Our ‘Appearing with Christ In Heaven’s Glory’ Colossians 3:4

By Arthur J Licursi

Readers should realize by now, if you have been reading my papers and studies over the past two years or so, my view of the details of the end times events has changed somewhat. This is because with the further application of Paul’s principle of “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2Tim. 2:15) we see how exactly Israel’s eternal destiny differs greatly from that of Paul’s Post-Acts Gentile “church, which is His body.”

The truth of Paul’s epistles needs to be “rightly divided” to note their proper application. Paul’s early epistles written when Paul had been going “to the Jew first.” DURING The Acts-Period differ from… his Post-Acts epistles (Eph., Phili., Col., 1& 2 Tim. and Titus, Philemon) that Paul wrote AFTER “the fall of Israel” that came with the close of the 35-year Acts period. Timeline context matters in Bible Study we ask these questions; 1. Who is writing or speaking? 2. To whom are the words written or spoken? 3. Concerning what is to occur, to who, and when?

At the end of Acts 28 Paul quotes the prophesy of Isaiah 6:9-10 pronouncing Israel as being ‘set aside’ as Paul turned his ministry away from Israel (“the Jew First,” Rom. 1:16) then to “the Gentiles” (Acts 28:28).

“Saying, Go unto this people [Israel], and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: ²⁷ For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. ²⁸ Be it known therefore unto you [Israel], that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.” Acts 28:26-28

Most of the long-time defenders of what they call ‘the pre-trib rapture of the church of today’ fail to heed Paul’s admonition to “rightly dividing the word of truth.” We see this when they take their support verses out of context. They erroneously refer to the words of Paul in 1Thes. 4:13-18 and 1Cor 15:51-55 that concerns Israel’s hope of being “caught up to the air” (1Thes. 4:17, not to heaven), calling it the rapture of the church.

We must note the context of the Book of Acts and Paul’s epistles written during that time. Acts is the continuation of the book of Luke concerning Israel’s “hope” of “thy Kingdom come on earth.” Paul concludes his Acts period service to Israel when he meets with the Roman Jewish leaders of the dispersion in Acts 28.20, saying “For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of The Hope Of Israel That I Am Wearing This Chain.” Only 8 verses later, in Acts 28:28, we see God conclusively through Paul turning His focus away from Israel to the Gentiles. To this day Israel remains fallen, “blinded” and “cast away,” set aside in unbelief for a time (cf. Rom. 11:10-12, 15, 25), until after the Gentile church of “body of Christ” is built up and removed from planet earth to ‘appear with Christ in heaven’ (cf. Col. 3:4).

“I would not, brethren, that ye [Israel] should be Ignorant of this Mystery [secret], … that blindness in part is happened to Israel, UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” Rom. 11:25

It is only after “His body” is removed to heaven’s glory, that the Lord will then fulfill His 2^nd coming promises as seen in the words of Jn. 14, Matt. 24, Luke 21, 1Thes. 4:17, 1Cor. 15:51-55. Note that Paul wrote the verses of 1Thes. 4:17 and 1Cor. 15 DURING the Acts period when Paul was going to “the Jew first.” He consistently went to their synagogues all through his Acts period ministry toward Israel; e.g., note how Paul in Acts 18:4-5 is in a synagogue in Corinth reasoning with the Jews “every Sabbath.”

It was only after the Acts-period concludes that Paul received and shared the added detail of his new “my gospel” concerning “The Revelation of The Mystery [Gk. musterion, secret]” concerning the “body of Christ,” as explained in His POST-Acts epistles of Eph., Col., Phil., 1&2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

The fact is that there is nothing new in Paul’s so-called rapture verses of 1Thes. 4:13-18 and 1Cor 15:51-55, as they are in full agreement with Jesus’ end time 2^nd coming detail of Matt. 24, Luke 21, and John 14 where Jesus talks about His 2^nd coming to save Israel and set up His kingdom On The Earth.

