Part 2 The Apostle James was a tormenter of worldly Christians:

. . and great fear fell upon them which saw them. (Revelation 11:11)

Notice the parallel:

And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. (Matthew 28:4) If the resurrection of one Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, occasioned such terror, how will the peoples of the earth respond when they behold the dead bodies of God’s elect rise from the dead and stand upright on their feet by the power of the Spirit of God?

All over the earth the graves will burst open and the saints will step forth in radiant glory for the world to see. This will be the greatest Christian witness of all time (John 17:21; Isaiah 60:1-5).

The members of the nations will gnash their teeth in despair, turning with accusations on their leaders. Almighty God has spread a table for His saints in the presence of their enemies.

The current delusion that the saints will disappear at the coming of the Lord not only is without foundation in the Old Testament or the New Testament, it also is impractical and selfish. Why should God put such a light under a bushel? Why should the humble of the earth be deprived of beholding the greatest act of redemption in the history of the world—the resurrection and glorification of the Lord’s conquerors?

In fear and desperation the leaders of the earth will organize their armies, hoping they can resist the entrance of earth’s lawful King into the affairs of mankind. It is a futile effort. The Spirit of God acting through Christ and His saints will crush all resistance. The birds of the air will be filled with the flesh of those persons who choose to fight against Christ and His army.

And they heard a great [loud] voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. . . . (Revelation 11:12)

Compare: 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: (I Thessalonians 4:16)

Neither the Hebrew nor the Greek language makes a clear distinction between the sky and Heaven. A loud voice coming from Heaven is equivalent, in the Greek language, to a loud voice coming from the sky, or from the region of the clouds—that is, from not very high above the surface of the earth.

For example, in the Book of Revelation, John mentions a new heaven and a new earth. It is not at all likely that he saw a new spirit Heaven. What John saw, we believe, was a new sky and a new earth.

In the first chapter of Genesis we notice that the sun, moon, and stars were placed in the "firmament of the heaven." Therefore we cannot tell whether the "great voice from heaven" came from the spirit realm, or from the sky or the clouds. It probably does not matter in that it certainly originated in the spirit realm. It reminds us of the light that appeared in the beginning before there were sun, moon, and stars. There was at that time a convergence of the spirit and material realms.

We are making an issue of this because we are emphasizing that the first resurrection and ascension of the saints, the Lord’s witnesses, is not for the purpose of bringing them to the spirit realm, to Paradise in the spirit Heaven, but to meet the Lord as He descends at the beginning of the attack of Armageddon.

First Thessalonians, Chapter Four states that we meet the Lord "in the air." There is no suggestion from the passage that the Lord then brings us to the spirit Paradise. The bulk of passages indicate, we believe, that we go out to meet the Lord in preparation for His descent to the Mount of Olives.

The current concept that the Lord descends, catches up His Bride, and then returns to the spirit realm for a season is not taught clearly in the Scriptures, as we understand them.

The shout, the voice of the archangel, the trumpet of God, fit the attack of Armageddon better than they do the catching up of an invisible bride. If God intended for the world to continue for seven more years after a secret "catching away," as taught by so many Christians, He hardly would include a shout of war, the voice of the leader of the army of angels, and the sound of a trumpet.

First Thessalonians 4:16 does not inform us what word or words were shouted. Our opinion is, the shout is the shout of the Lord’s host as it prepares to do battle with Antichrist and his armies (I Samuel 17:20). Evidently, part of the shout includes the command, "Come up here!"

. . . And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Revelation 11:12) Perhaps not up to Heaven, as to the spirit Heaven, but up to the heaven, up to the region of the clouds. Compare:

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. (I Thessalonians 4:17)

Again, we believe the ascent of the witnesses "to the heaven in a cloud" is referring to our meeting the Lord in the air. The clouds of God (God always is hiding Himself in a cloud, it appears) will hide the ascended witnesses from the gaze of the peoples of the earth. To this extent we shall be invisible.

But there is no indication whatever that we will proceed to the spirit Paradise to dwell in mansions, as the current fable declares.

Neither will we ascend in order to be judged, as is taught commonly. Those who rise to meet the Lord in that hour have been judged previously. Their very sentence is to be raised, glorified, and rewarded. The remainder of the dead will not receive their bodies until the thousand-year Kingdom Age has been concluded.

The eleventh chapter of Revelation is viewing the resurrection and ascension of the saints from the standpoint of the revived Divine testimony, the renewed proclamation of Divine righteousness before the nations of the earth. Therefore the fact that the testimony could be seen ascending to the heaven, and the dismay of the enemies of the elect, are emphasized.

The passage in I Thessalonians, Chapter Four is presenting the resurrection and catching up from the standpoint of the reunion of Christian families and the entrance of the members together into the Kingdom of God.

The current concept that the purpose of the events of I Thessalonians 4:16,17 is to remove the believers from the tribulation and from the threat of Antichrist is foreign to the thinking and teaching of the Apostle Paul—to the emphasis of the entire Scriptures.

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. (I Thessalonians 4:13)

Notice that the stress is on the welfare of the deceased saints, not the living saints. Therefore the fact that the living and dead saints are caught up together and are all with Jesus is pointed out. No mention is made of passing into the spirit Heaven.

The burden of Ezekiel, Chapter 37 has to do with the redemption of the nation of Israel and the bringing of the Israelites into their land in unity and peace.

First Corinthians, Chapter 15 describes the resurrection itself. The emphasis is on the overcoming of what is mortal by what is immortal.

Second Corinthians, Chapter Five, speaks of the renewing of our revived body by clothing it with our "house which is from heaven." Our house from Heaven is constructed by the sowing of our present body to death through its participation in the suffering of Christ (II Corinthians 4:17).

