The Rapture time line chart is not accurate regarding the "beheading of the foolish virgins." Because of this I have removed it from this posting and I am researching this question and will show my findings soon. (The former inaccurate chart can be found in previous posts)
Leo
Joel’s Army, the Army of Jesus Lovers
When we read the description of Joel's Army, these do not fit the description of your average Christian. Christians in America seem willing to tolerate any kind of sin, as long as it doesn't effect their own sphere of influence. Because of the election of false persons into positions in government, American laws and institutions have been taken ill with laws and policies which violate the commands of God. Despite this, American culture allows for secular humanism to dictate some part of the governance of the nation. Even though Christians seem to be tolerant of sin, it grieves the heart of them that know God's goodness. It grieves the many saints who have found that God's word will bring life in the long run, if followed. Christians have been commanded to submit to the authorities (Romans 13:1-10), however Christians have been commanded to not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). When our American leaders begin to encroach on Christian liberty to the point of unfairness, only then the Christian community organizes in opposition to those policies and laws and leaders that would enact them. Christians feel frustrated by this uneasy truce with legalized sin, but feel obligated to permit it, being cognizant of the command of God to be submitted to Governmental authority. Joel's Army has no such restraint, thus its political and moral power is unlimited. This is not what we commonly picture as an army of Christians.
A question that we must answer is, "What is it about Joel's Army that qualifies the members to exercise unlimited moral and political authority?" Simply put, it is that "saints" have been approved by God to rule and reign with Christ. 2 Timothy 2:12-13 says:
2 Timothy 2:12
12If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
To suffer with Christ is to pay the price in life to follow Him. The way you "pay" that price is not by natural money, but by obedience to His word. The work of being a disciple involves doing God's will on earth, no matter the personal cost, whether it be use of time, treasure, or talent. Christians often lose their reputation, or their financial opportunities, simply because of this faith in Christ. Some lose their family's love, or worse. Jesus said, "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27). Being a disciple of Christ in life is the single most qualifying mark of the members of Joel's Army.
Another qualifying aspect is that Joel's Army are participant in the "first resurrection" (See the Prophetic Timeline chart). John writes in
Revelation 20:
Revelation 20:6
6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The glorification of the saints is the finality of the perfecting of the soul and body, in addition to the "born again" spirit that initiates the salvation of the saint (John 3:3-7). Whereas the person who is "born again" has their spirit born of incorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23), the full inheritance of the incorruptable has not yet been given (1 Peter 1:4-5). However, this incorruptible inheritance will be given in the last time:
1 Peter 1:3-5
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
At the last moments of the Church Age the church will be marked by the "revealed" incorruptible inheritance "in the last time" (1 Peter 1:5) in the resurrected power of Joel's Army. After the glorified ones are raptured, then the Antichrist has his ascendancy to world rule (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8). So we can conclude that only those that qualify in life for glorification will be rewarded with glorification and resurrection (in the case of the dead) and will be qualified to rule after the rapture. Further we can conclude that the authority of Joel's Army is based in its incorruptibility, therefore its ability to enact judgment, both politically and morally will be completely according to God's perfect judgment. Christians today are commanded to judge in a way that is consistent with the ways of Christ while Christians are yet imperfect:
John 7:24:
23If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? 24Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
How much more when made incorruptible will Joel's Army be qualified to judge the corruption of man?
Some might ask how imperfect Christians can be righteous as Christ is in judgment after resurrection. To start, we must look at this army as saints that have been resurrected in the image of Christ. Paul wrote in Romans 8:
Romans 8:29-30
29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Many might tend to read the word "predestinate" and then put this scripture into a future time period, and a heavenly locality. Although the future is the Christian's present relation to this "glorified" state, the place of glorification is not only in the future heaven. This same Paul says that this will happen on earth before the rapture occurs. Glorification will happen to all Christians before they are raptured!
