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In the completing stage of God’s full salvation the believers will be raptured. In this message and in the message following we shall consider in a brief and simple way the rapture of the believers, which is the third item of the believers’ future in the completing stage of God’s salvation, the stage of glorification.
Being glorified, redeemed in our body, and raptured are actually three aspects of one thing. To be glorified is to be redeemed in our body, and to be redeemed in our body is to be raptured.
The subject of the believers’ rapture is a great matter in the Bible. Although the rapture is emphasized strongly in the New Testament, it is somewhat difficult for us to understand. During the past century and a half, the rapture has been a troublesome subject for many seeking Christians. Mainly there are three schools of understanding concerning the rapture: the school of pre-tribulation, the school of post-tribulation, and the school of the so-called partial rapture. Those of the pre-tribulation school say that our rapture will take place before the great tribulation which, strictly speaking, will be the last three and a half years of this age. (These three and a half years will be the second half of the last week of the seventy weeks revealed in Daniel 9.) The second school, the school of post-tribulation, says that the rapture will take place at the end of the great tribulation. Those in the school of partial rapture say that the overcomers will be raptured earlier than the majority of the believers. The Bible teachers in this school include G. H. Pember, Robert Govett, and D. M. Panton. Those in this last school have seen many details concerning the Lord’s coming back and our rapture. These teachers say that, according to the New Testament, the believers who are overcomers and mature earlier will be raptured before the great tribulation, but the remainder of the believers will pass through most of the tribulation so that they may be helped to mature. Then those believers will be raptured close to the end of the great tribulation.
In the Bible there are two main aspects of the rapture: the rapture of the overcomers and the rapture of the majority of the believers. However, the fact that there are these two aspects of the rapture does not mean that there are only two raptures. With the rapture of the overcomers, for instance, there are at least three categories: the rapture of the man-child (Rev. 12:5), the rapture of the firstfruit (Rev. 14:1-5), and the rapture of the later overcomers, who will overcome Antichrist, his mark, the number of his name, and his image (Rev. 15:2-4).
The rapture of the overcomers is the first category of rapture, and the rapture of the majority of believers, considered in Revelation 14:15 as the harvest, is the second. In Leviticus 23:10 we have a type of the rapture — the type of crops ripening in the field. Some crops ripen earlier and others ripen later. Those that ripen first are considered the firstfruit. In Old Testament times the firstfruit was brought not to the barn but to the temple of God. Exodus 23:19 says, “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God.” The firstfruit was brought from the field into the temple of God for God’s enjoyment and satisfaction. When the field was completely ripe, that was the time of the harvest. After the harvest was reaped, it was brought into the barn. The crop is God’s people (1 Cor. 3:9), and the first of the crop to ripen is the firstfruit, which will be brought directly to God’s temple in the heavens. Later, after all the crop has ripened, the majority of the believers will be harvested and taken to the air (1 Thes. 4:15-17).
Although many Bible teachers have written about the rapture, most of them have not taken care of this matter of the ripening of God’s crop. In Matthew 13 the Lord Jesus revealed that He came to sow seed into the field. Eventually, in Revelation 14 we have the firstfruit and the harvest. This gives us the basic concept with respect to the rapture — that there is a rapture of the firstfruit and the rapture of the harvest, the majority of the believers who are alive at the time of the Lord’s coming back.
The believers may be overcomers either as the man-child or the firstfruit. Revelation 12:5 says, “She brought forth a son, a man-child, who was about to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” In the Bible the woman signifies the weaker one and the man the stronger one (1 Pet. 3:7). Hence, the man-child in Revelation 12:5 signifies the stronger part of God’s people. The fact that the man-child “was about to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod” indicates that the man-child consists of the overcomers, as mentioned in 2:26-27. Furthermore, “brought forth” in 12:5 signifies resurrection, as in Acts 13:33 and 34.
The man-child is composed of the dead overcoming saints resurrected. This is proved by the words “unto death” in Revelation 12:11. All the overcomers who die will be part of the man-child. By resurrection the man-child will come into full existence. Abel, who was the first martyr, the Apostles, and all the martyrs and deceased overcomers are waiting for the time of resurrection. The resurrection of all the dead overcoming believers will be the delivery of the man-child. Therefore, the man-child is composed of all the overcoming saints who die before the time of this resurrection.
A believer who is an overcomer today and lives until the Lord Jesus comes back will not be part of the man-child but may be among the firstfruit. However, a believer who is an overcomer and dies before the Lord Jesus comes back will be resurrected to be part of the man-child. The man-child in Revelation 12:5 does not represent the overcomers who live until the Lord comes back, but represents all the dead overcomers who will be resurrected before the Lord comes back. This resurrection will be their delivery as the man-child.
