THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES EIGHT

THE FULL MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Message One

Christ in All the Books of the New Testament

Heb. 4:14 Having therefore a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast the confession.

Heb. 4:16 Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help

Christ in All the Books of the New Testament

In the gospels is the Christ who lived on the earth and died on the cross for the accomplishment of redemption. In the Acts is the resurrected and ascended Christ propagated and ministered to man. In Romans is the Christ who is our righteousness for justification and our life for sanctification, transformation, conformation, glorification, and building up. In Galatians is the Christ for our living versus the law, religion, tradition, and forms. In Philippians is the Christ lived out of His members. In Ephesians and Colossians is the Christ who is the life, the content, and the head of the Body, the church. In Corinthians is the Christ who is everything in the practical church life. In Thessalonians is the Christ who is our holiness for His coming back. In Timothy and Titus is the Christ who is God’s economy for us to behave ourselves in the house of God. In the Epistles of Peter is the Christ who is for us to take God’s governmental dealings through sufferings. In John’s Epistles is the Christ who is the life and fellowship of the children of God in God’s family. In Revelation is the Christ who is walking among the churches in this age, ruling over the world in the kingdom in the coming age, and expressed in full glory for eternity. In Hebrews is the present Christ who is now in the heavens as our Minister (8:2) and our High Priest (4:14-15; 7:26), ministering to us the heavenly life, grace, authority, and power, and sustaining us to live a heavenly life on earth. He is the Christ now, the Christ today, and the Christ on the throne who is our daily salvation and moment by moment supply. This is the Christ revealed in Hebrews.

He Being a Christ Today for Our Experience

Hebrews is a book that is one hundred percent of and for Christ. This Christ is not a doctrinal Christ; He is a Christ today for our experience. Hebrews 1:1-3 tells as that Christ has accomplished everything and that He is now sitting on the right hand of the Majesty on high.…Hebrews 6:20 says that He is the Forerunner. He has run the race, becoming the first to reach the goal. He was the first to enter within the veil. Hebrews 7:26 says that He is such a High Priest because He has become higher than the heavens. He is at the height of the universe. Hebrews 8:1, 9:24, and 10:12 all tell us that the Christ who died is now in the heavens; yet He is present. Oh, how we must come to contact Him! Forsake the shell! Forget the shell! We all must touch this heavenly Christ, this present Christ, this Christ today. He is so real, so living. He is now supplying us with all the heavenly life, authority, and power that we might live a heavenly life on earth. He is not only our daily salvation but also our moment by moment supply. He is such a Christ. We all must know and experience Him.

Further Reading: Life-study of Hebrews, msg. 1

THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES EIGHT

THE FULL MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Message Two

Christ Being Both in Heaven and in Our Spirit

Rom. 8:34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ Jesus who died and, rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

2 Tim. 4:22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

Col. 3:1 If therefore you were raised together with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

Today Christ as the High Priest

Being Both in Heaven and in Our Spirit

Today Christ as the High Priest is both in heaven and in our spirit (Rom. 8:34; 2 Tim. 4:22). He is both the heavenly Christ, Christ in heaven, and the indwelling Christ, Christ within the believers (Col. 3:1, 4). In the stage of His incarnation Christ was outside the believers. However, in His resurrection Christ became the life-giving Spirit, and as the life-giving Spirit, Christ is both in heaven and in our spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17). Thus, we can contact Christ in the stage of His resurrection as the life-giving Spirit in our spirit.

The Lord Today Dwelling in Our Spirit

The New Testament declares that we are the temple of God and that Christ is with our spirit. ” The Lord be with your spirit ” (2 Tim. 4:22). There are two verses proving that the Holy Spirit today is working with our spirit: “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16); ” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit ” (1 Cor. 6:17). The Lord Himself is the Spirit, each one of us has a spirit, and these two are mingled as one spirit. This proves that the Lord today dwells in our spirit.

Meeting Christ Whenever We Turn Into Our Spirit

Christ in our spirit is the mark of God’s economy. God’s economy is to dispense Himself into man as the all-inclusive Triune God, and the mark of His economy is the indwelling Christ within our spirit. Whenever we turn into our spirit, there we will meet Christ. For example, if electricity has been installed in my house and I wish to use it, what shall I do? The answer, of course, is simply to turn on the switch. Our switch is the human spirit. Many Christians can recite John 3:16, but they are ignorant of 2 Timothy 4:22, which is just as important as John 3:16—”The Lord be with your spirit.” God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son, and we have received Him (John 1:12). We have believed in Him and received Him…He is within our spirit.

