Introduction

 

This is “Resurrection Truth versus Rapture Error.” This will be the 3rd installment to our Death, the Grave, and Resurrection series which spun off from our Torah Reading 45 which was entitled “And he (Ya’achov) was Gathered Unto His People.

 

In the last two-installments to this series (“He was Gathered Unto His People Part 1” and “the Grave Part 2“), we biblically established what happens to a person when they die. We looked at key elements surrounding the soul of a person and determined that a person’s soul is not immortal and that when a person dies their soul rests in its grave with its body awaiting a future resurrection. Thus, we dispelled the denominationalists’ and Catholics’ contention that the soul separates from one’s body upon death, and travels to some ethereal realm to await the rapture or resurrection. But rather, scripture informs us that there is no consciousness of soul when a person dies. The body and soul of a person upon death rests or sleeps in its grave until an appointed time in which it will be resurrected. The spirit of a person—the breath of life—that which animates the body and makes the individual a living person—returns to the God that gave it.

 

Thus, the Bible clearly reveals that death is not the absolute end to a person. But rather, there is a future resurrection of the dead (Greek of “anastasis,” a raising of the dead to life) that will include both the righteous dead or those who are in Messiah, as well as those who are not of Messiah—be they were wicked, incorrigible, or simply not one of Yah’s elect for whatever reason.

 

The Brit-HaDashah talks about there being more than one resurrection, with the first resurrection being the resurrection one should aspire to because the following resurrection or resurrections may involve the 2nd death of the resurrected individual (Revelation 20:5-6).

 

But denominationalists in particular hold to a “rapture” of the “church” or “body of Christ,” which on the surface looks like, smells like, and sounds a lot like the biblical resurrection of the dead. Consequently, a great many brethren within our Faith community believe in and teach others about this evangelical concept of the rapture.

 

However, when you dig a little into the evangelical doctrine of the rapture of the saved/of the church/of the Body of Christ, we find some stark differences between it and the biblical concept of the resurrection of the dead. And it is this difference that we aim to discern here in our discussion today: We aim to discern resurrection truth from rapture error.

 

Why is this important? It’s important to understand the difference between the two because one belief in one of the doctrines—that being the rapture—has the potential of leading folks down a road towards spiritual destruction, and we’ll talk more about what this spiritual destruction could mean for the one who believes in and teaches others about the doctrine of the rapture.

 

 

 

Attention

 

So, let me ask you: Do you believe that Yeshua will return to earth at any moment—no man knows the day or the hour—and “secretly” snatch away all those who’ve prayed the so-called “sinner’s prayer” and who are thusly saved out of their graves or from wherever they may happen to be if they are alive at His coming? Do you believe that those secretly raptured souls will be whisked away to heaven where they will be kept hidden and protected from all persecution and martyrdom and the 7-year long Great Tribulation? And those same souls who find themselves in heaven, will they exist there in heaven for the rest of eternity, while the unsaved of this world—those who have not accepted Jesus Christ in their heart and who have not prayed the sinner’s prayer—while the unsaved dead and living will at some point be cast into hell to be in torment for the rest of eternity?

 

Does the scriptural record support such a paradigm? Most of us who have been in the Messianic/Netzari Faith Communities for any length of time have been taught that no one will be resurrected or raptured to heaven, but rather, the righteous or elect of Yah will be raised to meet Yeshua in the clouds and after a brief period of time, accompany Yeshua in His establishing of the Kingdom of Yah—the Malchut Elohim—here on earth.

 

We also know of another resurrection where those who are not of Yeshua Messiah—who are not of the first resurrection—will stand before the Great White Throne to be judged. The rapture paradigm condemns all who are not saved—who have not accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts and said the sinners’ prayer. But does the Great White Throne judgment of the “rest of the dead” mean that these billions of souls who previously lived on this earth will automatically be condemned to a fiery torment in hell for the rest of their lives? In other words, does judgment mean condemnation?

