"But I do not want to leave you, brethren, in ignorance of the dead, so that we do not grieve like others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then God will bring those who died in Jesus with Him. For This we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede the dead, because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are left alive We will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
There is hardly a more attractive and precious object for the believer. Indeed, by the grace of God, this is the first event of all the miracles associated with the appearance of our Lord from heaven. In addition, it applies to each of God's beloved, and therefore each individually is especially close. So it is almost impossible that one of the disciples of Christ was not busy with this wonderful event. In addition, this event concludes the most glorious celebration in which only the Church of God will participate - victory over death and the grave and entry with Him - the glorified Head - into the glory that He had with the Father before the foundation of the world and into the glory that He now accept as the Son of Man. With ardent desire, the first disciples, all without exception, awaited His coming during their lifetime. This expectation sanctified them miraculously and made them such children of God, who shone brightly in the dark world around them. Between them, the young Thessalonian church was especially distinguished. Although they were converted only a few months ago, they were burning with anticipation of the coming, the day of taking at the appearance of the Lord, and therefore the apostle writes especially clearly to them about the course of events on the day of the rapture. We can be very grateful to our Lord that we are allowed to follow His servant in describing this wonderful event. But we would like to point out two points about this event: the apostle's inducement to describe the rapture, and the description itself.
The Apostle's Encouragement to Describe the Rapture
I hope we will not be left without a blessing when we see the reasons that prompted the apostle to write about this. Here is a precious word to this Church that shows that it is motivated primarily by certain gaps, shortcomings in knowledge. "I don't want to leave you ignorant, brethren." Many who were given the word of knowledge took it with them to the grave, and those who remained did not know what would happen to them when the Lord appeared. They knew that those who waited on the Lord alive would achieve bliss, and they thought that the dead would be deprived of it. They could not at that time study the New Testament, as we do now, since it did not yet exist. And they heard the apostles only three Saturdays (Acts 17:1-10). At that time the apostles were far away from them and they could not ask them. But think, brethren: they heard only three Sabbaths the testimony of the apostles - and such a lively expectation of the Lord! What a wonderful expectation it was full of fire, strength, grace! It doesn't surprise me that they lacked some light. Nothing else can be expected. And how many of those who have already been converted for years, hear the Word of God again and again, live with the Bible in their hands and, for all that, are in complete darkness regarding this wonderful event, which is now so close. But more than that, the majority, living without a glorious hope, is in blatant composure, so that the question of how things are, how it should be done, shows complete indifference. How desirable that this should soon change in us! However, we have been greatly blessed from the lack of knowledge among the Thessalonians, for this state of affairs prompted the apostle to shed a bright light on the coming of the Lord. He had two reasons for writing to the Thessalonians.
Deep sorrow for the dead. "Lest you mourn like the rest." One by one, the brothers and sisters went to the grave, not waiting for the coming of the Lord. It seemed to the Thessalonians that the damage to them was immeasurable, since the Thessalonians were sure that the dead did not receive the glory of the coming Lord, and the survivors, bound to them by strong bonds of love, wept for them. We do not know how the apostle heard about this sorrow, but it grew, took on such dimensions that the news of it reached the apostle. How great this sorrow was, is evident from the epistle. It was comparable to the sorrow of those who "had no hope" - that is, the unconverted, the children of this world, who do not have a Redeemer who is powerful over death and over the grave and who will not come to call them to glory. But notice that the apostle does not say that they should not mourn at all, no! A Christian does not have a heart of stone; through the love of God poured out in his heart, he becomes more tender than all others. He can cry at the death of loved ones, dear to his heart, he is allowed to shed tears, as their Teacher shed them at the tomb of Lazarus. And it seems to me that the apostle Paul says: "Grieve, but not without hope; mourn, but with an eye of hope."
Thus, the coming of our Lord is also joyful and comforting for those children of God who must go to the grave. The coming of our Lord will not cause sorrow in any way, but they have the same reason for joy as for the living, who are ready to meet the Lord. Thus the apostle removes the lack of knowledge among the Thessalonians by means of holy reasoning. The apostle instructs his young congregation in that faith, in which he stands: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then God will also bring those who die in Jesus with him. of the Lord, we will not warn the dead" (1 Thessalonians 4:14-15). From these words it can be clearly concluded that those who weep for the dead were of the opinion that at the coming of the Lord the dead would not rise, but would remain in their graves. However, the apostle teaches them that just as it is true that the Lord died and rose again, so it is also true that those who died in Him will be resurrected in Him. What happened to our Head will be repeated with the members of His Body. He died and rose from the dead, so also believers who die in Him will be resurrected.
Indeed, our glorified Lord passed through all the deepest stages of our fall, not excluding even death. What is this for? In order to bear in Himself a wonderful redemption through all the depths of our fall, so that we could ascend with Him through all the steps of His victory and glory (2 Corinthians 8:9). Even death, which fell like a thick black cloud on the eye of the faith of the Thessalonians, is not death for the believer in Christ - this can be seen very clearly in the original. The Russian translation says: the dead, the dead, the dead, and in the original: the deceased, plunged into sleep, fell asleep. This is exactly what the Lord says about death in other places as well (Mt. 9:24; Jn. 11:11). His friends are asleep and He goes to wake them up. And it is so joyful that one day His voice will be heard calling us from here, and we can calmly lie down and fall asleep, as in the arms of our mother! But that is not how it is said about Him. He didn't sleep, he died. He actually tasted death, He actually tasted the sting of death in order to free the children of God from that sting.
But why does a child of God die in torment? Because they have a sting, the sting of death, that is, sin. If we live in the Lord, then we are clean, if we live like Him, then this sting is not terrible. Further, the apostle removes the last error through the Word of God (the error that took place among the Thessalonians no longer through conclusions). The mistake is that they thought that the living, who remained until the coming of the Lord, would have some advantage over the dead. And he pointed to the Word of God, where you can neither add nor subtract: "We tell you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive ... we will not forestall those who are dead" (v. 15). It signifies the same bliss, glory for the dead as it does for the living. But the Thessalonians, perhaps, nevertheless, were of the opinion that the living, who remained before the advent, would see earlier and leave earlier than those who come out of the graves. The apostle, as it were, says: no, there will be no warning, no primacy, because we will not warn (we will not get ahead of) the dead. And what is precious in his explanation is that the apostle includes himself. "We," he says. This was supposed to remove all the bitterness of death and its darkness and thus alleviate the bitterness of regret for the brothers and sisters who had gone to the grave.
From this word of the apostle it can be clearly seen that together with the Thessalonians he waited for the Lord during his lifetime. He did not expect death, like the great mass of people who do not live in hope today. They see the only way out of the world through death. He expected the coming of the Lord, but if He had not come, death would not have been a horror or loss for him. On the contrary, because he speaks in the face of the violent death that threatens him about the future acquisition (Philippians 1:21). So, let us also keep in mind both outcomes from this world. But our expectation should not be the expectation of death, but the expectation of the coming Lord. If it be otherwise with us, if He does not come, but withdraws, we must nevertheless be conscious that both outcomes must glorify our Lord. And now, after the apostle has removed the deficiency in the knowledge of the Thessalonians, he comes to the description of the rapture of the Church of the Lord.
Description of the Rapture of the Church
First of all, we have the joyful news that the Lord Himself will come for her, as it is said: "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet of God." How precious it is that the Lord is at the forefront of this wonderful event! He does not send any messengers or delegations, although He has many, as Colossians 1:16 says, and He could give a commission to bring the redeemed by His blood to Him. This can be done by some earthly ruler in order to bring the bride to his kingdom. Then noble nobles go abroad and meet the bride. The head of the throne, perhaps, only goes to the border of his country to meet her. And isn’t it true, how majestic it would be if these great heavenly hosts appeared on this earth to see off the Church of Christ with triumph in His glory!
But it won't. His ardent love compels Himself to go after her, and He cannot do it otherwise, because He said when leaving: "And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that you too may be where I am" (John 14:3). No, the Parent of Heaven will not leave His Bride to anyone else. And what happens is that He again leaves His glory and the Father (“Let a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife”). He will again cross the boundaries of his present abode, hasten to us in order to personally meet and see him where He is. Shouldn't our hearts beat just at the thought of such a wonderful meeting with our Lord? Do we not see from this that infinite love burns in His heart, higher than we can imagine. As long as we live on earth, we do not know the day or the hour of His coming (Matthew 25:13). But the most glorious of all moments is the last. It won't be like this on earth. The last moment will announce everything, for it is said: "He Himself ... will descend from heaven."
First of all, His blessed voice will be heard. Those who have been redeemed by His Blood will immediately know Who they are dealing with; they have nothing to fear. Oh, what was His voice to the beloved of the Lord when He was on earth, what His voice is now to those who hear Him, and what will be His voice on that great day! Some translate: "with an exclamation," - and they say; that we are talking here about a military command, a cry or a call for victory. It may well be that it will be all at once, for when He comes, He will come as a conqueror with His heavenly and earthly armies. His step will then be the step of final triumph over sin, death, and Satan. His attitude towards the redeemed of God will apply to those who sleep as well as those who are awake. And if strong fetters hold anyone at that moment, they will fall at the same moment. This call will be joined by the voice of the archangels. Angels accompanied Him for the first time, saw Him off in life on earth (fasted, prayed, suffered, resurrected, ascended). They will also be with him when he comes for his own. There is nothing surprising here. If the angels rejoice at the repentance of one sinner, can we imagine how they will rejoice when He appears for them as a reward for His suffering and death?
Here again the trumpet of God is remembered (1 Corinthians 15:52). It is called the last trumpet. This will be the last of the events of the grace of God and, probably, the most important of all. Never confuse this trumpet with the last trumpet of the seven (Rev. 11:15), as many have done. This last trumpet has nothing to do with those. Those seven trumpets refer to the wicked world and pronounce judgment, and the last trumpet is the most terrible. And this is the trumpet of the highest grace. That one is announced when the Church is at home, and this one calls her. With this pipe, it will be withdrawn. So we see that His bride will have enough information at the moment of the appearance of the bridegroom on that great day.
Then comes the resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ. But not all the dead are touched by this voice of the Lord, the voice of the archangels, because it is said: "the dead are in Christ." We, the survivors, will not be in front of them, we still have to wait a little, they will rise first. It will not be as they paint, that at the last trumpet there will be an announcement to the whole world that the dead and the living will tear their hair in horror. Nothing like that, He will come when He comes for His own, as the two men indicate at the ascension (Acts 1:11). Not one eye of the children of this world saw when He ascended into heaven. Nobody suspected. In the same way He will come again, that is, His coming will be completely unknown to the world. As for His information or notice, it will be like in the main apartment of some sovereign in war. His voice, command call, trumpet signals are understood and understood by those around him and those who know him. But in the camp of the enemy they do not understand what was proclaimed and what orders were given. So it will be on earth, and with those who rest underground.
Oh, what a great division will be made at this commanding call! For now the dead of the children of God will be laid together with those who do not know the Lord and are strangers to Him, with those who perished. The ashes of some and the ashes of others mixed. But the voice of the Lord, His call, will reach only the children of God. And others will not hear Him. About nine years ago, the Lord wonderfully showed this visually. I buried my dear daughter. They buried her in the old cemetery, and when they dug the grave, they found two skulls, obviously, of a mother and a child, since one was small and the other large. Everything else turned to dust. My deceased was laid there, and her ashes mingled with theirs. And what a miracle it will be: it will rise, if it is the Lord's, I know that it is the Lord's. All those whom the Lord calls in transfigured bodies will rise from their graves, and the rest will remain there for another thousand years. He Himself, Who put His own to sleep, will awaken them from sleep, and they will go out into immortality, glory, like Him, to meet Him in rapture. But after the resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ, it is the turn of those who are waiting for Him alive. What will happen to us? Should we also die, enter into death, or perhaps, as we are, meet Him? Neither one nor the other. "We will change", we will be glorified in glory, as He was on Tabor, and this will happen soon, before we have time to blink an eye. Who will then have time to prepare, if he has not yet. ready? "Therefore, be ready also," said the Lord (Luke 12:40). He said this when he had not yet left the earth, when he had not yet died, almost 2000 years ago. And then He demanded that we be ready, which means that now, and not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we must be ready. But what will happen when this “later” comes, when we pass by death and the grave without dying, being immediately transformed into His likeness? into heaven, it will be put to death by him. Then, in that great day, there will be no more death, and this mortal can be swallowed up by life (2 Corinthians 5:4). After that, the rapture will follow, the union of the resurrected dead and the living of His Church "together with Him," says the apostle.
So, you see that there is no loss for those who entered the grave earlier, there is no advantage for the survivors - together they will be raptured. How great is the love of the Lord, letting us know even now how it will be! "Upon the clouds," exactly as it was when He left this earth. And how happy it is when we know that it is so close. This glory at His coming is for His own. The clouds, says one of God's fine workers, were the triumphant chariot. They will carry away the bride of our Lord. And if even now we live in hope, then, leaving the house, raising our eyes to the rushing clouds, we can think about this wondrous place and the glorification to which these clouds will take us from here, take us to where we want to be forever and ever.
