Eisegesis: The process of interpreting text in such a way as to introduce one’s own presuppositions, agendas or biases. It is commonly referred to as reading into the text. It is often done to “prove” a pre-held point of concern, and to provide confirmation bias corresponding with the pre-held interpretation and any agendas supported by it.
This is the method (eisegesis) by which many Bible teachers, preachers, pastors and theologians try to prove their predetermined point of view of the Biblical raputure.
If, however, you start with no predisposition on this matter, read and study scriptures, taking them at face value, studying the Greek words used, and keeping the matter in the context of the entire Bible, you can find the truth.
There are many who teach that Jesus ‘appears in the sky’ as told in Matthew 24:30, secretly raptures the Church, only to come back again, implying a third advent, to defeat Satan in the End of Days war at Armageddon.
There is no scripture which says that Jesus, after appearing in the air to gather His Elect (Matthew 24:31), will then ‘disappear’, only to reappear later to wage war on the antichrist.
- Jesus does not ‘appear’ then ‘disappear’ and then ‘reappear’ later.
- There is no secret rapture.
- There is no 3rd Advent.
- There will be no “second chances” after the 6th Tribulation Trumpet.
His appearing (2nd Advent) and the events to follow, are continuous and will be completed. (see notes on Rev 19:11, below) You must be ready or you will perish.
Here is what the Bible teaches about Jesus’ Return and the rapture (corollary verses color coded):
Jesus appears in the sky, in the heavens, in the clouds, with great glory, at the sound of the archangel and the sound of a trumpet, and He will gather His Elect together, both those who are ‘asleep’ and those who are alive, and they will meet in the air, and so they will be with Him forever.
Jesus’ appearing will be continuous, whether you see Him continuously or not, as He raptures or gathers His Elect, takes them to Heaven, seals the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel, and then wages war on the Antichrist and his forces.
Revelation 1:7 “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”
Scriptures do not support a secret rapture. Scriptures do not support a third appearing.
Here are many of the scriptures referenced when most denominational preachers and teachers try to explain a ‘secret rapture’ and later a third, and, public appearing of Jesus during the tribulation period.
Matthew 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
IMPORTANT for understanding: The context and Jesus’ emphasis in Matthew 24 is to give His disciples, then and now, an answer to their question “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3) It is an outline or an overview of coming events, IN ANSWER TO THEIR QUESTION. This must be kept in context as it is not an exhaustive explanation of ancillary events.
Jesus redirects His attention, in Matthew 24 verse 33, from the events of The Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, and onto the disciples and what it means to get ready for His Return and those end days.
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. Verse 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Verse 15. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. Verse 16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Verse 17. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Verse 18. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
Let’s take a second look at these verses from the Amplified Bible version:
1 Thesslaonians 4:13, “Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life].
Verse 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [as in fact He did], even so God [in this same way–by raising them from the dead] will bring with Him those [believers] who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
Verse 15. For we say this to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede [into His presence] those [believers] who have fallen asleep [in death].
Verse 16. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Verse 17. Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth] will simultaneously be caught up…
(raptured = the Greek word, ‘har-pad’-zo’, meaning to seize, catch up, snatch away, ‘obtain by robbery’. From Strong’s Bible concordance. #726, ‘harpázō’, seize by force; snatch up, suddenly and decisively – like someone seizing bounty (spoil, a prize); to take by an open display of force, i..e. NOT covertly or secretly.
See Matthew 24:30, “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.”;
Also see Revelation 1:7, “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.” )
…together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord!
Verse 18. Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words [concerning our reunion with believers who have died].
IMPORTANT for understanding: See the similarity in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 ‘the heavens with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God” with Matthew 24:31. This is the same event.
Paul writes this in the context of encouraging and comforting believers that the Second coming of Christ and the Rapture has not passed, but is yet to come. This must be kept in context as it is not an exhaustive explanation of ancillary events.
