The Rapture

As with the parable of the ten virgins, this preface is to beg you to consider these parables, read what Jesus is saying about the harvest of souls.  Pray about it, ask God what He is telling you here, God did not provide even the parables to be innocuous, His words have meaning, and they are in His word, read it, be open to it, and you will be strengthened in preparation for it.  Consider it not, and if the time comes these words are true and you are not prepared, the parable of the ten virgins holds an ominous warning to those who were not prepared for a delay. May God bless you..

The Parable of the Tares

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

As I have shown in the Rapture topic study, the persecution of the saints has a purpose under heaven, a testimony.  Not only a testimony against those who might persecute you, but a testimony of how much you love or hate your life... unto death. Jesus in this parable is telling His disciples about the harvest, including a reason for not disturbing the field until harvest time.

I don't know the best way to explain this, it is more of a complex concept than something easily explained, but I will try.  Removal of the church would be too radical, it would upset the final harvest.  Chaff would rapidly appear to be wheat because it would be too difficult to hide such an event that had been spoken of and prophesied about for so long.  The kingdom and the trials and tribulations of life are not for those who fit into the "tares" category, only for the elect of God. We are also to be tested by the fires of trials and tribulation, but rest assured, time is coming to an end and I believe God will give us the Holy Spirit in abundance to comfort us through the tough time.

Jesus was beaten, flogged, and hung on a cross, an excruciating death, but we went there and suffered all those things for the sake of obedience to His Father.  Everyone speaks of the brutal death He suffered, but I think He suffered something more painful and disparaging than His crucifixion... At the moment He cried out, Eli, Eli, Lama Sabacthani, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me".  He had the strength to go forward, to stand silent before His accusers, but I think the most unbearable pain He felt was when he was forsaken by His Father in heaven.  His greatest Love, His greatest Glory, the one whom He loved so much He would obey Him unto death, and hanging on the cross He was rejected of God so that we might be accepted by God.

No one knows as a fact of absolute positively that there will be a pre tribulation rapture because the Bible does not come right out and say, "before the tribulation I will take you under my wing in heaven", or anything remotely similar.  It does come right out and say you, (Jesus Followers), will be hated by the nations, they will deliver you up to be persecuted and put to death, it does say after the tribulation the sun will be darkened, then you will see the sign of the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven.  It does say at the sound of the last trump.

Gods word DID give a description of the Messiah to the people of Israel, yet they believed it not for they wanted salvation from the Romans, and the Bible does give a description of the return of the Lamb of God, in plain language.

I believe if a person is spiritually prepared to face the tribulation, and it will take some preparation, then if Gods plan includes a pre tribulation rapture, then He will not leave out those who are ready for Him.  If we live a complacent spiritual life because we are waiting for Him to come and take us, we might find ourselves standing beside the scribes and Pharisees who refused to accept Gods plan in Gods time.  This life isn't about us, it isn't about me, it is about God and His glory.

Dan Dunkin