What is the Millennium reign of Christ?

[Seeker Of Jesus]

Recently I've become curious about the 1000 year reign of Christ, could someone please explain to me? Thats been a mystery to me. Who will enter into the Millennium reign? Will unbelievers take part in it? Will Jesus Himself be physically present with humanity? What is the purpose of the coming millennium reign?

 

[RJ]

Recently I've become curious about the 1000 year reign of Christ, could someone please explain to me? Thats been a mystery to me. Who will enter into the Millennium reign? Will unbelievers take part in it? Will Jesus Himself be physically present with humanity? What is the purpose of the coming millennium reign?

It has a lot of parts and many have different opinions and you will have to study this on your on but basic snap shot:

• There is the rapture of the church
• Tribulation
• Second coming of Christ
• Defeat of satan where he is chained and thrown in the fiery pit
• Christ will reign on earth for a 1000 years of peace, no world governments
• There will be two distinct groups occupying the Earth during the millennial kingdom—those with glorified bodies, and those with earthly bodies who lived through the tribulation and on into the millennial kingdom.

 

[Seeker Of Jesus]

So since there will still be people with earthly bodies that means that Sin will still exist during those 1000 years especially if the Lord still permits procreation at that time. Yea I'm gonna have to study this for my self to understand this more cause this is very interesting to me.

 

[RJ]

So since there will still be people with earthly bodies that means that Sin will still exist during those 1000 years especially if the Lord still permits procreation at that time. Yea I'm gonna have to study this for my self to understand this more cause this is very interesting to me.

Yes, it is a wonderful mystery and how will those regenerated in their heavenly bodies co-exist with those and their earthly bodies? I can only guess it will be the same as when Christ revealed his heavenly body and walked with the Disciples. I suppose the unbelievers of that day will be converted quickly from withessing not only Christ in person but many others as well. What a wonderful time that will be!

 

[NoHype]

Here's some points about Christ's future Millennial reign of Rev.20.

On the 7th Vial and 7th Trumpet and 6th Seal of Revelation we are shown events of Christ's coming, and then into the Millennium. Jesus showed specifically that His coming and gathering of the saints is after the great tribulation He taught (Matthew 24:29-31 and Mark 13:24-27). On that day the John 5:28-29 verses will be fulfilled by Him.

John 5:28-29
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
(KJV)

That is the resurrection at Christ's coming of BOTH... His saints that 'sleep' in Jesus, and the wicked dead. That happens at the same time for both on the day of Christ's return to start His thousand years reign, on earth.

Zechariah 14 gives where Jesus will set foot back on earth at, i.e., the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem which is also where He ascended to The Father from in Acts 1. That is also where He gathers His saints to at His coming.

Then Revelation 22:14-15 and Revelation 20 Scriptures reveal the unsaved of the nations will go through the "thousand years" of His reign with His elect. Also revealed is a separation between His saints and the wicked on earth, per Rev.20 called the "camp of the saints". In the Rev.22 example the Tree of Life and holy city are shown manifested on earth, and only those of His have the right to enter in while the wicked remain in a place of separation outside the holy city. All of this will take place upon this earth.

At the end of Zech.14 we are shown leftovers from the nations that will have come up against Jerusalem on the last day of today's world (i.e., Armageddon). In Christ's Millennium those and everyone will be required to go up to Jerusalem to worship The KING (Jesus) and keep the feast of tabernacles. Those nations that refuse in that time we are told they will have no rain upon their lands. The country of Egypt is one nation specifically mentioned there as an example.

The Ezekiel 40 through 47 chapters will be fulfilled at that time, which covers the cleansing of the sanctuary idea with the building of a Millennial temple in Jerusalem for Christ's thousand years reign. Ezekiel 47 shows the Tree of Life manifested on earth in that area of the holy land, along with God's River of the Waters of Life emitting from the sanctuary and going out to feed other waters on the earth, healing them.

Per 1 Corinthians 15 on the "last trump" is when the 1 Thessalonians 4 "caught up" idea for His Church will occur. That "last trump" of Paul is pointing to the 7th Trumpet, last Woe period of Rev.11. That happens at His coming. Christ then gathers His Church both from Heaven (the asleep saints) and His saints still alive on earth at His coming (again per Matt.24:29-31 and Mark 13:24-27).

