The In-gathering of the Saints

Prior to the mid-nineteenth century the word rapture had a very basic meaning, according to Webster’s Dictionary (1828):

RAP’TURE, n. [L. raptus, rapio.] 1. A seizing by violence. [Little used.] 2. Transport; ecstasy; violence of a pleasing passion; extreme joy or pleasure. Music when thus applied, raises in the mind of the hearer great conceptions; it strengthens devotion and advances praise into rapture. 3. Rapidity with violence; a hurrying along with velocity; as rolling with torrent rapture. 4. Enthusiasm; uncommon heat of imagination. You grow correct, that once with rapture writ.

However, once a man named Scofield published a reference Bible that included within a new definition of the word rapture, the Christian world has never been the same. Today’s dictionaries (WordWeb) include this note with the above definition:

Noun: Rapture 1. (futurist Christian doctrine) the future event when Christian believers are suddenly remove from the Earth before the second coming of Christ.

Please note that this is not listed as a Judeo-Christian doctrine; the Jews believe in something different. They do believe that Adonai will gather together His people from the four winds, but the timing and destination are different from that of the rapture teaching. To understand the differences, let’s take a quick look at the Christian doctrine before seeing what the Jews teach.

The rapture is a time when the saints of God (Christians) are “taken to meet Jesus in the air,” and then taken to heaven to await God’s judgment upon the sinners (non-Christians) of the world. Most believe this will happen before the beginning of the Great Tribulation Yeshua (Jesus) warned of in Matthew 24, although there are some who believe they will be taken half-way through this event. Either way, both have one thing in common: the Christians escape the Great Tribulation while the rest of the world faces the judgment of God. This is based upon the understanding that the true believers of God are not destined for wrath (1 Thess. 5:9). Those who hold to the belief in a rapture state that God loves them so much that He does not want to see them suffer, nor have to witness others suffering, so He will remove them before the world sees great tribulations.

The Jews, however, have seen so much suffering over the centuries that there is no convincing them that God removes His people from the trouble that surrounds them. They understand that Adonai protects His people in the midst of tribulation. This is demonstrated time and again in the Scriptures, and within their other sacred writings; from Abram’s deliverance from the furnace of Nimrod (Book of Jasher, chapter 12) to the same event in the lives of three young Hebrews (Daniel, chapter three), Adonai has proven time and again that He is able to protect His people in the midst of whatever the enemy has in store for us.

What did Moses say?

Moses was the greatest prophet of God that we’ve ever had; he was the one who foretold of the coming Messiah and how He would deliver His people. At the of the book of Deuteronomy Moses delineates the blessings for all who obey the commandments of Adonai, and the curses for those who refuse to obey,

“It shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will boast, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered land with the dry.’ The LORD shall never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and His jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse which is written in this book will rest on him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. Then the LORD will single him out for adversity from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant which are written in this book of the law.” (Deuteronomy 29:19-21)

Any man can have his name blotted out from the Book of Life if his heart is stubborn, refusing to be corrected or to obey the words of the Law (Torah) of God. This covenant is made with any and all who are called by His name, and we (His children) are expected to follow the rules He gave us.

“Now not with you alone am I making this covenant and this oath, but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God and with those who are not with us here today” (Deuteronomy 29:14-15)

After this, Moses tells the children of Israel what will transpire in the latter days, in what we call the end times. He tells them how they will turn away from the true worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, instead turning to other gods, worshipping just like the heathen nations around them. This will anger Adonai, and He will judge them for their idolatry by scattering them among the nations, away from the land He promised to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the midst of this Promised Land is the place where Adonai has chosen to cause His Name to dwell: Jerusalem. This is the promise the children of Abraham, both Arab and Jew, have been battling over for centuries, and this is the promise we long to inherit, right?

These prophetic words have indeed come to pass; the Northern Kingdom turned from the true worship of Adonai, creating their own Temple with its feasts and festivals, and were judged and scattered into all the nations. The Southern Kingdom, having learned nothing from witnessing the judgment of their brethren, were themselves judged for their treachery, and were scattered among the nations, as it is to this day.

He then reached out to the rest of the world (Gentiles) offering the Way of Salvation through Yeshua the Messiah, just as He said He would through Moses (Deuteronomy 32:21), making His people jealous (Romans 10). This had been the plan all along! How do I know this? Because Moses told us all of this back there in the book of Deuteronomy.

“So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.” (Deuteronomy 30:1-3)

This, my friends, is the in-gathering of the saints. This is when His people, who have been scattered among the nations (that’s us) realize who we are in Him, discover His teachings (Torah) and come to the logical conclusion that if we want to be blessed instead of cursed, we must consider our ways and turn our steps to His testimonies (Psalm 119:59). Once we do this, once we’ve repented of our ignorance in trying to do things our own ways, and have returned to the old paths (Jeremiah 6:16) Adonai will gather us back together, and bring us into that land He promised to us so long ago.

