What is pictured here is the Lord descending upon the earth - His Return. Those gathered to meet him, yes in the air, meet Him as He descends TO THE EARTH. They stay on earth, they are just gathered to Him as He descends to... Jerusalem, I think?
Some points to consider in this post first....
Where did Jesus go when he left the earth?
He told his disciples....
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Exercise faith in God; exercise faith also in me. 2 In the house of my Father are many dwelling places. Otherwise, I would have told you, for I am going my way to prepare a place for you. 3 Also, if I go my way and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will receive you home to myself, so that where I am you also may be.”
Where was Jesus going to “prepare a place” for his disciples? And when he returned, where was he going to take them that was to be their new “home”?
All of his “chosen ones” will join him in heaven to rule mankind on earth. Jesus returned to where he had been before....at his Father’s side in the place where God dwells. “Our Father who art in heaven”.....It is not a material realm.
Secondly, does literal Jerusalem figure in God’s new world? The Bible answers NO!
Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well....tells us about that....
She said to Jesus....
“Our forefathers worshipped on this mountain, but you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where people must worship.” 21 Jesus said to her: “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation begins with the Jews. 23 Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for indeed, the Father is looking for ones like these to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit, and those worshipping him must worship with spirit and truth.”
“The hour is coming”...so in the future, earthly Jerusalem will no longer feature in God’s true worship.
What does Paul say?
Hebrews 12:22-24...
“But you have approached a Mount Zion and a city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and myriads of angels 23 in general assembly, and the congregation of the firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens, and God the Judge of all, and the spiritual lives of righteous ones who have been made perfect, 24 and Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood, which speaks in a better way than Abel’s blood.”
He doesn't.
In this chapter, the Lord's return is envisioned as an invasion. The Lord descends... at the time that the archangel shouts. It's a war-cry - basically... CHARGE!!! The invasion begins at the command.
When Christ returns as judge, every human being on earth will know about it. But he gathers his chosen ones for the final battle against satan and all his followers, both wicked spirits and humans.
1 Thess 4:16-17...read it again....
16 because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet, and those who are dead in union with Christ will rise first. 17 Afterward we the living who are surviving will, together with them, be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord.”
It is Jesus who descends with a commanding call, with an archangel’s voice, and with God’s trumpet, to gather his anointed ones who are still in their mortal flesh, transforming them into what he is...a spirit.
This takes place before “the end”.......so what is it “the end” of? (Matt 24:14)
No - the point of looking up the word is to disprove "the rapture" idea of people going up into the heavens. They don't... they're gathered, but not to go up. They're gathered to meet the Lord as He comes down.
Thank you, as I have no belief in this rapture because is sounds ridiculous.....not something an orderly God would have happen in a disorderly fashion. Since this is all foretold, we are simply observing history told in advance. The gathering of the remaining anointed ones has to “change” them “in the twinkling of an eye”....what is this “change” in your view?
Okay. It feels kinda bad to be asked, "are you a cult member?"
Did I ask that? A cult is a group who follow the teachings of a man, who can lead his own followers down a very dark path whilst pretending that he is sent from God. So, I guess that depends on whether you consider Jesus to be a “cult” leader...and his disciples to be members of his “cult”? The Jews certainly did.
The reason why I thought you might be a Mormon is because they have a very literal view of God being on another planet. They follow the teachings of Joseph Smith, a self-proclaimed prophet and he has led an entire world membership of millions down a very unscriptural path whilst claiming it to be the correct one.
Everyone who supports their religion believes that it is the right one....
So if a person goes out on their own in studying the Bible and is convinced of the correctness of their interpretation and wants to share that truth with others, does that then make them a cult leader?
We have to understand what propaganda looks like because satan uses no new tactics in his assault on Christ’s followers. If he can paint “the son of God” to look like a blasphemous liar....a fake Messiah to the ones he was sent to save.....then imagine what he can do to us now in a world where Christendom is hopelessly divided and the alternative to false worship is science based atheism.....how are people going to find the proverbial “needle in a haystack”? Or as one person said....”find the rough diamond in a pile of broken glass.”
Only God can guide us, and he will choose us on the basis of what is in our hearts to “draw“ us to his truth....his diamond. (John 6:44; 65) All of his true worshippers are gathered into one treasure chest. They are not strewn all over the world, being trodden underfoot by false worshippers in Christendom’s churches.
They have heeded the command in Rev 18:4-5 and removed themselves from that “city” pictured as a disgusting harlot. Those who refuse to leave it, will face God’s condemnation first.
You can tell them apart by their fruits... well, that's what Jesus said.
As far as I can tell, that means that we shouldn't pay as much attention to what people say, so much as what they do. Words lie. Actions don't.
I agree completely.....but it must be as a united brotherhood because the “wheat” are in one category and the “weeds” are in another. God knows who the wheat are and they will be identified by what they do and also by what they refuse to do....not just by what they say.....it will make them a very unpopular minority. (Matt 7:13-14; John 15:18-21)
