Harpazo: The Intra-Seal Rapture of the Church

by James Jacob Prasch

When it comes to books devoted to eschatology in general and the Rapture specifically, they often either read like a formal academic argument written solely for the benefit of scholars or employ the use of fiction to avoid directly handling the underlying biblical text. As with Jacob's previous books and exhaustive list of sermons covering nearly every area of theology, Harpazo presents the doctrine of the Rapture and Resurrection in the strictest biblical sense possible, leveraging the handling of Scripture in the same manner as passed along to us by Christ through the Apostles and Early Church of the 1st century.Often the typical format of such books is to spend more time explaining and refuting all the positions the author does not subscribe to rather than focus exclusively on what they believe and have derived from Scripture. Harpazo may be unique in the complete absence of charts and seemingly endless trips to sidebars to constantly compare alternate interpretations the author does not subscribe to in the first place. Jacob was asked to continue to employ in an expanded book format the same exegesis of Scripture which is present in all of his teachings regardless of whether or not they are eschatological. After all, "The Apocalypse" means "unveiling", and that "lifting of the curtain", so to speak, as we approach the ever nearer Return of Christ is the Holy Spirit's revelation of Scripture as already given, not a new opinion by man.The Gospels are clear that immediately in the wake of His Resurrection, Christ not only imparted the Holy Spirit to His disciples, but directly instructed them in how He was the fulfillment of the whole of Scripture. (Lk. 24:27, 44-45) In other words, the interpretation of all of God's Word, every Book of the Old Testament included, was re-cast as Christological, having not just a literal, primary meaning for the times any Scripture was originally given, but an added meaning for either Christ's First Coming, Second Coming, or both. Like every doctrine and theology, the Rapture and Resurrection are illustrated through many scriptural people, places and events throughout the whole of God’s Word and not simply limited to a single biblical reference.Using the Early Church hermeneutics of typology to illustrate and illuminate doctrine, Jacob shows how there are many raptures and rescues in Scripture which combine to teach what is going to ultimately take place in the Parousia—the Second Coming of Christ. Likewise, there is a wealth of similar events and patterns throughout Scripture which teach us what to expect from related issues such as the Two Witnesses, the role of the 144,000 and Israel yet to come, the pattern of judgments in Revelation and how they actually replay Old Testament and historical parallels, and a wealth of other such End Times teachings already established in the canon of Scripture.Jesus Himself established this hermeneutic by categorically teaching that the Last Days would be realized in the character of the days of Noah as well as Lot. The Apostles in their writings not only confirmed these specific examples but built upon them. The question for believers in the Last Days is not whether or not some kind of "new" revelation or word from God has been revealed, but how what has already been given is, in these final hours, being unveiled to believers by the Holy Spirit. What Daniel was told to seal until the end, John was told would be ultimately unsealed.Some of the chapter titles in Harpazo will sound familiar to those already acquainted with Jacob's teachings, but he has never tied everything together overall to this degree before. This book is not about creating another End Times chart, but making a good faith effort to draw together in one place what the whole counsel of God's Word is teaching not just for a single event or pr

Genres: Christian Non Fiction

791 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2014

About the author

James Jacob Prasch is Director of Moriel Ministries.
Jacob was born near New York City in the USA where he became a Christian while studying science in university in February of 1972, after trying to disprove the Bible with science, history, and archaeology. He found so much evidence in support of the claims of Jesus and the Bible that it required more faith to reject it than to believe it.
Already frustrated by the failures of the hippie generation to build a better world, disillusioned by the Marxism to which he subscribed, and with the drug culture that claimed the lives of some of his friends and nearly his own, he put his faith in Jesus.

Jacob’s family is a combination of Roman Catholic and Jewish. (In his youth he was forced to attend a Catholic school, but also attended the Jewish Community Centre.) Jacob’s wife Pavia, also from a science background, is a Romanian-born Israeli Jewish believer who is the daughter of holocaust survivors. Pavia was an atheist and Jacob was an agnostic. After coming to faith both switched from study in scientific fields to theological fields in Israel and in Britain. They have two children both born in Galilee.

Jacob is a Hebrew-speaking evangelist to the Jews and a Bible teacher elaborating on the original Judeo-Christian background and hermeneutics of the New Testament, and his emphasis is on church planting and missions. He and Moriel have also been a conservative voice for biblically-based discernment among moderate Pentecostals and Charismatics opposed to the seductions of the ecumenism, money oriented preaching and hype artistry, "charismania" and psycho-babble prevalent in today’s church.

Jacob and Moriel are committed to the conviction that we are in the Last Days approaching the return of Christ and that contemporary events in the Middle East, the moral deterioration of society, the destruction of the environment, the globalisation of the world economy, the rise of a pseudo-democratic federal Europe and, above all, the apostasy in the contemporary church, are all events of prophetic significance eschatologically.

Reviews

[Reeda Booke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Love the teachings of Jacob Prasch and this did not disappoint. I learned so much and I give it my highest recommendation for anyone who studies the Bible. This covers a study on the rapture as well as biblical prophecy from a Jewish point of view.

[Pat Rogers · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book lacks structure and seems to be just a conglomeration of Jacob Prasch's past video messages. There are no references at all used in the book. His teachings on the reversal of Pentecost is convoluted and confusing due to the fact that he brings no scriptural evidence whatsoever to confirm his teaching this. It is simply error. I would encourage anyone who reads this to do so with an open Bible next to you and do some serious checking of the scriptures, there are numerous errors.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intra -Seal Rapture is the veil being lifted

Being ready for the Rapture makes this Book worth reading. The foolish Virgins by all means and purposes thought they were ready in Many sincere believers say “what difference does it makes as long as you’re ? An uninformed“Virgin” is an unprepared “Virgin” Mathew 25. Daniel 12:10 says: Only the wise shall understand.

[Robert Drumheller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original thinking concerning the timing of the rapture of the church. I have meet James Jacob Prasch many times and his ministry to the poor and his love for the lost is inspiring.