Strange Dreams

I had some strange dreams last night; I kept waking up all night long. I only remember one of the dreams that I had because it really stuck with me. Most of the details of the dream are vague, but several things did stand out. This is what I remember:

I was in a store of some type, maybe a grocery store or a warehouse store. All I know is that it was a very large store and it seemed that I was working there. As I was walking around the store there was a loud noise, like thunder, but louder than I have ever heard thunder before. Everyone ran outside to see what the noise was. Everyone looked up in awe and fear…there was a tremendous cloud hovering right over the store, it was dark and roiling and it was on fire. This was not an explosion or a nuclear cloud, this was a dark storm cloud that happened to be on fire. All you could see as you looked up at the cloud were dark clouds and the orange of the flames that were revealed every time the cloud moved.

No one knew what this cloud was. I looked over to one area and I could see someone in white that seemed to be floating upwards. Then I knew…this was the Rapture of the Church! I looked to my right and saw my brother and to my left and saw someone familiar (I knew who it was in the dream, but now I can’t remember who it was or even if they were male or female). I knew that the three of us would be going and grabbed their hands, I looked past this familiar person and saw two other people that I knew (also not known who they are) and I knew that they were going to be left behind. I looked up and said, “Lord I am ready” and myself and the two that I was holding hands with were taken up.

At this point I woke up. I don’t know if this was a dream given to me, but in case it was, I am going to pass it on.

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2:17

I googled cloud on fire and the first result that came up was a link to biblehub and the verse Exodus 13:21.

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

Another strange thing about this dream is that I actually remember most of it. I have had strange dreams before and in the morning all I can recall is vague memories of what I dreamed. I am always sure that I will remember dreams that I have had, but it rarely is the case that I remember so much of a dream and so many of the details. I can only surmise that this dream was given to me for a reason, maybe a warning that time is growing really short and the Church Age is coming to a quick end.

I believe the modern day church is the church of Philadelphia that is mentioned in Revelation 3:7-13:

⁷ And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

⁸ I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

⁹ Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

¹⁰ Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

¹¹ Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

¹² Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

¹³ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

 

God promises to keep them from what is to come upon the earth. I take this to be the Tribulation. God will remove His church before the Tribulation.
Not everyone that calls themselves a Christian really is one, many people that thought they were Christians will be left behind. Those that loved the world more than they loved God, are you so caught up in music, TV, movies, sports and the celebrities that represent them that you are not spending time with God and His Word? Do you know more about celebrities and sports figures than you know about the Bible?  Maybe you need to reevaluate where you stand spiritually. Are you looking forward to Jesus’ return or do you wish He would wait awhile? Or do you not even believe that He will return?? The Bible clearly says that He will return, everyone needs to be ready.

I am ready! Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

The Clock is Winding Down

If you are keeping up with all the news events that are being reported and watching the strange weather patterns and widespread earthquakes in diverse places….that may sound familiar. In some of my past blog posts I have spoken of End Time events and that the rapture is imminent, well with everything that is happening right now I have to say the birth pangs are getting closer and closer.

³ As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. ⁵ For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will fall away^[a]and betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.  Matthew 24:3-14

Does this not sound like what is happening today?? It is obvious from watching the news that disasters are increasing. There has been a rise of large earthquakes and 2014 showed that there were twice as many large earthquakes occurring.

“We have recently experienced a period that has had one of the highest rates of great earthquakes ever recorded,” said lead study author Tom Parsons, a research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Menlo Park, California. (http://www.livescience.com/46576-more-earthquakes-still-random-process.html)

As for the wars and rumors of wars, you only have to turn on the news to see the nations warring with each other and threatening other nations. For instance Russia has actually buzzed the U.S. West Coast with their fighter jets. North Korea is on the verge of attacking anyone that does not let him do what he wants. Iran is threatening anyone that stands in the way of their developing nuclear weapons. ISIS and ISIL want to kill everyone that is not Muslim and have made random attacks against towns and Peoples and killed them, as well as International prisoners that they have executed on camera. The world is not a safe place, there is not anywhere that is safe from an attack.