How many people do you know beloved, who have been duped by the rapture doctrine? I’m not just talking about a belief that people are going to be snatched out of their graves and from wherever they may be at the time Yeshua returns. I’m talking about those who we love who have been duped into believing that they will be raptured to heaven because at one time they uttered a contrived prayer asking Jesus to come into their heart and the church has promised them that they will have eternal life in heaven along with all those who went on before them.

 

Unfortunately, this rapture paradigm does not require there exist a covenant relationship between the one to be raptured and the Creator of the Universe. This rapture paradigm does not require one to be obedient to Yah’s instructions in righteousness nor the teachings of Master Yahoshua, the walking-talking Torah. The rapture paradigm denies Yeshua establishing His Father’s Millennial Kingdom here on earth, in Yerushalayim proper. The rapture paradigm condemns all who have not uttered the sinners’ prayer to an eternity of torment in hell fire. And so much more.

 

But is this a salvation issue? In general, of course not. If one chooses to believe that they will go to heaven when they die and when Yeshua returns they will go to heaven—wait, they will resurrect and then return back to heaven, etc. However, I would say the rapture doctrine and all the trappings therein become a problem when one chooses to place one’s trusting faith in the Church Triumphant and its teachings and such, over the teachings and supremacy and spirit of scripture. That when we get into dangerous territory.

 

Truth is so much more powerful, pure and blessed than any traditions and contrivances that religion could ever create. And as Yah’s elect, we are called to always walk in Truth, even when that Truth bucks and kicks against accepted social and religious traditions.

 

The Need

 

Conversely, it is the resurrection paradigm that puts into true perspective Yah’s Plan of Salvation, Restoration, and Redemption. It is a plan that involves one coming into a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe through the Person and Ministry of Yeshua Messiah. It’s not a simple “snatching away” event of the saved to heaven paradise for the rest of eternity and a condemning of everyone else to eternal torment in hell. But rather, it’s about a way of life that begins in the here and now and extends on through eternity. It’s about the true Faith once delivered to the Hebrew patriarchs. It’s about the Right Hand of Yah coming down to make full that true Faith once delivered. It’s about so much more that includes, most prominently, the making of a new creature in Messiah—the work of becoming sons and daughters of the Most High Elohim.

 

Those who elect to take the road most traveled and buy into the rapture gospel are likely to take themselves out of the running for the first resurrection which Yochanan the Revelator stated was the resurrection of the holy and blessed. These also may find themselves of the lot who when they face Yahoshua, will hear Him say, “ I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23). You see, the first resurrection is intricately tied to the Millennial Reign of Yahoshua Messiah in the Malchut Elohim—the Kingdom of Yah—here on earth. And only Yah’s translated elect will enter that Kingdom.

Entry into the Kingdom of Yah by way of being in the first resurrection is not something that’s  left to a sinner’s prayer and the right-hand of Christian fellowship. There’s so much attached to it, which we won’t get into here today. But suffice to say, the denominationalists’ rapture paradigm miserably fails to factor in what is required to make it into the first resurrection and into the Kingdom of Yah.

 

So, it behooves us to recognize the critical importance of the resurrection paradigm and be able to discern the error of the rapture doctrine.

 

We Will Get to the Fact of this Matter

 

So, in our discussion today, we will briefly examine the rapture doctrine and contrast it with the Hebrew-Tanach-Brit-Hadassah resurrection paradigm.  In addition, we will biblically define what the resurrection of the dead is about and the critical role that Yahoshua plays in the resurrection of the righteous dead.

And so, by the end of our time here today, we will have differentiated the resurrection of the dead from the rapture of the saved.

 

Visualization

 

Now, if we are going to differentiate and discern the difference between the biblical concept of the “resurrection” from that of the “rapture,” it is imperative that we individually define these concepts.

 

Resurrection Biblically Defined

 

The English term “resurrection” is featured only in the Brit HaDashah (aka the New Testament), appearing some 40 times (KJV). The Greek term for “resurrection” is “anastasis {an-as’-tas-is}.

