THE DEPARTURE OF THE SAINTS &
THE GATHERING OF THE SAINTS TO CHRIST
When I see attacks on the Christians today in America I can’t help but believe that the gathering of the saints to Christ or the rapture, or the departure of the saints, will soon be the next prophecy to be fulfilled. When I hear of people calling Christians bigots, racists, and evil, I know if this is true, those people are going against the teachings of the Bible. Just because a person goes to church, that doesn’t make him a Christian. Just like going to a donut shop doesn’t make you a cop!
The Bible says Christians can be identified by their love for God and for their love of people. Just because you call yourself a Christian, if you are not displaying love for people then you are just fooling yourself. We will all be judged by how we treat people and how we responded to God. Jesus said that you will be able to recognize His people by the love that they display. So if you talk to someone who claims to be a Christian and they are talking evil about anyone then that should prove to you that they are fooling themselves.
I know in my case, after investigating the Bible and accepting the fact that Jesus was who the Bible claimed He was. At that time, I was filled with the Holy Spirit, and I can honestly tell you that the most significant difference in my life from that point on is I could really feel other people's pain and emotions and also it changed my priorities to wanting to help people whenever it was in my power to do so. For me, that is where my happiness is found. I also noticed that whenever I would read the Bible I would get a lot more out of it.
There is today a movement to remove any Christian symbols from public places and I also believe that this same movement also wants to remove the Christian church from the world and at the same time silence any Christian free speech. I don’t think that this is a coincidence. I believe this is a prelude to God removing His people from this world.
There are many references in the Bible concerning the departure of the saints from this world. The departure is also referred to as the gathering together unto Christ. The departure of the saints will be Jesus coming for his saints and returning to heaven for seven years as the people left here on earth will be forced to endure the seven-year tribulation. Matthew 24:21, For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, For God, did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
The same thing happen to God in old testament times when the people told Samuel the prophet they didn’t want God to rule over them anymore but instead wanted a King just like the other Nations. Here’s God’s response, 1st Samuel 8,6-7, But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.
I don’t know why anybody would not want God to rule over them. Do you think the politicians are doing a better job than God could do? I am sick and tired of corrupt politicians and corporations doing what’s best for themselves and not caring about the people’s needs. Think of how great this world would be if everybody cared more for other people's needs instead of only caring for themselves and the almighty dollar! One of the reasons man can not rule over the people is because of man’s greed and selfishness and also man can’t see what the result of his actions will be, unlike God who knows the future.
This movement today to remove the church from this country will have devastating effects on this world. The phrase “be careful what you wish for “ certainly applies in this case. The Bible says the Holy Spirit is restraining all evil from just letting loose. We can see this in 2 Thes. 2:7
He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed,
When God rescues His people from this evil world the people of the world are going to start seeing prophecy fulfilled in rapid succession. They will be able to forecast events accurately just by picking up the Bible and start reading from the Book of Revelations starting in chapter 4. Revelation 12:12, Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
According to this verse, the Holy Spirit is restraining Satan and his demons from running loose on this planet. Where is the Holy spirit now? The Holy Spirit is living in all of God’s believers. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
When a person believes what the gospels are claiming and asks Jesus into their lives to save them, at that time God seals them with His Holy Spirit. When God seals you it’s for eternity. John 14:16, And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
When God says that he is going to remove His Spirit from this planet He’s actually saying that He is going to remove His Saints along with His Holy Spirit. When God gives the people what they wished for and takes His people from this planet, What do you think life will be like without God’s Spirit holding back evil? Jesus says that Satan is currently the ruler of this planet. Satan enjoys doing bad things and having God get the blame. John 14:30, I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
The next few verses are describing God’s removal of His People from this planet.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
2 Thessalonians 2:5-12, Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
What lie is God going to let them believe? God will let them believe that the man of sin is God because that is what they want to believe!
2 Thessalonians 2;1-4, Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
In the paragraph above, I believe the phrase “falling away” is the wrong term. Because the subject of the Paragraph is “gathering together” when the translators translated the greek word for departure they assumed it was departing from the faith when really with the subject of gathering together in mind the correct translation should have been “departing this world” with Christ. The translators would have been right if the subject was Christians leaving the faith.
