Amazingly The Raptures timing is made clear from the teachings and events recorded in Scripture. 

The Apostle Paul is credited with the revelation of the event now debated in Theological circles known as the Rapture.  And. So, we will begin our journey with Paul’s teachings. 

Many years ago I saw something different in this passage. Something that I had previously given little to no thought.  But for the first time after many readings this Scripture came forth with a new thought:  but let’s read the scripture first.  You’ve I’m sure read this before with me. 

1 Corinthians 15:21  For since by man came death (speaking of Adam), by man ((speaking of Christ) came also the resurrection of the dead. (KJV)

So the thought came as a couple of questions:  how and when would those who had died before Christ came find a way to accept Him? And does this have anything to do with the one new man that Paul spoke of in Ephesians?

So, this section of verses from which this post comes, tells us that only by this one man (Christ Jesus) will any man take part in the future resurrection leading to eternal life.  This life for all saved men would come by only Him even as only one man Adam, had sinned and caused us humans to fall.  How can that be?  How can men living before Christ’s time know Him unto salvation, because that is what this says?  I asked God that question.  And a new journey began. 

Matthew 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (KJV)

Luke 23:43  And Jesus said unto him [the thief on the cross], Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. (KJV)

What struck me first from these verses was the fact that, this may place paradise in the heart or belly of the earth. And that seemed correct because it is where Jesus had told us that Abraham resided when telling of the beggar Lazarus and the rich man’s location following their deaths.  So then, on the very day of the crucifixion the thief entered with Jesus this space called paradise.  

Paradise had apparently been moved after Adam had sinned in order to protect future mankind from eating of the tree of life.  We are given this as a possibility in Genesis surrounding Adam’s story.  This tree of life was in the midst of the garden. It was somehow put under the protection of Angelic beings, so that men could not eat of its fruit and live forever in sin.  But we know from scripture that this tree is also seen as now being in paradise not on earth but in heaven.  Is this a contradiction?  It can’t be, Scripture doesn’t lie. It’s truth.  So, by Jesus statement we are informed where paradise was located at the time of Jesus death. It was in the belly of the earth where He would reside for the next three days, and the thief would be with Him. “Today Thou shalt be with me in paradise”.  And today does not mean three days later after Jesus’ resurrection. It means “today”. 

Peter tells us in these verses. that Jesus went to a prison when He died. He preached there. Did this prison house Paradise where He was according to Peter in the Spirit?  And is that where He preached to the dead? This message by Him apparently, even reached all the way back to all who had died before: even the lost of Noah’s day heard Him.  If they being across the great gulf heard His message, then certainly those with Jesus in paradise must have also. They whom Peter mentioned preceding Noah were in a place of torment.  They then were on the the rich man’s side of the great gulf which separated these from Abraham and paradise. 

We need more information to know if those in paradise heard His message and believed. Jesus remember was the only One who could or would deliver them from the belly of the earth, And we do find that this He did. 

But understanding where paradise was (in the belly of the earth) impacts our understanding (our doctrine) concerning these events.  For Heaven would later receive paradise but it was not there yet. Listen: 

John 20:17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (KJV)

This is what Jesus stated to Mary, after His resurrection. It was  now after these three days and nights in the belly of the earth (paradise).  And He had not yet been to Heaven. 

The proof of the relocation of Paradise into Heaven is seen in Paul’s own later visit there. Listen:

2 Corinthians 12:2  I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.  3  And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4  How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (KJV)

These verses prove that paradise had been relocated  into the third heaven with its residents soon after Jesus resurrection, and before the time, when Paul was caught up similar to how John was caught up to receive Jesus Revelation from Him.  

Further, Scripture tells us how this all transpired:

Ephesians 4:8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (KJV)

These verses are the threads knitting the Scripture’s story together. They are informing us of this fact that all men from all of history will see the resurrection to eternal life through the one man Jesus Christ, and this because of the established New Covenant promised to Israel, in Jeremiah 31.  All who have died and gone before us on this earth and all who will come after us meaning all who are now in Christ and all who ever will be are saved by Him in this same fashion: by this one man, just as Paul told us.  There should be no question about this fact. Scripture is clear.  

  • So will we the Church also see paradise if and when we die?  Obviously one would think that to be the case since Jesus took the thief there on the very day of his death. In fact one could say that this nameless thief was the very first to be placed into Christ’s Church. Then afterward we have the Old Testament souls from Paradise being placed in Christ upon His preaching to them while He was there in Paradise.  
  • These then up until that time were being held in prison in the center of the earth and they needed their savior and redeemer to release them.  Did they expect this release?They may have come to know that Messiah was present on earth when Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha died, and would have entered Paradise in the belly of the earth and shared His news. This certainly would have been an effective way of awakening these prisoners to have hope for their deliverance; because then suddenly Lazarus was called away from them. 
  • Then there was John the Baptist the forerunner of the Christ, who likely would have also shared that news: the Christ has come.  And now following the crucifixion here was Jesus in Paradise with them. They hear His preaching and soon are all delivered into the third heaven as Jesus has led captivity captive. This then is, (I Believe) the beginning of Jesus Church, which He stated to His Disciples that He would build.  This further is explained by two additional verses:

 Revelation 2:7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (KJV)

Jesus says that He will give to eat of that tree after this Resurrection that Paul had told us that Christ alone would initiate. Now, we need to see that we in this life (in Him) are destined for paradise where He will feed us from the tree of life.  Then: we must know that overcoming in this life means to live and to die obedient in the faith: 

Acts 2:36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (KJV)

Peter made sure in his Acts sermons that Israel’s Jews knew that Christ was their savior and Messiah. From here on every man whether Jew or Gentile must be saved through Israel’s Christ. 

Acts 2:47  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:41 KJV)

Remember “Salvation is in no other”.  Jesus said: “no man cometh to the Father but by me”.

 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. (NASB2020)

These were added to the Church on the day of Pentecost. So we should see that this is also telling us that the Church had already begun even before Pentecost even as Peter and Paul have explained just how those in paradise were the first to be saved making them part of the New Covenant Church, even as the thief had been saved (placed in Christ) even before Pentecost. So then the wording 3000 “added” on the day: “Pentecost”makes sense.  Pentecost was only the beginning of being in the Church from this day forward, for those who were and who would be still alive (future).  But those who had died and gone before were placed in His Church first by Christ. He took them to the third heaven when He ascended to the Father. 

Jesus had said: “no one comes to the Father but by Me” Jesus made no distinction between Old Testament and New Testament persons.  Or between a Church age and a Tribulation period. He made no distinction between Jew and Gentile. He stated it as Scripture reveals it.  

During Tribulation’s coming men must be saved this same way. So if every man who is saved during the Tribulation is “in Christ”, and therefore most of these if not all will die at the hand of Antichrist before He returns, because they will not take the mark and worship the beast, then as such these all must be raised (resurrected) with those (even those), who have died and are in Paradise. And Paul says clearly that this will happen before the Rapture can occur.  “The dead in Christ will rise first”.   This then creates other questions which must be answered. We will state these questions and answer them possibly in our next post.