Those in Christ are not to be confused about Lord Jesus' future coming to gather us, His Church, and where He returns to and will reign from. He told us in His Word, and it's not really difficult to understand. But the minute one turns to men's doctrines and starts listening to them instead, what He showed just gets pitched out the window for that person.
1.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Apostle Paul revealed Jesus' future coming to gather His Church will involve 2 groups of saints, both gathered at the same time, but from 2 different places. The first group of saints Paul referred to are the saints that have already died in Christ, and Paul calls those asleep metaphorically. It doesn't mean asleep literally in the grave. It's a way to say they are under Christ's Salvation and will never die.
Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3 revealed Jesus at His resurrection went and preached The Gospel to the "spirits in prison", those who had died back to Noah's flood. Isaiah 42:7 prophesied Christ would do that, and lead the prisoners out of the darkness of the heavenly prison house. Thus those spirits Peter further said in 1 Peter 4 had The Gospel preached to them so they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. That means their spirit is alive and well in the heavenly with Lord Jesus. Apostle Paul pointed to this in 2 Corinthians 5 also, to be absent from the body (flesh) is to be present with The Lord.
That 1st group of saints, Paul says Jesus will bring with Him when He descends from Heaven. They are with Him there now, and that is how He will bring them with Him when He comes (See 1 Thess.4:13-16). Paul mentions the day of resurrection along with that, which marks when Jesus will descend with His asleep saints to earth. This is not... the so-called 'rapture', a word that is not even in the Greek manuscripts. It is not... the "caught up" (KJV) event Paul mentioned in 1 Thess.4:17.
2.
The 2nd group of saints gathered on that same day by Lord Jesus are the saints that are still alive on earth at His coming, and are "caught up" to Jesus and the asleep saints He brings with Him, at His descent. These are the subject of that 1 Thessalonians 4:17 verse. This is what the so-called 'rapture' idea is referring to. (The word rapture is derived from a Latin translation of Greek harpazo. The KJV translators instead brought Greek harpazo into English as "caught up.")
3.
Apostle Paul did not specifically say just where... Lord Jesus will descend to at His coming. But the Old Testament Book of Zechariah 14 does tell us. Christ's feet will touch down UPON THIS EARTH at the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem. And it says He brings all His saints with Him there. Per Acts 1, after Lord Jesus had ascended on a cloud into Heaven, two angels appeared to His disciples there, and told that Jesus would come "in like manner" as they saw Him go into Heaven. It is then revealed they were at the Mount of Olives.
This means Lord Jesus does not descend from Heaven on a cloud to gather us and then take us back up into Heaven. That latter part idea instead is a doctrine from men, and not written in God's Word. He is going to return to this earth, literally, like the Zechariah 14 Scripture declares.
4.
Furthermore, per Zechariah 16-20, it shows the leftovers who went up against Jerusalem on the last day of this world will be required to go up to Jerusalem from year to year to worship The KING (Jesus Christ) and keep the feast of tabernacles. And also those nations which refuse to come up and worship there will be no rains upon their lands. None of those represent Christ's Church. So if Jesus comes on a cloud and then goes back in Heaven to reign, then how will those unsaved be able to go up to Jerusalem and worship Him from year to year? Instead, the Scriptures are pointing to Jesus reigning over them right here, ON EARTH. That is also the subject of the Psalms 2 Scripture where God said He would set His King (Christ) upon His holy hill Zion. That Zion is on earth.
5.
Per Revelation 3:3, Lord Jesus told those of the Church of Sardis that if they did not 'watch', He would come upon them "as a thief", and they would not know "the hour" in which He would come upon them.
Lord Jesus was not... pointing to their knowing the specific day or hour of His future coming. He was pointing to the timeline events per the Signs He gave us leading up to His future coming. Jesus covered those Signs in His Olivet discourse of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Have you studied them? They are also the same Signs He gave in the Seals of Revelation 6 about the end leading up to His future coming. Like He said before, He has told us all things.
6.
In Revelation 16:15, with the final 7th Vial getting ready to happen, Jesus warned His Church that He comes "as a thief", and blessed are those who watch, and keep their garments (righteous robes), unless one instead walks naked and they see his shame (i.e., meaning deceived and thus fallen away). By that Lord Jesus directly connected the day of His coming "as a thief" with the "day of the Lord" which the Old Testament prophets were given to prophesy of that is to happen on the last day of this world. Apostles Paul and Peter covered that subject also about the "day of the Lord" coming "as a thief in the night" per 1 Thessalonians 5 and 2 Peter 3.
7.
In Matthew 24:29-31 and Mark 13:24-27, Lord Jesus revealed that His future coming to gather His saints will be AFTER... the tribulation of those days. He made direct statements to that fact. That aligns with the timing Paul showed for His future coming in 1 Thess.4, and also with the idea of His coming "as a thief" in the "day of the Lord", the last day of this world. It also aligns with John 6 where Lord Jesus declares He will raise up His saints on the "last day" of this world.
8.