Further Reading: CWWL, 1964, vol. 3, “The Economy of God,” msg. 11

THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES EIGHT

THE FULL MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Message Three

The Indwelling Christ

John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, Even the Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him; but you know Him, because He abides with you and shall be in you.

The Lord Jesus as the Comforter outside While He Was on Earth

In John 14:16 the Lord Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter.” The Greek word for Comforter is difficult to translate because it is a very particular word; its anglicized form is paraclete. The word refers to one who is called to your side to wait on you, to take care of you, and to bear all your responsibilities.…Originally, the Lord Jesus was God over all and the Creator of the universe (Rom. 9:5; John 1:3). One day He humbled Himself to become a man by being conceived and born of a virgin in a manger. He lived in the despised city of Nazareth and grew up in a poor carpenter’s home. When He was thirty years old, He went out to preach the word, heal the sick, cast out demons, perform signs and wonders, and teach the truth. He was with His disciples for three and a half years and was very thoughtful of them. He knew their problems and was able to meet all their needs.…He was not only their Doctor and Nurse but also their Lawyer and Counselor. He was truly their Comforter.

The Lord Jesus as the Comforter inside after His Death and Resurrection

While the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He was with His disciples in an outward way for three and a half years; He was a tender, caring Comforter. However, after three and a half years, suddenly one day He told His disciples that He was going away from them and was going to Him who sent Him (John 16:5). The disciples were shocked by His word and felt sorrowful. Nevertheless, He told them not to be sorrowful, saying, “It is expedient for you that I go away” (v. 7). This was because, while at that time His physical presence with the disciples was wonderful, He could be among them only in an outward way since He was still in the flesh, limited by time and space. He could not be with His disciples if they were at the Sea of Galilee in the north while He was in the temple in Jerusalem to the south. Therefore, He had to go and have a change to become the life-giving Spirit. Thus, He would be able to enter into them to be with them at any time and in any place as the Comforter within them. For the disciples that would be His best presence.

Today the Key Point, the Most Important Point,

in Our Enjoyment of Christ’s Salvation

Being the Indwelling Christ

Today the key point, the most important point, in our enjoyment of Christ’s salvation is the indwelling Christ. Christ has ascended to heaven, but at the same time He is also dwelling in us. On the one hand, He is in heaven interceding for us as our great High Priest, our Advocate, to carry out God’s economy. On the other hand, He is the all-inclusive indwelling Christ who dwells in us as our Comforter to be our life and all of our supply.…The Lord Jesus was originally the Comforter outside of us, but after His death and resurrection He became the Spirit of reality to come into us to be the Comforter inside of us.

Further Reading: CWWL, 1983, vol. 1, “The Subjective Experience of the Indwelling Christ,” ch. 3

THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES EIGHT

THE FULL MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Message Four

The Great Mystery-Christ and the Church

Matt. 16:16-18 And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in the heavens. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Eph. 5:32 This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church.

The Great Mystery-Christ and the Church

In Ephesians 5:32 Paul says, “This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church.” The fact that Christ and the church are one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17), as typified by the husband and wife being one flesh, is the great mystery. It surely is a great mystery that the church as Christ’s counterpart comes out of Christ, has the same life and nature as Christ, and is one with Christ.

The Church Being Something of Christ and for Christ

In Matthew 16 the Lord Jesus brought His disciples into the district of Caesarea Philippi and there asked them, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” (Matt.16:13). After they responded, the Lord went on to ask, “But you, who do you say that I am?” (v. 15). Receiving a revelation from the Father, Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).…According to Eph.5:32, there is a great mystery of two parts, Christ and the church. Because the Father’s revelation concerning Christ is only the first half of this great mystery, the Lord went on to speak concerning the church: “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church” (v. 18). This indicates strongly that the church must be something of Christ and for Christ. First, Christ was recognized, known, and even possessed. Then the Lord said that on “this rock” He would build His church. This rock refers not only to Christ, but also to the revelation of Christ, which Peter received from the Father. The church is built on this revelation concerning Christ. Hence, the “rock” here is not merely Christ Himself; it is also the realization, knowledge, experience, and possession of Christ.

The Real Foundation for the Building of the Church

Being the Realization of Christ

Today many claim to recognize that Christ is the foundation of the church. However, they have not seen that the real foundation for the building of the church is the realization of Christ. If we do not realize Christ in our experience, we shall not have the foundation for the building of the church. Therefore, we must know Christ. Then our knowing, experiencing, enjoying, and possessing of Christ will be the foundation upon which He will build the church.