Zechariah 12:10 says, “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. Verse Verse 11. “In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. Verse 12. “The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; Verse 13, the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; Verse 14, all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves.”
Zechariah 14:1, says, “Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. Verse 2. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Verse 3. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. Verse 4. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. Verse 5. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!
Verse 6. In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. Verse 7. For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.
Verse 8. And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.”
IMPORTANT for understanding: This is a prophecy from Zechariah explaining how Jesus, after He has gathered His Elect and sealed the 144,000, will wage war against the nations and will defeat Satan, the antichrist and their legions.
Revelation 19:11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. Verse 12. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. Verse 13. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. Verse 14. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. Verse 15. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. Verse 16, “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Verse 17. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, Verse 18. so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”
Verse 19. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”
***IMPORTANT for understanding: Rev. 19:11 says “And I saw heaven opened”. It is very impotant to note that the word OPENED is in the aorist tense which is characterized by its emphasis on punctiliar action; that is, the concept of the verb is considered without regard for past, present, or future time.
In other words, it did not ‘open just then’, nor did it ‘re-open’. It was already OPENED and has stayed OPEN and will remain OPEN until Jesus’ Mission is complete.
This shows, again, that Jesus does not “appear”, “disappear” and then “re-appear”.
Jesus appears in the sky, in the heavens, in the clouds, with great glory, at the sound of the archangel and the sound of a trumpet, and He will gather His Elect together, both those who are ‘asleep’ and those who are alive, and they will meet in the air, and so they will be with Him forever.
Jesus’ appearance will be continuous as He raptures or gathers His Elect, takes them to Heaven, seals the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel, and then wages war on the Antichrist and his forces.
If you are interested, here is a peek at the rapture events in a little more detail:
Revelation 7:12 says, “And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Verse 13. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Verse 14. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Verse 15. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Verse 16. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Verse 17. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
The events following the Rapture and during Jesus 2nd Advent or appearing
FIRST, the sealing of the 144,000: Revelation 8:1 says, “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
Verse 2. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Verse 3. Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Verse 4. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Verse 5. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
Verse 6. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
Verse 7. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
Verse 8. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
SECOND, a panorama of the Gathered or Raptured Saints in heaven:
Revelation 8:9, says, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Verse 10. And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Verse 11. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Verse 12. Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Verse 13. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Verse 14. And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Verse 15. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Verse 16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Verse 17. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Revelation 9:1, says, “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.’
THIRD, Jesus will wage war against the nations
Revelation 19:11, says,“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. Verse 12. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. Verse 13. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. Verse 14. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. Verse 15. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. Verse 16. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Verse 17. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in mid-heaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, Verse 18, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”
Verse 19. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”
Why does this matter?
Why does the sequence of events matter? After all no one can change or affect what is coming and is already at hand.
It matters because there will be no second chances. You must understand the seriousness of this moment. You must understand how swiftly and devastatingly sure these events will unfold, at the breaking of the SIXTH SEAL. That time is at hand!
It would strongly suggest that the ‘ “Time, Times and a half time” or the Seven Weeks of Tribulation will actually begin with the breaking of the 6th Seal.
Jesus is coming and He will complete His Mission. If you are not ready and found doing what He has commanded, you will not survive. You will be left behind and you will be caught up in a truly hellish nightmare of real events.
Satan, the antichrist and the legions of evil will be defeated, as well as those who do not believe in Jesus and have not confessed Him as Lord and Savior and are not found doing what He has commanded.
PLEASE, LISTEN: If you are not ready, you will endure seven years of unspeakable horror and torment and will finally be cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
And the remnant will be slain with the Sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Please. Understand the gravity of this message and make preparations.
It has been written for thousands of years. It is coming to pass before your eyes. Yet many have misunderstood or misstated this message. I am trying to make it plain.
This is urgent.
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
Further reading: “ONLY ONE SECOND APPEARING”
“A PRE-WRATH – PRETRIBULATION RAPTURE”
Whitestone Fellowship 