For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first...then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord...I Cor. 4:17.
The day that Jesus Christ returns this reference describes clearly what will take place regarding His followers. Those who are in the graves will rise first, then those who are alive on that Day will rise with them to meet Him in the clouds. Do you remember the last time the graves opened to release the dead?
The moment Jesus died on the cross we have the following report. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many...Matt. 27:51-53. The gates of Heaven were opened by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and he took the Old Testament saints home with Him.
When Jesus returns, the bodies of those who died in the Lord will be reunited with their spirits that return with Him. When they meet Jesus Christ in the air, He will take them to the camp of the saints...Rev. 20:9. On that Day, Jesus will tell His reapers to...gather the wheat into My Barn...Matt. 13:30. The wheat are the saints of Christ and My Barn is a metaphor for the camp of the saints.
The prophetic parable of Jesus Christ - Wheat & Tares - is very clear about what happens the day He returns - no interpretation needed. Another prophetic parable is found in Luke 13:23-27. Someone asked Jesus, "Lord, are there few who are saved?'
He told them...Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able...when once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us," and He will answer and say to you, "I do not know you, where you are from," then you will begin to say, "We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets." But He will say, I tell you I do not know you, where you are from...depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.
Do you remember when Noah finished building the Ark and those who desired to follow God went into it with all the animals, where they would be protected from the wrath of God? Then God shut the door...Gen. 7:16. Jesus said...as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be...Matt. 24:37. The earthly plight of mankind will have come full circle - God shuts the door. But this time, it is shut forever!
The tares are gathered and burned in the fire. The tares are people who rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior, so they will experience the second death - the Lake of Fire...Rev. 20: 11-15. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up...II Peter 3:10.
At this time...Satan shall be loosed out of his prison...Rev. 20:7. Satan's power and authority has been bound - limited - for 2000 years, and he is angry when he is loosed from his chains! What does he do next? He...will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea...they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city...Rev. 20:7-9.
We must determine if this reference describes a scene in the spiritual realm or the earthly realm? We have just learned that the camp of the saints is a place of protection where Jesus takes His saints, whom He gathers from the earth the day He returned. The camp of the saints is juxtaposed to the beloved city - Heaven. Satan gathers the nations together to battle, where they surround the camp of the saints & the beloved city. So this battle obviously takes place in the spiritual realm.
This battle is called Armageddon -- rendezvous with God.
The word nations in the original Greek language is ethnos meaning: race or of the same habit When Satan is released from the chain, he gathers together nations, those of the same habit from the four corners, the breadth of the earth for battle at the camp of the saints and the beloved city. Who are those of the same habit? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of me...sheeple follow without question~~~
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