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In this lesson and in the following lesson we will consider the rapture of the believers, which is the third item of the believers’ future in the completing stage of God’s full 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 rapture of the believers is a great matter in the Bible and is emphasized strongly in the New Testament. Generally speaking, during the past century and a half there have been three main schools of understanding among Christians concerning the rapture: the pretribulation school, the posttribulation school, and the so-called partial rapture school. Those of the pretribulation school say that the believers’ 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. Those in the posttribulation school say that the rapture will take place at the end of the great tribulation. Those in the partial rapture school 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. They taught that, according to the New Testament, the believers who are overcomers and who mature earlier will be raptured before the great tribulation, but the remainder of the believers will pass through most of the great tribulation so that they may be helped to mature. These believers will be raptured close to the end of the great tribulation. The teachers in this last school have accurately seen the details concerning the Lord’s coming back and the believers’ rapture.
The Bible presents two main aspects of the rapture: the rapture of the overcomers and the rapture of the majority of the believers. Leviticus 23:10 presents a type related to the two aspects of the believers’ rapture—the type of crops ripening in the field. Some crops ripen earlier, and others ripen later. The crops that ripen first are the firstfruits, and those that ripen later are the harvest. In Old Testament times the firstfruits were brought from the field not to the barn but to the temple of God. This is seen in Exodus 23:19, which says, “The first of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of Jehovah your God.” The firstfruits were brought into the temple of God for His enjoyment and satisfaction. When the rest of the crop in 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 signifies God’s people (1 Cor. 3:9). The first of the crop to ripen is the firstfruits, the overcoming believers, who will be brought directly to God’s temple in the heavens. Later, after the rest of the crop has ripened, the majority of the believers will be harvested and taken to the air (1 Thes. 4:15-17).
Now, we will consider in a brief and simple way the rapture of the believers.
Revelation 12:5 says that the woman “brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” The female, according to nature in God’s creation, is weaker than the male, physically and psychologically (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 “is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod” indicates that the man-child is composed of the overcomers spoken of in 2:26-27. These overcomers are the dead overcoming saints, who will be resurrected before the last three and a half years, the period of the great tribulation. The man-child should also include the martyred saints who cry out to the Lord in the fifth seal (6:9-11). These believers “loved not their soul-life even unto death” (12:11). Unto death indicates martyrdom. Beginning with Abel, who was the first martyr, all the martyred overcomers throughout the generations are waiting for the time of resurrection (see “The Chart of the Seventy Weeks and the Coming of Christ, with the Rapture of the Saints” in the Recovery Version of the Bible). The resurrection of the dead overcomers will be the delivery of the man-child. After the dead overcomers are resurrected, they will be raptured to God and to His throne.
The man-child will be raptured to God and to His throne. Their rapture differs from that of the majority of the believers in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The rapture of the majority of the believers will be to the air, whereas the rapture of the man-child will be to the throne of God in the heavens.
The man-child will be raptured before the last three and a half years, twelve hundred sixty days, which is the period of the great tribulation (Rev. 12:5-6, 14).
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 4 says, “These were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.” Among God’s people, a group of early overcomers will be reaped before the harvest as firstfruits, like the firstfruits in the good land, and brought into the temple of God to be offered to God and to the Lamb. This means that the living overcomers, who have been purchased from among men and who followed the Lamb absolutely, will be raptured to God’s temple in the heavens before the rapture of the majority of the believers. One hundred and forty-four thousand in verse 1 is an actual number but with a symbolic meaning: it has a spiritual significance. One hundred and forty-four thousand is one thousand multiplied by twelve times twelve. Twelve is the number of completion in God’s eternal administration. One hundred and forty-four (21:17) is twelve times twelve, which signifies the completion of completions, the ultimate completion in the fullest way. The one hundred and forty-four thousand firstfruits signify the believers who accomplish God’s eternal purpose. Among the believers living on earth at the time of the Lord’s coming back, some will have ripened early, and, being the first to mature, they will become the firstfruits in God’s field.
The one hundred and forty-four thousand firstfruits will stand with the Lamb, Christ, on Mount Zion. Zion in Revelation 14:1 is the Zion in the heavens (Heb. 12:22), where God and His throne are and where Christ is.
The one hundred and forty-four thousand living overcomers will be raptured for the fresh enjoyment of God and Christ. This shows the difference between the man-child in Revelation 12 and the firstfruits in chapter 14. The man-child is for fighting and for defeating Satan. Hence, the man-child deals with the enemy. The firstfruits are not for fighting but for the satisfaction of God and the Lamb. The enemy, the devil, must be cast down from heaven by the man-child, who will execute God’s judgment over the enemy. But there is another need in the heavens—God and Christ must have the firstfruits in order to obtain fresh enjoyment and satisfaction. God and Christ desire to taste some firstfruits for Their satisfaction. If we realize this, we will desire to ripen earlier for the satisfaction of God and Christ. This is the attitude of the living overcomers, the earliest ones of God’s crop to mature, those who satisfy the hunger and thirst of God the Father and of the Lamb, the Redeemer.