1 Corinthians 15:51-54
51Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In 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. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Paul agued with many who found this glorification far fetched. He called them fools (1 Corinthian 15:35-36). Many scriptures point to the supernatural resurrection body that the saints shall receive. These scriptures are familiar:
2 Corinthians 5:1-4
1For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
Imagine for a moment that the resurrection of the Christian saints has occurred and that the rapture is immanent; but what has astounded the whole earth is that not only have a great number of deceased Christians resurrected, but a certain number of living Christians have at the same moment been clothed upon by the glory of God as in 2 Corinthians 5:1-4. What might one of these supernaturally transformed Christians look like and how could you distinguish them from the normal human being? The answer must eventually lie in what Jesus looked like after His resurrection, for Romans 8:28-30 says:
Romans 8:28-30
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Paul’s use of “glorified” in the past tense indicates Paul’s perfect revelation of the final intention of the Lord; spoken with prophetic surety as though already accomplished. He did not put it away in the mists of future heaven, but in present finality. In addition to this unique point of view, it is basic Christian doctrine that the believer has been "born again," or glorified in the spirit. many do not apply this concept beyond the realm of the spirit. however, Paul is obvious talking about the body.
Jesus is for all Christians the pattern of things that are to be believed and He is the pattern for all things to come. If a resurrection army is to exist, then it must resemble the resurrection of Christ; otherwise it is a Satanic counterfeit. Jesus' physical attributes were enhanced after His resurrection as you can see by this list of supernatural acts after He rose from the dead:
Luke 24:31- Jesus vanishes.
Luke 24:36 - Jesus appears in the midst of the apostles
John 20:19 - Jesus appeared in an enclosed room without entering by a door.
John 20:27 - Jesus' resurrected body had open wounds from the crucifixion, and no apparent pain or blood.
27Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
And of course Jesus was “raptured” in Acts 1:9-11
9And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
The body of Jesus has all the characteristics of that body that must comprise the Army of Joel 2. Remember that the rapture is after the resurrection, so shouldn’t our focus as Christians be to achieve our resurrection, rather than to "make the rapture?"
The Message of the Army of Jesus Lovers
This supernatural army has ultimate authority on earth and no stronghold can resist its movement, so what message will Joel‘s Army carry? Again we look to Jesus‘ final instructions. Acts 1:1-5:
1The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Whereas many denigrate the Charismatic sects of Christiandom, Jesus himself told the believers to wait for a further installment of grace by means of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He said that this installment would make them into witnesses of his kingdom:
Acts 1:8
8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
If we are to take seriously our election in God’s plan, then we must not minimize this command to wait to be endued with power.
The prophesy of Malachi $ speaks of a final Christian uprising. This is an army that repudiates the forces of the liberal and the Marxist, and all manifestations of the Antichrist. However this happens in a “day,” or season, not as a perpetual condition. This is consistent with the “day” of Joel’s army.
Malachi 4:1-3
1For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. 3And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Jesus walked freely after His resurrection preaching the kingdom of God, so Joel’s army will do the same. However, it will not be mild and meek and without judgment, rather lets look at Enoch‘s manner of preaching and his message.
Jude 1:14-16
14And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
No longer do we see Christians cowed into “non-judgmental” evangelism. Frankly, no true evangelism go forth without the judgment of the Law of Moses, and conviction of the Spirit; however conversion to Christ is a voluntary response , as is obedience to Him. Isaiah 26:9-10 says:
9With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 10Let favour be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
Joel’s army is what the world fears most, though they know not that it is coming before the rapture of the saints. Imagine an army of Christians unafraid of lawsuits, accusations of “hate speech,“ or reprisals from liberal religious organizations, atheists, Muslims, Marxists or from governmental oppressions of any kind. Not any human law or atheistic authority, or force of arms will be able to stop this army of Jesus lovers from preaching the Gospel. Joel 2:6 says, “Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.” The word “blackness” comes from a Hebrew word (6289 in Strong’s Concordance) Which indicates red faced shame.
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Through this series of entries in the BLOG I have built a case for a dwell time between the Christian resurrection and the rapture. This next section will cover the question of how we can qualify to march in Joel's Army, and how we can participate in the marriage of the Lord.
