| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"Melchizedek" |
| Date: |
18 Jun 2006 09:31:52 PM |
| Object: |
IMMINENCE OF THE RAPTURE |
IMMINENCE OF THE RAPTURE
The timing of the Rapture is unknown. Paul writes in his letter to the Thessalonian church:
(1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 NASB)
The Day of the Lord
1 Now as to the atimes and the epochs, brethren, you bhave no need of anything to be written to you.
2 For you yourselves know full well that athe day of the Lord 1will come bjust like a thief in the night.
3 While they are saying, "aPeace and safety!" then 1bdestruction 2will come upon them suddenly like clabor pains upon a
woman with child, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in adarkness, that the day would overtake you 1blike a thief;
5 for you are all asons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of bdarkness;
6 so then let us not asleep as 1bothers do, but let us be alert and 2csober.
In the previous chapter, Paul was comforting those in the Thessalonian church who feared that those who are dead in Christ will not
be Raptured (1 Thessalonians 4:13-15). Paul said that they will be resurrected (1 Thessalonians 4:16) and will precede those who are
alive in Christ. Finally, those who are alive in Christ will be "caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air", (1 Thessalonians 4:17). So we can deduce from (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2) that Paul is talking about the Rapture. The Rapture can
happen at any moment. Jesus will come like a thief in the night. Jesus Himself said, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know
on what day your Lord will come", (Matthew 24:42). Jesus also said that no one knows the day or the hour of the Lord's coming. No
man, no angel and not even the Son, Jesus Christ knows, but only the Father.
(Mark 13:33-37 NASB)
33 "Take heed, akeep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time 1will come.
34 "aIt is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and 1putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each
one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.
35 "Therefore, abe on the alert-for you do not know when the 1master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at
midnight, or bwhen the rooster crows, or cin the morning-
36 in case he should come suddenly and find you aasleep.
37 "What I say to you I say to all, 'aBe on the alert!' "
Such continual vigilance and anticipation, through all generations of believers who were looking for Jesus to return, has served as
true incentive to live with urgency and minister with passion.
A similar situation is common in everyday life. A man goes away from home on a long trip. He leaves instructions with his servant
and tells the watchman also to be on the lookout for his return. Jesus likened Himself to the traveling man. He may come back at any
hour of the night. His people, serving as night watchmen, should not be found sleeping. So He left this word for all His people:
"Watch!"
Paul in (1 Thessalonians 5:1) didn't need to tell about date-setting for it is pointless because the Lord will come like a thief in
the night at an hour unexpected just like in the days of Noah when they were eating, drinking, partying, and sinning (Matthew
24:37-38). Those people lived for today, but for the wrong reasons. Instead of living for God they lived for themselves and it was
until the rain started that they realized they were wrong. Paul says that we have the light which is Jesus Christ and we should
always be watchful, alert, and of self-control lest we be caught unaware when that day comes. Since the Rapture is Pre-Tribulation,
it causes Christians to lead holy lives in expectation and preparation that the Lord will come at any moment! When the church loses
focus of this then it becomes carnal and spiritually dead. Other Rapture views say that the Pre-Trib Rapture gives believers a false
security, but on the contrary it makes believers lead right lives before God. Live for God now, not when you realize it is too late
and you have to live during the dreadful seven year Tribulation.
Who goes?
(John 3:2-3 NASB)
2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "aRabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one
can do these 1bsigns that You do unless cGod is with him."
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one ais born 1again he cannot see bthe kingdom of
God."
This Kingdom is preceded by a translation of the living saints.
This is a prerequisite, in order that those accounted worthy to inherit the Kingdom, and rule the nations with Christ, may be
gathered. In reference to the dead saints, a Pre-Millennial resurrection is promised by which to attain this object; and with such a
resurrection (i.e. at that time) a translation of the living saints is also connected in (1 Thessalonians 4:17), "the dead in Christ
shall rise first (or away);378 then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds (or, in
clouds)379 to meet the Lord in the air." 380 The same is repeated in I Corinthians 15:51-52, in union only with the resurrection of
believers: "Behold, I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." 381
The Rapture is Biblical and it is the first stage of the 2nd Advent.
