The Return, the Rapture, the Reign; With Jesus the King

By Stuart Rushton

Over the last few years, there have been many different views proposed of the timing of the Return of Jesus in relation to the rapture of the saints, and the world-wide events at the end of the age. Some people say one thing, others say another; but what does the Bible teach about these Earth shattering events, and how Christians must prepare for the future? Only one view is seen as correct according to the scriptures. So how do we find out which view is the one that will really happen? What did Jesus teach us to expect, and how is this mentioned by both New Testament and Old Testament prophets who were told these events in great detail? What will happen to those who expect one sort of return, but live through another sort?

This study will answer these questions, and many more, as we prepare for the future of the close of this age.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9780244271657

Book preview

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Bill, Pauline, and Ethel Turner, who found me as a new Christian, and who showed me how important the scriptures are, and how important it is to persevere in Bible Study and to pray constantly.

I would also like to thank Brian and Phil Barber, who encouraged me to finish this work that has laid dormant for a while, and was formerly known as The Last Blast.

Thank you Joe Balewski, who did a Trojan work of editing the script, checking Bible references, and for making useful suggestions for amendments.

Thanks Matthew Allen for helping with finalising the versions for distribution in any form possible.

About the Author

Born in the 1950’s Stuart grew up in Stoke-on-Trent with older brother Malcolm, and twin sister Anne. He was converted to Christianity with a born again experience on 20th June 1970, following the powerful evangelistic preaching of Michael Green (now deceased) and Brian Barber. From a form of religion to the living Christian experience, he moved from Catholicism to Methodism, and was baptised in the Holy Spirit in that same year.

In 1973 Stuart moved to Birmingham to study theology at Birmingham Bible Institute, where he met his future wife Hilary, and they have now been married for over forty years. He moved towards a career in general nursing, which has spanned over thirty years, eventually progressing to his being a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at the University of Wolverhampton, with a renowned ability to speak forthrightly to his audience, from notes as small as a postcard!

He now attends Potters Church, based in Stoke-on-Trent, so he has become a blast from the past for those people who knew him in his younger years. He enjoys fellowship and prayer with all those who walk with Jesus.

He habitually loves to study both scientific and artistic topics, play and compose Christian music, helps the family, even being a taxi service, and prays for and with anyone who has a few moments to spare.

Introduction

The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the last book of the Holy Bible. It was written by the Apostle John in about A.D. 95 to 96 as he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos just off the coast of Turkey. It is an amazing book as it reveals God's plan to complete His program for the world. In it's penultimate verse, Jesus promises that He is coming soon; so it is with urgency that we should read the book and other prophetic scriptures to clarify future events. The script is in front of us, we need to read it as though we are players in the final scenes of history on the Earth. Since the Bible is considered to be a complete revelation of God to mankind, it is important to note that both Old Testament and New Testament prophecies will intermesh, and confirm each other. This is especially true of the prophecies of Daniel and John to clarify the chronologies of the end time events of the history of mankind on the Earth.

The return of Jesus Christ to the Earth is a promise in the New Testament from the lips of Jesus Himself. Many prophetic scriptures were fulfilled by His earthly ministry around 2000 years ago, and God has revealed which promises are yet to be fulfilled so that not one word of the Holy Bible will fall to the ground, since God watches carefully over His own word to fulfil it with precision. Many of these are mentioned in the future pages of this text.

The rapture, or the removal of saints from the Earth is a scriptural certainty. What has been made less so in these recent days is the timing of the rapture compared with the chronology of the tribulation time at the end of the age and the last day on which the current age will terminate. Views on this timing are clearly expressed in this text, and many objections are answered.

The reign of Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, on Earth, is assured. There will not be one person who retains all their faculties who is unaware of this reign from Jerusalem, and He will reign over the whole Earth with His angels and with His saints. As part of this reign, Jesus will judge the Earth, and restore His heavenly order to earthly things as they were in the beginning. At the end of the millennial reign of Jesus, after yet more judgements, the Kingdom of God will begin in earnest, as the Father, the Son and God the Holy Spirit take up their rightful place for ever and ever, in what the Bible calls the 'ages of ages'.

Some of the concepts in this text may be considered difficult to understand, but several important principles of interpretation of the Bible have been adhered to for clarification of our understanding.