Second Thessalonians portrays the vengeance to be exercised on those who were persecuting the believers in Thessalonica. Matthew, Chapter 24 is an important warning of the suddenness of our Lord’s return from Heaven and our need to be ever watchful.

Matthew, Chapter 25 (the parable of the virgins) points out the need for spiritual preparedness. There is coming a time when it will be too late to prepare for His coming. Then the righteous will remain righteous and the filthy will remain filthy.

The second chapter of Second Thessalonians deals with the timing of the Lord’s return: The Lord’s return will take place after the great rebellion against authority and the personification of that rebellion in the "man of sin."

All these passages are referring to the same event—the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Day of the Lord. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. (Revelation 11:13)

Notice that the Divine wrath will fall on the "city." It is in the centres of civilization that the calamities of Revelation take place. The remainder of the peoples of the earth, as we understand the events of the end-time, will include nations and tribes that will be brought safely through the tribulation period to the setting up of the Kingdom of Christ.

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16) "Every one that is left" after the Lord Jesus and His army have destroyed the wicked.

The nations and tribes that assist the brothers of Christ while they are bringing the last testimony, and then during the tribulation period while the witnesses are hiding from the wrath of the serpent, will be saved.

Notice that in this terrible hour some people repented and "gave glory to the God of heaven." Not all were hardened. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. (Revelation 11:14)

The resurrection and ascension of the elect take place in the midst of earth’s troubles. There are woes before and after.

It would seem that the terrifying spectacle of beholding the hated elect rising from the dead, standing on their feet, and then ascending into the heaven would be enough punishment for the rebellious of the earth.

Not so! A horrifying future awaits the rebellious of the nations, and also the Laodicean Christians—those who choose to serve Antichrist, the god of the present age.

Babylon, the union of the churches of Christ with the world, has persecuted the saints. The blood of the prophets is on her hands. Now God will avenge the blood of His prophets by burning up the religious whore with fire.

Babylon (man-directed Christianity) is a prostitute because she has taken the things of God and has given them to "strangers," to the demons. This actually is what takes place when Christian believers become involved with the spirit of the world.

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven,.... (Revelation 11:15) Compare:

But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:7)

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. (I Corinthians 15:52)

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. (Matthew 24:31)

And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. (Mark 13:27)

Notice, in Matthew 24:29 and Mark 13:24, that the coming of the Lord Jesus in the clouds of heaven with power and glory occurs after the tribulation.

Observe also all the elect are gathered together, from the "four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."

If this were just for a Jewish elect that had gone through the tribulation, as some teach, it would not state "to the uttermost part of heaven." Notice also:

For if we believe Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (I Thessalonians 4:14)

All the elect will be gathered together at the coming of the Lord, not only the new covenant saints but also the old covenant saints—for they too are awaiting the resurrection from the dead (Hebrews 11:40).

That the old covenant and new covenant saints will be gathered together at the coming of the Lord can be seen on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8).

The Mount of Transfiguration was an actual, accurate preview of the "Son of man coming in his kingdom." Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (Matthew 16:28)

All the elect were represented on the Mount of Transfiguration: those in Heaven, those on the earth, those from the old covenant, those from the new covenant. All are God’s witnesses.

Moses and Elijah represent the Divine testimony, the righteousness and power of God, the Law and the Prophets, the fullness of all that was under the anointing of the old covenant.

Peter, James, and John represent the Divine testimony, the members of the Body, the Church, the fullness of all that is under the anointing of the new covenant. They exemplify those who forsake all and follow the Lamb of God.

Moses and Elijah were two in number. Two symbolizes the power that comes by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the two wave loaves of the feast of Pentecost, the double portion of the Spirit, the former and latter rain of the Spirit of God.

Peter, James, and John were three in number. Three, as employed in the Scriptures, symbolizes God and the fullness of the working of God in the construction of His Kingdom, His eternal Temple. There are three great platforms of redemption, as depicted by the three major convocations of Israel (Deuteronomy 16:16).

Two from the old and three from the new point out the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant. Two is the number of the witness. Three indicates the Presence of God. The old covenant was administered by chosen human beings on whom the anointing of the Lord rested. The new covenant, however, consists of the forming of Christ in us and the dwelling of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit eternally in us.

The forming and indwelling of God in the believer was not true of any individual under the old covenant. But every member of the Kingdom of God is the dwelling place of God. This is why he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than any of the prophets of the old covenant.

Revelation, Chapter 11 describes the two witnesses, the double portion of witnessing power, the end-time latter-rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the elect so the way of the Lord may be prepared.

Revelation, Chapter 12 portrays the forming of Christ in the members of the Body of Christ, the creating of the Body of Christ, of the Servant of the Lord—He who will rule the creation in righteousness under God forever. The number five (five humans on the mount) symbolizes the "beginning" of the Kingdom of God. Rosh Hashanah, the Blowing of Trumpets, the first day of the Jewish civil year, is the fifth feast of the Lord.

When we add the Lord Jesus to the two old covenant saints and the three new covenant saints we have the number six. Six symbolizes the Day of Atonement, the Year of Jubilee, the Ark of the Covenant, the creating of man in God’s image and assigning to him fruitfulness and ruler ship over all the works of God’s hands.

The kingdom-wide fulfilment of the Day of Atonement is the Millennium, the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The term atonement means "reconciliation." It is during the thousand-year Kingdom Age that the fullness of the Bride will be reconciled (married) to the Lamb, and the nations of the earth will be reconciled to the rule of Christ—neither of which is a fact today.

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