unveiling the Rapture (part 8)

In the last essay (part 7) in this series, I mentioned something which I called the "Cosmic Sign," which appears, in Scripture, in connection with opening the Sixth Seal.  That "sign," which consists of the several elements above listed, is highly significant in Scripture; for, it serves as a kind of "golden key" which is needful in order to unlock certain mysteries of Bible prophecy.

In this essay, I want to elaborate upon the significance of that Cosmic Sign.  Here is the text which shows the Cosmic Sign in connection with opening the Sixth Seal:

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; 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.  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."  (Rev. 6:12-14)

Following, are several other places in Scripture where the Cosmic Sign appears:

"Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.  Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: and they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.  And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.  I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.  Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger."  (Isaiah 13:6-13)

Note, that all of the elements of the Cosmic Sign are present at the same time ~ that is, at the onset of the "day of the LORD" (the so-called "Tribulation").

Here are some passage of Scripture, in Joel, showing the Cosmic Sign:

"And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come."  (Joel 2:30-31) 

"..the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.  The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.  The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake..."  (Joel 3:14b-16a)

In the first passage, above, some of the elements of the Cosmic Sign are explicitly mentioned; whereas, those elements of the Cosmic Sign which are not explicitly identified, are at least alluded to (the shaking of heaven and of earth).  In the second passage, above, all of the elements of the Cosmic Sign are explicitly identified.  In both passages, those events are shown to occur in connection with the advent (beginning) of the day of the LORD.

In every Scripture reference thus far, where the Cosmic Sign has been identified, we consistently find that the Cosmic Sign appears in conjunction with the onset of the day of the Lord (the Tribulation).  Importantly, the first such Scripture reference also explicitly shows that the Cosmic Sign appears in connection with opening the Sixth Seal, that is to say, at the same time as the Rapture of the Church (as I discussed in part 7 of this series).  That is compelling evidence in support of the pre-Tribulation view of the Rapture.  But it is furthermore instructive, for understanding hidden mysteries involving the role of the saints during the Tribulation (which I will shortly return to discuss).

Knowing that the Cosmic Sign appears at the beginning of the day of the Lord (and not in the midst of that, nor yet at the end), is invaluable for rightly interpreting the meaning of the following passage of Scripture in Matthew 24:29-31 ~

"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..."

Above, we see that the Cosmic Sign appears AFTER "the tribulation of those days."  Use of the word "tribulation," in that passage, has led many to assume that all of the events discussed in the preceding verses of Matthew 24 (i.e., verses 4-14), describe events during the so-called "Tribulation" (with a capital 'T') ~ otherwise known as the day of the Lord.  But that assumption is wrong.  For, in the first place, I have proved by the Scriptures (above, in this post) that the Cosmic Sign appears immediately PRIOR TO the day of the Lord; and, in the second place, I have also shown that the verses in Matthew 24:4-14 correspond to the first five of the Seven Seals.  Furthermore, I have also shown, above, that the Cosmic Sign appears in conjunction with opening the Sixth Seal.  THEREFORE, we must understand that the phrase, "..after the tribulation of those days," (in Matthew 24:29) is NOT a reference to "The Tribulation" but, rather, it is a reference to the suffering ("tribulation") of the saints of God during the days of the first five Seals.  "The tribulation of those days" is therefore a reference to THESE days that we are now living in.  

Identification of the Cosmic Sign ~ and knowing the association of that with the opening of the Sixth Seal, is therefore critically important for rightly interpreting a number of otherwise very difficult portions of Scripture involving Bible prophecy related to the timing of the Rapture.  It is also important for rightly interpreting certain enigmatic portions of Scripture which reveal the role of the then-glorified saints, during the soon-coming day of the Lord (the Tribulation); as follows:

"...the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.  They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.  The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: and the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?"  (Joel 2:1b-11)

The segment, above, in  red letters with blue highlight , is the Cosmic Sign ~ which occurs in connection with the Rapture of the Church!  Therefore, the great "army" of the LORD, which is described in great detail, above, is none other than the then-glorified (Raptured) saints of God.  Contrary (once again) to mainstream prophecy teaching, the Raptured saints shall not be absent from the earth during the seven-year Tribulation.  But the glorified saints of God shall be the ones carrying out the judgments of God during that time period, that is, during the day of the LORD.  Here is yet another proof text showing that is the case:

"Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.  Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints."  (Psalm 149:5-9)

Oh, Church! do you not see what God is trying to show you is coming?  The Rapture of the Church is at the door: the saints of God (who are faithful, sanctified, and looking for Christ's coming) shall then be glorified, exalted, and thus endowed with divine power ~ not to sit on a river bank with a harp, but equipped (and greatly honored of God) to carry out God's judgments during the Tribulation!!

Do you not also see how impoverished, and how perverse, is the mainstream system of so-called Bible prophecy teaching?  It is wrong at so very many points; it confuses and, so, it obfuscates the truth; it substitutes dangerous, damnable falsehoods in place of soul-saving truth.  It makes interpreting Scripture so difficult, in fact, that many Christians believe it is not even possible to rightly and confidently interpret the Word of God, where that involves unfulfilled prophecy.  How can it be supposed that such a corrupt system of teaching ~ which pervades multitudes of the apostate churches, is nevertheless a valid system of Biblical interpretation?  Is it mere coincidence that those who teach that corrupt mainstream system are the ones who have access to various forms of mass media, while other Bible expositors are largely shut out not only from those mass media outlets but, also, from the churches?  Or might it be possible that both that perverse system, together with many well-known advocates and teachers of that system, are part (even if unwittingly) of a Satanic effort by all means to conceal the truth of God's Word?