Just as Adonai scattered His people across the world in order to spread the good news, He will return to gather us together again, just as He told Moses so long ago.

“If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.” (Deuteronomy 30:4-5)

This promise, the guarantee of protection in the midst of the judgment, is not for just anyone; only those who keep the commandments of God are included among the remnant of His people.

“Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. The LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today. Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.” (Deuteronomy 30:6-10)

Please notice that only those who obey the Lord, observing (keeping) all His commandments and His statutes which are written in the Torah, turning their heart and soul to Him, will be saved. You cannot “pray a prayer and then believe,” and expect to be protected during the judgment. His judgment is coming upon the entire world, for all (each and every one of us) deserve His wrath for our sinful ways. He judged our ancestors in the wilderness after delivering them from the hand of Pharaoh; He will judge us after delivering us from the hand of the Anti-Messiah.

The warning that Moses gave to the children of Israel that day is even more important today than when it was given, for the end is closer today than ever before. Take heed to what Moses has to say:

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.

“But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” (Deuteronomy 30:15-20)

If we want to inherit the promises of God, we absolutely must obey Him by keeping all of His commandments, statutes and judgments; otherwise we will inherit the curses delineated within Torah. The teachings of Yeshua confirm this understanding and we will look at just how later in this article.

What did the saints of old believe?

This promise is repeated throughout the Old Testament. Nehemiah referenced this promise in his prayer at the beginning of his book:

“Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.’” (Nehemiah 1:8-9)

Nehemiah understood that Adonai scatters His people in judgment for he experienced God’s judgment. He understood that the Jews had deserved their judgment, but that Adonai has promised that He will again bring us back to the Promised Land. All we have to do is return to His ways, feasts and festivals.

Aesaph, one of the authors of the books of Psalms, also references this gathering together of God’s people during judgment in this Psalm:

May our God come and not keep silence; fire devours before Him, and it is very tempestuous around Him. He summons the heavens above, and the earth, to judge His people: “Gather My godly ones to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” And the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is judge. Selah. (Psalms 50:3-6)

Aesaph understood that Adonai gathers together His people during the time of judgment; those who have sacrificed all for His Name’s sake will be gathered, but not without judgment. Remember what it says above: He comes to judge His people. We cannot expect to behave badly and still be covered by the blood of the Lamb; our deeds do not go unnoticed or unpunished.

The prophet Isaiah also speaks of this in-gathering of God’s people:

Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people, who will remain, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He will lift up a standard for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and those who harass Judah will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not harass Ephraim. (Isaiah 11:11-13)

The first time He recovered the remnant of His people was in Egypt, when He delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh; the second time will be at the end, when He comes in righteous judgment. He will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth… this kinda flies in the face of the, “God leaves the Jews behind,” part of the rapture theory, don’t ya think? Many feel that Ephraim in the above passage is a reference to the Christians, which is another teaching in and of its self. The point is, Isaiah speaks of this event as a future event in the lives of all Israel, not just a part, and the remnant of God’s people will again be delivered just as they were back in Egypt.

This is not the only time that Isaiah speaks of the future gathering together of God’s people:

Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him. Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. (Isaiah 40:10-11)

When Isaiah says, “God will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him,” that is a reference to Yeshua (His right arm) coming in judgment (ruling). That is when He will gather His people, when He comes in judgment. Isaiah also continues:

“Since you are precious in My sight, since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” (Isaiah 43:4-7)

Adonai promised to gather together the off-spring of Israel, regardless of how far away they have traveled, and He will bring them back to the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This theme is constantly repeated and clearly indicates that we will be gathered together here on earth, not in heaven as the rapture doctrine claims.

There are those who would use the following verses, also from the prophet Isaiah, as proof of the pre-tribulation rapture. However, we have now come to these verses in the proper way, order upon order, line upon line, (Isaiah 28:9-13) so we might see a different slant this time.

“For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left. And your descendants will possess nations and will resettle the desolate cities. Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; and do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth. For the LORD has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” says your God.

“For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer. For this is like the days of Noah to Me, when I swore that the waters of Noah would not flood the earth again; so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you nor will I rebuke you. For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” says the LORD who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:3-10)

The children of Israel were spread abroad (scattered) when their sinful ways caused Adonai to judge them, just as He warned through Moses, but there will come a day when we (their descendants) return to the ways of Adonai, and when that happens He will give us the covenant of peace as He gave to Phinehas the son of Eleazar (Numbers 25), and as He promised through the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah. It is through His compassion for our faith, and the faith of our fathers, that He does not wipe us out entirely, for we are a stubborn and stiff-necked people.

In the verses above, when Adonai says, “I have sworn that I will not be angry with you nor will I rebuke you,” He was not saying that we would not be judged… the promise He made to Noah in his day was that the waters would not flood the earth again. After the judgment by fire He will again make a promise to His people, never again to rebuke or be angry with us. As in the days of Noah, this promise is given after the judgment occurs, not before.

