Week # 17 Our Blessed Hope The Book of Daniel Presented Live on May 22, 2016 I. Introduction and review A. In Daniel chapter 7 we are introduced to a person referred to as the little horn 1. He is what most of us would call the Anti-Christ 2. He will rule the world during a period of time when this earth and those who live on her will experience the wrath of God as never before 3. He will determine to make war against the Most High God and His followers 4. And for a period of time he will be allowed to prevail against thoe belong to the Most High who are dwelling on the planet earth 5. That time period is delineated in Daniel chapter 9 seven years 6. But what is the church to do, does it have to prepare itself to face this terrible time of tribulation B. There is only one hope for the Church and that is that her Bridegroom comes back for her and takes her to her new home 1. That event is called the rapture a. Some would say there is no such thing, there is no reference in the Bible anywhere of such event Page 1 of 8
b. The first major translation of the Scriptures occurred between 300 and 200 B.C. c. The Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek d. Thereafter, the next major translation effort was when the entire Bible, Old and New Testaments were translated into Latin circa 382 A.D. e. When the Latin translators came to the word: caught up (which is the English translation of the Greek word: a`rpa,zw harpazo Meaning: to seize, catch up, snatch away) they translated the that word into the Latin word rapere which means to seize or to take by force f. As a result the church began to refer to this event as the rapture a transliteration of this Latin word 2. This event is sure to happen and there is no question as to its actuality for most conservative scholars 3. What is my belief based on? My belief in and acceptance of the following biblical truths: a. The Bible is the Word of God b. The Bible is to be interpreted literally c. The Church and Israel are two different entities d. There will be, in the future, a literal 1000 year millennial kingdom e. There will also be a 7 year tribulation period f. Jesus will make a physical return to the earth at the end of that 7 year period g. That there will be a rapture of the church h. And finally that the rapture and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ are two different events C. But the real question is not if there will be a rapture but when it will occur 1. No one can know ahead of time the exact day and hour it will occur 2. But one can determine from the Scripture when in the Page 2 of 8
II. course of end time events D. Passages which detail the events of the rapture 1. John 14:1-4 2. I Cor. 15:50-58 3. I Thess. 4:13-18 4. II Thess. 2:1-12 E. There will technically three parts or acts to this event, although they occur so quickly they may seem simultaneous 1. The resurrection of saints who have died 2. The transformation of saints who are alive 3. The rapture of the church resurrected or transformed Determining when the rapture will come A. There are five major views as to when the rapture will take place 1. There is the post tribulation view a. That event will occur at the end of the tribulation period b. That is right before the return of the Jesus in His second coming c. Under those scenario we will not escape the judgment of the tribulation period 2. There is the mid tribulation view a. The church would then only have to go through the first half of this tribulation period b. It will occur about the time of the Abomination of Desolation 3. There is the final trumpet view a. The event will occur at the sounding of the last trumpet of the seven trumpet judgments b. The church would be forced, under this view, to endure a major portion of the tribulation judgment 4. There is the pre-wrath view a. The event will occur prior to the wrath of God being released upon the earth sometime during the tribulation period Page 3 of 8
5. There is the pre tribulation view a. The event will occur sometime before the tribulation period commences B. Reasons for a pre-tribulation rapture 1. The immanency of the rapture a. Titus 2:13 b. I John 2:28; 3:2-3 c. If you believe that God can come back for us at any time, then you are a pre-tribulationist, if not than you believe another position is correct d. If you are mid- or post-tribulationist you will know within 3 ½ years when the Lord is coming for us. 2. The Jewish marriage analogy 3. Revelation is a chronologically written book for the most part a. Chapters 1-3 speak of the church b. Beginning with chapter six the church is no longer mentioned until the end of the Book (Rev. 19) c. Something happens to the church for it disappears 4. In Rev. 3:10-11 there is evidence as to explain that disappearance be a. Keep as in to watch over, guard, or protect b. From the hour (1) Hour as in period of time (2) Genitive of sphere: from the sphere of 5. Chapter 4 of Rev. pictures the rapture of the church a. Jesus calls John who pictures the Church b. the person calling him is the same one that appears in chapter one c. John is taken to heaven where Jesus is d. He is taken in the Spirit e. He spends a period of time with the Lord there until he is returned to the earth f. This happens prior to the commencement of the Page 4 of 8
