2Corinthians 3 -- Our rapture is the mirror image of the Lord's resurrection
1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
Wow! Do you realize he is the apostle of the Lord? He has been sent to us with a message from the Lord and this is the message! So instead of thinking of Paul saying this, think of Jesus.
2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
When the Lord returns will He find faith? Will He find saints that are “Letters of commendation”, the word of God is written on their hearts? That is the point of the ministry, that the words of the Lord would be written on our hearts so that we manifest and express Him when He returns.
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
That is the point, Paul is ministering the New Testament. We have a covenant with God that “Christ in us is the hope of glory”. In these chapters we have to view this as Christ in Paul the hope of glory speaking. For the last 18 months many of us have been looking at the signs and prophecies of the Lord’s coming. Many of these “watchmen” have become fixated on the Old Testament feasts. Although Paul said in Colossians that these feasts are a shadow of things to come they are still Old Testament. The rapture of the church before the hour of trial is a New Testament promise. We have a covenant with the Lord and in that covenant there is a promise that He will return to gather us to Himself so that where He is there we will be also. This is not part of the Old covenant, this is a new covenant promise, so why are all these “watchmen” ignoring the New Testament? The Feast of Trumpets and the Atonement are both feasts that are part of the covenant to the Jews. How could either one be fulfilled by the rapture of the church composed primarily of Gentiles?
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
Yes, when you catch the crooks there is glory in that. But when you transform the deplorables into the bride of Christ that is exceedingly glorious. This is my point exactly, yes there is glory in the Old Covenant, but the New Covenant exceeds in glory and most notably that is the rapture.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
These liars and crooks and thieves are being done away with. Yes we will cheer and clap when this is done. But the bride of Christ will remain, that is a far more lasting glory.
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
What is this vail? They see Paul, they don’t see Christ in him, the hope of glory. They need letters of commendation and don’t see that the deplorables transformed into the bride of Christ is His letter of commendation. At the end of this age they will be the sign to this evil generation. They will see them stand up in the streets of Nineveh and prevent the house from being broken into. When the Lord comes He will find faith written on the hearts of these ones. The rapture of the believers will ultimately take away the vail that is upon the hearts of the Jews.
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Who organized these people to stand up? Who got them together to do this? The Lord is that Spirit. It isn’t by power or might, it is by the Spirit of the Lord. The powers that be have told them to shut up and move on, but where the Spirit of the Lord is there is the freedom to say no, I will stand by faith.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Can you imagine that when the Lord returns there would be millions of believers watching and ready and in the same image as the Lord? What does this mean “changed into the same image from glory to glory”. No doubt this is referring to a process, like the songs of ascent, going up step by step with the rapture being the ultimate step.
Now look at this, it is telling you that the rapture of the saints is like a mirror of the Lord’s glory in His resurrection. We are beholding the crucified and resurrected Christ and we are changed into the same image like a mirror. Well then, what is the mirror image of the Lord’s resurrection on Nisan 17? I would think that it would be the Bride’s rapture on Tishrei 17. What is the one day we have been charged to keep as a rehearsal of the Lord’s coming and our wedding feast? It is the Lord’s table.