Our Hope of Glory - The Body of Christ!

THE GENEVA BIBLE AND SIX PRIOR BIBLES BEFORE KING JAMES USED THE WORD " A DEPARTING" OR "DEPARTURE" INSTEAD OF A "FALLING AWAY" IN 2THESS2, SEE BELOW (2THESS2:3)
 GENEVA 1587 BIBLE:
 2Th 2:1 Nowe we beseech you, brethren, by the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ, and by our assembling vnto him, 2Th 2:2 That ye be not suddenly mooued from your minde, nor troubled neither by spirit, nor by worde, nor by letter, as it were from vs, as though the day of Christ were at hand. 2Th 2:3 Let no man deceiue you by any meanes: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sinne be disclosed, euen the sonne of perdition, 2Th 2:4 Which is an aduersarie, and exalteth him selfe against all that is called God, or that is worshipped: so that he doeth sit as God in the Temple of God, shewing him selfe that he is God. 2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you, I tolde you these things? 2Th 2:6 And nowe ye knowe what withholdeth that he might be reueiled in his time. 2Th 2:7 For the mysterie of iniquitie doeth already worke: onely he which nowe withholdeth, shall let till he be taken out of the way. 2Th 2:8 And then shall that wicked man be reueiled, whome the Lorde shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall abolish with the brightnes of his comming, 2Th 2:9 Euen him whose comming is by the effectuall working of Satan, with all power, and signes, and lying wonders, 2Th 2:10 And in al deceiuablenes of vnrighteousnes, among them that perish, because they receiued not the loue of the trueth, that they might be saued. 2Th 2:11 And therefore God shal send them strong delusion, that they should beleeue lies, 2Th 2:12 That all they might be damned which beleeued not the trueth, but had pleasure in vnrighteousnes. 2Th 2:13 But we ought to giue thankes alway to God for you, brethren beloued of the Lord, because that God hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and the faith of trueth, 2Th 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our Gospel, to obtaine the glory of our Lord Iesus Christ. 2Th 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast & keepe the instructions, which ye haue bene taught, either by worde, or by our Epistle. 2Th 2:16 Now the same Iesus Christ our Lord; and our God euen the Father which hath loued vs, and hath giuen vs euerlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 2Th 2:17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in euery worde and good worke.
NOTE "A DEPARTING"COMES FIRST, "AND THAT THAT MAN OF SIN WILL BE DISCLOSED". DON'T FORGET IT ALSO SAYS “NOW YOU KNOW WHAT WITH HOLDITH" AND "HE WHO LETS SHALL LET TILL HE BE TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY." WHAT OR WHO DO YOU BELIEVE WILL BE TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY? IT MAKES ALSO MAKES NO SENSE THAT PAUL WOULD TELL A VERY NEW AND SMALL CHURCH IN THESSALONIA, THAT A SIGN OF BEGINNING OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION WOULD BE A FALLING AWAY FROM THE CHURCH WHEN THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE MANY CHRISTIANS THERE TO FALL AWAY. ALSO HE WAS REFERRING TO SOMETHING HE HAD TOLD THEM ABOUT BEFORE. WHAT HAD HE PREVIOUSLY TOLD THEM? 1Th 4:16 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: 1Th 4:17 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. 1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE HE TOLD THEM ABOUT “A DEPARTING OR DEPARTURE” THEN A FALLING AWAY. AS A MATTER OF FACT PAUL DID NOT DESCRIBE “A GREAT FALLING AWAY” AT ALL AND ACTUALLY SAID IN 1TIMOTHY 4:1 THAT ONLY “SOME SHALL DEPART FROM THE FAITH” 1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; SO ALTHOUGH HE BELIEVED EVEN THEN, THE TIMES WERE EVIL, HE DID NOT EXPECT A GREAT FALLING AWAY OF BELIEVERS BUT THAT THE EVIL WOULD GET WORSE. 2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. AND TO THE CORINTHIANS PAUL SAID THIS: 1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 1Co 15:52 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. 1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

OTHER TRANSLATIONS THAT USED DEPARTING OR DEPARTURE. The first seven English translations of apostasia all rendered the noun as either " departure" or " departing." They are: the Wycliffe Bible (1384); Tyndale Bible (1526); Coverdale Bible (1535); Cranmer Bible (1539); Breeches Bible (1576); Beza Bible (1583); Geneva Bible (1608).

Bible study to bless the saints of the "Body of Christ".
Be sure to look at all of the verses in this study.

