding “the gathering together unto Him” (rapture). The second reason is that everything that Jesus prophesied about, was to Israel, whom Jesus came to redeem ~originally~. Understandably the gentiles, at that time, would have been subject to the events going on, but unless you were a proselyte you had no hope…

I know, many of those who adhere to the rapture try to pull certain scripture from the gospels to substantiate certain thing …but that is incorrect…. Everything regarding “the gathering together unto Him” must be gleaned from the Epistles. Because despite the date when the gospels were written (as given by revelation from Jesus Christ) ……they are to be viewed and understood only in their respective time…. and that respective time was before Pentecost… before God made known the greatness and the fullness of the mystery….and that is why there can’t be any prophecy regarding the grace administration in the gospels or OT.

I know there are some similarities in the gospels that look like they might fit with the gathering together in the epistles ……… but similar is not identical, and there are several vast differences between tribulation time and the “gathering together unto Him” (rapture).


I should add one thing…. Just in case there are those reading this who believe we are living in the beginnings of the tribulation period. You need to understand… if that were true (it’s not) but if it were, then nothing in the 7 Church epistles would apply to you…. salvation by grace, spirit within, the one body …etc, etc etc…. You would have none of that. Because that would mean the administration of grace has ceased, and you are now living in the time of Revelation. I know times are tumultuous …but we ain’t there…we might be close to the rapture ….or not…

Just live each day as though He is coming back today….but plan as though He’s not coming back (in your lifetime)

The following link is for scripture from I Thessalonians chapter 4 &5 and II Thessalonians chapter 2. If you read what God has written … the coming of our Lord Jesus (rapture) …will be quite evident.

I Thessalonians chapter 4 &5 and II Thessalonians chapter 2

 

[Unqualified]

Do you know who the bride is if not the body of Christ?

 

[sandman]

Do you know who the bride is if not the body of Christ?

Still Israel as it was in the gospels ...picks up again around Revelation chapter 18 I believe.
Currently there is no Israel (Jews) we are all 1 new man Eph 2:15

 

[BillCody]

2 Corinthians 11:1-2
I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

 

[rwb]

I am going on the assumption you are aware of the new covenant that was initiated on Pentecost to the Jews first… and later to the Gentiles in Act 10…..And that this “administration of grace” that God set up, that we are living in today “The body of Christ” …. is not an extension of the church of the Bride …spoken of in the gospels.

If there were no administration of grace prior to Pentecost how were Old Covenant saints saved? Whosoever has eternal life in Christ was saved by GRACE through faith whether Old Covenant saints or New Covenant saints.

Romans 4:3 (KJV) For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Ephesians 2:8 (KJV) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Galatians 3:8-9 (KJV) And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Romans 10:17 (KJV) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Abraham, having faith according to the will of God, believed God when He preached to him the gospel of salvation. And this according to God's grace alone! Just as Abraham had to hear and by grace believe the Gospel so too must every man. Because salvation comes by grace through faith that is not from within man but is imputed by the will of God to man.

The church did not begin at Pentecost. It began through one nation, Israel of Old.

Acts 7:37-38 (KJV) This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

After Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the church that began as one tiny nation expanded into every nation of the earth and the Kingdom of God that began with Israel of Old is now being completed by grace through faith in the same manner it always has been being built. Mankind has always been under the dispensation of God's grace, otherwise there would be none who are saved. God has always provided only ONE means for man to have eternal life. And that through the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world, by grace through faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.