WHO SAID RAPTURE?

By Tommy Cook

We want to share some about the "rapture" question. Of course, many have planned to be taken out of the earth before the great tribulation. But those who teach that and those who believe that might just find themselves in the great falling away if they do not prepare!

Now, how big is our God? Is He big enough to take you out, or is He big enough to see you through? Matthew 19:26 and Luke 18:27 say that all things are possible with God and I believe that -- I believe everything is possible with God. To say it another way, with God, nothing is impossible.

Matthew 19:26, "But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."

So, there is no such thing as "Mission Impossible" with the Lord. And God says somewhere around nine times in the New Testament, "I WOULD NOT HAVE YOU TO BE IGNORANT." I think spiritual ignorance is holding a lot of people back.

In 1st Corinthians 14:38, Paul is dealing with this word "ignorance," and he says, "But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant." Ignorance speaks of spiritual darkness. Now, if people WANT to be ignorant, you cannot convince them -- I cannot convince them. If they want to remain ignorant, you cannot change them. All you can do is give them the word of God -- give them truth -- and it is their responsibility. The blood is on their hands. Paul said he was free from the blood of all men in Acts 20. So, when you give people the truth and present the truth to them, then the blood is on their hands and not on yours. We know that God honors his Word above His Name, the scripture says.

WE NEED UNDERSTANDING IN ALL THINGS.

Now, I want to look at the scripture in 2nd Timothy 2:7, "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." In everything! The scripture tells us with all your getting, get understanding. Jesus said something about the Holy Spirit that we need to see first of all. Notice what He said in this verse, John 16:13, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." Notice this last part: HE WILL SHOW YOU THINGS TO COME. The Holy Spirit will show you and me things to come!

Now look in Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: (and that was speaking of the husband) seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." That is America now, is it not? "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." 

Look in Isaiah 5:13, "Therefore my people are gone into captivity, (or exile) because [they have] no knowledge: and their honourable men [are] famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst."

God said many are going to he destroyed for lack of knowledge!

I believe that we have to prepare as an overcomer for the tribulation that is coming on the earth.

In Hebrews 6:1, "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God."

LET US GO ON TO PERFECTION OR MATURITY! He did not say, now let us just wait on the rapture! Isn't that strange? That is what most people are doing. He said let us go on to maturity or perfection. Nothing to lose and all to gain.

Now, if you are looking for a rapture, and the rapture does not come -- if you are LOOKING for it, and it does not come, and you do not look to overcome, you have got some problems. Think about this! If you are looking for a rapture, and the rapture does not come, and you have not matured and overcome, then you have a problem! NOTHING TO LOSE AND ALL TO GAIN! So we have got to prepare, and plan on going through trouble as an overcomer, RIGHT HERE ON EARTH, because we might find ourselves right in the midst of the tribulation, and we expected a rapture! And I can tell you, it is going to rattle some brains when it happens. So we might find ourselves in that group that Jesus talked about in Luke 21, where their hearts failed because of fear for looking after those things coming on the earth. I am telling you things ARE coming on the earth, and many will not be prepared for it.

JESUS IN THE WILDERNESS: 

Luke 4 speaks of Jesus -- Jesus is being tested by the devil, and, of course, we know that the Holy Spirit had come upon Him before he went into the wilderness.

Luke 4:13, "And when the devil had ended all the temptation (that is 40 days), he departed from him for a season (for awhile, but he was coming back). And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and there went out a fame of him throughout all the region round about."

He came out of the testing -- this forty day testing -- in the power of the Holy Spirit, and that power, of course, was flowing out from Him toward humanity. I believe there are testing times that people go through, and I do not believe it is for their destruction. I believe it is a time to wait on God, seek God, get a hold of God and know the power of God. Jesus, we know, overcame. It is time we take off our traditional glasses. You know, we all have got them. We have to take those traditional glasses off!

In Acts 17, the Bereans did something. They were more noble than those in Thessalonica.

Acts 17:11, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

Notice they searched the scriptures daily. They just did not take man's word for it, did they? And neither should you and neither should I. You cannot just take man's word for anything anymore -- you have to search out things for yourself. So they searched the scriptures daily to see if those things be so.

Now look in 1st Corinthians 10, where the Lord says something to us. 1st Corinthians 10:11, "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition (or instruction), upon whom the ends of the world are come."

We are at the end of the age now, aren't we? "And all these have come upon them for ensamples: that we might be admonished as well." Some say that the Old Testament was just for the Jews and not for us, but He said those things that happened to them were examples for us. How many know that they went through tribulation? They went through turmoil -- they went through afflictions and trouble.

