clarification on rapture?

Question

I wanted to know when the rapture occurs, is it only going to be 144,000 people taken in the whole world total? Or there are 2 raptures? I mean there are a lot of people in the planet and 144,000 isn't a lot.
Does somebody know?

Answer 1

The rapture is for the saints (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Rev. 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
This 144,000 is called “the servants of God” in verse 3. The word “servant” speaks of a “slave.” These are 144,000 that will be saved, surrendered and serving God during the tribulation period.
Let’s learn more about them by first considering:
A) The Identification of the 144,000
The Seventh Day Adventists, the Jehovah Witnesses and others have made the claim to be this 144,000. However, when their numbers increased and they became more than 144,000 they had to change their theology. Some have even suggested that they are the Church. We do not have to speculate or guess who they are. Verse 4 tells us that are “an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” The 144,000 is a select group of actual Jews. These are Jews that will be saved during the tribulation. In verses 5-8 these are mentioned by tribe. This 144,000 consists of 12,000 Jews from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.



Also we see:



B) The Preservation of the 144,000

The seal that will be placed on the forehead of this 144,000 will be God’s act of protecting and preserving this group of Jews. We later see this 144,000 coming out of the tribulation. They will be survivors. The antichrist will not be able to harm them or destroy them. They will be protected from all the events that occur upon the earth. In 6:8 we saw that a “fourth part of the earth” will die from the events that will occur during this time. But, these 144,000 will be protected and preserved. They will be tribulation survivors.
We read in 14:1, “And I looked, and, lo, a lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads.” The seal will be the name of God. They will be marked as the property of God, protected and preserved by God.



We also see:

C) The Occupation of the 144,000

Again, I point out that they are called “the servants of our God.” This indicates they serve God in a certain capacity and have a role of service during the tribulation period. The Bible says in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Jesus was foretelling of how during the tribulation the gospel of the kingdom would be preached throughout the world prior to the end. From all we know, this 144,000 will be Jewish converts from the tribulation that will become God’s servants that will be missionaries and evangelists that will preach the gospel throughout the world.

We don’t always think of it as so, but during the tribulation, one of the greatest periods of evangelism will take place that this world has ever known. Here is a group of Jews that come to realize that Jesus is the Messiah. Upon their conversion, they are set apart by God to preach the gospel to the whole world. That is the reason they will be protected and preserved by God so that they can preach the gospel of the kingdom through out the world.

Answer 2

No one will know when the Rapture occurs, only the time in which it WILL occur. The 144,000 you speak of are Jewish converts to the faith, set out among the world after the Rapture to witness to the world and spread the fulness of the truth of God. The second Rapture is referred to as the Second Coming of Christ which will occur at the end of the Tribulation period where he destroys the unbelieveing remnant fighting at Armageddon with the help of the "great cloud of witnesses" (raptured saints from first rapture), and establish the Millennial Kingdom.

Answer 3

The 144,000 are Jewish men from each of the 12 Tribes who will come to believe Jesus is Messiah during the 7-year Tribulation. They will evangelize to the entire world about Jesus. A HUGE number of Jews and gentiles will believe as a result of their evangelizing.

On the other hand, only the Church (Body of Christ) is Raptured, and this occurs prior to the Tribulation. There is only one Rapture mentioned in the Bible.

Answer 4

I Thessalonians tell us that a day is coming for judgment on the earth.Christians are not "Appointed unto wrath" and will be taken up in the Rapture.Paul says"The dead in Christ shall rise first,then, we who are alive and left will be" caught up"(that's the Rapture)to meet the Lord in the air(this is not the second coming.The second coming happens when Jesus comes 7 yrs later and touches down on earth Rev. 19).........."
That happens at the very beginning of the Great Tribulation.There will be (There are 12 original tribes",states", based on the sons of Jacob who God changed his name to Israel)12,000 Jews from each of the 12 tribes of Israel who become Christians because of what is happening on earth and become "Super Preachers" converting many.The Anti-Christ will eventually catch these guys.
Cults always claim they are the 144,000,but they are not.These guys are Jews.There will be subsequent smaller "raptures" throughout this 7 year period.Then Christ will touch down,wipe out the enemy and reign in peace for 1000 years.(The Millennium)
Just a thumbnail sketch for you .I started reading the false answer above and want to explain for all......
The word in I Thessalonians in Greek "caught up" is harpazo.When Jerome was writing his Vulgate he translated that Greek word to Latin which is "rapturos" to English which is "rapture".It means to be snatched quickly away . We get the awful word "rape" from the same context.The word "rape "isn't the sex act,it is the violent snatching,grabbing of the person.To all those who want to ignore God's word I say "Grow up".
PS again. Revelation chapter 4 "A door was open in heaven and a voice said come up here".....
That was the rapture of the church.From there until the Lord comes back in Ch. 19 with His Saints(us) the church is never mentioned again.The reast of the time God is dealing with the Jews,the new believers of whom many will be martyerd,and the violent"earth dwellers".I hope that helps.You don't want to be in the 2nd resurrection at the end of the millenium.You can't win there.

