We are told of two great events that will take
place in regards to Christ. The first one is
His Appearance just prior to the introduction
of the Tribulation period. The second is His Second Coming to
earth to defeat the evil one, at the end of this period.
The first event we know it as the "rapture" the
catching up of His bride. The true believers (church)
in Christ. Also known as His bride! The bible shows us that
we in Christ will vanish, only sign of us being here will be the clothes
we had on prior of the "great disappearance" of His bride.
Matthew 16:1
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting
desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
Matthew 16:2
He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say,
It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
Matthew 16:3
And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day:
for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern
the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
Matthew 16:4
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and
there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.
And he left them, and departed.
This passage is not dealing with the period of the Tribulation/Great
Tribulation, as some think. It is a time prior
to the appearance of the Lord Jesus in the clouds
to call for His bride.
Turn if you will to 1 Corinthians 15:51
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1 Corinthians 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.
Now many think this is the trumpet sound in Revelation,
but it is not the same trumpet.
This is the only sign that has yet come to pass.
The appearance of Christ in the cloud to
receive His bride. In the Jewish tradition when a
man is to marry his bride, he doesn't see his bride
until the day of the wedding. His father
will say, son go receive your bride. The son then goes
out with a trump and blows it and soon his bride arrives.
This is what will take place when God our
Father says Son go receive Your bride. This is when
Jesus shall step out on the cloud to call for His bride
to come to Him. Not all will see Jesus
standing in the clouds, just those that have accepted Him in
their hearts will be the ones to see Him and to
go up to Him. All others will continue on with what they
are doing for they are of the world. They will not
understand why their loved ones or friends have all disappeared.
Havoc will run rampant.
After this event takes place the second set of
events will rush in. These events are what is called
the Tribulation/Great Tribulation period.
John describes this event so vividly as does Daniel.
The signs of the end have yet come to pass.
Some will take place individually as some
will take place simutaniously.
photographed in Hamilton, Montana from the Billings Gazette