When God gathers together His saints to Himself and we meet Him in the air, the Bible says that the body we are presently in will have to be changed. These bodies were never meant to leave this planet. When God comes for us the first event to happen is the changing of this body to an eternal body so we can safely make the trip to Heaven with God.
One of the perks of believing in God is these saints will never have to experience death! 1 Corinthians 15:50-52, Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Now that’s what I call evolution! Not in a million years, In a twinkling of an eye!
There are many Bible references for the coming of Christ and the gathering together of His saints to himself. In the Bible, this is spoken of as “the day of Christ, the day of our Lord, or even the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here are some examples; 1 Corinthians 1:8, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:10, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, Acts 2:20, The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
The way things are heading in this world it appears that we are living very close to the last days of Man’s rule on this planet. We are witnessing Prophecy being fulfilled. What’s happening today reminds me of the prophecy’s in the book of 2 Timothy 3:1-3, But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
I have also heard much talk about how Christians are evil, hateful, and racist people and how groups of people are misunderstood and unfairly hated. Isaiah 5:20, Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Why don’t the people who are presently persecuting God’s people just stop and turn their life around and accept God’s free gift of eternal life? Is what they are doing worth throwing their eternal life away? It’s just like the computer games people are playing today. If you don’t progress to the next level you’re done! You will have reached your “end game”. The problem with getting caught up in some of the sins today is once you are caught up in them they don’t seem so bad and you end up spiritually blind. We can see this in Romans 1:28, And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.
I looked up the word debase on google and here is the meaning, “debase, vitiate, deprave, corrupt, debauch, pervert means to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character. debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.”
The one thing I don’t want to see happen is when these lessons of the “knowledge of good and evil” are finally over, people not thinking about what they are doing and in the process getting “tricked” into losing their souls! Matthew 16:26, For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Good question! I would highly recommend that if you are undecided about Christianity being true or not, don’t listen to anybody! It’s your future, No one else is going to pay the price. Do the investigating yourself. Buy a Bible you can understand (the Living Bible). Start by reading the new testament. Go in your room and shut the door! After you read the new testament ask yourself if you believe it. If you do believe it ask Jesus through prayer if He indeed is God. Make up your own mind at least then your eternity will be in your hands.
I know today there are many people who don’t believe in God. I believe this is because they do not want to change their lifestyle, so they don’t search very hard, or at all, for the truth. The Bible says “Seek and you will find.” That doesn’t leave any room for doubt.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
I know there are a majority of people saying that they have heard all this before. I knew quite a number of Christians who believed that Christ was going to return around the year 2,000. I also believe in Christ’s return in 2,000 years, except I believe it will be 2000 years after His death on the cross, and not 2,000 years after He was born. If you are due to come back at a certain time, it has to be from the time you departed.
Why 2,000 years? The Bible says that 1,000 years to man is but a day to God. When Jesus died on the cross, He rose at the beginning of the third day. In the old testament, there is also a prophecy Hosea 6:2, After two days He will revive us; On the third day, He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.
In the Bible, there are many references to the “third day”. Here is just two examples: Exodus 19:16, Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Exodus 19:11, And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day, the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Biblical scholars estimate Christ’s death on the cross to be April 3rd 33 AD. If you add 2,000 years to that number you get 2,033. If you then subtract 7 years for the great tribulation you get an answer of 2,026. I believe Jesus will come to gather His saints to Himself in 2,026, give or take a few years either way because Christ’s birth is an estimate. I then believe that Jesus and His saints will return to start the1,000 year reign sometime in 2033. That is my educated guess. Jesus being God, can come back anytime he chooses.
I have heard it said that this world is going to end. The Bible doesn’t teach that. The Bible teaches us that after Christ’s rule for 1,000 years, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The saints are to rule with Christ for eternity on this planet. When Christ returns what’s going to end is Satan’s rule of this planet and all the evil that comes with it. Isaiah 65:17, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.”
As you can see, If you don’t make it to Heaven, no one will ever know or remember that you ever existed! If you think that you are going to leave your legacy behind so you will be remembered, Not so!