The Adoption Part 2

The One New Man

As mentioned before, many people consider the one new man as the church and the church as the one new man. They see no difference, therefore they are not going to see a rapture before the tribulation, they are only going to see the church going through the tribulation and being resurrected at the last day.

The church was in place before the one new man was given and he will be taken out of the way and the church will resume through the tribulation. The one new man was inserted into the church so God could save the Gentiles with the new covenant salvation.

But in order to see this, we first have to show when the one new man was given. After we see when the one new man was given, then we can clearly see when he is taken out of the way.

Once again:

IF YOU CANNOT SEE WHEN THE ONE NEW MAN WAS GIVEN, THEN YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE WHEN HE IS TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY.

In Matthew 10 it says,

“5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Question:

Why did Jesus tell them to not go to the Gentiles?

Because he is offering them the new covenant and the new covenant was promised to the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not the Gentiles.

So the Lord is offering the Jews the new covenant and this new covenant is for Israel only. He said he was going to build his church, this church is Jew only.

This church started in the 483rd year of the 69th week of Daniel’s prophecy and will continue through the 70th week and once again it is Jew only.

Before we go any farther we need to read a couple of articles real quick to give us some background on the new covenant church so we can compare it to the one new man.

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/AdvancedSeriesDoc/Israel%27sNewCovenant.htm

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/thenewcovenantchurch.html

In order to see when the one new man was given we have to cover a topic that I refer to as:

The So-Called Great Commission

Many people take verses from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and claim that the 12 apostles were supposed to go to the Gentiles. This is not true. The new covenant was made for Israel and Israel only, Jeremiah is very clear about this. But here is what happens, people will take these verses in Matthew 28, which say,

“19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

…and claim that the 12 apostles were supposed to go to the Gentiles. They will take the part of verse 19 which says,

“…and teach all nations…”

and use it to claim the apostles were to go to the Gentiles also.

Why do they do this? So they can claim that the new covenant was promised to the Gentiles also which it was not.

I’m a Gentile. I was not partaker with the promises given to Israel and never claim that I was. The only way I can be a partaker with Israel is through the one new man just as Paul says.

The new covenant and the promise of the salvation that goes with the new covenant was promised to only Israel. In Isaiah 46 it says,

“12 Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:

13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.”

Question:

Where will the Lord place salvation and who will it be for?

“…and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.”

Question:

Did Jesus know this scripture?

Of course he did! In John 4 Jesus said,

“21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.”

Question:

Who did salvation belong to?

Israel.

This is why Jesus told them to not go to the Gentiles. They were offering the new covenant salvation unto the Jews whom it was promised to. The new covenant salvation was not promised to the Gentiles. The only way that the uncircumcised Gentiles could become partaker with the Jews is through the one new man just as Paul said.

Now let’s take Matthew 28:20 again,

“20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

The apostles were to teach all things that the Lord commanded them. Well, what did he command them? In Matthew 10 it says,

“5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and COMMANDED them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

What did Jesus command them? Don’t go to the Gentiles! Jesus was very clear about this.

Why did he command them to not go to the Gentiles? Because Israel is being offered their new covenant which was not promised to the Gentiles, that’s why.

The reason he told them to go to all nations in verse 19 is because that is where the Jews were scattered. In Deuteronomy 28 it says,

“64 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

65 And AMONG THESE NATIONS shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:”

Israel was scattered among the nations. This is why the Lord instructed the apostles to go to all nations so that they could reach the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In Acts 1 it says,

“8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Here the Lord instructs the apostle where to start and where to go to preach the gospel to the Jews. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Gentiles, as you will shortly see. Another verse that is used to preach the so-called great commission is out of Mark 16, which says,

“15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Lot’s of people take this part of the verse where it says, “…every creature” and say that this is referring to the Gentiles.

Not so.

Let me demonstrate. In 1st Timothy 4 it says,

“4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:”

So here in first Timothy it talks about “every creature” that we are allowed to eat any creature that we want to.

Now are we supposed to go and preach the gospel to every cow, dog, bird, insect and fish? Of course not! God is referring to some SPECIFIC CREATURES. And he already told the apostle who those specific creatures are: the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The Lord wanted the apostles to go into all nations, seek out the Jews and preach the gospel to every one of them.

1. He commanded the apostles to not go to the Gentiles. This was very clear in several passages.

2. The Lord is offering the new covenant unto the nation of Israel, which was promised to them and prophesied by Jeremiah the prophet. God did not promise the new covenant unto the Gentiles.

3. The Lord NEVER told the 12 apostles to go to the Gentiles. The Lord sent Peter to Cornelius who was a Gentile, but he never sent them to the Gentiles.

4. After the cross, the apostles went just to the Jews just as they were told.

The 12 apostles NEVER HAD ANY INTENTIONS to ever go to the Gentiles. They were going to the Jews and the Jews only. In Acts 5 Peter said,

“32 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”

Peter and the apostles were teaching that the Lord was giving repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

When Stephen was stoned in Acts 7, Jesus stood up and judged the nation of Israel in unbelief and they fell and turned right back around and called the apostle Paul in Acts 9 and told him that he was going to send him to the Gentiles.

