The BIG Picture (Study)

The Stages of Christ's Ascension and Return (Part 12) There is one last thing I want to mention off the back of part 11 , which dealt with the meanings of the phrases,  'the voice of the archangel' and 'the twinkling of an eye' . Having clarified these two important phrases used by Paul in our key verses, it effectively brings us to an end of the two primary points that I have explored in this 12-part series. Just to remind you of the two primary points, they are as follows, As with many other patterns, shadows, and types found in the Bible, the ascension of Jesus Christ can teach us of the stages of His return . Paul's two 'famous' rapture scriptures express the event in general , (ie: they expound on the WHOLE coming of Christ , for all saints, not just the rapture of the Body of Christ.) So, let me wrap up with one last thought which plays itself out at the second coming of Christ, close to the end of the seven years of Tribulation. Let's star

The Stages of Christ's Ascension and Return (Part 10) The return of Jesus Christ is in stages that symmetrically correspond to the stages of His ascension. Because of this pattern (as with many other types and patterns in the Word), it helps us to gain deeper insights, and piece together scriptures, that provide a bigger picture of the redemption plan of God throughout the ages. Connecting the dots on past events is easy due to hindsight, but the types and patterns in the Word really do assist in building a more insightful understanding of future events, as what we are discussing in this series of posts. In  part 8 , we put focus on the position of Christ as he returns for the church, which is His Body, before the 7-year Tribulation. Our focus was on a 'silent' rapture based on underlying points of study we expounded on in that post. In this post we will continue to the next stage of Christ's return, being the stage when he appears in the clo

The Stages of Christ's Ascension and Return (Part 8) As discussed in the first four parts of this study, there is symmetry between Christ's ascension and return. In this lesson, we will have a look at the first part of Christ's return . This correlates with the last part of Christ's ascension, and naturally, relates to the same group of people, the Body of Christ in the Grace program. The first part of Christ's return is when He will appear in the heavenly position which is filled with an inapproachable light, which no man has seen, not can see, 1 Tim.6:13-16 . ( See Part 3 to reexamine the details of this position ). The purpose of appearing here is to call unto Himself the agency of the Body of Christ, who are to fill the heavens with His glory. (See  2 Realms, 2 Programs, 2 Destinations below). The Silent Rapture of the Body of Christ Throughout the epistles of Paul, the Body of Christ is illustrated as a 'mystery' . Though this

The Stages of Christ's Ascension and Return (Part 7) Before I jump back to the two passages of scripture I shared in part 6 of this series, I'd like to share this little insight with you which will help to confirm my interpretation of them. It's not often that we can take a single verse or two and build a concept or doctrine based on what it says. On the other hand, it is scripturally sound to base a concept or doctrine upon confirmations from many verses. This guidance can be illustrated clearly in a simple jigsaw puzzle. One piece provides a little bit of detail, but it's only when you join that piece up with many more pieces in the box, where the full picture comes clearly into view. Paul provides us with advice that we need to remember and practice when handling the Word. He tells this to Timothy when he writes, 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing

The Stages of Christ's Ascension and Return (Part 5) Part 4  concluded with the details of Christ's ascension. We will now turn our attention to the details of the return of Jesus Christ, looking into the stages of His return in the same way, and in the same positions, as how He ascended. I trust that these details will either confirm the wonders and intrigue of the return of 'our blessed hope' , or provide you deeper, and meaningful insights, that can strengthen your faith and generate excitement. Let's continue to look at the return of Jesus, as mirroring (or in symmetry to) the events of His ascension. As indicated in the above image, it is of first importance to recognize that Paul was given the responsibility to lay out the WHOLE return of Christ, and the order (or sequence) of the event. No other writers of scripture were provided with such detail of these events. Outside of Paul, all other writings of the return is about the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ, whi

The Stages of Christ's Ascension and Return (Part 4) In Part 3 of this post series , we had a look at the continued ascension of Jesus from the clouds (the position in which Stephen saw Jesus in Acts 7:55-56 ), to the position in light which He occupied according to  1 Tim.6:16 . Between these two scripture references, it clearly identified Jesus in two different places. However, I won't be dogmatic and claim that these two positions are separated by the "waters above the firmament", but based on my current convictions, I'll illustrate it as such in my diagram below. (The purpose of the diagram is simply to show the eventual symmetry between Christ's ascension and return. I don't claim it to be accurate in depicting locations or positions in the heavenly ascension).  In this 'short' post, I'd like to identify one final position, as quoted from scripture, in which Jesus ascended to. This I believe is the throne of God and the ultimate position

The Stages of Christ's Ascension and Return (Part 3) As mentioned in Part 2 of this multi-post topic , it is important to look at the ascension of Jesus, and the stages that it occurred in, in order to fully understand the stages of Christ's return. We'll continue therefore, in this part, to look at the details of the second stage of Christ's ascension , and later, when we look at Jesus' whole second coming, we will see how this part will mirror the same stage of His multi-part return. There are some very interesting things to learn from these stages and the events that tie into them. The second stage of Christ's ascension into a new position and glory. It is clear and evident in scripture that Stephen (in Acts 7:55-56) saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. This is an important fact, as it provides us with information regarding Jesus current position of ascension. God gave

The Stages of Christ's Ascension and Return When we delve into future events in the Bible, like the rapture, the tribulation, and Millennial Kingdom, one has to understand that there is a measure of assumption based on what the scriptures say, and how one interprets it. Even though the Bible provides details of the future, we do not fully understand how these events will play out, and in what order they will occur. We know from scripture that the Tribulation will happen. We know what the Tribulation is and we know its purpose. We know there will be an Antichrist and we know he will rule the world for a set period. But, although the scripture makes some things clear, there are still guesses around some cryptic details regarding this time, (see Deut.29:29 ). The fact remains that not even the best Bible scholars can accurately instruct us of exact times and details of future events in prophecy. It remains up to us to study the Word as best as possible an