Then there is technology, it has finally reached the point where the events mentioned in Revelation can happen. There is various different technologies available to institute a “mark” system from an injectable microchip to a small, flexible computer chip affixed to your arm; and I am sure there are dozens of other ways that we don’t even know about yet.

¹⁶ Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,^[e] to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, ¹⁷ so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. ¹⁸ This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. Revelation 13:16-18

The Beast system will be similar to George Orwell’s 1984. If you have read the book you can see the parallels that are being implemented today. We have toys and TV’s that can record our conversations…who listens to the recordings? All phones are tapped and the conversations are recorded in the interests of national security, so think about every conversation that you have had on the phone…someone else listened to it too. There are more cameras all around recording everything, similar to the show “Person of Interest”, but less altruistic. I read somewhere that the cameras are going to start recording license plates every time they pass the camera, this is so they can track your movements. We are living in a “big brother” world (not the reality show) and they already know a lot about your movements. People are not helping themselves either, look at what you post on twitter or facebook, you are filling in the gaps about your life and who you know, what your believe, what you support and don’t and your schedule. They don’t need to try to find out the information, people post it freely.

Then of course there is the Supreme Court’s decision to make same-sex marriage legal in all states. The proponents for this ideal was the fact that they should have equal rights and be able to marry too. Well I have news for those people, marriage is actually a Biblical concept.

²¹ And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

²² And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

²³ And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

²⁴ Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  Genesis 2:21-24

Clearly God considered marriage between a man and a woman.  Marriage between a man and a woman mirrors God’s marriage between Himself and the Church.  This was God’s concept, not man’s design.

But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”  Mark 10:6-9

Abortion is also a huge problem. Abortion is murder, plain and simple. Since 1980. 1, 345, 053, 858 and the number goes up by the second. Check out the Abortion clock…it is truly sad. In the news this week someone posed as a “buyer” and the head of Planned Parenthood talks about selling the aborted fetus parts. There is a webpage with a drop down box where you can order your fetus parts, for a price. It is no surprise that Planned Parenthood pushes for abortions, it is their business. Not only the initial payment for the actual abortion, but the sale of the fetal materials. This woman even talks about partial birth abortions, which are illegal…she says well we just say we did not intend to do that….what a monster! They are truly evil and murderers!

Is it really any surprise after reading about only these few items, there is really so much more going on, that the rapture can really come any time. I am certainly not setting dates, but as Jesus said,

²⁸ Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

²⁹ So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.  Mark 13:28-29

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

² For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

³ For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

⁴ But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

⁵ Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

⁷ For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

⁸ But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

⁹ For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁰ Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

¹¹ Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

I believe that the rapture will happen soon. The AntiChrist is waiting in the wings to be released onto the world stage. The only thing holding him back right now is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the world. Once the rapture occurs, the Holy Spirit, who indwells believers will be removed from the world as well. This will allow the AntiChrist to rise up unimpeded and for the events of Daniel’s 70th week to unfold. This will be a horrible time to be on earth, there will be so many judgments released on the earth and millions will die horribly. If you are not a believer, I urge you to really consider your eternity. God does not hold any sin against you, there is no sin that is too big to be wiped away by the blood that Jesus gave for you. God loves you so much that He sent His son to die so that you could live. You don’t have to pay for this gift, just accept it.

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵ God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,^[i]through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.  Romans 3:23-25

If you would like to accept this free gift of Salvation all you need to do is pray a simple prayer.

God, I am a sinner and I ask your forgiveness, I accept your gift of eternal life. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer I welcome you into the family of God!

MARANATHA…Come Lord Jesus, Come!

