1What is the Rapture? 2Is the Rapture mentioned in the Bible? 3When will the Rapture occur? 4What will happen at the Rapture? 5Who will be left behind when the Rapture occurs? 6Will the Rapture occur before, during or after the Great Tribulation? 7Do recent events mean the Rapture is near? Meaning of rapture...the Rapture, Theology. the experience, anticipated by some fundamentalist Christians, of meeting Christ midway in the air upon his return to earth. This term is not found in the word of God! But catching away is found; harpázō – properly, seize by force; snatch up, suddenly and decisively – like someone seizing bounty (spoil, a prize); to take by an open display of force There is no debate that 1 Thessalonians 4, and 1 Corinthians 15 teach on a catching away. Both chapters also teach the resurrection and a trumpet blast. Neither chapter mentions us, leaving before are being here after the tribulation ....It is often taught that at the rapture all of us will instantly disappear, but that is not what the Bible says. It says we will be changed in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye. When Jesus Christ was caught up, He was seen leaving the earth. Just as they were able to see Jesus go, so will people be able to see the church go. What does the Bible teach about the secret rapture? Intro: The Rapture The word rapture does not appear in the Bible, but it is a term frequently used to mean the Second Coming of Jesus. The term “secret rapture” refers to the idea that the coming of Jesus will take place in two separate stages. The first will be a secret rapture—or carrying away of the saved to heaven—at the beginning of a seven-year period of tribulation, during which the Antichrist will appear. At the close of this time of tribulation, Jesus will return to Earth in triumph and glory. Is the idea of a secret rapture biblical? Let’s see what the Bible says. Those who believe in the idea of a secret rapture say that those who are “taken” are those who are taken to heaven, while those who are “left” are those who will be left on earth to suffer tribulation for seven years. But what does Matthew say? In these same verses—describing the time of Noah and the Flood—Matthew says people were unaware that a Flood was coming until it came and “took them all away.” So who are the ones who are “taken” when Jesus comes? And who are those who are “left”? If we follow Matthew’s wording, those who are “taken” when Jesus comes are those who are lost, taken away, and destroyed by the brightness of His coming (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8)—like those who were taken away and destroyed by the Flood. Those who are “left” when Jesus returns are those who are left alive and who go to heaven with Jesus, saved from the destruction that falls on the wicked—like those who were left alive when the Flood came. So we see that these verses in Matthew don’t support the idea of a secret rapture of the saved. A lot of the rapture teaching comes from a vision a woman had! Did you know that? The Doctrine of the Rapture.....And a man named ...... John Darby, The Doctrine of the Rapture The first problem with the MacDonald origin is the fact that she wasnt the one who widely taught the doctrine of the pre-trib rapture. A man named John Darby is believed by many to have sparked modern interest in the rapture. The question here is how Darby came to hear of MacDonalds vision. Proponents like Dave MacPherson and John L. Bray have never been able to prove that Darby had ever heard of MacDonald or her vision.Darby himself claims the revelation of the rapture came to him when he realized the distinction between Israel and the church. Darby reported that he discovered the rapture teaching in 1827, three years before MacDonald had her vision. When one closely examines MacDonalds vision, it becomes clear that her vision could not have been a pretribulational one. MacDonald looked for a fiery trial which is to try us, and she foresaw the Church being purged by the Antichrist. Any pretribulation rapturist can tell you the Church will be removed before the advent of the Antichrist. John Bray, an anti-rapturist, said himself that Margaret MacDonald was teaching a single coming of our Lord Jesus. This contradicts current rapture doctrine, which teaches a two-staged event - first, Christ coming for His Church and second, seven years later His return to earth. With so many contradictions between MacDonalds vision and todays pretribulationism, it is difficult to see any linkage. By far the biggest mistake post-tribulationists have made attacking the rapture is claiming that the pretribulation rapture wasnt taught before 1830. In fact, John L. Bray, a Southern Baptist evangelist, offered $500 to anyone who could prove that someone taught the rapture doctrine prior to MacDonalds 1830 vision. Bray was first proven wrong when he wrote in a newsletter, Then my own research indicated that it was Emmanuel Lacunza, a Jesuit Catholic priest, who in the 1812 book The Coming of Messiah in Glory and Majesty, first taught this theory. Bray stuck his neck out again when he made another $500 offer to anyone who could provide a documented statement earlier than Lacunzas 1812 writings. Apparently he had to cough up the 500 bucks. I quote him again: I offered $500 to anyone who would give a documented statement earlier than Lacunzas time which taught a two-stage coming of Christ separated by a stated period of time. No one claimed that offer until someone found writings that forced Bray to write the following: Now I have the Photostat copies of a book published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1788 