Colossians 3:4
When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.
Frankie wrote:
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
While I understand the mystery about the body of Christ and its manifestation when the Christ, the Head of the body, is manifested, I still don't comprehend the whole event. I understand RAPTURE is not the word to use, and the hope of the church has got nothing to do with the resurrection at the Second Coming of CHRIST. What I would love to study more on and request ya'll to help me with is Clarity on the Manifestation of his body, the church. Is this event supposed to happen right before the tribulation, before any trumpet is blown?
Please pray and help me understand this through the scriptures.
Praying for ya'll
In His Grace
Frankie.
Dear Frankie,
God Bless you, and thank you for writing. To say that we comprehend the whole event would be untrue, and we believe none can comprehend the whole event until that day. That said, we will try to answer the question plainly:
Col. 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Col. 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col. 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Our Hope:
Col. 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Scripture doesn't say when this will occur, but He must appear before He can return. No time is set, for our citizenship is above not bound by earthly calendars. Will it be a minute, a day, a week, a month, or years before the return of 1 Thessalonians 4 (which happens at the last trumpet and is thus after the tribulation)? God does not tell us, so don't try to find out, but we have perfect peace because it is tied to when He shall appear, which is more sure than the noon sun. Now, it does stand to reason that before the events written in 1 and 2 Thessalonians can commence, the current Dispensation should close, but it is possible for more than one dispensation to run concurrently as two currently do, so it stands to reason but is not spelled out in Scripture.
Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
Col 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Interesting how God puts both these Truths in the same place in His Word.
We also have these teachings on our Hope:
That Blessed Hope
The Appearing
The Manifestation
What Is The Hope Of His Calling?
Eternal Life And Resurrection
All God's Blessings,
The Believers