Per Apostle Paul in 1 Cor.15, all alive on earth will be changed to the "spiritual body" type on that "last trump". The "spiritual body" Paul taught is a body of incorruption. This applies to the wicked still alive on earth also, as they will be joined with those of the "resurrection of damnation" of John 5. The main difference between Christ's servants and those wicked in that time, is that the wicked will still be in a 'liable to die' condition, still subject to the "second death" of Rev.20 (i.e., final casting into the lake of fire at the end of the thousand years). Only those of the "first resurrection" will not be subject to the "second death" throughout Christ's Millennial reign.

When our Lord Jesus comes to end this present world, life in a flesh body as we know today will be over, even for the wicked of the nations. We all will be in the "spiritual body" type going through Christ's thousand years reign. That's why there is still a "second death" for the wicked at the end of the thousand years, and it involves destruction of one's spirit and soul, not a flesh body. This is hard for many to understand, but to still be 'dead' in that time after Christ's return means to be 'spiritually dead', the soul still subject to the later "second death". It does not mean the wicked are still in literal graves somewhere waiting out Christ's Millennium reign.

Per Rev.20, only those of His elect that remained faithful to Him during this world will reign with Him over the nations with a rod of iron during that future time. These are called the "first resurrection".

At the end of Christ's thousand years reign on earth, Satan will be loosed out of his prison pit one last time to go tempt those nations and peoples that dwell outside the holy city in a place of separation from Christ and His elect. During this present world many have died without hearing The Gospel, and many more have been deceived. During Christ's Millennium reign His elect will be teaching the peoples the difference between the clean and the unclean (Ezek.44). Satan being loosed again to go tempt the nations at the end of the Millennium is so as to try those who will then have heard and understood the full Truth with no deception.

Satan will lead the still rebellious of the nations to go up against the "camp of the saints" on earth, and The Father will rain fire down from Heaven and destroy them thus preserving the "camp of the saints" (Rev.20:8 forward). Then the Books are opened and those left of the nations will stand in Judgment. Those who's names are not found written in the book of life will then be cast into the lake of fire experiencing the "second death" (Rev.20:11-15). After that God will bring the new heavens and a new earth timing, His Eternity with a cleansed earth and creation where righteousness only will exist, for ever.

 

[NoHype]

So since there will still be people with earthly bodies that means that Sin will still exist during those 1000 years especially if the Lord still permits procreation at that time. Yea I'm gonna have to study this for my self to understand this more cause this is very interesting to me.

There are various expressions in the Old Testament prophets that would make one think marrying and taking in marriage and having babies is going to continue through Christ's future "thousand years" reign, but those are really expressions. (see Isa 11:8-9; Isa 65:20; Zech 8:3-5 for example).

In Matthew 22:30 our Lord Jesus said those of the resurrection neither marry nor take in marriage, "... but are as the angels of God in heaven." So is that only about those of His elect that will reign with Him? No.

Recall John 5:28-29 about the wicked dead that are resurrected at Christ's coming as the "resurrection of damnation." If the damned are raised from the dead also per that, are they given new flesh bodies? No, for that would be a theory of reincarnation which God's Word does not agree with.

Here in Isaiah 25 is where Apostle Paul was pulling from when he taught the 1 Corinthians 15 idea of death being swallowed up in victory...

Isa 25:1-9
1 O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
2 For Thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.

These first section of verses actually point to the events of the last days with Christ's coming and God's consuming fire upon the earth on the Day of The LORD. That is when He will in final make this symbolic "palace of strangers to be no city", destroying the Rev.17-18 Babylon Harlot "great city".

3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify Thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear Thee.

This is about the future bowing to Christ as Lord during His future thousand years reign for as written all knees will bow to Christ and confess Him as Lord (Philippians 2:10-12; Romans 14:11).