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 213; Life-study of Mark, msg. 16

THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES EIGHT

THE FULL MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Message Five

Christ in Three Stages

Eph. 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her. That He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, That He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.

Eph.5:25-27 Presenting Christ to Us in Three Stages

Eph.5:25-27 presents Christ to us in three stages. Verse 25 says that Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Here we see Christ in the stage of the flesh. Verse 26 speaks of Christ sanctifying the church, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the Word. In this verse we have Christ in the stage of the life-giving Spirit. Finally, a third stage of Christ is revealed in verse 27, which speaks of Christ presenting the church to Himself in His coming back. Hence, in this stage Christ will be the Bridegroom receiving His Bride. The first of these three stages was in the past, the second is in the present, and the third will be in the future. In the first stage Christ was the Redeemer; in the second, He is the life-giving Spirit; and in the third, He will be the Bridegroom.

The Lord Jesus Being Resurrected and Becoming the Life-Giving Spirit

in Resurrection after He Give Himself for Us in the Flesh

According to verse 26, Christ gave Himself up for the church so that “He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word.” After the Lord Jesus gave Himself for us in the flesh, He was resurrected and in resurrection became the life-giving Spirit (1Cor.15:45). As the life-giving Spirit, He is the speaking Spirit. Whatever He speaks is the word that washes us.…The more the Spirit speaks, the more we are washed, cleansed. Every time He speaks within us we should experience cleansing.…This cleansing is a metabolic cleansing that removes what is old and replaces it with what is new.

Becoming a Glorious Church, a Church Holy

and without Blemish through the Lord’s Speaking within Us

as the Life-Giving Spirit

Through the Lord’s speaking within us as the life-giving Spirit, we are becoming a glorious church, a church holy and without blemish. Today we are waiting for the Lord’s coming back, knowing that when He comes, He will present us to Himself a glorious church, holy and without blemish. At that time, we shall experience Christ in the third stage as the Bridegroom coming for His Bride. Until then, our need is to daily take Christ as our person and to be cleansed, purified, and sanctified through the speaking of the life-giving Spirit. In this way we shall undergo a metabolic change leading to the transformation in life which is necessary for the church life.

Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 55

THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES EIGHT

THE FULL MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Message Six

The Full Ministry of Christ in His Three Stages

John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Rev. 5:6 And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as having just been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

The Full Ministry of Christ

The full ministry of Christ includes all the works of Christ’s accomplishments. Christ accomplishes so much by His ministry, His service, from His incarnation to the consummation of the New Jerusalem. The New Testament begins with Christ’s incarnation and ends with the New Jerusalem. Matthew presents the birth of Christ, His incarnation, and Revelation presents the New Jerusalem, the holy city.

Christ bringing the infinite God into the finite man In the stage of His incarnation

In the stage of His incarnation, Christ brought the infinite God into the finite man; He united and mingled the Triune God with the tripartite man; and He expressed in His humanity the bountiful God in His rich attributes through His aromatic virtues. Finally, He went to the cross to finish His all-inclusive judicial redemption.

Christ Becoming the Life-Giving Spirit,

and Regenerating the Believers for His Body

in the Stage of His Inclusion

from His Resurrection to the Degradation of the Church

In Christ’s resurrection He was begotten as God’s firstborn Son, He became the life-giving Spirit, and He regenerated the believers for His Body.

The purpose of Christ’s being begotten to be the firstborn Son of God and becoming the life-giving Spirit was for the regenerating of the believers, making them the many sons of God born of God with Him in the one universally big delivery. Christ’s resurrection was a big delivery of Himself as the firstborn Son and the believers as His many brothers, His millions of “twins.”

Christ Becoming the Sevenfold Intensified Spirit

to Produce the Overcomers for the Consummating

of the New Jerusalem in the Stage of His Intensification

Christ has become the sevenfold intensified Spirit to intensify His organic salvation and to produce the overcomers for the consummating of the New Jerusalem.

Our God is the flowing God, flowing to impart and dispense Himself as life into all His lovers. Eventually, this eternal life will have an aggregate, a totality, a consummation. That will be the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is the totality of the eternal life in the entire Bible.

Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” msg. 12, msg. 13, msg. 14

THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES EIGHT

THE FULL MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Message Seven

The Overcomers

Rev. 12:11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death.

