Number  one  target now is the Pre-Tribulation  Rapture.  In fact  it is being removed from certain "Christian" church  statements and is destined to become non-existent in their literature. As  with  what has been changed already, it will  have  a  domino effect.  We  teach Pre- Tribulation Rapture and plan  to  continue bringing  it  up to keep readers walking in  the  Lord's blessed hope. Because of that we are targeted. One such encounter with  a surfer  on  Internet was powerful and convincing. It is  easy  to convince  lay  people with documentation from  other wellknowns. Seeds  of  remain in one's mind which later hook  up  with  other heresies and the truth is washed away.

There  are others whom we regard as important teachers  like Dr.  Walter Martin, who believe [believed] in a  Post-Tribulation Rapture.  My first recourse after an episode like that  is additional  Bible  study. But then something else  happened  which  I didn't  expect. A powerful testimony came from  another  ministry which  reinforced what the Bible had to say and all doubts  were chased  away.  The Holy Spirit has the  capability  of  inspiring others  to  write about a subject matter which  is  important  to someone  on  their mailing list at a critical time. Only  if  we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit can we provide exactly what needs to happen for another person at a specific time. The  Pre-Trib  concept was replaced with  the  "The  Rapture Theory" which some woman concocted which is an outright lie. This month discussion will prove that it is Scriptura, but you have to know your Scriptures. Their ammunition is very convincing.

Their  teaching  does not point to any Rapture and that  is  what they want to accomplish. The  article addressed and mutilated many points which  hold up what the writer called "The Rapture Theory". It made me  realize  how important these newsletters are. If you are not reading them  you  are risking because the devil is like a  roaring  lion seeking  whom  he may devour. He never lets up  trying  to  bring confusion, doubt and deterioration to our faith. He is so  subtle that  reinforcement of the truth is a must daily and that is  not enough.  It takes God watching over us and making sure  that  the Holy  Spirit  inspires a Christian ministry to  write about  the subject that is under attack.

Strong  ministers of the Gospel need to be helping us  stand against  the  viles  of the devil. Thank God for  those  who  are risking  their all for us and bring forth their letters month  by month,  without  pay in many cases. We love them for it  and  are humbled  by  it.  It is the Holy Spirit's mechanism  to  keep  us marching  till  the trump of God calls us up into the  clouds  to meet with our Lord in the air.

The  Rapture  is  a mystery, a hidden truth  in  the  Bible because it is meant for believers. It is the blessed hope,  which man  cannot discover with his intellect, but through the  revelation  of  God at a given time (Ephesians 3:5).  There  are  other mysteries  revealed in the New Testament, and they take  time  to discover. "Behold,  I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep,  but we shall all be changed, 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. (1 Corinthians  15:51-52)

The following verse is given as a reference  to the last trump, what trumpet is that? "And the LORD shall be seen
over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds  of the  south." (Zechariah 9:14) It is the Lord's trumpet,  not angel's trumpets. Another reference is: "For then shall be great  tribulation, such  as was not since the beginning of the world to  this  time,no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21) When the Jews are gathered in Matthew 24:31 ".. His angels come with great sound of a  trumpet,  and they shall gather the elect [Jews are the  elect,  Gentiles are the called] from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

John,  in referring to the Resurrection, adds that  we  will hear the voice of Jesus and note when: he states "now is" if that is  not  imminent I don't know what is. "Verily, verily,  I  say unto  you,  The hour is coming, and now is, when the  dead  shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." (John  5:25) Another reference: "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:  (1  Thessalonians 4:16) Notice here again,  this  is  the trump of God, not the angel's trumpet.

"It  is  very important to note that at  this  resurrection/ Rapture, the apostle speaks of "we." He makes it clear that  what he has to say here only applies to those who belong to Jesus  and subsequently to the church of the believers (compare 1st  Thessalonians 4:13-18), "we," not "the others." "The others" will remain dead until the day of judgment  and then  will be condemned (Revelation 20:11-15). This "we" means  a pre-Resurrection/  Rapture  out of the remainder of the  dead  to eternal  life which will take place at least 1,000  years  before the  second resurrection at the judgment seat. (Luke 14:14,  Matthew  17:9). What the article did not address is the Day  of  the Lord. It is considered to be a thousand years which includes  the tribulation.  The  Day  of Christ  happens  simultaneously  which represents the Rapture.

