...did you know that approximately 27 percent of the entire Bible contains prophetic material? Half of that has already come true; half remains to be fulfilled. That means that of the Bibles 31,124 Bible verses, 8,352 contain prophetic material. Also, did you know that 1,800 verses in the Bible deal with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ? In the New Testament, approximately one out of 25 Bible verses refers to the Second Coming. Would anyone dare to say to God that what He wrote in Scripture is worthless, unimportant, and shouldnt be studied? In fact, God brags about His prophetic statements as being proof that He exists. Have you ever read Isaiah 46:9,10 where He says, I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is still to come. I say my purpose will stand and I will do all that I please. What I have said, that I will bring about, and what I have planned, that I will do. Jesus in Matthew 13:23 said, So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. When you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. What I say to you, I say to everyone, Watch! Jesus in John 13:19 said, I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe that I am He, that is, God. So prophetic statements in the Bible prove that God exists, prove that Jesus is God, and as well see, they are there to warn those without Christ and to comfort those who have believed in Christ. Now, what we want to look at is, where did Jesus say that He would return someday? And then we want to look at where does the Bible teach the doctrine of the Rapture? First of all, lets turn to John 14:1-3. It reads this way: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. Jesus said, In my Fathers house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself that where I am, there you may be also. Now here Jesus makes six promises. Number 1, He says, In my Fathers house are many mansions. Notice, He mentions a specific location around which this whole prophecy revolves. Let me ask you, Where is the Fathers house? In Boston? No. The Fathers house is in Heaven. Number two, Jesus said, I go to prepare a place for you. Where is that place? Boston again? No, that place is in Heaven. And number three, Jesus said, I will come again. Heres the Rapture. Jesus said that He will come again to get us. Number four, He says, And I will receive you unto myself. When He comes again, where do you think Hes going to take us? He said, I will take you unto myself, that where I am—Heaven—there you may be also. Now, when will Jesus take us to Heaven to be in the Fathers house? Well, at the time that He returns for us. If thats not what these verses are saying, then these words are nonsense. The post-tribulationists say that when Christ comes, believers will be raptured off of the earth, theyll meet Christ in the air, and immediately theyll return directly to earth. We will not go to Heaven; rather, we will stay on earth when Jesus establishes His thousand-year reign on earth. But if theyre right, then what is Jesus encouraging us about in this passage? He must be involved in a futile building program because how long has Jesus been gone? Hes been gone for 1900 years. Thats some building program. Now keep in mind that Jesus is saying that when He comes back for us, Hes going to receive us unto Himself that where He is, in Heaven and thats where were going to be, Hes going to take us to the Fathers house and the place Hes been preparing for us. READ MORE: Thirteen Scholars Answer Tough Questions about the Rapture, Tribulation and the Second Coming - Program 1 - https://jashow.org/wiki/index.php/Thirteen_Scholars_Answer_Tough_Questions_about_the_Rapture,_Tribulation_and_the_Second_Coming_-_Program_1
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 16:30:28 +0000