PROPOSAL FOR A FOUR-STAGE RAPTURE MODEL
By
Robert Belanger
SUMMARY
This paper describes a four-stage model based on types and shadows in the Bible, concerning the end times, in which the rapture of the Bride of Christ is predicted to occur on September 5-6, 2013, i.e. the Feast of Trumpets. The author does not claim to be a prophet and maintains this purely speculative model may or may not, occur at any future date.
This model begins with the resurrection of the early saints in the late summer of 2013, on the feast of TuB’Av. This feast will be celebrated on July 22, 2013, the 15th of the Hebrew month of Av. Five days later on the 20th Av, the last day for wood working, etc,.[1] the resurrection of the early saints and resurrection of the dead in Christ would be finished together with the transformation of all the resurrected bodies and the living believers into glorious bodies would be completed. [2][3][4][5]
After a 40-day delay, from 20th Av to 1st of Tishrei, the day of the ascension of the Bride, would occur on the Feast of Trumpets, September 5-6, 2013. Following the ascension, the next event predicted by the Bible would ensue, i.e., the Bema seat judgment. On earth, those left behind would enter into the Tribulation time period and the Antichrist would be disclosed, etc.
BACKGROUND: TYPICAL STAGES OF WEDDINGS
From our everyday experience, as you know quite well, we understand that the life-changing wedding of two persons does not take place in a single stage. First, the persons get to know each other by dating. After some time of dating, the man makes a proposal of marriage to the woman. If she accepts, he gives her a token, such as an engagement ring, and they are then considered engaged to be married at some future time.
After a period of engagement, the wedding date is set, starting a series of actions leading up to the wedding. The bride purchases her wedding gown, invitations are printed and sent out. The place for the wedding is selected and the minister, or rabbi, is asked to preside over the event. Perhaps, a photographer is selected, a caterer is selected and the reception hall and musicians may be hired for the marriage reception after the wedding ceremony.
A new residence may need to be selected and household furniture and supplies purchased as well. Everything needed for the newly married couple to live apart from their previous homes will be made ready for the wedding day. If a honeymoon travel trip is desired, those arrangements will also need to be made.
We see from these actions that a wedding is not generally accomplished without careful preparations. We should expect, I think, that great care will be exercised in the wedding of Messiah to His Bride.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE WEDDING OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
In a similar manner, the wedding of the Bride to the Bridegroom, Jesus, will probably not take place in one sudden rush of emotional chaos. There will need to be time to help the newly resurrected dead, especially those from before Jesus lifetime, to understand the meaning of the Gospel message, and to have their questions answered. Perhaps the living and the resurrected dead in Christ, who already understand the meaning and necessity of the Gospel, may play an important role in this orientation process as His agents in providing testimonies.
After the transformation of the fleshly bodies into the glorified bodies, a brief time will be needed for the Bride to become accustomed to the new glorified body after the transformation. Some time will be needed, perhaps, to prevent fear from interfering with this wonderful period of growth and development. Anything as new and fundamentally different from what every person has experienced in the flesh for their entire lifetime could easily trigger nervous anticipation, or perhaps even a fearful attitude in some people.
THE FOUR-STAGE RAPTURE MODEL
The rapture of the Bride of Christ would consist in this proposed model of four consecutive stages:
1. the dead from early generations before Christ are resurrected (1 Thess. 4:16)
2. the dead in Christ are resurrected (Rom. 10:13, John 11:25-26)
3. the living believers are transformed (1 Thess. 4:17)
4. the Bride ascends to meet the Bridegroom in the clouds (1 Thess. 4:14-18, 1 Cor. 15:51-54)
Stage 1: Resurrection of Early Saints Before Christ
We who are living in this present generation, this special and fortunate generation, having accepted Jesus as Saviour and Lord, are actually only a fraction, probably a small fraction, of all of the believers that will eventually make up the Bride of Christ. Before Jesus was born of Mary, suffered and died and later resurrected from the dead, making salvation a possibility to those who subsequently heard the Gospel message, will be resurrected from the grave and given the opportunity to hear the Gospel.
They then can of their free will either accept Jesus as Saviour, or reject Him. Some significant amount of time will be needed, I think, for these old saints to hear the Gospel, which will be totally unknown and new to them, understand it and get questions answered. I assume this resurrection Stage 1 would start on the 15th of Av or TuB’Av and be completed by 20th Av, taking in total about five days, as a guess.
