Why a rapture?
Why a rapture?
There has been much debate on whether the church will be raptured or even if there is such a thing as the rapture. Without a clear understanding of Jewish wedding customs and the Jewish feasts appointed by God, the concept of a rapture may appear as nonsense. You may even ask where in the Scriptures is the word rapture. Rapture means to “carry off” or “to take by abduction.” In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 it says, But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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. The Greek word for caught up is “harpazoo” Strong’s 726, it means to snatch or catch away as used in Acts 8:39 when Philip was suddenly taken by the Spirit to another place.
The question remains if this Scripture is speaking of the end time and summing up of all things at the end of the seven year tribulation or a “rapture” before the seven year tribulation. To answer this we must take a brief look at “Jewish wedding customs” and see how it follows analogically with the Jewish observance of the seven appointed feasts of the Lord. To understand more you will need to read my book “You Are At The Time For Love” to really get a deep revelation of both these subjects. In Jewish marriages, particularly first century, there were two stages to a marriage, the “kiddushin” and the “nissuin”. The first stage was the betrothal and the last stage was the nuptial. Between the two stages was typically a year’s gap. Many things were done during this time of separation that had to do with preparation of both groom and bride. When the time had elapsed and permission from the bridegroom’s father was given to retrieve his bride, he would take her by “abduction” from her father’s house. Before she was abducted from her father’s house, the bridegroom would alert his bride with a shout and with the sound of a trump called a “shofar” by the Jews. She was kept veiled so no one could identify her before she had spent time with the groom in a room he had prepared for her in his fathers house called a “cheder” in Hebrew. They spent seven days in this room coming to “know” one another. After the consummation of the bride, she and the bridegroom would appear before all as husband and wife. It was then that the bride was unveiled for all to see.
Literally, Jesus fulfilled the first three feasts in His first appearing. He was crucified on the day of preparation of “Passover” and placed in a tomb. He was the unleavened bread at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and He rose from the dead on the day of observance of the feast of Firstfruits. He was God’s Passover Lamb, His sinless life was a symbol of a life without leaven, leaven being a metaphor of sin, and He was raised from the dead as a testimony of the Firstfruits of the resurrection of the righteous dead (Isaiah 26:19). God’s promise of the outpouring of His Spirit was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost or Feast of Weeks, Acts 2:1-4. The next feast to be fulfilled literally is the Feast of Trumpets also called “Yom Teruah” in Hebrew. From Pentecost until Yom Teruah there was approximately a three month gap. This gap from the spring harvest until the fall harvest represents the dispensation of the grace of God which we currently live in. What took place before the celebration and observance of the Feast of Trumpets was the blowing of the shofar 30 days up till the day of the feast. This was a reminder and warning for the people to repent in order for reconciliation to take place on the Day of Atonement and not judgment. The feast of Trumpets is also referred by the name “Yom HaKeseh” translated “hidden day.” It was given this name by Jewish Rabbi’s because the feast could not be celebrated until the appearing of the new moon by two reliable witnesses, Babylonian Talmud Book 2 Chapter 2 page 41. Yom Teruah is also referred as the last trump as a Jewish idiom for the feast. It was called the last trump because this was the last time the trump was blown before Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement. Paul wrote of this mystery in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I show 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality KJV. The last trump referred to by Paul was Yom Teruah; this is the day of the abduction of the bride of Christ. His return will be on the Day of Atonement. The last trump is the call for the bride even as the trump was blown to alert the bride of the bridegrooms coming. And just as the Jews abducted their brides to take them into the chader they had prepared in their father’s house, so shall we the bride of Christ be raptured by Christ to the chedar prepared by Him in His Father’s house. How long will we be there and when will the bride return? Read my next blog to find out!