Yeshua Himself quoted Isaiah when He said, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples.” Let’s take a look at what He was saying…

“Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath and holds fast My covenant; even those I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” The Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, “Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.” (Isaiah 56:6-8)

According to Isaiah, this gathering only includes those who ministers to Adonai, loving His name, proclaiming to be His servants, who keep His Sabbath and upholds their end of the covenant He made with the children of Israel back on Mt. Sinai. I believe that this is why so many of the Christians would like to believe in the pre-tribulation rapture; because when it comes right down to it, they know that they don’t measure up to the qualifications given for the in-gathering of the saints given to us by this amazing prophet of God.

You see, too many of God’s people have bought into the lie that the commands of God changed with the coming of Yeshua. Nothing changed; Yeshua told us that not one iota of the law or the prophets would pass away until ALL has been fulfilled (Matthew 5:18), and heaven and earth remain the same. Therefore, His commandments, statutes and ordinances still stand, and are applicable to any and all who want to be considered a child of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Let’s take another look at those who Isaiah says will NOT be a part of those inheriting the Promised Land:

For behold, the LORD will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For the LORD will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh, and those slain by the LORD will be many. “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens, following one in the center, who eat swine’s flesh, detestable things and mice, will come to an end altogether,” declares the LORD. “For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.

“I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the LORD, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.

“I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites,” says the LORD. “For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me,” declares the LORD, “So your offspring and your name will endure. And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the LORD. “Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.” (Isaiah 66:15-24)

Those who do not follow all the commands of God will be judged. There will be survivors, however, and He will gather them together and they will then keep the commandments of God with joy. Adonai will even take some of these survivors to work within the Temple, a position reserved for the Levite alone. Again we see this promise of peace comes after the judgment, not before, nor during.

And then there is Jeremiah…

“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares the LORD. “Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:1-4)

First He will judge the leaders of His house (church/synagogue leaders), then He will gather together His people who have been hurt by these worthless leaders, and will bring them back to their pasture, naturally referencing the Promised Land. (Back indicating that we’ve already been there before.) Once that happens, life will be wonderful and we will have no more danger in our lives. Until that time, however, live is full of danger and trials, tribulations and judgments.

As stated earlier, whatever happens to the fathers happens to the sons. This holds true about exile; just as the Jews were exiled in Babylon and then returned to the land, we have been exiled from the land into all the nations, and will one day return to that land of our promise.

“For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’” (Jeremiah 29:10-14)

Again Jeremiah tells us that when Adonai gathers together His people (saints) it is to return them to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Neither Isaiah nor Jeremiah speak in any terms that would make one believe that we will be whisked away to heaven to await blessings, avoiding any kind of judgment. He does tell us that we will find Him and be found by Him when we come to Him in prayer, searching for Him with our whole heart.

“Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, and I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; a great company, they will return here. With weeping they will come, and by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, on a straight path in which they will not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.”

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare in the coastlands afar off, and say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.” For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, and they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD– Over the grain and the new wine and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; and their life will be like a watered garden, and they will never languish again. (Jeremiah 31:8-12)

The last time Adonai delivered a great company of people was when the Hebrews, and anyone else who joined with them, were delivered from Egypt. The mixed multitude that stood under the mountain agreed to follow His statutes and Adonai promised to protect them when He lead them into the Promised Land. It’s a shame that their children have not been as successful as they at keeping His Torah.

“Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety. They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.” (Jeremiah 32:37-40)

Although Adonai brought the Jewish people back from Babylon, the everlasting covenant referenced above has not yet been given, as there are many who have turned away from the Lord. When He returns us to the land we will find true safety unavailable through any man or machine; only Adonai can bind the enemy so well as to prevent his attacks. Jeremiah’s message is one of hope for those who keep the commandments of God, strengthening us to endure the troubles ahead, for we know the reward that awaits us on the other side of the coming judgments.

Ezekiel saw more than just a few wheels…

The prophet Ezekiel lived during the Babylonian exile as did Jeremiah and Nehemiah, and they all agreed that Adonai promised to re-gather His people and bring them safely back into the land. Ezekiel spoke often of this future event.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, your fellow exiles and the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far from the LORD; this land has been given us as a possession.’ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone.”‘ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”‘

“When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 11:14-21)

Here Ezekiel tells us that Adonai will be a sanctuary for us for a little while in the countries where He scattered us… again this speaks of God’s protection in the midst of turmoil. And then after this time of safety within the countries we reside, Adonai will then gather us together and will give His people the land of Israel. This is the promise given to those who love Adonai our God, and they will happily keep His statutes and ordinances. However, Ezekiel warns us that there will be those among us whose hearts are not entirely for Adonai, instead holding as sacred that which Adonai defines as detestable; these people will not inherit the promise. This should make us want to know exactly what Adonai considers to be detestable, don’t you think?

