Chapter 1
Essential Terminology
In a study of the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ to the earth, we must understand that there is a vast difference between the two subjects. We must also have a clear concept of the terms Millennium, the Old Testament saints, the New Testament Church, the future tribulation, Jews, Israel, the abomination of desolation, the judgment of the nations, the day of the Lord, the day of Christ, the end of the world, and other subjects pertaining to the latter days. This chapter provides a brief definition of these terms as they are used in this book.
Rapture
The word “rapture” simply means “to transport from one place to another.” The scriptural expressions equated with rapture are “caught up” (1 Th. 4:17; 2 Cor. 12:4); “receive you unto myself” (Jn. 14:3); and “come up hither” (Rev. 4:1; 11:12). When we use the term, we mean the “catching up” of Christians to meet the Lord in the air, who then go to the planet heaven with Christ to become settled in their eternal mansions that He has gone to prepare for them who serve Him until death—or until the time of the rapture (1 Th. 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-18; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 3:4; Jas. 5:7-8; Rev. 4:1).
When we refer to the rapture we do not mean the Second Coming of Christ, or any part, stage, or phase of it. The rapture is a distinct and separate coming of the Lord with at least seven years between the two comings out of heaven.
Second Coming or Second Advent
The first coming of Jesus is the first time He came to earth to live here and fulfill a mission. This happened about 2,000 years ago when He died for the sins of men. The Second Coming of Christ will occur when He literally comes again to live on earth to fulfill another mission—to reign as King of the whole earth and to put down all rebellion (1 Cor. 15:24-28; Mt. 25:31-46; 2 Th. 1:7-10; Jude 14-15; Rev. 5:10; 11:15; 20:1-10; Zech. 14; Ezek. 38-39). The second coming is at least seven years after the rapture, when Christ literally lands on earth to live among men as He did at His first advent (Zech. 14:4-5; Dan. 2:44-45; 7:9-14, 18, 22, 27; Lk. 1:32-33; Mt. 25:31-46; 1 Cor. 15:24-28; Eph. 1:10; 2:7; 3:11; Jude 14-15; Rev. 5:10; 20:1-10).
Christ does not come to the earth at the rapture. He comes only as far as the clouds, and the dead and living in Christ rise to meet Him in the air to go back to heaven with Him to be with Him forever (Jn. 14:1-3; Lk. 21:34-36; 1 Cor. 15:23, 51-56; Eph. 5:27; Phil. 3:21; 1 Th. 4:13-18; 5:9-11; 2 Th. 2:7-8; Col. 3:4; Jas. 5:7-8). He does come to the earth at the Second Advent (Zech. 14:1-21; Mt. 24:29-31; 25:31-46; Rev. 1:7; 19:1-21).
Between the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ to the earth, the whole of Daniel’s 70th Week and the seven years that end this age in tribulation will be fulfilled. All of Mt. 24-25; Mk. 13; Lk. 21:1-11, 25-36; Rev. 4:1–19:21; Dan. 9:27; 11:40-45; 12:1-7; Ezek. 38-39; Zech. 14 and many other scriptures will then be literally fulfilled. The rapture will take place before all these events, and the Second Advent will be after them and will end them. It will not be and cannot be until all these scriptures are fulfilled. The marriage of the Lamb in heaven will be over, as well as all the other events before Christ leaves heaven for the earth with His previously raptured saints and angels to fight Armageddon and begin His rule on earth eternally (Rev. 11:15; 19:1-21; Zech. 14:1-21; Mt. 24:29-31; 25:31-46; 2 Th. 1:7-10; 2:8-9; Jude 14-15; Ezek. 38-39; Dan. 2:44-45; 7:9-14, 18, 22, 27; Lk. 1:32-33). This arrival is definitely the Second Advent and not the rapture. The rapture can take place any moment without any of the above events taking place (Phil. 3:20-21; Titus 2:13; 1 Cor. 1:7), but the Second Advent cannot.
Millennium
This term means one thousand years. It will be the first one thousand years of innumerable thousands of years of all future eternity wherein Christ will reign on earth with God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and all the redeemed and spirit beings who now cooperate with God to put down rebellion in earth (1 Cor. 15:24-28; Mt. 25:31-46; Lk. 1:32-33; Rev. 11:15; 20:1-10; 22:4-5; Dan. 2:44-45; 7:9-14, 18, 22, 27; Zech. 14; Ezek. 38-39; Isa. 9:6-7).
Elect
The word “elect” simply means “”chosen”.” Any individual or group of individuals who have been chosen by God would be God’s elect. In this sense there are many “elects of God” in Scripture, as we shall see in Fallacy 5, Chapter 9. The word itself does not specify which elect is referred to in any particular scripture. This must be determined by each passage where the word is found—not by man’s interpretation, or his own opinion as to which “elect” is being referred.
