BE PREPARED

This brings us to Matthew 25 and an interesting consideration. Permit me to pass over the parable of the ten virgins and the bridegroom, where again the lesson taught is to be prepared for the return of Christ, or the door will be shut to the unprepared.

Matthew 25:1-13 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (KJB)

This parable is often interpreted to apply to the Jew and Israel, as to the five unprepared maidens. A less conceited interpretation, by us Christians, would be appropriate.) Let me also pass over the parable of the talents, where the wicked servant failed to recognize the nature of the lordship of his master and did not yield his life to the discipline of his master by improving his life and talents to secure his blessing, being then cast away "into the outer darkness" (Matt 25:30) for his failure. (Notice the difference of the status of this servant and his fate as to the fate of the unprepared servant in Matthew 24:51.)

Now consider Matthew 25:31-46

SEGREGATION OF SHEEP FROM THE GOATS

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (KJB)

Notice the separation of the sheep and the goats before the Throne of Christ upon his establishment of His Earthly Kingdom This needs to be considered because it does NOT involve the Saints not raptured. Do not confuse the Saints that remain with these "righteous" Gentiles, not having the law or not having heard the gospel, who will be judged by a law unto themselves.

Romans 2:15-16 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. (KJB)

The Saints not raptured, being children of God, will appear before the Throne as described in Revelation 7, and will not be subject to the judgment of the law, the penalty for their sin and violation of the law having been paid by Christ at Calvary. These Saints, like all of the redeemed, will be judged as Christians according to their works while a child of God, by each giving an account of himself or herself to God.

Romans 14:10-12 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (KJB)

This will occur some hour after Christ returns to Earth with His Church. This appearance of the tribulation Saints before "God who sits upon the throne, and the Lamb" (Rev. 7:10b) is prophesied in Revelation 7:9-17 by John, as John was instructed. This instruction being recorded in Revelation 10:11.

Revelation 7:9-17 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; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 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, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 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. 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. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 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. (KJB)

Revelation 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. (KJB)

As a matter of interest, I am led to believe that Revelation 10 primarily concerns the rapture of the Church, with a part of the "mystery of God" (Rev. 10:7) being Paul's mystery of 1 Corinthians 15:51 .

THE MIGHTY ANGEL

The mighty angel, the archangel of 1 Thessalonians 4:16 , calls out the beginning of the end at rapture.

This angel may well even call the name of each Saint to be translated, which requires John to "again prophecy about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings" (Rev. 10:11), when the archangel fails to call the name of many Saints. (This mighty angel with attributes even of Christ, is NOT Christ as some theorize.) This required prophecy John makes, in part, in Revelation 7:9 , saying:

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; (KJB)

As pertaining to Revelation 10 and 11, I am persuaded that the trumpet call of the seventh angel (Rev 10:7 and Rev 11:15-19) sounds more than once.

It first is sounded on the day of rapture as the trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4:16. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:", the seventh trumpet of transit Israel. (But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be fulfilled, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.) Notice the similarity of Revelation 11:15, "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.", with the events that begin upon rapture--the beginning of the end "for REWARDING THY SERVANTS, the prophets AND SAINTS, for those who fear thy name, both small and great" (Rev. 11:18b), as also stated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 .

As a matter of fact, the seventh trumpet is the first to sound in actual time, when the heavens are opened to receive the raptured Saints, and then the trumpet of the seventh angel is the last to sound, being sounded in more than one day.

Revelation 10:7But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (KJB)

The words of the little scroll were first sweet to John, he learning that the Church would be translated and spared tribulation, but became bitter when he fully understood, learning that many Saints would fail to be prepared, would be pruned out of the Church, and left on Earth during the tribulation to come, concerning which Saints "from all peoples and nations and tongues and kings" he must again prophesy as coming out of the tribulation.

Revelation 10:8-11 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. (KJB)

As to what John heard from the call of the archangel (mighty angel) and seven thunders that he was told not to write down:

Revelation 10:4 ; "And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.", I am persuaded that it pertained to the day and hour and the time and events of rapture, that Christ spoke of in Matthew 24:36 ; "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."; the exact timetable of the Father and the exact events of the beginning of the end, possibly continuing on to the final sound of the seventh trumpet, as relate to the redeemed of Christ in Heaven and on Earth. Remember, John received his revelation many years after Christ ascended to be with the Father, and he was seeing all of the end times. As even Christ and the angels did not know the day and hour of rapture while Christ was on Earth, in Heaven with the Father He and God again became as one, and their elaborate plans (building of mansions (John 14:2 ) for the Saints raised and raptured to live in for seven years) had to be effectuated.

Revelation 10:5-7 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.(KJB)

THE ANGEL SWORE

Notice here that the mighty angel swore by God ("him who lives for ever and ever"). Christ, who is God (John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.), would not swear on Himself with His hand raised to heaven when He is in heaven and does not COME to Earth, as the mighty angel did, until His final entry into Jerusalem. (Christ commands from "in the air").

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. For the dead Saints to rise.

And then notice what the angel swore: "that there should be no more delay, but that IN THE DAYS OF THE TRUMPET CALL to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God, (Paul's mystery being a part of it,) as he announced to his servants, the prophets, should be fulfilled." When the seventh trumpet blows on the first day there can be no more delay, since the sound of that trumpet, to "start", begins the end times by the calling and rapture of the Church. Then follows the sounding of the trumpets of the next six angels during tribulation, concluded by the final sounding of the seventh trumpet, when the tribulation saints both dead and alive, shall be "raised imperishable" or "shall all be changed ... at the last trumpet".

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (KJB)

Of course, I do not know the day of rapture; no man on Earth does. It could be next year, tomorrow, today, or in the next century. I am led to believe that it will not occur until our Lord's disciples and Church fulfill their great commission. I am led to believe, however, that one way or another, that commission will be fulfilled soon, and rapture will follow immediately. That was the specific impression received by me upon my being led to begin this study, and that impression has been constantly renewed in my heart and mind at all times since.

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