Many times my soul rejoiced when at the evening hour at sunset I asked, looking at the clouds fringed with gold, silver, wonderful brilliance: "Lord, maybe they are? Maybe You send them to call us?" They were not those clouds yet, but they reminded that the Lord would come soon. This will be a farewell to the earth for all those who lived closely with the Lord here, perhaps in struggle, in suffering, being hated, in reproach, in persecution, but walking with faith along a thorny path. But will we regret being faithful when we get to the clouds? No, the mere thought of such a farewell to the earth destroys regret for what you have endured, and, moreover, especially from the consciousness that this will not happen again forever and ever.
So the end of the Church will be a triumph. However, that's not all. The most glorious thing follows - a meeting with the Lord Himself. "In the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." Is there a mouth that can say how it will be? There is no pen that can describe it, no heart that can foresee it. I always thought I would go crazy when I thought I would meet Him. I had to stop. It would be as if in this body we met Him. But then, in those days, this meeting will be able to take place calmly, because we will be vessels for perception, able to contain it all, we will be like Him, exactly like Him. Oh, what a blessing it is when there is nothing in us to hold us back from Him, and nothing in Him to repulse us, to cast the dead at His feet. As it once was with John. Of course, then nothing else will be in the state of the children of God, except thanksgiving, praise, worship, and what will happen when He turns to His beloved with the words: "This is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone." He will see Himself in us and lead us to eternal dwellings, to the house of His father.
It is precious that the apostle adds: "And thus shall we always be with the Lord." Nothing more precious can be added than this marvelous hope to always remain with Him. Not in the air, where there is only a meeting place, and not a place of permanent residence. "Always with the Lord" - this says that wherever He goes, there is no separation and never will be. I can’t say more, but I know only one thing: with Him, the True Heir of all, we will enter into His and our inheritance.
"So comfort one another with these words." This, of course, was communicated to the Thessalonians. Such a message can eliminate every tear once and for all, and not only then, but also now, from those who have lost their dear ones through death, who fell asleep and lay down in their kennels. We know that they, as the apostle said, are looking forward to the great manifestation of the glory of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ, whether He sends His servant death or comes Himself to take us from the earth. May both glorify Him. But this will be only when we now live with Him and in Him.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
We find the Lord's introduction to this parable in the previous 24th chapter, which forms an inseparable whole with the 25th chapter. These are verses 24 to 50. The passage immediately preceding our parable sheds light on how the taking of the children of God will take place at His coming. Paul did not say in 1 Thessalonians 4 what would happen on earth during the taking of the Church, that is, he did not give the details of the taking, because he had in mind only the dead, because of whom those who were so weeping. The purpose of the apostle was to give comfort, since they already knew everything else. And this is how the Lord says: "One is taken, and the other is left" (Matthew 24:40-41). With whom will it be? Let's think about who will take it and who will stay.
The superficial reader will be done with this place very soon. Even the best preachers sometimes say, "The wise are those who are in Christ, and the other five are the children of this world." But when we look deeper into the Word of God, it will become clear to us that this is not so. For our Lord was especially concerned with the bliss and sorrow of His children at this great event. To His children He gives the strongest warnings. He does not come to judge the world - that will follow later. He comes exclusively for His children, and therefore there can be no question of the children of this world. They will stay, that's clear, we don't need to talk about it.
Surely the Lord is referring to His children when He says, "One will be taken and the other left." This is clearly seen from His warning: "Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour the Lord is coming" (24:42). From these words it clearly follows that those who are not awake will remain, precisely because they will not be awake. Only the children of God can watch. The waking of the unconverted is out of the question, because they are dead in trespasses and sins and have never been awakened. They are in a deadly sleep. That the Lord does not touch the world is evident from the fact that He calls Himself "your Lord." He is the Lord of all the redeemed. Further He adds: "Therefore you also be ready" (v.44). This word can only be addressed to the children of God. The final confirmation follows after all that is said about the slave (Mt. 24:45). It can only be a child of God. Note that the conversation is about a faithful, prudent servant who will say in his heart: "My lord will not come soon." You see his actions in the absence of the master and the decision made when the master comes. If the slave is good, then the master will put him over all his property, and if not, he will cut him. The same thing can happen to the best servant of God if he stoops and does not wait on the Lord as he should. Everything that is said about single disciples, in this parable, the Lord applies to the entire Universal Church at the time when He comes. We see that they will not be taken in their entirety - but only in part, since only ready-made ones will be taken, as it says in 25:10, and therefore this parable is extremely serious for us. Four wonderful positions occupy us when considering it: the exit of the virgins, the stopping of the virgins on the way, the anxiety that awakens the virgins, the coming of the bridegroom.
exit maidens
First of all, let's note who they are and who they represent. They are all virgins - so it is said here. And since this is a parable, they are a symbol of something beautiful, good. In the Holy Scriptures, a virgin is an image of purity and innocence, an image of chastity, a person who gave her heart to the One, Who in pure love gave herself to her alone. And in this parable, all ten are presented as such, and not as it is sometimes said: "Only five of them are true virgins, and others are not." The Lord does not know the difference in this respect, for Him they are all virgins, and we cannot lose sight of this.
Who do they represent, these pure, chaste virgins? They depict the Kingdom of Heaven, the true Church of God here on earth. As it is presented here, it is often presented in the Word of God. Sometimes she appears as a virgin, sometimes as a bride. The Song of Songs shows us the Church as a bride. Many surround the bride there, but she alone knows the Bridegroom. She is one bride. In the New Testament, John the Baptist was the first to know the Bride and Bridegroom (John 3:29). John was a friend of the Bridegroom. He believed for Christ. One day they came and told him that Jesus was baptizing and everyone was coming to Him (John 3:26). Maybe those who reported this thought that he would be envious and jealous, but John the Baptist says that he rejoices that Christ personally, face to face, communicates with them, and that his mission is over. He says: "He must increase, but I must decrease." John the Baptist clearly sees the Church of God and Christ as the Bridegroom. The church is once again represented figuratively in Matthew 9:14-15. This means that these people were born in the bridal chamber in the bosom of the Church, just like all of us. The church is the palace. The Apostle Paul very solemnly speaks of the Church as a virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2).
So, the Word of God presents the Church of God as a Bride, as a virgin, pure, chaste. The same apostle speaks of the complete union of Christ with the Church (Eph. 5:31-32). Until Revelation, the New Testament presents the Church as a virgin and as a bride, and Revelation speaks of the marriage of the Lamb, because His bride or wife has prepared herself (Rev. 19:7).
In our parable, the ten virgins represent the Church of Christ, as in the previous chapter (24:40-41), before the coming of the Lord, when one is taken and the other is left, when the slave is found in this or that position (state). Then we learn that these virgins went out to meet the Bridegroom. He is familiar to them all, not one is a stranger to Him, all belong to the wedding procession. They knew of His return, and this prompted them to go out on the road to meet Him before He came. So we see them come out. So it is with the whole Church of Christ. He drew us all to Himself, everyone knows Him, we are all members, each of us was born in a chamber. It means that he is a believer, he came out of this world, went down from the path of sin, left everything that held him back.
As we move forward, the distance between them and the Bridegroom decreases, and the distance between them and the world increases. Soon they will be before Him. So it is good, so it should be. But is it so with us? Is it so with me, is it so with you who live before the coming of our Lord?
The parable also tells what state the virgins were in. Of these, five were wise and five were foolish. This means that five of them were doing well from the very beginning, and the other five had something wrong after they left. Those who did not have everything in order are called unreasonable. They took their lamps, or rather, their torches, which were doused with oil or dipped in oil, and therefore burned brightly. The foolish, satisfied with this, took no oil in their vessels, and thus set out on their journey. They thought they had enough to meet the Bridegroom. But that was their fatal mistake. Others took torches and filled their vessels. This was very wise, because they did not get into trouble and were out of danger of meeting the Bridegroom with an extinguished torch, which would mean neglect.
As it was with the ten virgins, so it will be with the church of Christ at the time of His coming. Therefore, it is necessary to deeply investigate whether this is not the case with us today. One half consists of those who, although regenerated by the Holy Spirit, in whom, although the lamp of faith is kindled, they never cared to be filled with the Holy Spirit, like the disciples on the day of Pentecost. Maybe it's the same with us? When the Holy Spirit called them, their lamps ignited, burned for a short time, then the light weakened and finally completely disappeared, because they did not have the Holy Spirit. This is the Holy Oil, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, which can make the child of God burning. Look around and you will see such a nonchalant attitude everywhere. "How blessed you were," says the Apostle Paul (Gal. 4:15), "moreover, you were rich, grew rich, and had need of nothing." They are told about being filled with the Holy Spirit, and it doesn't move them. They do not know that in reality they are unhappy, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Friends, half of the Church knows that there is a filling with the Holy Spirit, there is baptism by Him, there is fullness. They do not accept this truth as just a beautiful teaching - they cannot rest until they receive what is set before them in full. They know that the Holy Spirit has taken possession of them, they live by His power and go towards the Lord. Their heart belongs to Christ. They are waiting for Him and ready to meet Him, in their heart there is one call: "Come, Lord Jesus!" Is it so with us?
Stopover
Here we are told what this stop consisted of: "Everyone dozed off and fell asleep." From the foregoing, we see that the procession of the Bridegroom took place at night, when everyone, having endured the weight of the day and the heat, indulges in sleep. And then a deep sleep swept all around. The propensity for drowsiness took possession of the virgins and little by little stopped them; So the Church of God goes to meet Christ in the middle of the dark night. Do we not see how everything is done gloomily in the world around us? The power of darkness prepares soporific drinks, sobriety leaves, the spirit of intoxication fills everyone, distracts everything from the Lord and, as if in a wild stream, draws everyone along with it. Unfortunately, the spirit of lulling has also affected the children of God, despite the fact that they are going to meet the coming Bridegroom.
Our time bears witness to how the progress of the children of God is delayed, how slowly they move, how quietly the pulse beats in the hearts of the children of God. The most painful thing is that most are in this dream. Many believe that this is how it should be and that this is the most normal state. Everything is going well. But let's hear another reason for this stagnation, it is this: "And how the Bridegroom slowed down ..." The slowdown of the Bridegroom led to a stop and to sleep. His coming, which they expected soon, did not follow, and the time was very long. Hour after hour passed slowly, and there was no sign that the Bridegroom was coming or approaching. And because they waited at night when the hours pass slowly, it made their waiting very difficult, more stressful. You see, because of the long wait, the love went out, and once it went out, it was easy to fall asleep.
Let us only remember how in the beginning they thirsted for the Lord: they looked ahead with burning tension, waiting for the Lord even during their lifetime. The first love burned in the hearts, there was nothing else but the desire: "Hey, come, Lord Jesus!" The first and second centuries have passed, finally even a whole millennium, the second has come, we have come to the end of it, there is very little left. We live in such a time, which the apostle speaks of in 2 Peter 3:3. And so, listening, we notice that among the children of God we hear: "My Lord will not come soon." Sleep becomes Something ordinary. We should have one desire: May He pour out the first love into the hearts of His children! If there had not been a cooling of love for Himself, then after the expiration of nineteen centuries there could not have been sleep, all with open eyes would have to go towards our Lord.
Anxiety that awakens the virgins
But, thanks be to the Lord, according to His words, anxiety spread among the sleeping ones, which raised them. What was this concern? "Here comes the Bridegroom, come out to meet Him." She was in a very joyful, but, moreover, amazing call. He, whom they had been waiting for so long and who did not come, suddenly appeared near them. Someone there from the city wall, from a distance, saw the Bridegroom approaching with burning torches and, perhaps, heard the loud sounds of the trumpet accompanying Him. This watchman felt it his duty to inform the sleeping virgins that he was coming, just as in our cities a watchman raises the alarm when he sees a fire. This is what the Church experienced some time ago. This call swept with force in the last 25 years of the last century and is still heard today. In the ranks of the children of God, he sounded like never since the time of the apostles. It has been communicated to the Church of God in various ways that the Bridegroom is coming, near, and very near. We are not going to meet the Judge, but to meet the betrothed Bridegroom, Who approaches us with full love. Are our hearts on fire? It was all something new. It swept through all five parts of the world. Now this news is so rarely heard. What were the consequences of this anxiety? Let's see if these are the results.
General Awakening
"Then all those virgins stood up." They didn't stay in their beds. They rubbed their eyes, drove away sleep from their eyes, everyone felt that a serious hour was approaching - they would have to meet the Bridegroom, to stand face to face with Him. This is what happens in a fire when the alarm starts. So it was in the east when the bridegroom approached at night. Firefighters do not sleep, only doze, they do not undress, they go to bed half-dressed, so that when the signal is given, everyone is ready to take on their job. Is it so with us? Their sleep is a half-sleep, full of anxiety. Their awakening is sudden, profound. Such a revival must be evoked whenever the Church is reminded of the coming Lord. Is it so with us? Movements do not trigger reminders. A little push, and then again head on the pillow and sleep, sleep again.