God officially opened the door to the Gentiles by giving the one new man.

Peter knew nothing of this and had no intentions of going to the Gentiles. Then the Lord had to show Peter that he opened the door unto the Gentiles by giving him the vision of the great sheet in Acts 10 and sending him to Cornelius who was an uncircumcised Gentile.

When the Lord told Peter to go down to Cornelius’ house and when Peter got there he said,

“28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.”

Peter knew it was an unlawful thing for him to go to one of another nation. Now let’s compare what he said in Acts 10:28 to Matthew 28:19 which says,

“19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Now in this verse it says to teach all nations but Peter told Cornelius that he wasn’t supposed to go unto one of another nation.

Was Peter disobeying the Lord?

NO WAY! Peter was doing exactly what he was told to do, go to Israel only. It was not until he got the vision in Acts 10 did the Lord show him that he opened the door to the Gentiles.

One of the things that many people overlook is what Peter said to Cornelius. In verse 29 it says,

“29 Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me?”

Did Peter have any intentions of preaching them the gospel? No. He asked them what they called him for. Peter knew that salvation belonged to Israel but the vision that God gave him showed him otherwise.

As we continue with Cornelius it says,

“44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Why were the Jews astonished?

Because that the Holy Ghost was poured out upon the Gentiles also! This was not supposed to happen. If Peter and the Jews knew that the Gentiles were going to get the Holy Spirit, it would not have astonished them, but it did astonish them because they knew absolutely nothing about God saving the uncircumcised Gentiles and giving them the Holy Spirit.

SOMETHING CHANGED!

Now these next few passages of scripture are extremely important. In Acts 11 Peter goes back to the apostles and they hassled him for going to uncircumcised Gentiles. Starting in verse 1 it says,

“1 And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,

3 Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.”

Why did the apostles hassle Peter about this ordeal? Because they knew that salvation was for Israel and they also knew that they were not supposed to go to the Gentiles.

But Peter told them what happened with the vision of the great sheet and he said,

“17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

Now watch this next verse, it is of utmost importance,

“18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”

Question:

When did the apostles realize that God was giving repentance unto life unto the Gentiles?

Right here in Acts chapter 11.

Question:

Did the apostles have any intentions before Acts 11 to go to the Gentiles?

NO!

They had no intentions whatsoever to go to the Gentiles. They were sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Peter and the apostles NEVER had any intentions of going to the Gentiles. It wasn’t until Peter received the vision of the great sheet and the Lord told him to go unto Cornelius before Peter ever thought of going to the Gentiles.

Even after Peter and Paul met in Jerusalem in Acts 15 they decided that Peter and the apostles would not be going to the Gentiles and they never did.

But the Lord had to show Peter that he opened the door unto the Gentiles or Peter and Paul would have been at each others throats their entire ministries, and the Lord did so by giving Peter the vision of the great sheet and sending him to Cornelius who was an uncircumcised Gentile.

So when did God open the door unto the Gentiles? Was it at the cross? No. The parable in Luke 13 tells us he would give them this year also.

The door was opened unto the Gentiles when the Jews fell. They were judged in unbelief by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, when he stood up in Acts 7. In Romans 11 Paul says,

“11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.”

Israel had to fall first before salvation could come unto the Gentiles. This did not happen at the cross. Even after the cross and the Holy Spirit was given God was still dealing with the nation of Israel until they stoned Stephen and Jesus stood up and judged them.

In Romans 11 it says,

“30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.”

Question:

When did God conclude them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all?

When Jesus stood up in Acts 7. In Isaiah 3 it says,

“13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.”

There are only 2 reasons the Lord stands, and he was not pleading with Israel anymore, he was judging them in unbelief. God came to his conclusion of Israel being in unbelief and Israel fell and God opened the door unto the Gentiles.

At this time God broke off the natural branches of the good olive tree (except for the remnant) and grafted in the branches of the wild olive tree so that they could obtain the new covenant salvation also.

The uncircumcised Gentiles could not be partakers with Israel in their new covenant, but God had a plan that he would fulfill and he gave the one new man so that he could join both Jew and Gentile into one body.

God calls the time that he is doing this for the Gentiles, “the dispensation of grace given to the Gentiles”. In Ephesians 3 it says,

“1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:”

The apostle Paul clearly tells us that the dispensation of grace was given to him to give to the Gentiles. It was not given to Peter, James, John or any of the other apostles.

By the way, Paul did not get saved until Acts 9 so the dispensation of grace could not have been given to him before that.

During this dispensation of grace God gave something he calls, “the one new man.” This one new man is what makes it possible for the Gentiles to be fellowheirs with the Jews in the church. Once again, in Ephesians 2 Paul said,

“11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain ONE NEW MAN, so making peace;

16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

The dispensation of grace and the one new man go hand in hand. This is also what caused Daniel’s prophecy to stop. God judged Israel in unbelief, they were blinded, fell and became Loammi (not my people) and the prophecy clock stopped and will not be started again until Israel becomes God’s people once again.