The Rapture Video Series: Media Player [96 kbps]
http://207.234.208.119/bibleweb.info/=DRIVE=bibleweb-drive/_-_/=CD-R=the-rapture-web/index.html
----------------------------------------------------------------
// A Christian Bible Study Collection
// Small Group Bible Studies
// http://bibleweb.info/0-newsgroup-material/
[XXXX][O]========= The Word of God =========><>
\\ 250Gb online - 1.5Tb DVD archive
\\
\\ http://Bibleweb.Info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
.
|
|
| User: "St Dog the Wet" |
|
| Title: Re: IMMINENCE OF THE RAPTURE |
18 Jun 2006 09:54:24 PM |
|
|
The spammer Melchizedek wrote:
Spam
The Hidden Dangers of "The Rapture"
We, His People, the Church, will be gathered, ascend or be 'taken
up' to be with Him. That is a Truth. The difference between "the
rapture" and the Gathering of His Elect is both in the timing and
the reason He will gather His People, the Elect, the Church. Mat
24:29-31.
The Doctrine of "the rapture" is not just that the Church will
ascend into heaven to be with the Lord. But "the rapture" teaches
the Church will 'taken up' so that we do not have to live through
affliction or the time of Tribulation, or die; while the rest of
earth’s people must live through affliction and tribulation.
I will not prove, again, in this writing, that "the rapture" is
false doctrine.
See:
*"Does scripture teach the rapture of the Church?"
http://tinyurl.com/nbu6q
*"Seventh trumpet: evidence of delusion"
http://tinyurl.com/lsmbe
*"A list of trumpet events"
http://tinyurl.com/p2epu
*"We shall be caught up"
http://tinyurl.com/syneu
*"Affliction and Tribulation"
http://tinyurl.com/de624
There seem to be three theories of when this event will occur:
pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, post-tribulation. I will not
define or debate differences between these various theories. I
will continue from the position that it is a false doctrine and
therefore all variations of it are also false.
There are several dangers in this false doctrine.
First is a hope to escape affliction, pain and suffering. It is
certainly natural for us to hope that we will not have to endure
pain. We avoid pain anytime we can: who in their right mind does
not? We insist on pain killer when we visit the dentist. When we
are no longer children, we avoid broken legs and falling on our
head if at all possible.
If we stop and think for a moment, we will realize that it is
only the last generation, or two, who have been able to get a
shot or take a pill to eliminate pain. All the generations of men
who lived before the 1930-40’s had to endure pain as part of life.
Since avoiding needless pain is a natural hope, it makes us easy
prey for a lie that if we will drink two glasses of water every
morning we will live long, then die suddenly with no pain or
suffering.
The lie, that we can hope to live out our lives without suffering
as a testimony of our faith in Christ, is definitely aimed at our
natural hope to live, and escape death, without pain.
However, this lie completely ignores scripture which tells us the
Truth: "...No man should be moved by these afflictions: for
yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto." 1 Thes 3:3-4
and 2 Tim 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution." 1 Peter 2:19-21 and read carefully
Matthew 24:7-10, 15, 21.
The Second danger is the confusion of the sequence of events
which will occur before and at His return. The sequence is
important because, although we can not know which day That Day
will be, we can know the general time, or the generation, so we
will not be in the dark.
Paul wrote, "...As ye see the day approaching..." Hebrews 10:25
and 1 Thes 5:4: "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that That
Day should overtake you as a thief." Mat 25:1-13. Luke 12:54-56
"And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of
the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it
is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be
heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the
face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not
discern this time?
His Elect, we, are not hypocrites who cannot discern the signs of
the times. But Satan wants to confuse God's People about the
signs, and the sequence of events at His coming, just as he
deceived the people of Jesus' day.
A Third danger is the confusion of what these events actually
are. That is, what "tribulation" is, and who is the cause of the
tribulation. Those who teach "the rapture" use terms like
"tribulation judgment" and "tribulation wrath," even though these
ideas are not found in His Word. This is intended to confuse
Christians about what these events are and who causes them, as
well as when they will occur.