4 For Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
5 Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

The wicked's "storm against the wall" is pointing to the end of days just prior to last day when God's consuming fire will come upon the earth to end this present world (see also latter section of Hebrews 12 and 2 Peter 3:10).


6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

Per the end of Zechariah 14, we are shown leftovers of the nations that will have come upon Jerusalem against Israel on the last day of this present world, on that Day of The LORD. We're shown not all of them will be consumed on that day, and the leftovers of the nations will then be required to go up to Jerusalem to worship The KING, and keep the feast of tabernacles. There's this feast of Isaiah 25 that it's pointing to, and it will be for all the nations, even the leftovers, and not Christ's elect only. (yet there will be literal separation between Christ, His elect and those 'goats' of the rebellious nations). Within that Zech.14 Scripture, we are also shown what will happen to the nations in that future time that refuse to come up to Jerusalem to worship Christ and keep the feast. There will be no rain upon their lands.

So will there still be rebellion by the nations even after... Christ's future return? Yes. but only during that thousand years.

7 And He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.

What "face of the covering cast over all people"? What "vail that is spread over all nations"? That is about the covering and veil of our fleshy bodies, which were given us to serve as a bounds between our earthly world and the Heavenly where He and His dwell. This is revealed even more so with the following, "He will swallow up death in victory" idea which Apostle Paul quoted...

8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

In that day all peoples and nations will be in the "spiritual body" type, not just Christ's elect, for He said there "all people" and "all nations". (yet there will still be a difference between those in Christ of the "first resurrection" unto eternal life and the spiritually dead souls with spiritual bodies still subject to the later "second death" of Rev.20. Apostle Paul covers that in 1 Cor.15, but some of it must be understood from the Greek; one can use a simple Strong's for that).

That is also when God shall remove the rebuke of His people, His chosen of Israel, from off this earth (many will be surprised in that time who all that will mean too, for they are not all Israel that are of Israel - Rom.9).

So we see that Apostle Paul in 1 Cor.15 was not only talking about Christ's elect still alive at His coming being 'changed' at the "twinkling of an eye" on that "last trump", but all people, and all nations too. That idea of God swallowing up death in victory He will do for all peoples on the last day of this world (except Satan's host of 7,000 on earth that will be destroyed on that last day per Rev.11).

9 And it shall be said in that day, "Lo, This is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: This is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
(KJV)

By that point God's Salvation through His Son will have literally come upon this earth, and He will literally rule as KING over all peoples and nations at that time. Those of His elect will be saying this, "Lo, This is our God: we have waited for Him... ."

What's truly amazing is how this reveals the goats during Christ's thousand years reign will still... refuse Him and rebel by not going up to Jerusalem to worship Him and hold the feast of tabernacles per the end of Zech.14. All will 'know' The LORD in that future thousand years, including the wicked. In Rev.3:9 our Lord Jesus pointed to how those of the synagogue of Satan will even be made to bow in worship to Him at the feet of His elect. So all souls in that time will profess Christ Jesus is indeed King of kings, and Lord of lords, but many of the wicked will still refuse to accept Him into their hearts.

One may call the following supposition, my opinion based on all this. But I assure you, the above is not supposition, nor my opinion, but a revealing directly from God's Word.

How will our Heavenly Father be Just in destroying the wicked of the nations that will choose to follow Satan still at the absolute end, i.e., after Christ's thousand years reign when Satan is loosed one final time to go tempt the naitons? (Rev.20:7-15).

In that future time all peoples, including the 'goats' of Matt.25, will 'know' God and His Son Jesus Christ. None will have excuse in that time to not believe on Him. Christ will literally reveal Himself to all as Lord and King so all knees will bow and 'confess' Him as Lord. With Satan locked in his pit during that time, those will not even be able... to be deceived against Christ as Lord and King. So how could many of the wicked still refuse Him then once He is revealed to them directly?

The reason is, it all goes back to Satan's sin in the beginning, in coveting God's Throne for himself (Isaiah 14). Satan's followers abide by his lie that they can become their 'own' gods. They don't want 'any' authority over them, they don't even want God to exist because of Satan's deceiving them. For this reason, I believe the wicked who will still refuse Christ Jesus in that future time, they themselves will choose to go into the "lake of fire" and perish with Satan. God will destroy them because that's what they will choose for themselves.

