What does the word rapture mean? It means a state, or a experience of being carried away with great joy, the excitement, the thrill, of rising in the air to meet the lord Jesus Christ, when he returns for his bride the church. To ever be with the lord. Listen carefully, saints of God as i read concerning this matter. Thessalonians 4:l3 but i would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which sleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, which the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. Brothers, and sisters in Christ, there are multitudes of people that do not believe in the doctrine of predestination, and i am inclined to believe that they are not predestinated. But remember this saints of God, all, listen carefully, all whom God foreknew he did predestinate. Think on this verse of scripture. John 3:l6 for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I believe that the "whosoever" in that verse of scripture is the predestinated. The day, and the hour that the lord Jesus Christ shall return for his bride the church, no man knows. It shall come as a thief in the night. Therefore i say repent, and be baptized out of the world and into the body of Christ. And receive the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the holy ghost. Fill your life with good deeds, for the day of the lord shall come upon all people suddenly, and without warning. St. Luke :26 and as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the son of man. 27. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were give in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28. Likewise also as it was in the days of lot: they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded. 29. But the same day that lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30. Even thus shall it be in the day when the son of man is revealed. Verse 34. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed: the one take, and the other shall be left. 35. Two women shall be grinding together: the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36. Two men shall be in the field: the one shall be taken, and the other left. 37. And they answered and said unto him, where lord? And he said unto them, wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. Christian brethren, come into this knowledge, the first to be gathered is the wicked, many false prophets are preaching that the church shall be raptured first, and that the ones left are the wicked. But it shall not happen that way. The first to be taken is the wicked. When the lord Jesus Christ returns for his bride the church, he will send his angels to gather out of his kingdom the wicked. The angels shall bind them and burn them. Then shall the children of God shine as the sun in the kingdom of their father. In these verses of scripture Jesus is preaching to a multitude of people. St. Matthew :24 another parable put he forth unto them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. 25. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? 28. He said unto them, an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29. But he said, nay: lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest i will say to the reapers, gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into the barn. Beloved of God, Jesus later explains the parable of the tares of the field to his disciples: for unto them was given, that they should know the mysteries of God. But to the multitude Jesus spoke in parables. St. Matthew :36 then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 37. He answered and said unto them, he that soweth the good seed is the son of man: 38. The field is the world: the good seed are the children of the kingdom : but the tares are the children of the wicked one. 39. The enemy that sowed them is the devil: the harvest is the end of the world: and the reapers are the angels. 40. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire: so shall it be in the end of this world. 4l. The son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity: 42. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. Who hath ears to hear let him hear. Saints of God, there is in the world, both wheat and tares, and the wheat and the tares are growing together, the tares are so close to the wheat, that if God sent forth his angels at this present time and gathered the tares out, some of the children of God would be damaged. Therefore the lord will wait until the end of the world, harvest time, and will then gather the tares out of the kingdom first. But come into this knowledge children of God, both the wheat and the tares are becoming full grown. The wheat, the children of God, are becoming more like Christ every day, and the tares, the children of the devil, are becoming more like satan every day. If you watch television, you can sure tell the difference, thirty years ago if they made a movie, as they make today, they would not have been able to show the movie on television. The movies that are made today are designed to corrupt, pollute, and contaminate the people: and prepare the people for the day when the antiChrist shall appear. Harken unto me saints of God, for the day of the lord shall not come, except that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition. Ll thessalonians 2:l now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him. 2. That ye be not shaken in mind, or troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. 4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped: so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself that he is God. 5. Remember ye not, that when i was yet with you, i told you these things? 6. And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8. And then shall that wicked be revealed whom the lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. 9. Even whose coming is after the working of satan with all power and signs and lying wonder. Listen carefully little children, to the children of satan, Christ Jesus shall come as a thief in the night. But to the children of God, Christ will not come as a thief in the night. We the children of God, are not in darkness, that the day of the lord should over take us as a thief. We as children of God, cannot tell you the day or the hour, but we can tell you very close.thessalonians 5:l but of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that i write unto you. 2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child: and they shall not escape. 4. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Saints of God, let me repeat that no man knows the day, nor the hour when the lord Jesus Christ shall return for his bride the church. But there are signs that will tell us when his return is very close. For example when you see the armies of the world surround jerusalem, look up for your redemption draweth nigh. For when the lord comes he shall go fourth and fight against those nations that have fought against jerusalem and this is the plague that he shall put upon them: they shall be consumed while they stand. Zachariah :l behold, the day of the lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2. For i will gather all nations against jerusalem to battle: and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished: and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3. Then shall the lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of olives, which is before jerusalem on the east, and the mount of olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley: and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half toward the south. 5. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains: for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto azal: yea, ye shall flee, as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of uzziah king of judah: and the lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee: verse. And this shall be the plague wherewith the lord will smite all the people that have fought against jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. Beloved, the antiChrist is coming. And when he comes, he shall make war against the saints. There shall be so many saints killed, that a man could not number them all. His reign shall be for three and one half years. And when the lord Jesus comes for his bride the church, he shall kill the antiChrist with the brightness of his coming, and with the spirit from his mouth. Therefore saints of God, if you will count three and one half years from the time the antiChrist begins to reign you shall be very close to the lord's return. One last word, we the children of God shall rise to meet the lord in the air: and when his feet touch down on the mount of olives: we shall all be with him.