Immediately upon death, every human being consciously arrives in either a literal Heaven or Hell. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that “it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment”. Where one spends eternity depends upon his decision to either accept or reject God’s free gift of salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 5:6 explains that the soul of the born-again Christian is ushered into the presence of the Lord at death while Luke 16:23 tells us that others arrive “…in Hell…being in torment”. A multitude of verses in the Scriptures confirm these facts.

The Church (all born-again believers collectively) is represented as a chaste virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2). According to marriage customs explained in biblical texts, the Church (the Bride) is now in the betrothal stage, promised to Jesus Christ. As His fiancée, He wants us to live holy lives. The Church, or Bride, is to be clothed in fine, white linen (Revelation 19:7, 8). Her wedding gown will actually be composed of righteous deeds she (the believers) performed while on earth.

Her wedding takes place in heaven, but the Marriage Supper occurs on earth. At the hour when Christ returns to earth with His Bride, a 1,000-year honeymoon begins.

The Judgment Seat of Christ takes place immediately upon His coming. You will note from Revelation 20:5 that lost people are not resurrected until after the Millennium, after the resurrection of the saved and the Judgment Seat of Christ. We can rest assured that the teaching of the Bible will not give comfort to those who do not want to give up their sins. The true Biblical teaching of the Judgment Seat of Christ should call Christians to a dedicated and holy life because of the wonderful rewards that will be theirs at that time.

There will definitely be a pre-tribulation Rapture. The Lord will call Christians home before the Tribulation begins. Here are some verses that would be good for you to look up: I Thessalonians 4:16,17, I Corinthians 15:51,52 and Revelation 3:10. The book of Revelation was written chronologically. Revelation 1:19 says: “Write the things which thou hast seen, the things which are and the things which shall be hereafter” (past, present and future). Chapter 1 speaks of the past and chapters 2 and 3 speak of the present. Time wise, we are approximately at Revelation 3:15,16 and 17—the cold, lukewarm, lackadaisical Laodicean church. The future is shown in chapters 4-22.

The next event is Revelation 4:1 where John says: “After this I looked, and behold the door was open and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither…” This is the Rapture. Some people think this passage is speaking only to John but if you read ahead you will see that verses 10 and 11 talk about the 24 elders casting their crowns before the throne. This scene must take place after the Judgment Seat of Christ in order for the 24 elders to have crowns to cast at Jesus feet. The Judgment Seat of Christ cannot take place unless all Christians are present. This would mean that the Rapture has taken place.

The next event in Revelation, after the Rapture, is chapter 6, which is the Tribulation. Since chapter 4 comes before chapter 6 (the Tribulation) then we must conclude that the Rapture does take place before the Tribulation.

First of all, let’s get a little background here. Satan fell from heaven; he was known as Lucifer, Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:14-18. When he fell he took one third of the angels of heaven with him, Revelation 12:7. These angels became demons, because in Mathew 25:41, Jesus said: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Now if he’s the devil, his angels are the demonia, the demons.

Now, Satan cannot read anyone’s minds. Why? Only God is omniscient: knowing all things; omnipotent: all powerful; and omnipresent: everywhere at all times. Satan can’t do that. That’s why in Ephesians 6:12 we talk about principalities and powers in high places. This is his army: tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of these fallen angels, who are everything from buck privates to four star generals; to carry out everything that’s going on in the world and bring it to him, so he can know what’s happening. He can’t do it.

You can readily see by reading the Biblical accounts that the person of Satan (the devil, dragon, Lucifer) is very real and very much active. However, his time is limited and someday his power will be destroyed forever (Revelation 20-10).

Rev. 3:5. This white raiment is found upon the bride of Christ at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb: Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints (Revelation 19:7, 8). In addition, those who possess a genuine salvation experience will remain in the book of life eternally. What security! Christ says, I will not blot out his name . . . before my Father, and before his angels.

The “Last Trump” mentioned in I Corinthians 15:52, and the seventh trumpet (judgment) in the book of Revelations are not the same.

First Corinthians 15:51,52 is one scripture passage that post-Tribulationists (those who believe they are going to go through the Tribulation and will meet Christ at the end) use to defend that doctrine. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep [be dead], but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.

Then they go over to the trumpet judgments and say, “You see? The seventh trumpet [judgment] brings all this catastrophe, and this is right at the end of the Tribulation hour. And because He calls His church home at the last trump, it has to be at the end of the seven years of Tribulation”.

Hold it! What about the eighth trump, when the trumpet sounds in Matthew 24:31 and He [gathers] together his elect from the four winds for the Millennium?

There’s more by way of contradistinction. The seventh trump produces judgment and death, but the trumpet of I Corinthians 15:51 produces eternal life and joy, as believers sweep into the heavenlies to meet Him. That’s when the dead and the living in Christ go to meet the Saviour in the twinkling of an eye.

