Chapter 8 – Resurrection a New Beginning
Trumpets Sound as One will be Taken
“Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.”[1]
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No one wants to be left behind. The seven-year tribulation will be a time like no other upon the earth. But in heaven there are going to be amazing sights that are beyond compare. I cannot imagine the things, which Paul saw and heard when he was caught up to heaven. He said he, “heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.”[2] But the best part about heaven is our eyes will behold our Maker and our Great God.
Jesus told his disciples to learn the parable of the fig tree, He then says, “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.”[3] Jesus then says one of the strangest things of all. He says, “Then there shall be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.”[4] Now that is plain strange. One is taken; the Greek word here is Paralambano, which means, to receive near or to take with. And the other is left; the Greek word is Aphiemi, which means, to lay aside, to forsake, or to omit.
This passage is actually saying that one is taken with and the other is laid aside or forsaken. Luke also makes mention of this same strange event. Jesus says, “I tell you, on that night there will be two men in one bed; one will be taken, and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken, and the other will be left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”[5]
This is the part I love, the disciples then say, “Where Lord?”[6] Yea, that should be everyone’s question, “Where Lord?” Where did they go, the English translation of the Greek text is not much help. In it Jesus answers, “Where the body is, there also will the eagles be gathered.”[7] It is not until you look at this answer in the original Greek text does it begin to make sense. First, Jesus says, “Where the body is.” The body is a body as a whole, but Paul wrote we are all the ‘body of Christ’. So what body is He talking about? I think it’s His body, His body of believers.
Why do I think this? Because look at what it says next, “there also the eagles will be gathered.” What in the world does that mean? Let’s look at the words translated for eagles and be gathered. Aetos, which means, an eagle, is from its wind like flight, but it comes from the root Aer that means air. And the word translated, be gathered, is from the Greek Episunago, which means, to gather together. And this is where we will be gathered together to meet the Lord in the air.
So the disciples basically asked, “Where is the one taken too?” Jesus basically answers, “The body will be where the eagles gather, in the air.” What didn’t make sense at all, makes total sense once we look at the original Greek text and then compare scripture with scripture. This meeting in the air is what Paul wrote to in his first letter to the believers in Thessalonica.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.”[8] How will this happen?
We get further insight in Paul’s letter to the believers in Corinth; “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”[9] This will all happen in a moment, translated from the Greek Atomos, which we get our English word for ‘atom’ from; this Atomos is an indivisible moment of time or an ‘atom’ time. So one will be taken and one will be left, when the body meets the Lord in the air, in an indivisible moment of time at the sound of the last trumpet.
Two were in the field and one was taken
You may be thinking nothing like this has ever happen before. Where two are in the field and one is taken and the other is left. Well not exactly, just maybe not on a worldwide scale. There is a story from the Old Testament and in this story two were out walking and talking together. It’s the story of Elijah and Elisha. In the story Elijah is taken alive to heaven without seeing death.
The story begins in 2 Kings Chapter 2 and in the 11th verse we read; “Then it came about as they were going along and talking, that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.”[10] How amazing two where in the field one was taken and the other was left.
Isaiah the prophet saw this end times event and recorded, “The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; and devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil.”[11] It doesn’t get anymore plain than that, righteous men disappear from the evil to come and no one understands.
The Gathering Together of His elect
The gathering together of the righteous is the main theme of Paul’s letters to the believers in Thessalonica. He wrote; “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him.”[12] This gathering together is the Episunagoge in the Greek, which is the very closely parallel to the Greek word Episunago. Except Episunagoge is a complete gathering together as for worship or some great meeting or assembly.
This great assembly is to take place at the end of the age of the Gentiles. Jesus is shortly going to gather His bride to heaven and the Lord will turn His attention back to Israel. This is what is meant when Paul wrote, “A partial hardening has happened to Israel until fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”[13] The Father will to gather us together in Christ, to Himself. Paul conveyed this to the church in Ephesus when he wrote about, “The fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ.”[14]
Israel is God’s chosen people. But one thing God can’t do is force us to love him. Even though Israel is like a son to God, He could not force them to accept His Son. The Son feels everything the Father feels. The Father longed to gather Israel; we see this through Jesus. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.”[15]
A Nation to be Gathered
God foresaw this rejection, which fell perfectly into the plan of God. Messiah was to be rejected by those He was meant to save, that rejection lead to the crucifixion. This was because, “Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”[16] These children scattered abroad are Gentiles who would put their faith in Jewish Messiah.
