MY PEOPLE, ENTER
YOUR ROOMS
This earth, as it nears the midnight hour, is in a conflict with God. On this planet and in the heavens above, a spiritual battle is unfolding. One day this war will pierce through the invisible realm of the spirit and fill our streets with the slain.
The Bible does not record how long Adam and Eve lived before they were driven from Paradise due to the transgression. However, we can be certain that the first conflict between God and Satan, and between good and evil, arose in the heavens. Then, because of Satan’s interaction with mankind, it spread into our earthly realm like a dark plague. This evil brought in the curse and death from the hand of Almighty God, for God cannot allow evil to remain unchecked. Therefore the Lord and the armies of heaven are waiting for a day to bring this transgression to an end. “In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days” (Isa. 24:21–22). In the recesses of this abyss,25 Satan shall be looked upon narrowly.
As sons and daughters were born unto Adam and Eve, wickedness, corruption, violence, and death began to reign in the earth. Few people in the generation that followed Adam had the spiritual fortitude to abide in the plan of redemption the Almighty set forth.
Mankind fell into perverse wickedness. It was because of man’s sinfulness that the Lord set out to destroy him from the face of the earth. However, there were a few righteous among the wicked—the Lord used Noah as a testimony of His grace. Noah, through a divine calling, preached salvation and deliverance from divine judgment. Through the ministry of this prophet, God laid out a welcome mat the size of a ship and provided a door for men to enter. God provided safe haven for those who would heed the call. He gave that generation time and opportunity to enter the Ark. When they failed to heed the cry of Noah, the Lord shut in his elect and rained down judgment upon the unbelieving.
A similar judgment befell Sodom and Gomorrah. These twin cities were corrupt and had forsaken the holy covenant. God did not punish those cities without notice. He sent out callers to warn the righteous. His angels beckoned the people to flee before the plague of fire and brimstone destroyed their cities. Yet for the most part, the people would not hear.
So shall it be in our generation. Once again, callers will go forth at the midnight hour, sent from God with a divine welcome, pointing to the ark of safety and faith in the Lamb of God. Yet many of the people shall not hear, for the Lord has given them ears dull of hearing because of their sinfulness. They will also close their eyes to the truth, and the perverseness of their hearts will kindle the fury of God’s wrath. Therefore the Lord will pour out the bowls of trembling spoken of in Revelation. The dregs from the bowls of the Lamb’s wrath will fall like rain on the children of disobedience: “The end will come like a flood.”26
However, for the sake of God’s elect,27 an ark will sail over this troubled world. Once again, God will shut His people in, for the fruit is now ripe in the time of God’s harvest, and the Lord of the harvest will come to reap from the vine. It’s written: “The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me. My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely” (Song of Sol. 2:13–14). The “hiding places on the mountainside” are an illustration of a place where Jesus will hide his bride (the church) in the days of his wrath.
A Time of Distress Never to Be Equaled Again
“For then there shall be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again” (Matt. 24:21). According to Scripture, this time of “great distress” that Christ spoke of encompasses the last plagues of Revelation, including the battle of Armageddon. Both the Old and New Testament Scriptures promise that God’s elect will be spared from this abominable space of time—a time of judgment upon earth. This will be punishment upon the unbelieving28 who have turned from the knowledge of God. Judgment will avenge29 all the faithful throughout time whom evil men have cut down like grass—men and women who stood as God’s anointed, preaching the Word of God when the winds of adversity raged.
Before the broom of God’s final judgment sweeps throughout this earth, the Scriptures state that Christ will catch up his elect to keep them “from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth” (Rev. 3:10). For people to be kept from the very hour of affliction, it would seem they must be somewhere else when the clock bell tolls.
Jesus forecast distress upon nations. The waves of the sea shall roar. Men’s hearts will fail them for fear. These are the days of vengeance, but not vengeance upon believers. We shall be kept from this hour. As the shadow of pain and darkness befalls this earth, once more an ark shall sail. We shall rise up on the wings of eagles. We shall “fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests” (Isa. 60:8).
The Great Rapture Allegory
How many comprehend the great Rapture allegory found within the Bible? That is the ark that lifted Noah and his family above the earth while the judgment of God poured down. The great flood of Noah’s time was a representation of the wrath of God, which will come upon the ungodly at the end of this age. The ark, as it was lifted above the earth, was a model of the coming ascension of God’s people. In the Old Testament, there are illustrations of biblical concepts which parallel spiritual events in the New Testament.
A wooden ark floating above the earth with God’s elect safely inside, sheltered from harm while the world is destroyed, certainly fits as a prophetic illustration depicting the Rapture. Also, the great rain, earthquakes, volcanoes, thunder, and lightning storms, followed by a massive increase of water upon the earth, certainly would fit as an illustration of the wrath to come as forecast in Revelation. In connection with his return, Jesus drew parallels to the days of Noah. Jesus is called the “Son of Man” many times in the Bible. In this next verse, Christ is referring to himself: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:37). Therefore, let’s give this concept of the Old Testament ark depicting a catching away or Rapture of God’s faithful a fair examination.
In the Days of Noah
In Noah’s day, mankind had become wicked: “So God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth . . . I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish’” (Gen. 6:13, 17). “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen. 6:8). In a time when most of mankind was living in gross sin, Noah was seeking God’s direction and following in his paths.
