74 - Between the Rapture and the Return, Part 1 | Striving for Eternity | Andrew Rappaport

Welcome to the Striving for Eternity Academy. This is a ministry of Striving for Eternity. You can find out more about Striving for Eternity over at the website strivingforeternity .org. Many classes that we have out there on an introduction to discipling, an introduction to the major Western religions.

We have classes on how to interpret the Bible called biblical hermeneutics and this one which we are in lesson number 74 which is our systematic theology. 74, that's a lot. We're going to be talking about end times.

Why End-Times Views Should Be Held with Humility

Now there's lots of speculation when you get to talking about the end times and many people have some pretty hard line views when it comes to the end times. One of the things that we're going to do is continue to say that we take a position, we're going to teach the position we take, however I don't think it's good to be hard line in this area because just like in the first coming of Jesus Christ many people thought they took hard lines, they thought they knew, they thought they had everything figured out and they went oops that wasn't what we expected and Jesus came.

Many were like this wasn't the king we were expecting, this was a suffering servant and they didn't like that so they ignored that and think that that wasn't the Messiah. So they're looking for the second coming.

The reality is just as things were not as clear as we would like when we have hindsight, things in the future are not as clear as we might like to think either and so this is an area where I think we have to have a little bit more respect for one another and their theologies and where people are coming from and not take such a hard line stance.

So I'm saying that to say if you disagree with the position we have here, well hey it's okay to learn, it's okay to study, show yourself approved, see what it is that someone else believes, compare maybe you may say hey there's some pretty good points there and you may go I disagree and here's why why why why.

That's fine actually if you want to contact us you can contact us, disagree with us, that's fine. Let us know though using scripture. You can email us if you want to disagree or if you want to agree we like those too.

You can email us at academy at strivingforeternity .org. Feel free to do that but what we would encourage you to do is to pick up the syllabus if you could and the syllabus you could get online at strivingforeternity .org and the syllabus is basically going to be book number four.

If you look at the systematic theology syllabuses it's book number four and what it's going to do is give you all the notes, some of the fill in the blanks that I'll go through. You're also going to see some of the pictures and diagrams that we'll look at and go over so those are there for you.

Hopefully they'll be helpful to you. I probably won't get to any of the charts this week we just got too much. You know one of the things I should have it here so I should pull it out. One of the things that it comes to is I would hold to a position that many people criticize because so you get these really cool charts you see.

I believe in dispensationalism and let me see if I can level that. There we go and people develop these really you see how long this chart is. I'm trying to see if I could see it make sure it's on the so what you end up seeing is that you get these charts and people focus a lot and there's a lot of detail there isn't there.

Yeah probably way too much way more than people can be absolutely sure that they go this is right but it's a lot that could go into the study of this and with that I want to just caution to say though there's a lot you can study and for a lot of people this becomes an area where they are thrilled they are excited to study these speculatory things but I've also seen where people study these speculatory things and they let it damage fellowship and relationships on the things that are well clear and not speculatory and they allow that to happen because they let a issue like end times get in the way so if I haven't said it I didn't if I haven't said it yet this is our school of systematic theology we are in the class called God's program for the ages which is our doctrine of the church and the doctrine of last things and today's lesson is lesson number eight the events between the rapture and the return now I already said if you've been tracking with us that I believe there will be a rapture I would be what's called pre-millennial pre-tribulational and if you say well Andrew I don't know what that means.

Well then go back a few lessons where we went over that I think it'd be about lesson number 70 69 or 70 that we went in and gave a two-part overview of these different views so that you understood where the different views are and where they're going to be but I'm going to explain what now we're going through historically what kind of historically in future.

That doesn't really it's not really historical but time event chronologically that'd be thank you we'll go chronologically in what things will happen in the future. So we looked at the death what happens immediately after we die in that intermediate state.