New Testament Church
We mean by this term all the born again or saved people from the time Christ started His Church (Mt. 16:18; Eph. 2:19-21) to the future rapture of this Church from earth to heaven (Jn. 14:1-3; Lk. 21:34-36; 1 Cor. 15:23, 35-44, 51-54; Eph. 5:27; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 3:4; 1 Th. 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:9; 2 Th. 2:7-8; Titus 2:13; Jas. 5:7-8; 1 Pet. 5:4; Rev. 1:19; 4:1; 5:8-10; 19:1-10).
Old Testament Saints
By this term we mean the saved of all past ages from Abel to the establishment of the New Testament Church at the first coming of Christ to the earth (Mt. 16:16; Heb. 11:1-40; Acts 7:38).
The Future Tribulation
This means the last seven years of this age during which time the great whore of Rev. 17 will murder saints of Jesus (people saved after the rapture) during the first 3½ years (Rev. 17:1-7, 18), and the Antichrist will murder saints of Jesus the last 3½ years of this seven-year period, known as Daniel’s 70th Week (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 12:1-17; 14:9-13; 15:1-4; 20:2-6). During the first 3½ years, Antichrist will be rising to power over the ten kingdoms inside the old Roman Empire boundary lines, and during the last 3½ years, he will rule the whole ten kingdoms. We call these last 3½ years the great tribulation because of being the worst time of trouble on earth that has ever been or will be (Dan. 9:27; 12:1, 7; Mt. 24:15-31; Jer. 30; Isa. 66:7-8; Rev. 7:14; 12:1–19:21).
The Tribulation Saints
This company of saints are those who will miss the rapture and who will get saved after the rapture of the New Testament Church and the Old Testament saints, and who will die for Christ without exception in the future seven-year tribulation period between the rapture and the Second Advent (Rev. 6:9-11; 7:9-17; 13:1-18; 14:9-11; 15:2-4; 20:4-6).
The 144,000 Jews
This special company of Jews are those in the new nation of Israel who will miss the rapture of the Church but will get saved after it, in the first 3½ years of Daniel’s 70th Week. They will be sealed for protection from the seven trumpet judgments (Rev. 7:1-8; 9:4). They will be caught up to God and to His throne as the manchild of Rev. 12:5; Isa. 66:7-8; Dan. 12:1. They are to be in heaven during the last 3½ years of Daniel’s 70th Week (Rev. 14:1-5).
The End of the World
This refers to the end of this age in which we now live, which age ends at the Second Coming of Christ to the earth to set up His kingdom (Mt. 13:39-40, 49-50; 24:3, 6, 13-14, 29-31; 28:20).
The Abomination of Desolation
This means the desolation of the future Jewish temple at Jerusalem. It will be accomplished by the Antichrist who will break his seven-year covenant with Israel and do away with the future Jewish sacrifices in the temple in order to establish himself as “God” in this temple (Dan. 9:27; Mt. 24:15-22; Rev. 11:1-2; 13:1-18; 2 Th. 2:1-4).
Judgment of the Nations
This will be the gathering of the living nations at the Second Coming of Christ to determine who is worthy in each nation to go into the eternal kingdom of Christ on earth. Those who have oppressed Israel during the future tribulation will be sent to eternal hell, and those who have not will continue to live on earth as earthly natural subjects of Christ in the eternal kingdom (Mt. 25:31-46; Dan. 7:9-14, 18, 22, 27; Zech. 14:16-21; Isa. 2:1-4; 9:6-7; Rev. 11:15; 20:4-6; 22:4-5).
Daniel’s 70th Week
This means the last seven years of this age and is the same as the seven years of future tribulation, during which time the Antichrist will make a seven-year covenant with Israel. See Chapter 2.
The Antichrist
This term refers to the one man that will soon rise to power over the future ten kingdoms inside the old Roman Empire boundary lines during the last seven years of this age, as dealt with fully in Chapter 3. He is called the Antichrist because he will oppose Jesus Christ in most of the latter-day events that will usher in the reign of God and Christ on the planet earth (Rev. 11:15; 19:11-21; 20:1-10; Isa. 9:6-7; Dan. 2:44-45; 7:9-14, 18, 22, 27; Zech. 14; Mt. 24-25; 1 Cor. 15:24-28; 2 Th. 1:7-10; 2:1-12; Jude 14-15).
The Kingdom of God on Earth
By this we mean the literal earthly kingdom that God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit will establish on earth at the Second Advent of Christ, and which will continue on earth eternally, as stated in the scriptures of the last point above.
Israel, Jews
The terms “Israel” and “Jews” refer to the natural seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who are now the new nation of Israel in Palestine. They are being gathered there in fulfillment of prophecy, as referred to in Chapter 9, Fallacy 5. They are not Anglo-Saxons, the British, or the American people. The terms “Jews” and “Israel” refer to the same race of people and are used interchangeably of the same people in many plain scriptures in both Testaments. All Jews are Israelites and all Israelites are Jews, as proved in the notes referred to above.