Again Ezekiel tells us that Adonai will not stand for bad behavior within His family; the children of Israel who refuse to obey His commands will be judged and punished for their unfaithfulness…

Therefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD, “Because your lewdness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered through your harlotries with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your sons which you gave to idols, therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated. So I will gather them against you from every direction and expose your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness. Thus I will judge you like women who commit adultery or shed blood are judged; and I will bring on you the blood of wrath and jealousy.

“I will also give you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your shrines, demolish your high places, strip you of your clothing, take away your jewels, and will leave you naked and bare. They will incite a crowd against you and they will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. They will burn your houses with fire and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women. Then I will stop you from playing the harlot, and you will also no longer pay your lovers. So I will calm My fury against you and My jealousy will depart from you, and I will be pacified and angry no more. (Ezekiel 16:35-42)

These are word spoken not to the rest of the world but to those who have betrothed themselves to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This judgment is reserved for the children of Israel alone; the nations are not judged by this same measure for they didn’t agree to follow His rules, we did. Ezekiel understood that all who are called by His Name must live up to His standard, or they won’t receive the prize.

“As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out; and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord GOD. “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 20:33-38)

I don’t know how much more plainly His plans could have been laid before us; Ezekiel’s warning tells us that He will judge His people after He has delivered us from the nations where He scattered us. Again we see the connection made between the Exodus from Egypt and the in-gathering of the saints to come. Although He will bring all of God’s children out from the lands in which He scattered us, not all of us will be permitted to enter into the Promised Land; only those who are obedient will enter, and the rebellious will be prevented. Quite plainly God’s plan for His people includes protection and blessings, but only for those who are obedient to His Laws (Torah) and all of this will happen, “with wrath poured out.” Sure sounds like the Great Tribulation to me.

“As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will prove Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations. And you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land which I swore to give to your forefathers. There you will remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done. Then you will know that I am the LORD when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 20:41-44)

“I will prove Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations.” How can one have a secret rapture and be proven holy in the sight of the entire world? They would have to witness Adonai’s hand to know it was indeed Him that caused their disappearance and sudden reappearance in the land of Israel. There must be no doubt in the eyes of the world as to Who this is moving the faithful; the end times saints will stand out from among the peoples of the world as Noah did among the pre-flood population.

We have not kept the commandments, statutes or precepts given to Moses so like our ancestors who were judged in the wilderness, we too face judgment before He will allow us to inherit the Promised Land. Only those who repent of their evil ways (not keeping or obeying His Torah) and return to those ancient paths will find themselves protected. Those of us who are called by His Name, yet refuse to return to the ancient paths will not find rest for their souls, but instead will find judgment, torment, trials and tribulations until we learn our lessons and return to Him with our WHOLE heart.

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are the dross of silver. Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Because all of you have become dross, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath and I will lay you there and melt you. I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath on you.’” (Ezekiel 22:17-22)

Clearly Ezekiel is being told that Adonai will judge His people when He gathers them together in the place where He has chosen to place His name: Jerusalem. This is just as He told us through Moses so long ago. Our God is a consuming fire, and He will burn away the dross, refining us by fire. Again, this does not sound like the plan is for Him to remove us before the Great Tribulation begins. If we who are called by His name continue to walk in the stubbornness of our hearts, insisting on doing things our own way, He will allow us to go through some major trials so that we can learn to obey. Those who continue to walk in the stubbornness of their own heart will suffer the consequences.

‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. They will live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards and live securely when I execute judgments upon all who scorn them round about them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.”‘ (Ezekiel 28:25-26)

For it is written, “Judgment begins in the house of the Lord, and it begins with the elders,” therefore, we know that we will be judged for our actions regardless of what Yeshua sacrificed on our behalf. We who have accepted His sacrifice are held to a higher standard, but not quite as high as those who have been given the task of shepherding Adonai’s sheep.

Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.“‘”

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: “As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”‘” (Ezekiel 34:1-10)

Regardless of how badly our shepherds behave, Adonai will keep His promise to gather us together and to heal our wounds, yet even then He will repay us for our behavior…

“I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord GOD. “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment. As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats.’” (Ezekiel 34:13-17)

Once again we see that the prophet Ezekiel agrees with Moses and Isaiah: we will be judged for our actions. Those who are godly in action will be led into the Promised Land; those who behave any way they want will find that Adonai views them as goats, always butting heads with others, and will send them off to destruction. The choice is ours; we can either live godly lives and be rewarded in the end, or we can live our lives anyway we choose, and suffer the consequences. I have yet to find one passage that speaks of God’s people avoiding judgment in any way other than by living godly lives. We cannot, “pray a prayer and believe,” and find ourselves protected regardless of our behavior.

