Questioning Amillennialism

One Lutheran Woman's Search For Truth

Back to Introduction

Back to Part 1 - Conversion of the Jews

Back to Part 2 - The restoration of Israel and earthly reign of Messiah

Back to Part 3 - Questions about the Antichrist - Already fully fulfilled in the Papacy?

Back to Part 4 - The Tribulation - A specific period?

 

 

Part 5 - So how can Jesus come like a thief?

OK, if you read Part 4 and followed the logic, the next question that you ought to be considering is – "If the Tribulation is a specific period, then how in the world can Jesus come like a thief?"

Just as I’m absolutely sure that those numbers God gave us are literal, I’m also sure that Jesus comes like a thief:

Luk 12:39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Mar 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

So, there is a specific number of years, but the Lord comes like a thief. How can both be true? I don’t know, but somehow they are. When the Jews read the scriptures about the coming Messiah, they ran across a similar contradiction. The Messiah was going to suffer and die. The Messiah was going to reign forever. How could both be true? To get around this problem, they took the "reign forever" part literally and allegorized the "suffer and die" part. There was nothing in the scriptures that they had (the Old Testament) about Messiah coming twice. That wasn’t scriptural! Yet, now, from our New Testament perspective, we know that is exactly what will happen. He came once to suffer and die. He comes again to reign forever.

So, specific Tribulation period with specific events to be fulfilled (more on that later) and yet Jesus comes at an hour that we do not expect him. How can both be true? I don’t think we can believe one and ignore the other. Somehow both are true.

That is where the idea of a pre-tribulational rapture comes from. THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT’S THE ONLY ANSWER. It’s one possibility. God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. He may have some other way of working this out that our puny minds cannot conceive of.

 

A reminder: The rapture is perfectly Biblical, and all Christians, including amillennialists, believe in it. They disagree on the how and the why, and sometimes they don't call it "rapture," but it is straight out of the Bible:

1Th 4:16 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:

1Th 4:17 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.

The "catching up" is the rapture. The word in Greek is harpazo, and means "to be snatched away violently." The word "rapture" is the English version of the Latin translation of the same word, rapio, "to take away by force."

 

I am not going to defend a pre-tribulational rapture as absolute truth. We don’t know that. However, to categorically deny it is also not a good idea. We may find ourselves in the same position as the Jews with our "It’s not scriptural!" shouts. The more I study the Bible, the more convinced I am that we are ALL going to be surprised by something in the Lord’s second coming. I also have a strong feeling that those that declare, "IT MEANS THIS!" and go out of their way to condemn other Christians’ ideas are going to find themselves under the Lord’s (gentle?) correction.

With that said, I’d like to give a little Biblical evidence that hints at a pre-tribulational rapture, and hopefully give you something to say to the people who go ballistic when the subject comes up.

First, remember those parallel verses about the Tribulation:

Mat 24:15 "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION (3-1/2 years after the enforcing of the covenant, as in Daniel 9) which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand ),
Mat 24:16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Mat 24:17 "Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house.
Mat 24:18 "Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.
Mat 24:19 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days !
Mat 24:20 "But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.
Mat 24:21 "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
Mat 24:22
"Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

 

Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt

 

Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like it: it [is] even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

 

Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, [even] to the years of many generations.

 

Amo 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end [is] it for you? the day of the LORD [is] darkness, and not light.

 

Now, if you follow the parallelism carefully, you can see that all these verses are talking about the same time period, which in Amos is called THE DAY OF THE LORD.  The "Day of the Lord," therefore, can't be a single day.

OK, put that together with these:

1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The Day of the Lord comes as a thief. Jesus comes as a thief. The Day of the Lord is not a single day but begins a period of years before the "end of the world." The Day of the Lord is called by Jesus himself to be the time of the Great Tribulation. Therefore, following this logic, the "rapture" has to come sometime BEFORE the "end of the world."

Two notes: I put the "end of the world" in quotes, but you'll see in the next section that it doesn't really mean that. Also, there is some evidence that while the "Day of the Lord" begins with the Great Tribulation, it continues on through the "Millennium."

 

OK, more hints.

We are constantly told that the Bible never talks about two more "comings," and yet, for the rapture to occur anytime prior to Great Tribulation, Jesus would need to come twice. So, what gives? Let's take a look:

 

Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mar 13:26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

 

So, obviously, Jesus returns with power and great glory and every eye shall see him. Yet, what about these?

1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

 When was the last time you heard of a thief coming with power and great glory, with every eye upon him? A thief comes secretly, at an hour you do not expect. In my opinion, if God had simply meant "unexpectedly," He would have said "unexpectedly." Instead, He consistently uses this image of a thief. What does a thief do? A thief sneaks in secretly and steals things. Why would God compare Jesus to a thief? Is Jesus going to come secretly to steal the "bride" away? Take a look at these next verses:

Isa 26:19 Thy dead [men] shall live, [together with] my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Isa 26:21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

In these verses, you’ve got dead being resurrected and people entering chambers until the indignation be overpast (Tribulation be over). So, what does that mean? All through the Bible, and especially in the New Testament, we have a wedding theme. Jesus is the bridegroom, and the church is the bride. The following response that Jesus gave his disciples is very close to the traditional, ceremonial response that the bridegroom gives when he has asked a woman to marry him and she has accepted:


Jhn 14:2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
Jhn 14:3 "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

The ancient, traditional Jewish wedding follows a pretty set pattern. First, the father of the groom finds a bride for his son. Once found, they visit the bride’s family. The groom pours a cup of wine for the girl and sets it in front of her. If she likes this arrangement, she drinks it. A bride price is set and paid and the betrothal begins. The betrothal is supposed to be at least a year (to give time for any pregnancies to show up). The groom goes to his father’s house to prepare a place for his bride. The bride is supposed to spend her time learning how to please and serve the groom.

During this time, her purity is on display for all to see. The groom is supposed to spend his time preparing his bride’s home. Neither the groom nor the bride knows when the wedding is going to be. Only the groom’s father knows. When he thinks that the bridal chambers have been adequately prepared, he tells his son that it’s time to go and get his bride. Meanwhile, the bride and her friends are supposed to be ready at all times. If the year is almost over, she knows the time is getting close, but she’s not supposed to have any idea when her bridegroom will come for sure. Usually (for fun, I suppose), the bridegroom shows up at midnight. As he approaches the bride’s house, he and his friends give a great shout to alert the bride that he’s coming. The bride runs out to meet the bridegroom, and the whole wedding party returns to the groom’s house to begin the festivities. At the groom’s house, it’s the friend of the bridegroom who is supposed to escort the couple into the bridal chamber. The bride stays secluded there for seven days. At the end of the seven days, she comes out and the couple appears in public together for the first time.

You can see some of this in the Old Testament stories. Remember Jacob, and how he was told to finish the bridal week with Leah before having Rachel, too?

Now, to go back to the passage in Isaiah: Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers. The word translated "chambers" is cheder:

02315 cheder

AV - chamber 21, inner 4, bedchamber + 4296 3, bedchamber + 4904 3,
inward parts 2, innermost parts 2, parlours 1, south 1, within 1; 38

1) chamber, room, parlour, innermost or inward part, within

That’s the exact word used for "bridal chamber":

From "Sketches in Jewish Life"

With such a "benediction," preceded by a brief formula, with which the bride was handed over to her husband (Tobit vii. 13), the wedding festivities commenced. And so the pair were led towards the bridal chamber (Cheder) and the bridal bed (Chuppah).

Here are some other uses of the word (it usually means bedroom):

Gen 43:30 And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought [where] to weep; and he entered into [his] chamber [02315], and wept there.

Jdg 15:1 But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber [02315]. But her father would not suffer him to go in.

1Ki 1:15 And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber [02315]: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.

2Ki 6:12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that [is] in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber [02315] [04904].

2Ki 11:2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons [which were] slain; and they hid him, [even] him and his nurse, in the bedchamber [02315] [04296] from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.

Sgs 1:4 Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers [02315]: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

Joe 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber [02315], and the bride out of her closet [02646]

So, this isn’t conclusive, of course, but it sure is interesting. Read these verses in Isaiah again, now that you’ve read the wedding possibilities. If this isn't talking about entering a heavenly bridal chamber while the Tribulation is going on, then God is telling people to go hide in their bedrooms. Is that where you'd hide? This verse also makes NO sense if the Tribulation (when the Lord punishes the inhabitants of the earth) has been going on for 2,000 years.

Isa 26:19 Thy dead [men] shall live, [together with] my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew [is as] the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Isa 26:21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

We often use the following verse to mean that God will keep us safe during any of our troubles. He will always be with us and protect us from danger. But, is there a possibility of more here?

Psa 27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Hiding in his pavilion, in the secret of his tabernacle sounds an awful lot like in my father’s house. Could it be?

Here are a few more interesting verses:

Zep 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

1 thes 1:10"to wait for His son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead- Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath."

Now, the definitive "rapture" passage (that amillennialists are in complete agreement with, of course) is from Thessalonians.

1Th 4:16 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

1Th 4:17 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.

1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Now, even though the word "meet" is used a lot in the Bible (145 times in the NIV), this particular word, apantesis, is used only three other times, and two of them are about meeting the bridegroom. Remember, the bridegroom goes to get his bride, and then he returns to his father’s house.

529 apantesis

AV - to meet + 1519 4; 4
1) to meet one

These are the only other uses of this word:

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet [529] [1519] the bridegroom.

Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet [529] him.

Act 28:15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet [529] [1519] us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.

The first two are obviously references to meeting the bridegroom. (Remember, in the ancient custom, the bridegroom leaves his father's home in "secret," gets the bride and returns to his father's house for the festivities.) Let's look at the last reference more closely. Here it is from the NASB:

Act 28:14 There we found some brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus we came to Rome.
Act 28:15 And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.
Act 28:16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

It's interesting, that even in this last one, people came FROM Rome, met Paul, and then RETURNED to Rome WITH him. It's also interesting that seven days are specifically mentioned.

One Lutheran radio personality said that studying the use of this word, apantesis, is what turned him away from any sort of rapture idea. He says that it can't possibly mean what pre-tribulationists say it means. Frankly, I don't know how he arrived at that conclusion. Everything about this seems to support it!

 

So, if a pre-trib rapture is true, then just like in a traditional Jewish wedding, Jesus comes for his bride and then later appears with his bride. Is that in the Bible at all?

Jude 1:14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
Jude 1:15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him

 When I asked our pastor who these "holy ones" were, he said they were angels. The Greek word for angel is angelos. The word used here that was translated "holy ones" is hagios. It is sometimes used with angels when the text says "holy angels," but it is never translated "angels." Here are some uses of it:

40 hagios {hag'-ee-os}

AV - holy 161, saints 61, Holy One 4, misc 3; 229
1) most holy thing, a saint

Mat 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints [40] which slept arose,

Phl 1:1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints [40] in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Phl 4:21 Salute every saint [40] in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you.

Col 1:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love [which ye have] to all the saints [40],

There certainly are passages about Jesus returning with angels. This is one of the places where "hagios" is used with "angelos." So, this certainly isn’t conclusive – it could be angels, even though it doesn’t say angels.

Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

 

Here’s another place where holy ones are shown coming WITH the Lord (NASB):

Zec 14:5 You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel ; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!
Zec 14:6
In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle .

Here’s the way the King James translates it:

Zec 14:5 And ye shall flee [to] the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, [and] all the saints with thee.

The word translated "holy ones" or "saints" is qadowsh in the Hebrew:

06918 qadowsh {kaw-doshe'}

AV - holy 65, Holy One 39, saint 12; 116
1) sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart

Here are some of the ways it is used:

Exd 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy [06918] nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Deu 33:3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints [06918] [are] in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; [every one] shall receive of thy words.

Psa 16:3 [But] to the saints [06918] that [are] in the earth, and [to] the excellent, in whom [is] all my delight.

Psa 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints [06918]: for [there is] no want to them that fear him.

This isn’t conclusive either, though, because there are lots of places where it’s translated "holy" and there’s even one spot where it’s not clear whether it’s referring to angels or people. So, still could be angels. Here’s one more spot (the red words are the Greek):

Rev 19:7 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."
Rev 19:8
It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen
bussinos, bright lampros and clean katharos; for the fine linen bussinos is the righteous acts of the saints.
Rev 19:9 Then he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God."
Rev 19:10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
Rev 19:13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen
bussinos, white leukos and clean katharos, were following Him on white horses.
Rev 19:15
From His mouth comes a sharp sword , so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
Rev 19:16
And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
Rev 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God,
Rev 19:18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great."
Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
Rev 19:20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
Rev 19:21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

You can see the bride in verse seven: for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. She is wearing fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Down a little farther, it talks about heaven being opened, and Jesus on a white horse coming in judgment. With him come the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. They were following him out of heaven on white horses. Notice how the description, separated by just a few verses, is nearly identical to what the bride is wearing. The Lutheran commentaries say that these armies are angels. I’m going to give you a whole bunch of things, so that you can make up your own mind – are these angels or are these believers/saints/bride?
This is a little detailed, so bear with me:

2513 katharos {kath-ar-os'}

AV - pure 17, clean 10, clear 1; 28
1) clean, pure
1a) physically
1a1) purified by fire
1a2) in a similitude, like a vine cleansed by pruning and so
fitted to bear fruit
1b) in a levitical sense
1b1) clean, the use of which is not forbidden,
imparts no uncleanness
1c) ethically
1c1) free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt
1c2) free from every admixture of what is false, sincere genuine
1c3) blameless, innocent
1c4) unstained with the guilt of anything

This word is used 28 times in the New Testament. Although it is not used anywhere in the NT (except possibly here) in relation to angels, there really isn’t anything in the meaning to prevent it being used that way. Here are some typical uses:

Mat 5:8 Blessed [are] the pure [2513] in heart: for they shall see God.

Mat 27:59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped [1794] (5656) it [846] in a clean [2513] linen cloth [4616],

1Ti 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure [2513] heart, and [of] a good conscience, and [of] faith unfeigned

3022 leukos {lyoo-kos'}

AV - white 25; 25
1) light, bright, brilliant
1a) brilliant from whiteness, (dazzling) white
1a1) of the garments of angels, and of those exalted to the
splendour of the heavenly state
1a2) shining or white garments worn on festive or state occasions
1a3) of white garments as the sign of innocence and purity of the
soul
1b) dead white

This word is used 25 times, and you can see right in the definition that it is used of angels. Here are typical uses:

Mat 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white [3022] as the light.

Mat 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white [3022] as snow

 

2986 lampros {lam-pros'}

AV - bright 2, goodly 2, white 2, gorgeous 1, gay 1, clear 1; 9
1) shining
1a) brilliant
1b) clear, transparent
2) splendid, magnificent
2a) splendid things i.e. luxuries or elegancies in dress or style

 
This word is used nine times in the NT, eight times other than the shown in our verse. You can see that it is used with angels:

Luk 23:11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked [him], and arrayed him in a gorgeous [2986] robe, and sent him again to Pilate.

Act 10:30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright [2986] clothing,

Jam 2:2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly [2986] apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment

Jam 2:3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay [2986] clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool

Rev 15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white [2986] linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

Rev 18:14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly [2986] are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all

Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear [2986] as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright [2986] and morning star.

 

1039 bussinos {boos'-see-nos}

AV - fine linen 4; 4
1) a fine linen (garment)
2) made of fine linen

This word is only used four times in the NT. There are other Greek words for "linen," but this one always means "fine linen." Our verses gave the definition of the symbolism involved: fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Here are all the uses of this word:

Rev 18:16 And saying, Alas, alas , that great city, that was clothed in fine linen [1039], and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen [1039], clean and white [2986]: for the fine linen [1039] is the righteousness of saints.

Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen [1039], white and clean.

OK, that’s it for the New Testament, which is in Greek, of course. The Old Testament was primarily in Hebrew. So, maybe in Hebrew angels could be described as being dressed in "fine linen." Using the BlueLetter Bible’s phrase search, I looked for "fine linen." Here are all the uses in the OT:

Gen 41:42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;

Exd 25:4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' [hair],

Exd 28:5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.