tribulation 6. The Scripture consistently speaks of those participating in the rapture as those with hope, and those failing to participate in this event as those without hope a. See 1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. b. John 14:1 Do not let your heart be troubled; [you] believe in God, believe also in Me. c. And 2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace. 7. I Thess 4:13-17 a. The Rapture is described b. In I Thess 5:1-2 speaks of the tribulation and second coming as the Day of the Lord 8. II Thess 2:1-4 The Day of the Lord will not come until The man of lawlessness is revealed a. At the start of the tribulation period [the Day of the Lord] 9. II Thess 2:1-4 The Day of the Lord will not come until the departure occurs a. Verse 3: Apostasy [ ðïóôáóßá] is the noun form of the verb: óôçìé (1) It is proceeded by a definite article (2) The noun is formed from áðï meaning away or from, and óôçìé which means to cause to withdraw, to go away, to depart or to withdraw from (3) This verb can mean to fall away as from the faith or true doctrine but that additional meaning must come from the context, not the verb itself Page 5 of 8
(4) Apostasy is merely a transliteration of the word, not its translation (5) The verb is translated 11 times in the Greek N.T. as depart and only once as departure from the faith, but in that instance (I Tim 4:1) the qualifying words: from the faith are added in the text (6) The noun here is feminine, in its neuter form it is translated a divorcement, (7) Liddell and Scott in their classical Greek lexicon list departure or disappearance as their second meaning (8) This translation is the one selected by Tyndale [1534], Coverdale [1535], the Geneva Bible [1537] and others b. The meaning here should be the departure or the disappearance 10. II Thess 2:6-7 The One who Restrains must be taken out of the way, before the man of lawlessness is revealed a. The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit b. He cannot be removed unless the church is removed also (1) Ephesians 1:13-14 n Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. (2) 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. 11. It occurs prior to God s wrath being poured out onto the Page 6 of 8
earth a. When does God s wrath commence? b. Some say when the vial judgments occur (1) They are referred to as the vials of the wrath of God [Rev. 16:1] c. Others say when the abomination of desolation occurs (1) Jesus tells the Jews: Matthew 24:15-16a "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee.... d. Still others claim that the pouring out of the wrath of God begins at the very start of the tribulation and as the first seal is broken e. But consider Revelation 6:1-17 (in particular 6:16-17) (1) has come e;rcomai erchomai {er'-khom-ahee} (2) Meaning: 1) to come 1a) of persons 1a1) to come from one place to another, and used both of persons arriving 1a2) to appear, make one's appearance, come before the public 2) metaph. 2a) to come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence 2b) be established, become known, to come (fall) into or unto 3) to go, to follow one (3) Grammar: Tense - Second Aorist Voice - Active Mood - Indicative (a) The Aorist Indicative: it refers to the previous arrival of wrath, not something that is about to take place. f. The tribulation period represents the last portion of the Jewish dispensation [Daniel 9:24-27] 12. The Tribulation is for Israel s redemption, not the Church, she is already redeemed Page 7 of 8
III. Lessons from this passage: A. Our times are in His hands B. Our God controls the future 1. Never plan without praying 2. If God s not in our plans, we are wasting our time 3. We must respond to the guidance that God gives to us, then He will give us more 4. Obedience is a reflection of faith, 5. Radical obedience is a reflection of faith mingled with love, knowledge and the fear of God Almighty C. Never forget this 1. The man or woman who really loves his or her God, is fervently watching for His return When you re on vacation Tell someone you meet about our websites www.believersbibleclass.com and www.believersbibleclass.podbean.com Share the wealth! 2016 - Believer s Bible Class, & Douglas W. Brady Page 8 of 8