Romans 15:4, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime (the Old Testament) were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

So that which was written aforetime was written for our learning. You just cannot write the Old Testament off. Jesus said to search the scriptures, and when He said to search the scriptures, there was not a New Testament. Now, it said the Bereans searched the scriptures, and they did not have the New Testament then. It had to be the Old, because the New had not yet been written. They were checking out the things that were spoken and preached in the Old Testament. Now look in Matthew 22 at what Jesus said there, (also in Mark 12:24).

Matthew 22:29, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."

Notice two things: YOU DO ERR, NOT KNOWING THE SCRIPTURES (you make a mistake). We err by not knowing the scnptures. And notice not just the scriptures only -- NOR THE POWER OF GOD. That is the balance! THE WORD AND THE SPIRIT. He said, "you do err, by not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God."

Mark 12:24, "And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?"

Notice in the following scriptures:

2nd Timothy 3:16, "All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

2nd Peter 1:12, "Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know [them], and (here it is now) be established in the present truth." Not past truth, but present truth! There are people still living in the revelations in their past. Now, thank God for that, but it is a new day, and we need light for today -- revelation for today!

Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed (and He wants to reveal things to us) belong to us and to our children for ever; that we may do all the words of this law."

Now look in John 10:35, "If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken..."

What does it mean, the scriptures cannot be broken? It simply means this: they will not disagree with one another; they will not contradict one another. It will come to pass, whether it be the Old or whether it be the New Testament! The scriptures cannot be broken -- I believe He was saying they will always agree; they will not contradict; they will come to pass just like Jesus said it.

IN THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES every word shall be established:

2nd Corinthians 13:1, "This [is] the third [time] I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."

Job 33:14 talks about God speaking twice: "For God speaketh once, yea twice, [yet man] perceiveth it not."

Genesis 41:32 speaks about a dream that has to be confirmed twice: "And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; [it is] because the thing [is] established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."

Deuteronomy 17:6, again, speaks about the two or three witnesses: "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; [but] at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to deatli."

In Acts 20:27, Paul talks about that he had not shunned to declare unto the people all the counsel of God, and we know the whole counsel is what we have to have -- precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little. Right? "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God."

But the word "rapture" does not appear in the Bible. Look in Matthew 24, and see what Jesus said here. These are the words of Jesus, not some theologian.

Matthew 24:21, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (But look at the next verse; many leave the next verse out!) Verse 22, And except those days be shortened, (and that word shortened means reduced or decreased in number. Except those days be shortened, or reduced or decreased in number), there shall no flesh be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened," (or reduced or decreased in number). Otherwise, He is saying no flesh would be saved if that tribulation kept going on and on, except Jesus shortened it. Jesus has promised that he would shorten the days of tribulation for the elect's sake.

Now, if the elect are not going through the tribulation like some would teach, why then would the days have to be shortened? If the elect were not going to be here for the tribulation, then why would the days have to be shortened? They are not up in heaven sitting on a cloud, "Cloud 9." The tribulation would not bother anyone if the elect were on a cloud or up in heaven.

In Revelation 7, there was a number coming out of the tribulation that no man could number. THEY CAME OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION!

Revelation 7:14, "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 Iamb."

It was a number that no man could number. Now go to Matthew 10. I want to read from the Amplified Version. The King James Version talks about those that endure to the end shall be saved, but this translation in Matthew 10:22 says, "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake, but he who perseveres and endures to the end will be saved [from spiritual disease and death in the world to come]."

Matthew 24:13, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." We know salvation is a process.

Now look in Luke 21. Let us see what Jesus said here to us. He had given these signs, that all these things would happen before His coming, and He said in Luke 21:28, "And when these things begin to come to pass (all these signs He spoke about -- when they begin -- not consummate, but when they begin), then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption (and this is redemption for the body) draweth nigh." Then if you look in verse 31, He says similarly there, "So likewise ye, when ye see these things..."

If you are going to be raptured off some place, how are you going to look up and rejoice when you see these things, and when you see these things come to pass, how are you going to know the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand, if you are not here? You know, if you are with God, there is rejoicing there, but we are talking about here on earth.

Now look at verses 34-35, "Take heed to yourselves lest any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. (We are talking about the judgment of God -- we are not talking about a "rapture" here. We are talking about the judgments that are coming on the earth.) Verse 36, "Watch ye, therefore, and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, (notice: all these things) that shall come to pass..."

