Phillip & The Rapture

I believe the story of Philip (Acts 8: 26- 40) demonstrates the meaning of Harpazo or the word we all interpret as rapture (of the saints), the catching away. 😉 I believe the rapture event spoken of in 1 Thessaloninas 4:13 & 1 Corinthians 15:50 is a conclusive event following 7 mentions of similar "rapturous events" throughout scripture.

 I believe in each event...the plan is for Jesus to return with His renewed overcomers. Those who will rule & reign with Him forever...here on the New heaven and 🌎 New earth. 

Philip heard the voice of an angel who instructed him to go and minister to a eunuch traveling home to Ethiopia, in a chariot..

Philip responded immediately, in absolute sync with God's purpose. Phillip was tuned into the Holy Spirt and found the man traveling along, reading from the book of Isaiah 53:7,8. 

Philip joined the man in the chariot & told him the good news of The Kingdom. Then seeing water, the man asked to be baptized. 

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away....

Later....

Philip appeared at Azotus...

There he continued to preach the good news as he traveled toward Caesarea. 

Azotus means STRONGHOLD. 

This catching up, I believe is for the purpose of strengthening & emboldening us to overcome in places of the  enemies "strongholds"....here on the earth 🌎 which is the Lord's treasure & beloved Creation.

 He declared 📜...

Behold I make all things new.

And the commission to disciple all nations & to tend the garden has never been rescinded. In Revelation the gates of New Jerusalem are open 24/7 so the nations can bring their glory into her, as worship to our King. 

I've been shown a governmental pattern in the cloud, river, rain, wellspring scriptures over an intense 3 decade study from Genesis to Revelation.

Water is eternal in nature cycling over & over to give of itself and bring the good news of redeeming life. Always making new. 

 Philip was still standing on the banks of the water when he was caught up. Harpazo has its Greek roots in a word that means "to take up anchor" or in my own words... "to go with the flow". 

Water, specifically -Living Water, is, of course,  symbolic of Holy Spirit. The Promise Jesus gave His followers is a person not a mineral or asset but the third person of the godhead. The use of Living Water is to illustrate a function of Holy Spirit's amazing character and persona.

So where was Philip caught up to?.... Where was he in the time span between (the eunuchs baptism) on the south road toward Gaza and then suddenly...re appearing in Azotus toward Caesarea? 

He was in the presence of The Lord, caught up in Holy Spirit...."in Him...we live and move and have our being". 

In Acts 3:21...it says that Jesus will only return after...

The restoration of All things. 

We are commissioned to do this restoration in the power of Holy Spirit. Times of "catching up" into His Spirit realm are for the purpose of bringing ...His rule..... "on earth as it is in heaven."

☆☆☆☆☆

For a scriptural explanation of the fake "rapture" theory see Johnny Enlowe's recent podcast...

"Rapture is a Hoax".