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:22-28)

When the end comes, and we are rewarded for our good behavior, Adonai will take us into the Promised Land… Ezekiel says nothing here about heaven. And when He does return us to the land, He will cause us to “walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances,” which is detailed within the very same Torah that He gave to Moses. It seems to me that if we want to live godly lives, guaranteeing our acceptance into the kingdom, we should begin to walk in these statutes and ordinances now.

There are two visions that Ezekiel had (besides the vision of God’s throne) that have become very well known. The valley of the dry bones vision has been immortalized in song (Dem Dry Bones) and many are seeing the rebirth of Israel as the fulfillment of this vision. The second vision follows the first and involves two sticks being joined as one. Many see this as the Christians (Ephraim) and the Jews (Judah) coming together as one new man before God (Ephesians 2:14-16). This is what Ezekiel himself says about this vision:

“The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, andI will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God.

“My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”‘” (Ezekiel 37:20-28)

Adonai’s plan is to dwell with us HERE ON EARTH, not in heaven as the Christian churches teach.  This far we have been unable to find one Scripture to support that theory, yet the average believer talks of going to heaven all the time. In the history of the world there have only been a handful of people who have been taken to heaven, and each and every one of them returned to tell the tale. The abode of those who have passed is in a place called Sheol, which has no connotations of judgment attached to it; Sheol is a waiting room, if you will, for the Day of Judgment. And what about after the judgment? We return to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, according to Ezekiel…

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name. They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid. When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer. I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 39:25-29)

And the Minor Prophets?

The prophets all agree, major or minor, that Adonai has promised to gather together His children and return them to the land promised to our fathers so long ago. This is the promise that all Israel looks towards; the day that we are finally reunited and living securely in the land is the day generations of God’s people have longed to see.

“I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold; like a flock in the midst of its pasture they will be noisy with men. The breaker goes up before them; they break out, pass through the gate and go out by it. So their king goes on before them, and the LORD at their head.” (Micah 2:12-13)

Earlier I wrote of the fact that Adonai will protect His people in the midst of tribulations; this concept is referenced by the prophet Zephaniah as well:

Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, before the decree takes effect– the day passes like the chaff– before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’S anger. (Zephaniah 2:1-3)

Hidden, not removed. If we humble ourselves and seek His face, He will protect us, but only those of us who are willing to obey Him rather than man, following His laws and behaving accordingly. Our behavior shows the intentions of our hearts; if they are evil, our actions will be as well. The God of Abraham rewards good behavior and punishes bad behavior, and this applies to His family most of all. In the end He will gather us together and then He will judge between us, His flock, so that all who remain will be those who truly love to serve Adonai.

“In that day you will feel no shame because of all your deeds by which you have rebelled against Me; for then I will remove from your midst your proud, exulting ones, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain. But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the LORD. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; for they will feed and lie down with no one to make them tremble.”

Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you will fear disaster no more.

In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp. The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts– They came from you, O Zion; the reproach of exile is a burden on them. Behold, I am going to deal at that time with all your oppressors, I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together; indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the LORD. (Zephaniah 3:11-20)

Those who are proud, haughty and rebellious will be removed from our midst; that means that we have too many of these people dwelling among us, influencing our behavior and corrupting our morals. He will remove these folks when He gathers us together, which means that He will judge between us, plain and simple. We come under judgment too, just like the rest of the world, but our rewards for good behavior are much greater than theirs.

“I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back, because I have had compassion on them; and they will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them. Ephraim will be like a mighty man, and their heart will be glad as if from wine; indeed, their children will see it and be glad, their heart will rejoice in the LORD. I will whistle for them to gather them together, for I have redeemed them; and they will be as numerous as they were before.

“When I scatter them among the peoples, they will remember Me in far countries, and they with their children will live and come back. I will bring them back from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon until no room can be found for them. And they will pass through the sea of distress and He will strike the waves in the sea, so that all the depths of the Nile will dry up; and the pride of Assyria will be brought down and the scepter of Egypt will depart. And I will strengthen them in the LORD, and in His name they will walk,” declares the LORD. (Zechariah 10:6-12)

The sea of distress does not sound very rapturous to me; it sounds to me like we pass through some very distressing times before receiving the prize. He has scattered His people across the globe and in the end He will return them to the land from where they departed. Gilead and Lebanon will not contain the number of people Adonai will gather and place there. How much more precise can one be? I have heard that there are different levels of heaven, but I haven’t heard of one called Lebanon, have you?

From the smallest prophet to the greatest of them all, each and every one agrees that in the latter days, when the Day of Judgment arrives, Adonai will first judge among His people, separating those who grieve over the rebellion against God’s Torah from those who are merely play-acting the part of a believer, but whose heart is not fully committed to serving the Lord. Once He has cleared His people of the chaff, He will protect them in the midst of the judgment coming upon the entire world.