This is what is meant when Jesus spoke of those coming from the east and the west to dine at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Paul wrote about those from the east and the west, those scattered abroad who the Lord would use to provoke Israel to jealousy. Paul wrote on behave of the Lord, “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, by a nation without understanding will I anger you.”[17] Paul is quoting directly from the song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:21.
Jesus is going to gather together these “new” sons of God who are scattered throughout the nations. This is exactly what He spoke to His disciples He would do. Matthew recorded this about the Son of Man, “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”[18] Yet this theme of the gathering together seems to have been hidden right before our very eyes. This theme of the gathering together is spoken of throughout the Bible.
I love how the Psalmist put it, when he wrote inspired by the Holy Spirit, “Gather My godly ones to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”[19] Under the New Covenant we who believe and trust in Jesus are now the covenant people of God. Peter actually describes us as, “a chosen people, a Holy Nation” of believers, “a people for God’s own possession.”[20] The prophet Zephaniah referred to the believers in Jesus as a nation, when he wrote:
“Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, before the decree takes effect – The day passes like the chaff – Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility, Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger.”[21]
This nation of believers without shame is to be gathered together. Remember those who trust in the Lord will not be put to shame.[22] This nation without shame is gathered before the day that passes like the chaff, before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you. They are also gathered before the decree, what decree or agreement? This surely points to the covenant with many for one week described in Daniel 9:27, that kicks off Daniel’s seventieth week. The phrase in the day of the Lord’s anger refers to the tribulation. Therefore Jesus gathers His elect before the great and terrible day of the Lord. God says through Zephaniah, “Seek the LORD… Seek righteousness, seek humility,” then you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger which is the tribulation. This passage definitely points to the fact that wrath is not appointed for those who love him.
The Lord is so good and loving; He is the one who gathers us before the day of trouble. Isaiah saw this and wrote, “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm he will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”[23] He is the good shepherd, and the shepherd does not abandon His flock. Instead, the good Sheppard says, “Therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another. Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David [Reference to Messiah Jesus], and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.”[24]
Isaiah references the gathering together where God binds them all as a bride. He wrote, “Lift up your eyes and look around; all of them gather together, they come to you. As I live, declares the LORD, You shall surely put on all of them as jewels, and bind them on as a bride.”[25] There is a gathering together and it is quickly approaching. Isaiah wrote, “Lift up your eyes and look around.”
We are to be watching, looking and this is exactly what Jesus said; “But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”[26] Some might ask, when?
Nobody knows the day or the hour
Jesus gave us the answer of when, He said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, not the Son, but the Father alone.”[27] Doesn’t look like a great answer, if you want to know when. If Jesus says, “no one knows the day or the hour”. Then why does He say in other places look, be watching, be on alert? The only way for us to understand is to understand the language and idioms of His day.
During the time that Jesus walked the earth, there were sayings that had reference to something very specific. For instance in the last generation, if someone said, “that’s bad”, it really meant, “that very good”. Or in our current generation if someone says, “that’s hot”, it doesn’t mean it is hot in temperature, it means, “that is so good”. Likewise, when Jesus said, “no one knows the day or the hour.” He was making reference to a very specific date.
For the Jewish people, if Jesus says to them, about my return, “no one knows the day or the hour.” They would turn to each other and say with a grin, “Did He say no one knows the day or the hour?” They would immediately understand, there would need to be no further clarification. They got it and understood exactly what He meant.
Feast of Trumpets
Our generation is going to need some help, understanding what He meant. To a Jew, “No one knows the day or the hour” makes specific reference to one of the seven appointed feast unto the Lord. We all know that the spring feast have been fulfilled in the first coming of our Lord. Jesus was our Passover Lamb, He is the Unleavened Bread, and He is the First Fruits of the Resurrection. “And when the day of Pentecost” had fully come and was literally being fulfilled, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”[28]
Prophetically when Jesus came to earth two thousand years ago, He and the Holy Spirit fulfilled the first four of the seven feasts, described in Leviticus Chapter 23. The next feast day on the calendar, which has yet to be fulfilled, is the Feast of Trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets kicks of the civil calendar as the Jewish New Years day. [Note: The religious calendar starts in the spring.] It is celebrated on the 1st of Tishri. However, the first day of any month cannot begin until two witnesses are at the temple and have witnessed the crescent of the moon.
Side Note on Two Witnesses
Once two witnesses declare the beginning of the month, then the month beginning and in this case the Feast begins, please note that this is the only feast that falls at the beginning of a new month, this new beginning is reference to the resurrection. But let’s go back to the two witnesses before moving forward to discuss how “nobody knows the day or the hour.”