The Body of Christ will not go through Israel’s tribulation. To begin with, Israel and the Body of Christ are not the same. Neither are God’s plans for them. God’s plan for Israel concerns Christ returning to earth in a spectacular event called the Revelation – to inaugurate His Kingdom in Jerusalem (Matt. 24-25; Rev. 19-20. This plan was “spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21; see Luke 1:70). God’s plan for the Body of Christ is completely different. It concerns our heavenly inheritance, not an earthly kingdom. Jesus revealed this program to Paul only as a mystery “kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:25; see Eph. 3:3-9). In that it began as a mystery, it will likewise disappear in a mystery called the Rapture; an any moment event whereby Jesus returns for us in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17), snatches us from earth, and takes us back to Heaven with Him as He promised (John 14:2-3) – when “the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:25). Then comes “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7; see Dan. 12:1; Zeph. 1:15) – aka tribulation. The tribulation - as it is most commonly known (Moses: Deut. 4:30; Jesus: Matt. 24:21, 29; John: Rev. 7:14) - is part of God’s earthly program for Israel. It is also called “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7; Dan. 12:1; Zeph. 1:15), Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Dan. 9:26-27), and “the hour of temptation” (Rev. 3:10. It has no bearing on the mystery Body of Christ, which will be gone before it begins. From the beginning it was prophesied to Israel (Deut. 4:30), and thus is primarily for Israel (Jer. 30-31; Dan. 12:1, Zeph. 1:15; Matt. 24:21, 29). Its purpose is to punish sin and sinners (Jer. 30-31; Zeph. 1; Joel; Rev. 6-19), and prepare earth and Israel for the Revelation of the Messiah and the Jewish (Millennial) Kingdom promised to David in perpetuity through Covenant (2 Sam. 7:8-16), and sealed with an oath (Psa. 89:3-4, 20-37; see Luke 1:31-33). While the prophets revealed the tribulation as a horrific but integral component in the Day of the Lord (Isa. 2:12, etc ), it was Daniel’s prophecy where its duration was revealed as the final week of seven years in his seventy week prophecy for Israel (Dan. 9:24-27; see Rev. 11:2-3; 12:14). To wit, while we can easily find Israel and the anti-Semitic Gentile nations on earth during “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7; Dan. 12:1; Zeph. 1:15), the heavenly Body of Christ - which has been promised deliverance from this divine punishment (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9; 2 Thess. 2:5-7;) - is conspicuously absent (Rev. 2-19). There isn’t a prophecy or a single verse anywhere in the Bible conclusively identifying the Body of Christ on earth during Israel’s tribulation without pulling from context and redefining the words “saints” and “elect” - which in Daniel, the Olivet Discourse, and Revelation specifically refer to Israel. In lieu of these factors and others we are convinced that the Body of Christ will not go through Israel’s tribulation!

The Mystery

So what is this Age of Grace, this Administration of the Mystery, this time in which we live? What is so special about it? What sets this administration apart from all the others? Corinthians has some intriguing information.


1 Corinthians 2:6
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect [mature]: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:


The princes of this world refers to the god of this world and his devil spirits. We don't speak their horseshit, like climate change and homosexuality, because the wisdom of this world comes to nothing.


1 Corinthians 2:7
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:


Here we find a reference to the mystery, often referred to as the great mystery or the hidden. A mystery is something that is hidden. If something is hidden, we don't know about its existence. From this we also learn that the mystery was ordained by God for our glory, it was for our benefit.


1 Corinthians 2:8
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.


Had the god of this world and his devil spirits known the mystery, they would not have murdered Jesus Christ. They didn't know anything about it because it was hidden. God kept the mystery a secret. No one knew anything about it, not even the god of this world. No one knew anything about it until God revealed the mystery to the apostle Paul.


Romans 16:25,26
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:


Peter refers to the Administration of the Mystery, the age of Grace in one of his epistles.


1 Peter 1:10,11
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched [exereunaō] diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.


This Greek word exereunaō is only used once in the bible. Thayer defines it as to search out diligently, while Bullinger defines it as to explore, to search diligently. As it is only used once in the bible, we really need to look at ancient Greek literature to get a taste for the word, and there we find it used in reference to dogs sniffing out game. Dogs are used to flush out birds such as grouse and pheasant. The dogs sniff around and follow scent until they flush the birds out. That's this word exereunaō.

The old testament prophets, such as Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah and Isaiah, sniffed through the scriptures on the scent of this hidden mystery. They searched the scriptures diligently and prophesied of it, knowing there was something between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. They knew there was something missing and they searched diligently through the old testament scriptures to try to flush it out. However, they didn't find it because it was hidden. Peter tells us that in addition to searching they also enquired about it, they asked God about it. Here's the record of Moses doing just that.


Exodus 33:18,21-23
And he [Moses] said, I beseech thee [God], shew me thy glory.

And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.