We we had examined that and that was a few weeks ago we looked at the events around the second coming of Christ we saw that now we're looking at these events we're going to do today is look at the events that go on in heaven between the rapture and the return of Christ that second coming of Christ and the next class which will not be next week but next class will be dealing with the things that happen on earth lots of interesting things that get people write whole book series like about left behind about those things that happen on earth during that period.

Yeah not all of that is accurate but I guess cool reading some people enjoy reading it. So with that let's begin and see that the schemes of the end time events there's a number of events that take place between this period that we refer to as the rapture.

That's a period where the church is raptured up taken up off of the earth and they go into be with Christ and so they the church is removed and I would then say that Israel is now active again that God's now deals with things with Israel that's on earth.

But we'll get that uh but this time between when the church is raptured up and that point that we looked at last couple classes or last class on the second coming of Christ when he returns to the earth.

So I would end up saying this is the period if you understand the terms between the rapture and the millennial kingdom. So we're going to talk about this seven-year tribulational period. Now when I say that I understand there's differing views on that.

That's that's fine. I'm just giving the events I that I see during these times. Now some of these events happen. It's just some people put it a different time period. So even if you disagree with me being pre-millennial pre-tribulational you're still going to have things that you're going to see.

You can learn and see what happens uh in the scriptures during different times you may see it as a different time event. That's fine you know. But the area that we're going to want to look at is what does the scripture say about things like our judgment and and whatnot.

The uh so looking at that the first event that we're going to see in heaven. So today we're going to focus on these events that happen in heaven. The first one is the judgment seat of christ. That's your first blank there the judgment seat of christ.

So the judgment seat of christ is the first blank. And what you see here as we look uh let's take a look at some passages first if we could romans 14 10 first corinthians 3 9 to 15 and then second corinthians 5 10.

So first uh first let's look at romans 14 10. Why do you pass judgment on your brother or do you despise your brother. For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of god. Now with that just a footnote on that some people criticized us some weeks ago when we did some classes on the period between death and this and the second coming the the judgment seat people said christians won't be judged.

We dealt with that. We'll look at it again in for second corinthians. But even from here that you see in romans 14 10 we will all be judged. Okay it is a false notion to think we won't be judged now the judgment is different between the believer and unbeliever.

That is true. We won't be judged and sentenced to hell because the the payment the punishment of our sin has already been paid on the cross and received and applied to our account. Therefore as believers we do not get judged as guilty.

But we do. Well actually i should say we are judged as guilty. It's just that we're judged as paid. I should properly say we are guilty of the crimes but it's paid in full. And so when we look at things we need to look at that and realize that our we all will face god and he will judge all of us.

He won't sentence us to a punishment. And and i think the the problem is some people think that judgment is immediately punishment. Um it's not always we're going to be judged and we're going to be giving rewards.

We'll get into that. But let's go back to that passage in when we look at first corinthians 3 9 to 15 it says there for we are all. For we are god's fellow workers. You are god's field god's building according to the grace of god given me like a skilled master builder i lay a foundation and someone else is building upon it.

Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid for which is jesus christ. Now if anyone builds on a foundation of gold silver precious stones wood hay straw each one's works will become manifest for the day will disclose it because it will be revealed by fire.

And the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on is a foundation survives he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up he will suffer loss though he himself be saved but only as through fire.

So you see he's speaking their believers. Then they will have their their works will be judged. And if it's anything that's going to last they'll receive reward first. Uh first corinthians uh 5 10. Not all.

Um i think this is supposed to be second corinthians 5 10. Let's. Uh so let me back that up. That should be second corinthians. Uh that was probably my fault. I made the slide. So uh i'll take the blame for it.

Let me look that up real quick. Second corinthians 5 10. Give me one second here. Sorry about that. You know when you have a study bible here they're pretty big pages. Uh second corinthians 5 10 says.

For we must all we must all appear before the judgment seat of christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body whether good or evil. Every one of us will be judged whether good or evil.

Okay. So what you see there is that there is this judgment seat and we're all going to face. What is a judgment seat. Good question. I am glad you asked that. Let me fill you in on some background of what the judgment seat is.