This is probably the most difficult part of Scripture to understand for many. On the "last trump" of 1 Corinthians 15, Apostle Paul showed that all those still alive on earth will be 'changed'... 'at the twinkling of an eye' (fast as one can blink), to their "spiritual body". Earlier in that same Chapter Paul defined just what that "spiritual body" is, contrasting it with the flesh body of today. Paul called it the "image of the heavenly", and that means a type body like the angels have, and not flesh.
Since God's Word covers the existence of two different dimension types, this earthly one, and the heavenly one, they are not to be confused with one another, even though they both have similarities. Per Hebrews 2:14, God made us with 3 parts: a spirit, a soul, and a flesh body. Our spirit and soul are of that other dimension of the heavenly. Our flesh part is of this earthly dimension, and cannot enter into that heavenly dimension, only our spirit can. This is why Lord Jesus said in John 3:6 that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of The Spirit is spirit. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul showed that if our earthly flesh tabernacle were suddenly dissolved, we still have another body not made with hands, but one that is from God, eternal in the heavens. Thus our spirit is about a heavenly type body or image, like Paul said.
When God touched His elect saints, like His prophets and Apostles like Paul and John, and they had visions of the heavenly, it was their 'spirit' part that was seeing those visions. Per Isaiah 6, God's prophet Isaiah saw God upon His throne in heaven, and Isaiah thought he had died being the only way he'd be seeing that, and Isaiah went to ground in fear. Apostle Paul said he was "caught up" to the "third heaven" and heard unspeakable words not lawful to utter. Apostle John was in The Spirit on the Lord's Day, and given to see visions. Ezekiel was given to see visions of the future Millennial Jerusalem and the future Millennial Sanctuary on earth, per Ezekiel 40 thru 47. All these things happened because of one's 'spirit' connection with the heavenly order of things when God allowed them to see.
This means on that "last trump" Paul taught when we are all changed to our spiritual body, we will see the Heavenly order manifested right here, on earth. God's Garden of Eden, His River of the Waters of Life, and the Tree of Life, were once here UPON THIS EARTH. God once lived here on earth before He created Adam. That was a previous earth age which Apostle Peter covered in 2 Peter 3 which Peter also said many are willingly ignorant of. It was a time when Lucifer was perfect in his ways following God, guarding God's Throne as the anointed cherub that covereth. That was before he rebelled and fell. That is the 'old world' I am speaking about. And the point I am trying to steer you to is the Biblical fact that means both the earthly dimension, and the heavenly dimension, were once here on earth together, in the same time and space. It is going to return like that starting when Lord Jesus returns. Many will not understand this until they actually see it in the future when Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth.
1.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Apostle Paul revealed Jesus' future coming to gather His Church will involve 2 groups of saints, both gathered at the same time, but from 2 different places. The first group of saints Paul referred to are the saints that have already died in Christ, and Paul calls those asleep metaphorically. It doesn't mean asleep literally in the grave. It's a way to say they are under Christ's Salvation and will never die.
Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3 revealed Jesus at His resurrection went and preached The Gospel to the "spirits in prison", those who had died back to Noah's flood. Isaiah 42:7 prophesied Christ would do that, and lead the prisoners out of the darkness of the heavenly prison house. Thus those spirits Peter further said in 1 Peter 4 had The Gospel preached to them so they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. That means their spirit is alive and well in the heavenly with Lord Jesus. Apostle Paul pointed to this in 2 Corinthians 5 also, to be absent from the body (flesh) is to be present with The Lord.
That 1st group of saints, Paul says Jesus will bring with Him when He descends from Heaven. They are with Him there now, and that is how He will bring them with Him when He comes (See 1 Thess.4:13-16). Paul mentions the day of resurrection along with that, which marks when Jesus will descend with His asleep saints to earth. This is not... the so-called 'rapture', a word that is not even in the Greek manuscripts. It is not... the "caught up" (KJV) event Paul mentioned in 1 Thess.4:17.
2.
The 2nd group of saints gathered on that same day by Lord Jesus are the saints that are still alive on earth at His coming, and are "caught up" to Jesus and the asleep saints He brings with Him, at His descent. These are the subject of that 1 Thessalonians 4:17 verse. This is what the so-called 'rapture' idea is referring to. (The word rapture is derived from a Latin translation of Greek harpazo. The KJV translators instead brought Greek harpazo into English as "caught up.")
3.
Apostle Paul did not specifically say just where... Lord Jesus will descend to at His coming. But the Old Testament Book of Zechariah 14 does tell us. Christ's feet will touch down UPON THIS EARTH at the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem. And it says He brings all His saints with Him there. Per Acts 1, after Lord Jesus had ascended on a cloud into Heaven, two angels appeared to His disciples there, and told that Jesus would come "in like manner" as they saw Him go into Heaven. It is then revealed they were at the Mount of Olives.
This means Lord Jesus does not descend from Heaven on a cloud to gather us and then take us back up into Heaven. That latter part idea instead is a doctrine from men, and not written in God's Word. He is going to return to this earth, literally, like the Zechariah 14 Scripture declares.