We are going to attempt to prove it with Scripture. The  Day of  the Lord is not just one day somewhere in the tribulation.  2 Peter  3:10 proves it because the Scripture describes the end  of the thousand year millennium, yet talks about coming like a thief in  the  night. How could that possibly be like a  thief  in  the night  when  the thousand years have passed?  The  Apostle Peter describes what he means:

"For  this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the  Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water  and in the water: Whereby the world that then  was, being overflowed with water, perished: [referring to the flood in which Noah  and  his  family, eight in total, were  saved  by  baptism, because Noah had obeyed God and built the ark. They were able  to pass  safely  "through" the waters (seen in the  Greek  word  dia [1223]) in the same way, the term "baptism" should be  understood as the visible representation of deliverance through Christ, just as  the ark represented deliverance from the water of the  Flood.

When  a person accepts Christ, he is saved; when the believer  is baptized,  he  is identified with the One who has  delivered  him (i.e., Jesus Christ)] The  Scripture  continues: "But the heavens and  the  earth, which are now, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved  unto fire  against the day of judgment and perdition of  ungodly  men.
But,  beloved,  be not ignorant of this one thing, that  one  day [is]  with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years  as one  day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,  as  some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that  any should perish, but that all should come to  repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which  the  heavens shall pass away with a great noise,  and  the
elements  shall  melt with fervent heat, the earth also  and  the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:5-10)

If we take what it says in this Scripture literally and  use a  day as one day, it would omit the tribulation  altogether  and that is why some teach that there is no tribulation. Here is  the reason why we have to apply the formula of one day being a  thousand  years in God's expression. The Day of the Lord doesn't  fit this description in total.

Jesus sat with his disciples on the mount of Olives and they asked him if there shall be a sign of His coming. His first words were: "take heed that no man deceive you." He begins to describe that  which is going on this very day, today, where many come  in His name and shall deceive many. Wars and rumors but its not time yet.  The  weather gets unbearable, hunger and  disease are  the beginning  of sorrows. The four horses in the first part  of  the tribulation  represent  war, disease,  depression  which  causes shortage  of  food setting people up to take the Mark  from what they believe to be their Savior and is in reality the Antichrist.

Remember He is talking to His Apostles who are Jews only and He tells them that they will be delivered up and be killed and be hated,  betrayed  by one another. He was addressing Israel  as a nation  who  will be hated by all nations.  Still  talking  about Israel: "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."  (Matthew  24:13) This is during the latter part  of  the tribulation.  Antichrist proceeds to kill Israel because  it  refuses  to  accept the Mark. The 144,000 Jews  are  sealed.  Jesus gives  them a new heart and saves them, which has nothing  to do with the church at that point. The church is long gone. The  Jews lament about that today and it is one of the reasons they seem to want Christians to stay away from Israel. They understand it.

Next  Jesus  begins  to describe mid  tribulation  when  the Antichrist  stands in the Temple in Jerusalem. Three and  a  half years  after the beginning of this seven years (Daniel 12:11)  is when this event occurs. He tells the Apostles that Israelis  must flee  to  the mountains, where they will be  hidden..  "for  then shall  be great tribulation, such as was not since the  beginning of  the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." No one  would be saved if He didn't shorten this time. False Christs and  signs and wonders abound.. Jesus warns them not to believe these  false
teachers.  Jesus describes the tribulation here long  before  the end of the millennium, and after the Antichrist stands in the temple, Jesus makes His appearance to the people of Israel.

The  Scripture refers to Daniel 7:11-14 which refers to  the second  coming when Jesus comes and takes dominion, which is  not the  end  of  the Millennium as some believe.  Why?  because the Antichrist would be in charge throughout the millennium.

"I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld [even] till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives  were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in  the  night visions,  and,  behold, [one] like the Son of man came  with  the clouds  of  heaven,  and came to the Ancient of  days,  and  they brought  him near before him. And there was given  him  dominion, and  glory,  and a kingdom, that all people,  nations,  and  languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion,  which  shall not pass away, and his  kingdom  [that]  which shall  not be destroyed." Now this describes the second  coming. Is  that  a snatching away and meeting in the clouds? No,  He  is coming  with the saints. "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied  of  these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh  with  ten thousands  of his saints, (Jude 1:14) How could that be  if  they are going up at that time?

Also, how could this Scripture be correct if Jesus [God] did not  apply  a thousand years for a day? "Verily I say  unto  you, This  generation  shall not pass, till all these things  be  fulfilled." (Matthew 24:34) That generation is long gone and  twenty years (a Scriptural generation) is gone since the Jews came  back to Israel beginning with 1948.