But what happened 20-40 years ago? A miraculous awakening is not among the children of this world, not among the unconverted, but the first duty in the circles of believers. Oh what was done! Ramp after ramp in all places. We drove back and forth. From convention to convention. Everyone was investigating, studying the coming of the Lord. From the mainland to England, from England to the mainland, from Europe to America, from America to Europe, all this in order to consider how near the coming of our Lord is. This miraculous movement was also communicated to the missionary fields in the pagan countries of Asia, Africa, and Australia. Everywhere one sound was heard: "Here the Bridegroom is coming." Not like now before the meetings - chatter. And these were serious questions about what would happen, whether we would be ready. These were not questions of curiosity, but a desire to meet the Bridegroom. Everyone thought that he should personally appear before God. It was that midnight hour.
Now we are fifty-six years closer to this morning. But we ask what consequences this call had for us, whether it affected our lives. Have we become such that when we wake up, we think: maybe the Lord will come today? In England, a brother was talking about a friend of his who was actually waiting on the Lord. His friend was already old. He had a room on the second floor, the windows of which faced east. He went to bed half-dressed, could not fall asleep for a long time, and more than once looked out the window to see if the Lord was coming. And in the morning he again went to the window with the words: "I am waiting for my Lord." The Lord came, and he left with jubilation and triumph. Only such an expectation makes us ready.
Everyone started fixing the lights
"They fixed their lamps." It means that they wanted to meet the Bridegroom with dignity. To approach unworthily with a smoldering torch would be a mockery of the Bridegroom. It means that they had everything investigated, put in order; what the Bridegroom might not like has been removed. But the main thing was that there were torches, as the virgins walked on a dark night. If the torches were extinguished or close to being extinguished, it would cast a shadow on the maidens. In Jerusalem, a girl who met at midnight aroused suspicion that she was on a bad path. You need to know the East, imagine the streets of the city. The streets of the city are all under arches, and no light falls from above, there are no windows to the left and right, and the lighting is very weak. The streets are crooked, and if there is no lamp in the hands, this is very suspicious for the virgin. Is your lamp on or not? Your fate depends on the solution of this question.
The maidens began to zealously straighten their torches. Have we ever thought of making such an inquiry into our torches? Whether we search our lamps like virgins, or are deeply ignorant that He can come in our lifetime, and are so carried away by the world that He, our Beloved, has nothing with us, He is not our treasure, there is peace in the heart and not him? How dangerous is such a state when we do not consider it a sin! This state is not cold, but warm - worse than sin. A person in sin can repent. It is of the utmost importance for each of us to investigate whether we are shining or walking in darkness towards our Lord.
The foolish ones revealed their terrible state
What did they discover? They discovered that:
a) their torches go out, and instead of light, a bad smell spreads. Today there is not a single community where this smell does not color everything around;
b) they lack oil and it is impossible to improve their condition (position);
c) the torches of the wise burn with a bright flame.
They saw that those virgins were wise and they were foolish, they saw the difference between their flame and theirs. Wisdom is that the vessels are full of oil. Have we opened it?
But, oh horror! they revealed all this before the appearance of the Bridegroom, maybe only a few minutes before His coming! How terrible it is to think that this could happen to us! And what are they doing now? They turn back and forth, turning with deep hope to the wise: "Give us your oil, for our lamps are going out" (v. 8). They are now only discovering that the wise can in no way correct their deficiency - they cannot give them oil, they can only advise what they have been advised many times before - go and buy from the Seller what they can only get from Him. "Better go to those who sell and buy for yourself." In the last minutes they rush to the seller to buy oils. They could have had oil a long time ago if they had heeded this advice.
This is a pitiful picture of many, many believers today. They are also one of the signs of the end times. As we look at each other, we can see signs of the near coming of the Lord. And what do we see? Clinging to the earth, living according to the flesh, actions, speeches, thoughts, quarrels, as with others who are not in Christ. It doesn't bring any light into the world. It brings death, deep darkness to this night and makes the night even darker. "Are believers like that?" - says the world. Oh, what will happen to those who are not filled with the Holy Spirit! They will discover in a few minutes that they cannot meet Him like that. The heart will say: "You are not worthy, you did not give light to the world to enlighten it." Then you will know that you gave a false light, carried a wrong idea about the Gospel, about Himself, about His life and way, - was such that He will have to spew you out of His mouth. Why didn’t you run for oil then, and now you stretch out your hands, praying for the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and do not rest until you receive it? After all, such with Him all, whoever they are, will remain behind a closed door.
The Parable of the Ten Talents (Mat. 25:14-30)
Here is the second parable described in the Gospel of Matthew. There are three parables in this chapter, and each speaks of the coming of the Lord. This parable, like the parable of the ten virgins, applies only to those who belong to Christ, yet how different it is from the previous parable! This parable shows us a completely different side of our relationship with the Lord. In the parable of the ten virgins, the Lord appears as a gentle and wonderful bridegroom who follows his bride. Immediately He appears as a master who demands an account of the gifts that he gave to his slaves. In the parables of the ten virgins, it is a question of a personal relationship to Christ Himself, what we ourselves are in relation to Him. The parable of the ten talents is about His gifts and His riches. The first parable speaks of the life of fellowship with the Son of God during His absence from earth. At this time, He should be a magnet that draws away from the world, from everything that is impure, and attracts to Him. And this parable should give a correct idea of how life in fellowship with the Lord should be manifested here in the world. Here is the difference between the parables.
And just as these parables follow one another, so will the events at the coming of the Lord follow. First He will appear to take His own, and then judgment or account will follow - not of the world, but of His children, as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:10. Here is the judgment seat in this parable, presented before our eyes: with a righteous judge on that day, together with His servants, with their talents. Guided by this parable, we will outline three points: the distribution of talents, the use of talents, the account of slaves before the judgment seat.
Distribution of talents
First of all, we meet with the gentleman who distributes talents. It is extremely important to note how he is presented in this parable. It is compared to a person who goes to a foreign country. He is going abroad, to a distant country, and there he is now. He is compared with the one who is not now, he is absent for his slaves. They do not see him, and they are not under his supervision, they are, as it were, left to their own devices, but it is said: until he returns. Isn't it true how similar it is to our Lord and to the time in which we live! For some time He was here on earth, in bodily form, like us. When He finished His work, He went to a far country. The last thing that those who followed Him could tell us was to tell us that a cloud took Him out of their eyes. To our bodily eyes He is now invisible. But if He had given us spiritual eyes with which we could pierce all spaces, if the heavens were open for us, as for Stephen, we would see His right hand of the Father. He left all His wealth here on earth - His own, to which we are numbered. Thank Him for this.
The next section of the parable describes those to whom He distributes His talents. They are described as His servants. In the East, every rich master, especially the landowner, had his own slaves to carry out any work. They were not mercenaries, they were all bought at a certain price, they did not belong to themselves and could not do whatever they wanted. They themselves, their will, everything they had, their strength and time - everything belonged to the master who bought them. If it happened that their master went somewhere, he then called them and gave them precise instructions so that the time of his absence would not be lost. And since they did not have any means, he voluntarily gives them his means for the fulfillment of his plans.
This is how it is with us and with our Lord. All of us who participated in His redemption are His servants and slaves. Many, when they read or listen to the word of God about slaves, exclude themselves from their number and do not think that slaves are apostles, preachers, missionaries, leaders. Not so with the Lord. All who have been redeemed not with gold and silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb, are His servants. From that time, which became a fact of redemption for them, they no longer have the right to live for themselves, but for the one who died and rose again for them (2 Corinthians 5:15). Now He has departed from us and left His commissions to be carried out during His absence. But glory to Him is not at our expense. Wretched is he who tries at his own expense to do something for Him. He left us unsearchable wealth: the fullness of salvation with all blessings and treasures, His gifts, grace, forgiveness, adoption, the great love of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit with all the gifts of the Spirit and fruits. Our Son of God, and with Him God gave us everything (Rom. 8:32). Each of us has all this.
But in addition, each received a separate talent. All the forces that we have, spiritual and bodily, all our means, time - He gave us everything, they are ours, but they belong to Him. Have we understood it this way: everything is given to us, but belongs to Him?
Yes, now He is watching over the talents given out to be used for His benefit. Note that His distribution followed in different ways: to one He gave five talents, to another two, to a third one, to each according to his strength. We are talking about silver talents, that is, there are also gold talents, but here we are talking about silver ones. Silver talent for our money corresponded to more than 3,500 rubles in gold. Thus each of the slaves received a fair amount of wealth, and he who received one talent could not complain. He could start something. With such wealth, he received so much that he himself could live well and give a profit to his master.
Looking into the economy of our Lord, we see that He has done this with His gifts at all times. His beloved, left in this world, are not all equally rich: one has more spiritual and earthly gifts than others, the other less, but one thing is true: everyone, if he did not receive more, then received one talent. There are many who think that they are destitute, they have not received anything. This is not true, they are deceiving themselves. If they were not equal to those who received five talents, but looked at themselves, they would find that one talent was given to them, but, equaling others, they do not see their own talent, and therefore deny it and say that nothing have not received. There are many who blame the master for the distribution and grumble against Him, accusing Him of the wrong distribution. But His distribution is very wise. We see that He distributed according to absolutely correct certain rules. It says here, to each according to his strength. Here are His rules. He weighed the strength of each slave, and according to this strength He gave His wealth. We see that this was not the whim of the master, but he acted wisely. After all, every master can do with his wealth as he wants, so he could, but we see his rule: according to his abilities. With all the kindness of the master, it would be imprudent if he gave the estate into the hands of a man without abilities. Nobody in this world would do that. And our Lord could not do that.
Here is an example. There was a landowner in the south of Russia. He had a manager and three assistants. When the manager died, the senior assistant expected that he would now get the position of manager, but the master gave this position to the most junior assistant. This was a great insult to the senior assistant, but his master let him make sure that he had done the right thing. One morning, the owner, looking out the window, saw in the distance, near the hill, a decent number of wagons with horses and people who were preparing their breakfast. The owner then told the senior assistant to go and find out where they were going and whether they were empty. He immediately went on horseback there and soon returned and said to his master: "They are going empty to the city." Then the owner sends him again to ask if they are willing to take his wheat there. Soon he brought the answer that they agree. Finally, the owner sends him a third time to find out for what price they can do it. But when he returned and told him about the appointed price, the owner did not agree with this price, it was high for him. At this time, a young manager enters, then he gives him an order to go to those people and find out if they are going empty and where they are going. Very soon he returned and told the master that they were going to the city, he also learned that they would undertake to bring wheat to the city and at what price, and since this price they set at first high, he bargained with them until settled on a more suitable one. Then the owner said to the senior assistant: "Why did you go three times and could not get the price, but this one did everything at once?"
By ability. This is how the Lord deals with us. Do not grumble, brother, when the Lord puts someone else in a high place, and not you. You can be zealous, faithful, highly spiritual, but you do not have the required abilities. But the brother has, and therefore the Lord gives him this place. But He wants you to use what is given to you faithfully, and then you will be able to rise.
Application of talents
So, we took a quick look at the division of talents. Let us now turn our attention to the use of talents on the part of the slaves. How did the first slave act? The Lord says: "The one who received five talents went and put them to work and got another five." He did not leave his master's wonderful silver in the chest, it was clear to him: it would be useless there. He began to trade, sell, daily from morning to evening, and now he feeds himself, feeds his own, and the capital of his master not only remains intact, but grows, out of five talents gradually became six, eight and more talents. With a large capital, one can acquire even more quickly, and at last he had ten talents. Capital has doubled. Those who are not spiritually lazy will do the same. As soon as we, having received wealth, use it right and left, applying and working with it among the surrounding masses and individuals, we will soon see, no matter how incapable we consider ourselves, that we have more than we had at the beginning. We have acquired decently, and our wealth is increasing all the time. But is it the same for all of us? How rich were the many who became poor, because they became poor because they did nothing with what the Lord had once given them!
The great preacher Dwight Moody was from the peasantry. His parents sent him to study in the city, where he turned to the Lord. Turning to the Lord, he immediately went to Sunday school and asked for a class of children to study. The head of the school refused and suggested that he find his own children. Then Moody began to walk the streets of the city and collect children for Sunday school. There were so many children that it was impossible for everyone to fit in Sunday school. Then the superintendent of the Sunday school took these children from him, and told him that he should find children for himself, as well as a room. He again went through the streets and quickly dialed. Since it was difficult to find a good room, he had to rent a basement and work there with the children. That's where he started his ministry. He began to apply and use his talent, and his capital multiplied. Subsequently, he was no longer in the basement, not with small children, but with a large group, he was engaged and preached sermons to a crowd of 10-12 thousand people, who eagerly listened to him.
