Aramaic Word Study – Suffer Shame – Tsatar

Acts 5:41: “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.”

I Thessalonians 5:16-17: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

The above verses from I Thessalonians are the hallmark verses for the rapture of the church. Now, if we take a literal interpretation of these verses, we have a clear teaching of an event that has not yet occurred in the history of humankind where a massive amount of people will be captured away by Jesus when He returns to take all those who have been born again to heaven with Him. But first, all those who have died will be resurrected from their graves and in a new glorified body and taken to heaven, leaving those who remain to face seven years of tribulation.

I grew up so traumatized by the fear that the rapture would occur and I would be left behind that I prefer to just ignore the whole subjective subject as to whether there will be an actual event or this is some metaphor. If there is such a thing, and it happens in my lifetime, well, fine and dandy. However, at my age, the odds of such an event taking place while I still walk this earth are becoming more and more unlikely. So, I am not going to go into any defense for or against the teaching of a rapture, which really has little to do with the subject of this book.

What does relate to this book is the idea of transitioning from this earth to a heavenly state without having to die. We call this the “blessed hope.” With my views on the Divine Kiss, I really do not care one way or the other if I am around when the rapture occurs. In fact, if there is a rapture and some angel happens to appear to me and say moments before this event that I will be given a choice over whether I want to be raptured or not, I believe I would choose not.

Let me explain. My understanding is that once the rapture occurs, there apparently will be those who will get saved during the tribulation period, albeit a little late to escape through a rapture, so they will have to endure the horrors of the seven years, should they last that long. Well, I figure someone will have to be around to share the message of the Gospel, for how shall they know without a preacher Romans 10:14. As they say about the lottery: “Somebody has to win, why not me?” Well, somebody has to hang around after the rapture with the message, and if God agrees to renew my youth and empower me to be a preacher who lives under the anointing, I mean, I have won my version of the lottery. For me, that beats winning a billion-dollar lottery. Imagine the evangelistic opportunity. I would not hesitate to pass up a marriage supper of the Lamb for that in a heartbeat.

Oh, you say, “But you will likely face a martyr’s death, a very agonizing, painful death. What? Are you some sort of masochist?” Well, I read in Acts 5:41: “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” If it leads to the point of martyrdom, I am persuaded and convinced I will receive a Divine Hug and Divine Kiss, so I see volunteering for Tribulation duty and forgoing the rapture as a win-win.

The word in Aramaic for suffering shame is tsatar, which really means to inflict pain. This is in an Ethpael form, which makes it intensive, so this is more than shame but more like torture, and the Apostles were rejoicing that they were worthy to suffer tsatar, torture for the sake of the name of Jesus. I have read many stories of Christians who were tortured for their faith, and yes, they suffered pain, but they also testified to experiencing something others being tortured did not experience, and that was the healing presence of God.

But let me just focus on this rapture idea. There is one thing about the teaching of the rapture that has always bothered me. Throughout history, Christians have suffered persecution for their faith, many even to the death. Why should 21st-century Christians in the United States who really have never suffered any real persecution, who have had all the benefits that are supposed to accompany their faith like healing and prosperity when faced with a tribulation period, suddenly get raptured out before they even feel the heat of being burned at the stake. Yet, many faithful believers lived a life of suffering and persecution for their faith and eventually death. How is it that they did not get the benefit of a rapture, leaving this world without dying? I can’t believe in a God who is so unfair.

It is for this reason that I have researched and written this book on the Divine Kiss and Divine Hug. I believe in a fair and just God, and therefore, I believe that a rapture is not reserved for some spoiled Christians who are afraid of getting their toe burnt at the stake. God is the rewarder of faithfulness, and His reward is not a mansion in heaven, toll-free access to walk the streets of gold, and entrance through pearly gates. His reward is flooding his faithful with his infinite love, tenderness, gentleness, and peace. His reward is a deliverance from this world without suffering the fear, terror, or agony of death, even though the fleshly body may die. His presence will overwhelm, encompass, and surround the faithful believer such that the things of this world and the sufferings of the body will diminish to the point that the transition from this world to the next will be no different than – well, no different than the rapture.

I give you a new definition of the rapture of the church, one that just doesn’t encompass those who are alive when the Lord returns but those who have been faithful to the end. I call it not the rapture of the church but the Divine Kiss of the church. If you happen to be in the midst of persecution when the Divine Kiss comes along, you will be eligible for the Divine Hug. In fact, God will give you a Divine Hug even if you are not persecuted, so long as you have been seeking to be in harmony with Him.

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