Free End Times Book (pdf).. - Rapture Notes

"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not
believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of
Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
"Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the
stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They
will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:21-30)
If we consider all the parallel events the book of Revelation describes, including the throwing -down of Satan and
His hosts to earth during this last three and a half years, then it makes sense that our Commander-and-Chief should
establish His battle headquarters for the end time right here on earth. This is where the final conflict will be fought,
including the Seed of the Woman winning a final victory over the Seed of the Serpent.
But the church is the Body of Christ and the Head can not be separated from the Body! So we must begin to think of
ourselves as present on earth with Jesus during the Tribulation period. Our resurrection bodies will make us
invulnerable to sin and death. Furthermore, like our Lord, we will be invisible to the inhabitants of the earth.
When Christ returns, it is with "armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in
righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems;
and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped
in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean, were following Him on white horses. (Revelation 19:11-14)
This is undoubtedly a picture of the His redeemed (Revelation 3:18) with glorified, immortal bodies (1 Corinthians
15:35-50), able to descend from the heavens without the aid of a spacecraft!
We are told in Colossians 3:4, "When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in
glory. And 1 Thessalonians talks about the "coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints."
The book of Revelation tells what we will do, once we have returned with Christ:
Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power,
but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)
The Centrality of Israel and Jewish People During The Tribulation
A great body of converted people from all the nations are mentioned several times in the book of the Revelation-after
the Rapture of the church. Usually they are called the "Saints." They are believers in Christ--Jews and Gentiles
alike, but they are not referred to as the church, nor are any of the usual descriptions of the church attached to them.
The apostate church of the period will be corrupt, and will give its influence to Antichrist (Revelation 18), so these
Tribulation Saints will not in any way be associated with this apostate church, the great harlot of Revelation 17.
The theme of Israel's place during the tribulation period will be expanded in the third section of the book, but here
are some of the key points which illustrate the centrality of Israel and Jewish people during this period of time:
It is synonymous with Daniel's 70th Week - Daniel 9:27; Revelation 13
The 144,000 Sealed from the 12 Tribes of Israel - Revelation 7:1-8
The Two Witnesses - probably Old Testament leaders - Moses and Elijah (or, as some think, Enoch and
Elijah) - Revelation 11:1-12
Flight of Israel - Revelation 12
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done… 43