 

When we talk about the resurrection of the dead, from at least a Messianic or Netzari perspective, our Master Yahoshua must always be the focus. Why? Why not focus on the rabbinic understanding of a resurrection of the dead or a religiosity understanding of a super-secret rapture? Simply this. Scripture records Yahoshua is the hub—the focus of the coming resurrection—that is the first resurrection.

 

Abba Yah gave Yahoshua authority and power over death, the grave, and the resurrection of the dead. Master told Martha as she stood just outside her brother Lazarus’ tomb:

 

“I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25; KJV).

 

Yeshua informed His disciples of the following:

 

 ²⁶ For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; ²⁷ And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. ²⁸ Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice (I.e., the resurrections of the dead), ²⁹ And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (Joh 5:26-29 KJV)

 

Our Master’s resurrection serves as an earnest or “firstfruits” if you will, for the Messianic/Netzari’s future resurrection and translation. For the Messianic/Netzari’s life under the renewed covenant is inextricably linked to not just His death, but also to His resurrection:

 

Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (Joh 14:19 ESV)

 

But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. (1Co 15:23 ESV)

 

Master condemned the Sadducees (who rejected the Tanach-supported doctrine of the resurrection), for their lack of or refusal to understand the reality of the resurrection of the dead (Mark 12:23-24). For the reality of a “resurrection of the dead” can be traced back even to Avraham, Yitschaq, and Ya’achov:

 

 ⁸ By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. ⁹ By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: ¹⁰ For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Heb 11:8-10 KJV)

 

Defining the Denominationalists’ Rapture

 

Well, now that we’ve gotten somewhat of a biblically-based understanding of the resurrection of the dead, in particular the first resurrection, how do we define the denominationalists’ rapture doctrine.

 

The Evangelical’s Rapture versus the Hebrew-Biblical-based Resurrection

 

Our English word “rapture” is nowhere to be found in the so-called authorized English Bible translations.

 

Nevertheless, the English term “rapture” is “harpazo” in the Greek, denoting a seizing; a plucking; a taking away by force. Its Hebrew counterpart is “laqach”, which simply means “to take.” An example of this is to be found in the following well-known Torah verse:

 

“And Enoch walked with God: and he [Enoch] was not, for God took [laqach] him” (Genesis/Beresheit 5:24).

 

And then we have the other well-known snatching away story of Elijah/Eliyahu:

 

 ¹¹ And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up (”alah”) by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 2:11)

 

Many contend that these mysterious verses document the rapture of two of Yah’s righteous ones, both of which they claim were deposited somewhere in heaven. But is such thinking in keeping with scripture?

 

It turns out the answer to that question is no. For we find in the Gospel of John/Yochanan the following:

 

 

“No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man” (3:13; NET).

 

And in the case of Elijah/Eliyahu, we have the following:

 

 ¹² And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, (2Ch 21:12 KJV)

 

 

Still others site the example of the Evangelist Philip, who after witnessing and baptizing the Ethiopian official on a road heading from Yerushalayim to Gaza, was “caught away by Yehovah” (Acts 8:26-39). But the very last verse of this chapter gives us insight into what happened to Philip:

 

“But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea” (Act.8:40; KJV).

 

 

 

The few examples of people being, what popular denominationalism calls, raptured, does not support such an event in the classic American Christian explanation of the rapture, where both saved living and dead Christians, are snatched away from this earth to meet Jesus in the clouds, and from there, ushered on to heaven to be with Him in eternal bliss and peace and to escape the Great Tribulation. Many who are of my generation may not know of a time when the popular American Christian doctrine of the “rapture” wasn’t preached and taught. But the truth of the matter is that this stated understanding of the “rapture” doctrine came online just in the last century or so. It appears to have grown out of the John Nelson Darby translation of the bible of the first half of the 1800’s. But the rapture doctrine came fully into its own with the publishing of the Scofield Reference Bible in the early 1900’s.