Searching through the Old Testament, one cannot find any promise that includes residing in Heaven with God. The prophets of old spoke of the day that He would reside here on earth, among His people, purified for His presence. Just as the children of Israel prepared themselves for His visitation in the wilderness, so too the children of Israel must again prepare themselves for His visitation, for this time He comes with fire in judgment.

Now, let’s take a look at Yeshua…

Even before Yeshua arrived on the scene, John the Baptizer spoke of His coming mission to the Pharisees and Sadducees who approached him.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:7-12)

One of the main reasons that many learned Jews still reject Yeshua as their Messiah is that the children of Israel are scattered among the nations to this day, and one of the tasks of the Messiah was that of gathering together the children of Israel. We understand that Adonai would send the Messiah twice; once to make the way of salvation, the second to put an end to the injustice and evil that has overtaken the world. When Yeshua returns in justice, there will be no denying Him then.

Having recently moved into the heartland of America, I now have a better understanding of wheat. The house in which I presently reside is surrounded by wheat fields and my children have recently experienced their first wheat harvest. The grasses along the edges of the fields are tall and my son recently discovered how alike some of these grasses are to the wheat. I explained to him that this is because wheat is a type of grass, as is barley and alfalfa and corn. We never really understood about the different types of grasses until we moved onto the prairie; our yard was overgrown and we were amazed at the different types of grasses, some short, some very tall. To be honest, it has been the perfect opportunity to explain Yeshua’s parable to my children…

Yeshua presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”‘” (Matthew 13:24-30)

The in-gathering of the saints happens at the time of the harvest, otherwise the good seed (children of Israel) might be damaged when the bad seed (rest of the world) is removed. When we look at it this way, we can see how it might not be a bad thing to be left behind if those who are left behind are not facing the wrath of fire. The tares are gathered first, according to this parable; therefore it is the wheat that is left behind. This is very different from the rapture teaching where the bad seed is left behind. Hmmm…

Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as forthe good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:36-43)

Do we have ears to hear, or have they been deafened by the teachings of man? When the harvest happens, all ends. Yeshua did not secretly reveal to His disciples that they are too special and will be removed before the harvest. After all, one does not remove the wheat before its time, but awaits the proper time, just before the seed falls. When the wheat is pulled, everything else in the field comes with it; the harvester does not differentiate between the wheat and the tares. Yeshua clearly states that those who commit lawlessness – living outside the Law of God – will be cast into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. These folks will not be protected through the furnace of affliction, as the three young Hebrew boys were back in Babylon, but will be burned up like all chaff. These statements are in line with those of the prophets who came before, and we all know how they treated those mighty prophets of old…

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,and say, ‘If we had been livingin the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in sheddingthe blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the guiltof your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

“Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city,so that upon you may fall the guilt ofall the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’” (Matthew 23:29-39)

Those who teach that we will not see tribulation are very popular; those who teach to prepare for the Great Tribulation will be attacked just as they attacked the prophets of old. If I were to write about a vision of being taken away from the tribulations to come, my articles would appear linked to some of the top Christian new sites. However, because my visions are of God’s people being protected IN THE MIDST of tribulation, my articles are ignored and people tell me that I have no understanding. Truly we are an obstinate people, who love to have their ears (eyes) tickled.

Matthew chapters 24 and 25 contain Yeshua’s warning for the end times. These warnings include the birth pangs leading up to the end, as well as the judgments to come upon the earth. These teachings are mostly ignored by those who espouse the pre-tribulation rapture theory; why would Yeshua bother warning us of what was to come if we were not to experience it?

“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31)

For all of those who claim to believe in the validity of the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine, I ask you to reconsider in light of the verses above. Yeshua clearly states, “Immediately after the tribulation… they will gather together His elect from the four winds.” How can one reconcile the two beliefs? I personally believe Yeshua has a better understanding of the end time events than any other man; I believe Yeshua when He says that we will be gathered together after the tribulation.

Note in the verses above Yeshua is quoting Scripture (the words in capital letters.) When I looked up the reference, here is the list given by my study Bible: Exodus 19:16; Deuteronomy 30:4; Isaiah 27:13; Zechariah 9:14; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Hebrews 12:19; Revelation 8:2, 11:15. That’s one long list! Let’s take a look at what is being said here.

Exodus – The trumpet announcing Adonai’s arrival upon Mt. Sinai; Deuteronomy – Adonai will gather us together even from the most remote part of the heavens; Isaiah – when the trumpet is blown, God’s people will assemble before Him in Jerusalem; Zechariah – the trumpet blows and Adonai defends His people (1 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, and Revelation will be discussed later.) These are the teachings the translators believed Yeshua based His teachings upon. The trumpet blast announcing Yeshua’s return, and the in-gathering of the saints, is referred to as the Last Trumpet.