So does this show sin will still be active for the 'goats' in Christ's future Millennial reign? Yes. And this is why our Lord Jesus and His elect will rule with that "rod of iron" as written (Psalms 2; Rev.2:27; Rev.12:5; Rev.19:15).

 

[brakelite]

• Revelation 20 indeed shows a millennium period after the second coming.
• Revelation 19 indeed shows that the world is indeed at a temporary end (until the re-creation)
• and that all the wicked are killed at the second coming.
• It is also true that the wicked at some stage rise up at the instigation of Satan to destroy the 'camp' (the New Jerusalem) of the saints.

Taken at face value all the above events are impossible to be fulfilled if the millenium as taught generally by most of Christendom is the true understanding of events. That is, the rule on earth by Jesus for 1000 years over wicked and righteous with the wicked rebelling at the end. It just doesn't gel. One or more of the first three literal events must be removed for any of the others to be fulfilled.

Thus the only solution to the problem, the only way for all to be reconciled is that the righteous rule with Christ from heaven, the wicked are dead throughout the millennium, and are resurrected at the end of the 1000 years and then attack the New Jerusalem at the instigation of Satan when Jesus comes the third time with His saints.

This gels with John 14 where Jesus says that His Father's house has many mansions and that He goes and prepares a place for us there, and that He will come again (the second coming) and take us with Him that where He is, there we shall be also.

It is also the only way that explains Jeremiah 25:29-33. All the wicked of the earth are slain . Their bodies are left unburied and unlamented. Why? Because there is no-one left to do otherwise. It is also the only way to explain Jeremiah 4:23-27. Verse 23 clearly explains that it is the whole earth referred to, and it is the Lord's own words which state categorically "the whole land shall be desolate."
Now does the aforementioned verses from Jeremiah suggest in any way shape or form that the earth at this time will be habitable? That the time referred to can only be the millennium period is also obvious, as no other time frame is admissible. That is, the time after the second coming.

 

[Last Things]

Recently I've become curious about the 1000 year reign of Christ, could someone please explain to me? Thats been a mystery to me. Who will enter into the Millennium reign? Will unbelievers take part in it? Will Jesus Himself be physically present with humanity? What is the purpose of the coming millennium reign?

It is a doctrine that is developed when you do not have an understanding of what '1000' meant for the Jews at the time. To speak of a thousand years was to speak of a really long time, not a literal 1000 orbits of the Earth around the Sun. The result is problematic, as people wait for Christ to come at some point in the future to redeem and rule over the world. This is opposed to realizing that Christ's work is complete and it is us to help make his kingdom of redemption exist on Earth.

 

[RJ]

It is a doctrine that is developed when you do not have an understanding of what '1000' meant for the Jews at the time. To speak of a thousand years was to speak of a really long time, not a literal 1000 orbits of the Earth around the Sun. The result is problematic, as people wait for Christ to come at some point in the future to redeem and rule over the world. This is opposed to realizing that Christ's work is complete and it is us to help make his kingdom of redemption exist on Earth.

What of the 2nd comming and the destruction of Satan?

 

[Last Things]

What of the 2nd comming and the destruction of Satan?

There will be a second coming. Where does scripture say Satan is destroyed, that is, ceases to exist? Bounded and imprisoned, sure, but not destroyed.

 

[RJ]

There will be a second coming. Where does scripture say Satan is destroyed, that is, ceases to exist? Bounded and imprisoned, sure, but not destroyed.