 

It should also be noted that the denominationalists’ “rapture” doctrine is heavily connected to the pagan-linked immortal soul which presumes that the soul of a saved individual, upon death, goes off to heaven to await the rapture, while the soul of an unsaved individual goes off to hell to await the Great White Throne judgment, to be followed by eternal torment in the Lake of Fire.

 

What the Biblically-based Hebrew Understanding of the Resurrection is Truly About

 

The heart of the biblical understanding of the first resurrection, I feel, is so brilliantly spelled out by Shaul to His Messianic Roman readers as follows:

 

¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs– heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Rom 8:16-25 ESV)

 

This key passage tells of the adoption; the elect being joint heirs with Yahoshua; the elect will be glorified with Mashiyach; the resurrection being a glorious manifestation of the “bene Yehovah”/the sons of Yah; humanity’s deliverance from the bondage of corruption; the Ruach HaKodesh that dwells and operates within Yehovah’s elect serving as an earnest to the promise of a resurrection to eternal life; the first resurrection being an abiding hope for Yah’s chosen ones; a trust in the Person and Ministry of Yeshua Messiah that will lead to one’s translation and resurrection; an awaiting of the elects’ change from the corruptible to the incorruptible, from the fleshly to the glorified, from the temporal to the eternal.

 

In being transparent on this issue of the resurrection versus the rapture, there is enough similarities between the two concepts that one could interchangeably use the terms when talking about the End Times. Indeed, the first resurrection that is described by Yochanan the Revelator and the Apostle Shaul can certainly be viewed as a “snatching away” of Yah’s elect-His chosen ones-be they dead or living elect ones—snatched away from this earth.

 

But you see, the snatching away and translation of the elects’ bodies is where the similarities between the terms resurrection and rapture end. For it’s not the terminology of the term rapture that gives me heartburn, but rather it’s the theology; it’s the doctrine; it’s the belief systems and misinformation that I believe presents the Body of Mashiyach with a potential spiritual threat that needs to be properly sorted out. And that’s what we’re trying to do here today. Sort out the error from the truth.

 

In order to separate the error from the truth on this matter, I’ve elected to discuss three-errors that I’ve found with the rapture model that I think will put to rest any reasonable attempts to justify the doctrine of the rapture.

 

 

Error 1 of the Rapture Doctrine: All Who Have Said the Sinner’s Prayer Will Be Raptured

 

I am currently reading a book entitled “Corrupting the Image” by Douglas Hamp (Defender Publishing LLC, 2011). And although the book doesn’t have anything to do with the rapture or the resurrection, Mr. Hamp did mention something interesting about the Western Denominationalists’ understanding of the rapture.

 

Mr. Hamp believes that the fallen, evil angels of antiquity have been disguising themselves as space aliens for many years. These entities will use the Great Rapture event to gain control over the hearts, minds and souls of the people who would be left behind.

 

According to Hamp, roughly a third of the world’s population are self-professing Christians. Thus, when the rapture hits, roughly 2-billion people will be secretly snatched away and taken to heaven. Interestingly, there is no accounting of how many dead Christians will also be snatched from the graves and taken to heaven.

 

It is believed by Hamp and others that these fallen ones who are disguised as space aliens will explain this secret rapture of a third of the planet’s inhabitants as their doing. These will assert that they took the missing 2-billion people from the earth using their advanced technology. And these entities will convince the world that the people who were taken from the earth were endangering the earth through their negative influences on the environment, over-population, negative spiritual influences, and the like. And that it was these alien entities that were the world’s saviors and that it fell to those left behind to trust them and do whatever they say do.

 

I don’t personally know whether Mr. Hamp’s scenario is a viable one. I do believe that the whole UFO craze that’s gripping the world these days can probably be chalked up to the evil antics of the enemy and the fallen ones. Scripture describes that these fallen ones and the enemy possess the power to perform great lying wonders and signs and they have the capacity to deceive the world (Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Corinthians 11:14; Revelation 12:9).