This is how it will be with everyone who will use in circulation everything received from the Lord. But then let's see how the second slave did. The Lord says: "In the same way, he who received two talents gained the other two." How joyful that he went exactly along that road, although he received less than the first slave. He probably said in his heart: "My master has good intentions, he knows that I have not so many abilities, I can destroy great wealth," and, probably, this slave decided: "I will make every effort and effort; I will all the more faithful, and so I shall succeed.” And all day and night he uses his master's money wherever possible, and soon notices how much benefit he brings to himself, to others, and to his master.
Do we belong to this kind of slaves? Do we make up for our shortcomings with our gifts, our diligence, our zeal, our faithfulness? Do we have all the gifts that we received from God for His work, for His Kingdom? If so, then we, regardless of this or that talent, are still dear, very dear to the Lord.
Here's another example. One landowner had a very good manager: diligent, very wise, strong and physically healthy. His business went very well at first, but little by little omissions began to be noticed in his affairs, and he sank so low that the owner had to give him an account. Many candidates immediately appeared, everyone wanted to take this place, but the landowner was very picky. For a long time he did not take a manager. Finally he took one who had only one good leg, the other leg was wooden. People laughed at this manager, but the landowner said: "I know that I will be pleased with him. I no longer demand from him what can be demanded from a man with one leg." And he was not wrong. The manager was not only exemplary and faithful - he wholeheartedly carried out the will of the owner, and everyone praised him, and the owner heard only good things about him.
Are we such slaves? Maybe we lack one or the other gift. But do we serve with that pleasure, satisfaction to our Lord? If so, then He prefers us to those who have great gifts but neglect Him and His grandfather. Let's see what picture the Lord paints for us about the third servant. How wrongly did the third servant: "The one who received the one talent went and dug it in the ground and hid his master's money." He received the least wealth, so he must be more diligent than both of them. Many in the world start with nothing, but reach a very high position, even often higher than those who have had great wealth. But this one acts like one who does not consider himself responsible for the good of his master. This is what I got, but I can do what I want. He digs a deep hole in the ground, throws his master's silver into it, and from then on lives as if he had received nothing. “I have no talent,” we often hear from the lips of those who have come to life. Many people think that one only needs to preach, and if this gift is not there, then there are no gifts. Oh, if they would open their eyes, how many works would they open for their talent, which is given to them! Some say to everyone who wants and who does not want to listen: "I have no gift," and, inwardly satisfied, they take this as an excuse to spend their lives lazily. Unfortunately, it must be said that the servants of God, who have received one talent each, are insignificant in knowledge, reckless in nature, they stand behind and think that they must always be left behind. And when the Lord reveals that they can do something, you can't move them. They live for this world. Here they are capable and intelligent. So the earth swallows up everything they have received from the Lord. They dig, dig and bury their talents in the ground. But it won't always be like that. The day will come when we will have to give an account for the talents we have received. The day of account is sure to suit them, though after a long time (Mt. 25:10). Perhaps many years have passed for these slaves, their master did not return, and they were devoted to themselves. But this long time in one day ended suddenly with the appearance of their master. Here the master is here, and one by one they must give an account of what each one did with the received property of the master. No one could keep this day of the report.
Court
This is how it will be with each of us. Perhaps very soon this long time, this millennial absence of our Master will come to an end and the day will come when we will have to give an account. We have previously discussed that when He comes, those who sleep will awake and are ready to take it, and immediately the day of account will begin (2 Corinthians 5:10). The Apostle Paul says, "It must appear to all of us." "We" - he includes himself here. There is no exception for anyone. He says, "It must appear to all" - or, in other words, become manifest in who we were and what we were, and this will be before the judgment seat of Christ, whose eyes are like "flaming fire." And He will ask: "Tell me what you did on earth in the body, good or bad, by My strength, time, health, means
Here is the report of the faithful. The Lord gives a picture here from the first slave to the last. We see (Matthew 25:20) that the first slave was left to the richest. But, moreover, he stands doubly enriched before the judgment seat, before the Lord. We are in. we can recognize that servant who brings not wood, not straw, not hay, but what is acquired for the day of his Lord: and gold, and silver, and precious stones. This will not burn anything on that day (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
Shall we be among those servants who can joyfully stand before their Lord? If yes, then let's listen to His sentence: "Thou hast been faithful in little, I will set thee over many things" (Matt. 25:21). It will be good to hear this wonderful thing from the lips of the One who gave Himself for us: “It is good what you did with what I entrusted to you. It was very little, but you were tested and endured. Now I open the door before you to great. My joy shall be your joy. Enter into the joy of your Lord."
But let us pay attention to those who were unfaithful and did wrong with their talents (Mt. 25:24-28). We see that the third slave also has to give an account. Whether he wants to or not, whether he works or not. And we see, he comes as the prodigal son, who squandered everything he got from his father. He has no profit, everything is whole, but he comes with an indignant heart, full of bitterness and accusations against his master. He says: "Sir, I knew you that you are a cruel man, you reap where you did not sow, and gather where you did not scatter" (Matthew 25:24-25). From his words we see that he considered his talent for nothing, he did not give any account for his master, he is full of opposition. So he stands in front of the judgment seat: "I trembled before you and therefore I put your silver in the ground. Here is yours - for you, do not demand more from me." He, as it were, disputes the rights of the master to demand.
We now have a mass of such children of God, and at the coming of the Lord there will be many more. They were very pleased that they were saved from hell, and were happy in the hope of entering the Kingdom of Heaven, but they did not care about the rest: neither to His will, nor to His works, nor to His Kingdom. These are the ones who only want to serve when they receive more gifts. To achieve something, to get rich, and while they sit, just listen, do nothing and say: "The Lord requires too much of us." And because He demands a lot, they give Him nothing. But what if the day of the Lord finds us in such a state? The Lord calls this slave "the crafty and lazy slave." He calls him crafty, because he wanted to cover up his wrong position with the cruelty of the Lord. He is lazy, because he did not want to move his hand or foot. The talent is immediately taken from him and given to him who had ten talents. And immediately the master proclaims: "And throw the worthless servant into the outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:30). What this means is not detailed here. But let this terrible picture lead us to test ourselves well: do we not belong to such a class of slaves.
Another question confronts us: can we imagine such a terrible picture in heaven, where the Judgment Seat of Christ will be? Of course not. For how could such a being, with such a murmuring heart, enter there, when nothing impure can enter there? And will anyone be thrown out of there? We cannot imagine this. And yet the picture is painted that way. Before the Judgment Seat of Christ, everything will be done in such a way, no matter how dark this picture is drawn.
But it is said: "The judgment of God will begin from the house of God." Those who are to judge the world must first go through that judgment themselves. The raptured church will stand there before the Judge of the world and hear the verdict: - "Enter into the joy of your master" (Matt. 25:21), - and the remaining children of God, whose lot will also be decided here on earth, by the same Judge, will hear a terrible verdict: "And throw the worthless servant into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 25:30). This means condemnation for ever and ever to destruction, "giving over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh" (1 Corinthians 5:5). To enter darkness means to leave the time of grace and enter into great tribulation. The earth becomes like hell, and therefore it is not surprising that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. May your eyes turn to your personal attitude towards Him and to His gifts, so that we do not turn out to be crafty and lazy slaves.
Exhortation
We have already seen that the forthcoming coming of our Lord has two completely opposite sides. Both are known to us. One side is that blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ (Tit. 2:13) and our glorification with Him. Blessed will be all those who, together with the overcomers, will be raptured by our Lord when He comes. But there is another side, a very serious one. We have seen it written in Luke (17:34-36). Remember that we are talking about the children of God. So it will be, and they can be separated even now. If we do not sleep with the world, if we do not live carelessly, as the world lives, this should lead us to deep reflection, because leaving on earth those who should be with Christ when the Lord comes, will bring them sorrow, which no mouth, no pen can describe. Only He, the faithful and true witness, has given us some description of the disasters and horrors that those who remain will enter. And we will act very wisely if we thoroughly investigate what will happen to those who remain. This concerns us because we are close to these great events. It was the possibility that we, His disciples, might turn out to be unworthy, that we might be condemned to all these future disasters, cared for our Lord and forced us to say these words and leave them in His book (Luke 21:36). If we look carefully at our Lord's admonition, we will soon find evidence of the kindred hope given to us and the conditions for the fulfillment of this hope - how it can be realized.
Our kindred hope
The joy in the hope given to us lies in "being able to avoid all these future disasters." Notice well what the Lord says. Read the twenty-first chapter of Luke. The Lord speaks of the coming disasters and tribulations that will befall those who remain. He speaks of a great tribulation, and it will begin immediately, as soon as the overcomers are taken from the earth, raptured in the clouds. These words are closely associated with the great tribulation that will come upon people like a snare or like a thief in the night. Yes, great tribulation will come like a snare, and they will not escape, it will come on all who live on earth. Here the great sorrow is shown only in part, more precisely in Matthew (ch.24). When the peacemakers from this earth are taken - the children of God, living by the Holy Spirit - then the earth will become a bath of blood. Mankind will be left without the life of God. The Spirit of God will be absent, humanity will become a corpse, carrion, eagles will gather over it to tear it to pieces. The very first blow of the sword - and it will be torn to pieces like a corpse. War will rage in all countries, cities, villages, farms, in every home, and this will continue from year to year, month to month, day to day, because peace will be taken from the earth and no force can restore it. . Bloodthirstiness will be called upon, and there will be no one who could exhort and stop. A hunger will join her, from which no one can escape. If it will be possible to hide from the sword, then not from hunger. Many will kill their children to keep themselves alive even for one day. This will be joined by death, and hell, and even beasts that will carry away hundreds of millions. The Lord says that this will be a great tribulation, which never was and never will be, which means that it will not happen again. There will be a time, as Luke says, that "they will die of fear" (Luke 21:26).
And so, dear friends, know that this will be the lot of those who will not be ready when the Lord comes. But mark well, our Lord gives us the hope of avoiding these calamities. If this is so, then there is no need to enter them. Since He gives this wonderful hope and exhorts us, it means that He wants to save us from these disasters, wants us not to fall into them. Through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God, but not through great tribulation. There is no need to enter it, the Lord wants to drive it away from the children of God. Many afflictions are a means of education in the hands of the Father. We will stay here to be brought up in the last time. Great sorrow, punishment, judgment on the children of God, who deserve to be condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11:32), when the education of the Father does not reach the goal - He must use these means. As for the world, we see that the world is flowing more and more, running towards this judgment and going to meet it calmly. The children of God will enter with the world. If you are not better than a good man of the world, you are going to great tribulation. Since the Lord is not willing, shouldn't we avoid as soon as possible, especially since the Lord has shown the way?
It is in these verses that this path is shown to us very clearly. This escape must not take place when the great tribulation comes. It should take place today, now. And we must be among those who have received this exhortation, who are on the run. The question is, are we all running or settling in the best we can here? That the Lord wants us to avoid these future disasters, we can see from the way the Lord speaks of all these disasters. He wants not a single blow to reach His dear children. From this it should be clear to us: if I avoid these disasters, then I will not enter into them, perhaps I will not see them, and if I see them, then from afar, from where they will not reach me. There are many interpretations that state that the Church of God must enter into the great tribulation and that she will be raptured out of the great tribulation. This is a great mistake and false doctrine. There are those who say that they do not care how this place is interpreted. No, it doesn't matter. From every delusion on spiritual soil, a new delusion is born, worse than the first. So it is with this delusion. All those who believe that the Church will enter into a great tribulation live carelessly, like this world, saying that my day will not come soon, and besides, not at such a time as now. But they will sleep, they will surely sleep, and thus they will be ready for the great tribulation. They will be careless and will be captured by it. May we not be among those who interpret in this way and believe in this way. What do we need to avoid these future disasters and stand before the Son of Man? The answer is recorded in Luke 21:36: "Watch therefore at all times and pray that you may be able to avoid all these future [disasters] and stand before the Son of Man."
Conditions for the fulfillment of this hope
In our verse we have the first condition: watch. Waking excludes sleep. Whoever is awake has his eyes open, he looks around, examines everything very well, knows well what is happening around him, everything attracts his attention. He begins to discuss all the circumstances with open eyes. The Lord condemned the Pharisees because they could determine the weather well, but did not discuss the signs of the times - they did not have time. And can't He blame us too, that we miss the signs of the times and sleep with the world? What is going on around us today? Most walk with their eyes closed, they are blind, and blind of their own accord, for it was not God who blinded them, but they themselves closed their eyes. We see how the tares are ripening, a cry is heard: behold, the bridegroom is coming! Does it impress us? Have we fixed our lamps? We are living in a time when Israel is returning to Palestine. This means that the last of the Gentiles are already completing the required number. We can see the precursors of the Antichrist every day in every village, in the city, everywhere, everywhere. Are our eyes open to see these signs of the times? How many will wait for the coming of Christ? Will we be ready? If it doesn't bother us, or if it bothers us but doesn't change, then we won't be ready, a wonderful time will be missed. It is clear then that we are sleeping together with the world around us. Whoever is awake will never miss this moment. He will suffer, but he will not fall asleep.