This will happen when the dispensation of grace given to the Gentiles is over. Paul calls this the fullness of the Gentiles in Romans 11.

When the one new man was given, the prophecy of the 70 weeks stopped and when the one new man is taken out of the way the prophecy will resume. The prophecy cannot resume until the one new man is taken out of the way and the dispensation of grace given to the Gentiles is over.

Now once again, let’s take quick look at the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniels prophecy without the separation.

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/TimechartNCChurch.jpg

Now let’s look at it with the separation:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/TimechartOneNewMan.jpg

Now here is some big questions for you:

What caused the separation between Daniel’s 69th and 70th weeks?

The dispensation of grace that was given to Paul to give to the Gentiles, when was it given, when will it stop, and what is its purpose?

When was the majority of Israel broken off of the good olive tree and when will they be grafted back in?

When were the Gentiles grafted into the good olive tree and when will they be cut off?

When did Israel become Loammi not my people and when will they become God’s people once again?

All these things must be taken into consideration before you can see the adoption of the one new man.

Now before we get into the nitty gritty of the actual scriptures that pertain to the adoption (rapture) there are a few scriptures that I need to cover with you. In Jude it says,

“22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:

23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

What is Jude talking about here when he says, “pulling them out of the fire”?

He’s talking about winning souls to Christ.

Everyone has the fire waiting for them. You are not born saved. Let’s say you have a person that goes through their life and they never receive Christ as their Saviour. What happens to them when they die? They go into the fire, they go to hell. You cannot be saved without a Saviour. Let’s look at this chart:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/PulledOut.jpg

This chart shows the beginning of someone’s life and the end of someone’s life. At the end of their life they have the fire waiting for them, but if they trust Christ as their Saviour before their life ends, they get pulled out of the fire. This is what Jude is talking about. Once again,

“23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

Question:

Were you pulled out of the fire?

If you trusted Christ as your Saviour you were pulled out of the fire.

Next question:

Were you ever in the fire?

NO! Even though you actually never made it to the fire the expression the Lord uses is that you were pulled out of the fire because that is where you were headed. This is not a trick question, the Lord just words it this way.

So you were pulled out of the fire even though you were never actually in the fire.

So if you have a group of people that are saved is it OK to say, “These are they which came out of the fire, these are they which were pulled out of the fire?”

Well, if they were pulled out of the fire sure it’s OK to say that and it makes perfect sense.

Now here is another situation, we are headed towards the tribulation. There is absolutely nothing we can do to stop it. Daniel’s 70th week is headed our way and we will go through the tribulation – unless we are pulled out of it.

In Daniel 11 it says,

“27 And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.

35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.”

So the end will be at the time appointed and there is absolutely nothing we can do to stop it. The time has already been appointed.

So whoever is alive at the time appointed will go through the tribulation period unless they are taken out of the way.

The tribulation is headed toward our way or we are headed towards the tribulation, whichever way you prefer to look at it. The only way to miss out on going through the tribulation is to die or the Lord pull us out.

Now there are several things that proceed the 70th week that we need to discuss. In Revelation 1 the Lord told John,

“11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”

These seven churches already existed. John wrote the book of Revelation and sent it to them. In Revelation 1 again the Lord told John,

“19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”

So the Lord told John to write the things which he had seen (the past - chapter 1), the things which are, (the present - chapter 2 & 3), and the things which must be hereafter (the future – starting in chapter 4).

So the whole book of Revelation is not future events. The future events do not start until chapter 4:1, which says,

“1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”

So here in this verse, John starts to see future stuff. Now as we go into chapter 4 John is now looking in heaven. Let’s look at what he sees. Starting in verse 2 it says,

“2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”

Now let’s move on to chapter 5.

“5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;”

So here in chapter 4 and 5 John is looking up into heaven and he sees:

The throne and him which sits upon the throne.
The 24 elders.
The four beasts.
The Lamb of God.
The angels.

Now let’s put this on a chart so that we can get a visual aid:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/John'sView1.jpg

Question: Where is John looking? In heaven. Is he looking upon the earth? No, he is looking up in heaven.

Please notice that the 70th week has not started yet. Chapters 4 & 5 are the preparation to start the 70th week, the seals are not opened until chapter 6, so let’s look at verse 1.

“1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”

Now the 70th week has started and the seals are opened upon the earth. The beast told John, “Come and see.”

Question: Where is John looking now? He is looking upon the earth just as the first seal is being opened. Is he looking up in heaven? No, he is looking upon the earth. Let’s look at this chart:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/John'sView2.jpg

John now has his eyes upon the earth. He is not looking in heaven anymore for the time being.

After the 6th seal is opened, in chapter 7 it says,

“1 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.”

Question: So where is John looking now? He is still looking upon the earth and sees the four angels holding the four winds and he also sees the 144,000 being sealed in verses 3-8.

But starting in verse 9, John looks back into heaven:

“9 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;

10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

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,

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.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

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.”

