Surfing the Internet as a visitor to other Christian websites, I was stunned to find prophetic offerings and teachings that inferred there would be no pre-tribulation rapture. Most of these sites do not come right out and say so, but they leave no room for doubt that this is their message. At one point I became so distressed I wanted to write a rebuke, but decided instead to write what Jesus had to say about it, His clear and open plan in spite of this on-going debate, and take it as always from the infallible indisputable hard-to-mess-with Word of God...

Last night as I prayed concerning this deceptive teaching, interceding for those saints entrapped in the lie, without hope and scared silly, I asked the Lord to help me to once again set forth the proof, hammer it home, and deliver as many as possible from the curse of the nay-sayers. Before I was finished praying HE had poured out the encouragement I needed, and then HE gave me the signal to proceed. "Repetition is good," He said, "repetition hammers it home."

This is not just a release for the ensnared, it is also a rebuke to the dunder-heads who refuse to believe the Word Jesus gave to the Church and to the Apostle John. Remember, my friends in the faith, the warning of adding to or taking away from the prophecies in the Book of Revelations is a dangerous thing to do.

Now, you may think, "Oh, no, she's not going to go through all that again, is she?"

Well, I am, because there is much you have apparently missed. There are sights and scenes you need to revisit, there are certain passages you need to grab hold of and upload, and there are certain understandings that only the Spirit of the Word of God can witness to you. So, we are going to play it again, Sam...

The Book of Revelations, or the Revelation of Jesus Christ, was given to John the beloved Apostle while he was a prisoner on the isle of Patmos. It was a gift unveiling the judgments of this world during its last seven years under the reign of the infamous antichrist. The Father had shared these prophecies with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who then sent His angel to share the revelations with John who would in turn share it with the Church. These words are prophetically final, offering every man and woman who reads this book a blessing for the reading, and/or a curse if they alter or reject any part of it.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, revealing Him in Glory as the Lord of Hosts and the Lion of Judah, should not be ignored by any Christian layman, Pastor or Priest who has a serious and sincere relationship with the Savior. I sincerely pray you will read on...it is a fellowship and declaration of a mighty Word...

John tells us in Chapter 1, verse 10 that he was, "in the spirit on the Lord's day," which is the first day of the week, the day of Resurrection, the day of the early Christian celebration and worship, breaking of bread and taking of communion. "The Lord's Day is not the same as the Lord's Sabbath which is established in Exodus 20:8-9 when the Lord's Sabbath, to be celebrated on the 7th day of the week is to be kept holy, by commandment of the Lord.

We are to do our work on the first six days of the week and do no work on the Sabbath. No Divine Commandment is given for the Lord's Day or the first day of the week. But for those that are sincere in their faith, the observing of the 7th day Sabbath is a must by Divine Command, while the observance of the first day of the week as a celebration of the Lord's resurrection and the observance of holy communion is optional.

There are three days we need to be careful not to confuse...(1) The Lord's Day, the early Church's day of celebration of the Lord's Resurrection on the first day of the week; The Lord's Sabbath, celebrated on the 7th day of the week, as commanded by the Lord to keep it holy forever. In no way did the early church forsake the 7th day Sabbath, rather they continued to observe the Lord's Sabbath, and observed the Resurrection Day in addition to the Sabbath.

The Nelson's Bible Dictionary describes the Lord's Day this way: "The weekly festival of our Lord's resurrection, and identified with "the first day of the week," or "Sunday," of every age of the Church. Scripture says very little concerning this day; but that little seems to indicate that the divinely inspired apostles, by their practice and by their precepts, marked the first day of the week as a day for meeting together to break bread, for communicating and receiving instruction, for laying up offerings in store for charitable purposes, for occupation in holy thought and prayer."

Then there is The Day of the Lord, an eschatological day of wrath and judgment that is coming upon the whole earth, that can happen any day or as series of days, as the Lord determines. In any case, John was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day - the first day of the week- remembering and worshipping the Lord on the anniversary of His Resurrection. And he heard a great voice speaking to him...

John's Revelation of the Lord is breathtaking, if you will read it slowly. Then, the Lord had much to say to John concerning the seven churches of Asia Minor, of which John was Apostolic Overseer. He was to write down these messages to the churches and see that they were delivered and received. The Church of Ephesus is mentioned first because it was the mother church.

The message to the 7th (Laodicean) and final apostate Church is found in the third chapter of Revelations, in the same way that the Church Age will end in the third day. The current Laodicean Church is therefore the last and final Church on the earth. But the saints of the dying Philadelphia Church, the new-born of the infant Laodicean Church and the faithful of all Church Ages will be resurrected and raptured early in the third day while it is still night, long before the dawn, and secretly, without a warning to the Bride who will be snatched away in the twinkling of an eye...

It is in the first verse of the 4th chapter that John is summoned to the heavenly throne room. Notice the voice did not say, "I will show you things that shall be hereafter" but it said, "I will show you things that MUST BE..."

