Ken Raggio's version of the Rapture

Ken Raggio is a pure gospel preacher who has studied bible issues for the past 18 years and goes strictly by scripture.  His website is at http://kenraggio.com/ and he has a series of lessons you can be emailed weekly such as this one.

Use www.justbible.com to check the scriptural references below.

In this lesson I do NOT agree with Ken's timing of the 7 plagues (God's Wrath). He states it occurs AFTER the rapture; but all my research says the plagues are  actually the culmination of the tribulation period, and are a  judgment on mystery Babylon and when God vindicates His people and destroys the enemy.  God sends angels down in Rev 9:4 which mark God's people so they are protected from the Wrath during this tribulation period just prior to his return. If the return of the Messiah's fiery presence destroys everyone else on earth who is not raptured at his return; who would be left to met the plagues out on??

When is the Rapture?
It may not be when you think!
  The Bible is very plain. This is the FIRST resurrection: Revelation 20:4 "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Do you realize what this verse tells us? The FIRST resurrection includes the saints who were beheaded in the Tribulation for the witness of Jesus, who had NOT WORSHIPPED THE BEAST, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads. So, if you think you will be in the rapture before the Mark of the Beast, you had better find a scripture to countermand this one!

The FIRST RESURRECTION/ RAPTURE is after the Mark of the Beast! This is the very same event that Paul announced in I Thessalonians 4:16-17, when "the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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." (KJV) There will be NO resurrection before the Mark of the Beast. Verse 5 completes the thought. "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished (which is the second resurrection). The second coming of Christ  is at the first resurrection. " It is extremely critical that you see that fact! Look at it and study it if you don't see it yet.

These verses are crystal clear - the first and ONLY time there is a general resurrection (as in "dead in Christ rising") is AFTER the Mark of the Beast!! The SECOND resurrection is 1000 years later, not seven, as some would have you believe. This totally eliminates the possibility of anybody being saved after the rapture. There won't be another resurrection for 1000 years, and it will only be the wicked dead to be tossed into the lake of fire.

I know that many of you have said, "You post-tribbers can hang around for the tribulation, but I'm going in the Rapture!" Well, friend, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there is NO RESURRECTION or RAPTURE before the Mark of the Beast in the Tribulation period.

These two verses clearly show us only two resurrections for all time:

1. The resurrection of the righteous - before the Millennium, and

2. The resurrection of the wicked - after the Millennium (the rest of the dead).

Some Bible commentators will tell you there are anywhere from three to eight raptures or resurrections. They try to include Enoch, Elijah and Jesus. Well, Enoch simply "was not, for God took him," while "the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof" came to get Elijah. Jesus ascended into the clouds with the angels.

The only TRUE, GENERAL RESURRECTION of the righteous, where ALL the righteous from all the ages are raised from the dead, is the SINGLE EVENT, AFTER or near the end of the Tribulation, when Jesus appears in the heavens and receives them up into the air, "and so shall we ever be with the Lord." That resurrection includes all the martyrs and saints who experienced the horrors of the Antichrist and the Mark of the Beast, both martyrs and survivors.

This isn't something you can play semantics with. The Church will still be on earth when the Antichrist comes on the scene, and will be confronted with the Mark of the Beast, which it must refuse. Some saints will die for their refusal, others will survive in persecution.

Those who survive will witness the Abomination of Desolations (when antichrist sits on the throne in Jerusalem and declares himself God) mentioned in the middle of Daniel's seventieth week, and the subsequent Tribulation sometimes called the time of Jacob's troubles) when the persecution of christians occurs.

Daniel 9:27 describes the Antichrist committing the abomination: "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

That translates into 3 1/2 years into the seven weeks (7 weeks is 7 years our time). Editor's Note: Many have said, "but God said we're not appointed to WRATH!". Another version of that objection goes like this: "I can't believe Jesus is going to beat up on His Bride before he comes to get her!"

I do NOT believe saints are appointed unto the Wrath of God, and do NOT believe the Church will remain on earth when the Vials of the Wrath of God are poured out near the end of the seven years.

The Rapture WILL immediately precede the Seven Vials of the Wrath of God. Shortly thereafter, the Church will return with Jesus Christ from Heaven for the great battle of Armageddon, where the Beast and the False Prophet will be defeated. The Millennial reign of Jesus Christ will follow.