The dead overcomers through all the generations will be raptured to God and to His throne. Revelation 12:5 tells us that the man-child “was caught up to God and to His throne.” To be “caught up” is to be raptured. The rapture of the man-child differs from that of the majority of the believers as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. There, the rapture of the majority of the believers will be to the air, whereas the rapture of the man-child, the dead overcomers resurrected, will be to the throne of God in the heavens.
The dead overcomers will be raptured to God and to His throne before the three and a half years, twelve hundred sixty days, the period of the great tribulation. The rapture of the man-child is in Revelation 12:5. Verse 6b goes on to speak of “a thousand two hundred and sixty days,” and verse 14b of “time, and times, and half a time,” which denotes three and a half years. From this we see that the man-child, comprising the dead overcomers through all the generations, will be raptured before the great tribulation.
Revelation 14:1 says, “I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” Verse 4b goes on to explain, “These were purchased from among men as firstfruit to God and to the Lamb.” The firstfruit to God and to the Lamb are those of God’s crop who mature the earliest. These early overcomers will be the first ripe ones in God’s field. Hence, they will be reaped before the harvest as firstfruit to God and to the Lamb. According to verses 14 through 16, the harvest will be reaped later. This means that the firstfruit will be raptured to the heavens before the harvest, just as the firstfruit of the good land was reaped and brought into the temple of God before the harvest.
In Revelation 14:1 and 4 there are one hundred forty-four thousand living overcomers. In the past many teachers have debated whether this number is literal or figurative. This number should be an actual number but with a symbolic meaning. Although the number is literal, it has a spiritual significance. One hundred forty-four thousand is one thousand multiplied by twelve times twelve. Twelve is the number of completion in God’s eternal administration. One hundred forty-four (Rev. 21:17) is twelve times twelve, which signifies the completion of completions, the ultimate completion in the fullest way. Here it is one thousand times this ultimate completion. This is the significance of the number one hundred forty-four thousand. The one hundred forty-four thousand firstfruit are believers who are for the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose.
The crucial matter concerning the firstfruit is the principle that among the believers living on earth at the time of the Lord’s coming back some will ripen early and, being the first to mature, will become the firstfruit in God’s field. We have pointed out that, according to the type in Exodus 23, the firstfruit was brought not to the barn but to the temple and there was offered to God. If we see the principle of the firstfruit, we shall not pay attention to the erroneous teaching that all believers, regardless of their spiritual situation, will be raptured before the tribulation. Revelation 14 shows us that among God’s people growing in His field a small part will be the firstfruit and a great part will be the harvest. Purchased from among men, the firstfruit are those who follow the Lamb absolutely.
In Revelation 14:1 we see that the one hundred forty-four thousand firstfruit are with the Lamb, Christ, on mount Zion. The Zion mentioned here is not the earthly one but the Zion in the heavens (Heb. 12:22). From this we see that the firstfruit will be raptured to mount Zion in the heavens, where God and His throne are and where Christ is.
The one hundred forty-four thousand living overcomers, the firstfruit of God’s crop, will be raptured to mount Zion in the heavens for God and Christ’s fresh enjoyment. Here we see the difference between the man-child in Revelation 12 and the firstfruit in Revelation 14. The man-child is for fighting and for defeating Satan. Hence, the man-child deals with the enemy. The firstfruit is not for fighting but for the satisfaction of God and the Lamb. God and the Lamb need enjoyment. The living overcomers will be the firstfruit to satisfy this need for enjoyment. The enemy, the Devil, in heaven must be cast down by the man-child, who will execute the Lord’s judgment over him. But there is another need in the heavens — God and Christ must be satisfied through having fresh enjoyment. God and Christ are hungry and thirsty, desiring some firstfruit to taste for Their satisfaction. If we realize this, we shall desire to ripen earlier for the satisfaction of God and Christ. Therefore, we need to pray, “Lord, I care for Your enjoyment and satisfaction. For the sake of Your satisfaction, I want to ripen early. Lord, I want to be taken to the heavens with the firstfruit to satisfy You.” This is the attitude of the living overcomers, those who satisfy the hunger and thirst of God the Father and the Lamb, the Redeemer. The earliest ones of God’s crop to mature are for the first enjoyment of God and Christ.
The one hundred forty-four thousand living overcomers will be raptured to mount Zion in the heavens before the great tribulation. The events recorded in verses 6 through 13 of Revelation 14, all of which will take place during the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21), indicate clearly and prove strongly that the first overcomers as the firstfruit will be raptured before the great tribulation and that the harvest in Revelation 14:14-16, which includes the majority of believers, will be raptured toward the end of the great tribulation.