So from the opening of the first seal to the end of the sixth seal John is looking upon the earth and after the sixth seal is opened he looks back into heaven and sees this great multitude standing before the throne.

Question:

Did John see this great multitude go into heaven?

NO!

John was looking away towards the earth when this great multitude went into heaven. John did not see them enter into heaven.

Before the first seal was opened this great multitude was not in heaven but after the sixth seal was opened and before the seventh seal was opened John looks back into heaven and this great multitude is before the throne that was not there before. Now let’s look at this chart:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/John'sView3.jpg

This chart shows us John looking into heaven after the sixth seal is opened and before the seventh seal is opened and he now sees the great multitude there which was not there before.

John did not see this great multitude go into heaven but we can clearly see that they went up there between the time John took his eyes off of heaven and put them looking towards the earth and then looked back again up in heaven. They went up there when John wasn’t looking in heaven which was the between the opening of the first seal and before the opening of the seventh seal.

Question: Did this great multitude go through the great tribulation?

NO! They came out of great tribulation. They clearly did not even make it through to the midway point of the 70th week. They went into heaven sometime between the first and seventh seals.

Many people take this verse, which says,

“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.”

…and they say, “ these people WENT THROUGH the great tribulation.”

But that is not what the scripture says, let’s read it again,

“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.”

There is a big, big difference between the people that GO THROUGH the great tribulation and those that CAME OUT OF great tribulation.

As we mentioned before, the tribulation is headed our way whether we like it or not. And we will GO THROUGH the tribulation if we are not taken OUT OF the tribulation.

Let’s look at this chart:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/CameOut.jpg

Here we see both, people going through the tribulation and people that came out of tribulation. But some will say, “You have to actually go THROUGH the tribulation before you can COME OUT OF tribulation.”

Are you sure?

Did you actually go through the fire before you were pulled out of the fire?

NO!

You came out of the fire before you actually went through the fire just as this great multitude will come out of the tribulation before they actually go through the tribulation.

Play on words? Not hardly. This great multitude will never see the abomination of desolation, which doesn’t take place until Revelation 13 when the antichrist comes into power.

If you consider the 2nd half of the 70th week the GREAT tribulation, the great multitude never makes it that far. Let’s look at this chart:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/TribChart.jpg

Here we see Daniel’s 70th week laid out before us and the purple section on the left represents the possible time that the great multitude went into heaven between the first and seventh seals.

At the earliest it was at the opening of the first seal when John took his eyes off of heaven and put them towards the earth, at the latest it was after the sixth seal was opened and before the seventh seal was opened.

I personally believe that it was at the earliest time at the opening of the first seal at the start of the 70th week, which I will go into more detail shortly.

So when the elder tells John,

… These are they which came out of great tribulation…

the elder is not telling John that they went through the tribulation but rather that they came out of it. There is a big difference.

So here is the big question:

So who is this great multitude?

In order to answer this, we have to see who they are not. We will use the process of elimination to see who they are.

Are they the 144,000?

No. In verse 9 it says,

“9 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;”

This great multitude cannot be numbered by man plus they come from all nations and kindreds and people and tongues so we know that it is not just Jews as the 144,000 will be. So it is not the 144,000.

Are they the church?

No. The church will go through the tribulation and be raised again on the last day just as we stated previously. They will see the abomination of desolation, they will flee to the mountains, they will see the coming of the Lord in the clouds, and their souls will be redeemed at the 2nd coming and have their sins completely blotted out. This is their new covenant.

Are they the people in Abraham’s bosom?

No. Once again, the people in Abraham’s Bosom will be raised the last day and they will be resurrected to the earth and given bodies of flesh and bone as told by the prophets. They will not receive glorified bodies and go into heaven. They were promised a resurrection to the earth.

Is it the people in hell?

No. I know it’s a silly question but I had to ask.

Is it the people in death?

No. Those souls will not be resurrected until after the 1000 year reign.

Is it the people in the sea?

No. Once again they will not be resurrected until after the 1000 year reign of Christ.

OK. It’s not any of these, so who is left?

It is the one new man that was made to save the Gentiles and join the Jews and Gentiles together into one body commonly referred to as the body of Christ. Let's look at this chart.

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/Resurrections.jpg

This chart shows us the various resurrections and the adoption of the one new man. You will also notice that the one new man returns with the Lord at the second coming which matches 1st Thessalonians 3 which says,

"12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints."

Which matches Zechariah 14 which says,

"5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee."

The saints that are in heaven with the Lord will return with him which matches what Paul said in Ephesians 1 which says,

"10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:"

The chart also shows the resurrection of the church and Abraham's Bosom are one in the same.

Now let’s test all this.

Once again in verse 9 it says,

“9 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;”

Question:

How long has the one new man been here? Going on 2000 years. How many people do you think can be saved in a 2000 year period, souls being led to the Lord every day for 2000 years? More than you can count?