The following material presents the scriptures that I believe teach the above-stated conclusions. You will see the following sequence in Daniel, Matthew, Luke, 1 Thessalonians, and Revelation --

1. Antichrist revealed (beginning of the seven years)

2. Abomination of Desolation (middle of the seven years)

3. Great Tribulation, or Jacob's Trouble (second half)

4. Rapture / First Resurrection - (end of seven years)

5. Wrath of God (end of seven years)

6. Second Coming / Armageddon / Marriage Supper

Please read carefully for understanding.

There are many fascinating revelations in the Bible that seldom, if ever, get preached. There is tragic ignorance among Christians about real Biblical facts pertaining to the Rapture and the Tribulation. I was terribly ignorant for the first eighteen years of ministry, preaching only what I had heard others preach (which was dreadfully simplistic and unfounded). Then, one day, a minister friend challenged my thinking, and I began to dig into the scriptures for the truth of the matter. In the past fifteen years, I have proven these conclusions again and again, as they appear in this article. I humbly ask you to meekly consider them.

Will the Saints go through the Tribulation? Yes. Let us begin in the book of Revelation, chapter 6. Here, the martyrs of the Early Church are waiting in Heaven for God to avenge their blood on their enemies.

Revelation 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

God did not avenge these early church martyrs promptly, but put them off until the Endtime Church could be persecuted in the same fashion, according to verse 11.  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

How was the Early Church persecuted? Many were killed. Many were tortured. In the case of the first century church at Rome, there were 2 million saints who were buried UNDERGROUND in the Catacombs. Many of them had been persecuted, tortured and killed. Countless numbers of them were thrown to the lions. History says that the Romans blamed all their calamities and woes on the Christians, and hated them for it. They believed that the Christians were the cause for curses upon them, so they set out to destroy the Christians. And that is only the story from Rome.

All over the world, Christians have been persecuted and martyred. In modern times, the United Religions of the world, and many of the other international inter-religious groups are angrily accusing the fundamentalist Christians of being the source of most of the strife and discontent in society. Their STATED AGENDAS are to purge the earth of narrow-minded, Bible-believing Christians. They prefer to have the ecumenical associations with Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Mother Earth worshippers, New Agers, Occultists, Native Spiritualists, etc. in their fellowship than to have Bible-believing Christians.

The day will come when the persecution will crescendo into outright bans against us, with edicts coming down against them from the New World Order leaders. When the Antichrist comes on the scene, the Mark of the Beast will effectively choke the Christians out of public view. Those who do not die will be forced "underground" as was the early church.

The Endtime Church will go through the tribulation, and will be raptured before the Vials of the Wrath of God, and before Armageddon (the great day of the Lord).

Why do I say that? Immediately after the verses above, describing the persecution of the endtime church, the Great Day of the Lord came and the wicked men of the earth WERE judged. These are the final calamities which take place in the same timeframe with the Battle of Armageddon.

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and
who shall be able to stand?

This is Armageddon. Let's go back now, to the earlier premise: The Antichrist will make war with the saints and overcome them. Revelation 13 says of the Beast: 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. This is the same fate described in Daniel 7:21, " I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."

Are these saints the Jews? If you are referring to the 144,000, no! Logic alone answers that question. The 144,000 can't possibly be the ones that Antichrist prevails against because the scriptures plainly tell us that they are sealed by God and PROTECTED! Israel is the WOMAN who brought forth the MANCHILD (Jesus Christ). Those who are sealed will be protected by God and taken away to a safe place (Revelation 12:14)! Are the "saints" who are overcome the other 6 million Jews in Palestine? No! They aren't saints! They are sinners! They have rejected Jesus Christ as Messiah, and are unbelieving apostates!

So there are essentially no Jewish Saints for the Antichrist to prevail against! This we cannot deny! Therefore... The saints whom the Beast makes war with can only be endtime Christians! Who else could it be? The Church WILL live to see the Antichrist, the Mark of the Beast, and the Tribulation. They will have to reject or hide from the mark. Many will be murdered. Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Some will die, some will survive. Revelation 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

These were NOT Jews, but CHRISTIANS - they were singing the song of the LAMB. Modern Jews don't sing the song of the Lamb (with the rare exception of the very few who have been converted to true Christianity.) And these Christians had gotten the victory over the MARK OF THE BEAST. Those who survive are likely to be persecuted, but will finally be raptured alive.

I Thessalonians 4:16 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.