We live in the middle of the day. The light of God has never shone like it does now. What happens if we miss a good time? This is about the greatest event that the Church can experience - to meet our Lord alive. It's about the greatest celebration. Past death, past the grave, pass into eternal glory, because the door that is open now will open once, then not again. He so wants us to in no way oversleep. He let us know from heaven that there would be no laggards, only a few souls, but it would be such a multitude that no one could count. Therefore, my request, brothers and sisters, open your eyes. Do not sleep with others who know nothing, acting out of ignorance, and stay awake. This is the first condition for avoiding all these future disasters.
Pray at all times that we all be sober, cheerful, so that we can see what time it is on the clock of this world, so as not to be drawn into the whirlpool with it. On the other hand, when we pray, we cling to an unshakable rock, we are closely connected with our Lord. Whoever prays, always speaks with his Lord, enters into lasting communion with Him. And whoever prays always, at all times, remains in uninterrupted communion with Him, lives in His strength, fullness, riches, and takes from the eternal source that which cannot dry up. Such a life Will make us heavenly here already. Such a life will transform us. We read that when the Lord prayed, His face became like the sun. Are we living a life of prayer, a life that binds us closely to the Lord? It must be unceasing prayer. And here is the question: do our prayers have any relation to the coming Lord and to those events that are coming and are already unfolding before our eyes? Oh, that the Holy Spirit would fill us so that He could intercede for us and help us in our infirmities! So, the second condition: to pray at all times.
Third condition. To be worthy to avoid. When it comes to our justification and regeneration, the Word of God speaks of it as a completed event. We are justified, washed, regenerated. It is about becoming like Him in being justified by Him, being regenerated by Him: we must become worthy to meet Him. How can we become worthy? The Word of God says, "The will of God is your sanctification." Elsewhere: "Without holiness no one will see the Lord." If we are converted, justified, regenerated, but sanctification does not come into us, then we do not move a hair's breadth towards achieving the goal and we will not escape all these future disasters. If we want to avoid them, we must go through this wonderful process of sanctification (2 Corinthians 3:18). If we want to avoid these calamities, we must be people who walk around in white clothes, because it's about being clean, "as He was clean." To enter the marriage feast clean, since nothing unclean will enter there (Rev. 3:4). We see the souls under the altar by which they are given; white garments, and only then will they enter into glory. Two facts define our dignity. Purity and holiness come first (Rev. 21:27), and then the book of life, and therefore the most important question is how we live here. If in our thoughts, speeches, and deeds we are not of this world, if we are pure, like the Head, this will solve the issue of entering with Him.
What will happen when He comes? Let it stand before our eyes. How do I live, am I worthy of the title, am I like Him or not? These three conditions He gave us to avoid all these future disasters.
How can this hope come true?
There are a lot of people who think that here on earth there will be a place of refuge where there will be no great tribulation. But Scripture says that the Antichrist will rule over the whole earth. The Lord told the Philadelphian church that everyone on earth would be tested (Rev. 3:10). There is no place here on earth where these disasters can be avoided.
Who will escape these disasters? The one who will be caught up from the earth with the Lord at His coming (1 Thess. 4:13,18). Only there we will be safe, and nowhere else. It will be such a taking, like the rapture of Enoch. It will be a migration like the migration of Elijah. What is needed for this? To do this, you need dignity, you need to be honored. What does it mean to suddenly be placed in the presence of the One by whose light Paul was blinded and at whose feet John fell as dead, John lying on His chest? What does it mean to be suddenly placed in the middle of heaven, to remain there forever? Nothing can help here but vigilance at all times and prayer. And you will be able to avoid all future disasters and stand before the Son of Man. And if this is so, brothers and sisters, and if the hour of this wonderful decision is so close, and if the Lord so desires it, is it enough to just listen to all this and leave? I think such a state will lead to condemnation with the world.
May the Lord give us the great decision to dedicate our lives, every hour, every minute, entirely to Him. To carry out His holy admonition and be watchful and praying at all times. Then, whether He comes today, tomorrow or later, we will be blessed. And if He finds us like that, it will glorify His wonderful name.
Parable of the Unfaithful Servant (Luke 12:45-46)
How concerned our Lord Jesus Christ was to see His disciples worthy on the day of His coming, can be seen from His desire to find disciples after His own heart to meet Him when He comes. He speaks of His joy, happiness, the blessedness of those whom He finds ready and waiting for Him for marriage. He speaks and urgently warns those who are carelessly walking towards this great day. This circumstance is especially important to note because it is usually overlooked. The children of God are very negligent in meeting their Lord. Notice how He speaks of His happiness, joy, and blessedness, speaking of those whom He finds after His own heart: "He will gird himself and seat them, and he will come and serve them" (Luke 12:37). It seems that He, as it were, goes out of Himself with joy, the meal is already ready for them, He Himself will gird himself and serve them, and He confirms this with the wonderful word "amen" - that is, truly so. That this will be done, there can be no doubt. But what does He say about those whom He finds such as He does not want them to be? Disgrace, indignation - that is their fate. This He shows just in the two verses we have taken (Luke 12:45-46). Here He painted a sad picture of one of His servants. This servant knows about the return of his Master and knows about the happiness that awaits the slaves of the Master, if He finds them acting according to His will. This servant also knows of serious warnings against the heedless. But here the Lord shows us that, despite the fact that the servant knows all this well, he does not expect his Master to be a servant in His house. Throughout the Scriptures, if only the Lord paints a picture of one, He also paints a picture of many. This picture of the last time, the picture of our days. We would like it to be deeply imprinted in our hearts, to encourage everyone to examine themselves well and be vigilant and faithful to the Lord in these last days. The Lord subdivides this description into two points: what is this servant like during the absence of his Master, and what is his lot when the Lord comes.
First of all, let's find out what kind of slave we are talking about here. Who exactly is the Lord referring to? This is extremely important to clarify, as many people think that we are talking about non-believers. But such slaves are not meant here. Here the slaves pretend to be slaves, but they are not really slaves, they do not think and do not consider the Lord, they do not consider His absence. They think about what they like. The first slave stands completely differently. He knows that he lives during the bodily absence of the Master and that his Master must return, and he takes this into account. It is this passage (Luke 12:42-44) that confirms that we are dealing here with a believer, a servant of Christ. As in the text we have taken (Luke 12:45-46), so it speaks of the Lord, and the Lord shows what the slave will receive according to his deeds. If the believer acts like the first (Luke 12:42-44), then he will be blessed. But if he does as in Luke 12:45-46, then woe to him.
In addition, we can clearly see that this is indeed a believing slave. From his words we can judge what he holds in his heart: "My Lord will not come soon." He calls his Master "my" - and the Master himself speaks of him as of His servant. From these last words of the Lord, when He says that He will subject the servant to the same fate with the unbelievers, it is especially clear that here we are talking about a believer who is called faithful, but who will share the lot with the unbelievers. What does this tell us? That we, who believe in Christ, must deeply examine and test ourselves whether we belong to such slaves, and if so, then our end will be the same as this slave.
So, we found out what kind of slave we are talking about here. Now let's see how the Lord shows it. First of all, the Lord puts forward his heart. So the Lord looks first of all at the heart of all believers. As David knew it well: "Behold, you have loved the truth in your heart, and within me you have shown me wisdom" (Ps.51:8). What is in our heart is what we actually present before the face of God. We always look at a person from the outside and, unfortunately, we ourselves strive to at least look good on the outside. But not so Lord. He looks into the heart of a slave. He sees through each of us.
But note that this slave does not speak loudly in the presence of the Lord about what is happening in his heart. We would not know him, and therefore could not judge him, if the Lord did not expose him in His full light. In our heart is located that workshop in which our whole direction of life is worked out, and there day and night work continues in this respect. This work is unceasing. If you could look into every heart, you would clearly see what state someone is in. One hour would be enough to know the whole truth, and therefore it is so terrible when people, especially the children of God, guided by their hearts, give full freedom to feelings, never wondering what will come of it, and therefore do not know whether it is corrupted. their heart. How few are the children of God who pray like David in his Psalm (139:23-24). This psalm begins: "You tested me and you know..." David liked it so much that he seemed to say: "Lord, go on and on." But some, like this slave, do not test themselves. May the Lord save us from being indifferent to ourselves and careless to our hearts.
But now the Lord reveals to us what the servant does not say, but only whispers in his heart: "My master will not come soon." Isn't it strange that he inspires this to himself? For this is quite the opposite of what his master so often repeats to him. His last telegram reads three times: "Behold, I come quickly" (Rev. 22:12). And he, on the contrary, says to himself: "It's not true, my lord will not come soon." So, he in all his inner state is in complete contradiction to his master - the Lord. What a state it is to be the Lord, but in the depths of your heart you are strongly at odds with the Lord! How many of God's children are in this condition these days! Inside their hearts they distance His coming from themselves. It is often heard in words and seen in deeds. In such a contradiction is every soul that does not wait for the Lord and delays His coming.
But then let's see why this slave said this to himself, what reason prompted him to do this. It is not necessary to look for this reason for a long time, since it is clear to everyone. This slave knew that such a state was wrong, that he should not have this. This is also the reason why he does not speak loudly, but in the secret of his heart. But we must certainly believe that what is inside our heart sooner or later comes out anyway. And therefore it often happens that those who are ashamed in their lives to say that their master will not come soon, by their deeds, deeds, conversations and others, clearly show this. Could it be that we are in the same state? What are our actions, deeds, intentions? It is very important to notice this. Why did this slave say that to himself? He wanted to calm himself by this, and therefore the thought that his master would not come soon was very pleasant to his heart. Probably, in his master's house, in his own house, in himself, in his actions, much was not as it should be, and especially as the master wants to see him. But he had no desire to change anything. Therefore, it is a consolation for him if the master does not come soon, since he wants to live as before without fear and apprehension.
Here is the story of one brother. A few decades ago, people were terribly busy building good buildings. Some built large houses, palaces and, in order to be calm for their property, they supplied these buildings with lightning rods. When this brother asked some why they did this, they answered that by placing lightning rods, they could be calm during thunderstorms and lightning, since the tip of the lightning rod would attract a lightning strike and lead it to the ground. Thus, the buildings are not afraid of a thunderstorm.
Many believers live the same way. They made themselves a lightning rod, and year after year they sit under it. They do not at all like it when they speak of the near coming of the Lord. And if they become terrified, they immediately run away under their lightning rod, pushing the future far away from them. They are very unhappy. But with all this, they do not want to give themselves to the Lord, they do not want to put an end to their carnal, earthly things. They have no such thoughts. There is no pleasure in being faithful, honest to yourself and the Lord, to be pure and holy, as one would have to be if one were waiting on the Lord. And therefore they close their eyes before Him and inspire themselves: "My Lord will not come soon." This is the internal state of this slave and his attitude towards his master - the Lord in His absence.
But the Lord paints the picture even more. He gives a few more features of this slave. The Lord described the internal state of the servant and his attitude towards the Lord. He then describes his outer life. It is clearly seen from the way he treats his brethren, over whom he was appointed (Luke 12:42) in order to "distribute to them in due time a measure of bread." What we see: he is cruel, he is without love, he is hostile to them. Instead of giving them bread, he starts beating them. Thus growing in his own eyes, he arrogates power to himself, as if he were the master of the house. He takes upon himself the right to judge, condemn, punish. It must be hard to live with such a slave. He is always right, no one should open their mouths to him. All must bow before him. Woe to him who deals with him.
But can there be something similar in the house of the Lord? May the Lord grant that this does not happen! The eyes of the Lord are like fire. He saw all this in advance and described in advance how it would be, due to the fact that He, as the Coming One, would be overlooked. After all, to beat does not necessarily mean with a whip or a stick. Often this is done with words, language, pen. Two years ago a Christian brother was in one of the Mennonite German communities. There he delivered a sermon on this very subject. Then he was told about a brother who scourged them through the Vestnik magazine. And so the Spirit of God rebuked him, and he understood well the preaching of the Christian brother, and after that he avoided meeting with him in every possible way, thinking that he knew everything about him because he had delivered such a sermon. But it was not the Christian brother who knew this, but the Lord and the Spirit of God spoke through him and rebuked him. There are people who will immediately condemn anyone who just comes to them. This is contrary to Christ. How painful it is for our Lord to see this in His house, but He described it in advance, because for Him it was not new!