With 365 days in a year times 2000 years it would give us a total of 730,000 days. If only 100 souls were saved per day that would be 73,000,000 souls saved during the dispensation of grace and that is with just 100 souls being saved per day around the world.

Would the one new man qualify for “…which no man could number…”? Sure, no problem.

In this same verse it says,

“…of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues…”

Does the one new man qualify for this?

Yes, the one new man consists of Jews and Gentiles from all around the world.

In this same verse it says,

“…stood before the throne…”

Question:

Can flesh and blood inherit the kingdom of God? Can flesh and blood go into heaven?

No. Their bodies will have to be changed. Will the one new man get their bodies changed? YES! In 1st Corinthians 15 Paul said,

“52 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.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Also in Philippians 3 it says,

“21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

The one new man qualifies to be the great multitude for the one new man will receive new immortal, glorified bodies that can go into heaven.

Some people say, “Well the church gets heavenly bodies also” and they use 1st John 3, which says,

“2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

This verse never states that they will receive a glorified body as Paul says the one new man will but rather, “…we will be like him…” When Jesus comes back the new covenant will go into effect and he will put his laws into their hearts just as Jeremiah said in chapter 31,

“33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Jeremiah said he was going to change their hearts, not their bodies. They will not be going into heaven, therefore a new glorified body is not required.

Back to Revelation 7 it says,

“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.”

So this great multitude washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

How do you do that?

How about trusting Jesus Christ as your Saviour believing he died and paid for your sins at Calvary. Will that work?

The members of the one new man, washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb by trusting Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Once again, the one new man qualifies to be the great multitude.

Now let’s get even deeper into the scriptures. In Acts 13 Paul says,

“47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”

Paul quotes this verse out of Isaiah 49 and refers it to himself. In Isaiah 49, the prophet is prophesying about the apostle Paul.

Paul takes this scripture out of Isaiah and uses it for himself. In Isaiah 49 it says,

“6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”

Not only was the mystery hid in the old testament scriptures but the chosen one to teach the mystery was hid in the old testament scriptures also. Let’s start back over in Isaiah 49:1.

“1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.

5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.

6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.”

In verse 1 it says,

“1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.”

Now let’s go to Galatians 1,

“15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,

16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:”

Paul was called from the womb to be the Lord’s servant. The Lord knew that Paul was going to be the apostle of the Gentiles from the get go.

Back in Isaiah 49:4 it says,

“4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.”

Now to Philippians 3,

“4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”

All the things that Paul labored for in his past where he might trust in the flesh, he counts them for loss and counts them as dung, in other words he labored in vain.

Back to Isaiah 49,

“5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.”

In Romans 1 it says,

“16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

In chapter 11 it says,

“7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded”

Paul was sent to the house of Israel first to bring Jacob again unto him, but because they were blinded, Israel was not gathered except for the elect, the preserved of Israel, as this next verse indicates.

Back to Isaiah 49,

“7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.”

In Acts 9 it says,

“15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:”

In Acts 22 it says,

“14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.”

The apostle Paul was the chosen vessel to do the Lord’s work and reveal the mystery and Paul stood before kings just as Isaiah prophesied in chapter 49 and the Lord prophesied in Acts 9 and Paul was definitely despised and abhorred by the nation of Israel.So not only was the mystery revealed in the old testament scriptures, but the apostle Paul, the chosen one to reveal the mystery, was prophesied about before he was ever born.

So what we have is Isaiah prophesied about the apostle Paul and the people he would lead to Christ.

Now what I am about to show you is very important. We have seen that the one new man qualifies to be the great multitude and we see that Isaiah prophesied about the apostle Paul. So what we are about to do is tie in the apostle Paul, the one new man, the prophesy of Isaiah about Paul and the people he taught and the great multitude of Revelation 7.

As we continue in Isaiah 49 the prophet is still referring to the chosen one which is the apostle Paul, it says,

“8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.”

So Isaiah tells us about the people that were saved during Paul’s ministry of the mystery. Now let’s compare this to the great multitude. In Revelation 7 it says,

“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.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

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.”

Now let’s put these scripture together and see the things that match.

1. Hunger and thirst no more.
2. The sun nor heat shall smite them.
3. Shall lead them to fountains or springs of waters.

We could also probably pick out a few other things but these three things clearly stand out. So Isaiah prophesies about Paul, Paul uses a verse in Isaiah to describe himself, Isaiah tells us about the people Paul preached to and it matches the great multitude in Revelation 7.

Coincidence? Not hardly. The great multitude is the one new man.

Now let’s give a rundown and compare the one new man with the great multitude.

1. The one new man and the great multitude go into heaven.
2. The one new man and the great multitude receive glorified bodies that can enter into heaven.
3. The one new man and the great multitude consists of many people, which no man can number.
4. The one new man and the great multitude consists of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,
5. The one new man and the great multitude have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
6. The one new man and the great multitude will hunger or thirst no more.
7. The one new man and the great multitude will not have the sun or heat smite them.
8. The one new man and the great multitude will be led to (living) fountains or springs of waters.

But many people will say, “The great multitude is not the one new man because it is not in Paul’s epistles!”

