tschuckman@aol.com
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (harpazō) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
These are the words inspired of the Holy Spirit to Paul describing the harpazō of the Bride of Christ. They are also the prophetic word of God given to Isaiah in the Old Testament.
"Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain."
Isaiah 26:19-21
See also Zephaniah 2:3, Psalm 27:5 for other Old Testament references to this event. The early church father Ephrem of Nisibis (Ephrem the Syrian) who was a prolific writer (three millions lines of text according to early church historian Sozomen) also taught about the same message as Paul regarding the harpazō of the Bride of Christ prior to the 70th Week (the 7-year long Tribulation/Great Tribulation). Circa 370 AD Ephrem wrote:
"For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."
Therefore, we have proof that the dispensationalist emphasis on the harpazō is not something made popular in more recent historical times, it has been a central tenet of our belief from the get-go. Those who attempt to teach otherwise are propagating a falsehood, a false teaching, a modern day myth. To this end it is also very instructive to read the entire chapter of 1 Thessalonians 5.
The key point here is that the harpazō will occur prior to the start of the 70th Week; it is not tied to any other prophetic occurrence or fulfillment; it will literally occur at a point in time known only to God the Father. It literally could happen in any given "twinkling of an eye" as Holy Spirit-filled Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:52. The technological way of say this is that the harpazō will occur in 1/6 billionth of a second. That's pretty fast; it is at all times lessthan a heartbeat away from becoming a reality.
Are you ready for the harpazō to occur? Is Jesus Christ your professed Lord and Savior; is He your personal Messiah? If not then pray this prayer from Psalm 51 and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ:
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Where Will Tribulation Martyrs Live?
Q. Re: people killed for the faith during the tribulation. As they are not part of the church and won’t be in the New Jerusalem, where will they reside? Having been resurrected at the second coming I guess they will live in the millennial kingdom. But this means there will be a mixture of resurrected beings and natural birth beings (tribulation survivors) in the earthly kingdom. Is that correct?
A. The tribulation martyrs who appear in Heaven in Rev.7 are destined to serve God in His Temple (Rev. 7:15) but they are never called priests. There will be no temple in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:22) however there will be one in Israel on Earth (Ezekiel 40-43).
The martyrs who will be executed for their faith during the Great Tribulation and resurrected at the time of the 2nd Coming (Rev. 20:4) will reign with Jesus but are never called Kings. I believe they will help administer His kingdom on Earth.
Rev. 21:27 says only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life can enter the New Jerusalem. Only the Church meets this qualification and only the Church is called Kings and Priests.
Therefore it seems logical that people martyred for their faith during the end times judgments will live and serve the Lord on Earth. That is not a unique situation. The resurrected saints of Old Testament times will dwell in Israel alongside Jewish Tribulation survivors as well.
A. The tribulation martyrs who appear in Heaven in Rev.7 are destined to serve God in His Temple (Rev. 7:15) but they are never called priests. There will be no temple in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:22) however there will be one in Israel on Earth (Ezekiel 40-43).
The martyrs who will be executed for their faith during the Great Tribulation and resurrected at the time of the 2nd Coming (Rev. 20:4) will reign with Jesus but are never called Kings. I believe they will help administer His kingdom on Earth.
Rev. 21:27 says only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life can enter the New Jerusalem. Only the Church meets this qualification and only the Church is called Kings and Priests.
Therefore it seems logical that people martyred for their faith during the end times judgments will live and serve the Lord on Earth. That is not a unique situation. The resurrected saints of Old Testament times will dwell in Israel alongside Jewish Tribulation survivors as well.
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness
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This should stir the pot."liberals with Guns" (about 90 seconds long)
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