Rev. 12:5 And she brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

Needing a Group of Overcomers to Attain God’s Original Goal

in His Eternal Purpose

The reason we are considering this matter of the man-child is because in God’s eternal purpose He needs a group of overcomers. According to history, we have to admit that the church has failed. Therefore, God is calling the overcomers to stand for the church. The man-child spoken of in this passage of Revelation refers particularly to the overcomers at the end time. Once the man-child is brought forth, he will be caught up to the throne of God. Then things will immediately happen in heaven and Satan will be cast down. God’s difficulty is removed by the rapture of the man-child; His problem is solved. It seems that once the man-child is born, God’s purpose can no longer be hindered. This is what God is calling for today; this is what interests Him today. God needs a group of people to attain His original goal.

The Overcomers Being to Take the Position

Which the Whole Church Should Take

and to Do the Work for the Church

The principle of the overcomers is not that an individual who is especially spiritual will have a crown and glory waiting for him. This is not to say that individuals will not be rewarded with crowns and glory in that day. These they may obtain, but they are not for these; this is not their main purpose. The reason for the overcomers to be the overcomers is not to receive glory or crowns for themselves, but simply to take the position which the whole church should take and do the work for the church. Before God, the church should be in that condition which He desires; she should be responsible to Him, fulfilling the work committed to her and standing in her proper position. The church, however, has failed and is still failing today. She has not become what she was originally purposed to be; she has not done her work, taken up her responsibility, nor stood in her proper position. She has not gained the ground for God. There is only a group of people left to do that work for the church and to take up the church’s responsibility. This group is the overcomers. What they do is counted as the work of the whole church. If there are those who will be the overcomers, God’s purpose is attained and He is satisfied. This is the principle of the man-child.

The Basis and Attitude of the Overcomers

Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death.” “They overcame him.” “Him” refers to Satan. They overcame Satan by rendering him unable to do any of his work upon them. They overcame him (1) because of the blood of the Lamb, (2) because of the word of their testimony, and (3) because they had an attitude of not loving their soul-life even unto death.

Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 34, “The Glorious Church,” ch. 4

THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES EIGHT

THE FULL MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Message Eight

The Rapture of the Living Overcomers

Rev. 14:1 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.

Rev. 14:4 …These were purchased from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

There Being One Hundred Forty-Four Thousand Living Overcomers

in Revelation 14:1 and 4

In Revelation 14:1 and 4 there are one hundred forty-four thousand living overcomers.…Revelation 14:1 says, “I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” Verse 4b goes on to explain, “These were purchased from among men as firstfruit to God and to the Lamb.” The firstfruit to God and to the Lamb are those of God’s crop who mature the earliest. These early overcomers will be the first ripe ones in God’s field. Hence, they will be reaped before the harvest as firstfruit to God and to the Lamb.

The One Hundred Forty-Four Thousand Living Overcomers Being

Raptured to Mount Zion in the Heavens

for God and Christ’s Fresh Enjoyment

The one hundred forty-four thousand living overcomers, the firstfruit of God’s crop, will be raptured to mount Zion in the heavens for God and Christ’s fresh enjoyment. Here we see the difference between the man-child in Revelation 12 and the firstfruit in Revelation 14. The man-child is for fighting and for defeating Satan. Hence, the man-child deals with the enemy. The firstfruit is not for fighting but for the satisfaction of God and the Lamb. God and the Lamb need enjoyment. The living overcomers will be the firstfruit to satisfy this need for enjoyment.…If we realize this, we shall desire to ripen earlier for the satisfaction of God and Christ. Therefore, we need to pray, “Lord, I care for Your enjoyment and satisfaction. For the sake of Your satisfaction, I want to ripen early. Lord, I want to be taken to the heavens with the firstfruit to satisfy You.” This is the attitude of the living overcomers, those who satisfy the hunger and thirst of God the Father and the Lamb, the Redeemer. The earliest ones of God’s crop to mature are for the first enjoyment of God and Christ.

The One Hundred Forty-Four Thousand Living Overcomers

Being Raptured to Mount Zion in the Heavens

before the Great Tribulation

The one hundred forty-four thousand living overcomers will be raptured to mount Zion in the heavens before the great tribulation. The events recorded in verses 6 through 13 of Revelation 14, all of which will take place during the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21), indicate clearly and prove strongly that the first overcomers as the firstfruit will be raptured before the great tribulation and that the harvest in Revelation 14:14-16, which includes the majority of believers, will be raptured toward the end of the great tribulation.

Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 182

THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES EIGHT

THE FULL MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Message Nine

All Believers Will Be Raptured

before the Great Tribulation Being Inaccurate

Luke 21:36 But be watchful at every time, beseeching that you would prevail to escape all these things which are about to happen and stand before the Son of Man.

