7 Raptures in the Bible - Part A

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Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him

Genesis 5:24

 

While many may find this idea of the rapture hard to believe, I found it helpful to understand that there are many raptures that have taken place within the pages of scriptures. And by the time Jesus returns to defeat Satan and establish his Kingdom on earth, there will have been a total of seven different raptures that will have taken place. 

  1. In the days before the great flood, we read in Genesis 5:24 about a man by the name of Enoch walked with God, and later was raptured. It’s confirmed later in the New Testament, in Hebrews 11, he is mentioned in what’s been called the hall of faith in verse five it reads… “By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.” Here we find a good and godly man that simply never experienced death. He had the rare opportunity to be raptured, to be “taken.” As the literal translation puts it.
  1. This man was a legend of his day. His ministry started in the ninth century before the time of Christ. He was a staunch spokesman for God against the idolatry that was going on in the nation of Israel and was a great servant of the Lord. He was said to raptured in an interesting event, where he is taken up into a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 2:1) He as well is mentioned in the hall of faith in the New Testament. (Hebrews 11:7) As well it could be included the rapture that will happen. 
  1. This man grew up in Jerusalem in the ninth century before the time of Christ. He was called by God to prophesy about the coming Messiah, Jesus. He did so with faithfulness. He and his wife both served in ministry together and had a few kids. Isaiah was a godly man that courageously confronted the moral and spiritual corruption of politicians and religious people, at the same time he inspired people to hold on to hope about the birth of the Savior and would suffer for the sins of the world. As a prophet, he had to call Israel to come to terms with their covenant commitment to God. According to Isaiah 6, we find him in what appears to be a courtroom setting before God.  As one scholar describes…

When Israel’s disobedience would mount, God would call and commission a prophet to remind and warn the nation of their responsibility to obey the terms of their covenant. God, through the prophets, would warn them that if they persisted in rebellion then He would execute the harshest curse provided for in the sanctions—expulsion from the land of Israel (Leviticus 26:27–39; Deuteronomy 28:49–68). When the nation began to reach the point of continued disobedience, God’s prophet would bring a lawsuit against the nation for violation of their contract with God. – Dr. Thomas Ice, Liberty

This rapture of Isaiah was in a sense a divine summoning to consult with God and then go back down to earth to share this message with the Israelites. 

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We will have to study the others tomorrow. Which one of these are most interesting to you and why? Take some time to discuss this and look up the scriptures and read the context.

 

 

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