The judgment seat or called sometimes called a bima seat. A bima in a jewish synagogue would be the elevated platform where you would have the scriptures proclaimed where you'd read the scriptures where you'd have the proclamation of scriptures.

So the bima seat is a raised platform and or a uh in in a case of an emperor would have an elevated chair and so where you'd often have is this elevated chair from where the emperor would sit and observe the the games like the olympic games or things like this.

When they'd have these games they'd call it the bima seat. And the bima seat would be a place where the emperor would would sit and observe and watch. And the winners would then stand before that seat and they would receive what's called the victor's crown.

And that is this idea that you have here. The bima seat would be a. The bima would means raised platform. The bima seat is a seat that's raised up where a judge would sit. So when you win in the games you would present yourself before this bima seat this judgment seat a raised seat and you would stand before it.

And there you would face the judge who would give you the victor's crown. Now to the believer that is the idea. The idea is that the judge would give the reward to the winner. But often if if someone was disqualified it would also be the the people would look to this judgment seat to this bima seat for a verdict.

If someone does something that is seen as disqualifying he would he would declare from there as well. And so it is a seat that would declare the the the winner of a race or a games. So it that's the idea of it.

It is where everyone will stand before this seat and and have their works judged as good or bad. The timing of this i would say is after the rapture. So i believe this happens after the rapture. Is this judgment seat.

Let's go to first. Let's go. Revelation chapter 1. Verse 19. Revelation 119 says. Right. Therefore the things that you have seen those things that are to take place after this and then he's going to explain some things that happen after this is why i say it's i think after the rapture because i think he explains the rapture is going to happen.

And then these things in revelation 4 1 it says after this i looked and behold a door standing open to heaven and the first voice which i had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said come up here and i will show you what must take place after this.

And so what you have there is the fact that there's a progression. There's these things are going to happen after i believe it's prior though to the tribulation. So if we look at revelation 4 4 around the throne were 24 elders seated at the thrones were 20 were 24 elders clothed in white garments with golden crowns on their head.

Revelation 6 1 says now i watched when the lamb opened one of the seven seals and i heard one of the four creatures say with a voice like thunder come. So so you're seeing that there's a time frame. Okay.

So the timing of it of this judgment seat. So now i i don't this is different than the great white throne judgment which will be at the end and we'll get to that. But this is a the bima seat or judgment seat.

And so there's there's several times where god judges. And so i i think that the placement notice i said think not dogmatic on these things. I think it's hard to be dogmatic on some of these things. And we have to show some grace.

Okay for the people who are commenting without watching these classes it's amazing. And you could tell who does because we had one person who commented and said that in our class we are being so dogmatic and think that we're the only ones that have the right view.

Hello. Have you been watching. I mean are the response that those of us here that respond are like have you watched the class. No. No you haven't. Sorry you haven't. You're responding without watching.

I mean it's that's not very wise to do. But uh we we can't be dogmatic. So where's the place of this. I think that this bima seat takes place in heaven. Uh let's take a look at first thessalonians 4. First thessalonians 4 17.

And then revelation 4 2 to 4. First thessalonians 4 17 says. Then we who are alive who are left will be caught up together with him in the clouds who meet the lord in the air so that we will always be with the lord.

So this is we catch up with him in the air. And so we're in heaven is in the place we're not on earth. Uh revelation 4 2 to 4 says. Now i watched when the lamb opened one of the seven seals and i heard one of the four living creatures say in with a voice like thunder come.

And he who sat had appearance as jasper and cornelian. And around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of emerald. Around the throne were 24 thrones and seated on the thrones were 24 elders clothed in white garments with a golden crowns on their head.

So i i think this is depicting things that are happening in heaven. So that's the location of this which is good because we said that we're talking about the events between the rapture and the return in heaven.