The Israelites of Yeshua’s day understood all of this; there was no controversy regarding the in-gathering of the saints, only what it meant to be called a saint. When John told us about the debate raging within the Temple authorities, he included this interesting feature:

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Yeshua was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. (John 11:49-52)

“The children of God who are scattered abroad” are a reference to the so-called Lost Tribes of Israel; however, these children, and their children, were never lost by God – He knows exactly who they are and where they are, even to this day. They were amazed that non-Jews would be included in the promise, as they believed that only Jews could be saved. But just as Adonai scattered them abroad, He would sacrifice Himself in order to restore all of God’s children into right standing with God, regardless of their lineage. This truly was and is good news!

There is one more quote I would like to share from Yeshua – the one that speaks of the same sheep/goat judgment spoken by Ezekiel:

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.For I was hungry, and you gave Me somethingto eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me somethingto drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You somethingto drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, eventhe least of them,you did it to Me.’

“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothingto eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

Now, let’s look at Paul…

Paul was unique among the disciples of Yeshua; not only did he become a disciple after the death and resurrection of Yeshua, unlike the rest who had walked with Him, Paul was the only man among them who had actually spent his entire life studying the Torah. The rest of the disciples were simple men who had spent most of their lives learning a trade. Paul understood depths of Scripture that the others missed, and that made his teachings difficult to understand by the average person, untrained in Torah. But because we have now spent the time studying the Torah and the prophets to see what they have to say about the events surrounding Judgment Day, we might better comprehend what Paul was actually saying to the new Gentile believers, beginning with the verses listed above.

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

What Paul is saying here is that some of God’s children will still be alive when He returns and these people will not die, but will be transformed so quickly that those who blink will miss the happening. This will happen when the last trumpet sounds, and as we have already seen, the last trumpet sounds and then everything comes to an end. If that is the case, then Paul is agreeing with the prophets that came before him, including Yeshua, who stated that the in-gathering happens at the very end, when the LAST trumpet sounds, and not a moment before that.

The mystery Paul relates here is not the “secret rapture” that little Margret envisioned back in the mid-nineteenth century but is the fact that not all people will die; Adonai will put an end to the Great Tribulation before all die. As Yeshua said:

“For those days will be a time oftribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will.Unless the Lord had shortened thosedays, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.” (Mark 13:19-20)

By the way, why would Adonai need to shorten the days for the sake of the elect, if the elect have already been raptured to heaven before the Tribulation even began? It makes no sense.

Many people, in reading this part of Paul’s teaching, forget what he had already said. Preceding the verses above to the Corinthians, Paul first taught this:

But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruits, after that those who are Messiah’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. (1 Corinthians 15:23-27)

Yeshua was raised from the dead, then all of the rest of the believers, then comes the end. Yeshua must remain in heaven until all His enemies have been put under His feet, including death. Therefore, no one will be able to die after Yeshua comes… how can that be if He comes at the beginning of the tribulation, and Revelation tells us that many martyrs come out of the Great Tribulation. Again, it makes no sense in light of what the Scriptures actually say.

The rapture teaching also hangs on the fact that we are not made for wrath, however, wrath and judgment are not synonyms; you can have one without the other.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

The next one of Paul’s teachings to be mentioned was the one from his first letter to the Thessalonians:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Yeshua. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Paul’s teaching here is very clear: the dead must be raised before those who are still alive are changed. Those believers who have already died will be brought back with Him when the trumpet is sounded. This is a comfort to those who have lost a loved one; the hope of someday seeing our loved ones again enables us to continue humbly walking out our faith in this very sinful world. But when He does return in glory, we will then see the dead believers raised and then we will be caught up to meet Yeshua in the air. Yes, we will always be with Him, but according to the prophets we will live with Yeshua here on earth, not up in the heavens somewhere.

In the twinkling of an eye we will see the dead rise, ourselves transformed, and we will be taken from wherever we are and will meet Yeshua in the air, and then we will be taken back to the Promised Land, just as He said through Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah and the rest of the prophets. Paul is not contradicting their messages; he is simply adding to them.

As stated previously, we all understand that the believers are not destined for wrath; let’s now take a look at that part of the teaching, for it is also contained in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians.

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)

Many people look at these verses, coupled with Yeshua’s statement that the time of the end is only known by the Father in heaven, and declare that the Day of the Lord could literally come at any time. However, as stated earlier, there is a plan that Adonai revealed from the beginning and we’ve been given signs to watch for, so that we will not be surprised like the rest of the world; we will see it coming.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8)

Our present world grows darker by the day, but for those who love the world, they have so embraced the darkness as to not comprehend the light. Unlike the rest of the world, we are repulsed by the darkness of this world and have vested our hope in Yeshua’s coming to judge the world in righteousness, punishing those who have turned away from Him and rewarding those who have remained faithful to His Word.

For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11)

For those of us who have been diligent in our walk, making course corrections along the way, and remaining faithful to the teachings found throughout the Bible, we will not be punished like the rest of the world. Yes, we will be judged, but wrath – the punishment for bad behavior – we will not experience. But for those who behaved any way they desired, figuring that they could simply ask for forgiveness later, wrath is a very real possibility.