The back parts of God here refers to the understanding of the old testament scriptures, while his face refers to the hidden time period of the grace administration which Moses knew was sandwiched between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Moses knew there was something hidden and asked God to reveal it to him, but God told him that knowledge was not available. In the context of the mystery being hidden, look what Corinthians says about it.


1 Corinthians 2:8,9
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.


The knowledge of the mystery was not seen by any eye, it was not heard of by any ear, in fact it never even entered into the wildest imaginations of man's heart. The revelation of the mystery, the revealing of what it actually is, was something Jesus Christ discussed with his disciples.


John 16:12,13
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Howbeit when he [it], the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.


Jesus Christ told his disciples that the spirit of truth was coming and that when it came, it would guide them into the all truth. The spirit of truth is a reference to the gift of holy spirit which came on the day of Pentecost. This prophecy regarding the all truth was fulfilled when God revealed the mystery to the apostle Paul. Before God revealed it to Paul, it was not available to know about it because it was a mystery, it was hidden. Even angels wanted to look into it.


1 Peter 1:12
Unto whom it was revealed [the mystery] ... which things the angels desire to look into.


So what is the mystery? Well, we know that if the devil and his ruling spirits had known about it, they would not have murdered Jesus Christ. So whatever it is, it must be something astonishing. As the mystery has now been revealed in the all truth given by revelation to the apostle Paul, let's discover what it is. Moses and all the other old testament prophets couldn't find it, but it's there for us to discover.


Ephesians 3:2-4
If ye have heard of the dispensation [oikonomia - administration] of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge [sunesis] in the mystery of Christ)


The revelation of the administration of the grace of God was given to Paul, which he mentioned previously in few words back in Romans 16 which we've already looked at. It is only by reading Paul's epistles that the understanding of the mystery comes. You can read the old testament scriptures exhaustively and you will never find the mystery in them. Why? Because it was hidden from old testament eyes. God had to keep it a secret so the devil wouldn't know of his plans. Had the devil suspected anything about it, he would not have crucified Jesus Christ.

This word knowledge, sunesis in the Greek, is defined by Thayer as a running together, a flowing together with, and it was used in Greek literature of the confluence of two rivers, the place where two rivers joined and flowed together. As we read Paul's epistles with a background understanding of the old testament scriptures, knowledge will flow together in our minds as the two meet.


Ephesians 3:5
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;


The knowledge of the mystery was not made known to anyone before this administration. The old testament prophets searched diligently for it, but it was hidden, it was a secret, it was a mystery. God revealed it to Paul and here it is written in Ephesians.


Ephesians 3:6
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:


This is what the mystery is, a concise definition of it, but it encompasses everything within the gift of holy spirit and what it means to us. To be fellowheirs with Christ, of the same body, and partakers of the promise encompasses being born again, having the seed of God born within us, having the gift of holy spirit, having eternal life. It is everything being God's child means. It is the ability to walk by the spirit with Christ as our head. In this administration it is available to become a new creation, a child of the creator with his spiritual incorruptible seed born inside us. And it is not just exclusively available to Judeans, it is also available to Gentiles, to anyone anywhere on earth regardless of ethnic, cultural, religious, or educational background.


Ephesians 3:7,8
Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable [untraceable] riches of Christ;


The mystery was unsearchable, untraceable, untrackable through the old testament, but it was revealed to Paul, and he revealed that information to us in his epistles which make up the all truth spoken of by Jesus Christ.


Colossians 1:25-27
Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation [administration] of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:


It is the Christ in you, the Christ in me that was hidden, and of which the devil suspected nothing. In the old testament, men and women had no spirit, they were dead. In this administration, men and women can be raised from the dead with power to operate the gift of holy spirit, walk with Christ as their head, and raise more people from the dead.


Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.


Every time we get someone born again, we raise them from the dead. These are the greater works that Jesus Christ referred to back in John 14:12. We really can do greater works than Jesus Christ did. Jesus Christ could not raise anyone from the dead and give them eternal life. We can.

When the devil and his spirits orchestrated the murder of Jesus Christ they had no idea what was coming. If they'd had even an inkling, they would not have crucified him. When Jesus Christ was alive and had the full measure of the spirit that was available then, he could only be in one place at one time. Now, in this Age of Grace, the Administration of the Mystery, everyone who is born again has Christ in them. The god of this world would rather have had Jesus Christ the son of God on earth by himself than have you and me walking around raising people from the dead. Man, the power and authority we have if we only knew it.

