END OF THE WORLD, the APOCALYPSE and ARMAGEDDON
Post Tribulation *rapture* is a coherent doctrine that confirms the ‘harpadzo’ or ‘snatching up’ by Christ in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 at the Last Trump (1 Corinthians 15:52). To qualify this phrase, “snatching up” or “caught up”: “caught up” is an Anglicized and ‘child-buffered’ word which is used *euphemistically*.
The classical Greek term “harpadzo” was employed the same way the Bible used it: ‘overpowering’, especially as in “rape”, “the act of the eagle’s talons which seize, puncture, carry off their prey”, etc.. Hence, this verse verse denotes the violent overtaking of our wills into His where we are no more ourselves but His.
The *signs* are in the suffering through the Tribulation (7 angels, 7 vials, 7 churches, and 7 plagues. *Easy believism* and no suffering “doctrines” make the church lulled to sleep. Such doctrines are found in the false doctrine of health, wealth, prosperity, feel good, etc that is being promoted by many popular evangelists of our day. Sadly, these easy-feel good doctrines have found their way into every facet of the Babelized earth. There used to be a Rome to escape from, there used to be a Babylon to escape from- no longer. The entire earth is sick with these infestation doctrines. How is there to be a confirmation of the Holy Spirit if there is no suffering!? 2 Timothy 3:12- “All that shall live Godly shall suffer persecution”. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus tells us of *a kind of minister* that will be doing, professing, proclaiming certain doctrines. Jesus talks here of these particular people in the last Days saying, “ not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that do with the will of the father which is in heaven. Verse 22 many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have we not cast out devils? And in your name done many wonderful works? Verse 23 and then will I profess unto them depart from me you that work iniquity”.
It is at the “Last Trumpet ( of the 7 ) that we see Christ’s return (Revelation 8:1-ff). The “harpadzo”- or “snatching up” is at the end of the Tribulation is mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24:29: Jesus says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven and then shall all of the tribes of the earth morning and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and he shall send his angels with a great shout of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other the other”.
We also have another good eschatological reference point in Luke 21:29-ff where Jesus tells us that “When the *fig tree (Israel)* is back in its own land that THIS generation (Jewish term: ca 70-80 years) shall see ALL things come to pass (concerning the end of the world). What so many good Christian eschatologists fail to teach is that Revelation ( John’s Apocalypse ) 1) wasn’t the end of the world until the last trumpet where the elect would THEN see Him 2) the motifs of the judgements of the 7 trumpets are retold in a layering and suturing to express God’s “dimensional” language to us. For example, the 7 trumpets are the 7 vials are the 7 churches are the Seven Angels are the Seven Stars as we see in the “glossary”, if you will, found in Revelation 1:20 and in the Jewish style of writing by going back, repeating, revamping, recapping. Finally, this final act “at the last Trumpet ‘will cause all to changed in the blinking of an eye where this corruptible shall become incorruptible” <—1 Corinthians 15:52 and it is found I. 2 Peter 3:10 —-“the elements ( stocheia—Greek: building blocks of our existence) will melt with a fervent heat at the Day of the Lord as He comes as a thief in the night, coming unexpectedly”. Interestingly, the Greek reads that Christ, as a ‘Klepto’ or thief will rob the creation of its light, elements, time, space. Again, careful reading to to original Greek text.
For now, what’s left to look for? Revelation 13 makes it clear of a one world system with a mark. This will be 3 ½ years into the BEGINNING of the 7 Trumpets or 7 years of Apocalypse.
We will look to Ezekiel 37 and 38 concerning Russia, Iran and China to attack Israel at The Hill of Geddo or Armageddon at the last point of the Apocalypse (last of the 7th year/ 7 trumpets).
We might very well study Daniel 8 and 9 to see the character of the Anti-Christ.
Much more will I attempt to fill in from this fist blog.