These are they which came out of great tribulation John finally saw the church in heaven. Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Many people argue that all Christians have tribulation (which is true), but Revelation 15:2 (above) plainly tells that these saints had gotten the victory over the beast, his image, the mark, and the number of his name. That means that these are Great Tribulation saints who actually saw and resisted the Antichrist. Revelation 14 provides further reinforcement for this view.

In verses 6 and 7, an angel appears in heaven, preaching the everlasting Gospel. In verse 8, a SECOND angel cries, "Babylon is fallen!" Babylon falls BEFORE the Mark of the Beast. In verses 9-11, a THIRD angels warns "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his MARK..." (WOES to him!!). In verses 12 and 13, the SAME ANGEL says, "HERE is the patience of the saints, HERE are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ." HERE (at the time of the mark of the beast) is the patience of the saints. HERE (at the time of the mark of the beast) are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ. An astonishing coincidence of events appear here. 1. The Mark of the Beast. 2. The patience of the saints. Verses 9-11 are warnings not to take the Mark of the Beast, and the SAME angel in verses 12 and 13 COMFORTS the SAINTS.

And then, quite appropriately, the angel offers a eulogy, "Write, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth." Why? He is offering a special blessing upon the Christians who must face the Mark of the Beast and consequently DIE for it! Then, the NEXT event in verses 14-18, is the TWO HARVESTS. The FIRST HARVEST is conducted by Jesus Himself, using a sickle to reap the harvest of the earth. THIS is the rapture and the first resurrection. HE HAS NOT PREVIOUSLY RESURRECTED ANYBODY, and HE WILL NOT BE BACK LATER FOR ANOTHER RESURRECTION. This is the FIRST and ONLY RESURRECTION of the RIGHTEOUS! This is the same FIRST resurrection we see in Revelation 20:4 and 5.

Immediately thereafter, the SECOND HARVEST is conducted by an angel with a sickle to gather the GRAPES OF WRATH, grapes which would be cast into the winepress of the wrath of God. SO the chronology of chapter 14 is thus: 1. gospel preaching, 2. Babylon falling, 3. Mark of the Beast, 4. Saints in tribulation, having patience, keeping the faith, and dying in the Lord, 5. The Rapture, 6. The Wrath of God (same day as the Rapture).

Chapter 16 provides descriptions of the vials of the wrath of God, poured out AFTER the rapture, and occurring as a prelude to Armageddon. Interestingly, the first vial of wrath was a terrible plague on everyone who had the Mark of the Beast. The third vial was punishment specifically for shedding the blood of the saints! God gives us WARNINGS, not to frighten us but to prepare us.

God warned Joseph of seven years famine in Egypt and he prepared for it and endured it. God warned Noah of a coming flood, and he built an Ark for 120 years, enduring the mockery of his generation. God has warned us all our lives we would see these things. We better be prepared. No one taught these things more clearly than Jesus Himself. Jesus clearly taught the doctrine of the rapture. You have to understand WHEN it is scheduled! Jesus said it would FOLLOW the occurrence of the Antichrist committing the abomination of desolation and the causing the great tribulation. (Matthew 24). Follow this carefully:

FIRST - the Abomination of Desolation takes place in the Middle of the Seven Years (Daniel's seventieth week). Jesus described it in Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Who will flee to the mountains? The Jews who live in the hills of Judea (the modern "West Bank")

SECOND - the great tribulation - second half of the seven year week. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The Church is the Elect in Jesus' "great tribulation" reference. Many argue that the "elect" is Jews. However, in the New Testament, the Jews are the "cut-off" branch Paul referred to in Romans. The Jews have been rejected for their backsliding, and remain in apostasy according the New Testament teachings.

Israel was the ELECT of the OLD Testament, but the CHURCH is the ELECT of the New Testament. Peter actually DEFINED who the elect are.1 Peter 1:2," ELECT according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:" You have to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ to be ELECT! This would NOT include unregenerate Jews. Is the Church STILL on earth AFTER the Abomination of Desolation, and the tribulation of those days? Absolutely! Look what follows...

THIRD - signs in the sky, the coming of the Lord, and the rapture! Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Do you realize what those three verses say? JESUS Himself told us very clearly that the angels would NOT gather the elect from the four winds (the Rapture) until AFTER the tribulation of those days (verse 21), which came AFTER the Abomination which maketh desolate (verse 15), which logically comes AFTER the revealing of the Antichrist and the Mark of the Beast in the first half of the week (at the 3 1/2 year point).