Now, notice in verse 26, when you SEE those things. Luke 21:26, "Men's hearts failing them for fear; and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth..."

And in Luke 21:28, "And when these things begin to come to pass...,"and in verse 31, "when ye SEE these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand."

Verse 36 says that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things:

Luke 21:36, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things..." How are you going to escape? By being raptured? NO! "...that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."

Another translation says, "You must be vigilant at all times, praying that you may be strong enough to come safely through all that is going to happen and stand in the presence of the Son of Man."

We have got to be made STRONG ENOUGH TO COME THROUGH -- not fly out of here!

I have been in churches that hated this message, because they are so rapture-oriented. And you do not get invited back in situations like that most of the time.

Notice what Jesus says in Matthew 24:37-38, "But as the days of Noe [were], so... (Do you see that word SO?) shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

Otherwise, like it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of man is coming. Now look at verse 38. "For as in the days (notice, plural) that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark."

Who are we talking about? We are talking about the ungodly -- we are talking about those who are eating and drinking, and they are doing that until Noe enters the ark. The ark is a place of safety.

Now look at verse 39, "And knew not (that is the wicked) until the flood came, and took them (the wicked) all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

As it took them away in the days of Noah, it is going to take people away, when Jesus comes again, to destruction. Noah was in the ark; he had known for some time what was coming, and yet it says here in this verse that they KNEW NOT UNTIL THE FLOOD CAME. They did not know what was coming, but Noah did! He had been warned by God, and God placed him in the ark, he and his family. "So they knew not until the flood came and took them ALL AWAY." Here is that word "so," again. "So shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Just like it was in Noah's day, it is going to be that way when Jesus comes again. The flood came and took them all away -- that is the wicked -- the eaters and drinkers; they knew not! It did not take Noah away, did it? Noah was in the ark, bobbing up and down with his family, and he ended up on Mount Ararat. 

Then in verse 40, "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." WHO WAS TAKEN? The wicked, just like it was in Noah's day. The word "field" in this verse is the world.

Verse 41, "Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

The wicked are taken, but they are not "raptured." How many know you have to shape up, or ship out? Well, the wicked shipped out, didn't they?

Let us go to Luke 17:27, "They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and (notice, it did not just say took them away, but...) destroyed them all."

How many know that the Bible said we are to seek the Lord while we can be saved? Call upon Him while He is near! You see, God shut Noah in -- He shut the door to the ark, and I tell you, people are going to have to start seeking God! They do not have all the time they think they have. This thing will come on the world as a snare, Jesus said, and it is going to entrap people.

Now back in Matthew 24, where it says that one will be taken and the other shall be left, the word "taken" there (in the Greek) is "PARALAMBANO," and it means, according to Vine, "the removal of persons from the earth in judgment; to remove people from the earth in judgment." Thayer said, "One who is led off like a prisoner, or to take one in order to carry away." It is judgment and destruction.

Let us look at Luke 17:34-37 in the NIV translation. "I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be gnnding grain together; one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 'Where, Lord?' they asked. He replied, 'Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.' "

We preach this word about "caught up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. I want to take you to some scriptures now, and show you this word "caught up," and show you that it is not what we think it is. Look over in Matthew 11 where Jesus says something to us.

Matthew 11:12, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

Do you see that, "take it by force"? That is the so-called rapture; "caught up." You have to take the kingdom by force. How many know that you are not going to take it by flying through the air? You are going to take it by force, by standing in the Spirit against the enemy -- letting God come in you and come in me, because that is where the kingdom is -- and standing in the name of the Lord, having done all, stand therefore with that armor on! Look in Matthew 13.

This is the (Greek) word "HARPAZO." Some pronounce it "arpazo," but that does not matter here. Matthew 13:19, "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, (not any gospel, but the WORD OF THE KlNGDOM -- THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE AND JOY IN THE HOLY GHOST -- THE WORD OF POWER WHICH IS THE WILL OF GOD; many things we could say here) and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], (and what does he do?) and CAT'CHETH AWAY (that is the word right there) that which was sown in HIS HEART." (He is stealing something from you -- he is stealing the word of the kingdom! Is that a rapture? No!) This is he which received seed by the way side." So he is the thief, isn't he?

Now look in John 6:15, "When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, (they are going to lay hold of Him, and why are they going to lay hold of Him?) to make him a king, (they are going to make him a king on a lower level. He is King, but they are wanting to make him their king, so he can fight their battles, and feed them all those fish and loaves! Is THAT a rapture? No!), he departed again into a mountain himself alone. 