Exd 28:39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre [of] fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle [of] needlework.

Exd 35:6 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' [hair],

Exd 35:23 And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' [hair], and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought [them].

Exd 35:25 And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, [both] of blue, and of purple, [and] of scarlet, and of fine linen.

Exd 35:35 Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, [even] of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

Exd 38:23 And with him [was] Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.

Exd 39:3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut [it into] wires, to work [it] in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, [with] cunning work.

Exd 39:27 And they made coats [of] fine linen [of] woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,

Exd 39:28 And a mitre [of] fine linen, and goodly bonnets [of] fine linen, and linen breeches [of] fine twined linen,

1Ch 4:21 The sons of Shelah the son of Judah [were], Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea,

1Ch 15:27 And David [was] clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: David also [had] upon him an ephod of linen.

2Ch 2:14 The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father [was] a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father.

2Ch 3:14 And he made the vail [of] blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.

Est 1:6 [Where were] white, green, and blue, [hangings], fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds [were of] gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble.

Est 8:15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

Pro 7:16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved [works], with fine linen of Egypt.

Pro 31:24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth [it]; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

Isa 3:23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

Eze 16:10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

Eze 16:13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment [was of] fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

Eze 27:7 Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee.

Eze 27:16 Syria [was] thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate.

 

One of the words translated "fine linen" is shesh. This word is used 42 times in the OT, never of angels.

08336 shesh {shaysh}

AV - linen 20, fine linen 17 marble 3, silk 1, variant 1; 42
1) something bleached white, byssus, linen, fine linen
2) alabaster, similar stone, marble

Another word is buwts. It is used eight times, never of angels.

0948 buwts {boots}

AV - fine linen 7, white linen 1; 8
1) byssus, a costly, fine white linen cloth made in Egypt

 

OK, so how are angels described? Ezekiel and Daniel both saw men that were probably angels:

Eze 9:2 Behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with his shattering weapon in his hand; and among them was a certain man clothed in linen with a writing case at his loins. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.
Eze 9:3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case.
Eze 9:4 The LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city , even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst."

0906 bad {bad}

AV - linen 23; 23
1) linen, white linen

That word is used 23 times. Here are the ones where it is likely to be describing an angel:

Eze 9:11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen [0906], which [had] the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

Eze 10:2 And he spake unto the man clothed with linen [0906], and said, Go in between the wheels, [even] under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter [them] over the city. And he went in in my sight.

Eze 10:6 And it came to pass, [that] when he had commanded the man clothed with linen [0906], saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels.

Eze 10:7 And [one] cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that [was] between the cherubims, and took [thereof], and put [it] into the hands of [him that was] clothed with linen [0906]: who took [it], and went out.

Dan 10:5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen [0906], whose loins [were] girded with fine gold of Uphaz

Dan 12:6 And [one] said to the man [0376] clothed in linen [0906], which [was] upon the waters of the river, How long [shall it be to] the end of these wonders?

Dan 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen [0906], which [was] upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that [it shall be] for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these [things] shall be finished.

Now compare these two places in Ezekiel:

Eze 10:7 Then the cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire which was between the cherubim, took some and put it into the hands of the one clothed in linen (bad), who took it and went out.

Eze 16:9 "Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil.
Eze 16:10 "I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen
(shesh) and covered you with silk.
Eze 16:11 "I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck.
Eze 16:12 "I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
Eze 16:13 "Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen
(shesh), silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.
Eze 16:14 "Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the Lord GOD.

 

Well, that was about as thorough as you can get. Remember the point of all this? Here’s that verse again:

Rev 19:14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.


If those are angels, this is the only place in the whole Bible where angels are described as wearing fine linen – and they’re wearing fine linen which in these very passages are defined as "the righteous acts of the saints."

I believe that a secular Greek/Hebrew translator, with no agenda whatsoever, would say that, given the language used here and elsewhere in the Bible, that those in these verses, dressed in fine linen:

Rev 19:7 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."
Rev 19:8
It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen
bussinos, bright lampros and clean katharos; for the fine linen bussinos is the righteous acts of the saints.

And those in these verses, coming WITH Jesus, from heaven, to put an end to Armageddon,

Rev 19:14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen bussinos, white leukos and clean katharos, were following Him on white horses.
Rev 19:15
From His mouth comes a sharp sword , so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

are the same ones. Which would mean, that when Jesus comes with power and glory, with every eye to see him, the church, the bride of Christ, has already been in heaven and now comes WITH him.

When you begin to look for them, you'll see hints like these all through the Bible. Enoch was raptured BEFORE the flood. Noah and his family were inside the ark BEFORE the flood began. Lot was out BEFORE the judgment fell on Sodom and Gomorrah. Do a search at www.blueletterbible.com for "bride" and "bridegroom." If you are attuned to them, you'll notice some very interesting things. The Holy Spirit is VERY consistent in the way certain words and phrases are used. In our speech, we tend to mix things up considerably, but this is GOD we're talking about here. He doesn't start out describing things one way and suddenly switch - unless there is a very good reason for it.

 

You know, even most Lutherans would say that the "catching up" comes before the "earth is destroyed." They agree that Jesus comes unexpectedly. If you can show them that the Tribulation is a real thing, and that the punishment of the earth DOESN'T happen instantly, what are you left with? A catching up before the end.

 

Some important ending comments:

  1. You don't have to be pretribulational to be premillennial. There are plenty of good, premillennial Christians that believe that there IS only one more coming of Christ. They believe that the church goes through the Tribulation (which they take to be a literal event), and they believe there are verses in the Bible to back up what they hold to be true. I recommend that you make your own study and come to your own conclusions. While I have always held premillennial beliefs, I have gone from post-trib to pre-wrath to pre-trib in my study.
  2. William Blackstone, a pretribulationist who wrote of Jesus' second coming in 1908 (a time when it was very difficult to even be premillennial) said this:

    I would not be dogmatic concerning the order of events which cluster around our Lord's return and, should any hold views different from what I have set forth, I will cordially shake hands with them if I can agree on the great fact that His return will be premillennial and that the time of it is uncertain and imminent (Matthew 24:42); and further that this hope ("Blessed Hope," Titus 2:13) produces a purifying separating power in the heart, winning us over to holiness, love and service.

  3. We are all going to be surprised in some way about the Lord's coming. Everyone will have some reason to say "Oops! I guess I was wrong about that." Since I have struggled with my synod's dogmatic beliefs, it would be really silly for me to turn around and be equally dogmatic. I think there are enough hints here to warrant staying open-minded about this. I believe in a pre-tribulational rapture, because the more I study the Bible, the more things fall into place to support that idea. However, I think it’s better to wait and see. I DO think that somehow it will be true that Jesus will come like a thief, and yet there is a specific Tribulation period. God does what He says He’s going to do.
  4. There are two extremes that you can fall into. One is to go ballistic about the very idea of the rapture. I'm afraid there are a lot of amillennial Bible teachers and pastors that fall into that category. I hope that I've given enough Scriptural hints of rapture to show that we should stay open minded. Let's not fall into the same trap as the Jewish leaders did with their shouts of "It's not Scriptural!"

The second extreme is to think that if the rapture is pretribulational, then we, the church, will never face any "bad stuff." This country has really been the exception to the rule. For the past 2,000 years, true Christians have been persecuted and even killed for their beliefs. According to statistics, more Christians were killed in the 20th Century than in all the centuries before that, combined.

There may be more terror attacks, with many more people killed. There may be intense persecution to face before the rapture happens. There might be enough going on, that we, like the Thessalonians before us, think that the Day of the Lord has already started. Like the Thessalonians, we could be wrong.

Whatever happens or doesn't happen, just trust the Lord to see you through it. He hasn't let you down. He won't let you down. He'll be there with you, every step of the way.

 

Continue on to Part 6 - The world doesn't end in an instant

 

Back to Introduction

Back to Part 1 - Conversion of the Jews

Back to Part 2 - The restoration of Israel and earthly reign of Messiah

Back to Part 3 - Questions about the Antichrist - Already fully fulfilled in the Papacy?

Back to Part 4 - The Tribulation - A specific period?

 

 

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