but written in 1742-1744 in England, which taught the pretribulation rapture before Lacunza. Lately, a number of other sources have been located that teach the pretribulation rapture--some written as early as the second century. Where does this leave Margaret MacDonald? In my life here on earth, Ive made a number of observations that I regard as undeniable truths. One of these is the fact that the truth will suffer attacks with no one defending it, while a lie will be allowed to proliferate with no one challenging it. This seems to have taken place in the case of the rapture. For years on end, anti-rapturists have been allowed to attack pretribulationism freely. One assailant called the rapture the mark of the beast while another remarked that when Jesus returns at the battle of Armageddon, He will fight against those who believe in the rapture. The people who should have been contending for the rapture, for the most part, just said, That may be your opinion. Finally, it appears that those who hold to a pretribulation rapture are beginning to counter the ridiculous charges. A number of books have been published that cite several pre-MacDonald sources describing a raptured Church. Author Grant Jeffrey deserves a good deal of praise for his work in discovering many of these sources. As far as being able to find the pretribulation rapture in the Bible, we dont need to be rocket scientists to discover it. For me, locating the rapture doctrine in the Bible was as simple as finding evidence that Jesus Christ is Messiah. The evidence that Christians believed in the rapture long before MacDonald does not seem to have sunk into the minds of those opposed to the rapture. They still teach that she is the founder of pretribulationism. When someone is presented with overwhelming proof that he or she is wrong and refuses to accept that truth, then we certainly may conclude that he or she is in spiritual darkness. I would like to conclude by saying that no evidence whatsoever points to MacDonald as the source of pretribulationism. Every major prophetic author alive today claims the Word of God as the foundation for belief in the rapture. Both Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul made statements that clearly establish the rapture doctrine. Jesus said, in Matthew 25:13, Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Paul affirmed in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: 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: 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. First understand that the word “Rapture” is not found in the King James translation. There is also no single word used by biblical authors to describe the prophetic factors that comprise the doctrine. Its formulation came about by means of inductive reasoning. Certain biblical passages concerning the Second Coming, and the role Christians will play in that event, were blended together inductively to establish the teaching. The modern expression “Rapture” has been invented to explain the overall teaching and the term suits the subject well. The basic tenets of the doctrine are simple. It purports that Christ will come back to this earth in two phases. He will first return secretly to rapture His church away from this world so that they might escape the Great Tribulation to occur at the end of the age. Christ then returns in a visible advent to dispense His wrath on the world’s nations. This is the general teaching. Many details concerning these prime factors are hotly debated. There is especially much argument over the chronological features associated with it. Some think the time lapse between the two phases will be 3 ½ years, others say 7 years. Some feel that the Rapture of the ekklesia occurs before the Tribulation, others about mid-way through. Many suggest that the saints of God will be taken to heaven for protection, while others suggest a geographical area on this earth (as I have shown in various articles). 2 Some feel that only part of the ekklesia will escape, while others say all will be rescued. These variations and others have multiplied the interpretations among those holding the belief. But all are unanimous on one point: the central theme of the “Rapture Theory” (as it is normally called in the theological world) shows that Christ will return to earth in two phases. They think Christ will come at first secretly for His saints and then He will come visibly with His saints returning with Him from heaven at the actual Second Advent. In this book, when I use the term “Rapture” standing alone, I always mean the “Rapture Theory” of the pre-tribulation theorists. There is no debate that Revelation 19 and Zechariah 14 teach on the physical return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power after the tribulation. Neither of those chapters speak of the rapture, nor of a resurrection, nor of a trumpet blast. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Paul says this occurs at the last trump, which the Bible tells us is the seventh trumpet. 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 11:15 are referring to the same thing. For the trumpet shall sound, the dead shall be raised, and we shall be changed. I DO BELIEVE IN A CATCHING AWAY! BUT NOT THE WAY WE HAVE BEEN LIED TOO. I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS...BUT I AM HAPPIER WITH MY QUESTIONS! FATHER KNOWS WE CAN WAIT AND SEE...MY POINT IN ALL THIS IS PEOPLE NEED TO STUDY THE WORD OF GOD! AND NOT JUST PAY A MAN TO TEACH THEM LIES.....
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 21:48:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015