In the Bible and in Christ's day, the Jewish bride was taken to the father’s house where the two were in seclusion in the honeymoon quarters for seven days. Christ must have had that custom in mind when He promised to take His bride to His Father’s house.

Gen. 29:28
And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week (7 days/bridal week): and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

For many Bible verses regarding the "Rapture" click: "Read more!".

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THE “RAPTURE” or “GATHERING UP” (To read Parts 1 & 2 of this study, CLICK HERE--> TrumpetCallofGod.com - see "Bible/Letter study" table of contents.)

Part 3: the 'gathering up' or 'rapture' referenced in The Holy Bible.

Throughout the Bible, we see examples of how God has protected His people from His wrath.

“Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgment), but has passed from death into life.” (Jesus speaking) - John 5:24 KJV

So then, if judgment falls on the whole world, we must leave this world, so we do not “come into” judgment. We have passed from judgment into forgiveness in the same way we have passed from death into life. We will be taken to the only place where life is and death is not... Heaven.

For any person to come to Jesus, we must be called, first, by the Father.

“No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up at* the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Me. (John 6:44-45 KJV)

And He said, “Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto Me, except it were given unto him of My Father.” (John 6:65 KJV)

* NOTE: “At” refers to the beginning of the last day or time period. Jesus did not say “during” or “at the end of”, etc.

Psalm 12:5-7 KJV
(5) For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy; now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. (6) The words of the Lord are pure, as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. (7) Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.

To better understand this verse:
(5) When you see persecution and people have lost all hope, then will the Lord arise; and the Lord says He will set the oppressed in safety from the Antichrist and all those who persecute His saints. (6) The Lord’s words are absolutely true, so to bring His people who have denied the truth into the truth, they too shall be purified seven times (or seven years) in a furnace of earth (judgments on earth). (7) The Lord will preserve them (the oppressed, believers) from this generation (the oppressors, “those that puffeth” and the people that must go through the furnace.)

Psalm 27:5-6, 10 KJV
(5) For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion, in the secret of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. (6) And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me. Therefore, I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. (10) When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.

To better understand this verse:
During the time of troubles, which is the present day (Matthew 24:4-14), God shall hide us in His pavilion or tabernacle, or dwelling place (Heaven); He shall take us up by way of Jesus (the Rock). (6) And when we are surrounded on every side by enemies of God and by all kinds of troubles, then will we be lifted up above all these things. Therefore, we will be joyful and sing praises to the Lord, in His tabernacle or dwelling place (Heaven). (Refer to Revelation 7:9-17)
(10) When your closest relatives forsake or leave you because of your faith, then the Lord will take us up. (Refer to Matthew 10:35-36)

Matthew 13:30 KJV
Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of the 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. (Jesus speaking)

Matthew 24:40-41 KJV
(40) Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (41) Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Luke 21:28, 36 KJV
(28) And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws nigh...(36) Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man (Jesus speaking).

NOTE: (Luke 21:36)
The word “escape” is derived from the Hebrew words “geruwth“ from “guwr” which means “to turn aside from the road for a lodging or any other purpose (i.e. sojourn as a guest); also to “gather”.
The word “escape” is derived from the Greek words “ek or ex” which means “out”. Also derived from the Greek word “pheugo” which means “to vanish, escape, flee away”. [Source: Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance]

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 KJV
(51) Behold, I shew you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. (52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (Paul speaking).

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJV
(16) For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (Paul speaking)

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 KJV
(9) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation from our Lord Jesus Christ, (10) who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. (Paul speaking)

NOTE: Whenever Paul is speaking, he is speaking to the group of believers in the towns of Corinth, Thessalonica, etc.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 KJV
(6) And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. (7) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work, only he who not letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. (8) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming (Paul speaking).

To better understand this verse:
(6) And now you know the body of Christ’s believers holds back the Antichrist, so he may be revealed at the appointed time (during the seven-year period of tribulation allowed by God). (7) For the hidden spirit of antichrist is already at work in the world; but Jesus’ spirit, who holds back the Antichrist, will hold him back until God commands Jesus to let and gather up to Heaven all those who believe and love Him. (8) Then shall the Antichrist show himself during the period of tribulation. At the end of the judgment/tribulation period, Jesus will reveal Himself and will destroy the Antichrist’s army with the words of His mouth and the brightness of His coming, then throwing him and his prophet alive into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20-21).

Genesis 19:22, 29 KJV
(22) Haste thee, escape thither (there); for I cannot do anything till thou become thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zo-ar (Humble or Small). (29) And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain (Sodom and Gomorrah), that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

NOTE: God would not or could not do anything to Sodom and Gomorrah until Lot had escaped completely out of those cities. He did not hide him in the city and put a protective covering over Lot. He completely took him “out of” Sodom. When God will pour out His wrath during the 7-year period of judgment and tribulation, He will pour it out on the whole world. There will be nowhere to “escape” to. Even to be protected during the judgments, would still be to experience them, because you would be observing His wrath on everyone around you. The only way to truly “escape” the judgments would be to be completely taken “out of” the judgments. To be completely taken “out of” the judgments, a person would have to, and will, leave this world.

Zephaniah 2:3 KJV
Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness. It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.

2 Peter 2:9 KJV
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

Psalm 90:10, 12-13 KJV
(10) The days of our years are threescore years and ten. And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (12) So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. (13) Return, O Lord, how long? And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

NOTE: In these verses, the Lord is telling us three things:
1. A generation is seventy years long (vs. 10).
2. We are able to calculate the approximate time “or season” of the Lord’s return a(vs.12). 3. The generation born during the time of Israel’s statehood (1948 and after) will see the coming of the Lord, and will not reach eighty because their years will “soon be cut off, and they will fly away”.