At the link below you can see a detailed, verse for verse comparison between Jesus’ prophetic words of Matt. 24 and Luke 21 and Paul’s prophetic ‘rapture’ verses that really concern Christ’s 2^nd coming to save Israel and set up His Millennial kingdom on earth. This is not the ‘Blessed hope of heaven’ for the Gentile “body of Christ” today.

https://artlicursi.com/articles/part-3-%E2%80%93-which-hope-ours-today-%E2%80%9C-body-christ%E2%80%9D

So yes, there is a so-called ‘rapture,’ but it is for Israel’s believing remnant who will “meet the Lord in the air (Greek, aer, not in ‘the heaven of heavens’) at the time of His 2^nd coming, … to then Return To Earth with Christ in their resurrection bodies’ [like Jesus’ glorious body], to dwell in the Millennial kingdom on earth.

Many fail to consider that Paul had been commissioned, DURING the ‘book of Acts,’ to mainly serve Israel and write his Acts-period early epistles for “the Jew First” (cf. Rom. 1:16), declaring the Cross and blood of Christ as “the Son of God.’ (Acts 9:15). In the last chapter of Acts, 28:20, Paul says he was in chains “for The Hope of ISRAEL.” The “body of Christ” was not yet in view. At that time the “eternal purpose” (Eph. 3:11) concerning the “Great Mystery [secret]” (Eph. 5:32) of Christ and His Gentile “body” hadn’t been revealed to Paul nor had it come into being; though it was always in God’s heart and plan since the world began.

Most of Christendom today takes the words of prophecy, that concern the Nation of ISRAEL ONLY … and try to apply them to today’s GENTILE, “church.” So, the fact is that “Israel” has a different “hope,” “calling,” and ‘eternal destiny’ ON EARTH… than that of today’s Gentile church that Paul calls “the church which is His body,” which is destined to “reign with Him” IN HEAVEN” (Eph. 1:3, 2Tim. 2:12).

At Christ’s 2^nd coming the believing remnant of Israel (i.e., Jesus’ “little flock,” Luke 12:32) is destined to be “caught up” (‘raptured’ if you will) “the meet the Lord in the air,” (not heaven) and Return to Earth;

1) To set up Christ’s Millennial kingdom ON EARTH

2) And later go on into the eternal kingdom ON THE “NEW EARTH,” whereupon the heavenly “New Jerusalem” will stand.

When one mixes truth that which applies to Israel Only … with what applies to the One New Man of the Gentile church of “the body of Christ” it results in confusion. The misuse and corruption of Scripture has been the chronic problem of Christendom from the time of Paul to this very day. Confusion has long been a tool of Satan to frustrate and hinder unintelligized believers who do not “rightly divide the word of truth.” Thus Paul wrote admonishing believers to “Study,” then telling us ‘how we are to study,’ in the same verse.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ¹⁶ But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” 2 Timothy 2:15-16

We need to learn to always “rightly divide,” separate, and distinguish… Israel’s eternal Hope, Calling and destiny ON EARTH, as seen in Paul’s ACTS-period epistles from that of the HEAVENLY Hope, Calling and destiny that pertains to the Gentile “church” of “the body of Christ,” as found in Paul’s POST-Acts epistles. 

We need to always divide and distinguish these four items that God has divided in His written word.

1. We Divide ‘Prophesy’ from Paul’s ‘Mystery (unspoken secret).’ The OT and Gospels ‘prophesies’ concerns Israel directly, while Paul’s “revelation of the Mystery [Secret]” (Rom. 16:25) concerns the Gentile “church, which is Hs body,” that consists of All men of ALL races, without distinction (Col 3:11).

After the Acts period, the Lord fully revealed “the Mystery [hidden secret]” of the Gentile Church to Paul. In Post-Acts Ephesians 3:1-13 (below) “the Mystery [secret]” of the ‘Joint Body’ [Gentile and Jew being equal] is revealed through Paul for the first time, “as it is now revealed” (v 5). It also is now revealed to the “principalities and powers” above (v 10). “The Mystery” had been hidden in God; it was NOT known or revealed in any previous Scriptures.

