...will the antichrist come before the rapture of the church?
Answer:
Answer:
Firstly
, let's settle this score that there is going to be a universal world
ruler, the Bible calls him ''the antichrist''. Some confuse themselves
with what 1Jn 2:18-20 ('' even now many antichrists are with you'')
means, supposing it to mean that the antichrist(s) is/are already with
us. In fact,what that simply means is that, the many antichrists who are
and will be show that the spirit of the antichrist will precede the
eventual appearance of a definite man, him the Bible calls ''the
antichrist'' (note the use of ''the'' in the same text), he is also
known as the son of perdition, man of sin, the wicked one, the beast,
etc (2 Thess 2:3-8, see also Rev 13-17).
The word rapture is not
in our Bible but undoubtedly its concept is clearly evident in the
scriptures. Many so-called Bible believers do not believe in any such
thing as rapture and even those who do, do so with strict adherence to a peculiar understanding widely distant from what is generally accepted
by the majority. Well I am not here emphasizing on popular view nor
affirming majority decision, no! Majority cannot always be right. If
majority of the world's population decide that that there is no God, it
will mean there is no God, alright? I don't believe in democracy anyway,
majority can be wrong, and in most cases do get it wrong, you know?
Interestingly, I see a similar phenomenon in the canon of teachings in
the body specifically on the doctrine of the Rapture. Apart from the
fact that many are teaching that there is no rapture whatsoever, the few
others who do, majority of them affirmatively tend to emphasize a
singular precipitous catching-up or seizing-away of the Church; this
orthodox concept and teaching I find to be errorneous.
Let me
point out clearly, as per my understanding of the Word of God,
submitting this to the sundry of believers who drear in their spirits to
see the true Word being preached to judge this that there is no one
rapture, there are indeed conglomerations of raptures in the Bible.
The
word ''rapture is taken from the vulgate (Latin version of the Bible)
and it means to seize away, catch-up/away, take away, pluck/pull
off/from; it's from the Greek ''harpazo''. The phrases above are
scattered throughout the scriptures but should not be mixed up with
others events as translations, resurrection, etc, since sometimes the
word ''harpazo'' is used to refer to such encounters. Paul in 2 Cor. 12
cannot therefore be referred to as having been raptured. The concept of
rapture in the Bible is a concept of harvest and if any one understand
the three harvest seasons of the Hebrews (that of barley, wheat and
grape), understanding the rapture becomes an added effect.
We must
also understand the comings of Christ to help us understand the
harvests and the raptures. From now on, we are expecting the visible and
the invisible coming of Christ. Invisibly, He shall come in the night
as a thief and ''steal away'' a section of the Church (1 Thess 5:2-3, 2
Pet 3:10). This will happen before the advent of the antichrist and
explains the first rapture known as the rapture of the ''man-child'' in
Rev 12:1-It is at this time that the devil gets to know his time is
short, some believe the man child are the 144, 000 but I believe
otherwise (can't explain futher now).
Visibly, He shall come and
all will see Him, even those who pierced Him. Here He comes with trumpet
shouts with innumerable company of angels and this events takes place
at the last trumpet. The last trumpet here refers to the seven trumpets
in the Book of Revelation and it is at this time that the mysteries of
God would be finished, 1 Cor. 15:52, Rev. 10:7. This explains the post
tribulation rapture which post-cedes the Great tribulation and precedes
armaggeddon.
But in between these two comings, there would be
another rapture of a group of people. In Rev 7:9-17, we see a multitude
who were caught-up to the throne room of God and the Bibles says they
came out of the Great tribulation. This explains the rapture of the
tribulation saints. Time and space will fail us to talk about the
ministry of the angels with ''everlasting gospel to preach''; their work
too reveals something significant to our knowledge on the rapture. You
may read further, 1Thess 4:15-17, 1 Cor 15:50-, etc.
All these
raptures, happen in different circumstances and time. If, for instance,
it takes less than a year for the antichrist to be revealed after the
first rapture, and it takes less than a year for Christ to come after
the tribulation, it means that, the raptures aforementioned will span
within a period not less than seven years.
The answer to the
question therefore becomes clear, a section of the Church would be
raptured before the beast comes (Rev 12), to some he will come to meet
(eg the Laodicean Church, Rev 3:14-), and others he will leave before
them whilst they abide.
Maranatha!! come oh Lord! come!!