To better understand how “a generation” and Israel’s statehood relates to the Rapture and Second Coming of Christ, please refer to the Seventy Weeks of Daniel Supplement, called “Evidence Supporting 2011-2018 as the Last Week” on pages 125 thru 129.

Part 4: POINTS TO REMEMBER

• Belief in the Rapture Is Not Necessary In Order to Be Saved
We are saved by believing that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead the third day, not because of our belief in the “gathering up”. Those who belong to Christ will be taken up at the “gathering up” whether we believe in it or not. Many Christians have erred on various points in the Bible, including the “rapture” or “gathering up”. Though they err, Jesus knows their hearts, and that will be the determining factor of their salvation.

• The Word “Rapture”
The Rapture is a word to which some critics object because they say it isn’t in the Bible. In fact, it is in the Latin translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The Latin rapturos means “an ecstatic catching away” as does our English word. (Source: When Will Jesus Come? - Dave Hunt)

• Two Distinct Events - The Rapture and the Second Coming
The “Rapture” or “Gathering Up” and Christ’s second coming are two distinct events. Christ must first of all come for His saints to gather them up to heaven, or He could never come with His saints from Heaven to rescue Israel at Armageddon. The “Rapture” will come when least expected; the Second Coming takes place only after all the judgments have been fulfilled. By then everyone should know that Christ is about to return in glory and power. That these are two distinct events is also clear from Christ’s own words, “I will come again and receive you unto Myself that where I am there ye may be also.” Christ is catching up His bride to present her to His Father. The Second Coming has an entirely different purpose: to rescue Israel in the midst of Armageddon and to destroy the Antichrist, his false prophet and his evil world empire.
The days of Noah and Lot are similar to today as far as sin and wickedness are concerned, but then all of history is filled with sin and wickedness. The main focus in these verses is: Life was going on as normal, then God’s judgment came suddenly upon those under His wrath, or today they would be the “non-believers” who still revel in their sin and are completely married to the world. Likewise today, people go on with their daily lives, ignoring God and some even rebelling against Him, so then the Lord’s Day will indeed come as a thief. In our day, the first act of God will be the “gathering up” of His people, not a judgment. These verses when compared with the verses in Revelation would seem to indicate that Jesus contradicted Himself in regards to His second coming. (i.e. “as a thief...day and hour unknown” eludes to an unexpected coming where no one sees Him, compared with verses that say “every eye shall see Him”, “He shines from the east unto the west”, “with full power and great glory”. The Book of Revelation provides markers or events that will lead right up to the time of His glorious coming. How then can His coming be unknown and unseen, and known and seen by everyone...undeniable, if they are at the same time? Therefore, His second coming is two events: The first as a “thief”, the “gathering up”, mercy and forgiveness; the second as a “glorious appearing”, wrath and judgment.

• The Bride Shall Be Taken to the Father’s House For One Week
In Christ’s day, the Jewish bride was taken to the father’s house where the two were in seclusion in the honeymoon quarters for seven days. Christ must have had that custom in mind when He promised to take His bride to His Father’s house. (Source: When Will Jesus Come? - Dave Hunt)

• The Rapture Would Create the Perfect Environment for World Unification and the Ushering into Power of the Antichrist
In order for the Antichrist to come into power under a “one-world” government, all religions, races, etc. must be reconciled. In order for this reconciliation to happen, something global and cataclysmic must occur. The world-wide disappearance of millions of people will be the catalyst that allows the Antichrist to begin his short “reign” of power. Everyone will be confused and shaken, and will seek someone to give them the answers regarding the disappearance of their loved ones. The Antichrist will come in peace and give them the “hope” they are looking for. [Please note: The Antichrist is only allowed, by God, to have this short time of power. Also, the “hope” the Antichrist will give people is a false hope, completely built on blasphemy and lies. Unfortunately, many people will not see his deception. In this way, the Antichrist will be able to deceive many and create his one-world empire.]

Judgement Into Life

[Jesus speaking.] I am come and am yet come and have come already. I am amongst you in spirit, bestowing Truth, you of this world will not hear Me.
You who have heard Me will hear Me again. The Day is coming, the day is already here, when the dead shall hear My voice and come forth and all you who are alive and remain, you shall also hear and come out, all together unified as one body, securely reunited in My body, in life and joy forever and ever. Amen.
You shall be spared, for you had placed your full faith in the hands of My Father, and He has given you to Me. You shall share in My joy, which is the Father’s joy He shares with you because of Me. You came from God by Me, and by Me shall you return to the Father and live in His house where I had prepared a place for you from the beginning. You will be taken out of this world which has all together become liken to that Babylon I will destroy in the hour of My God’s judgment. Many more will I take out after the elect have been lifted up, they will be martyrs. And yet a remnant will remain who shall be hidden in the earth for a time, times and the dividing of times, to these is it reserved to be taken through.
Everyone, who loves Me and will come to love Me, will come because of Me, for your places in eternity have been prepared and forever shall you be with Me. Your places have always been and were prepared by My death and resurrection. For no one may enter into My Father’s joy except by Me.
I am Life without End. By My death you have accepted, will you be as I am. My body was broken for you so you would not suffer judgment for your sin. My body is without sin in the same way you have become My body without sin.

You have passed from judgment into life!
Come and sing praises to the Lord in His tabernacle!
Sing praises and give worship to the Holy One, who keeps all the promises
and brings them to pass through Me. Amen and amen.

[Volume 3 - Letters from God and His Christ]