The psalmist David experienced the blows that fell on him, and he expressed this in Psalm 119:1. He asks the Lord to deliver "him from lying lips" and, asking what the evil tongue gives and what adds (Ps. 119:3), he answers (v. 5): "Woe to me that I am with Mosoch." These are the servants who remove their Lord. Those, if this happens, are "at Mosoch, at the tents of Kidar." But this can be a consolation in the Syrian wilderness - among the Gentiles, but not among the people of God. However, this often happens among the people of God. Let's check ourselves well, isn't it with us. In the German Bible, this passage is translated as: "Then I must be a stranger." Often the child of God here turns to one or the other, but everywhere the hearts are closed, because someone managed to talk about him everywhere. Therefore, let us watch ourselves and, seeing the speck in our brother's eye, let us not close our eyes to the log in our own eye.
So, we have seen the attitude of the slave towards his colleagues in the absence of the master. Now let's see how he lives in relation to himself. The Lord says: "He will begin to beat servants and maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk." Eating in the sense of nutrition and drinking in itself is not a sin, since otherwise our existence cannot be. But we see that this slave, having beaten his servants and maids, sits down after that to eat and drink calmly. He is not at all disturbed by what is wrong between him and his master, between him and his brothers, and when he says in his heart: “My master will not come soon,” then he is like people in the time of Noah, and also in the time of Lot: they ate drank and did not notice that the coming of the Lord was drawing near. They do not think about His will, about the purpose of their life, and so on. If we live like this, then woe to us. Our frivolity, carelessness have reached the very top.
But there is also spiritual food and drink. The Lord speaks of this here, that there are spiritual feasts where everything is done for our lusts: "Ask and you do not receive, because you do not ask for good, but to use it for your lusts" (John 4:3). Here we are talking about good things, but people want to get it for their lusts, so they don’t get it. Probably, that slave had both, but with such lust, his head was filled with various knowledge, even, perhaps, about the Lord, but no strength and life was extracted from all this. The word of God returned to the Lord in vain, having no effect on them.
A slave must give bread to his colleagues in due time, but how terrible it is when it is taken out for the head, for the mind, so that the intoxicated slave sees himself rich. But what will be the state when he sobers up! For when the Lord comes, He will demand an account of our drink, of our food, and of our use of the fat of the house of God. After all, we have so much, but does this bread give the strength that lies in Him? Maybe some are gaining uselessly in order to keep the power of God inactive. If we belong to this kind of slaves, then it is time to fall at His feet so that He puts an end to such a state.
Secondly, what is the lot of this slave when his master returns? First, we see that his master comes unexpectedly, but he said in advance that this would be so, according to the threat that He gave to the angel of the Sardis church: “If you do not watch, then I will find on you like a thief, and you you will not know in what hour I will come upon you" (Rev. 3:3). It is important to note that He says, "I will find upon you," as if someone is attacking someone. As if he had one in mind - there are no others. Maybe this slave often said: “Yes, there are many things that are not as they should be,” but he consoled himself that when he noticed the approach of the master, he would have time to put everything in order. So he continued to live with good intentions Many have these good intentions in their hearts, but that's where they dwell, and they don't go out.
And finally the day came, which began just like other days. The sun rose as usual, people hurried to their classes, this slave went about his business. Perhaps it was by chance that he came to beat one of the slaves and, as if nothing had happened, returned to his home to eat and drink until he was drunk. But suddenly at this time, when he was completely satisfied with everything, his measure was filled. For in that hour his master and his misfortune came, because he thought about anything, but least of all about coming on this day. From fear and horror, the slave immediately sobered up, but sobered up like Adam in paradise. His eyes are opened, and he sees all his behavior, all his negligence, his unfaithfulness, he sees everything, like Adam before his master. He probably wanted to hide in the ground rather than appear before his master. But there was nowhere to hide. Yes, it is very terrible in such a state as this slave, to meet his master.
And the next thing that happens: this slave falls under the most terrible severe punishment, which is announced in advance, and his whole calculation is determined. But who among us could think that this announced punishment is only a threat and that He will not do it? No, what He said is what will happen. How terrible it is that the Lord speaks of Himself and of His servant: "He will cut him open." How terrible! In ancient times, there was a special sword, very large, and the executioner cut a person in half with great force. This was a punishment for a person who did not fulfill his duty.
The Lord Himself gives such an example. He puts you in position. Do what is right for you with all your heart. God does not give anything beyond the power. He puts us on duty so that we ourselves do not sleep and warn others against it. But we are fast asleep and waiting for the Lord Himself to wake us up. This means that we use His grace for evil, and if we abuse His blessings, we are threatened with death. With all idle slaves, everything that is said here is done. That great sword that will operate throughout the world will manifest itself on those slaves. It will affect us too if we just keep saying, "My lord will not come soon."
That great sword, which through the red rider will come into the world, will mow down the wicked and the unprepared. He will give them a lot with the unbelievers! To achieve it, you just need to continue to live in this state. This is what the lazy and crafty servant says in his heart. The Lord adds: not only will he “cut him open,” but he will also give them the same fate as the unbelievers. Scary as it is to be dissected, this is not the end. Not only the last small moment of punishment - but also the fate of the infidels. This fate includes all the judgments of God: hunger, disease, prison, flight from one land to another, the taste of great sorrow, and with all this, a person will remain behind closed doors. No prayer will be heard. But conscience will always speak even more painfully. It will remind the person that he knew everything and that he himself is to blame for his death. Wouldn't it be hell on earth?
Elsewhere God says, "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Blessed as the days of grace are, on the one hand, on the other hand, it is extremely dangerous to be careless. We need to pray for both. We need to ask the Lord: "Give me saving fear. Give me Your first love, which does not let You out of sight, so that I will not turn away until I see You in glory."
(Rapture of the Church).
Lat. rapio "grab", "raise". The image used by premillennialists in relation to the Church, the region will be reunited (will be exalted) with Christ at the Second Coming. The doctrine of the rapture of the Church is based primarily on the passage of 1 Thessalonians 4:1517: "... this we say to you with the spruce of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, we will not precede the dead; of God will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first; then we, the living who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
The main differences in the interpretation of the words of ap. Paul lie in how the very moment of rapture correlates with the time of the "great tribulation", which will mark the end of time. Pretribulationists (Latin Iribulatio "torment", "torment") teach that the Church will be raptured before the seven-year period of tribulation and the revelation of the Antichrist. The second group, midtribulationists (English prefix mid "in the middle"), believes that the hijacking of the Church will occur during the period of trouble, when the Antichrist will already come to power, but even before the start of severe judgments preceding the return of Christ to earth to establish the Kingdom. Finally, there is the concept of pettribulationism. The Church will exist in the world during the entire tribulation period and will be raptured when Christ returns in glory.
Pretribulationism and the Origins of the Rapture Controversy. Dispensationalists try to attribute to all premillennialists, without exception, extreme ideas for premillennialism, in particular, the idea of pretribulationism, "rapture before sorrow." It is well known, however, that throughout the history of the Church, premillennial teachers have not painted a detailed picture of the end times. Before the beginning 19th century all the believers who in one way or another discussed the rapture of the Church believed that it would take place at the return of Christ, at the end of the tribulations. Thanks to J.N. Darby, many Christians began to believe that the return of Christ would take place in two stages: the first stage would be for the sake of the saints, with the abduction of the Church, and the second with the saints, when Christ would rule the world at the end of the "great tribulation" period. According to this interpretation of biblical prophecy, between the two events the “week” predicted by Daniel (Dan 9:2427) will be fulfilled when the Antichrist takes over. After the rapture of the Church, God will renew his relationship with Israel.
Darby's ideas were influential in Britain and the United States. Thanks to the sermons of the interdenominational evangelists of the 19th century. many evangelicals began to share the idea of pretribulationism. Scofield Reference Bible, leading Bible institutes, schools of theology such as Dallas Theological Seminary, Talbot Seminary, and St. graces contributed to the popularization of pretribulationism. In the restless 60s. the idea of "rapture before sorrow" was revived at a popular level thanks to the books of H. Lindsay and the activities of preachers who used electronic mass media.
Darby's influence is clearly felt in the work of his followers. However, it is much more difficult to understand how he himself came to such conclusions. WITH. ?. Tregelles, like Darby, a member of the Plymouth Brethren movement, argued that the idea of "rapture before tribulation" was born during the charismatic ministry conducted by E. Irving in 1832. Other scholars believe that the concept of rapture appeared in a prophetic revelation given in 1832 to a young Scot, Margaret McDonald. She began to share her insights with others. Her ecstatic manner and apocalyptic teachings initiated a charismatic revival in Scotland. Strongly impressed by the stories of the new Pentecost, Darby visited the site of the revival that had begun. According to his own testimony, in subsequent years he met with M. Macdonald, but denied that the Holy Spirit descended to her again. Some authors believe that Darby, despite the rejection of her general approach, borrowed the idea of \u200b\u200badmiration from her and developed his own system based on the cut.
Other researchers believe that it is necessary to accept Darby's own explanations of how he came to his views. These eschatological views are based on the idea of distinguishing in Holy Scripture the two essences of the Church and Israel. When the Church is raptured, taken out of the world, the prophecies concerning Israel will be fulfilled. The Antichrist will come to power, promising peace on earth, and will conclude a pact to protect the revived state of Israel. However, the Jews will be betrayed by their new patron, the Crimea will suddenly abolish all traditional religious practices and demand that they worship themselves. Those who do not agree will be persecuted. This final holocaust of God's chosen people will move the Jews to accept Christ as Savior. In the time of tribulation, plagues will befall the earth; finally, the battle of Armageddon will end with the visible, personal and victorious return to earth of Christ with His saints. Satan will be bound by the Lord for a thousand years, when the Lord and his followers will rule the world. According to premillennialists who share the "rapture before the tribulation" concept, all prophecies expected to be fulfilled at the First Coming of Christ will be fulfilled at the Second Coming. The fact that the Jews rejected Christ in the first century delayed the coming of the Kingdom until the Second Coming. Such views of the Church and her role in prophecy were crucial to the perception of the "rapture before the tribulation" idea and the corresponding system of beliefs.
Another argument for the "rapture before the tribulation" is that the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit must be removed before the coming of the Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:68). Since the Holy Spirit is especially connected with the Church, the Church must also go with His departure. Among the other arguments given in favor of "rapture before tribulation," one can note the inevitability of rapture. If it can happen at any moment, then the "blessed event" will not be preceded by any signs of sorrow, like the revelation of the Antichrist, the battle of Armageddon, or the desecration of the Temple.
Midtribulationism. One of the leading representatives of a different approach to the problem of the rapture of the Church was G.J. Okenga, who was one of the leaders of the evangelical movement in the United States after World War II. In a brief personal testimony given in the February volume of Christian Life (Christian Life, 1955), Okenga spoke of the many difficult problems that arise in connection with the idea of "rapture before tribulation," the secret nature of the rapture, and the regeneration that is possible in the absence of the Holy Spirit, about the declining role of the Church within the dispensationalist eschatology. Other evangelical leaders shared his views, although their own views were somewhat different. Supporters of the concept of "rapture in time of trouble", midtribulationists, limited the period of God's wrath (Rev. 1618) to three and a half years before the battle of Armageddon. Based on the persistently repeated figure of "three and a half years" (forty-two months) in Dan 7:9,12 and Rev 1112, they set aside a shorter time for tribulation. In support of their thesis, midtribulationists referred to Dan 7:25, which stated that the Church would remain under the tyrannical rule of the Antichrist for three and a half years. Dan 9:27 also indicates that at the end of time the ruler of the world will come to terms with Christians and Jews, guaranteeing them religious freedom, but then carry out the second part of his plan and forbid the observance of religious rites. In addition, midtribulationists referred to certain n.z. excerpts, incl. Revelation 12:14, which predicted the departure of the Church into the wilderness and stay there for three and a half years. Finally, they believed that the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 24; Mk 13; Lk 12) confirmed their views more than those of the pretribulationists.
Midtribulationists believe that the rapture of the Church will take place after the fulfillment of the predicted signs and the preliminary stage of tribulations, in accordance with Mt 24:1027. The rapture will not be secret; it is accompanied by a grandiose spectacle, with loud voices and the sound of a trumpet (1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 11:15; 14:2). This dramatic sign will catch the eyes of the unsaved; when they see that Christians have been raptured, they will come to Christ and the main stage of revival will begin (Rev. 7:9,14).
Posttribulationism. Many interpreters were not happy with the sharp distinctions made by the proponents of the "rapture before the tribulation" idea between the Church and Israel. They believed that Christ would return to exalt his saints and at the same time establish the Millennium, and cited numerous passages (Mt 24:27,29) to support their idea that the rapture should be visible, massive, and follow grief. Supporters of this position proceeded from the fact that the advice given to the Church in Holy Scripture would not make sense if the Church had not gone through tribulation. Thus, members of the Church are told to flee to the mountains when certain events occur, such as the abomination of desolation in the holy place (Matthew 24:1520).