First; it is the words of the Bible which should hold pre-eminence over our thoughts, rather than holding firmly on to pre-conceptions of a particular theology. I like the comments of C.L. Parker who said that the keystones of a proper theology are the love of God and the justice of God. Those ideas which conflict with ideas of what can be called 'natural justice' must be really carefully considered.

Second, it is a humble and prayerful heart which will be able to absorb the truth of what the Bible contains. There are many theologians these days who are sincere about their beliefs, but who sincerely disagree with each other. Where the Bible is plainly clear, so must we be as clear, but there are some areas where the Bible is less so. Our interpretation at these points must lean towards that of a loving and just God, who is infinite in all perfections, and through whom, one day, will reveal the whole of the truth in Jesus Christ who is the way the truth and the life.

In the early church, the menu for the learning of younger Christians was expressed in the letter to the Hebrews as follows, as an A, B, C of theology: Hebrews 6v1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. My suggestion is that if you want to learn more about these things, as stepping stones, you will do no better than to study the book called Foundation Truths by C. L. Parker, which can be found free of charge at http://clparker.com/ clp/ft/ft00.html with a collection of his other texts. I also thank Mr Bill Turner who inspired me as a young Christian to look into these things. Bill's writings, which are also free of charge can be found at: https://prophetbillturner.com/ of which his commentary on the Book of Revelation published in 1995 is an important read for those who are sufficiently thirsty.

Years ago, after becoming a Christian, I became interested in the question of precisely when and how Jesus would return to Earth in power and great glory. The questions I continued to ask from my friends and colleagues were answered in so many different ways that I needed to look into the Bible myself to find the answers. My Christian leaders disagreed with each other over many details.

Initially, to find a direction for an answer, I was advised by Bill Turner to study the topics of the times of the trumpets and the resurrections in the whole of the Bible. This was excellent advice, and what I would still pass on to any one who wants to discover what the Bible says about the return, the rapture of saints, and the reign of Jesus. During wider reading, I discovered that some theologians thought that Jesus would return before the tribulation – the unpleasant part at the end of world history, some said that He would return during it, and others said His arrival would be after the chaos at the far end.

Eventually, I decided that I needed to dig into the Bible even more deeply for myself to supply the relevant information for prayerful consideration, and that my respect for other commentators, however high-ranking in their training, would have to come second to what the words of the scripture actually said. I decided to quarry into the Bible, and keep on digging, because I thought that what was said in it would not deny itself, and could not, I assumed, propose several opposing points of view simultaneously like the commentators had done.

It is for this reason that throughout this text I continually refer to the Bible as the basis for my views and for the discussions that I use to clarify what has turned out to be quite an unfolding process.

Please be inquisitive and dig into the Bible for yourself. There is no substitute for it. I suggest the use of a clear translation of the Bible rather than a summary version -preferably an interlinear to get back to original languages- and / or an electronic one that makes looking up the texts more straightforward than flicking through many pages; but there is no substitute for using a copy of your own, and using it as a text to study with some perseverance. But any version of the Bible is better than not looking up the verses for yourself. The Berean Christians in Acts 17v10, 11 were considered to be honourable since they took the time and energy to look up the scriptures for themselves, following Paul's teaching. We also ought to do the same. Any truth that is gained from the Bible can be relied upon for life, and can be used as a weapon against the wiles and lies of the enemy, the devil. The Bible is a book that contains important answers. Looking at current events will provide context for today. Meshing the two together is fascinating.

The super-scripted numbers like so ¹² in this text will direct you to the References section at the rear of the textual matter itself. Please use them to discover detail from the Bible, and occasionally from other sources. If you are able to see this book electronically, you will hopefully be able to float a mouse arrow over the notes to see them, as they are listed at the end of the text sections.

My initial summary

A useful place to start would be to summarise some of the major points on which most Christians agree. A straightforward reading of the gospels and the letters of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament teach that:

Jesus, will return to Earth in power and great glory at some time at or near the end of this age of grace ¹ in which we live.

He will return with his holy angels.

At that time, He will destroy the works of the Devil, and evil associates. Jesus will act as judge of the living and the dead, and make decisions which will dictate their eternal destiny, together with Him or away from Him for eternity.

He will reign forever, in peace, on Earth.

These ideas are contained in the Nicene Creed that was written in the 4th Century AD. These words are not in the Bible, but are too useful a summary to miss:

‘We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and Earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven