Repost: The Resurrection of Jesus

 Today, in preparation for Resurrection Day, First-Fruits, often called by the common as Easter, we turn our minds away from the ills of the world and toward Christ and the Life and World to come for those of us who believe into Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior.

The original Festival of Easter Sunday is titled First Fruits in Leviticus 23, and in 1 Corinthians 15:

1.  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:   Leviticus 23:10
2.  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.1 Corinthians 15:20

and the Early Church knew it both as a First Harvest Celebration and the Day of the LORD's Resurrection almost without question for the first 300 years, and then less and less for about the next 450 years of Christianity where it was essentially pushed out entirely with (or at least by the time of)  the second council of Nicea of 787. 
   

However, to pursue along those lines, well, that is (perhaps, and LORD willing) for another topic and posting for another day.

We begin our preparation with a historical reading from the Gospel of Matthew.
 

Matthew 28 (King James Version)

 ¹In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

 ²And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

 ³His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

 ⁴And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

 ⁵And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

 ⁶He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

 ⁷And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

 ⁸And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

 ⁹And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

 ¹⁰Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

 ¹¹Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.

 ¹²And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,

 ¹³Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

 ¹⁴And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.

 ¹⁵So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

 ¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

 ¹⁷And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

 ¹⁸And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

 ¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

 ²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

To all - Happy First Fruits, Happy Resurrection Sunday, Happy Easter


The Resurrection of Jesus: An Historical 4 Gospel Account:

The ff. is a Four Gospel Abridged Historical Account, faithfully translated from the Greek with word pictures: by me, Brianroy.  Thanks.

Golgotha

“And coming toward and into a tract of land, upon which is called Golgotha in the Hebrew, the which is saying -- in interpretation -- ‘the skull cap area’. {1}

[My Comment: The insinuation is a yarmulke. The tomb of David, which was prominent in this land-tract, was like the skullcap upon the head of Jerusalem. In this area, only those kings of Israel that were considered worthy, had their bones interred. Nehemiah 3:16 (and other passages), tell us that there were multiple burial sites for the Kings of the Davidic line here: thus, the name “Golgotha” or “skull-cap”, being an idiom for an area dedicated to the “kings or the skull-caps of the nation of Israel”. Kings were therefore a type of yarmulke in their symbolism.

The tomb of David was a white sepulcher that eerily resembled a skull at certain times of the day. This was hated by the first priests. In effect, David was looked down upon by the first priests of the city as just an ancestral reference whose name, like the Almighty, could be invoked to frighten the common folk into compliance.]

And having crucified Him, sitting down, (the soldiers) guarded Him there. {2}

And the people stood wherever they were at, viewing attentively. {3}

[My Comment:  This last verse translated from Luke 23:35, testifies to the crowded conditions mentioned by Josephus and others, 3,000,000  plus were crammed into an area less than a few square miles. By comparison, Alexandria Egypt was a crowded city with less than a mile in width and four miles in length, being congested daily with just 500,000. The condition in Jerusalem was 6 - 7 times worse in a comparable area of about half that length for three times a year: twice being in excess of 7 days at a time. This feast of Unleavened Bread - the Passover - First Fruits, all part of the same 8 days (a week and one day) of  continuous Observance by ancient Israel's near entire population of men ages 20-60 in Jerusalem, was one of those occasions.   Just the fact that the Romans were able to push their crucifixion through the streets of Jerusalem was practically a feat in itself.]

And it was then the third hour [being 9 a.m.] when they crucified Him. {4} 

Then from sixth hour [being 12 p.m. -- noon] the light of day was removed entirely, for the darkness came into being (as night) upon and over all the the Land,  

 [of Israel, even upon the whole Earth]  

until the ninth hour  [until 3 p.m.],
for the sun was as black as the darkness. {5}

Then, in the ninth hour, Jesus emphatically cried out with a loud and commanding voice {6}  

…and the veil of the Temple was rent violently in two,
from top to bottom. {7}  

Then Jesus again emphatically cried out with a great
and commanding voice, releasing the wind, {8} 

bowing His head and having stopped breathing. {9}

[My Comment:  The night and morning previous, there was rainfall. The clouds had dissipated by the third hour, and there was no wind for six hours. Upon the death of Jesus, not only did His “Spirit” or pneuma depart from His body, but doubly applicable, the “wind” or pneuma was released, as though with a vengeance or authority, as well.]

And the earth trembled with an agitated shaking. {10}

[“ O YHVeH, put on them reverent fear and dread (like clothing) [upon a man],
(and like scrub) [upon a field]. Let the nations know intuitively that they
(are only) mortals. Selah.” (Psalm 9:20  - AWPR)]

And the centurion standing near, but across, out and off at the opposite of  Him, {11} 

 guarding Him, {12}

 saying,
‘Surely this righteous man was the son of GOD.’ {13}

Then the soldiers came, and …coming upon Jesus, when they saw and perceived that He was presently at this time dead, they did not break his legs -- as with an axe, in two. {14}

 But still another one of the soldiers with a lance, drove in deep, pierced the side of Him: and all at once (there) came out (of the wound) blood and water. {15}

[Pilate asks Joseph to bury Jesus]

Then after these things, {16}  

Joseph of Arimathea went in, up to, and alongside
Pilate. {17}

 And taking courage asked (what was to become) of the body of
Jesus. {18} 

Then…having called near the centurion, he (Pilate) interrogated him19…and fully knowing from the centurion, {20} 

Pilate asked Joseph of Arimathea, -- then being a concealed disciple of Jesus, through the terror and fright of the Jews -- in order that he might take up and carry away the body of Jesus. {21}

[My Comment:  The testimony of John in the Greek specifically and literally says that Pilate asked Joseph. The testimony of Peter through Mark infers a fearsome inquisitiveness to the effect of: ‘Now that this one has died, you’re not really going to leave the body up there are you? It’s already between the evenings, the preparation time of our observance of Holy Day.’ Therefore, it makes perfect sense for Pilate to turn to Joseph and ask the favor, and may be that he personally issued some money quietly for the linen for Jesus’ burial. Although Pilate’s wife may have wished Jesus ill, I sincerely believe that Pilate did not. However, to say Pilate gave Joseph money to make the linen purchase is simply a 50/50 speculation on my part, based on the reading of the Gospel text.]

And purchasing a linen fabric, and coming, {22} 

he took the body of Jesus. {23}

Then also came Nicodemus, bearing up and carrying a mixed blend of myrrh and aloes, about 100 (times) 12 ounces. {24} 

They together, they bore up the body of Jesus, and wrapped Him up in the linen sheeting, and bound it around and fastened it together with the spices, as is customary with Jewish burial. {25}

And in that same tract of land where He was crucified, there was a garden; and in the garden there was a new tomb out of rock, in which no one had ever been placed.
They then put Jesus there through the (time) of the Preparation of the Jews

[until the first three stars were about to appear in the sun setting sky],

because the tomb was near. {26}

And having rolled a very great stone to the door of the memorial cave, he left. Then, was there Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary sitting down before the presence of the grave.
Then upon the next day, the which is in the midst {27}

 of the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together up alongside and next to Pilate, saying ‘Lord, we do mindfully so recollect that one, the deceiver, said upon (His) life, ‘’After three days, I will be raised up (a new creation).’’ Set in motion and urge then (for) the grave to be made secure until the third day, lest at any time the disciples of Him come near by night, and by stealth steal Him, that they might say to the people, ‘’He is arisen from the dead’’; and the last deceit will thereby be worse than the first.

Then Pilate shone forth his words to them,

[having heretofore been suspicious of them, and having kept silent],

‘You now have and hold possession of a custodian guard. Go away and depart in secret, and secure it against (your) enemies and verify all with your sight and observance that it is so. They then, rushed and ran through with violence and made the grave secure against (their) enemies, setting the stone (with) the seal of authenticity (upon) the grave in the midst of the custodian guard. {28}

[My Comment:  Upon arrival, the Pharisees and First Priests have the stone removed, and verify the identity of Jesus, while in the midst (or presence) of the custodial guard. The centurion verifies definitively that indeed their testimony is true. That is, probably the entire council witnesses Jesus’ chest and head with their own eyes. The tomb is closed back up with the great rock, and then sealed with the signet of Pilate. The two Mary’s are chased off from the area; the site is secured to the council’ satisfaction. 

The guard will consist of about 20 sentries and one centurion. 

They will be consistently checked up on at regular intervals without fail ranging from 4 - 8 hours by those who bring meals, and by the Centurion of the Watch who inspects each post in a circuit.  They may have more frequent shorter intervals than even this. 

The Chiliarch must also receive regular interval reports by the Centurions of the Watch, and order any post not reporting in investigated immediately by others beside the Centurion of the Watch while bring the Centurion of the Watch on life threatening reprimand. 

 At the first sign of trouble, there would have likely been a trumpet of some sort to sound an alarm, as the Romans used them like Bugles to send orders and announce virtually everything they were doing as a troop.]

Then, the evening watch of the Sabbaths, upon the first rays of light dawning into the one of the Sabbaths [First-fruits], Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary came towards, to gaze and closely look upon the grave. And behold!
A shaking came into being, very great! For (the) Angel of the LORD descending down out of Heaven, and coming up to and alongside (the location) rolled up back and (sending uphill and) away the stone, and sitting down up on top of it.


[My Comment:  The context of the rolling back of the stone appears to be that it was done so forcefully, that the great rock was out of its groove, and tossed a short way up and behind the tomb entrance, yet still over the cave’s perspective. This indicates that the rock was circular, and not squared, like a cork. As the Psalmist said, “But GOD will redeem My soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive Me. Selah.” (Psalm 49:15 - KJV)]

And then the face of His was the beholding of lightning, and the weight of his glory as white as snow. Then from the intense and quaking fear of him, those guarding were shaken to their very core, and came into being as if they were dead.
From judging discreetly, the Angel then said to the women,

‘Don’t you be frightened out of your wits (also). For I see and know that you
seek Jesus, He having been crucified. He isn’t here, because He was raised up, just as He said. Come here. Look and see the place where the LORD lay down. {29}

Then weeping outside up alongside the tomb, Mary stood; and as she wept, she bent over beside and into the tomb, and beheld two angels sitting down: one up alongside the head, and one up alongside the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And say these to her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’

She responds and says, ‘Because they took up and carried away my LORD,
and I don’t see or know where they placed Him.’
And saying these things, she turns about to where she was looking back, and looks at and gazes at Jesus [up close, and personal], standing (there), and still does not see and yet know that it is Jesus.

Jesus says to her,
‘Woman, why are you crying? Just who is it that you seek after
and strive to find?” {30}

This question is on the lips of Jesus to you.  Just who is it that you seek after and strive to find? 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

End Notes:

1 Matthew 27:33, Mark 15:22, Luke 23:33, John 19:17

2 Matthew 27:35, 36; Mark 15:24

3 Luke 23:35

4 Mark 15:24. Also, the symbolism of a conqueror who captures his enemy, and drags him through the streets, as in a noose, is prophesied as a result of the crucifixion in the Hebrew of Psalm 9:16.

“YHVeH is made known in the Judgment He has made and brought about:
in the work of the bend of His Hands [.i.e., in His wrists]
are the wicked ensnared
(as in a noose). A Meditation. Selah!” (Psalm 9:16, AWPR)

“And (one) shall say unto Him, ‘What are these wounds in thine hands?
Then He shall answer,
(Those) with which I was wounded (in) the house of my friends.” (Zechariah 14:6, KJV)

5 Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44-45

6 Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34, Luke 23:7 The Greek emphasis given by Luke and Mark’s gospel is that the cry was great, and loud, and commanding; not just a query. It goes to experiencing the separation of which the unbeliever has in hell, and why Christ -- without sin -- experienced the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth aspect of sin upon the Cross. By confining Himself to Scripture, YHVeH the Son not only experienced man’s separation from GOD the Father, but was able to offer up the appropriate response to which we believers are called to respond with. We may call GOD into question for activities of withdrawal and ask why. We may not lawfully accuse Him or slander. Jesus simply noted the activity and then demandingly questioned, why? As seen in the Psalms, and as the Son of David, this response is perfectly acceptable with GOD.

7 Luke 23:45, Mark 15:38. Matthew 27:51 places the order of the temple veil, the earthquake, and resurrection in a collective utterance (i.e., vv. 51-53 are to be read as parenthetical).

8 Matthew 27:50

9 John 19:30, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46

10 Matthew 27:51,54. The biblical writers had a habit of leaving natural events and weather out of their writings. Matthew, in the heart of the capitol, among thousands of hostile witnesses, in 55 A.D., freely speaks of the simultaneous earthquake, the solar anomaly, and the sudden wind that blew fiercely at the time of the crucifixion. When these events happened, it made the senses of the millions watching even more acute, so that when the centurion cried out, ‘Surely this was the son of GOD!’, and the more heard him and paid his words attention. There is no Talmudic teaching to argue or dispute the Gospels or their events from having occurred. If there was any objection, despite the persecutions of the Roman Catholic Church in their sphere of influence, those disputations of Christian history would have survived among the rabbinate. That rabbinical silence is, de facto, an affirmation of the Christian witness.

11 Mark 15:39 - ο παρεστηκως εξ εναντιας αυτου This tells us the positioning of the centurion and the soldiers in relation to the Cross. The soldiers had placed Jesus on one side of the stone fissure which leads up to David’s tomb, while they stood upon the other side. The fissure’s width had to be narrow and easily traversed by a running soldier (e.g. Mark 15:36). The area of crucifixion also had to be leveled out, yet steep round about it: easily defensible.

Only one centurion was needed to prevent access while his troop sat and rested. Why? Perhaps the site was a steep mound, like a high place, easily controllable, accessible by one narrow path no more than 4-5 feet wide. Though upon the Eastern Mount, the western slope of Olives, the Romans held a south-north positioning from Jesus near the Kidron - Hinom Valley Juncture. This will not entirely make sense until the fissure to Azal is excavated, and David’s tomb is found along that fissure. Once that site of David’s former tomb in Jerusalem is found, then the Gospel accounts will make perfect sense.

Having never seen what the Apostles saw, as it relates to Jerusalem’s topography in 30 A.D., accurate visualization is very difficult. Paul through Luke in Hebrews indicates the Romans were to the north, and Christ crucified closer to the south or Hinom gate, through which the blood of animals were to be burned without the camp.

12 Matthew 27:54

13 Mark 15:39, Luke 23:47, Matthew 27:54

14 John 19:32-33

15 John 19:34 The blood and water aspect shows that Jesus heart burst after dying of asphyxiation, and congestive heart failure. What little blood was left in His body was quickly separating. The Gospel of John is telling us that there was probably about a 20 minute interval between Jesus’ death and the piercing. This probably occurred when the soldiers receive the writ from Joseph of Arimathea, bearing Pilate’s order to give the body of Jesus to him, and get rid of the other two by usual means (cf. John 19:38). The spear would have punched through Jesus’ left side, and rode up under the ribcage, straight into the heart. The notion of a right side to left side spear punch is idiocy from those unlearned in small weapons combat. The testimony is to the effect that Jesus went limp leaning to His right. Had He been closer to the ground, a thrust from a six to eight inch blade -- with a quick counter clockwise twist before removal -- would have had the same effect as the lance.

However, the Psalms specifically list the “spears” of the bulls of Bashan “western or Roman” soldiers, as piercing Messiah. The left side must flow forth the Living Waters if Messiah is to sit at the Right Hand of the Father in order for the river of Life to proceed from BOTH the throne of the Father and the Lamb (e.g. Revelation 22:1).

16 John 19:38

17 Mark 15:43; Matthew 27:57-58; Luke 23:50,52

18 Mark 15:43

19 Mark 15:44

20 Mark 15:45

21 John 19:38

22 Mark 15:46

23 John 19:38

24 John 19:39

25 Mark 15:46, Matthew 27:59, Luke 23:53, John 19:40

26 John 19:41-42

27 Meta… here means “in the midst” of the Preparation, evening-morning. Based on the context: “the next morning” following the Passover sacrifice, even though it is still a holy day. The Passover has already been partaken of, so defilement with Pilate is not an issue. Whether they penalize themselves 7 days or not, the primary concern is to secure the body of Jesus before the disciples gain courage to do so.

Now that the Passover had been taken, the number of people had dwindled dramatically from the very hour of the 3pm sacrifice (Luke 23:48), so that by the next day, and well before the time of First fruits, less than a few thousand beside the Temple guard and Roman patrols would still be remaining in the hills about Jerusalem. Many hundreds of thousands would be leaving in a very short span of time, so that it might not be hard to tamper with the tomb upon the following evening. Therefore, it was imperative to open the tomb, verify the identity of the body, seal it, and guard it. By doing this very act, these first priests verified and sealed the authenticity of the coming Resurrection of Jesus as definitive fact, though unknowingly at the time.

28 Matthew 27:60-66

29 Matthew 28:1-6

30 John 20:11-15 The woman stooped down and was able to look inside the cave-tomb. The entrance was probably at least 3 feet high, with a groove of at least 1 ½ - 2 feet in depth, of sufficient width to allow a man to safely turn about in it without falling down. The platform and floor of the cave had to drop another 3-5 feet below the elevation where the woman was standing, and be back into the cave some 8-10 feet. In all likelihood, there were finger mausoleums -- which were also cut into the back of the cave, curving out of sight, even from the light of the angelic radiance. Because of its proximity to the tomb of King David, and its being on the Mount of Olives, this newly hewn out rock-cave tomb was a very expensive purchase and stone cutting project, and speaks of immense wealth. Whoever owned this cave was not only rich, he was almost like a government treasury unto himself. Perhaps more so than the rich young man of Matthew 20:16-22.

A Response To Ron: On The 2nd Death

 

Very recently, I was personally asked by Ron to elaborate on what is the Second Death.  The impression I got is that he wanted it phrased differently than the way Theologians normally go about this.  And it is to be from MY Perspective, or words to this effect. My response to him and other fellow believers into Jesus as one's LORD and Savior is below:

It can take several lengthy chapters to lay out just a short version of the Theology of what is involved with the Second Death, but I will try to condense even that.

⁶ Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ… 

¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.  (Revelation 20:6,14-15)

⁸ But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.  (Revelation 21:8)

To begin, we 1st should acknowledge Jesus is the Living GOD (Deuteronomy 5:26) to whom Israel heard the Voice of at Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 5:24-26, John 5:37, 1:18). It is He who gave Adam breath (Lamentations 4:20, Genesis 2:7), who is the I AM of Sinai (Exodus 3:14, John 8:58), whose goings is of eternity (Malachi 5:2) and born of a Virgin into the world (Isaiah 7:14) came unto His own Temple (Malachi 3:1) the One who implanted His Light in Man at the Beginning (John 1:9, 1 John 1:5, Genesis 2:7) and is Creator of all that is (Colossians 1:15-17).  

⁴¹ The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

⁴² And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:41-42)

The Body Of Man At The Beginning

In Genesis 2:7, Man is created physically out of the dust, the powder of dirt that is blown by the wind, like dusty top-soil that has died to the Earth and drifts as if ashes. He is spiritually connected by type to the ashes of the Tabernacle and Temple Sacrifices.  The ashes of the Red Heifer, or of the Sin Offering and so on, were to be a relationship to the material Adam formed by the LORD GOD in Genesis 2:7.

In Genesis 2:19, Animals are physically created out of the ground, as part of the Earth’s tilled and turned over soil, out of the sustenance of the Earth.

If we were to say that the Earth was created HOT, like magma or freshly spewed volcanic lava: then the animal life of this Earth would find their base matter in the hotness of the Earth itself, while man is a by product of the wind at GOD's Command gathering the burnt off floating ashes and powder of the HOT Earth and creating man.

It appears that the angels (cf. Psalm 104:4) were created by GOD's spoken word and a Heavenly wind.  So too was man AT THE BEGINNING (Genesis 2:7) brought forth by a Heavenly wind and gathered, but apparently, unlike his angels counterpart, a little lower than the angels, man got a makeup of physicality, of ash and water. 

Christ was formed in the VIRGIN womb by the Holy Spirit using the materials of blood, which is the life of the flesh (Leviticus 17:11) and water, which origin is from the LORD GOD's innermost being (cf. 1 John 5:6,8; John 7:37-38).

When the 1st Man unbelieved the person called the Voice of GOD as the familiar name to him for Jehovah GOD, in essence he died after a spiritual sense.  Within John 1:1-18, we have the concept that Man had in him a sort of Pilot Light, like that used as a gas flame ignition source we would use to start or flame on a gas heater or furnace.  Jesus, the Creator, is that Light that lights every man who will BELIEVE into Him.

In Genesis 2:7, Adam has been given the same singular life, CHaYiM חים,  as the animals, a soul attached to the dust or ash of the Earth.  But then, GOD BREATHES into the nostrils of man, He imparts a sliver of His own Spirit, a spiritual seed as if a Father to a Son, another Yod, and man goes from having a life or CHaYYiM חיים  to having lives or hayyim.  Man, by the breath of GOD into his nostrils, goes from a mortal to an immortal being at that point, the Yod being the abbreviate of His Name YHVEH   יְהוָ֔ה .