 

But I must say that it was not Mr. Hamp’s intergalactic scenario that got my attention, as much as it was his statements about the coming rapture of the Church Triumphant. The conventional wisdom of the Church Triumphant—mainly the evangelical arm—is that billions of souls will be raptured up to heaven at the time of the Great Rapture. And when we take such a belief and contrast it with what scripture has to say about the number of souls that will be in the first resurrection, we can easily see that the conventional understanding of a super-secret rapture that will come upon the world to take the saved out of the world before the Great Tribulation hits is error-ridden to say the least.

 

Some unnamed soul asked Yahoshua if it was true that only a few people who have ever lived on this planet will be saved. And Master in response to this question revealed that indeed many will endeavor in life to find and enter that narrow, straight door that leads to life—I.e., the first resurrection. But the truth of the matter is that only a precious few will ever enter through that narrow door. That it is indeed the path and doorway less taken and taken only by a remnant of chosen souls. But rather, the world almost in its entirety endeavors to take the easy path and wide doorway in life that inevitably leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 13:23-24).

 

The Apostle Peter/Kefa recalls the story of Noah and his family of seven who were the only souls to be saved from the Great Flood, despite Noah’s urgent attempt to turn the hearts and minds of the people towards righteousness and on to the pathway and doorway that leads to life. Peter referred to Noah in this sense as a “preacher of righteousness” (1 Peter 2:5; 3:20).

 

And then we have the reality of Joshua/Yahoshua, son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were the only two souls of the Great Exodus of Hebrews out of Egypt/Mitsrayim to enter into Canaan. Some say that as many as 2 to 3 million people exited Egypt under the leadership of Moshe and deliverance of Yehovah. However, only Yahoshua and Caleb made it into Canaan because Yah said that these two “followed Him wholeheartedly” (Numbers/Bemidbar 32:12).

 

So no, it’s highly unlikely, if not impossible, according to the Biblical record, that a third of the earth’s population (~2 billion) who profess to be saved, born again Christians will be raptured immediately following the many billions who’ve died throughout history who are believed to be saved. To say otherwise is to ignore the teachings of our Master Yahoshua.

 

But one does not need to be dissuaded or daunted by the immense difficulty in he or she actually making it into the first resurrection and then on into the Kingdom.

 

Error 2 of the Rapture Doctrine: Yeshua’s Return and the Rapture of the Church Will Take Place in Secret—No One Will Understand What Happened to the Raptured People

 

The other problem with Mr. Hamp’s rapture scenario was that the rapture of the Church or the Body of Christ or the saved would be a super-secret global event. In other worlds, in accordance with Hamp’s space-alien scenario, 2-billion souls would be raptured from the earth, not counting, or even mentioning the dead saved who would also be raptured. But the space-aliens will reveal to a terrified and questioning world that they were responsible for the secret evacuation of 2-billion people from the earth. And that those 2-billion people would be hanging out, safe and secure, in their mother ships somewhere out in the vastness of space.

 

And this has always been one of the big problems associated with the Great Rapture scenario and doctrine: This idea that Yeshua’s return and the rapture of the saved, both living and dead, would be done in secret.

 

For one thing, Yah doesn’t do too many things in secret. There are indeed certain things that He does in relation to His Great Plan of Salvation, Redemption, and Restoration that only He has reserved to Himself to know the how’s, when’s, and wherefore’s:

 

“The secret things belong unto the LORD (aka Yehovah) our God (our Elohim)…” (Deuteronomy/Devarim 29:29).

 

One of those secret things of Yah, especially as it relates to our particular discussion here today, would be the timing of Yeshua’s return and the timing of His establishing the Kingdom of Yah/the Malchut Elohim here on earth:

 

“So, when they had come together—they being the disciples—they asked Him, ‘Lord (aka Master), will you at this time restore the Kingdom of Yisra’el?’ And He (He being Yahoshua) said unto them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power’” (Acts 1:6-7; KJV).

 

Previously, the Master told His disciples as it relates to End Times events:

 

Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. (31) Heaven and earth shall pass away: But My words shall not pass away. (32) But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. (33) Take ye heed,watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is (Mark 13:30-33; KJV).