Does it have to be? Is God limited to telling us about the one new man in Paul’s epistles?

Why is it that Paul can talk about people outside of the one new man but people outside of the one new man cannot? For instance, in Romans 2 it says,

“6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

Here in these verses the apostle Paul is talking about people in time past that were under the law. He is not referring to the one new man. And in Romans 11 he says,

“26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”

Here in these verses the apostle Paul is not referring to the one new man but rather the church, which consists of Jew only and will not be redeemed until the 2nd coming of Christ.

So in Paul’s epistles, Paul refers to people that were under the law and also refers to the church having their souls redeemed and sins permanently forgiven at the 2nd coming and he also refers to the one new man.

So what is the big deal of people outside of the one new man talking about the one new man? Did not Isaiah prophesy of the apostle Paul and the people that were saved during the ministry that was given to him?

In Revelation 7 it says,

“13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

And John replied,

“…Sir, thou knowest.”

In other words, John did not know. John knew it wasn’t the church for the church will be resurrected to the earth. If John knew it was the church he would have said so. John was not very familiar with the teachings of the apostle Paul as neither was Peter. In 2nd Peter 3 it says,

“15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

There were some things that Paul was teaching that Peter and the rest of the apostles were not familiar with.

Now let’s look at this from another view point. Let’s say that the great multitude is not the one new man. Then here is the big question:

Then who are they?

For the people that believe in a pre-tribulation rapture but do not believe the great multitude is the one new man, here is the problem:

You have to believe that there are two separate groups in heaven during the tribulation that have the same qualifications as stated previously. You have to believe that there are two separate groups in heaven that:

1. Go into heaven.
2. Receive glorified bodies that can enter into heaven.
3. Consists of many people, which no man can number.
4. Consists of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,
5. Have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
6. Will hunger or thirst no more.
7. Will not have the sun or heat smite them.
8. Will be led to (living) fountains or springs of waters.

You want to claim that the one new man goes into heaven but you do not want to claim that the great multitude is the one new man. You simply have to teach two separate groups ascended into heaven and you will never be able to explain who the great multitude is.

The great multitude going into heaven is a MAJOR event. It is nothing to sneeze at, or shove to the side or put on the back burner. Isn’t it time to find out who they are?

Now for those of you that teach a post-tribulation rapture here’s a question for you:

Who are the great multitude that ascended into heaven between the first seal and the seventh seal?

You cannot say it is the church because you teach the church will not be resurrected until the 2nd coming.

But if you say that the great multitude goes through the tribulation then you have to say they are the church. If you teach that the church goes through the 70th week of Daniel then those that “wash their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” must be in the church.

You want to teach that there is no pre-tribulation rapture but yet you see this great multitude go into heaven at the very beginning of the 70th week. You do not want to claim they are the church, but they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Then who are they?

Once again, in order to see when the one new man is taken out of the way you first have to see when the one new man is given. If you cannot see when the one new man is given then it is impossible to see when he is taken out of the way.

Now let’s move on to the next step. We have talked about the church and how the church will go through the 70th week and be resurrected at the 2nd coming. We have also discussed when the one new man was given and when he will be taken out of the way. We have also talked about the great multitude and when they will go into heaven.

Now taking all of these things into consideration let’s get into 2nd Thessalonians. In chapter 2, I want to show you three separate events that take place, but let’s start in verse 1, which says,

“1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”

So we are going to take verses 7 & 8 and look at these three events in their order:

1. … until he be taken out of the way.
2. And then shall that Wicked be revealed
3. …and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”

The first event is something called “he” will be taken out of the way.

The second event is the Wicked shall be revealed.

The third event is the coming of the Lord.

The second two are fairly straightforward. The Wicked is the Antichrist and the coming is the 2nd coming of Christ.

Now the problem event is the “he be taken out of the way”. So who or what is the “he”?

Is the “he” the church?

NO WAY! There are too many scriptures that show us that the church will go through the tribulation. The church will go all the way to the 2nd coming of Christ.

Is the “he” the Holy Spirit?

Nope. The Holy Spirit will be alive and well on the earth dwelling in the souls of the members of the church, the two witnesses and the 144,000 Jews that will be sealed.

Is it the One New Man?

Yes it is. The one new man is the “he” in the verse,

“7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”

The “he” (the one new man), will be taken out of the way so the prophecy can continue. The antichrist cannot be revealed until the one new man is taken out of the way.

The one new man along with the dispensation of grace is what separates the prophecy of Daniel’s 70 weeks between the 69th week and the 70th week. The 70th week cannot resume until the one new man is taken out of the way.

Once again let’s look at this chart:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/TimechartOneNewMan.jpg

This chart clearly shows the separation of the 69th and 70th weeks by the one new man and the dispensation of grace. Now let’s kind of zoom in to the 70th week with this chart:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/TribChart.jpg

Here we see at the beginning of the 70th week that the great multitude, which is the one new man, going up into heaven at the beginning of the 484th week of Daniel’s prophecy which is commonly referred to as the rapture. Paul calls it the adoption.