The Prophet and Ark Builder—Noah
This man of faith stood as a prophet pointing the way of deliverance to a disbelieving world. God commanded Noah to build an ark. Noah, along with his family, built the ark according to God’s instructions. Surely throngs of people journeyed to see the ark as it was being built. Many of the curious would stay for a while and hear the old man’s message about a coming flood. Noah surely poured out his heart, warning the crowds to repent from their wickedness and to enter the ark with him. He had heard from God; he knew his message was true; but to the multitudes, Noah was a man to be mocked. The people of Noah’s day were too proud to be counted among his household.
A Safe Haven
As the raging flood increased upon the face of the Earth, Noah and his family had entered their chambers inside. God made a covenant with Noah and those who entered with him, promising that he would keep them safe from the coming wrath. Noah never lost faith in the vision, and when all was ready, “the LORD shut him in” (Gen. 7:16). It’s interesting to note that God shut the door of the natural ark.
Although only eight human souls went in, the masses finally believed in Noah’s words. As the water was rising upon the earth, those outside the ark began to reflect on what Noah had preached. The torrential rain, earthquakes, thunder, and lightning bolts terrified them; it became obvious they were going to die. Undoubtedly, many ran to the ark, pounding desperately on the door, trying to enter as the heavy rain began. But they couldn’t get in. God had sealed the door and it was too late for them. As the crowds watched from the hilltops, suffering, they saw the ark rise upon the churning waters. Many began to pray like they had never prayed before. Many repented of their sins—then they died.
One Shall Be Taken and the Other Left
Jesus Christ spoke this parable: “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left” (Matt. 24:38–41). These verses show men and women being taken while others are left behind. They also depict people going up by using the ark as an example, for the ark was lifted up.
Caught Up to Meet the Lord in the Air
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thess. 4:16–17). These verses do not state that Jesus is stepping foot on earth. During this resurrection, it’s penned that we are meeting the Lord in the air, adding weight to the prospect that we may rise above like Noah did to escape the
coming distress. Please take note: a resurrection of the “dead in Christ” and also a reference to those “who are still alive” was mentioned in our text. A resurrection is also mentioned in the next text we will view.
You Who Dwell in the Dust, Wake Up
“But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.” (Isa. 26:19–21)
Let’s consider the phrase, “You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy.” The Scriptures sometimes refer to people sleeping in death. The term “wake up” here in Isaiah is a reference to the awakening of the dead. “You who dwell in the dust” obviously indicates the condition of the dead before this resurrection; their bodies had literally turned to dust! The phrase, “Your dew is like the dew of the morning” has beautiful connotations; it’s an illustration—a parable. In the early morning, dew covers the fields of this earth. When the sun appears in all of its glory, the dew rises. The sun represents30 Jesus Christ; the dew rising is symbolic of the souls of men and women who are caught up.
This passage in Isaiah clearly shows a resurrection. It strongly implies Rapture by saying, “Hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.” Where is it that the resurrected, along with the living, go to hide until God’s judgment on earth has ceased? The answer: Out of this world.
This pre-wrath resurrection31 and Rapture in Isaiah is quite different from the second resurrection of the dead as found in Rev. 20:13, not only in time and place, but also in content and purpose.
But Your Dead Will Live—Their Bodies Will Rise
Still referring to our text from Isaiah, let’s consider the saying “their bodies will rise.” The Hebrew word used for rise in the text means “lift up, rise up,” or “stir up.” In other passages from the Old Testament, this word has been used to describe one rising from sleep.
The word wrath in our text literally means “froth at the mouth,” and it is used to show God’s displeasure with sin. The text itself parallels this term, “wrath,” with a time when the Lord will “punish the people of the earth for their sins” (Isa. 26:21). Could this time of punishment spoken of in Isaiah be the same as the great tribulation to come spoken of by Christ?
Rooms in the Ark
God instructed the prophet Noah to make rooms in the ark (Gen. 6:14). Noah built rooms for his family and built stables for the animals. The Hebrew word used for the ark’s rooms, qen, as recorded in Genesis, is a term that an architect would use to define a place of storage. This ship was simply a storage vessel so that life might be preserved upon earth. The old rugged ark did its job as designed.
Yet the material illustration of this Old Testament vessel palls in comparison to the glory of the New Testament sanctuary in which we will find shelter. For one thing, the first ark was made out of wood; the coming ark is made without hands.
With that in mind, let’s look to Isaiah’s prophecy again. “Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by” (Isa. 26:20). The Hebrew word used here for “rooms” is cheder. It has beautiful connotations. It means “inner chamber, innermost part, to enclose.” The emphasis of this word is “inner.” This word is referring to a deep place inside—a place of refuge.32 The “inner chamber” we shall enter will be a glorious place, in the center of God’s design for us. Yet this inner place also has a spiritual counterpart. God is asking His people to come into an inner sanctuary long before we ascend on high. “Go, my people, enter your rooms” has a figurative partial fulfillment here on earth.
End Notes
Chapter 2
My People, Enter Your Rooms
25 This prison, spoken of in Isa. 14:15, is the “Abyss” of Rev. 20:3 NIV.
26 Dan. 9:26 NIV
27 2 Tim. 2:10 NIV
28 Rev. 21:8 NIV
29 Rev. 6:10 NIV
30 “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Eph.
5:14 NIV).
31 “Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a
better resurrection” (Heb. 11:35 NIV).
32“. . . even in death the righteous have a refuge” (Prov. 14:32 NIV).