At this point we need to recall the words in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8, explaining that the restrainer of evil (the Holy Spirit within the Believers) will be taken out of the way (out of the earth) AND THEN shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brighteness of His coming."

In Revelations 4: 4 we observe with John the 24 Elders seated before the throne. These represent the Raptured Church as priests before God. They are wearing white robes of righteousness and golden crowns received at the judgment seat of Christ. And they wear them on their glorified heads and bodies received during the Resurrection/Rapture of the Church. You cannot hang a crown or a robe on a spirit, they will fall to the floor.

The fact that they are "sitting" indicates their rewards of authority also received at their purification at the judgement seat of Christ. These rewards of authority will enable them to reign with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom. These scenes alone declare the Resurrection/Rapture of the Church that "MUST BE" before the judgments begin.

When the messages to the seven churches had all been dictated and written down, Jesus gives one last word to the church, "He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the Churches."

It is the Lord's last reference to the Church until Chapter 22, verse 16, when He is saying Goodbye to John, reminding him to testify of these things in the churches, saying in a way that John would be released from his imprisonment on Patmos, and would return to the churches to tell them everything. Such reference lends additional proof that the Church is not on the earth during the seven years of tribulation and wrath.

When John first heard the great voice he looked up and a door was opened in heaven. This open door would allow the entry of John to the thone room, with the Resurrected and Raptured saints of the Church Age. That door would not open again until Revelations 19:11 when heaven was opened once more for the coming of the great and glorious King of kings and Lord of lords with all his heavenly hosts and armies.

When we first see the souls of those slain for the word of God during the first three and a half years of tribulation, they are under the altar of God, in their spirit form, weeping and asking, "How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, will you not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" One can see these are babies in Christ who have not yet learned the power for healing in the forgiveness of our persecutors.

This was seen just after the 4th horse of the apocalypse rode into the earth, but we see them again, just before the 7th seal, in their resurrected bodies, wearing white robes with palms in their hands. Note they are standing, worshipping, but wearing no crowns. These are not part of the Bride but will serve God day and night in His Temple and He that sits on the throne shall dwell among them.

It is a numberless multitude, which no man can number. And the tribulation is only half over. It has been a great harvest for souls - and a greater harvest is yet to come. What the Church could not do - or failed to do while on the earth - is accomplished in the tribulation of God's poured out judgment and wrath on the earth. God's judgment and punishment is always poured out with mercy, to bring the rebellious and prodigal back to Himself.

In Chapter 20, when Satan is thrown into the bottomless pit for a thousand years, there is a resurrection of the tribulation martyrs from the last three and a half years and a resurrection of the Old Testament saints. This is the end of the seven stages of the first Resurrection,( gathering of all the saints of all the ages). The rest of the dead (the lost) will not be resurrected for a thousand more years, following the Millennium.

Those seven stages of the first Resurrection-Rapture include:

(1) Enoch - The Lord took him and he was not found. Represents the Raptured Church.

(2) Elijah - Taken up alive in a chariot. Will return in the Tribulation as one of the two witnesses to finish his commission.

(3) Jesus Christ - First Fruit Resurrection followed 40 days later by His bodily Ascension into Heaven.

(4) The Church - the Bride - Resurrected-Raptured before the first seal is broken.

(5) Resurrection of the Martyrs of the first 3 1/2 years - just before the 7th seal (Chapter 7:9-17)

(6) Resurrection of the Martyrs of the last 3 1/2 years - Chapter 20:4

(7) Resurrection of the Old Testament Saints - Chapter 20:4-5.

"This is the first Resurrection..." (Chapter 20:5)

"Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:6)

If there were no pre-tribulation Resurrection and Rapture, there would be no resurrection of the tribulation martyrs just before the 7th seal and just after Satan is thrown into the bottomless pit. There would be no 24 elders sitting before the throne, casting their crowns before the One on the Throne. There would be no need for an open door in Heaven in Chapter 4:1. There would be no judgment seat and rewards given with white robes of righteousness and crowns of gold, no rewards of Kingdom authority, no glorified bodies worshipping, singing, praising, sitting, standing, bowing, and weeping unless the Church had gone before.

Remember, and read it again and again, that door in Heaven opens and the Church is seated before the Throne when Jesus takes the scroll from the Father's hand and breaks the first seal. When He breaks that first seal, the first of the four horsemen of the apocalypse rides forth to conquer the earth. He will be the antichrist, the beast of Revelation and Daniel, the dreaded son of Satan who will slaughter millions. He will make Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler and Antiochus Epiphanes look like choir boys. However, we will not be here on this earth when the antichrist appears to the world as a peacemaker. Never, never doubt it again...

We are in the season of Revelation. Watch, for Christ is coming for those that believe and are watching for Him. It could happen anytime, any day, any hour, any minute, as God wills. It will be a great surprise to the world, but to those of us who are watching and anticipating the sound of the trumpet, it will be no surprise-surprise-surprise at all...