By the act of unbelief, by eating the fruit given him by his wife, which he KNOWS is forbidden, man's second Yod of Life, his eternal flame within him, as it were, is put out, and he becomes mortal. By trusting Faith into Jesus, Man is given the ability to be restored unto Eternal Life as a Son of GOD (John 1:12, 3:15-16, et al).

 Two lives must be accounted for, the one within him that is like the animals and returns to the Earth, and the spiritual eternal flame - the spiritual eternal light (which is Christ) which he put out by means of the spiritual, by unbelief.

In the 1st death, a man physically dies.  The ash of this Earth returns to the Earth.  But then, there's a Resurrection of the Damned.  From the ashes and fine powder of the Earth, those who have rejected Christ are reformed into the beings they physically were, their spirit bearing the imprinted DNA coding, but the breath of GOD is NOT in them.  

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25)

If one does NOT believe in Jesus, he has no second life, he is dead once more over his physical death, he is dead a second time, and dies a second death.

At the Resurrection of the Damned, once again Man is created physically out of the dust, the powder of dirt that is blown by the wind, like dusty top-soil that has died to the Earth and drifts as if ashes. This time, he must account for the second life that would have been in him had he simply accepted Jesus, had he simply believed (John 3:18,3:36).  

In many ways, it appears that we are not judged as much for the life we lived in the physical body of the 1st life which is destroyed like the animals and returns to Earth, but we are judged for rejecting GOD the Father, who sent us His Son speaking His words, and refusing to have simple trusting faith, not only that the words are true, but to honor Him.

43 Instances Of The Rapture In The Bible Looked Up & Laid Out For Those In Need To Know

 

I  have decided to list a more READY TO READ set of Rapture Scriptures that should be laid out so as to openly show those in Rapture denial how illiterate or intentionally deceptive they are.  The Rapture is known in early Christian literature of the 2nd to 4th centuries, then reappears in recognition among Christians in the 1600s.  

The Old Testament Hebrew can be rechecked by the Greek Septuagint  translation by 70 rabbis simultaneously from a minimum of 270 B.C. with the Septuagint, which was used by the Early Church, being 3 centuries before the Acts of the Apostles, being translated from Hebrew into Greek 300 years before the Church after Christ's ascension into Heaven.  So if a debate is to be made, it could shift to an all the Old Testament verses of the Septuagint (LXX) listed firstly, then the 47-57 A.D. written and published works of the New Testament (all were thus written 47 - 57 A.D. except 2,3 John).  

The Rapture is through the Bible, and is more than a reverse of the 10-12 descents of GOD in the Torah (the 5 books of Moses).  Even as there is a First and Last Silver Trump in Numbers 10 -- the 1st being sounded to advance for war, the second to gather together -- so too is there a Trumpet or Shofar that GOD sounds, and by sounding the 2nd Trump, He is not limited to sounding it once, but gives Himself 3 times and 3 separate occasions to do so: the 1st Watch, the 2nd Watch, the 3rd Watch.  I take these literally, and to mean (1) the pre-Tribulation Rapture, (2) the mid-Tribulation Rapture (the 2 Witnesses event), and (3) the 2nd Coming, which is a 3rd Rapture or snatching away meeting in the air more along the Acts 8:39 teleportation of Phillip from the Ethiopian Eunuch  , thus it appears that the 3rd event brings the Great Tribulation Resurrection Saints to Jerusalem when the LORD sets His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4) etc. 

-- Brian

1) God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.      (Psalm 47:5) 

2)   This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so  come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.       (Acts 1:11 b)

3) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (Titus 2:13)

4) And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.  (1 John 2:28)

5) ¹ The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

             ² Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

³ Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: 

a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

⁴ He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

⁵ ’Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.’

⁶ And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.  (Psalm 50:1-6)

6) For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.  (Romans 8:19)

 

7)  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)

8)    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:

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.   (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

9)  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him (2 Thessalonians 2:1)

10) ⁵ Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down:

⁷ Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children; (Psalm 144:5a, 7)

 

 11)  In Psalm 68:4, GOD, named as "YH", rides the Heavens, and then in verse 8, drops the Heavens over Sinai when he came down to Mount Sinai, bending time and space and for that purpose temporarily altering the Universe as it presently stands.