Jesus  goes on: "But of that day and hour knoweth no  [man], no,  not  the  angels of heaven, but my  Father  only."  (Matthew 24:36) Does that sound like a specific day at the end, the  final day of the Millennium? No. At this point He has already described His  appearance to the Jews. Still teaching the  disciples  about his  return, the Day of the Lord, Jesus goes back in history  and describes  what  was going on in Noah's days, they were  like  us eating,  marrying,  giving in marriage until the  day  that  Noah entered the ark. Notice that Noah and his family were placed in a safe  place  before the flood. He was well secured  floating  way above  with  his family. This verse Matthew 24:38 is  related  to Genesis 6:3-5 and 7:5

"And  the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive  with man,  for that he also [is] flesh: yet his days shall be an  hundred and twenty years [possible age man can attain in the flesh]. There  were giants in the earth in those days [discussing  Noah's days]; and also after that, when the sons of God [fallen  angels/ spirits] came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare  [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of  old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his [man's]  heart [was] only evil continually." (Genesis 6:3-5)  Now if  we  look  at this Scripture, could it have  been  during  the millennium  knowing what it's going to be like. The lion will  be at  peace with the lamb because Jesus is the ruler  during  these thousand  years. Satan was chained and held captive till the  end of the Millennium.

"And  Noah  did according unto all that the  LORD  commanded him."  (Genesis  7:5) When Jesus discusses the Rapture  he  talks about  the  strangeness of it. He will not appear to  anyone  but people will suddenly disappear. "Then shall two be in the  field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two [women shall  be] grinding  at  the  mill; the one shall be taken,  and  the  other left." (Matthew 24:40,41) Watch  therefore: for ye know not what hour your  Lord  doth come.  (Matthew 24:42) He not only names two cases  where  people will disappear to show the peculiarity of the event but He states right  here to watch from that point forward. It is  clearly  not the end of the millennium nor the tribulation.

One  could  say  that is what happened  when  Noah  suddenly disappeared to the people when they drowned. Considering what the Lord  said  in Genesis a little less than 6,000  years  ago, "My Spirit  shall  not always strive with man," means  that  at  some point  in  time He will decide to make His move. In  Christ,  God began  to tell us just as He told Noah, personally, "get ready!" Everybody  thought  Noah was crazy building a large ship  on  dry ground. But he went ahead in spite of the ridicule.

Those who hear and understand Christ's teaching know that He could come at any time. In fact they were expecting Him from  the time  Jesus  returned to heaven. The Rapture is  not  "A Rapture Theory,"  that some New Age guru dreamed up and  some  Christians ridicule. In  verse  Matthew 24:43,44 He explains the secrecy  of  the event, that Satan would take authority over the situation here on earth if he knew the time and day. That proves that Satan is very active when the Rapture occurs. Again Jesus admonishes his disciples,  it  will  be at a time when we would least  expect  it  to happen:  "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour  as ye think not the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 24:44) If it were post tribulation,  we could count the days and know and the same  with the millennium. Since the "Day of the Lord" includes the day when the  earth is destroyed completely and a new one is created and it  includes Armageddon,  and it includes the takeover of the temple  in  mid-trib  and  it includes the beginning of the tribulation,  we  can safely  say that the Day of the Lord begins with the  tribulation and ends at the end of the millennium.

The  Day of the Lord and the Rapture happen  simultaneously. There is no mention of people disappearing during the tribulation nor  the  millennium. Jesus literally comes like a thief  in  the night  to  snatch  us out of here and drop the  judgment  on  the world,  because  Satan still has authority over this  planet  received from Adam, and would try to prevent that from happening if he knew the time and day.

Here  is the Scripture: "But know this, that if the  Goodman of  the  house had known in what watch the thief would  come,  he would  have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken  up." (Matthew 24:43; also check Luke 12:39) What  does  a thief  do when he breaks into a house? He snatches  something  he wants  and takes it with him. The Goodman is Satan and the  house is the world. Here again could this be during the millennium when Jesus  reigns? Or at Armageddon when Jesus takes control when  he comes with the Saints?