I want you to notice, that when they came to take him by force to make him a king, He went up into a mountain. How many know that man will make you a king? So if he does, you better get up into the mountain!

In John 10, the wolf comes. John 10:12, "But he that is an hireling, (that means he is in it for the money and for the hire), and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, (Who is the wolf? It is the devil, isn't it?), and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf (Notice: the wolf) catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep."

The word "catcheth them," and "scattereth," is the word we are looking at. That is the word for "harpazo," and that is the word for "rapture." There is not a rapture in that scripture! They are just running from them. He is scattering the flock. Remember this, where there is no shepherd, the sheep are scattered.

Look in John 10, where Jesus is talking about his sheep who know his voice, and he says in verse 28, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand." That word "pluck" is the word "harpazo." No man can pluck them out of my hand. The hand is covering -- God's covering over us. Nobody can get raptured there, can they?

Then in verse 29, "My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand." So there is the word "pluck" for the word "harpazo."

In Acts 8:39, we know what happened here -- this is Philip -- it said the Spirit caught away Philip, but this was not a catching away to heaven, it was physical. He was taken from one place to another. God can still transport people physically. It says the Spirit caught away Philip, and he was translated from one place to another place.

In Acts 23:10, "And when there arose a great dissension, (Paul is a prisoner -- he is in jail) the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring [him] into the castle." Otherwise, the soldiers were going into the cell, taking Paul out and taking him to another place. So he was taken from one place to another. That was not a "rapture," was it?

Now look in 2nd Corinthians 12. This is the scripture where Paul said he was caught up, whether in the body or out of the body, he did not know. The words "caught up" sometimes fool people, because we think of the words "caught up" as right up, straight over our heads here. But if we say here that this is caught up, right straight over our heads, in Australia, it would be the opposite. In the natural, it does not make sense. But I can be "caught up" right in this service, and still be here. I want to show you this before we read this scripture. Look in Revelation 4.

Revelation 4:1, "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."

He says here in verse 2, "Immediately I was in the spirit; (So John is caught up in the spirit, and what is he seeing?) and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne." He sees the throne of God, and one sitting on the throne, and he tells what he looks like. So John is in the Island of Patmos and yet he says, "I was in the spirit," after the Lord says, "Come up hither." His body is on the earth, but yet in the spirit, he is there. Look in chapter 1.

Revelation 1:9-10, "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, (that is not Saturday or Sunday; that is the DAY COMING YET!) and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet."

Now, notice, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day" -- he was projected into the Lord's day. He was projected into the Twentieth Century. He was not only a prophet; he was an apostle, and he was a man ahead of his time, and HE HEARD AND SAW THINGS TO COME in OUR day! But his body was on the Isle of Patmos.

Now, back in 2nd Corinthians 12, Paul said in verse 2, "1 knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth); such an one caught up to the third heaven."

So Paul was caught up in an experience. It might have been when he died, when he was stoned over there in Acts 14. Many believe that this is what happened to him, though we cannot prove that. But it seems to me, that would be the time when they stoned him, and he died and his spirit left him. He said, "whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell." Some have said in the spirit realm, you look similar to here in the natural, but I have never experienced that.

Look in 2nd Corinthians 12:4, "How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."

Now let us go over to Jude 23, "And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." There is no rapture here as far as going through space, but thank God, someone is being pulled out of the fire! It is time to pull some people out of the fire. The words "pulling them out of the fire" is what we are looking at.

Then, in 1st Thessalonians 4:17, is the one that people always use to say being "caught up" to meet the Lord in the air. Let me tell you that you cannot build a doctrine on one scripture. We have looked at all of these scriptures and I do not believe we can build a case for a rapture.

Basically, we see the same words in Revelation 12:5, and this is not a physical rapture; this is a catching up to the throne in the spirit. You see, most people teach in Revelation 4, that John was a picture of the church, and of course the church was raptured, and there was the trumpet and all that, but really John is a picture of the overcomer being caught to the throne, and right here it is in verse 5 of Revelation 12.

Revelation 12:5, "And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne." They are the OVERCOMERS. They are those who rule with a rod of iron mentioned in Revelation 2:26 through 29. And, so, being caught up here is not a physical catching up -- they are still on the earth with a flesh and blood body -- they are caught up into SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY. They are caught up to the throne of God, and they will begin their rninistry for three and one half years.

Let me ask you a question. Does Jesus lie? No, He does not. Will God answer Jesus' prayers? Was the prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17 just for the disciples, or for you and me too?