The rapture of the overcomers will include the rapture of the minority of the believers who will be living at the Lord’s coming back. This is signified by the two men working in the field and the two women grinding at the mill in the day (Matt. 24:40-41) and also by the two on one couch in the night (Luke 17:34). In Matthew 24:40 and 41 the Lord Jesus says, “Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.” “To be taken” means to be raptured before the great tribulation. The two men in verse 40 must be brothers in Christ, and the two women in verse 41 must be sisters in the Lord. This is indicated by verse 42, which tells us to watch because we do not know on what day our Lord comes. Both “watch therefore” and “your Lord” prove that the two men and the two women in these verses are believers. The Lord would not charge the unsaved people to watch, nor is He the Lord of the unsaved.
Of the two men in the field, one is taken and the other is left; and of the two women grinding at the mill, one is taken and the other is left. The reason for this is that there is a difference between them in the matter of life. I believe that the one taken is mature and that the one left is immature. The growth in life to maturity makes the difference.
In Luke 17:34 the Lord says, “I tell you, in that night there will be two on one couch; the one will be taken, and the other will be left.” This indicates that the rapture of the overcoming believers will occur secretly and unexpectedly, at night to some believers who are sleeping and in the daytime to some sisters who are grinding at home and to some brothers who are working in the field.
In Luke 17:34 the Greek word for “taken” literally means “taken with.” This word denotes the rapture of the overcomers. Those who are taken in this way will be raptured before the great tribulation, which will be a severe trial upon the whole inhabited earth (Rev. 3:10).
In Matthew 24:40 and 41 and Luke 17:34 we see that some who are sleeping will be raptured in the night, and some sisters grinding and some brothers farming will be raptured in the day. Here we see that the rapture will involve believers who are in different places at different times. When the rapture takes place, some will be raptured in the night and others will be raptured in the day, depending on where they live on earth. Furthermore, these verses reveal that not all those who are sleeping, grinding, or farming will be raptured. This indicates that not all the believers will be raptured at once. The Lord says that two will be on one couch, and one will be taken and the other will be left. The same will be true of the two grinding at the same place and of the two laboring in the field. In each case, the one who is left may not know the whereabouts of the one who has been taken. This is the rapture of the minority of the believers living at the Lord’s coming back.
Certain fundamental teachers of the Bible do not believe in the rapture of the overcomers as distinct from the general rapture of all the believers. In other words, they do not believe in what has been called the “partial rapture.” These fundamental teachers believe only in what is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4. They do not believe that Matthew 24 and Luke 17 speak of the rapture of the watchful, overcoming believers. However, if we consider these chapters carefully and thoroughly, we shall realize that the only proper way to interpret such portions is to regard them as speaking of the rapture of the overcoming believers.
The minority of the living believers signified by those taken in Matthew 24:40 and 41 and Luke 17:34 will be raptured to stand before the Son of Man in the heavens. In Luke 21:36 the Lord Jesus says, “Be watchful, at every time beseeching, that you may prevail to escape all these things which are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” In Greek “to stand” in this verse is in the passive voice. Hence, it has the meaning of being put in a certain place. This refers to our being raptured to the presence of Christ. Furthermore, “to stand before the Son of Man” corresponds to the standing of those in Revelation 14:1. It indicates that the raptured overcomers will stand before the Savior on mount Zion in the heavens before the great tribulation. At the time of the rapture of the living overcomers, Christ will not yet have left heaven to come down to the air. Therefore, the minority of those who are taken, the living overcomers, will stand before the Son of Man in the heavens.
In Luke 21:36 the Lord Jesus speaks of our prevailing “to escape all these things which are about to take place.” “All these things” are the things of the great tribulation. The word “escape” signifies being taken, raptured, before the great tribulation. Here the Lord promises that if we are watchful and beseeching so that we may overcome to escape (or, are counted worthy to escape) the coming tribulation, we shall be raptured to, will be placed in, His presence.
In Revelation 3:10 the Lord Jesus says, “Because you have kept the word of My endurance, I also will keep you out of the hour of trial which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth.” “Trial” in this verse undoubtedly denotes the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21). The Lord promises the overcoming believers that He will keep them “out of the hour of trial” (not just out of the trial but out of the hour of trial) because they have kept the word of His endurance, the word of His suffering. This promise of the Lord, like His promise in Luke 21:36, indicates that the believers who have kept the word of the Lord’s endurance will be raptured before the great tribulation. This implies that those who have not kept the word of His endurance will be left in the tribulation. Therefore, to be kept out of the hour of trial which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth, is to be kept out of the time of the great tribulation.