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul continues his teaching about the end of time:

Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

The apostasy must come first and, indeed it is here. The majority of believers have fallen away from the faith displayed by the disciples through their keeping of the Torah of God, just as Yeshua taught them. The disciples continued to meet at the Temple on Sabbath, kept a kosher diet and celebrated the feasts of Adonai with joy. Today’s believers have fallen away from the Law of God, embracing instead man’s laws and holy days. We have now come to the point in our history when those who keep the Torah are attacked and harassed by the lawless around us as if we were evil for obeying Moses. And then they say WE use reverse logic!

Even in Paul’s time we see false teaching regarding the end of days; the Thessalonians had been told that they had already missed the day of the Lord, and that they had been left behind (sound familiar?) Besides the apostasy to watch for, the ‘man of lawlessness’ arrival on the scene will occur before the Day of the Lord. This is based upon Daniel’s ‘little horn’ vision. Looking quickly at this vision, we see Daniel warning us that this beast will have the ability to wage war against the saints of God. How could he do this if the saints have already been removed from the earth?

“I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.” (Daniel 7:21-22)

These verses are also in agreement with what John tells us in the book of Revelation:

There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. (Revelation 13:5-10)

Forty-two month turns out to be 3 ½ years. Many use these verses to prove that we will be raptured half-way through the Great Tribulation, based on the seven year Great Tribulation. However, the Great Tribulation is just as likely to last 3 ½ years as seven, as we’ve never been given a definite timeline, and in light of the teachings of the prophets, I wouldn’t count on being removed from the Tribulation before the end, unless you have been chosen as a martyr.

Paul agrees with all of this. His teachings do not contradict Torah or the prophets, but have been twisted by unlearned men to suit their pet doctrine, just as Peter warned. The in-gathering of the saints has been scheduled, but it will not happen until we have been refined by fire, so that we can be the spotless bride Yeshua deserves.

In conclusion…

Remember what Yeshua said about the wheat harvest? Remember how the workers were to await the harvest before removing the tares?

Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Yeshua.

And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. (Revelation 14:9-16)

Now, let’s go back to Ezekiel, because his vision gives insight to John’s:

Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case. The LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.”

But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple. And He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” Thus they went out and struck down the people in the city.

As they were striking the people and I alone was left, I fell on my face and cried out saying, “Alas, Lord GOD! Are You destroying the whole remnant of Israel by pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?” Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is filled with blood and the city is full of perversion; for they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see!’ But as for Me, My eye will have no pity nor will I spare, but I will bring their conduct upon their heads.” (Ezekiel 9:3-10)

Ezekiel’s vision shows us that Adonai can and will protect His people in the midst of judgment. Just as Noah was safely hidden away, floating in the midst of world-wide judgment, and Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were kept safe within the furnace, so too we can be assured that we will be safe within the tribulations around us, as long as we hold fast to the commandments of God. That is the key to our safety; Revelation clearly states that those who keep the commandment are the ones who will be able to overcome.

Throughout Scripture there is a theme that is repeated again and again: judgment. No one who is born on this earth can escape the coming judgment of God; no one. The only people that will be separated out are those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to Yeshua, and they will be protected right where they are, not taken somewhere else. There is no ‘secret coming’ of Yeshua prior to when He comes in judgment. Those who believe He will are going to be unprepared for the tough days that lie ahead, and may find themselves among the believers who do not survive until He returns.

Then the LORD said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go! And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Those destined for death, to death; and those destined for the sword, to the sword; and those destined for famine, to famine; and those destined for captivity, to captivity.”‘ (Jeremiah 15:1-2)

And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. (Revelation 13:6-10)

It is time to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. Yeshua has forewarned us about what is coming, and the signs leading up to it, for a reason: preparation. It is not the material preparations that matter most; food, water, guns and ammunition will only get one so far. The only way to truly prepare is through prayer, and by that I mean a dedicated prayer life.

To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed and they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; they have no delight in it. But I am full of the wrath of the LORD; I am weary with holding it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street and on the gathering of young men together; for both husband and wife shall be taken, the aged and the very old. Their houses shall be turned over to others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the LORD. “For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace. Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be cast down,” says the LORD.

Thus says the LORD, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.‘ And I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their plans, because they have not listened to My words, and as for My law, they have rejected it also.” (Jeremiah 6:10-19)

It’s time for us to begin preparing for the tribulation ahead. It’s time to consider our ways and turn our steps to more closely follow His by keeping the commandments, statutes and ordinances He gave to us in the Torah. It’s time to believe Moses and Yeshua over the teachings of men like Darby and Scofield. It’s time to get serious about a dedicated prayer life, spending time each day in His presence, seeking forgiveness and guidance, wisdom and understanding, so that He can heal us and strengthen us.

“Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)