Look in John 17:20, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Did Jesus mean what He prayed? Do you believe John 17 is going to be fulfilled? Has it all come to pass yet? No, it is a process, isn't it? Do you believe all of it?

Jesus prayed in John 17:15, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil."

I believe one time that the Lord said to me, that many would believe half of that scripture, but they will not believe the other half. They will believe the part being kept from evil, but many will not believe the prayer that Jesus prayed, "Father, I pray you take them not out of the world." Hallelujah! So, Jesus' prayer was, "FATHER, DO NOT TAKE THEM OUT OF THE WORLD."

Going back to what we saw awhile ago with Noah, look in 2nd Peter 2:5. Now, if you believe God's Word that He said, I am praying for all those who believe on me through their word, you will not get out unless you die.

2nd Peter 2:5, "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person] a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly." The wicked were the ungodly -- Noah was saved. Noah was not taken out of the world, was he? He was kept safe through the world in the ark.

Now look in Isaiah 13:9. If you think God is not going to destroy the sinners, look in this scripture. This is the DAY OF THE LORD. "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. "

I want you to notice that he is going to destroy the sinners out of the land in the Day of the Lord. That is pretty strong, isn't it?

Let me give you a lot of scriptures on this. In Psalms 52:5, "God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of [thy] dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah."

I want you to notice: ROOT YOU OUT OF THE LAND OF THE LIVING. God is taking a people out. God is destroying a people here in this verse.

Now look in Proverbs 2:21, "For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the peifect shall remain in it. Verse 22, "But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it."

Remember Jesus said, "Every plant that my Father has not planted shall be rooted up." Look in the following scriptures.

Proverbs 3:24, "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet." You need to claim that scripture.

Proverbs 3:25, "Be not afraid of sudden fear; neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh."

Proverbs 10:30, "The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth."

Proverbs 12:7, "The wicked are overthrown, and [are] not: but the house of the righteous shall stand."

Psalms 125:1, "They that trust in the Lord [shall be] as mount Zion, [which] cannot be removed, [but] abideth for ever."

Go to Matthew 13:29-30, "But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat in my barn."

Notice, "GATHER YE TOGETHER FIRST THE TARES (that is the wicked), and bind them (that is the tares) in bundles (that is the tares) and burn them (that is the tares), but gather the wheat into my barn."

Now, notice in verses 37 through 43: Matthew 13:37, "He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; "

38, "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one]." So you have sonship here -- you have the sons of God and the sons of the devil.

39, "The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels (messengers)."

40, "As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire: so shall it be in the end of this world (or age). He is talking about the tares being put in there.

41, "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity (or lawlessness);"

42, "And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." So these are lawless ones, and they are going to be put in the fire.

43 "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Now look at verse 47: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, (this is the gospel net) that was cast into the sea, (the sea is humanity) and gathered of every kind: 48, Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away." That is the tares -- he is talking about the fish here -- he is saying, cast the bad fish away.

This is the third time that Jesus is talking about these things in this chapter. Now look at verse 49, "So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just.

How can anyone see a rapture when you read a scripture like that -- that the wicked are going to be taken out, and He is going to sever the wicked from the just? It does not make sense. And look at verse 50 -- where are they going to go?

50, "And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

And now look at verse 51, "Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord." 

I want to say this in my way -- DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS NOT GOING TO BE A RAPTURE, by some of these parables? The righteous are going to stay; the tares were taken earlier from among the wheat -- the bad are taken from the good. The word "tares" means darnell. It is a weed that looks like wheat, but it bears no grain. Now think about this -- the darnell that LOOKS LIKE WHEAT, BUT IT BEARS NO GRAIN! In the time of harvest, the wheat is going to be all bent over with grain, but the tares will just stand straight up -- there will be no fruit. How many know He is a fruit inspector now? "And by their fruits, you shall know them." And we need to be a fruit inspector, as well. He is saying a lot here in these verses -- that the angels are going to sever the wicked from among the just. THERE IS NO RAPTURE THERE!

In John 15:2 & 6, He talks about the branches that do not bring forth fruit will be hewn down and thrown into the fire.

John 15:2, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, lie purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

Let us go back to Proverbs 2:21, "For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22, But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it." Whether it be bad fish or tares, there is someone going to be rooted out -- cut off from the earth.

Now look at Psalms 119:119, "Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth [like] dross: (so, the wicked are referred to as dross) therefore I love thy testimonies." The margin says "cause the wicked to cease," which means death.