Many of the arguments put forward by posttribulationist advocates of "rapture after tribulation" are put forward in opposition to the "rapture before tribulation" position most widely supported in the 20th century. American premillennialists. Critics of this position believe that the inevitable return of Christ does not require "rapture before the tribulation." In addition, post-tribulationists point out that it is very difficult to determine which passages of Scripture apply to Israel and which to the Church. Finally, they believe that the NT does not explicitly state the doctrine of the rapture.
Defenders of the "rapture after the tribulation" concept express differing opinions regarding the interpretation of the prophetic writings and the details of Christ's return. J. Walvoord has four schools of interpretation. The first, representing classical posttribulationism, was embodied in the works of J.B. Payne; he taught that the Church has always been in tribulation, and therefore the great tribulation has largely been over. The second direction of posttribulationism is a semi-classical concept set forth in the works of A. Rees. With all the differences in the views of these authors, they are united by a common idea that the entire history of the Church represents an era of sorrow, in addition to the cut, there is still a period of "great sorrow". The third direction of post-tribulationism is called "futuristic" and is cleverly represented in the works of J. E. Ladd. He assigns three and a half or seven years to the future tribulation period. A literal interpretation of Rev. 818 led him to this conclusion. Scripture, which distorts a really important event, the real appearance of Christ proclaiming his Kingdom. The fourth direction is represented by the works of R.G. Gundry, Wahlvoord calls the concept of krogo dispensationalist and posttribulationist. Gundry combined pretribulationist reasoning with the idea of "rapture after tribulation" in an innovative way.
The concept of partial admiration.
In addition to arguments in favor of the pre-tribulationist, mid-tribulationist and post-tribulationist conceptions of admiration, a theory of the so-called. "partial admiration". A small group of pretribulationists teach that only the faithful in the Church will be raptured before the tribulation begins; the rest will be raptured during or at the end of the seven year period. According to the followers of this theory, the most devoted to Christ will be lifted up first, and the rest after them. Although the theory was rejected by most premillennialists, it was championed by the widely revered J.H. Lang.
Conclusion. Evangelicals were divided in their views on the rapture. Those who adhered to the concept of "rapture before tribulation" were accused of having a narrow view of the Church and its tasks, of culture and education, and of the surrounding world. Some dispensationalists unwittingly contribute to these accusations, presenting their position as almost the basic teaching of faith, but most of the pretribulationists reject such criticism as an unfounded generalization. They argue that their position excludes neither a highly developed social ethic nor a policy of world denial, if properly understood.
R.G. With louse (per. Yu.T.) Bibliography: О.Т. Allis, Prophecy and the Church; R. Anderson, The Coming Prince; E.S. English, ReThinking the Rapture; R.H. Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation; G.E. Ladd, The Blessed Hope; D. MacPherson, The Incredible CoverUp; P. Mauro, The Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation; J.B. Payne, The Imminent Appearing of Christ; J. D. Pentecost, Things to Come; A. Reese, TheAppreaching Advent of Christ; J. F. Strombeck, First the Rapture; J. F. Walvoord, The Rapture Question; L. J. Wood, Is the Rapture Next?
See also: Second Coming of Christ; Eschatology; Dispensation, Dispensationalism; Millennium Kingdom of Christ on earth (views on it); Darby, John Nelson.
Great Definition
Incomplete definition ↓
The main expectation of the church is the coming of the Bridegroom Christ for His Bride, and the main question is: who will be awarded this honor? There are three requirements for this question:
1. The Christian must be born again and united with the Spirit of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17).
2. A Christian must come to the measure of the full stature of Christ, and not be a spiritual baby - tossed about and carried away by every wind of doctrine, among which are envy, strife and disagreements (Eph. 4:14; 1 Cor. 3:3).
3. A Christian must be faithful to God in spirit. Adulterers and adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity against God? For all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (James 4:4,5; 1 John 2:16).
It is necessary to distinguish the secret coming of Christ, in the air behind His church (1 Co. 15:51), from the coming when His feet stand on the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4). Many delusions are based on the difference between Israel and the church. Promise: " for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened" are specific to Israel. Now God is dealing with the Church, which includes both the Israelites and the Gentile nations, who " turned to God from idols [to] serve the living and true God and wait from heaven for his Son, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath”(1 Thess. 1:9,10). When the time of grace for the salvation of the Gentiles is over, and the church is taken, the Lord will turn to Israel. Upon the taking of the Spirit, the world will become like a “corpse”, where “eagles” will gather - military and natural disasters, which Christ called “great tribulation”. " For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been since the beginning of the creation that God created, even until now, and there will be no"(Mark 13:24). The purpose of the days of the Great Tribulation is the last week of Israel, during which the temple will be built in 7 months, and after 2300 days Christ will come in an obvious way, cleanse the temple and restore the kingdom of the Holy of Saints of Israel (Ex. 23:10-11; Lev.25 :3-4; 26:33-36; 2 Chr. 36:20,21; Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10; Dan. 9:2, 24-25). 45 days are allotted for a complete victory in the battle of Armageddon; the return of Israel from the wilderness; purification of the earth, city and temple; and also for the judgment of the nations in the valley of Jehoshaphat.
One should not confuse the Rapture of the Church (1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4: 13-18) and the Second Coming of Mashiach to Israel, between which there are 7 years of Great Tribulation, during which God will cleanse the earth from wicked spirits and people. As the angels said at His ascension: men of Galilee! why are you standing and looking at the sky? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.» (Acts 1:11). His manifest coming will be accompanied by great signs in heaven and on earth. " For as lightning comes from the east and is visible even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”(Mat. 24:27). “For thus says the Lord of Hosts: Once again, and it will be soon, I will shake heaven and earth, sea and dry land, and I will shake all nations, and the Desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of Hosts”(Hag. 2:6-8). “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem to the east; and the Mount of Olives will split in two from the east to the west into a very large valley, and half of the mountain will move to the north, and half of it to the south.(Zech. 14:4). 
The "Day of the Lord", which will be a fair judgment of wicked people, is mentioned more than 100 times in the Bible. “And suddenly, after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken; then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven; and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mat. 24:28-30). Christ will return to earth after the Great Tribulation, when the promises given to Israel will be fulfilled (Mat. 25:31; Rev. 20:12-15). Christ will come when all the nations will gather in the valley of Megiddo to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, He is the Savior of Israel (Dan.9:25). His coming will be accompanied by fundamental changes in nature (Rom.8:19-22), a time of horror for all unbelievers (Rev.6:15-17). The political and religious rulers will be cast into the lake of fire without judgment, and Satan will be expelled from the earth into the abyss (Rev. 20:1-3). Word: "apocalypse", Greek. ἀποκάλυψις - means "revelation of the King of kings and the Lord of lords", "Judge of the living and the dead".
"Day of Christ". " We pray to you, brethren, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering to Him» (2 Thess. 2:1). Phrase " our congregation to Him", came from the Greek word episunagog, which means "assembly" - "epiphania", Greek. Επιφάνια - means "appearance" (behind the Church). If the first coming of Christ is mentioned 322 times in the Old Testament, the second coming of Christ is mentioned in 312 places, which overwhelmingly refer to His explicit return to judge the world and restore the kingdom to Israel (Matt. 24:27; Zech. 14:4). There are only a few places about the coming of Christ outside the church, since this mystery refers to the “body of Christ”, which was crucified and resurrected with Him. The "day of Christ" is mentioned less than ten times, and as a "mystery" refers to the time the church was taken from the earth. “You do not lack any gift, waiting for the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, [so that you may be] blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is God, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”(1 Corinthians 1:7-9). "we will be your praise, and you also ours, on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ"(2 Corinthians 1:14). “holding the word of life, to my praise in the day of Christ, that I have not labored in vain and have not labored in vain”(Phil. 2:16). " being sure that he who began a good work in you will do it even until the day of Jesus Christ ... so that, knowing the best, you may be pure and without stumbling in the day of Christ ”(Phil. 1:6,10). The coming for the church will not be preceded by elemental upheavals and signs from heaven, but it will be "suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye." In ancient times, and even today in many places in the Caucasus and the Middle East, the task of the groom was to come unnoticed and pick up his betrothed bride, avoiding a big "kalym". This will not be visible to the world, since the meeting will take place on the clouds, which will be hidden from people. The term "rapture" comes from the Greek word "harpazo", which means "grab, drag, snatch quickly, pull out with force." Heb. the equivalent of this word is “natzal” (Is. 26:19). 
At the conclusion of His ministry, Christ addressed His disciples: There are many mansions in my Father's house; and if it were not so, I would have said to you, "I am going to prepare a place for you." And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that you too may be where I am.”(John 14:2-3). Christ did not explicitly say that He would return to take His faithful to be with Him in heaven, in the house of His Father. “Christ, having once offered Himself as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many, the second time will appear not [for cleansing] sin, but for those who are waiting for Him for salvation”(Heb. 9:28). This says that after His ascension He will return purely for believers who will go to heaven when Christ comes for them. “And just as you have kept the word of my patience, so I will also keep you from the hour of temptation, which will come to the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10). The Greek word used here denotes preservation in its entirety for the duration of the trial, indicating that this church will be taken away just before the tribulation begins - "tereo ek" - "keep out", not "aireo" - "take from". These words should also be a great comfort to believers. “you turned to God from idols [to] serve the living and true God, and to wait from heaven for his Son, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath” (1 Thess. 1:9,10). The rapture of the Church is the end of the age of grace - “the acceptable year of the Lord”, when for salvation it is enough by faith to call on the name of the Lord, "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved"(Rom. 10:9-13).
All those who accepted Christ as the Lord and entrusted their lives to Him are gathered by Christ, but the resurrection of the dead and the rapture of the living will be simultaneous. “The dead in Christ will rise first; then we, the survivors, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.(1 Thess. 4:16,17). The first sheaf of shock - part of the "firstborn" of the saints resurrected with Christ, " many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep have been resurrected"(Mat. 27:50-53). There was a resurrection of “the spirits of the righteous who have reached perfection”, and we are left until His coming, “ waiting for Him to salvation"(Heb. 9:28). Our predecessors will be resurrected before, but caught up to meet the Lord in the clouds, we will be together. " God provided something better for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us."(Heb. 11:40). Believers will enter the church - the children of Abraham, in whom the Spirit of Christ lives. " But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who lives in you.» (Rom.8:11). All those who have died in the Lord are waiting for a new body, and those who remain alive until the coming of Christ, it is said about them: You have approached ... to the triumphant council and the church of the firstborn, written in heaven, and to the Judge of all God, and to the spirits of the righteous who have reached perfection» (Heb.12:23). God has determined the last harvest of the church to be received at the same time. " Christ is risen from the dead, the firstborn of the dead. For as death is through man, [so] through man and the resurrection of the dead. As in Adam everyone dies, so in Christ everyone will come to life, each in his own order: the firstborn is Christ, then those of Christ, at His coming.(1 Corinthians 15:20-23). The apostle wrote to the church about the secret coming of Christ, while the Lord spoke to Israel about the manifest coming. Christ the Firstborn, in the resurrected body showed Himself to the Angels, and the whole Church, which is called “the churches of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23), will be in such bodies. Therefore, the church does not refer to either the first or the second resurrection, but as the Body of Christ, it was co-resurrected with Him. Many Christians are concerned about the question of their young children: “What will happen to them when they are raptured?” Scripture says if even one of the parents is raptured, his young children will be taken with him: “ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.”(1 Corinthians 7:14).
My dear, dear Bride,
You wait, I'm not far.
We will be with you soon.
Be strong, although the fight is not easy!
Be strong, it won't be long to wander
Remained here, on the unfavorable side.
With you in the sky we will get married,
Incorruptible I will give you a crown.
I am always near: day and night dark,
And in sorrow I am, and in joy with you,
You be simple, quiet and humble -
I will bring you into My heavenly rest!”
There are three different opinions about the time of the rapture of the church:
After the great tribulation.
This opinion is based on the text of Scripture: “for then there will be a great tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be. And if those days had not been shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”(Mat. 24:21-22). The "elect" refers to the church, in Scripture the word "elect" refers to all those who were foreknown for salvation from among the Gentiles and Jews. In this context, we are talking about those who remained during the Great Tribulation, who will flee in the wilderness from the persecution of the Antichrist. This is the chosen remnant of Israel that will wait for the Messiah and be saved. “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Redeemer will come from Zion, and he will turn wickedness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant to them, when I take away their sins.”(Rom. 11:26-27). “And on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem I will pour out the spirit of grace and compunction, and they will look at Him whom they pierced, and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only-begotten son, and mourn as one mourns for the firstborn.”(Zech. 12:10). They will be told this: "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"(Mat. 25:34).