^“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ For You Gentiles, ² If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: ³ How that By Revelation He Made Known Unto Me THE MYSTERY; (as I wrote afore in few words, ⁴ Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) ⁵ Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; ⁶ That the Gentiles Should Be Fellow-Heirs, And of The Same [One] Body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: ⁷ Whereof I [Paul] was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. ⁸ Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I [Paul] should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable [not found in the OT] riches of Christ; ⁹ And to make all men see what is The Fellowship Of The Mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

¹⁰ To the intent that now unto the [angelic] principalities and powers in heavenly places might be [via] known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, ¹¹ According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: ¹² In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. ¹³ Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you [believing Gentiles, cf. v1], which is your glory. Ephesians 3:1-13 (KJV)

2. We divide “The Law” from Grace, as Paul explains in Romans (e.g., Rom 6:14)
3. We divide The Scripture concerning Israel’s ‘calling, hope, and eternal destiny’ from the ‘calling, hope, and eternal destiny’ of the Gentile “Body of Christ.’ 
4. We Divide Israel destiny from Paul’s heaven-bound POST-Acts Gentile “church, which is His body.” It was only AFTER Acts that Paul, while imprisoned, began to teach this newly revealed truth to form and build up the Gentile “body of Christ.” Paul laid the foundation of “the body of Christ” only AFTER the 35-year Acts-period closed. He then wrote his last seven epistles (chronologically) concerning the formation and eternal destiny of Gentile “the body of Christ” as seen in Paul’s Post-Acts epistles of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, 1& 2 Timothy, Titus. The Pauline Post-Acts verses below speak of our sudden, and Secret APPEARING in HEAVEN with Christ as “the head” of “the body” with no trumpet or voice of the ‘archangel’ involved. Our “appearing” with Him is simply stated as seen below.

¹² If we suffer [endure in faith], we shall also REIGN WITH HIM: if we deny him, he also will deny us [from reigning]: ¹³ If we believe not, yet [we are saved because] he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:12-13 (KJV)

⁴ When Christ, who is our life, shall APPEAR, then shall ye also APPEAR With Him In [Heaven’s] Glory. Colossians 3:4 (KJV)

¹³ Looking for that blessed hope, and the GLORIOUS APPEARING of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13 (KJV)

⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that Love His APPEARING. 2 Timothy 4:8 (KJV)

²⁰ For our conversation [Old English, 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

The verses above are just a few of Paul’s Post-Acts words concerning the destiny and “appearing” or ‘manifestation’ of “His body” with Christ “the head” of the body, in heaven. It is Biblically calculated that our ‘appearing with Christ’ will occur 21 years BEFORE Christ’s 2^nd coming to earth to set up His and Israel’s Millennial Kingdom. (Go to https://artlicursi.com/articles/israels-lo-ammi to see the calculation detail.)

We of “His body” today look for our “Appearing With Him” in “heaven’s glory” (Col. 3:4) at any moment. You could call this THE REAL RAPTURE To Heaven. Paul’s Post-Acts epistles explain the “the Mystery (Gk. musterion, secret)” of the Gentile “body of Christ” that is destined to “reign with Him” (2Tim. 2:12) “far above” (Eph. 1:21) “in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3).

“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my [Paul’s] gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to The Revelation of “The Mystery [secret],” which was kept secret since the world began,” Romans 16:25, (Paul’s Romans PostScript written from prison)

The fact is that truth that applies during one dispensation does not necessarily apply in another; e.g., “… for ye are not under ‘the law,’ but under ‘grace’.” Rom. 6:14 (KJV). Yet, the truth of Christ’s vicarious cross-work stands for all believers of all ages. Satan tries to rob believers of the truth by mixing various unrelated dispensational truths to bring confusion among believers. According to Paul’s 2Tim 4:3-4 we are told in the end times there will be “teachers teaching fables while turning away from the truth.” This is the environment that we live in today. Paul’s verses below refer to the pitiful state of today’s church at large.

“For the time will come when they will Not Endure Sound Doctrine; but after their own lusts [desires] shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; ⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (KJV)

Read this link for a fuller picture of what is involved in what Paul calls “the Fellowship of the Mystery [secret]” (Eph. 3:9); https://artlicursi.com/series/%E2%80%9C-fellowship-mystery%E2%80%9D