In Isaiah 1:25, "And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin."

Daniel 2:35, "Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 

Isaiah 5:24, "Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, [so] their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel." 

Isaiah 29:5, "Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones [shall be] as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly."

Matthew 3:12, "Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Luke 3:17, "Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable."

Now go to Psalms 101:8. Hear what God says in this verse: "I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord."

So God is going to destroy and cut off the wicked in the land. Now, I want you to notice in Ezekiel 9:4, "And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city; through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for alI the abominations that be done in the midst thereof."

Then he says also in verses 5 & 6: "And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 6, Slay utterly old [and] young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom [is] the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which [were] before the house."

We need to look at Revelation 9:4, "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." So those who had the seal would not be hurt. 

I want to take you through several more scriptures here.

Psalms 37:9-10, "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked [shall] not [be]: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it [shall] not [be]." Otherwise, where he once was -- it shall not be; you no longer will see the dope addicts, the drunkards, those who are vile and corrupt and the ungodly. God said, you will look for their place, and it will not be any more. I am going to do away with them. Verse 11, "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

Then in Psalms 37:22, "For [such as be] blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and [they that be] cursed of him shall be cut off."

Psalms 37:28, "For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off."

Psalms 37:29, "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever."

Psalms 37:34, "Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see [it].

Look in Psalms 37:37, "Mark the perfect [man], and behold the upright: for the end of [that] man [is] peace." 38, "But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off."

Notice what it says in Proverbs 11:31, "Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner."

Job 38:13, "That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?" Job was talking to his friends here. They just about got shook out of the earth, if it had not been for Job's prayer and God's mercy.

Psalms 104:35, "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord."

Psalms 52:5, "God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of [thy] dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. 6, The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him." Hear that!

Malachi 4:1, "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea. and all that do wickedly shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shalI burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neitlier root nor branch." Notice: the PROUD, the WICKED and the STUBBLE are going to be destroyed by God's fire.

Turn to Job 34:20, "In a moment (Paul said we will be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye at the last trump; not the first trump, but the last trump) shall they die, and the people shalI be troubled at midnight, and pass away: (it is going to be midnight -- that is tribulation) and the mighty shalI be taken away without hand." The mighty, there, are those who will be destroyed. (And if you want to know who the mighty are, read Zephaniah 1:14 through 18), "and in a moment shalI they die."

One other scripture in closing. The Bible says this in 1st John 4:17, "Herein is our love niade perfect, that we may have boldness (that word means confidence) in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." 

WE NEED BOLDNESS IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT!

THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING.

 Turn to Acts 1. We want to talk on the coming of the Lord. How many believe that Jesus is coming again? How many want to see Jesus come again? How many believe He can come in our time?

Acts 1:9-11, "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen hini go into heaven."

In these scriptures we see several things.

Jesus was taken up and the Bible says Jesus will descend from heaven.

The Bible says He was taken up in a cloud and the scripture says He will come in a cloud.

Jesus went to heaven and Jesus will come back from heaven to the earth.

Men saw Jesus go and men will see him come again.

He was taken out of their sight and He will come back in the sight of men.

A cloud took Him and a cloud will bring Him back.

Angels saw Him go and angels will be with Him when He comes again.

He left the Mount of Olives and Zechariah 14 says He will come back to the Mount of Olives.

How many believe that?

The Bible says "while they beheld Him being taken up," that means they watched Him go. Another scripture says, "While they looked stedfastly towards heaven," then it says, "the cloud received Him out of their sight," then it says, "Why stand you gazing into heaven?" "You have seen Him go into heaven." So they watched, they looked, they saw, they gazed and they had seen Him go.

Let me tell you three things:

How many believe that? It is scripture!!! 

Jesus will come GLORIOUSLY. He will come PERSONALLY. He will come VISIBLY. He will come BODILY. And He will come LITERALLY FROM HEAVEN. This same Jesus that was taken up will come again!!!!

Turn to Titus 2:13. As we look at this scripture, we need to see two things. "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." I would like for you to ponder this in your heart, what the blessed hope is to you? I would like to tell you what I think the blessed hope is. I believe the blessed hope is to be like Jesus. It means to be CONFORMED TO HIS IMIAGE and TO HIS LIKENESS. It says we must be "looking for that blessed hope AND the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." The word AND is a connecting word. The blessed hope is something that is going to happen in me. When the Lord finishes that work in me and in you, then we will see the blessed Saviour coming from heaven.