The one hundred and forty-four thousand living overcomers will be raptured to Mount Zion in the heavens before the great tribulation (14:1-13). They are the living overcomers, the firstfruits. The majority of the believers, signified by the harvest (vv. 14-16), will be raptured toward the end of the great tribulation.
The rapture of the overcomers will also include the rest of the overcoming believers who will be living at the Lord’s coming back. They are signified by one of the two men working in the field and one of the two women grinding at the mill in the day and also by one of the two on one bed (Matt. 24:40-41; Luke 17:34). The Lord Jesus said, “At that time two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left” (Matt. 24:40-41). The reason one is taken and one is left is that there is a difference between them in the matter of life. The growth in life unto maturity makes the difference. Those who are mature will be taken, raptured, before the great tribulation. Those who are immature will be left to pass through the great tribulation, which will be a severe trial upon the whole inhabited earth (Rev. 3:10) and a snare that comes suddenly upon all those dwelling on the face of the earth (Luke 21:34-35). The rapture of the overcoming believers will occur secretly, even unexpectedly, and it will be in different places and at different times. Therefore, we need to be watchful and take heed of our growth in life because we do not know on what day our Lord comes.
The rest of the overcoming believers, who will be living at the Lord’s coming back, will be raptured to stand before the Son of Man in the heavens. The Lord Jesus said, “Be watchful at every time, beseeching that you would prevail to escape all these things which are about to happen and stand before the Son of Man” (v. 36). Stand in this verse has the meaning of being put in a certain place. This refers to our being raptured to the presence of Christ. Stand before the Son of Man corresponds to the standing of the overcomers in Revelation 14:1. 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 Savior on Mount Zion in the heavens.
The Lord promises that if we are watchful and beseeching at every time, we will “prevail to escape all these things which are about to happen” (Luke 21:36). “All these things which are about to happen” are the things of the great tribulation. Escape signifies being taken, raptured, before the great tribulation. If we are able to escape or are counted worthy to escape the coming tribulation, we will be raptured to, placed in, His presence.
In Revelation 3:10 the Lord said, “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 that is about to come on the whole inhabited earth (Matt. 24:21). The Lord promised the overcoming believers in Philadelphia 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 implies that those who have not kept the word of His endurance will be left in the great tribulation. Therefore, to be kept out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, is to be kept out of the great tribulation.
The rapture of the believers is a great matter and is emphasized strongly in the New Testament. There are two main aspects of the rapture: the rapture of the overcomers and the rapture of the majority of the believers. Leviticus 23:10 presents a type related to the two aspects of the believers’ rapture; it is a type of crops ripening in the field. Some crops ripen earlier and others ripen later. Those that ripen first are the firstfruits, and those that ripen later are the harvest. The firstfruits, the overcoming believers, will be brought directly to God’s temple in the heavens. Later the crop, the majority of the believers, will ripen, be harvested, and taken to the air.
The overcomers through all the generations who have died, as the man-child among the believers, will be resurrected and caught up before the last three and half years, the period of the great tribulation. The man-child should also include the martyred saints who cry out to the Lord in the fifth seal. These believers loved not their soul-life even unto death. After their resurrection, they will be raptured to God and to His throne. In addition, among God’s people there will be a group of living overcomers who have been purchased from among men and who followed the Lamb absolutely. They are the one hundred and forty-four thousand firstfruits who will be raptured before the majority of the believers to stand with the Lamb, Christ, on Mount Zion for the fresh enjoyment of God and Christ. There is a difference between the man-child and the firstfruits. The man-child is for fighting and for defeating Satan. Hence, the man-child deals with the enemy. The firstfruits are not for fighting but for the satisfaction of God and of the Lamb. The enemy, the devil, must be cast down from heaven by the man-child, who will execute God’s judgment over him. But there is another need in the heavens—God and Christ must have the firstfruits in order to obtain fresh enjoyment and satisfaction. The rapture of the overcomers will also include the rest of the overcoming believers who will be living at the Lord’s coming back. These believers are signified by the one of two men working in the field, by one of the two women grinding at the mill, and by one of the two on one bed. Those who are mature in life will be raptured before the great tribulation; those who are immature will be left in the great tribulation. The rest, the minority, of the overcoming believers, who will be living at the Lord’s coming back, will be raptured to stand before the Son of Man in the heavens. The Lord promises that if we are watchful and beseeching at every time, we will prevail to escape all the things of the great tribulation.