 All before Darby (and I am still researching more): Irenaeus (130 A.D. - 202 AD) Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp who learned his Christian faith from the apostle John, who wrote the Book of Revelation.  Both Polycarp and Irenaeus knew John personally. Irenaeus also believed in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.  In  "Against Heresies 5:29" he wrote:  "And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, "There shall be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be."  Irenaeus' used "caught up."  - the exact same Rapture terminology used in 1 Thes 4. Cyprian (200 AD - 258 AD) Cyprian taught his followers that, "God has not appointed us to wrath, but salvation..." and joyfully encouraged his church to expect to be "taken away" before the Tribulation began. Victorinus (300AD) "And the heaven withdrew as a scroll that is rolled up." For the heaven to be rolled away,that is, that the Church shall be taken away. "And every mountain and the islands removed from their places intimate that in the last persecution all men departed from their places; that is, that the good will be removed, seeking to avoid persecution." Ephraem of Nisibis (306-373AD) “All the saints and elect of God are gathered together before the tribulation, which is to come, and are taken to the Lord, in order that they may not see at any time the confusion which overwhelms the world because of our sins.” Brother Dolcino (1307AD) Dolcino and his followers believed they would be transferred into Paradise, in which are Enoch and Elijah. And in this way they will be preserved unharmed from the persecution of Antichrist. And that then Enoch and Elijah themselves would descend on the earth for the purpose of preaching [against] Antichrist. Balthasar Hubmaier (1480-1528AD) “Although Christ gave us many signs whereby we can tell how near at hand the day of his coming is, nevertheless, no one but God knows the exact day. . . . Take heed, watch and pray; for you known either the day nor the hour." John Calvin (1509-1564AD) “[Jesus] wishes [the disciples] to be uncertain as to his coming, but to be prepared to expect him . . . every moment.” “Today we must be alert to grasp the imminent return of Christ.” (Nothing needs to happen first.) Cotton Mather (1639-1723AD) Mather was the first President of Harvard College. This Puritan scholar taught "that the saints would be caught up into the air beforehand, thereby escaping the final conflagration (tribulation)." Peter Jurieu (1687AD) In his book "Approaching Deliverance of the Church " He spoke of a secret Rapture prior to Jesus' coming in glory and judgment at Armageddon. John (Gill) Asgill (1748AD) "Jesus will stay in the air, and His saints shall meet Him there, and whom He'll take up with Him into the third heaven, till the general conflagration and burning of the world is over, and to preserve them from it...." Thomas Collier (1674AD) Frank Marotta challenged a two-stage Second Coming taught by Collier. This reveals again that such a view was in circulation hundreds of years ago. It is apparent that Collier certainly considered the idea of a pre-tribulation rapture." Philip Doddridge (1738AD) The term Rapture was used by Philip Doddridge in his New Testament commentary, with the idea that believers would be caught up prior to judgment on the earth and Jesus' Second Coming. Bernard Lambert (1738-1813AD) Pierre Jean Agier, a French jurist, argued with Bernard Lambert's teaching and the published conclusions of Lacunza that taught the Second Coming of Christ had to occur in two-stages. His first return is to gather His people and His second return is to commence the Millennium. Morgan Edwards (1742-1744AD) Edwards was the Founder of Brown University "The dead saints will be raised, and the living changed at Christ's 'appearing in the air, but will he and they abide in the air all that time? No.They will ascend to paradise, or to some one of those many 'mansions in the Father's house." James McKnight (1763AD) and Thomas Scott (1792AD) taught that the righteous will be carried to heaven, where they will be secure until the time of judgment is over. Joseph Mede (1586-1639AD): "I will add this more, namely, what may be conceived to be the cause of this Rapture of the Saints on high to meet the Lord in the Clouds, rather than to wait his coming to the Earth. What if it be, that they may be preserved during the Conflagration of the earth and the works thereof, 2 Pet. 3. 10. that as Noah and his family were preserved from the Deluge by being lift up above the waters in the Ark; so should the Saints at the Conflagration be lift up in the Clouds unto their Ark, Christ, to be preserved there from the deluge of fire, wherein the wicked shall be consumed? " Peter Jurieu in his book Approaching Deliverance of the Church (1687AD) taught that Christ would come in the air to Rapture the saints and return to heaven before the battle of Armageddon. He spoke of a secret Rapture prior to His coming in glory and judgment at Armageddon. Philip Doddridge's commentary on the New Testament (1738AD) and John

Gill's commentary on the New Testament (1748) both use the term Rapture and speak of it as imminent. It is clear that these men believed that this coming will precede Christ's descent to the earth and the time of judgment. The purpose was to preserve believers from the time of judgment. James Macknight (1763) and Thomas Scott (1792AD) taught that the righteous will be carried to heaven, where they will be secure until the time of judgment is over. Frank Marotta (1674AD) a brethren researcher, refutes Thomas Collier's reference to a pre-tribulational Rapture, which proves his awareness that such a view was being taught in the late seventeenth century.