So it kind of gives away that where i think it is. What's the reason for this judgment seat. Well let's look at uh if we could in first corinthians 3 14 to 15. First corinthians 3 14 to 15 and that says if the works that anyone has built on the foundation survives he will receive a reward.

If anyone's work is built up he will suffer loss though he himself will be saved but only by fire. So you see there is that the reason. And and he's saying here you know even if you're saved you're saved.

But you barely you know by fire. Uh but it's not for sins. The reason is not for sins but of works. He's speaking here of works of a believer because he's saying he's he's clarifying in that passage you are saved even buff if by fire.

In other words even if you just barely get by you're squeaking by you're barely making it. In other words it's the works that happen after you are saved not before it is those works that that happen in what's called the sanctification process.

If you've gone through all of the classes of our systematic theology you know what that word means. But sanctification is the process that begins after we get that initial point when we're regenerated where we become a new creation from that point until our glorification the day we die that part that period of time that process of being made more in the image of christ is our sanctification process.

And those works that we do during that time not the works before salvation. Not no works earn our salvation. So it's after we become saved after we're regenerate. It's those works that are put on the judgment seat.

Okay. And so i think this is the church. What's the result. Well the result is a reward. We already saw that in first corinthians. Uh three so we saw this that the result is a reward. So we will be judged.

But as believers we're judged as reward. What. What are some of the rewards. Well if we look at first corinthians we don't put it up first corinthians 3 14 to 15 we say that we're secured. It said we will he who uh he will receive a reward.

It's it's a guarantee. Why. Because it's by god god promises. Who actually is the one that seals us and secures us the holy spirit god himself. And while there's a number of different interpretations on the christians victor's crown that victor's wreath it likely refers to this same reward.

Okay some scriptures you could look up i already mentioned first corinthians 3 14. You could look at first corinthians 9 25 james 1 12 second timothy 2 second timothy sorry 4 8 revelation 2 10 revelation 4 4.

We looked at revelation 4 10. Uh so you see that there is mention of this crown this victor's crown. And so what is that crown. There's some disputing. But i think it is the reward we have for works in sanctification.

The securing of it another result of this judgment seats the securing. Each of these texts that we mentioned teaches that there's only one means by which we may secure a reward at the judgment seat. And it is through christ's faithfulness.

It's it's what christ did for us. And then that those works that we can't take credit for ourselves. We give the credit back to christ and the holy spirit who works through us that the very good works we do are really the works that god does through us.

We can't take credit for the good works we do in our sanctification process. So that's to the secured those to the believers. What about. Well what. Some would say the loss. But the the lost are not. Uh here it is uh he will suffer loss as we saw in that passage.

Well he he clarifies you will be saved even by fire. So it's the loss. Here is those that are while they're believers they will be. They won't be judged for their sin. In other words not going to be judged.

That punishment's been paid. But they will suffer the loss of a reward. Okay. So you have someone that professes to be a believer but he continues to live a life of sin. He will lose not his salvation if he's truly regenerate.

But he will lose that reward that he could have received in heaven. What. What's that reward other than a crown. I i can't get into much detail because scripture doesn't. So i don't quite know i do know that with these crowns that we receive we give them back to christ because we recognize that it's all to him we owe.

And so the result is is that there will be those who are secured and they will receive this victor's crown. And there are those who are though they are saved they're regenerate individuals. They have lived a life in their sanctification process where they will suffer loss of reward because of the fact that they did not do good works.

Though they were regenerate they maybe they they purposely you know they they didn't want to grow spiritually. I don't know different things. Maybe they they chose to love their sin more than christ. And though it may be regenerate they they suffer the loss of that reward.

What's the effect of the judgment seat. Several. Uh we see a respect for fellow believers. Why don't. Why don't we uh do when we put that up hebrews 14 13 one of the things that we get is a respect for other believers.

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or a hindrance in the way of a brother romans 14 13. We can see in first corinthians 3 9 to 15 we see the effect is the work for christ.