Why  did  Paul give the same Scriptures to the  Gentiles  to whom  he  preached, of which the majority of the church  will  be made  up of, Messianic Jews included. He added that same Matthew 24:43  reference that the day of the Lord comes as thief  in  the night (1 Thessalonians 5:1) in conjunction with the catching  up, not mentioned by Jesus in his dialog with the Jews? Paul had  the Holy Spirit. He was anointed by Jesus Himself in Acts 9:15,  "But the  Lord  said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a  chosen  vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and  the children of Israel:"

The Rapture includes anyone who wants to come to the wedding and  who has repented and accepted Christ Jesus as  their  Savior and  Redeemer 100%, accepted His righteousness in place of  their own  and  started  honoring that privilege by  doing  what  Jesus expects, tell the good news to others. Realize that their righteousness is as filthy rags unacceptable to God no matter how many benevolent  works  they have performed or good  deeds  they  have done,  because of the blood spilled for the sins of the world  by His  only begotten Son which was pure, sinless, representing  the gold  we can't buy except from Him. It was God's blood  that was spilled.  No  one can duplicate that. Thank God for  that.  Every knee  shall bow to Christ Jesus Jehovah God, not the  Antichrist. Jesus will see to that. We are helpless against Satan in our  own flesh because of Adam and Eve.

Back  to the Rapture which Paul taught: He said,  don't  you remain  ignorant!!  "But  I would not have you  to  be  ignorant, brethren,  concerning them which are asleep [in graves], that  ye sorrow  not, even as others which have no hope [they  are  asleep even  though they are living]. For if we believe that Jesus  died and  rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring  with Him [God is doing the snatching up]. For this we  say unto  you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive  [and] remain  unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them  which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God [not  the last trump]: and 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. Wherefore comfort  one  another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Because of this Scripture the saints can come back with  Him at Armageddon, the Second Coming, which is ignored by  post-tribbers.  The Day of the Lord is considered to be judgment  for  Israel,  how can it be both. (See: cf. Isaiah 2:12-24; Ezek.  13:5; Joel  1:15; 2:1,11; Zeph. 1:14; Zech. 13:1) From a note  on  page 1147  Zephania  1:7: The phrase "Day of the Lord" is one  of  the primary  expressions in the OT that is relevant to  eshatological events. It properly refers to any time the Lord openly intervenes in the  affairs of men. This often can apply to two separate  events in two different time periods. Zephaniah saw the fall of  Jerusalem as "that time" which would occur very soon (v.12), and therefore  used the terms such as "at hand" (v.7) and  "near"  (v.14). Yet,  as is common in OT prophecy, this near intervention of  God becomes merged in the prophet's vision as the "Day of the  Lord," God's ultimate intervention in the affairs of His people. At that time, He will judge the whole earth (vv. 2, 3; 3:8), purge Israel (Zeph. 3:11-13); and then reestablish His people into their  land (3:14-20).  The  apostate people of Israel and Judah  had  to be constantly  reminded that the Day of the Lord would be a time  of judgment,  and for the ungodly, a time of utter  darkness.  (Amos 5:18-20; 1 Thess.5:2)

Here again Paul is talking about the Day of the Lord  bringing sudden destruction in the middle of Peace. (Could that possibly  be Armageddon?) "For when they shall say, Peace and  safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape (this implies that we  will escape).  But  ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that  that  day should  overtake  you as a thief." (1 Thessalonians  5:3,4)  Paul tells  us  right here that we are not part of  the  darkness  and confirms it with the following: "For God hath not appointed us to wrath,  but  to obtain salvation by our Lord  Jesus  Christ,   (1 Thessalonians 5:9) How much plainer can Paul get.

My Bible states on page 1488 notes "In the NT the Day of the Lord is related to the Second Coming of Christ.. (1Cor.1:8;  5:5; Phil.  1:6, 10; 2:16 2Thess 2:2) "Both expressions, the  "Day  of the  Lord"  and  the "Day of Christ", refer to  time  periods  of judgment by Christ. The Day of the Lord will include the time  of the  Great  Tribulation (cf. Rev. 6-20). It also  refers  to  the liberation  by  Christ of His Church. Zechariah  14:1-4  explains that the events of the Second Advent are included in the  program of the Day of the Lord. Thus, the Day of the Lord and the Day  of Christ  occur simultaneously. For the Church it is  the  Rapture; and  for the unbelieving world, it is the beginning  of  judgment and the Tribulation.

"If  the Day of the Lord began after the Second  Advent,  it could  not come as a "thief in the night," unexpected and  unheralded, since  that  particular advent is preceded  by  signs  (1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10). Consequently, the only way these events both could occur unexpectedly would be for them to begin  immediately after  the  rapture of the Church. The Day  of  the  Lord, therefore  is an extended period of time when God begins to  deal with  Israel after the Rapture of the Church. It  also  continues through  the Second Advent and the millennial age  preceding  the creation of the new heaven and new earth. simultaneously.(Hebrew Greek  Key Study Bible, KJV, p.1488, edited by Dr.Spiros  Zodhiates,Th.D. AMG Publishers, recommended by Dr. John Ankerberg)