When trying to pinpoint the ascending of the great multitude into heaven we have the option in the book of Revelation anywhere between the opening of the first seal to before the opening of the seventh seal.

If you take into consideration the one new man, Daniel’s seventy weeks, the blinding of Israel and them becoming Loammi, the fullness of the Gentiles, the breaking off of the wild olive branches and grafting in the natural olive branches, the “he” being taken out of the way before the antichrist can be revealed, the ending of the dispensation of grace given to the Gentiles and several other things, it leads me to see that the great multitude went up into heaven at the opening of the first seal just as John took his eyes off of heaven and put them on the earth.

The 70th week cannot start up while Israel is blinded. In fact, Israel being blinded is what stopped the prophecy. Israel will be blinded until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in which takes place when the dispensation of grace given to the Gentiles is over and the one new man (the great multitude) ascends into heaven.

Just as when the one new man was inserted into the church and the prophecy stopped, the one new man will be taken out of the church and the prophecy will resume. Check out this animation:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/Animations/Acts_9_640X360QTpjpeg.mov

This animation will give you a good idea of how the one new man was inserted into the church and also about the good and wild olive trees of Romans 11.

If you have the time, you can also watch this video and it will also help give an understanding of the one new man being inserted into the church:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/video/HouseofGod/

Now let’s get back to 2nd Thessalonians 2, in verse 1 it says,

“1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,”

Question:

How many events do you see in verse 1?

If you believe the church and the one new man are the same and you believe the church will go through the 70th week, then more than likely you only see one event, and you believe the 2nd coming and our gathering together unto him is the same event.

But if you see the one new man being inserted into the church and the one new man being taken out of the church at the beginning of the 70th week before the antichrist is revealed then more than likely you see two events, and you believe the 2nd coming and our gathering together unto him are two separate events.

I see two.

Now let’s look at a couple of charts. On this first chart, this is a typical view taken by preachers that take the pre-trib rapture view such as myself:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/Event1.jpg

As you can see, the gathering together unto him and the he being taken out of the way is the same event, then there is the revealing of the antichrist, then the second coming of Christ.

On this next chart, it shows the typical view of someone who believes that the rapture and the second coming are the same event:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/Event2.jpg

The problem with this is they have a hard time explaining who the “he” is that is taken out of the way.

But there are also some that take a view that the rapture will take place before the second coming but towards the end of the 70th week such as this chart indicates:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/Event3.jpg

I’ve been through this teaching before and it makes no sense to me whatsoever. There are many, many unanswered questions.

If you noticed throughout this study that I did not use the “we are not appointed to wrath,” teaching. To me that teaching is very weak and does not prove the adoption at the beginning of the 70th week.

So what we have done here is do a thorough teaching on the adoption of the one new man commonly know as the rapture and also the resurrection of the church and compared the two.

Now here is a challenge for you to ask yourself these questions and answer them to the best of your ability. It will give you something to think about.

When was the dispensation of grace given?
When will the dispensation of grace end?
What is the purpose of the dispensation of grace?
What caused the split between Daniel’s 69th and 70th weeks?
When was Israel broken off of the good olive tree?
When will Israel be grafted back into the good olive tree?
Who is the “he” of 2nd Thessalonians 2:7?
Who is the great multitude of Revelation 7?
When was the one new man of Ephesians 2 given?
What is the one new man’s purpose?
When will the one new man be taken out of the way?
What is the adoption?
When is the resurrection of the church?

Thank you for your patience in reading this article. I realize it’s kind of long but I felt it was necessary to get a clear understanding of the difference between the adoption of the one new man and the resurrection of the church.

Speculation

Now just for the fun of it, for those of you that wish to continue reading, here is a little bit of speculation of what to look for when the adoption is about to take place. Once again this is just speculation, just a guess, so don’t hold me to it. Being a bible teacher I usually do not speculate on things, but when I do, I make sure that everyone knows that it is just a guess and not a teaching. Like I said, it’s just for fun.

Many people say that you will never know when the rapture is about to take place, but I believe differently. I believe it is going to happen at the time God has already appointed. I do not believe it will happen at any random time. In Hebrews 10 it says,

“25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

There will be saints out there that will be able to see the day approaching. I for one, along with many others, can see the day approaching. Of course, no man will know the day or the hour, but nevertheless they will be able to see the day approaching. If you can see the 2nd coming of Christ approaching, then you can also see the adoption approaching for it will be 7 years before the 2nd coming of Christ.

When Israel fell they became Loammi (not my people) and the prophecy of Daniel’s 70 weeks was stopped, postponed, separated, interrupted or whatever else you prefer to call it. Paul said they were cast away, fallen and blinded. During this time, God is hiding his face from Israel and they are not his people.