O.K., may not have been the most accurate word ...destroyed but, all his power is destroyed for all eternity, I am sure you know what I meant. Satan is a spirit, so like all unbelievers, those of us who reject God in the end, die a spiritual death. I guess the term is symbolic because no spirit ceases to exist. The spirit lives for all eternity. The spiritual death means total and complete seperation from God forever! Many believe that the "lake of fire" is only symbolic. May be, I think the seperation is the key. Jesus refered to himself as the light; the opposite is dark. Maybe hell is being in total darkness and void of God for all eternity
Revelation 20:7-10.........
vs. 7 - Satan will be loosed at the end of the 1000 years.
vs. 8 – After the rest of the dead are raised, Satan deceives them again. There will be billions - like the sand of the sea. They are called Gog and Magog. Satan gathers them for a final battle.
vs. 9 - Satan and this host surround God's City. Fire comes down and devours them.
vs. 10 - Satan, the Beast, and the False Prophet end up in this lake of fire.
vs. 11 - Before this fire falls, a final judgment occurs.
vs. 12 - All the resurrected lost are judged.
vs. 13 - Another description of the resurrected lost being judged.
vs. 14 - Death and Hell [Hades-Grave] are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death.

 

[Last Things]

We are in agreement on the issue of Satan.

 

[NoHype]

Haven't you guys ever read Psalms 37 about the wicked?

Ps 37:7-11
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
(KJV)

Ps 37:20
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
(KJV)

Or this about Satan's future destruction by a fire within himself...

Ezek 28:14-18
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
(KJV)


Ezek 28:14-18
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
(KJV)

Rev 20:9-10
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
(KJV)

The wicked shall not inherit the earth in the future, nor God's Kingdom. They will be no more once they perish in the lake of fire at the end of Christ's future "thousand years" reign.

 

[Last Things]

I was going to go into the details of your posts but you ended it with a contradiction:

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

 

[NoHype]

I was going to go into the details of your posts but you ended it with a contradiction:

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

Yeah, I know that Rev.20:10 verse seems like a contradiction against the Psalms, but really it's not. Same thing with Rev.14:11; Matt.25:41 & 46. But those must be weighed along with those Psalms Scriptures about the wicked perishing and NOT inheriting the earth...

Ps 10:16
16 The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of His land.
(KJV)

Ps 9:5
5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, Thou hast destroyed the wicked, Thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
(KJV)

Only after weighing all the Scripture evidence can one come to the proper conclusion that God's "lake of fire" event of the future is actually going to fully destroy the wicked, and they will be no more, the "smoke" of their torment rising forever (Rev.14:11).

I choose to believe in a merciful God, and not a God Who enjoys torturing brute beasts over and over forever and ever.

 

[faithfulservant]

Just to share a differing perspective, there are many who do not believe in a "rapture" of the church, perse. Rather, there will be a gathering together of Christ's people when He returns, which can be deduced to be after the Great Tribulation as Christ said He would return like a "thief" in two Gospel accounts and this thief reference shows up in the Book of Revelation right after the 6th bowl of God's wrath is poured out upon the world.

Matthew 24:43-44
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Luke 12:39-40
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Revelation 16:12-16
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

What about God's children? They will be supernaturally protected just like the Israelites when judgment was poured out upon Egypt. We have the doorposts of our heart painted with the blood of the Lamb! Thank You, Jesus! Consider Isaiah 26:

Isaiah 26:19-21
19 ​​​​​​​​Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the earth will give birth to the dead.
20 ​​​​​​​​Come, my people, enter your chambers,
and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until the fury has passed by.
21 ​​​​​​​​For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,
and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,
and will no more cover its slain.

Now how about some wild conjecture? We get our glorified bodies before the wrath of God is poured out! Oh, what provision! What a glorious God we have! We need not worry about a thing, even if we don't get our glorified bodies, though it appears this scripture above makes some curious implications regarding the resurrection of the dead... Hmmm... LORD, reveal Your truth in these matters to all who have eyes and ears to receive. In Jesus' mighty name I pray!

 

[NoHype]

Just to share a differing perspective, there are many who do not believe in a "rapture" of the church, perse. Rather, there will be a gathering together of Christ's people when He returns, which can be deduced to be after the Great Tribulation as Christ said He would return like a "thief" in two Gospel accounts and this thief reference shows up in the Book of Revelation right after the 6th bowl of God's wrath is poured out upon the world.