Remember when Jesus ascended to heaven in Acts chapter one where it says; “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”[29] Jesus was received up in the air in a cloud. This parallels what Paul wrote regarding his secret return for the believers, “we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”[30] This cloud is the cloud of saints who have passed on before us. And In Hebrews 12:1 is referred to as “so great a cloud of witnesses”.
So what does this have to do with everything and the Feast of Trumpets? Because the Feast of Trumpets wouldn’t begin unless there are two witnesses at the temple, and when Jesus was received up in the cloud in the air in Acts Chapter 1 there were two witnesses. It says, “And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; and they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”[31]
Two witnesses tell them Jesus is coming back the same way, and two witnesses references back to the Feast of Trumpets. Two witnesses kick off the seven-year tribulation as God says, “And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days.”[32] These two witnesses prophesy for the first three and a half years of the seven-year tribulation. The tribulation period is kicked off by the catching away, the gathering together in heaven of the faithful believers in Christ.
But why doesn’t anybody know the day or the hour? The reason is these two witnesses had to be at the temple and declare that they had witnessed the crescent moon that began a new month. Well, while the Jewish people where in captivity it was impossible for them to know those two witnesses had appeared at the temple while they were seven hundred miles away in Babylon. So for word to be transmitted from Jerusalem to Babylon by fire across the mountaintops between these two cities it might take a day. So Jews began celebrating Feast of Trumpets over two days and the saying for this became, “No one knows the day or the hour” in reference to when the Feast of Trumpets should begin.
And a Trumpet will Sound
In the 10th Chapter of the Book of Numbers, the Lord commanded Moses, saying, “Make yourself two trumpets of silver.”[33] In the Bible silver symbolizes redemption, and God commands Moses, “You shall use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out.”[34] So these trumpets where used as an alarm to tell everyone we are heading out and going to the promise land. The Lord told Moses, “And when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting.”[35]
The theme of the sound of a trumpet is specifically tied to the catching away of the saints and this secret return of the Lord on the Feast of Trumpets. Remember, this all happens, “at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound.”[36] Today on the Feast of Trumpets 100 trumpets are sounded and the last trumpet blast is the loudest and longest blast of the Feast call the Tehilah Hagadalah. However when the Ark of the Covenant was first brought into the temple 120 trumpets where blown on the Feast of Trumpets[37] and this may hold prophetic meaning to the 120 who where gathered together in one accord when the day of Pentecost had fully come.
Remember, John saw, “a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet.”[38] Jesus even references the trumpet blast in connection with the gathering together when He said, “And He [the Son of Man, Jesus] will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”[39] Here Jesus is referencing a number of passages from the Old Testament about the gathering together of His elect at the sound of a trumpet.
“It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown; and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.”[40] This verse is in reference to Israel as a nation, but many scriptures that reference to Israel also have prophetic meaning for the Holy Nation of the believers in Jesus.
Zechariah prophesies some very amazing things. He wrote, “Then the LORD will appear over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning; And the LORD GOD will blow the trumpet… And the LORD their God will save them in that day as the flock of His people; For they are as the stones of a crown, sparkling in His land.”[41] So much is hidden within this couple of verses. The Lord will appear over them, just as is recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, where we will meet the Lord in the air. Again reference to a trumpet blast and the Lord saving them in a day of trouble and lastly these people He sees as His special treasure.
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His Special Treasure
Those who are gathered are God’s special treasure. Peter understood this idea that God sees us as His precious stones, sparkling in His land. Peter wrote, “You also, as living stones… A people for God’s own possession.”[42] This is what the Lord told Moses, “You shall be My own possession [or special treasure] among all the people.”[43] The believers in Jesus Messiah are a special treasure to the Lord.