Stage 2: Resurrection of Dead in Christ
Those from the Stage 1 resurrection, including many Gentiles born into pagan beliefs, as well as those born after Abraham and members of God’s Chosen People under Moses, will be given the chance to accept Jesus as the only way of salvation. If they do, they will at that moment become members of the Bride as were the unbelievers in Stage 1.
Before the Stage 1 resurrection, the Bride consisted of those who died in Christ, after Jesus’ resurrection, together with those still living who accepted Him after hearing the Gospel message, like you and me. Of course, the resurrected persons from Stage 1 and 2 who believe will be in a spiritual state, rather than in the flesh, since the transformation to glorious bodies has not yet happened. This resurrection Stage 2 would probably be ongoing at the same time as Stage 1 and completed at the same time as Stage 1, or by the 20th of Av.
Stage 3: Transformation of the Bride
With the membership of the Bride now updated, consisting of the dead before Christ, the dead in Christ and the living believers, the instantaneous transformation of the Bride members can and will take place. This could be completed on the 20th of Av at the same time as resurrections of Stage 1 and 2.
Stage 4: Ascension of the Bride to Meet Jesus in the Clouds
Assuming for the moment that the resurrection and transformation of the body of Jesus is the pattern to be followed again, then after the transformation the Bride will remain on earth for 40 days, as Jesus did after He was resurrected from the dead. This would begin after the transformation to glorious bodies on 20th Av and finish with the ascension of the Bride on Feast of Trumpets, or 1st of Tishrei.
After the delay of 40 days from the 20th Av, the Bride would then ascend into the air and into the clouds to meet Jesus there. After that meeting, the Bema seat judgment for rewards, or crowns, would take place where each person would be rewarded for compassionate and loving acts performed after spirit salvation, i.e., acceptance of Jesus the Son of God as personal Saviour and Lord for faith without works is dead (James 2:26).
FORTY-DAY DELAY BEFORE THE ASCENSION OF THE BRIDE
The most interesting step in the rapture model, I think, is a 40-day delay. Jesus remained on the earth for 40 days after His resurrection and transformation into a glorified body.
During the delay time of 40 days duration, from the 20th of Av to the time of Rosh Hashanah, on 1st Tishrei, the Bride which will begin learning about the glorified bodies they have been given. They will experience for the first time the powers of this new body to move about in the world and to appear or disappear instantaneously anywhere at will.
Their excursions in their newly glorified body form will probably be in response to wishes of the Father or Jesus and for the purpose of helping many to believe. People will see and touch the Bride, as was the case for Jesus when He appeared in the upper room, and such demonstrations will help many to accept the Gospel and Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah. God wants as many as possible to be saved and will go to extraordinary lengths, such as sending His only begotten Son, to assist man in this effort.
Finally, after the delay of 40 days, the completed Bride will ascend into the clouds to meet Jesus and join Him in heaven. The events in heaven from that point on are many and outside the scope of this simple model proposal, but would include the Bema seat judgment for awarding crowns.
REFERENCES
[1] www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_B’Av The holiday celebrates the wood-offering brought in the Temple. Josephus refers to it as the Feast of Xylophany (wood-bearing).
[2] www.fivedoves.com/letters/july2012/reneem730-1.htm The holiday called TuB’Av on the Hebrew calendar appears to be ideally made for the first stage of the rapture process. Some twenty-one signs supporting this assumption appearing in this very informative message on the Five Doves website.
[3] www.fivedoves.com/letters/june2012/bruceb630.htm Bruce Baber makes several important observations about this feast. It is called the “happiest of all holidays” for it is when “Messiah chooses a bride”. It ties in with the resurrection of the dead because it “commemorates when Jews no longer had to sleep in their graves” as they did at that time as explained in that link.
[4] www.fivedoves.com/letters/july2012/michaelc725-3.htm The author makes the interesting observation that TuB’Av may be considered mysterious and a minor feast since perhaps this feast was not meant for the Jews at all, but rather for the Church. It is a feast of love when men go “looking for a bride” or go “there to find himself a bride”. It is a joyful time similar in some respects to our celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.
[5] www.fivedoves.com/letters/july2012/lisat723.htm Lisa Taylor provides additional interesting and relevant background information regarding the feast of TuB’Av, supporting a strong connection to the rapture. She points out that the feast of TuB’Av is associated with a seasonal agricultural harvest time as are other feasts. We all know that this is in agreement with the book of Ruth, prophetic of the rapture according to some theologians, where Boaz weds Ruth at that same time of year.