Posted on 07/31/2014 8:11:14 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
"This doctrine is not really found in the book of Revelation. If you read the book of Revelation, you won't find any mention of the rapture there," said William Craig, a Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University.
Instead, Craig says, the idea of the rapture comes from a "misinterpretation of 1 and 2 Thessalonians where Paul is describing the coming of the Lord and resurrection of the dead, which will occur at His coming."
"If you compare what Paul says there to what Jesus says about the End Times, Paul uses the same vocabulary, the same phraseology. I think it's very plausible that Paul is talking about the same event that Jesus predicted, namely the visible coming of the Son of Man at the end of human history to usher in his kingdom," said Craig. "But proponents of the rapture view, say that Paul is not at all talking about the second coming of the Christ there. What he's really talking about is this invisible preliminary secret return of Christ to snatch believers out of the world before the great tribulation occurs. I think there's no textual warrant for that at all."
According to Craig, the rapture became a popular theory about the End Times due to the influence of the Scofield Reference Bible, which was published in the early 20th century and promulgated John Darby's mid-18th century's views on the rapture. Later, Christian institutions, among them Dallas Theological Seminary, and churches began teaching the validity of the rapture.
"A good many Bible-believing Christians absorbed this view as their mother's milk as it were and have never thought to question its Biblical credentials," said Craig.
(Excerpt) Read more at christianpost.com ...
“He also appears to have miraculously regrown a full head of hair.”
Prayer works
“According to Craig, the rapture became a popular theory about the End Times due to the influence of the Scofield Reference Bible, which was published in the early 20th century and promulgated John Darby’s mid-18th century’s views on the rapture. Later, Christian institutions, among them Dallas Theological Seminary, and churches began teaching the validity of the rapture.”
It’s more than just this. There is a seductive quality to the “rapture” idea, in that it gives one an assurance that they will be whisked away before any real serious trouble begins, so they don’t need to prepare themselves for any of that. They also don’t need to bother trying to figure out all the difficult prophetic texts, because they believe they won’t be around to see the fulfilment of them anyway.
However, this is pretty much the complete opposite of what the Bible advises us to do. The Bible tells us to always be ready, to always be watchful, for we know not when the end will come. The Bible also tells us to prepare ourselves for the time of trouble, but the “rapture” would remove that necessity and make such preparations wasteful.
Also, the Bible is full of prophecies, intended only for Christians to understand, that detail the end times. The inclusion of those prophecies make little sense if we won’t be around to need that knowledge. We are told many times that we are here to warn the world of what is approaching, yet if the “rapture” happens as many believe, we would be removed just as those warnings would be needed most.
This is a nonsensical belief, unsupported by scripture, but it is the seductive quality that perpetuates it. It’s just another variation of “feel good” Christianity, believing what pleases man, rather than what pleases God.
I kid you not, but there’s actually a computer game called left behind.
You try to convert nonbelievers into Christians (or kill them).
In the game, you could play the side of the Anti-Christ.
Sometimes, I wonder if these things are made just for the money, and not for the purpose of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Cage’s hair almost looks normal in that poster. I’m kind of disappointed, it’s kind of fun seeing what crazy wig he will wear in each movie.
Yeah, Cage will do ANY movie if the paycheck is good nowadays. Which has led to some pretty hilarious movies being made :)
After studying it, I honestly felt silly for ever believing it. I learned early on that Christians tend to believe pretty much anything if its source is their church.
The more I study scripture, the more I part ways with some of the details of what I was originally taught. The second biggie is that I no longer believe the fate of the lost is to suffer consciously for eternity. Rather, their fate is to be terminated, with their condition being eternal.
I respect his work ethic even if I don’t like the movies and chagrin at the mess he’s made of his life.
You are the most important human being who ever lived, so of course the “Tribulation” would happen in your lifetime. What would be the point of it happening if you weren’t here?
“Christians have been incorrectly predicting the end times for 2,000 years.”
And they’ll continue incorrectly predicting the end times for another 10 years, 3 months, and 13 days.
:)
About 20 years ago there was a movie called “The Rapture” starring David Duchovny and Mimi Rogers. Rogers played a swinger who converts to Christianity and becomes involved with a group of Christians who are led by a child evangelist preparing for the rapture. It is a weird movie, hard to tell if it was a spoof or serious, and I recall it featured some nude scenes of Rogers in her swinging days.
No problem there. Especially since no one did until Darby et.al came along in the 19th century.
Talk about an invention of man.
“Well, one way or another, followers of The Lord Jesus Christ living at the time will find out first hand.”
Yes, but consider the results of the hypothetical situation, depending on who turns out to be right. There are 4 possible outcomes, since it is a 2x2 decision matrix (like Pascal’s wager).
So, if you believe in the Rapture:
Outcome 1) Rapture happens like you are expecting. Tribulation is a non-issue.
Outcome 2) Rapture doesn’t happen. You are not prepared for the tribulation, because you were counting on being raptured.
If you don’t believe in the Rapture:
Outcome 1) Rapture happens. Tribulation is a non-issue.
Outcome 2) Rapture happens. You are (hopefully) prepared for the tribulation, because you weren’t expecting to be raptured.
So, you can see, believing in the rapture leads to a 50/50 situation, with one good and one bad outcome, while not believing in the rapture leads only to good outcomes. At the very least, if you do believe in the Rapture, you should still prepare for the tribulation as if you didn’t believe in the rapture.
No, the tribulation is definitely happening one way or another. The debate amongst Christians is simply whether we will be around to see it or not.
.
This gives a bit of history.
http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_rapture6.php
“A lot of Christians, IMHO, are going to be very confused when they are still here as the civilized world crumbles around them.”
Yes, and I think this will lead to a great loss of faith for many who were “lukewarm”.
RE: Rogers played a swinger who converts to Christianity and becomes involved with a group of Christians who are led by a child evangelist preparing for the rapture. It is a weird movie, hard to tell if it was a spoof or serious
If you can find a church led by a child evangelist anywhere in the USA, tell me. I’d like to send the kid some teddy bears and lollipops courtesy of Glenn Beck :)
But of course, only in Hollywood will you find some nut who would take a film like this seriously...
It is fascinating to me how those who hold to a different view of the Rapture are so hateful toward those who anticipate the Rapture first and the Tribulation to follow. It is as if they have a holy mission to chance my view to match theirs.
On the other hand, I feel no such mission to ‘convert’ them. Whether one believes in a pre, mid or post Trib Rapture, or whether one believes in the Rapture at all, when it happens, if such a one is saved, they will be just as raptured as somebody who doesn’t.
We aren’t saved by the timing of the Rapture, or even by the doctrine of the Rapture. We are saved by trusting in the completed Work of the Cross through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ, shed on our behalf as an atonement for sin. Period.
Additionally, many of my critics say that in teaching a pre-Trib Rapture, I am condemning Christians to lose their faith during the Tribulation.
The reasoning goes like this: Since I teach a pre-Trib Rapture, if it doesn’t happen, the faith of those Christians who shared my view will be so shattered that they will turn away from Christ, accept the Mark of the Beast and be lost forever.
The obvious flaws in that line of reasoning are immediate and obvious. First, saving faith is in Christ, not the Rapture. Secondly, the Scripture promises the Holy Spirit will indwell me until Jesus returns, so it is impossible for me to be both truly indwelt and to turn away, accept the Mark, or be lost forever.
Finally, a pre-Tribulation Rapture is the only explanation that meets all the difficulties presented by Scripture in regard to any other view.
One of the first objections to the doctrine of the Rapture is that the word ‘Rapture’ doesn’t appear in the Bible. (As many have noted already, neither does the word ‘Bible’ appear in the Bible. What does that mean?)
The word ‘Rapture’ is derived from the Greek word, ‘harpazo’ which means to ‘seize, carry off by force’, or to ‘snatch out or away’. The Greek ‘harpazo’ translates into Latin as ‘rapios’ and it is from the Latin that we get our word ‘rapture’.
1st Corinthians 15:51:58 describes a translation of New Testament saints that involves an instantaneous change from mortality to immortality. Those believers living at that hour will never see death (1Corinthians 15:51)
1st Thessalonians 4:17 describes the same event, saying that the dead in Christ ‘rise first’ and then we who are alive and remain will be ‘caught up’ (harpazo, rapios) to be with Him in the clouds.
The Rapture is definitely a Biblical doctrine, unless we want to discard or allegorize away what is clearly a literal teaching. But does it take place before the Tribulation, during the Tribulation, or at its end?
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 5:1-9, Romans 5:9 and Revelation 3:10 all promise that Church Age believers will be ‘saved from the wrath to come’. The Tribulation Period is expressly called the Day of God’s Wrath.
Today, the Lord is withholding judgment. He sits on the Throne of Grace, but the day approaches when He will sit at the Seat of Judgment. Then, the ‘day of His wrath’ will fall upon all the world. (Psalms 110:5, Revelation 6:17, Isaiah 13:6-13)
There are those who believe Scripture promises that the Church won’t be saved OUT of the Great Tribulation, but instead think that the Church will be saved THROUGH it. That view collides with Revelation 13:7, which clearly teaches that those on earth during the Tribulation won’t be delivered from wrath, but rather, will be overcome by it.
“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
It also fractures Daniel 7:21’s prophecy that says of the antichrist (the little horn); ‘I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.”
If the antichrist prevails against the Tribulation saints, and overcomes them, as Scripture clearly says, then it cannot simulataneously be that those same saints are delivered ‘through’ the Tribulation.
The Scripture says the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit will be removed BEFORE the Tribulation.
The Bible says the Holy Spirit is the restrainer of sin; (Genesis 6:3, Isaiah 59:19). The Holy Spirit came into the world in His present special dispensation at Pentecost (Acts 2), specifically to empower the Church for the Great Commission.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-8 makes it clear that His restraining influence is FIRST ‘taken out of the way’ and THEN ‘that Wicked’ is revealed. If the Holy Spirit will not leave or forsake me until Jesus comes, then He cannot be taken out of the world without taking me with Him. To argue otherwise is to amend Jesus’ Promise to mean, “the Comforter will never leave or forsake you, (except when you need Him the most.”)
The Church plays no role in the Tribulation Period, which is the time of Jacob’s trouble, the 70th Week of Daniel. It is expressly reserved for two purposes; judgment against a Christ-rejecting world, and to bring about the national redemption of Israel described in Zechariah Chapter 12.
In the Book of the Revelation, chapter 4:1 begins with John hearing the phrase, ‘Come up hither!’. From that moment forward, there is no mention of the Church on earth, although the first three chapters discussed nothing else. The Church is not mentioned again until Chapter nineteen, when the Church returns along with the Lord.
Jesus told the Church; “In my Father’s 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 ye may be also.” (John 14:2-3)
But when Jesus comes at the end of the Tribulation, He comes to set up a Messianic kingdom on earth. If the Tribulation were for Church Age believers, that promise would not be fulfilled.
Then there is the doctrine of imminency. The Bible says the Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation will be preceded by specific signs — see Matthew 24, for example.
The Apostle Paul said that we need not worry about the signs of the times, because the Church is promised redemption from the ‘day of darkeness’ that is to overcome the whole world. (2nd Thessalonians 5:1-5) Pre-Tribulational Christians are awaiting Christ, not the antichrist.
Finally, there is the issue of the believers at the end of the Tribulation Period. Mathew 25:31-46 shows that there will be believers that will move on to the Millenium Kingdom. If the Rapture occurs at the end of the Tribulation, where do they come from?
It is clear that the pre-Tribulation Rapture is the only explanation that satisfies the requirements of Scripture.
“Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.” (2nd Thessalonians 4:18)
Actually, he said only the Father knows the exact day and hour. Yet he did identify signs to know when it was near.
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