It says in first corinthians 3 9 to 15. For we are god's fellow workers. You are in a field. You're in god's field god's building according to the grace of god given to me like a skilled master builder i lay a foundation and someone else is building upon it.

Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one came to no. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid which is christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation whether gold or precious stones wood hay straw each one's work will become manifest in the day.

We'll disclose it because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that it that anyone has built is on the foundation survives it'll be a reward.

If anyone builds a work work that is burned up he'll suffer loss though he will be saved by fire. I read it again because this one keeps coming up we're seeing who is it that gets the credit for the works.

It's christ. That's the effect. It's the work of christ in us and through us. Self-discipline. First corinthians 9 27 says. But i discipline my body and keep it under control lest after preaching to others i find i should find myself disqualified.

So you see there that we we should discipline ourselves because of the fact that we are going to stand judgment. That judgment before god should motivate us to do good works. To realize that we should discipline ourselves to not sin.

Another thing is evangelism. Second corinthians 5 11 says. Therefore knowing the fear of the lord we persuade others. But what we are is known to god and i hope it is also known to your conscience. So you see there that evangelism is an effect of this judgment seat.

We know that not only will we that that someone led us to christ. So when we stand before that judgment seat it's very different. We should go out and evangelize others where we should be compelled by the love of christ to do that.

And the last effect of the judgment seat is the teaching of sound doctrine. Second john verse 8. Second john 8 says this watch yourselves so that you may not lose what we have worked for but may win a full reward.

Notice that's not saying lose your salvation. It is the losing of the reward. People try to use that to say that you can lose your salvation. No that's not. It's saying the reward. And so by teaching sound doctrine we won't lose that effect all right.

The Marriage of the Lamb in Heaven

So that's one thing. The major thing that's going on in this time between the rapture and the return in heaven is going to be this judgment seat. That again i say is i think that's going to be uh time wise.

It's going to be after the rapture. So the rapture happens. Then there's going to be this judgment seat. And then there's going to be the tribulation. Okay. Uh the second thing that i think is going to happen is the marriage of the lamb.

Now why do i think these two. Uh and that's your blank there marriage. The marriage of lamb. These are ones that i think deal with the church. I think this is affecting the the church body not the old testament saints.

I think the second judgment ends up including them all. Right. Or everyone. But we'll look at that. So where's the place of this marriage lamb. This festival this really good dinner. I'm looking forward to it now.

Uh it is in revelation 19. Verses 4 to 9 says that that place is in heaven. Which again kind of makes sense. We since we said today's lesson is going to be the events that happen in heaven. That was kind of a no-brainer.

You could figure that one out. So it says in revelation 19 4 to 9. And the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped god who were seating on the throne. Amen hallelujah. And from the throne came a voice praise our god.

All who serve you will you shall fear him small and great. Then i heard what seemed to be a voice of thunder crying out hallelujah for the lord our god the almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory.

For the marriage of the lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready. It is granted her to clothe herself with fine linen bright and pure. For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me write this blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. And he said to me these are the true words of god. So you see this is going to happen in heaven.

We're going to see if we look later in that verse in those in the passage i should say in verses seven and eight we're going to see the marriage of the lamb takes place sometime after the rapture and before the return of christ.

We see in verses seven and eight of revelation 19 let us rejoice and exalt and give him glory. For the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen bright and pure.

For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. So when we look at revelation 19 it is i see this time wise or chronologically that this is going to be performed sometime after the rapture because the church has to be there in in full.

But before he returns in revelation 20 uh the marriage of the lamb will come accumulate cumulate. Cumulate. Yeah. Okay uh in the feast uh at the beginning of the millennium this is revelation 19. And it says here the angel said to me write this blessed.

Uh write this blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. And he said to me these are the true words of god. And so as we look at that we we end up seeing uh this time frame.

Who are the participants. Participants hard to speak with my tongue today. Uh participants. Well the participants we saw in revelation 19 7 to 9 only the church that's your blank there the church participates in the marriage.