 

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36; ESV)

 

So, in respect to when the rapture will occur or take place, the “Rapturists” are correct: It is a secret. No one, not even our Master Yahoshua knows when that day will be.

 

However, scripture is clear that when Yah finally does pull the trigger on our Master’s return, when our Master mounts atop the clouds of the heavens, His return, and the resurrection of the righteous dead and the translation of the righteous elect who are alive at His return, will in no means be a secret event.

 

 

Yeshua-centric Concept of the Afterlife: The First Resurrection

 

The Torah-based, Yeshua-centric answer to the pagan-based concept of an afterlife and that of a super-secret rapture of the saved—the church triumphant–is the “first-resurrection.”

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 documents the revelation that the Apostle Shaul/Paul received from His Master Yahoshua regarding how the resurrection of the righteous dead—that is, those who sleep in Yeshua Messiah, will take place.

 

The saints who are at rest in their graves will rise from their resting places when Master Yahoshua’s descends from heaven with a shout (John 5:26-29). Those resurrected saints will be followed by those chosen ones who are living at the time of His return, whose bodies will be translated into glorious, incorruptible bodies, both resurrected and translated saints—chosen ones being caught up to join Master, not in heaven mind you, but somewhere in the skies, more precisely the clouds. Clouds seem most appropriate in light of our Master being prophetically known as the “cloud rider” (Daniel/Daniyel 7:13).

 

Contrary to popular religiosity’s biblically unsubstantiated teaching that this snatching away of the dead in Christ and the snatching away of those still alive at Jesus’ second coming, this historic event will not be a secret. Oh to the contrary. Master’s return and the resurrection of the saints and the translation of Yah’s living elect will be known to all and a sign in heaven will mark this momentous event:

 

 ²⁹ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: ³⁰ And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Mat 24:29-31 KJV)

 

If we are to believe Matthew’s words, the nation peoples of the earth will witness Yahoshua’s return as He appears in the clouds of heaven with great power. In fact, the very sight of this event—the First Resurrection–will cause the unredeemed of the earth to mourn. The term “mourn” in the Greek is “kopto.” The term “kopto” paints a troubling image of one who “beats his/her breast in response to severe grief.” Brethren, the nation peoples of the earth are not going to react well to this amazing sign in heaven. It’s going to be the worse day of the lives of everyone who witnesses the “sign of the Son of man in heaven” that fateful day. But glory be to Yah, it will be the very best day ever of every elect’s life. It will be their long-awaited resurrection and translation to life eternal.

 

For it is here that the Apostle Shaul describes the resurrection and translation processes as “the corruptible putting on incorruption, and the mortal putting on immortality” such that “death is instantly swallowed up in victory.” The sting of death and the victory of the grave will have been utterly defeated by the one who was given all authority over death and the grave and the resurrection: Yahoshua HaMashiyach.

 

From a scriptural standpoint, every person who was resurrected from the dead in scripture was resurrected publicly. In other words, every resurrection was witnessed by others. Their resurrections were not done in secret.

 

 

Biblically Recorded Resurrections

 

 

 

1. 1 Kings 17:17-22 records Elijah interceding for the widow’s dead son and the son being resurrected back to life.

 

2. 2 Kings 4:32-35 records Elisha’s intercession resulting in another boy being resurrected back to life.

 

3. 2 Kings 13:21 records a dead man being resurrected when his remains come into physical contact with the remains of the Prophet Elisha.

 

4. We find recorded in Luke 7:11-17 the story of Yahoshua raising a widow’s dead son from the dead during a funeral procession in the city of Nain.

 

5. Matthew 9:18-26 records the story of Yeshua raising Jairus’ daughter from her death bed.

 

6. Our Master Yahoshua declares that He is the resurrection and the life as He raised His friend Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-46; John 5:24-29). The record shows that there was a rather large crowd that had gathered outside of Lazarus’ grave at that time and Yochanan states that those who were present at Lazarus’ resurrection bear record of this event (John 12:17). In fact, Lazarus’ resurrection created such a buzz and controversy throughout Judea that there were many Jews in Judea who sought to catch of glimpse of the resurrected Lazarus and some of the religious Jewish leaders even sought to murder him (John 12:9).