The Judgment Seat of Christ also called the Bema Seat takes place immediately upon His coming. You will note from Revelation 20:5 that lost people are not resurrected until after the Millennium, after the resurrection of the saved and the Judgment Seat of Christ. We can rest assured that the teaching of the Bible will not give comfort to those who do not want to give up their sins. The true Biblical teaching of the Judgment Seat of Christ should call Christians to a dedicated and holy life because of the wonderful rewards that will be theirs at that time.

Romans 14:12 and II Corinthians 5:10 will shed further light on the Judgment Seat. Notice I Corinthians 3, verse 15: “If any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer loss…” Everything that we have done in the body shall pass through a proving fire. The works that were good will not burn, like silver, gold or diamonds. The works that were not for the Lord will burn, like wood, hay and stubble. Even if our works all burn up into a pile of ashes, “…but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire.” This verse proves that sin is not held against us, but we still have to give account for what we have done.

There are a number of chapters within God’s Word that seem to picture the USA. No other nation throughout history can so convincingly fulfill all of the requirements of the texts. America is certainly included in the judgments upon all nations (Ezekiel 39:21). America also seems to be the political Babylon of Revelation 18. God’s Word mentions three Babylons: a city (Genesis 11), a church (Revelation 17), and a country (Revelation 18). Don’t confuse the three.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, and John describe this country:

Isaiah 18:1,2 – America’s emblem, with outstretched wings; beyond the sea from Israel; a nation, scattered and peeled, meaning spread out and cultured; measured or staked out and polluted in its waterways.

Jeremiah 50 – Here she is called the heritage of the Lord and faces judgment because of her backsliding (vs. 11). A nation or mingled people (vs. 37); a nation whose coexisting “mother” (England) is confounded at the hour of her decline (vs 12).

Jeremiah 51 – In this text America is bordered by the world’s two largest oceans and possesses its longest river (vs. 13); her wealth plagues the nations to jealousy (vs. 7); her space exploits are fantastic (vs. 53).

John pictures two Babylons in Revelation. One is a world religion (chapter 17), the other an internationally respected nation (vs. 3); laden with sin (vs. 5), with a superabundance of material goods producing idleness and sin (vs. 7).

America today is surely laden with iniquity with its drunkenness, drug addiction, tobacco, gambling, prostitution, homosexuality, smut peddlers, immorality, abortions, mercy killers, murderers, robbers, and looters. There is specific judgment administered against Babylon.

In Old Testament times, Israelites were given the hope of resurrection (Isaiah 26:19,20; Daniel 12:1-3,13; Hosea 13:14, Job 19:25-27), hope of individual judgment and reward (Isaiah 40:10; Ezekiel 11:21; 20:33-44 22:17-22; Daniel 12:3; Zechariah 3:7; 13:9; Malachi 3:16-18; 4:1), and promised blessings in the new heaven and new earth (Isaiah 65:17,18; 66:22; Hebrews 11:10). Those who heeded the message of God died and went to a place called Paradise. This area was evacuated after Christ’s death (Ephesians 4:8-10). Their spirits are now in the third heaven with Christ (2 Corinthians 12:2). They are not part of the Church. The Church began to be formed on the Day of Pentecost and will be completed at the Rapture.

They are called saints because of their position “in Christ.” They were saved by looking forward in faith to a coming Messiah, the Saviour, just as people are saved today by looking back in faith to the Saviour.

Their bodies will be resurrected at the conclusion of the Tribulation so that they, along with the raised Tribulation saints, might be participants in the Millennium here on earth (Revelation 20:4-6; Daniel 12:2). They will also be guests at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

The risen Saviour had a glorified (resurrection) body of flesh and bones, one that could be seen, touched, and fed. Glorified bodies will have the same supernatural qualities as Christ’s had (passing through walls, instantaneous travel) (Luke 24:36-51; I John 3:2). The only way to obtain a glorified body is through resurrection and rapture.

When a believer dies, his spirit and soul go into the presence of God, but his body goes into the grave (2 Corinthians 5:8). His soul, absent from the body, is with Christ until the great day when body, soul, and spirit are reunited at the coming of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). Christ will bring the souls and spirits of the dead in Christ with Him (vs. 14) to be reunited with their vacated bodies when He returns at the Rapture. All believers, first the dead, then the living, will join Him bodily in the clouds. The bodies, dead and living, that rise for this reunion will be transformed to be like Jesus’ body (1 John 3:2; Psalm 17:15; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Philippians 3:20,21). Even though many may have completely disintegrated to basic chemical makeup, God is able to restore (He created Adam from dust. Science tells us that matter never completely disappears, only changes form).

Matthew 24:36 says: “But that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” No one should make a prediction as to the exact time of the Lord’s coming. Many Bible scholars, Dr. Van Impe included, will point to verse 33 of the same chapter, which states that, “When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” These verses in Matthew 24 refer to the Revelation of Christ 7 years after the Rapture of the Church. Since we see the signs fulfilled which precede His return at the Revelation, we know the Rapture must be imminent. However, no man can know the exact day or hour though we certainly know the time is near. Jesus could return today! Every sign that points to the Lord’s return has been fulfilled.