Imminence

I felt called by the Lord to do a blog about Revelation. I have always been fascinated by Revelation since I was a child. Many people are afraid of Revelation and are confused by the prophecies in it, so they stay away from it. I have always loved it and tried to read everything I could find on it. I hope my blog was able to help make it a little easier to understand and make it less scary for you. The explanations and commentaries that I have given come from many sources. I have done extensive research online and through books, so I hope I have given you the best explanations.
I want to talk about what will happen before Revelation. I believe the Rapture of the church is imminent, let me tell you why. Jesus talked to His disciples about many things including His return. The disciples were curious and asked Jesus how they would know when He would be coming back. Jesus answered them:

³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:3-8

⁷ “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”
 ⁸ He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. ⁹ When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
 ¹⁰ Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. Luke 21:7-11
Some people may write off the wars and rumors of wars, the earthquakes and famines, and say that these things have always been around. These people are correct, but these things are just the signs that the time is getting closer. The Bible clearly predicts certain events that needed to happen before the Rapture would take place. Let’s go through a few of them.


Increase in Knowledge and Travel
⁴ But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” Daniel 12:4
There has never been a time in history when knowledge has been at your fingertips. The internet has consolidated knowledge from every corner of the globe on any topic you can imagine. Things that people would have had to do years of research to find out now only take the time it takes you to type them into your browser. Travel, that once took months now only takes hours.


False Religions

⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. Matthew 24:4-5
There are over 3000 cults in the world today, and they all believe in something other than salvation through Jesus Christ.


Increase in Wickedness
¹ But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Does this sound familiar? If you watch TV shows and the news this seems to be the prevalent theme. There have always been evil people in the world, but these days it seems like you can’t turn around without hearing that someone killed another person for their possessions, or because they looked at them wrong. Kids killing their parents, husbands killing their wives. Women cutting open pregnant women to get the baby inside. The sexual scandals, Ponzi schemes, pornography, terrorism, genocide, the list of evil goes on and on.

Wars and Rumors of Wars
⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom Matthew 24:6-7
There have always been wars, but the twentieth century has seen the deaths of more people during war than all the other centuries before it put together. Nation against Nation would indicate that two nations went to war with each other, but the kingdom against kingdom would indicate that these nations were soon joined by other nations of the world. The twentieth century saw the start of two world wars, which seem to fulfill this part of scripture. 


Earthquakes and Pestilences
¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. Luke 21:11
The twentieth century has seen the rise of super viruses that seem to be antibiotic resistant. There are also the diseases that there is no cure for like AIDS and Cancers. There was the flu epidemic of 1918, bird flu and swine flu that have spread throughout populations.
Earthquakes have been on the rise through the world, especially extremely large quakes. In the U. S alone, earthquakes in the central part of the country averaged around 21 up until 2009 where they doubled, currently the number has jumped to 134 as of last year. Then there was the 5.1 earthquake in Virginia that shocked the east coast in 2011. Let’s not forget the 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan also in 2011. On April 11, 2012 there were three large earthquakes that struck around the same time. 8.6 off of Indonesia, 5.9 off the Oregon coast and a 6.5 off the Mexican coast. USGS claimed that this was an unprecedented event, and the largest earthquake ever for the particular kind of fault line. The top five largest earthquakes ever have occurred since 1950.

Israel Restored
²⁴ “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. Ezekiel 36:24
No other country in the world once it was destroyed and its people scattered has ever kept their national identity and been restored to their previous homeland. Israel was a nation in 606 B.C. before Israel’s captivity and rule by Babylon, Persia and Rome. Most of the Israelites were carried off into captivity by these nations. Israel came under Muslim rule for 1300 years and then under Turkish rule of the Ottoman Empire. Jews have yearned to return to Israel for many years and the movement became known as Zionism. Even scattered throughout the world, the Jews held on to their national identity and their belief in God. They were treated badly by many nations, some nations like Spain expelled the Jews, others like the Nazi party tried to exterminate them. Through all these trials, God protected the Jews and in 1948 their homeland was returned to them. Jews have been returning to Israel since 1948, at first from Arab countries, then from western Europe and in the 1980s from Russia, and finally from Ethiopia. ⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth— Isaiah 43:5-6

These are all signs that the end is getting closer. All Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled up until this time. There is nothing else that needs to happen before the Rapture occurs. In fact there are only two events left before the rise of the Antichrist. The Rapture of the church and the War of Gog and Magog. There is no clear indication which of these events will occur first. In the War of Gog and Magog, Russia and her allies will attack Israel. I will go into more detail about this at a later time. I just have to say, if you see Russia and her allies go to war with Israel, be prepared for the Rapture will be coming soon. I have always believed that the Rapture would occur in my lifetime, and we have never had so much of Bible prophecy fulfilled and seen events lining up for the end time events to unfold, but I can’t say for certain if it will come during my lifetime. No one knows but God and Jesus.
³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[f] but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:36-44

Maranatha!