Malachi saw this and his prophesy connects the special treasure to the catching away of the church. He wrote, “And they will be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own possession [special treasure], and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”[44]
Types and Shadows foretold by the Feast of the Lord
Hopefully we haven’t gotten too far off track. It is important to understand that we are the Lord’s special treasure. Feast of Trumpet as are all the feast of the Lord is a sign for us. That we might have a sign post of what is ahead, the feast was not fulfilled in the Old Testament. It is a mere shadow or a type of what is coming. This is what Paul wrote about it, “Therefore no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival… things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance [or fulfillment] belongs to Christ.”[45]
The Feast of Trumpets celebrated by Jews today all over the world. In Hebrew we know this Feast as Rosh Hashanah, which means the head of the year. God commanded Moses regarding this feast saying, “Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, In the seventh month on the first of the month, you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.”[46]
The greatest type and shadow of the feast of trumpets took place on Mount Sinai when the children of Israel went to meet the Lord. The Bible says, “So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.”[47]
The children of Israel had been commanded to cleanse themselves today and tomorrow for on the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people. We read that on the morning of the third day the Lord shows up with thunder and lightning flashes and this parallels exactly what we see in Revelation Chapter 4. Where it says, “And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder.”[48]
But most importantly we read that there was a very loud trumpet sound. But sadly the people in the camp did not meet the Lord, instead they ran away in fear and sent Moses to speak to the Lord on their behalf. This is not the perfect will of God for his people. God does want to meet with us on His Holy Mountain at the sound of the last trumpet.
The General Assembly enrolled in heaven
The writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote about believers going up to the mountain of God in parallel form to what happen so long ago at Mount Sinai. He wrote, “For you have not come to a mountain that may be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word should be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.” But you have come to Mount Zion to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”[49]
We who are the true faithful believers in Jesus are going to be carried away to the Heavenly Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, in the heavenly Jerusalem. We will be in the presence of a myriad of angels, to the general assembly of the church of the first born of the resurrection. Those bondservants who have been recorded and enrolled in heaven in the book of remembrance will be in the presence of God our Father and Jesus our Lord. His blood has spoken on our behalf and He is our mediator of a new covenant.
The writer of Hebrews gives this advice, “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turned away from Him who warns from heaven.”[50] We are called not to refuse Him, not to refuse his call.
The writer then reveals that the heavens and the earth are about to be shaken as never before by the voice of our Lord and God. He writes, “And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” The Lord is saying that those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”[51]
We are called to hold onto that which cannot be shaken, when things seem to be falling apart. We are not to refuse Him who calls us. And because of this the writer of Hebrews concludes, “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”[52]
Just as Lightning Comes from the East
We have read how it is His bondservants who shall be saved from the evil to come upon the earth. We are pulled from the danger like a man spares his own son who serves him. But the question is how? How will God do this? We have really have two examples from the Old Testament. We talked about Elijah and Elisha, where two were in the field and one was taken and one was left behind.
However, there is one other story of a man taken to heaven and it is the story of Enoch. The Bible says, “Enoch was taken up… and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his taken up he was pleasing to God.”[53] Enoch just disappeared and no one could find him. The Bible says, “He was not found because God took him.” Enoch just vanished.
Paul wrote that this would all take place in a moment in a twinkling of an eye and remember this is an undividable moment, an atom moment. Jesus said about this moment, “For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.”[54] Jesus says it will be like lightning, so let’s talk a little bit about lightning.
Lightning is very strange, first lightning appears to come down from the clouds then striking the ground. Instead anyone who has studied about lightning understands that lightning actually goes from the ground to the clouds. How this happens scientist still haven’t quite figured out. They just know that a very strong positive charge forms at the tops of the clouds while a negative charge is formed at the bottom of the same clouds.
What happens next is quite technical, suffice it to say, a positive charge from the ground meets with the negative charge at the bottom of the clouds. There are a few amazing things about the lightning, first the lightning heats to somewhere over 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Second, the lightning moves at about 60,000 miles per second, roughly 1/3 the speed of light. Lastly, with the rapid expansion of air caused by the electrical charge causes the loud sounds of thunder.
So it is with this great speeds and extreme temperatures nearly three times hotter than the surface of the sun that lightning takes place. And remember we who are alive at the return of Jesus who are called out to His gathering, “we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For the perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on the immortality.”[55]
I am not saying when the Lord comes for us we who are in Christ and are caught up are all struck by lightning. Instead, what I am saying is Jesus said, “For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.”[56] It is going to just like lightning a similar type of thing that happens when lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west. All this happens in a moment at speeds near the speed of light.
This entire charge from mortal to immortal happens like lightning. The Psalmist wrote, “His lightnings lit up the world; the earth saw and trembled… The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples have seen His glory. Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, who boast themselves of idols… Hate evil, you who love the LORD, who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them fro the hand of the wicked.”[57]
So don’t fear being charged in that moment as it will happen so fast, I would guess you wouldn’t even remember that actual moment of change. It will happen in a moment at the sound of the last trumpet. The dead shall rise first; then we who are alive shall be caught up like lightning, to meet the Lord in the clouds. The Psalmist captured the moment like this, “The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth a sound; Thy arrows flashed here and there. The sound of Thy thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook.”[58]
The Earth Trembled and Shook
There has only been one previous raising of the dead which happen after the crucifixion when those who where the first fruits of the resurrection where raised with Christ. Matthew records the shaking of the earth like this, “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.”[59] This passage shows the earth quaking and shaking and then the dead are raised.
