**The Destiny of the Bride of Christ - Part 6 **
We see two great harvests take place in Revelation chapter 14.
The first main harvest that is described is the gathering of believers as Jesus returns in the clouds of Heaven. Some believers may come with Jesus directly from Heaven. Others will be resurrected to join Him, and finally, after that first resurrection, all believers who are still alive and remain on earth will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air as He returns.
It will be essential to remove *all *true believers (not just the Overcoming Bride) from the earth in this first great harvest because the second harvest that follows will be the administration of the final wrath of God on earth. And of course, all true believers are promised that we will not experience God’s wrath.
“For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).”—1 Thessalonians 5:9 (AMPC)
When is the Rapture?
The gathering of the believers at the end of this age is depicted as a great harvest in Revelation 14:14-16:
“Again I looked, and behold, [I saw] a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud One resembling a Son of Man, with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp scythe (sickle) in His hand.
“And another angel came out of the temple sanctuary, calling with a mighty voice to Him Who was sitting upon the cloud, Put in Your scythe and reap, for the hour has arrived to gather the harvest, for the earth’s crop is fully ripened.
“So He Who was sitting upon the cloud swung His scythe (sickle) on the earth, and the earth’s crop was harvested.” (AMPC)
Jesus Himself gave us the timing of the first great harvest.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”—Matthew 24:29-31 (NKJV)
This is also recorded in Mark.
“But in those days, after [the affliction and oppression and distress of] that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
And the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great (kingly) power and glory (majesty and splendor).
And then He will send out the angels and will gather together His elect (those He has picked out for Himself) from the four winds, from the farthest bounds of the earth to the farthest bounds of heaven.”—Mark 13:24-26 (AMPC)
The resurrection of the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11:12 also seems to support this timing. We are clearly told in Revelation 11:3 that the ministry of these Two Witnesses lasts for the entire length of the Great Tribulation period, and then, when their ministry is finished, they are killed, only to be resurrected three and a half days later.
The resurrection of these Two Witnesses seems to occur at about the same time as the First Resurrection of the Overcomers and the catching up of the believers who are alive on earth—and it clearly happens at the *end *of the Great Tribulation period.
“But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear and panic fell on those who were watching them. And the two witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ Then they ascended into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them”—Revelation 11:11-12 (AMP)
Paul had to correct people in his time who had heard rumors that the rapture of the believers had already happened and they had missed it! He reminded them that the rapture will not happen until *after *the time of the Antichrist on earth.
“Now we ask you, brothers, **regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and our gathering together to him, not to be so quickly upset or alarmed when someone claims that we said, either by some spirit, conversation, or letter that the Day of the Lord has already come. **Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for it will not come unless the rebellion takes place first and the man of sin, who is destined for destruction, is revealed. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship. As a result, he seats himself in the sanctuary of God and himself declares that he is God.
“Don’t you remember that I repeatedly told you about these things when I was still with you?”—2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 (ISV)
So, according to Jesus, the believers are not caught up to be with the Lord until after the Great Tribulation.
This has confused many believers because they equate the Great Tribulation with the wrath of God. They cannot reconcile the timing of these two events because they keep asking, “Why would God leave the believers on earth during the time of God’s wrath?”
That’s a valid question, but the answer is clear in Scripture.
The Bible clearly tells us that the Great Tribulation period is the wrath of Satan, not the wrath of *God. *
“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for **the devil has come down to you in great wrath, **because he knows that his time is short!”—Revelation 12:12 (ESV)
The Apostle Paul confirms to us that the destructive reign of the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation period will be the work of *Satan, *not the work of God.
“When that Man of Evil comes, it will be the work of Satan. He will come with great power, and he will do all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders.”—2 Thessalonians 2:9 (ERV)
But this confusion about the wrath of God will persist all the way through the Tribulation period. We are told in Revelation chapter 6 that there will be confusion on earth at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. People will mistakenly assume that they are experiencing the wrath of God because the Great Tribulation is ushered in with a world-wide earthquake and many ominous signs in the heavens.
“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”—Revelation 6:15-17 (NKJV)
But that misconception is corrected five chapters later in Revelation 11 when the time of God’s wrath truly does come upon the earth. Then it is announced from Heaven by the 24 elders who are seated around the throne of God. In their announcement, these elders make it clear that the time of God’s wrath coincides with the return of the Lord Jesus in His full authority as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That does not happen, of course, until *after *the Great Tribulation.
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to rule. The nations were angry, but the time for your wrath has come.”—Revelation 11:17-18 (ISV)
It is finally at this time, *after *the Great Tribulation period, as Jesus says, that all believers are taken. Because, it is immediately after the Great Tribulation that the wrath of God is poured out up the earth, as described in Revelation chapters 15 and 16.
The Overcoming Bride of Christ (including the Two Witnesses) will be very active on earth during the Great Tribulation period, and afterwards as well! It seems that the wedding celebration of the Lamb will only take a short amount of time—at least according to earthly time—at the end of the Great Tribulation period, and then the Bride of our Lord Jesus will be back in the earthly realm, alongside her Lord Jesus and His angels to personally administer the wrath of Almighty God.