The Lord’s Promise in Luke 21:36

Being Related to Being Watchful and Beseeching Constantly

Although the Lord’s promise is available to every believer, the requirement for obtaining this promise is not related to being saved but to being watchful and beseeching constantly. It is not enough to be saved; we must be watchful at all times and beseech constantly in order to obtain the Lord’s promise. To be watchful at all times, beseeching constantly, is to live an overcoming life before the Lord…Not every believer will obtain this promise of rapture, because not every believer will fulfill the Lord’s requirements to be watchful at all times and to beseech constantly.

The Lord’s Promise in Luke 21:36 Showing That the View That All Believers Will Be Raptured before the Great Tribulation

Is Inaccurate

This promise shows that the view that all believers will be raptured before the great tribulation and the view that all believers will be raptured after the great tribulation are both inaccurate for the following three reasons.

First, the Lord does not promise that all believers will be counted worthy to escape the coming tribulation and will be raptured to stand before His face. His promise is to those who are watching constantly and praying always. In other words, the Lord’s promise is not related to salvation but to overcoming. Those who are merely saved cannot be counted worthy of this blessing; only those who are saved and who overcome are worthy. This should be a warning to us. This also proves that all the believers will not be raptured at the same time. There must be a difference between the watching and beseeching believers who are raptured to escape these tribulations and those who are raptured later.

Second, not all believers live an overcoming life before the Lord by watching constantly and praying always. Therefore, not all will be counted worthy to escape the coming tribulation to stand before the Lord. Since all are not worthy of being raptured to the Lord’s presence before the great tribulation, the view that all believers will be raptured in one group before the great tribulation is inaccurate.

Third, the overcoming believers who are watching constantly and praying always as they live before the Lord will be counted worthy of escaping the coming tribulation and of being raptured to the Lord’s presence; that is, they will be raptured to the Lord’s presence before the great tribulation. Since only these will be worthy of being raptured to the Lord’s presence before the great tribulation, the view that all believers will be raptured in one group before the great tribulation is inaccurate.

Further Reading: CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 4, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, vol. 6,” topic 59

THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY

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THE FULL MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Message Ten

All Believers Will Be Raptured

after the Great Tribulation Being Inaccurate

Rev. 3:10 Because you have kept the word of My endurance, I also will keep you out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth.

The Lord Promising to Keep Believers

Who Have Kept the Word of His Endurance Out of the Hour of Trial,

Which Is about to Come on the Whole Inhabited Earth in Revelation 3:10

The Lord promises to keep believers who have kept the word of His endurance out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth. To keep the word of the Lord’s endurance is to keep the Lord’s word on the earth that rejects Him; it involves suffering distress and persecution from the world. To escape the hour of trial that is about to come on the whole inhabited earth is to escape the coming great tribulation.

The Lord’s Promise in Revelation 3:10 Showing That the View That All Believers Will Be Raptured

after the Great Tribulation Is Inaccurate

If we keep the Lord’s word on the earth that rejects Him and endure sufferings and persecution, the Lord will keep us from the hour of trial that is to come. He will rapture us before the great tribulation to keep us from passing through this hour of trial. This promise shows that the view that all believers will be raptured before the great tribulation and the view that all believers will be raptured after the great tribulation are both inaccurate for the following two reasons.

First, since not every believer will keep the word of the Lord’s endurance, not every believer will be raptured before the great tribulation to escape its hour of trial. This clearly proves that the view that all believers will be raptured at one time before the great tribulation is inaccurate.

Second, according to the Lord’s promise, the overcoming believers who have kept the word of the Lord’s endurance will be raptured before the great tribulation to escape its hour of trial. This clearly proves that the view that all believers will be raptured at one time after the great tribulation is inaccurate.

Those who say that all believers will be raptured at one time after the great tribulation say that everyone must pass through the tribulation. Thus, they have difficulty explaining the Lord’s promise here…The Lord’s promise to the believers who keep the word of His endurance is that they will be kept not only from the trials of the great tribulation but also from the hour of trial. It does not say that they will pass through the hour of trial but be kept from its sufferings; it says that they will be kept completely from the hour of trial. They will not pass through this hour. This proves that some believers will be raptured before the tribulation and will not pass through the tribulation before they are raptured. This truth is contrary to the teaching that all believers will pass through the tribulation and be raptured together at one time after the tribulation.

Further Reading: CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 4, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, vol. 6,” topic 59