Another reason for the rapture after the tribulation is seen in the first resurrection. On YouTube, the "Chronology of Prophetic Events" lectures and the Irwin Baxter Talk Series all state that the rapture of the church will be after the Great Tribulation, during the first resurrection. It should be noted that the first resurrection refers to those who were beheaded for the word of testimony, which speaks of 144,000 Jewish missionaries. “And I saw thrones, and those who sat on them, to whom it was given to judge, and the souls of those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, who did not bow down to the beast, nor to his image, and did not receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over. This is the first resurrection(Rev. 20:4,5). The first resurrection will be in the coming of Christ to restore His kingdom on earth, and it will only affect the decapitated during the reign of the "beast". “And I saw thrones, and those who sat on them, to whom it was given to judge, and the souls of those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, who did not bow down to the beast, nor to his image, and did not receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."(Rev. 20:4). We are talking about 144,000 Jewish youths. "They are redeemed from among men, as to the firstborn of God and to the Lamb"(Rev. 14:4). Isaiah wrote about them: “Your dead will live, dead bodies will rise! Arise and triumph, cast down in the dust: for Thy dew is the dew of plants, and the earth will vomit the dead. Come, my people, enter thy chambers and shut thy doors behind thee, hide thyself for a moment, until the wrath has passed; for, behold, the Lord comes out of his dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will reveal the blood it has swallowed up and will no longer hide its slain.”(Is. 26:19-21). “Blessed and holy is he that has a part in the first resurrection: the second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and Christ and will reign with Him a thousand years”(Rev. 20:6). They are also said to be the firstborn of God and the Lamb, which indicates their belonging to the church. “The city is located in a quadrangle, and its length is the same as its breadth. And he measured the city with a reed twelve thousand stadia; its length and breadth and height are equal. And he measured its wall at a hundred and forty-four cubits, with the measure of a man, as is the measure of an angel. Its wall was built of jasper, and the city was pure gold, like pure glass.(Rev. 21:16-18). Although this is an indirect reference to the sealed 12,000 from each tribe of Israel, it indicates the number 144,000 as the city representing the wife of the Lamb.
It should also be noted that all of Jesus' references to His return were directed to Israel, to which He came. Christ was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and He has not yet created a church from the Gentiles, so it is not worth looking for references to the rapture of the church in His teaching. The rapture of the church is mentioned several times by the Apostles as a "mystery" (1 Cor. 15:51; 1 Thess. 4:17). “But we, being [sons] of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation, because God has not appointed us to wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ”(1 Thess. 5:8,9)
The rapture in the middle of the seven year tribulation.
This belief is based on the text: " when the seventh angel calls, when he blows his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.”(Rev. 10:7). Unfortunately, many Christians and Jews who will not be ready to meet Christ will remain for the time of the world beast, which will put them before the choice of inscription or death. John, even before God's judgments began, saw them in heaven before the throne of God. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude of people, whom no one could number, from all nations and tribes and peoples and languages, stood before the throne and before the Lamb in white robes and with palm branches in their hands”(Rev. 7:9). The remaining believers in Christ as God who lived according to the flesh will be forced to prove their faith in the Lord Christ by renouncing the mark of the beast and worshiping his image. (Rev. 14:11). Those who remain faithful to Christ will be saved, but will not enter the church. “And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mingled with fire; and those who conquered the beast, and his image, and his mark and the number of his name, stand on this sea of glass, holding the harp of God, and sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Righteous and true are Your ways, O King of saints! Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? for You alone are holy. All nations will come and bow down before You, for Your judgments have been revealed.”(Rev. 15:2-4). Unlike the church, they will stand before the throne on the sea of glass, and not on the thrones around the throne of the Lamb. They will include all Gentiles and Jews who will remain faithful to Christ until death. “Here is the patience of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and the faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: Write: henceforth blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labors, and their deeds will follow them.”(Rev. 14:12,13). This will take place before the outpouring of the last 7 bowls of wrath, approximately in the middle of the great tribulation.
At the seventh trumpet of wrath, the mystery of God will be accomplished - “And the angel, whom I saw standing on the sea and on the earth, raised his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created the heaven and all that is in it, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that in it that there will be no more time; but in those days when the seventh angel calls, when he blows his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, as He proclaimed to His servants the prophets.”(Rev. 10:5-7). This mystery does not lie in the rapture of the church, because God never " preached to His servants the prophets." The mystery is that there will be no more time for the human kingdom, but the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ has come. The seventh trumpet is the advent of the just kingdom of Christ, which will begin with the just judgments of God, from which the church has been delivered. “And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought [against them], but they did not stand, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven: Now is come salvation, and power, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ, because the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night.”(Rev. 12:7-10). The Apostle Paul wrote about the "Last Trumpet" (1 Corinthians 15) 35 years before the revelation of John, and therefore he could not mean the seventh trumpet, but as a Pharisee of the Pharisees, he is well aware that the feast of "Trumpets" - Rosh Hashanah, as the end of the civil year was called "The Last Trumpet".
The rapture of the saints before the start of the seven year tribulation.
(This position in theological eschatology is called "Pretribulationist-Premillennialist"). It is important to distinguish the secret coming of Christ, in the air behind His church (1 Co. 15:51), from the coming when the signs will be revealed in heaven and earth and His feet will be on the Mount of Olives. The coming for the church will not be preceded by elemental upheavals and signs from heaven, but it will be in secret “like a thief”, “suddenly, in the blink of an eye”. Believers entered the church - the children of Abraham, resurrected in the resurrection of Christ and people who died by faith and resurrected with Christ and remained until the secret coming of the Lord, who will be taken into the air and will always be with Him. Of the church in heaven it is said: You have come ... to the triumphant council and the church of the firstborn, written in heaven, and to the Judge of all God, and to the spirits of the righteous who have reached perfection ”(Heb. 12:23). “Christ is risen from the dead, the firstborn of the dead. For as death is through man, [so] through man and the resurrection of the dead. As in Adam everyone dies, so in Christ everyone will come to life, each in his own order: the firstborn is Christ, then those of Christ, at His coming.(1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Christ, in the resurrected body - the Firstborn of the new creation, He resurrected and appeared to the Angels, in such bodies there will be the Church, which is named "churches of the firstborn"(Heb. 12:23). The first sheaf of harvest into eternal life came in the resurrection of Christ, the spirits of the righteous who have reached perfection, and we are left until His coming. “Christ, having once offered Himself as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many, the second time will appear not [for cleansing] sin, but for those who are waiting for Him for salvation”(Heb. 9:28). Christ will come for the church "thief"- a thief, and it will be unexpected, "suddenly, in the blink of an eye"(1 Corinthians 15:52), when global disasters and the reign of the Antichrist had not yet come. It will not be visible to the world, since the meeting will take place on the clouds. “... we will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”(1 Thess. 4:17). Scripture speaks of the rapture of the church in two places: “I tell you a secret: not all of us will die, but we will all change suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”(1 Corinthians 15:51-53). “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then God will also bring those who die in Jesus with Him. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede the dead, because the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first; then we, the survivors, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.(1 Thess. 4:14-17). This is enough to understand God's purpose for His redeemed ones left before His coming. Christ was sent to the sheep of Israel when the Church did not yet exist, so Christ did not teach about the church. The parable of taking one and leaving the other refers to His manifest coming when He will cleanse the earth of the wicked and restore the kingdom of God on earth. When He says to Israel: "I bequeath to you, as my Father bequeathed to me, the Kingdom"(Luke 22:29). Christ will execute His judgment on all who 
persecuted and exterminated Jews and Christians. “Then the King will say to those on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”(Mat. 25:34). The dead in Christ who have been born of the Holy Spirit will rise first. (Rom.8:11) All who die in the Lord are waiting for a new body "... so that they would not reach perfection without us"(Heb. 11:40). The meeting of the church with Christ will take place in the air, on the clouds, which will be hidden from people. Therefore, cloudy skies or cloudy weather are ideal conditions for taking saints. (I posted this photo to show the meeting place of the church with Christ.)
This topic has already been discussed in the comments, but since it comes up again and again, I put it in a separate article so that all the questions on it can be discussed.
Many churches today teach that the Church will be raptured before the time of the Antichrist's reign, known as the Great Tribulation. Many Christians expect that they will be taken up to heaven, and those who do not believe in Jesus will remain on earth to suffer under the Antichrist.
I personally never had any doubt that the entire church would go through the Great Tribulation and the saints would only be taken to heaven at the time of the coming of Jesus. If this were not the case, then:
Why is it said that the days of tribulation will not be long for the sake of the elect (“for then there will be great tribulation... And if those days had not been shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened"(Matt.24:21,22)? If the elect do not go through the great tribulation, then for whom will those days be shortened?
- if God places seals on His people before the reign of Antichrist (Rev. 7:3), it turns out that: 1) either they will be placed only on those who will live during the time of trouble (Rev. 9:4); 2) either to the raptured church .... however, NOTHING is said about the rapture before the 7th seal of "Revelation" (when people are sealed by God).
Of what saints is it said that the Antichrist will wage war against them and defeat them (Rev. 13:7)?
Some say that only Jews who do not believe in Jesus will be sealed. Then why are the saints who faith in Jesus are called to patience (Otk.14:12)?
But let's take everything in order regarding the rapture of the church.
"Then a sign will come Son of Man in heaven; and then cry all the tribes of the earth and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and send his angels from trumpet loud, and gather the chosen ones Him from the four winds, from the edge of heaven to the edge of them"(Matt. 24:30,31).
" because the Lord Himself at the proclamation, at the voice of the Archangel and pipe God's come down from the sky and the dead in Christ resurrect before; then we, the survivors, admired with them we will be in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord"(1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).
"suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead resurrect incorruptible, and we let's change "(1 Corinthians 15:52).
These three verses are quite specific about the coming of Jesus at the last, i.e. 7th, trumpet. At this time, His chosen resurrected dead (" Blessed and holy is he who has part in resurrection first,...they will be the priests of God»Rev.20:6) and changed living («flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God... this corruptible must put on incorruption» 1 Corinthians 15:50,53) will be taken to heaven. This is the first resurrection and ascension of the Bride of Jesus, who will be taken to heaven without judgment (John 5:24). These saints will be taken to the Kingdom of Heaven or New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2) to learn how to become priests in the New Earth (Rev. 20:6).
The bride of Jesus is not just all those who believe in Him, it is - " the righteous who have reached perfection» (Heb.13:22.23). These are virgins with burning lamps; a worker who turned 5 talents into 10 and earned 1 more; workers in God's field; men in faith. Virgins with extinguished lamps, though negligent, but still waiting for the groom-Jesus; a worker who turned 4 talents into 8; God's field; babies in Jesus - they will all remain on earth.
There is no question of any other rapture of the church before the coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead (which itself will be the FIRST resurrection - Rev. 20:6).
« We who are alive, who remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not forestall the dead"(1 Thess. 4:15), i.e. the living will not be lifted up before the first resurrection of the dead, which will take place at the Second Coming of Jesus (about the same - 2 Thess. 2:1-4).
There will be no secret coming of Jesus until His Second Coming. It's actually kind of a weird fantasy. In Matt.24:30 about the first resurrection and rapture of the church it is said that Jesus will come very clearly and noisily: “ they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory»; « Behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him and those who pierced him; and mourn before him all the families of the earth." (Rev. 1:7).
Adherents of the rapture theory before the reign of the Antichrist argue that verse 1 Thess. 1-10: " and wait from heaven... Jesus delivering us from the coming wrath says that Jesus will deliver His church from the wrath of the Antichrist. But nowhere in the Bible does it speak of the wrath of the Antichrist, although there is a lot of talk about the wrath of God.
The above verses quite clearly indicate that with the coming of Jesus, the resurrected from the dead and changed living saints will be taken from the earth. This is the first harvest (Rev. 14:14-20), the harvest of wheat that goes into the granary of God (Matt. 13:24-30). The second harvest is the burning of the tares, or the destruction of the infidels: And the angel threw his sickle to the ground, and cut the grapes on the ground, and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath ... and blood flowed from the winepress even to the horse's bridles» (Rev.14:19,20).
This verse is not talking about the wrath of the Antichrist, but that when Jesus comes, He will deliver His church from the coming wrath of God, which will fall on all people who have received the mark of the beast. And here it is spoken of both the Bride who entered the chambers, and the Bride rejected by Him, who will not enter with Jesus into the house of His Father. She will hide from the wrath of God" Come, my people, enter thy chambers and shut thy doors behind thee, hide thyself for a moment, until the wrath has passed.” (Isaiah 26:20). After the judgment of the wicked is done, the outcast Bride will come out to clear the land of corpses and weapons (Ezek. 39:9-16).
If you carefully examine the issue, you will see that the idea of the rapture of the church before the coming of the Antichrist not only has no support in the Bible, but is also dangerous in that it discourages believers and gives them false hope. And, knowing about the capabilities of the current technology and the plans of the leaders to destroy the Christian faith, one can imagine what this "small" mistake of some churches can result in.
Still disagree?