In Deuteronomy 28 the Lord starts to talk about the curses that will come upon Israel and he also talks about the curses in the latter days referring to the time that they will be Loammi. In chapter 31 the Lord is talking to Moses and it says,

“17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, AND I WILL HIDE MY FACE FROM THEM, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

18 And I will surely HIDE MY FACE in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.”

So the Lord tells Moses that he is going to hide his face from Israel and when Moses speaks to the people he says,

“29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; AND EVIL WILL BEFALL YOU IN THE LATTER DAYS; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”

So Moses tells them about this evil that will befall them in the latter days.

As we continue in chapter 32 it says,

“20 And he said, I WILL HIDE MY FACE FROM THEM, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.”

So once again in verse 20 the Lord is talking about hiding his face from the nation of Israel.

In Romans 10, the apostle Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:21 and says,

“19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.”

And in Romans 11 Paul says,

“11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.”

So what we have here is at the same time God is hiding his face from Israel he is also provoking them to jealousy by giving salvation unto the Gentiles. Paul calls this the dispensation of grace given unto the Gentiles. During the dispensation of grace, Israel is cast away, blinded, Loammi, fallen, broken off of the good olive tree and God is hiding his face from them. They are not his people. This curse was prophesied by Moses way back in the book of Deuteronomy.

But one day soon, all of this curse will be over. God will not hide his face from Israel anymore, they will be his people, they will not be cast away anymore, the blinders will be lifted off of them and they will be grafted back into the good olive tree once again as foretold by the apostle Paul in Romans 11.

Let’s look at this chart:

http://www.gracebiblestudy.net/images/Charts/CaptivityCaptive.jpg

During the time of the dispensation of grace, Israel is fallen, blinded and has been led captive. God is hiding his face from Israel today and they are blinded. But this blinding will not last forever. In Romans 11 Paul says,

“25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”

Paul tells us that this blinding of Israel in part will not last forever but rather until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. When the dispensation of grace is over this is the fullness of the Gentiles. This is when Israel will no longer be blinded and they will be God’s people again and he will no longer hide his face from them.

AND THIS IS WHEN THE 70TH WEEK OF DANIEL’S PROPHECY CAN RESUME.

While Israel is Loammi and not God’s people the prophecy of the 70 weeks is interrupted and cannot resume until Israel becomes God’s people again for the prophecy says in Daniel 9,

“24 Seventy weeks are determined upon THY PEOPLE and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”

When Israel ceased to be God’s people the prophecy stopped and will not continue until they are God’s people once again, and this will not happen until the blinders are lifted off of Israel when the fullness of the Gentiles comes in which is at the end of the dispensation of grace which is when the adoption of the one new man takes place.

So with all this information we have so far, God tells us the time when Israel will become God’s people again and from this, we can see when the end of the dispensation of grace ends thus showing us when the adoption will take place.

In Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 it tells us about a battle that will take place in the mountains of Israel. Magog (which is probably Russia), Persia (which is Iran) and several other countries will invade Israel from the north. The Lord will defeat these armies for the nation of Israel and the Lord said he will magnify himself and sanctify himself before the eyes of many nations and they will know that he is the Lord.

The day of this battle is very special. What it says in Ezekiel 39:22 is of extreme importance, it says,

“22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.”

This is the day that Israel becomes God’s people again and God will be their God again. On this day, Israel will be grafted back into the good olive tree, the blinders will be lifted off of them, they will no longer be cast away, they will no longer be Loammi, they will no longer be fallen, and…

THE PROPHECY OF DANIEL’S SEVENTY WEEKS CAN NOW RESUME!

Let’s continue in Ezekiel 39,

“23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, THEREFORE HID I MY FACE FROM THEM, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.

24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, AND HID MY FACE FROM THEM.

25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;

26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.

27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;

28 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

29 NEITHER WILL I HIDE MY FACE ANY MORE FROM THEM: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.”

From this day forward, God will never again hide his face from the nation of Israel. They will be his people forevermore. They, being the natural branches, will be grafted back into the good olive tree and the wild branches, the Gentiles, will be broken off. This is the end of the dispensation of grace and the start of Daniel’s 70th week. This is when the adoption takes place.

Question:

So what will provoke Magog and Persia to attack Israel?

More than likely it will be retaliation. As I am writing this, Iran already has plans to build nuclear weapons and Israel has already stated that it will do something about it. THIS IS NOT SPECULATION. This has been read in the newspapers and stated on the news and you can find it in archives on the internet.

Soon, Israel will bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israel cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. Because Iran and Russia are close allies and are like two peas in a pod more than likely Iran will get Russia to help attack Israel and they will do so coming from the north as it says in Ezekiel.

When they do, the Lord will fight the battle for Israel and the armies of Russia, Iran and their allies will be wiped out by the Lord in the mountains of Israel.

From this day and forward, God will once again be their God and Israel will be his people. Israel will no longer be Loammi, and Daniel’s prophecy can resume.

So, from the way I see it, when Russia and Iran gather their armies to attack Israel from the north – get ready, for the adoption is about to take place. This is just one of the major signs to look for.

Once again, this is just speculation and I am sharing this just for the fun of it for those who find it interesting. To me it looks pretty solid, but to others it might not. Oh well, it’s just for fun anyway.