Psalm 68:4,8  (KJV) 

4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: 

extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by his name YaH, and rejoice before him.

8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.


 Rashi concurs with this in his commentary on Exodus 19:20's "Vayeired YHVeH al Har Sinai", saying Heaven was made like a bedspread over Sinai, because GOD still talked from Heaven 

(Exodus 19:20  (KJV)

20 And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

12) ¹³ The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice…

¹⁶ He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

¹⁹ He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

(Psalm 18:13,16,19)

 

13) 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.

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.

(Isaiah 26:20-21) 

 

14)  ¹⁴ And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.

¹⁵ The Lord of hosts shall defend them…

¹⁶ And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.

(Zechariah 9:14-16)

15 ) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,     (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

16) 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.    (Revelation 3:10)

 

17)   ³⁰ Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

³¹ A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord.

³² Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

³³ And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

(Jeremiah 25: 30-33)


18)   ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

³⁵ Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

³⁶ And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

³⁷ Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

³⁸ And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

(Luke 12:34-38)

 

19) When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.   (Colossians 3:4)

20) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see Him as He is.     (1 John 3:2)

21)    ¹⁴ And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

¹⁵ And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

¹⁶ And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

¹⁷ And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

¹⁸ And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

¹⁹ And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

(Revelation 14:14-19)

 

22) ²³ And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

²⁴ And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

(Genesis 5:23-24)

 

23)   ⁷ And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.

⁸ And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

¹¹ And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

(2 Kings 2:7-8,11)

 

24)    ³ And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

⁷ And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

⁸ And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

⁹ And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

¹¹ And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

¹² And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

     (Revelation 11:3, 7-9, 11-12)

 

25)     ⁷ But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.

⁸ And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

⁹ The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

¹⁰ And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

     (Psalm 9:7-10)

 

26) 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

⁴ He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

¹² They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

¹⁴ Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

¹⁵ He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

    (Psalm 91:1-2,4,11-12,14-16)


27)    ¹The heavens declare the glory of God…

⁵  …as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

⁶ His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

    (Psalm 19:1, 5-6)

 

28)  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.         (Psalm 27:5)

 

29)     ⁶ For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

⁷ Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

     (Psalm 32:6-7)

30) ¹ Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

³ He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

     (Psalm 57:1,3)

 

31) ³² Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:

³³ To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.

³⁴ Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.

³⁵ O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

     (Psalm 68:32-35)

 

32) ⁸ Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,

⁹ When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.

    (Psalm 76:8-9)

 

33)  For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.         (Amos 9:9)

 

34)  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.

    (Zephaniah 2:3)

 

35)  ¹ Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

² And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

³ They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

⁴ But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

⁵ While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

⁶ And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

⁷ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

⁸ And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

⁹ But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

¹¹ Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

¹² But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

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

     (Matthew 25:1-13)

 

 36)   ²⁰ …  The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

²¹ … behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

²² And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

²⁴ For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

²⁶ And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

²⁷ They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

²⁸ Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

²⁹ But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

³⁰ Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

⁸ … Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

     (Luke 17:20b, 21b-22, 24, 26-30; 18:8b)

 

37)  ³⁴ And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

³⁵ For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

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.

      (Luke 21:34-36)

 

38)  ⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

⁵² 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.

⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

       (1 Corinthians 15:50-54)

 

39)  ¹ After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither…

² And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

    (Revelation 4:1,2)

 

40)  ¹⁵ He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.

¹⁶ When He uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.  (Jeremiah 51:15-16)

John 14 Jesus prepares a place for us, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22) or the Zion of Heaven. When it is built up, though it is outside the dimensions of out linear reality of Time conception, the Rapture occurs.  

41) ¹⁶ When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.

¹⁷ He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.

¹⁸ This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.

¹⁹ For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth;

²⁰ To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

²¹ To declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;

²² When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.

(Psalm 102:16-22)

42) ³³ Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.

³⁵ And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.

 (1 Chronicles 16:33,35)

43)    ³⁴ And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

³⁵ For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

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.

(Luke 21:34-36)

Honorable Mention:

 ¹⁹ So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the Lord: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

²⁰ For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

²¹ But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.

(Judges 13:19-21)