The seven resurrections (raptures)

There is a great debate that is ongoing among believers. That is the issue over the the timing of the "rapture".  It began very early, even during the days of Paul the apostle.


2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

Here Paul comforts the believers in Thessalonica  who were troubled over the false teaching that they were about to go into the tribulation. Two simultaneous events were to happen before the day of Christ and before the man of sin would be revealed. 1. the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and 2. our gathering together unto Him which is commonly called the "rapture" today.
 This gives us a basic chronology for the Church.  The doubts are partly generated by the thinking that there is only one rapture. I believe the Bible describes 7 different resurrections. 


1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

The preceding passage teaches among other things that every person ever born will be resurrected. SO there is a "rapture" going to happen to everbody; Jews, Gentiles, Church of God, believers and unbelievers, Old Testament saints and New Testament saints. Also it teaches that every man will be resurrected in his own order. The word order means battalion or group. It does not tell us here how many battalions there are. We know of three from the Book of Revelation that are mentioned that will occur from the time of John until  the coming of the New Jerusalem. The"come up hither" in Rev. 4:1 is the Church. The "come up hither" in Rev.11:12 is the two witnesses and those saved during the tribulation including the 144.000. Rev.20:12-14 is the resurrection of the unsaved dead. So there we have three battalions. Before that there is the resurrection of Jesus and also the resurrection of the Old Testament saints that were held captive in Paradise awaiting the payment for their sins. Jesus of course is the firstborn from the dead and all others are in virtue of that resurrection. Now we have 5 battallions. The other two are Enoch and Elijah from the Old Testament. There is a "pre-trib" rapture, a "mid-trib" rapture, and a"post trib" rapture. So in one sense all those views are right but not by themselves. We should try to get the really big picture.