God’s Wrath is described in two different ways, which occur at
different times. First is "the seven bowels of His Wrath." Rev
16:1-21. It is important to understand that the first four of
these vials of Wrath are poured out upon the earth, that is, the
planet; not on God’s People. Then the fifth and sixth vials of
Wrath are poured out upon the Beasts Kingdom; again not on God’s
People. The Last Vial is poured out on the World (as the flood of
Noah was); again, not on God’s People.
The second instance of God’s Wrath is described by Paul. "But
after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto
thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God..." Rom 1:32, 2:2-5 and Rev 11:13-18;
"Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be
judged..."
Neither of these events involve God’s People, and neither is
described as "tribulation judgment" or "tribulation wrath." These
terms are inventions of Satan, and are used in his attempt to lie
to, confuse and deceive God’s People.
A fourth danger is the possibility that some Christians may
accuse others of not being Christian if they do not accept the
false doctrine of "the rapture." And certainly the reverse is
true; that some Christians may accuse those who do believe this
lie of being 'not Christians.' This attempt to get brothers and
sisters fighting among themselves is exactly what Satan did to
Cain and Able. Yes, believing a lie is dangerous: but we are
saved by believing that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, not
by getting every detail of Doctrine correct.
A fifth danger is; having believed this lie, when we discover we
have been deceived, we will be angry at God. As Satan said (the
words out of Job’s wife’s mouth) to Job; "curse God and die!" Job
2:9. The closer we get to the day and time of affliction, the
more dangerous this discovery will be. It is best to discover the
truth early so we have time to grow strong in it.
The sixth danger has many parts: but basically it is that some
will never discover the truth, or having discovered it too late,
may reject it and God. This problem is rooted in the habit of the
majority of people: believing what someone in authority tells
them to believe.
That a majority of Christians believe what they are told to
believe is simple fact. Some Christians have been raised in a
Church that teaches it is a sin to use musical instruments in
worship; so they believe it. Many Christians have been taught
that they are to take communion once a month, or once a year; so
they believe it. If, this Sunday, their Priest or Pastor were to
tell them that they discovered in God’s Word that the moon is
made of Blue Cheese, they may smile for a few minutes, but then
they would believe the moon is made of Blue Cheese.
The next majority has a habit which is worse: they believe what
they wish, no matter what His Word says. If it sounds good, if it
tickles their ears, they believe it. If it allows them to do what
they wish, they believe it. These have no love of truth.
The willingness to believe what someone tells one to believe, or
to simply believe what one wishes; rather than loving Truth and
doing as the Christians of Berea did; is a dangerous weakness.
Coming Soon
What will happen is; that modern Rome will come to power. "Oh,
many will say, that has nothing to do with the coming of the
Lord." Then Satan will take control of Rome, and those who
recognize the signs of the time will begin to witness in sorrow
and hope; but still some will say, "Oh that has nothing to do
with the coming of the Lord."
Then Satan will proclaim himself to be God. There will be a false
Christ. The false God and False Christ will proclaim that the
rapture is past, and if you are still here, then you are lost:
however, if you will worship (this false God) him you can be saved.
Then this false God will claim to be "God" and begin to murder
those who refuse to worship him. The false Christ will claim that
the millennial reign of Christ has begun: and all those who
missed "the rapture" can become "tribulation saints" in the
millennial reign of (this false) Christ.
Then, the worst deception of all: Many who do not recognize the
Modern false God and false Christ will turn on Christians who
reject the false God and false Christ of Rome; then they will
betray us to these false gods, and we will be killed as a
testimony of our faith. Rev 11:2, 3-6, 7-13. Dan 9:27 Mat
24:6-10, 15, 21.
This generation will not all pass away until all prophecy of his
coming are fulfilled.
In the words of John:
"Even so, Lord, come."
Amen.
owd
+-<[:-)>>-
http://www.xprt.net/~servitum/
God tells us He will give us the understanding of His Word.
James 1:5. Mat. 7:7-11, 10:26, Luke 24:45, 1 Cor. 12:8.
Ps 111:10, 119:33-34, 105, Pro 2:6, 9:10, Ecc. 2:26,
-+-
Compare Eze 2:9 to 3:3 and Dan 12:9-10 with Rev 1:1, 10:7-10.
-+-
Adversity introduces a man to himself.
Anonymous
-+-
.
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
