A FEW
WORDS~~~~>>>
A FEW
WORDS~~~~>>>
A few words in this study need to be enlarged upon. They
are:
RAPTURE, HEAVEN,
MANSIONS, TRUMPETS,
MANIFEST, & SEALED.
Here are a few words about words, that may help. If you are well aware of parts of speech scroll on down to the words mentioned above.
The Bible uses much descriptive language. To understand each word in the Bible a student must be extremely careful. It is human nature to try to make words mean what they would like them to mean, rather than what they really mean. They might take a straightforward word as a figure of speech, or vice versa. How can one determine if a word it literal, or a figure of speech? One must consider the context, look at other times it is used, and check a concordance.
A simile will show it is a comparison by the words "like", or "as" before it, to show that a comparison is implied that is similar. The resemblance is usually to something that is well understood in its reality. Examples: Ezekiel. 1:10 & 10:14 & Revelation 4:7 Creatures with faces like an eagle.
Sometimes things well understood in the time the Scripture was written is not well understood now, so here again one must be careful. Context, other scriptures with the same word, or a concordance will help to discern the meaning.
Metaphor = noun a figure of speech which makes an implied comparison
between things which are not literally alike.
Examples: The moon was a silver coin upon the water, meaning
reflection. Jude 12, "Certain men are
clouds without water", meaning empty. Exodus
19:4 says, "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I
bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself." We know
that this is not literal because of other scriptures which say they walked out
of Egypt. (Exodus 4:29 & 13:18) It means that
God helped them out of Egypt.
A synonym is a word having the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another in the same language, such as dark, dim, and gloomy. Translators may vary in these words, however, the overall context shows the meaning.
RAPTURE
According to Webster, the word "rapture" means transported,
it also means extreme joy. The word "rapture" is not in the Bible!
I
Thessalonians 4:17 is the scripture that people use for talking about the
Rapture. So, let us take a closer look at this scripture.
It says, "Then we (the elect) who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (the dead in Christ) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." The elect are literally transported to the clouds, and of course it is rapturously joyful! This is not a chaotic mysterious thing. See: Hope of a rapture.
HEAVEN
You can see from all the definitions in Strong's Concordance that the word
heaven indicates, above, the sky, where the stars are, and the abode of God. So,
there are 3 heavens. 1) The atmosphere where the clouds are, 2) The outer space
where the celestial bodies are, 3) Where God's throne is. In I
Thessalonians 4:17 Jesus comes down from God's throne, the third heaven, to the first heaven
where the clouds are. At the first resurrection, the elect are caught up
to the clouds, meet Jesus, and then are taken to the third heaven where God's throne is, to be where
Jesus sits at the right hand of His Father.
Strong's Concordance - Old Testament
8064 shamayim (shaw-mah'-yim); dual of an unused singular shameh (shaw-meh'); from an unused root meaning to be lofty;
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether
where the celestial bodies revolve):
KJV-- air, X astrologer, heaven (-s).
8065 shamayin (Aramaic) (shaw-mah'-yin); corresponding to 8064:
KJV-- heaven.
New Testament #3772 ouranos (oo-ran-os'); perhaps from the same as 3735 (through the idea of elevation); the
sky; by extension, heaven (as the abode of God); by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specifically, the Gospel (Christianity):
KJV-- air, heaven ([-ly]), sky.
3771 ouranothen (oo-ran-oth'-en); from 3772 and the enclitic of source; from the
sky: KJV-- from heaven. 2032 epouranios (ep-oo-ran'-ee-os);
from 1909 and 3772; above the sky: KJV-- celestial, (in) heaven (-ly), high.
3321 mesouranema (mes-oo-ran'-ay-mah); from a presumed compound of 3319 and 3772;
mid-sky: KJV-- midst of heaven.
MANSIONS
The only place in the Bible where the word "mansions" is
mentioned is in John 14:2. Mansions in Strong's is #3438 mon-ay'; from
3306; a staying, i.e. residence (the act or the place): KJV--abode,
mansion.
All translations of John 14:2 say mansions, except; Kingdom Interlinear which says "abodes", Williams says "dwelling places", Amplified says "dwelling places with note "homes", Beck and Revised Standard say "rooms". I think the Living Bible puts it well. It says, "There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. "
TRUMPETS
The word "trumpet" usually denotes an instrument, but there is
more. Let us look further into this word.
Webster: 1)a brass instrument consisting of a looped tube
with a flared bell and three valves. 2) a trumpetlike device for channeling
sound, as an early kind of hearing aid. 3) a sound like that of a
trumpet--vi. to make the sound of a trumpet--vt. to proclaim loudly
Strong's Concordance: 4536 salpigx (sal'-pinx); perhaps from 4535 (through the idea of quavering or
reverberation):
KJV-- a trumpet: KJV-- trump (-et).
4537 salpizo (sal-pid'-zo); from 4536; to trumpet, i.e. sound a blast (literally or figuratively):
KJV-- (which are yet to) sound (a trumpet). Only in Matthew 6:2
It is interesting to NOTE that God's voice is sometimes referred to as sounding like a trumpet, as in Revelation 1:10 "on the Lord's Day, I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying. . " Revelation 4:1 says, "The first voice I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, 'Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.' " Isaiah is told to raise his voice like a trumpet in Isaiah 58:1. In John 5:28 Jesus says, "Do not marvel at this for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth--" Only His sheep know His voice. (John 10:4)
The word "last" in Strongs is #2078 eschatos; a superi. prob. from 2192 (in the sense of contiguity); farthest, final (of place or time):--ends of, last, latter end, lowest, uttermost. Contiguity: the state of being contiguous a. touching; near, adjacent (L. contiguous, touching).
With this understanding one could translate the sentence in I Corinthians 15:52 as: "We shall all be changed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the (last) later end of their human existence. For the reverberating voice of God (trumpet) will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
Also, the phrase "The Last Trumpet" was an expression that meant a judgment day. God will have to make a judgment about who will be changed to spirit, and enter the kingdom of heaven at the first resurrection.
MANIFEST
1 Tim 3:16 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory."
So also the elect after being changed to spirit will be able to manifest,
render themselves apparent as human for forty days, just as Jesus did after His
return to spirit.
Webster: a. clearly visible; apparent to the mind or senses; v.t.
to make clear; to reveal;
Strong's Concordance: 5319 phaneroo (fan-er-o'-o);from 5318; to render apparent (literally or figuratively): KJV-- appear, manifestly declare, (make) manifest (forth), shew (self).
SEALED
Revelation 7:2-8 "Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living
God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
saying, (stop!) "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their
foreheads." And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
there are 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes: Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph,
and Benjamin.
At the present time the tribes of Israel are scattered, and some "lost", but God
knows who, and where, they are. They will be keeping His commandments,
statutes, and precepts. (Psalm 119:97-104)
Strong's Concordance: Seal 4972 sphragizo (sfrag-id'-zo); from 4973; to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); by implication, to keep secret, to attest:
(set a, set to)
Webster's: Mark of authenticity, official, pledge,
So, God puts His authoritative mark on the 144,000, which is a promise of a
secure preservation from the disasters to come on earth. see 144,000
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