The Wrath of God
When we speak of this we refer to the wrath that God will pour out upon men beginning with the sixth seal of Rev. 6:12-17, continuing through the seven trumpets of the first 3½ years of Daniel’s 70th Week (Rev. 8:1–13:18), and ending with the seven vials of the wrath of God in the last 3½ years of that week (Rev. 15:1–18:24). This wrath will be poured out upon the great whore and the ten kingdoms of the old Roman Empire territory in the first 3½ years (Rev. 17:1-18) for their murder of Jews and Christians (people saved after the rapture), and upon the Antichrist and the same ten kingdoms who will be dominated by him during the last 3½ years (Dan. 7:8, 23-24; Rev. 13:5; 17:8-17). Antichrist will martyr the saints and Jews during this time. He will demand the worship of himself from all men who live in his ten-kingdom empire and will murder millions who refuse him (Rev. 12:1-17; 14:9-11; 15:2-4; 20:4-6). God’s wrath will be completed during the time of the seventh vial at the return of Jesus Christ from heaven with the raptured saints and angels to defeat the nations and their armies at Armageddon (Isa. 63; Ezek. 38-39; Zech. 14; Mt. 24:29-31, 38-42; 25:31-46; 2 Th. 1:7-10; 2:8-12; Jude 14-15; Rev. 14:12-20; 16:13-21; 18:1-24; 19:11-21).
The Day of the Lord
By this term we mean the day that Christ literally comes to reign on earth with His raptured saints and angels (Zech. 14:1-9). It will be His day of rule on earth, not man’s day. The day of the Lord is a day of punishment for the living wicked (Isa. 1:24-31; 2:1-4; 4:1-6; 9:6-7; 10:20-34; 11:3-12:6); a day of destruction from the Almighty (Isa. 13:6-9; Joel 1:15); a day of God’s wrath upon the enemies of Israel (Isa. 13:9-13; 34:8); a day of darkness and gloominess (Joel 2:1-11, 31; 3:13-15; Amos 5:18-20; Zech. 14; 1 Th. 5:3; 2 Th. 1:7-10; 2:7-10; Jude 14-15; Rev. 19; Mt. 24:29-31; 25:31-46); a day of trouble and distress (Zeph. 1:7-18); a dreadful day (Joel 2:31; Mal. 4:5-6; Acts 2:16-21); a day of sudden destruction of millions of wicked men on earth (1 Th. 1:9; 2 Th. 1:7-10; 2:7-10; Jude 14-25; Rev. 19:11-21; Zech. 14; Joel 3; Ezek. 38-39); and a day when all the enemies of God will be put down and death destroyed (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
The day of the Lord begins with the Second Advent of Christ (Zech. 14:1) and ends one thousand years later when the heavens and the earth will be renovated by fire (2 Pet. 3:10-13; Heb. 1:10-12; 12:26-28). Between these two points in time Christ will rule all nations with a rod of iron for the express purpose of ridding the earth of all rebellion (1 Cor. 15:24-28). This day of the Lord is the time that Paul said would come after the hinderer of lawlessness is removed from the earth, and after the reign of the Antichrist. In 2 Th. 2:1-12 Paul made it clear that two things must precede the day of the Lord—a great falling away and the man of sin being revealed.
The term “the day of Christ” in 2 Th. 2:2 should have been translated “the day of the Lord” as it is translated in 25 different versions. One version translates it “the day of Jehovah.” This definitely associates “the day of the Lord” with the coming of the Lord to destroy Antichrist. Thus, the day of the Lord cannot take in the future tribulation and the reign of the Antichrist. It begins with the destruction of Antichrist at the Second Advent at least seven years after the rapture of the Church. See Zech. 14:1-5.
At this point, man’s rule of the earth will come to an end and the Millennium will begin. It will be the day that the Lord will begin His reign of one thousand years to put down all rebellion and all enemies under His feet (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
Paul expresses the idea of “the day of the Lord” this way:
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign [for the one thousand years of Rev 20:1-10], till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Cor 15:24-28).
At this time—when all enemies are put down and death is destroyed—the heavens and the earth will be purified by fire and the new heavens and the new earth will begin (Isa. 65:17; 66:22-24; 2 Pet. 3:10-13; Heb. 1:10-12; 12:25-28; Rom. 8:14-25; Rev. 21:1–22:5). Also at this point—when He will reign, being supreme over this rebellious part of His kingdom again—“the day of God” will be ushered in (2 Pet. 3:10-13). The kingdoms of this world will then truly become the kingdoms of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and all the faithful saints and angels (Rev. 11:15).—Rapture and the Second Coming,