The Rapture: What Will Happen?

I would like to talk about the Rapture. There are three schools of thought on when the Rapture will occur. The first is the pre-tribulation rapture, which I believe and will discuss. The second is the mid-tribulation rapture, in which some people believe that the Rapture will occur during the midpoint of the seven year tribulation period. The third view is the post-tribulation rapture, which they believe will occur at the end of the seven year tribulation period and before the Glorious Appearing of Christ. These two views are the minority view, I believe in a pre-tribulation rapture and I will be discussing Bible verses that support this view.


First, what is the Rapture? The Rapture is meant for the church age, the time from Pentecost until the present time. The Christians that have believed in Jesus and trusted Him for their salvation will be caught up to heaven and given their incorruptible bodies. Even the ones that have been in the grave, or have been cremated will be given their perfect bodies at this time. These Christians will be taken out of the world at this time in preparation of the Tribulation period that is to come. God will be sending down judgement on the world in a last effort to get the attention of non-believers. The ones left behind after the rapture are not lost, they still have a chance to turn to God and to trust Jesus for their salvation. They will have to endure the horrors of the Tribulation period, but even if they die during this time, they will be with Christ.


The word “rapture” does not occur in the Bible at all. The Latin word rapere was translated from the Greek word harpazo, which means “caught up”, it became commonly known as the Rapture. Many people say that the church did not start preaching about the Rapture until Reverend Morgan Edwards in 1742.  Grant Jeffrey found a writing from 373 AD in which Ephraim the Syrian had been writing about the Rapture.


          “For all the saints and the 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 sin.”


As you may have seen in the news, some people like Harold Camping this past year, try to predict the day that the Rapture will occur. No one knows the day that this will happen.


 ³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[f] but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.


   ⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:36-44


Even Jesus did not know when the day would be, He said only God knows. If Jesus did not know, do you really think someone could “figure it out”?????  We are only told about the signs that Jesus would be returning for His church so that we may be ready.


According to these verses, the Rapture will come at an unexpected time. I believe that this proves that the Rapture will have to come before the Tribulation period. If it were to happen at any other time, like mid-tribulation or post-tribulation, then it would not be unexpected. We would be looking for it to happen at a specific point. The only way these verses can make sense is if the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation.


What will happen when the Rapture occurs? Many people know that the people that believed in Jesus for their salvation will be taken up to heaven. 

¹³ Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴ For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18


⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53





There are many other verses in the Bible that prove that there will be a Rapture.


¹ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3



⁷Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. ⁸ He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:7-8


¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. 1 Thessalonians 1:10


The coming wrath would be the Tribulation that will come upon the earth once the church is removed. 


⁹ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9


¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ Titus 2:13


The Blessed Hope is another name for the Rapture. It is what we look forward to so that we do not have to suffer through the Tribulation period where God will unleash His wrath on the earth.


¹⁰ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. Revelation 3:10

This is another verse where we are told that we, the church, are to be saved from the Tribulation. That does not mean that Christians do not suffer tribulations and trials while we are on the earth. God never claims that we will be exempt from these things, but it is a promise that we will not have to suffer the final seven years of the Tribulation when God will pour out His wrath, like nothing you have ever seen or experienced. 


I felt that I needed to discuss the Rapture at this point, before I began on the next part of Revelation because the church is notable absent from chapters four through nineteen. 


Before I begin on chapter four, I would like to invite anyone that has not accepted Jesus free gift of salvation and wishes to do so to pray the following prayer:


Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name I confess that I have sinned and ask for forgiveness. I ask that Jesus come into my heart and become my  Lord and Savior. I believe Jesus died for my sins and was raised from the dead.
Thank You Father for saving me in Jesus’ name. Amen.