Cinda Godfrey (5 June 2004)
"A Closer Look at 1 Thessalonians 4:16"


Hello John and Doves,
 
I have been following the Planet X story very closely since last Summer and this thing is for real.  It is the "great red dragon" of Revelation 12.  Only a large planetary body entering our solar system and interfering with Earth's magnetic field could cause all the climate changes and erratic weather the world is experiencing right now.  It is also dragging meteors and space debris along with it and we are beginning to see the impacts already.  It is now starting to become crystal clear that our Rapture is going to coincide with some type of major global disaster.  Understanding that fact prompted me to take a closer look at the translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:16, the famous Rapture passage.
 
We all know the passage, but for reference, here it is again:
 
"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."
 
God seems to work very much in the "natural" and with natural laws.  So, it's always baffled me about the graves opening and the dead rising into the air just before the Bride is taken.  Maybe, just maybe, that's not how it's going to work.  Hear me out.
 
If the Rapture coincides with a natural disaster, whether it be Planet X, asteroid impacts, Yellowstone exploding or whatever, then the "dead rising first" could mean that thousands or millions are killed at the moment of calamity.
 
So, I went to my Concordance and looked up the other translations of some key words in 1 Thess 4:16 and BINGO!!!!    Here's another way it can be translated:
 
"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 who are alive and survive (remain) shall be caught up at the same time (together) with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
 
In the Greek, the word "remain" can mean "survive" and the word "together" can mean "at the same time".
 
Sounds to me that when these disasters hit, some of us will be killed instantly and the Lord will Rapture those saints who aren't killed simultaneously.  Either way, we will be with Jesus and likely won't know what hit us.
 
The other curious passage which is now making sense is Song of Solomon 2:14.  "Oh my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance......" etc.  Noah had a seven-day warning and it is likely that we will also have a seven- day warning about the coming disasters.  If we are suddenly informed (at the very last minute) of an asteroid impact by national news, we are going to be told to take cover immediately (as with a tornado warning).  With huge hailstones and space rocks about to pummel the planet, we will be told to hide in caves, rocks, basements under stairs - anywhere to avoid being hit.  Now Song of Solomon makes sense.  When Jesus comes back for his beloved Bride, she is found hiding under stairs and in the clefts of the rocks.  Better stock up on food and water for a seven-day period as we await our Lord's return.  It can't be long now.