Number l -- there has to be an expectancy of the coming of the Lord that is within and without; within our hearts and His coming in the air. Number 2 -- we CANNOT HAVE the second part of this verse until the first part is fulfilled. This means His literal coming will not happen until we allow Him to come in us. 

CHRIST COMING IN US IS THE HOPE OF GLORY!

Colossians 1:27, "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Notice CHRIST IN US, the hope of glory. Christ is the Anointed One. So the Anointed One must come in us, the hope of glory.

1st Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." So this hope is within us.

1st John 3:1-3, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 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. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." THE HOPE IS IN US! Again, it is Christ in us, the hope of glory.

This work must be a quick work.. We have something to do about it.

We must be sanctified.

We must be purified.

We must be cleansed by His blood. 

Right before Jesus appears, there must be a people like Him; changed and transformed into His image and into His likeness. That means a great work has to take place within our spirit and in our soul.

There are two words in the Greek for the word "resurrection." One is a word that takes place in my spirit and in my soul. There is the other word that will take care of the physical resurrection of the body. The body will not be changed until the work of resurrection is done in my spirit and in my soul. That is His coming within me and within you.

Many preach the coming of the Lord, but they major on the church leaving the earth, but they do not major on Jesus coming. It sounds good about us leaving the earth, and I used to preach it years ago. But I now major on His coming more than leaving.

John 17:15, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." Every Sunday, someone is preaching the church is going to leave anytime. Yet, Jesus prayed that we would be taken not out of the world. How many believe this scripture? Was it only for the Apostles here?

Look in verse 20, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." That includes US. Did Jesus mean what He prayed? Did the Father hear Him? Will this prayer come to pass? Is the prayer for us today? Do we believe just half of this scripture? Or do we believe all of it?

The Lord said to me one time, "Many will believe half of this word, but some will not believe all of it."

Jesus talks about the parable of the wheat and tares. I went to Bible college and learned end time teaching. I had to throw all my notes away, and the Lord began to teach me. The Lord is our teacher. How many want truth in your heart? Sometimes we have to reject past teaching and traditions.

Matthew 13:30, "Let both grow together until the harvest (notice: there is going to be a maturing of wheat and tares together): and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."

Many preach that the church is gone, and the sinners are left behind. Let me ask you a question. Who was gathered first here? Was it the tares or the wheat? "...I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together FIRST the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into niy barn."

Look in Matthew; the same chapter, verse 47, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:" (This is the gospel net. The sea is humanity). Verse 48, "Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away." Verse 49, "So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just." Notice: the wicked will be separated from among the righteous or the just.

Proverbs 2:21-22, "For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be_cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it." Jesus said these words, "Every plant My Father has not planted shall he rooted up," so the transgressor shall be rooted out of the earth -- the righteous shall remain in it.

Proverbs 3:25-26, "Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." Now if YOU plan to be raptured, then your foot is staying here.

Proverbs 10:30, "The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth." What did Jesus pray? "I pray you take them not out of the earth but that you keep them from evil."

Psalms 37:9, "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth." The Lord will cut the wicked off, but those that wait on the Lord; those that pray shall inherit the earth.

Verse 11, "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." This is a New Testatnent quote (Matthew 5:5).

Verse 22, "For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off." Verses 28-29, "For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever." What is the land? It is the earth!

Verse 34, "Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it."

There is a people that will inherit the land or the earth. They will see the wicked cut off. They will be living to see this.

Matthew 24:37, "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Notice, as it was in Noah's day, it will be this way when Jesus comes.

Verse 38, "For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark." Those that were eating and drinking are those that are going to be destroyed. They were marrying and giving in marriage, until Noah entered the Ark. We know that Noah entered the Ark, and God shut the door. We know that Noah and his family were preserved and protected by God. The wicked died.

Verse 40, "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

Let me ask you a question. Who remained in Noah's day? Were the wicked cut off? Did they drown in the flood? Were the righteous spared? Were they in the Ark? They were not destroyed. Jesus is saying the same thing here. "Two shall be in the field; one shall be taken, and the other left." I was taught this was the rapture for some. But the one that is taken is the wicked, not the righteous. The righteous are left here.

Verse 41-42, "Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."

We must prepare for His coming. Remember His coming is within and without.

Psalms 102:16, "When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory."

The key is the next verse. Verse 17, "He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer." The destitute are the poor in spirit.

THE LORD IS COMING WITHIN A ZION PEOPLE. HE IS GOING TO APPEAR IN HIS GLORY. THAT GLORY MUST FIRST COME WITHIN. HE COMES WITH CLOUDS OF GLORY THAT WILL BE SEEN.