If you don't understand what I have just said, please read it again! Paul taught that the day of the Lord and our gathering together unto him (the Rapture) WOULD NOT COME until the man of sin is revealed. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4: Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

PLEASE LEARN what these four verses teach! Paul instructed the Thessalonians NOT TO BE TRICKED into thinking that the Lord had already come (that was circulating in their days). He promised them that the Lord would NOT come before there was a GREAT FALLING AWAY, and the MAN OF SIN BE REVEALED, etc. In other words, part of Paul's assurance to the Thessalonians that Jesus had not yet come hinged upon the fact that the MAN OF SIN must be revealed before the Church will be "gathered together unto Him (Jesus)." There is no way to get around that verse. The church will NOT be "gathered together unto Him" (raptured - verse 1) until the ANTICHRIST be revealed (verse 3)! Is that all? No!

Not only does Paul tell them that the Antichrist must be REVEALED, but he must also commit the Abomination that maketh desolate, in the middle of the week of seven years -- BEFORE the rapture (verse 4)! How do I  make that deduction? Paul said, "so that he AS GOD, sitteth in the TEMPLE of GOD, shewing himself that he IS GOD." That is the Abomination of Desolation!

And Jesus WILL NOT COME BEFORE THAT! So it is certain that the Church will live NO LESS than 3 1/2 years into the last seven years! (Later, we will see that some survive to the very end as well.) What does that mean to us?

There will be survivors of the endtime church ALIVE on earth when the Antichrist commits the Abomination of Desolation - a sobering thought! JESUS taught it in Matthew 24, so why wouldn't PAUL? The Prophet Daniel even revealed the identical sequence. Daniel 9:27 describes the Antichrist first making the seven year covenant with Israel: "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

In the middle of the week, the abomination. You can see the antichrist living in the midst of the holy mountains of Jerusalem before the end comes. Daniel 11:45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. So antichrist will have a palace in the holy mountains of Jerusalem, between the seas (Mediterranean and Dead Seas). In his glory, he will exalt himself against God and Israel (Abomination of Desolation), and precipitate the great tribulation in the last half of the week.

The narrative continues: Daniel 12:1 "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time:" In the middle of the week, war develops between Antichrist and Michael, angel of God in behalf of Israel. Commonly called "Jacob's trouble", Israel will face its DARKEST HOUR ever! At this time there are roughly six million Jews in Israel.

Only 144,000 of them will be sealed. These are apparently the ones Jesus referred to as fleeing Judea (the West Bank), and given "two wings of an eagle" to escape (Revelation 12:14). The remaining millions of Jews will experience the most awful trial in the history of their nation.

What happens when "Jacob's trouble" begins? verse 11 "...and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Who shall be delivered? "everyone that shall be found written in the book" Who is that? Born-again believers! Apostate Jews are certainly not written in the book! Unbelieving Jews, no. Jews who deny Jesus Christ as Messiah? No! Born-again Christians. Those who have repented, been baptized in His name, and received His Holy Spirit.

Notice: Verse 12 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Here again are two resurrections. A resurrection of the righteous. A resurrection of the wicked. Separate and different resurrections at different times, a thousand years apart.

THE FIRST RESURRECTION is the SAME as the FIRST RESURRECTION in Revelation 20:4 and 5. The SECOND RESURRECTION is also the same as the SECOND in Revelation 20:4,5, (after the millennium).

These are the same two resurrections John saw in Revelation 20:4 and 5: "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. "

The first resurrection (and simultaneous rapture) is at the end of the seven years. No more dead are resurrected for a thousand years. Don't expect to ever be saved it you miss the one and only rapture!

The second resurrection is the wicked dead at the end of the Millennium. Daniel saw 1) Antichrist revealed, and in his temple in Jerusalem, at the time of the Abomination. 2) Jacob's trouble -- the great tribulation, 3) The righteous resurrected (the rapture), 4) Judgment of the wicked (the wrath of God).

Again and again, the Bible supports this sequence. What is the conclusion of the matter. Friend, don't be naive and think that you are going to be raptured out of here without facing great tribulation. Prepare yourself spiritually, mentally and physically!

We are NOT appointed to the Wrath of God, but we ARE appointed to TRIBULATION. If this church doesn't face great tribulation, God would need to apologize to every previous generation of righteous men. They were all tried in the fire. Please refer next to my article, The Day of the Lord for a further explanation of the link between the Rapture and the Wrath of God.

This article is from Ken Raggio's  SCHOOL OF BIBLE PROPHECY on the Internet at    http://kenraggio.com   where you will find dozens of other interesting articles related to  Bible Prophecy.

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