Below is the 4^th delay I would like to discuss as a main point of this article. This time it is the delay of the forthcoming blessing of the Rapture of “His body” to dwell “eternal in the heavens” (2Cor 5:1), which forestalls the end time Tribulation judgment of Israel and the world to occur with Christ’s 2^nd coming to set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth.

“For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ²¹ Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21)

“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’ (‘Raptured,’ Latin, ‘rapiemur’) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Wherefore COMFORT one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

“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. ⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave (Grk., hades), where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:52-55)

God’s promise of our “gathering unto Christ” … “in the air,” for the members “the Church, the body of Christ” … at our Rapture to heaven to occur late in “the dispensation of the grace of God,” has been DELAYED for an unknown time period. It is delayed “until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:25, above), thus, completing “the body of Christ.”

Just imagine, some one person will be the very last genuine grace age believer to be added to the Gentile “body of Christ” just before the Rapture! Of course, all believers will go home to heaven sooner or later… this is our “comfort” … as we are ever mindful of this truth.

Now I must explain a common error in Bible interpretation due to the misuse and altering of the words of the Bible, as seen in the Modern Bibles such as the NIV, NASB, etc.

2 Thes. 2:1-4 has long been an apparent problem for pre-tribulational dispensationalists since many try to make Israel’s prophetic “Day of THE LORD” at His coming “in vengeance” … the same as Paul’s “Day of CHRIST,” which is the Rapture.

The Pauline text of 2Thes 2:1-2 and then 3-4 (below) actually, yet again, reveal two different events and times.

“¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him (our Rapture to heaven), ²That ye Be Not Soon Shaken In Mind, or be Troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as (alleged to be) from us, as (if) that ‘THE DAY of CHRIST (the Rapture) is at hand  (Gk. enistemi, currently present) (2 Thess. 2:1-2)  

These Thessalonian grace age believers were being lied to as if the Rapture resurrection of “the body of Christ” had come and had past and what they are experiencing was His kingdom on earth that will follow the Rapture. This was this ‘lying fake news’ of their day that shook and “troubled” the Thessalonians. So, Paul was writing to calm their fears. Note how Paul then continues in verses 3-4 to make the truth clear, repeating the timeline and explaining the timeline of events that would obviate the fact that what they were told was NOT true. The Day of Christ and Rapture had not past. He does this in order to comfort and calm the Thessalonians who were shaken and troubled… to convince them they were not experiencing the kingdom on earth… in which they were experiencing persecution.

Paul goes on … saying first of all…

“³Let no man deceive you by any means: for ‘THAT DAY’ (the Day of THE LORD coming in judgment to set up His kingdom) shall NOT come, except (until) there come a falling away first, and that ‘man of sin’ be revealed, the son of perdition (the Antichrist); Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that He As God Sitteth In The Temple of God, Shewing Himself That He Is God.” (2 Thes. 2:3-4, cf. Dan. 9:26-27)

Since these grace age believers had not seen the Antichrist abominations in the temple as will occur in the mid-Tribulation … it could not yet be the kingdom that would follow it. Certainly then, they had not missed the Rapture that will precede Antichrist and the subsequent Millennial kingdom on earth.