4.
Furthermore, per Zechariah 16-20, it shows the leftovers who went up against Jerusalem on the last day of this world will be required to go up to Jerusalem from year to year to worship The KING (Jesus Christ) and keep the feast of tabernacles. And also those nations which refuse to come up and worship there will be no rains upon their lands. None of those represent Christ's Church. So if Jesus comes on a cloud and then goes back in Heaven to reign, then how will those unsaved be able to go up to Jerusalem and worship Him from year to year? Instead, the Scriptures are pointing to Jesus reigning over them right here, ON EARTH. That is also the subject of the Psalms 2 Scripture where God said He would set His King (Christ) upon His holy hill Zion. That Zion is on earth.
5.
Per Revelation 3:3, Lord Jesus told those of the Church of Sardis that if they did not 'watch', He would come upon them "as a thief", and they would not know "the hour" in which He would come upon them.
Lord Jesus was not... pointing to their knowing the specific day or hour of His future coming. He was pointing to the timeline events per the Signs He gave us leading up to His future coming. Jesus covered those Signs in His Olivet discourse of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Have you studied them? They are also the same Signs He gave in the Seals of Revelation 6 about the end leading up to His future coming. Like He said before, He has told us all things.
6.
In Revelation 16:15, with the final 7th Vial getting ready to happen, Jesus warned His Church that He comes "as a thief", and blessed are those who watch, and keep their garments (righteous robes), unless one instead walks naked and they see his shame (i.e., meaning deceived and thus fallen away). By that Lord Jesus directly connected the day of His coming "as a thief" with the "day of the Lord" which the Old Testament prophets were given to prophesy of that is to happen on the last day of this world. Apostles Paul and Peter covered that subject also about the "day of the Lord" coming "as a thief in the night" per 1 Thessalonians 5 and 2 Peter 3.
7.
In Matthew 24:29-31 and Mark 13:24-27, Lord Jesus revealed that His future coming to gather His saints will be AFTER... the tribulation of those days. He made direct statements to that fact. That aligns with the timing Paul showed for His future coming in 1 Thess.4, and also with the idea of His coming "as a thief" in the "day of the Lord", the last day of this world. It also aligns with John 6 where Lord Jesus declares He will raise up His saints on the "last day" of this world.
8.
This is probably the most difficult part of Scripture to understand for many. On the "last trump" of 1 Corinthians 15, Apostle Paul showed that all those still alive on earth will be 'changed'... 'at the twinkling of an eye' (fast as one can blink), to their "spiritual body". Earlier in that same Chapter Paul defined just what that "spiritual body" is, contrasting it with the flesh body of today. Paul called it the "image of the heavenly", and that means a type body like the angels have, and not flesh.
Since God's Word covers the existence of two different dimension types, this earthly one, and the heavenly one, they are not to be confused with one another, even though they both have similarities. Per Hebrews 2:14, God made us with 3 parts: a spirit, a soul, and a flesh body. Our spirit and soul are of that other dimension of the heavenly. Our flesh part is of this earthly dimension, and cannot enter into that heavenly dimension, only our spirit can. This is why Lord Jesus said in John 3:6 that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of The Spirit is spirit. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul showed that if our earthly flesh tabernacle were suddenly dissolved, we still have another body not made with hands, but one that is from God, eternal in the heavens. Thus our spirit is about a heavenly type body or image, like Paul said.
When God touched His elect saints, like His prophets and Apostles like Paul and John, and they had visions of the heavenly, it was their 'spirit' part that was seeing those visions. Per Isaiah 6, God's prophet Isaiah saw God upon His throne in heaven, and Isaiah thought he had died being the only way he'd be seeing that, and Isaiah went to ground in fear. Apostle Paul said he was "caught up" to the "third heaven" and heard unspeakable words not lawful to utter. Apostle John was in The Spirit on the Lord's Day, and given to see visions. Ezekiel was given to see visions of the future Millennial Jerusalem and the future Millennial Sanctuary on earth, per Ezekiel 40 thru 47. All these things happened because of one's 'spirit' connection with the heavenly order of things when God allowed them to see.
This means on that "last trump" Paul taught when we are all changed to our spiritual body, we will see the Heavenly order manifested right here, on earth. God's Garden of Eden, His River of the Waters of Life, and the Tree of Life, were once here UPON THIS EARTH. God once lived here on earth before He created Adam. That was a previous earth age which Apostle Peter covered in 2 Peter 3 which Peter also said many are willingly ignorant of. It was a time when Lucifer was perfect in his ways following God, guarding God's Throne as the anointed cherub that covereth. That was before he rebelled and fell. That is the 'old world' I am speaking about. And the point I am trying to steer you to is the Biblical fact that means both the earthly dimension, and the heavenly dimension, were once here on earth together, in the same time and space. It is going to return like that starting when Lord Jesus returns. Many will not understand this until they actually see it in the future when Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth.
