Rhapsody Of Realities 26 October 2024 By Pastor Chris Oyakhilome (Christ Embassy): Old Testament Reflections On The Rapture
TOPIC: Old Testament Reflections On The Rapture (Rhapsody of Realities 26 October 2024)
Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead (Isaiah 26:19).
Rhapsody Of Realities For Today’s MESSAGE:
The opening verse offers us a profound glimpse of what will happen at the Rapture. To gain further clarity, let’s refer to the Septuagint: “The dead shall rise, and they that are in the tombs shall be raised, and there in the earth shall rejoice: for the dew from thee is healing to them: but the land of the ungodly shall perish.” In verse 20, the instruction is given: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.”
The “indignation” refers to God’s wrath, a period of judgment that the Bible says would be for three and a half years as mentioned in the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation. This period is part of a seven-year timeframe when God resumes His dealings with the children of Israel, known as the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy. These are weeks of years, meaning that each week is seven years. We’re currently in the interval between the 69th week and the 70th week. Between the 69th week, which includes the death of the Messiah, and the 70th week, the Church comes in.
During the tribulation period, the children of Israel will flee to Edom and Moab. However, these regions are not the “chambers” referred to in the prophecy. Edom and Moab will provide refuge, but they do not represent a place of rest or safety. Instead, this period will be a time of Jacob’s trouble, not a time of rest.
The phrase “enter thou into thy chambers” in Isaiah 26:20 refers to the Rapture of the Church to heaven, a concept that was a mystery and thus not easily understood in the Old Testament. But these prophetic mysteries were revealed by Paul, who was given this special ministry to the Church and clarified aspects of prophecy that had been previously unknown. Praise God!
Dear Father, thank you for the revelation of the Rapture and the mysteries of your Word. I rejoice in the assurance that I’ll be caught up to meet Jesus in the air, escaping the wrath to come. I’m strengthened to live in the light of this truth. Thank you for including us in your glorious and eternal plan of salvation for mankind, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Daniel 9:24-27: Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
2 Timothy 2:1-26 & Jeremiah 19-22
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
Hebrews 13:1-25 & Ezekiel 25-26
Remember to share with all your friends and loved ones today. Thank you and God bless you richly.
Rhapsody of Realities 2024 Devotional was written by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome (D.Sc., D.D.). President of Loveworld Inc. aka Christ Embassy Int’l.