We must tremble at His Word. Isaiah 66:5, "Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed." He is going to appear to your joy to those that tremble at His word. If you look back to verse 2, those that tremble at His word are poor and contrite of spirit.

Malachi 3:1, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts." 

Notice, it says He is coming suddenly to His temple. This is not a physical building. God does not dwell in temples made with hands. WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD. We are the habitation of God. He is coming suddenly to OUR temple. Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." (John 2:19).

Verse 2, "But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap."

Who shall stand when He appears? ONLY THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL STAND IN THE LORD. His coming is like a refiner's fire and fullers' soap. He is coming to burn things out of us and to clean us up.

Colossians 3:1, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God."

1st Peter 1:6-9, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."

Jesus has saved me in my spirit, and He has saved you in your spirit, but our souls are not totally redeemed yet. That is a process, so we must allow Jesus to come in and do a work in our hearts and redeem our souls or mature us.

2nd Thessalonians 1:7, "And to you who are troubled..." So there are going to be some people who are in trouble. Those who are in trouble, Paul says, "..rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels."

Notice His coming in verse 8, "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." I said earlier He would come with fire and in fire. Here it says he is to come in flaming fire.

Verse 9, "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction ftom the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" 10, "When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."

2nd Timothy 4:6, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand." That is the Apostle Paul. 7, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8, Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." There is going to be a crown given to those that love His appearing. How many desire to see Him appear again?

Verses 9-10, "Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia."

Demas was a minster with Paul. Yet, we see Paul was faithful to the end. Demas forsook the Apostle Paul, having loved this present world. We have only two choices; it is Jesus or the world. If we love Jesus and we love His appearing, we shall receive a crown of righteousness.

There are three appearings here. Hebrews 9:26, "For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." That was Jesus, the prophet, who died for us.

Verse 24, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us." This is Jesus, our High Priest.

Verse 28, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." He is going to appear for those that are going to look for Him, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Philippians 3:20-21, "For our conversation is in heaven: from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 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." We must look for His coming and His appearing.

1st John 2:28, "And now, little children, abide in him (the word "abide" means to remain or continue); that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." There are going to be those that will be ashamed; there will be those that will be embarrassed at His coming. We must ABIDE, REMAIN, CONTINUE IN HIM and WE will not be embarrassed. We will not be ashamed at His coming.

Jesus cannot come any minute. Jesus is coming again, but there are things that must happen before Jesus comes.

Turn to Psalms 110:1, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." This is God, the Father, speaking to the Son. The Father is saying to the Son, "you sit at my right hand until" -- which is a time word -- "I make thine enemies thy footstool."

The footstool is for the feet. God has a foot company.

Moses saw the promised land, but Joshua walked into the land. Many have revelation and see things and that is good. We must walk into what we see. God has a foot company who will walk in what they see. The Father is saying to the Son, "Sit here at my right hand until I make thy enemies thy footstool." God has some enemies. Until the enemies are put down, Jesus will not come. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. But every enemy must be put down, and then Jesus will come. "Let God arise and His enemies be destroyed!!"

Notice three things in this verse. There is repentance; there is refreshing; there is restitution and His return. Acts 3:19-21, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive (and the heavens have received Jesus, because He is sitting with the Father; He is sitting on the right hand of God) until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." Jesus will not come until there is a work of restoration.

Revelation 22:12, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

Jesus did not say, I will take you there and give you your reward. He said, "I come quickly and my reward is with me." He is bringing the reward to us! It says, "I come quickly." As we live IN the spirit, His coming is imminent. It is when we are OUT of the spirit that we put it way off.

My heart is saying, "Come, Lord Jesus." I know He will come. Let us see when Jesus will appear. It is not my opinion, it is the Bible. Matthew 24:29-31 states, "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: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." These are clouds from heaven, not rain clouds. These are heavenly clouds of witnesses that are with Him now.

Verse 31, "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." This is the seventh trumpet. This trumpet is a message -- it is not someone blowing a horn! The trumpet is a message from God that prepares a people for His coming. (Mark's gospel says "from heaven and earth"). 

Notice His appearing in those scriptures. It is after the tribulation. It is after the trouble here on the earth. Many would laugh and mock if you say the church is going through the tribulation, but in chapter 7 of Revelation, there is a number that came out of the Great Tribulation that no man could number. There is a gospel that is preached, that says we want to escape, but the Word says Jesus will come after the tribulation.

We must cry out to God now, and JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!

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