This looks to be what will happen at that moment, the earth will shake and quake, with the dead raising first, then we who are alive caught up at the last trumpet by the voice that thunders from the heavens. This parallels what happened at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19 where, “The LORD descended up it in fire… the whole mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder… and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.”[60]
Take your time examine Exodus 19 thoroughly as the parallels with the catching away of the bride of Christ is uncanny. Isaiah may have seen this end of age events best with those gathered from the east and the west in the midst of the earth quaking from the dead being raised. He prophesied, “They raise their voices, they shout for joy. They cry out from the west concerning the majesty of the LORD. Therefore glorify the LORD in the east, the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear songs, “Glory to the Righteous One,”… for the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken asunder, the earth is slit through, the earth is shaken violently. The earth reels to and from like a drunkard, and it totters like a shack, for its transgression is heavy upon it, and it will fall, never to rise again. So it will happen in that day, that the LORD will punish the host of heaven, on high, and the kings of the earth, on earth. And they will be gathered together… And His glory will be before His elders.”[61]
There is no way for me to describe the events better than the scripture can. This amazing event where two are in the field and one is taken and the other is left behind, is the event that happens just before the seven year tribulation. The next chapter we will examine the tribulation, something I say you only want to view from a big screen in heaven. You do not want to be an inhabitant of the earth at that time. You want to have been gather together inside the heavenly gates and worship round the throne of God.
I love the way the passage from Isaiah ends, “And they will be gathered together… And His glory will be before His elders.” Almost as if it is saying and His glory will be before the twenty-four elders and could that glory be His saints? They are gathered together and brought into His presence which is before the twenty-four elders.
As we head into the next chapter and discuss this seven-year time period called in the Bible a time of Jacobs trouble, I just want to say. A relationship with the Lord is not a fire insurance policy. You either lose your life, which Jesus said would save it. Or you try to save your life, which Jesus said those who did would actually lose it. You either love and serve Him, or live the life you want and perish. So I will again say, “Wrath has not been appointed for those who love Him.” Instead Nahum prophesied, “The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies.”[62]
[1] Matthew 24:40
[2] 2 Corinthians 12:4
[3] Matthew 24:37
[4] Matthew 24:40-41
[5] Luke 17:34-36
[6] Luke 17:37
[7] Luke 17:37
[8] 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
[9] 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
[10] 2 Kings 2:11
[11] Isaiah 57:1
[12] 2 Thessalonians 2:1
[13] Romans 11:25
[14] Ephesians 1:10
[15] Matthew 23:37
[16] John 11:51-52
[17] Romans 10:19
[18] Matthew 24:31
[19] Psalm 50:5
[20] 1 Peter 2:9
[21] Zephaniah 2:1-3
[22] 1 Peter 2:6
[23] Isaiah 40:11
[24] Ezekiel 34:22-23 Note Added for Clarification
[25] Isaiah 49:18
[26] Luke 21:36
[27] Luke 24:36
[28] Acts 2:1, 4
[29] Acts 1:9
[30] 1 Thessalonians 4:17
[31] Acts 1:10-11
[32] Revelation 11:3
[33] Numbers 10:2
[34] Numbers 10:2
[35] Numbers 10:3
[36] 1 Corinthians 15:52
[37] 2 Chronicles 5:2, 12
[38] Revelation 4:1
[39] Matthew 24:31
[40] Isaiah 27:13
[41] Zechariah 9:14, 16
[42] 1 Peter 2:5, 9
[43] Exodus 19:5
[44] Malachi 3:17
[45] Colossians 2:16-17
[46] Leviticus 23:23-25
[47] Exodus 19:16
[48] Revelation 4:5
[49] Hebrews 12:18-24
[50] Hebrews 12:25
[51] Hebrews 12:26-27
[52] Hebrews 12:28-29
[53] Hebrwes 11:5
[54] Matthew 24:27
[55] 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
[56] Matthew 24:27
[57] Psalm 97:4-7, 10
[58] Psalm 77:17-18
[59] Matthew 27:51-52
[60] Exodus 19:18-20
[61] Isaiah 24:14-23
[62] Nahum 1:2