 

7. There is a mysterious mentioning of a number of saints who’d fallen asleep/died (whether anciently or close to Yeshua’s time is unknown), but these dead saints were resurrected to life out of their graves when Yahoshua was resurrected to life and from His grave (Matthew 27:52-53). Matthew’s testimony was that these resurrected saints after leaving their graves walked into the Holy City Yerushalayim and revealed themselves to many.

 

9. And of course, we have the main event: Yahoshua being resurrected from the dead at the prophesied end of 3-days and 3-nights. Every disciple of His (both men and women disciples) saw Him resurrected, and they carried that testimony to their graves.

 

Indeed, resurrections of the righteous dead throughout biblical history were always witnessed. And given our Master’s own declaration that the inhabitants of this earth will all witness in some form or another the first resurrection certainly dispels any thinking of a super-secret rapture (Matthew 24:30).

 

 

Error 3 of the Rapture Doctrine: The Rapture of the Church Will Save the Church From Tribulation

 

 

Beloved, I hope that you are seeing that there are a few problems with the “rapture” doctrine of the denominationalists, which was birth out of the Darby and Scofield translations of the bible, just in the last century. The whole premise behind this “rapture” doctrine/teaching was to support the “pre-tribulation” doctrine of Western Evangelical Churchianity that has been growing in popularity worldwide, in the United States. And in case you’re unaware, the pre-tribulation rapture is just what it sounds like: A rapture of the so-called Church of Christ before the Great Tribulation hits the earth. The thinking behind this theory is that the Creator would not subject His elect to persecution and tribulation. Thus, according to the thinking of the rapturists, Jesus will secretly rapture his saints from this earthly plain—both the living and the dead–and take them off to heaven—some have called it a place of safety—where they will be kept safe and blessed during the duration of the 7-year tribulation period and on through eternity.

 

But is this paradigm at all biblically sound? And the answer to that question is no. All indications are that many who are Yah’s elect who happen to be alive leading up to the time of the Great Tribulation, will inevitably endure great persecution and tribulation by the enemy and the nation peoples of this world. Many of these saints will even endure martyrdom at the hands of the governments, the secularists, the self-professing religious, and even the so-called Christians of this world.

 

John/Yochanan the Revelator writes of a “Great Whore” who will be “drunken with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Yahoshua” (Revelation 17:6; cf. 16:6). The very cries of those who suffer during this period of tribulation will inevitably reach the ears of our Sovereign Elohim. Yochanan the Revelator records that Yah personally saw under the altar in heaven “the souls of them that were slain for the word of Yehovah, and for the testimony which they held,” and those souls “cried with a loud voice pleading ‘How long, O Master, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth’” (Revelation 6:9-10). And Yah does act at the appointed time. For these tribulated and martyred saints will ultimately receive and be adorned in white robes. And these will be instructed to “rest for a little season until their fellow-servants and brethren should also be killed as they were” (verse 11).

 

Contrary to religiosity’s conventional wisdom of the rapture doctrine, it does not support biblical understanding of the coming resurrection of the righteous dead—the first resurrection. What it does do instead is to give so-called saved, self-professing believers a false hope that they do not need to be in a faithful-obedient covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe and that all that is required is belief that Jesus died for their sins and that they will go to heaven when they die. To these, there is no concern whatsoever of obedience to Yah and His Ways, nor to imaging and glorifying Yah in the earth which was the original purpose for which humanity was created.

 

What baffles me about the rapture doctrine and it being the framework by which so-called saved Christians will escape persecution, tribulation, and martyrdom is the blatant arrogance that is behind the premise of the rapture doctrine.

 

Where do we find in all of ecclesiastical history that Yah’s elect as a whole is spared tribulation, persecution, and martyrdom? Nowhere! Nowhere!