Matthew 24:43-44
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Luke 12:39-40
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Revelation 16:12-16
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

What about God's children? They will be supernaturally protected just like the Israelites when judgment was poured out upon Egypt. We have the doorposts of our heart painted with the blood of the Lamb! Thank You, Jesus! Consider Isaiah 26:

Isaiah 26:19-21
19 ​​​​​​​​Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the earth will give birth to the dead.
20 ​​​​​​​​Come, my people, enter your chambers,
and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until the fury has passed by.
21 ​​​​​​​​For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,
and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,
and will no more cover its slain.

Now how about some wild conjecture? We get our glorified bodies before the wrath of God is poured out! Oh, what provision! What a glorious God we have! We need not worry about a thing, even if we don't get our glorified bodies, though it appears this scripture above makes some curious implications regarding the resurrection of the dead... Hmmm... LORD, reveal Your truth in these matters to all who have eyes and ears to receive. In Jesus' mighty name I pray!

I for one rarely use the word 'rapture', mainly because of how it has been used to plant non-scriptural ideas like the Pre-trib secret rapture doctrine that began in 1830's Great Britain. The word rapture comes from the Latin for Greek harpazo ("caught up"), and was used in the Latin translations from Greek.

So why didn't phrases like 'gathering to Christ', or 'caught up' become used instead of that sole word 'rapture'? especially since a gathering of the saints to Christ is actually what is meant per the Greek manuscripts?

If you follow the timeline of Scripture for the end per the Books of Daniel and Revelation together, you will discover that Christ's coming and gathering of the saints is on that 7th Vial, not the 6th. There are many events to occur quickly on that Day of The LORD when Jesus returns. Rev.11 on the 7th Trumpet reveals within the same 'hour' as the ending of the 6th Trumpet - 2nd Woe period, the 7th Trumpet then sounds and the 3rd Woe happens. John 5:28-29 also reveals that both the just and the wicked will be raised on that day.

Thus some men, based solely on their idea that we must be removed off this earth to not suffer God's consuming fire and wrath upon the wicked on that final day, have 'created' a rapture that does not actually exist in the Biblical timeline events.

 

[faithfulservant]

Thanks for chiming in, NoHype, I will look into your insights a bit deeper. The overlap of the trumpets and bowls is really important. Could you explain your view on that a bit more?

 

[NoHype]

Thanks for chiming in, NoHype, I will look into your insights a bit deeper. The overlap of the trumpets and bowls is really important. Could you explain your view on that a bit more?

I can't recall which thread in the prophecy section, but I did an outline flow of events for Daniel's final "one week" of Dan.9:27, and its relation to events in Revelation, but at the end of the "one week" (or 70 weeks total), which means at the end of the last 1260 days, many events will occur very quickly with Christ's second coming on the Day of The LORD.

When I say very quickly, I'm referring to both Apostles Paul and Peter when they were pulling from the Old Testament prophets about it (2 Peter 3:10 about man's works burned off the earth by God's consuming fire, and Paul's "sudden destruction" idea of 1 Thess.5 upon the deceived).

Here's one of the OT Scriptures Paul was pulling from with that "sudden destruction" idea upon the deceived of 1 Thess.5:

Isa 29:1-7
1 Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.
2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.
3 And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.
4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.
5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
6 Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.
7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.
(KJV)

God uses the idea of those being like they just woke up from a dream when that occurs. That's pretty deep as to what it involves, because it's actually about Paul's "twinkling of an eye" phrase in 1 Cor.15 related to Isaiah 25. That's how quickly the end of this present world will occur with Christ's coming.

Because so many events occur at an instant on that Day of The Lord, and it takes lots of Scripture to describe their details, it's easy to fall into the thinking that the end of this world will take a lot longer time to occur. In Isaiah 24:1, even the Hebrew word for "empty" is in the sense of taking a bottle and turning it upside down with its contents quickly poured out as it makes that blug, blug, sound.

This is why I highly recommend study in the OT Books along with study in the NT Books, at the same time. The NT constantly refers back to OT Scripture which actually gives us more details. Even the whole Ezekiel 40 through 48 chapters are for the start of Christ's future "thousand years" reign forward.

I think it proper to assume that our Lord Jesus and His Apostles figured we already were familiar with these things in the OT Books. But with many brethren today that's obviously not the case.