All the believers the old testament saints the tribulation saints the the church age saints uh may participate in the in the accumulating fee. So so what you see here is i believe that this is an event for the church now.

Yeah i know there's that funny thing i'm making a distinction between israel and the church. I know that's a funny thing. I that's how i read the scriptures. I think that in a in a good harmonic a good interpretation of scriptures we see a distinction between israel and the church.

And that is most clearly seen when we look at the end times. And these are the passages where i think it comes up the most. I think it comes up the most in passages like this because of the fact that we are dealing with events that are where i think the church is going to be pulled back out and god is going to focus again on israel.

Okay and he's going to finish and fulfill the literal promises that he made to israel in the old testament. I think he's going to fulfill them. And they're going to come true quite literally. Okay all those land promises you're going to possess this amount of land that hasn't been fulfilled.

I think it will in the future. God is faithful. He's going to do that now. If you disagree with me that's fine. I don't mind. Okay it's okay that we can disagree on some of these things. But let's disagree looking at the scriptures and no be aware of the fact that we cannot be dogmatic on this because there are areas that we're looking into things and we can't see it as clearly as we can the first coming and so there does need to be some give and take some accepting that we're.

We're doing some sanctified guessing in some of these areas. Okay we're trying to take a lot of different scriptures pull them together and bring it into one thing. And so what you end up seeing is this is you know people will give a timetable and actually i'll put can we put the chart up.

That's we'll go over next class. We'll go over this next class. But if you look at this chart you see in heaven what we went over. You saw two events. You saw the judgment seat of christ and the marriage supper.

But look at all the events that are going on at earth at that same time. We're going to talk about next class. We'll talk about the seven sealed judgments. We'll talk about the seven trumpet judgments.

We'll talk about the bowl the seven bowl judgments. We're going to talk about the seven-year period of tribulation. We're talking about the rapture the return all this is in between. You see all these events that are happening.

This is why there's so much discussion. Because each one of those are different events that are happening and we get want to get into discussing each one of those now. So we're going to look at that in our next class.

We're not going to finish because i want to try to do that in its entirety and so it's probably a good point to break. So i'll say a couple things first if you disagree with us have questions have comments if you want to just send us some nice things.

We don't get a lot of that. Uh we usually get the criticisms but you can email us at academy at striving for eternity .org. Now for those watching live just a footnote. There probably will be no class next week.

I say probably because next week will be NorCal fire and i will be flying back. I will not have time to do the show prep and get everything ready. What we may do is a google hangout. We may do a google hangout with some brothers that are some that are covenantal or covenant theologians and some that are new covenant theologians.

We've done this in the past. We talked covenant theology dispensational theology. We talked new covenant theology dispensational theology. This one will be dispense sorry covenant theology and new covenant theology and let them interact.

So just to help us in our learning we may set that up for next week. So if you're watching live there may not be class next week but i will encourage you to go to the website striving for eternity right there that link there and you can go there pick up a syllabus.

You could also pick up my book what do they believe. Just a little note for you those of you who are watching new book will be coming out hopefully soon. My first book is what do they believe. The next one will be a kind of a sequel to this and it will be called what do we believe what do we believe.

So it is going to be a book about what we believe. Uh finishing that up now. Uh you can also while you're at the website i'd greatly encourage you to go and get a sign up to host one of our bible interpretation made easy seminars.

If you could do that we'd love to come to your church and over the course of a weekend in eight hours six sessions come in on a friday night and saturday and teach your congregation your small group how to interpret the bible.

Great great thing most needed thing. I think in our day and age that's the biggest problem i think in the churches today people do not know how to interpret the bible mishandling of the word of god dangerous dangerous dangerous.

So uh with that next class we're going to finish this up. We're going to look at the events between the rapture and the return that are happening on earth. And as you saw on that chart there's a lot that's happening.

So until next class i want to encourage you to strive to make today an eternal day for the glory of god.