 

Simply get yourself a copy of “Foxes Book of Martyrs” and you will see just how many saints—those who belong to Yahoshua Messiah—were slain—were martyred because of their faith during the first few centuries of the True Faith once delivered. In fact, every disciple of Yeshua turned apostle, except for Judas of course, for obvious reasons, and John/Yochanan the Revelator, all others endured terrible persecution and violent deaths because of their faith.

 

And there have been countless saints-elect of Yah—who have been persecuted and martyred for their Faith in Yahoshua throughout the ages. Even today beloved, countless thousands are being persecuted and executed for their Faith in Yeshua in places like China, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Vietnam, Burma, and other such places.

 

Clearly, persecution and even martyrdom are rites of passage for many who have a trusting, covenant relationship with Yehovah through the Person and Ministries of Yahoshua Messiah. For many of us, there is no way around it. Persecution and even martyrdom comes with the territory of being a chosen one of the Highest Elohim. It is a reality of the True Faith once delivered.

 

So, what makes these rapturists believe they are to be exceptions to the rule of persecution and martyrdom that establishes the child of the Most High here on this earthly plain? Did not the very one who the rapturists look to as their savior warn that every true believer is subject to persecution and tribulation?

 

Master warned His disciples:

 

 ¹⁷ Beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ And you will be brought before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹ Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should say will be given to you at that time. ²⁰ For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ²¹ “Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ²² And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Mat 10:17-22 NET)

 

 

 

 

Call to Action

 

There is so much more to the subject of a resurrection of the dead that I did not get to in this series. Unfortunately, if I were mention every piece of content that I’ve accumulated in putting this series together, we’d be here for quite a while longer.

So as to not have this unmentioned content not reach you, sometime after the coming Fall Feasts I plan, Abba willing, to compile all of the content I’ve collected for this series into some booklet form and make it available you. Not sure exactly what that’s going to look like. But I’m trusting that Abba will guide me in the direction to accomplish that in accordance to His purpose and will.

 

But in closing out this discussion, which will also bring this series on Death, the Grave, and the Resurrection to a close, the only call to action I will pose to you today beloved is for all of us to know that we know—at least to the best of our knowledge, faith, and dependence on the work of the Ruach HaKodesh—that we are on the proper pathway to being in the first resurrection.

If we have not already done so, the first thing that needs to be done is to trust—believe Yeshua’s sacrifice will atone for your sins. Believe the Gospel. Believe in the Person of Yeshua Messiah. Then we must enter into a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe. How does that look? Well simply this: We turn from every aspect of our former ways—turn from our former way of life. And we turn exclusively to Yah’s established Way of Life. In conjunction with our Faith in the Person and Ministry of Yeshua Messiah, we abandon self and live exclusively for Yehovah. Which means we no longer obey the whims of this flesh, but obey the instructions of Yah. We allow Yah’s Ruach HaKodesh/His Holy Spirit to lead our day-to-day walk and steps in the ways of righteousness which are contained in His Word. We love Yah and love one another.

 

None of this is about saying a contrived, sinners’ prayer. Nor is it about joining a church or congregation. It’s really about finding yourself in a true, substantive relationship with the Creator of  the Universe.

 

Relationships require communication, trust, and learning. Thus we must trust that Yah has our best interest at heart and that He will complete a good work in each of us and raise us up on the Last Day. We must pray without ceasing—talk to Yah—open up to Him—Let Him know your thoughts and feelings. We must constantly seek His righteousness as we seek entry into His spiritual and earthly Kingdom. Which means we must incessantly study His Word and obey His instructions in righteousness.

 

We must imitate Yeshua in every aspect of our lives. He is Yah’s beloved Son who is the splitting image of His Holy Father. He is the person that Yah wants us to be like. Yah’s not asking that we abandon our personalities. But rather, He is requiring us to do and act and see and think like Yeshua, which in effect becomes our doing, and acting, and seeing and thinking like the Creator of the Universe.

 

Let us seek the first resurrection and entry into the Kingdom of Yah first and foremost, leaving nothing to denominational error-ridden traditions and teachings.