Answer 5

All those who have accepted Jesus will be taken in the rapture and there is lots of conjecture about the 144,000 that are saved in the tribulation. Some say it's all the saints and some say that's the Jews that come out of the tribulation.

Answer 6

Good question; I study in the manuscripts, and this is all but cemented in fact within them:
There is not going to be any gathering back to Christ in any form or fashion, before Satan sits in jerusalem disguised as Christ, pretending to be Christ, Professing that he is Christ.
Everybody will be here for that tribulation of Satan. As far as the 144,000 go - When Antichrist comes pretending to be Christ, the mass majority of the worlds population will be deceived. Can you imagine the tv preachers who will lead thousands of people to worship the devil? It will be the biggest religious revival of all time, and the churches will be falling all over each other to get to serve and worship the fake. The 144,000 will be those who first believe it is Christ, but then come to realize something is terribly wrong. They will come out of the deception, and will overcome. This is not to say that they are the only ones who will be saved, or who are going to heaven; they are singled out in Scripture because these will be the ones to be teachers in the 1000 yr period of teaching to follow the true Christs return. No, these are not the only ones saved:Gods Elect, for example, already know today, right now, that the fake is coming first.
The rapture doctrine is esspecially dangerous, because they think they will be raptured before anything bad happens; this is the great deception; they will follow the first "jesus" who arrives:
When Antichrist comes, he will come in acting like Jesus Christ, not like a bad old devil in red longjohns. He will preach love, tolerance, and will provide a chicken in every pot. The rapture believers will believe he is Christ come to rapture them to safety. Unfortunately, they will be following satan himself. This is why Christ was very specific in Mark 13; If they say God is in the desert, don't go. Don't believe it.
What the hell is wrong with people that they can't even read plain english anymore??

Answer 7

To understand the key reason for the rapture, you need to read my study below. It will be very clear once you see where it fits in the timeline.

The rapture is the key point when the focus turns from the church on to Israel. If you read Revelation carefully, after the end of the seven letters, the writing style and events turns "Old Testament". It now becomes a re-enactment of both the plagues of Egypt and the conquoring of Jericho. These are post-church events.

The rapture takes place when all that are destined to be saved, during the church-era, are saved. When that is accomplished, no one is sure... but it is soon. The rapture takes all those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and who are watching for His return. The world then goes into a tizzy and look to one man to bring order back into the world. Even the Jews will look upon this man as their savior, for he will help them rebuild their temple. But he will betray them later when their guard is down. He will be in cahoots with another religion.

The 144,000 are Jews who know their Messiah and preach to all the remaining world as a fulfillment of their heritage destiny to bring the light to the gentiles. They are a very special group set apart by God, but salvation is not limited to them, for you will see later on in Revelation a mass amount of people without number who were persecuted for coming to faith via the preaching of the 144,000.

There is no second rapture. The Second Coming of Christ is when He comes to save Israel from her enemies after the desecration of the new Temple.

The end of Revelation has but one message. Jesus wins.

Answer 8

As pointed out, there is no RAPTURE the word isn't found in traiditional Bibles, it's a New Age concept.

There is a detaling of an event that could be termed that way, but it's hard to say if it would meet with the Webster definition of Rapture, which is a euphoric feeling people in love or on drugs sense.

The bottom line is there is a Book of Life and that determines who goes and who doesn't. Mark of the Beast and all. Following the wrong prophet.

Answer 9

The carrying away of the saints is for all Christians

Read 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
&
1 Thessalonians 4:16

Answer 10

the 144,000 in context, are Jews, they and the two witnesses are the only ones mentioned directly with being taken up.

none others are mentioned in the book of revelation.

however.. that presents a consideration of whether or not the gentile believing church was caught up at a previous point to the start of the 7 year tribulation.
.