[caww]

...”The ‘rapture’ is NOT the second coming of Christ. He will not come down to earth at that time. The ‘catching away’ will be just as Paul described it; “..to meet the Lord in the air..”

People get that confused alot I’ve found.....that’s why so many argue against the rapture...they do not “see” it is not the second coming ...which come later...it’s our rescue, as his beloved, from what is to come....as he says...

” I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth”....Rev 3.

[Mom MD]

Also Paul in Thessolonians said, comfort one another with these words. How could going through the tribulation be a comfort?

Those that cannot see a pretrib rapture are making the same mistake the Israelites made in the first century. They only saw one coming of the Messiah, not two. Christ’s first coming as the Suffering Servant is very different than His coming in glory to rule the nations. Because they did not see the two comings, they missed the arrival of the Messiah - they were looking for the coming in Glory and missed out altogether, and were judged for it

The Church will also be wrong if they do not see 2 more comings of Christ. One in the air for His people, and the other to earth on the Mount of Olives to establish His rule of the nations. There will be a lot of surprised saints in the rapture. Fortunately this is not a salvation issue, but if one is not looking for the rapture, I think they are missing out on a lot of joy and anticipation that God wants us to have, and instead replacing it with the dread of the tribulation.

Maranatha

[af_vet_1981]

I note your comment indicates to me two things that are inconsistent with the typical dispensationalist position
1. Only those do the works, keep the word of Messiah, will be kept from the hour of temptation that will try them that dwell on the earth. If you snooze, you lose, and are left behind; so much for Once Saved Always Saved.
2. The seven churches of Asia in the book of Revelation do not represent different ages since the words you quoted were written to the angel of the church of Philadelphia and not to the last church in the series.

The Rapture remains a late, late, teaching among only certain denominations and sects that devolved later from Protestantism. It is not part of historic Christian teaching, being absent for all but the last two centuries.