The Rapture – Indisputable Christian Heresy

Preachers Institute ^ | 04-10-2010 | Fr. Anthony M. Coniaris

[Talisker]

In my hypothetical question, the Christians are the ones who believe in the Rapture. As in is it reasonable to expect some sort of posthumous planning for the ones left behind?

If REAL Christians are suddenly gone, what's left? A world without Christians? There would be chaos. You could leave behind property or money, but there would rise up, immediately, a predatory government far worse than anything now, which would probably go for full enslavement.

So what could you leave that would actually be effective, is the real question. What could be kept by those you left it to? When the Hillarys and Bernies of the world would be seizing everything? I don't know.

[SubMareener]

If you do not pray to be found worthy to escape the Wrath to come, then I expect that YHWH will let you go through the Great Tribulation. Remember don’t take the mark of the Beast and have a happy beheading!

[cport]

I agree with you to some extent, but on the other extreme, the "Love Affair with Jesus" teaching is also partly responsible for a watered down message that has allowed liberals to co-opt traditionally conservative churches. As a church member, it is easier to vote new by-laws to change scripture's meaning and excuse your sin than it is accept your hypocrisy and deal with sin. "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2nd Timothy 4:3, NIV) That is how the liberals co-opted many of the established protestant churches.

You can rebuke with love, in fact, correction is love; to allow someone to be held unaccountable offers them no reason to need God, that is a tenant of humanism. We cannot just un-write the passages that described Jesus' righteous anger at the temple, nor the assertive manner in which it was displayed. And yet, there was love in that action, his love for his people that the money changers and sacrificial animal dealers preyed upon, and the love for His Father in his despair at how they soiled His temple.

And we don't have to turn ourselves inside out with guilt to those who have been offered God's love, but refuse it. Christ told us to stay in the places that are worthy and give them peace, but to those who don't welcome you or listen, leave and shake the dust off your feet. there is no need for this angst that Christians heap upon themselves because chastised liberals co-opt scripture and say what bad Christians we are because we are judgmental and don't model Christ's love when we offer His message of salvation, but also His requirement of confession and repentance.

[Talisker]

For the most part I agree with you, but I’m specifically not watering down the teachings here. For example, everyone knows Special Forces go through grueling training, with a lot of harshness. What’s not so known is that after the training starts the really nasty stuff is taught with a kind of gentleness and sensitivity - precisely because of how severe it is. Likewise it should be with the hard truths of Christianity, IMO. The Left sabotaged the teachings by watering them down and calling it love, instead of teaching that the hard stuff should be taught with love - totally different thing. The former creates cowardice, the latter creates courage.

[60Gunner]

"Is it the biggest theological fraud inflicted upon modern Christianity?"

No; that would be Roman Catholicism.

[EliRoom8]

You are badly misfiring. The question was the origin of the term “rapture.” When someone just tried to tell you that it came from a Latin TRANSLATION of the original language, you replied Paul didn’t speak Latin. What are you missing?

Lol

[BuckeyeTexan]

BFL

[5cents]

The Greek word harpazo G726 is where the thought of the non-scriptural word “rapture” stems from. It is used in the following passages in the so-called New Testament (KJV), and shown in italics.

AV Mt 11:12 and the violent take it by force.

AV Mt 12:29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods,

AV Mt 13:19 then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.

AV Jn 6:15 . When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force

AV Jn 10:12 : and the wolf catcheth them

AV Jn 10:28 neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.

AV Ac 8:39 the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip

AV Ac 23:10 commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them

AV 2C 12:2 I knew a man in Christ such an one caught up to the third heaven.

AV 2C 12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise,

AV 1Th 4:17 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.

AV Re 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne.

The sense of the Greek word harpazo, correctly and accurately rendered is best represented by “snatched away”, a forceful motion and effect. It fits in all the above occurrences. Read with this correction Thesselonians 4 takes on greater light in verse 17.

His first appearing or so-called “second coming” (also an unscriptural phrase) to human eyes will be for the saints of the Circumcision when He descends to Olivet, opposite the manner in which He left.

He is not returning for us in that manner. We will be changed to adjust to the celestial environment, meeting Him in the clouds of heaven, with transformed bodies along with those in Christ who were in repose.

If this is not clear to the student of the Scriptures, then more investigation is needed until the damaging effects of orthodoxy and theology can be dispelled.

Ambassadors are removed from their by their governments when war or conflict is imminent or declared. When He returns to earth it will be for war and judgment, and the Gospel of the grace of God will be removed along with the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit.

[LukeL]

Depends on the person. An individual who knows what they are doing is sinful and doesn’t care, then your words should be harsher than with one who is it ignorant of their sin. Remember Christ told the woman, go and sin no more. Also read the seven letters to the seven Churches in Revelation.

[carcraft]

I don’t think the Word “Trinity” is found in scripture.

[pacific_waters]

first-person plural future passive indicative of rapiō "we shall be snatched, we shall be grabbed, we shall be carried off"

[pacific_waters]

Strange, Ihave yet to encounter an similar attitude in most Christians. Most that I know condemn the act not the person.

[Mark17]

I remember forty years ago when Duane Edward Spencer, who had the radio program WORD KEYS WHICH UNLOCK SCRIPTURE

I have his book with the same name. Me and my friend met him at his church in San Antonio in 1973. I think it was Grace Bible Church.
He had been sick for awhile, and we stood in line to meet him. This nice, but clueless woman in front of us, said she hoped he would get better, and asked how do you feel? He smiled and said, with my fingers. We laughed, but it went completely over her head. I don't think she ever figured it out. 😎

[wardaddy]

I was taught we die and sleep till judgement day after end times

Now some evangelicals tell me no we go to be judged at death

So what is it and do diff sects see it different

Answers appreciated but no long cut and pastes please

[wardaddy]

Ever the social liberal talisker.....and Christian criticizer

And always about homosexuals

Are you a homosexual talisker?

And if you’re not a Christian then why does it bother you how we feel about sin and sinners?

Since you don’t believe

Don’t dodge with agnosticism....what heritage were you born to?

Defend your own creed.....it’s easy to attack Christians

The left and ISIS make an industry of it

[castlegreyskull]

I am not sure if I believe in the rapture. I think it is just important to live for the Lord, and be prepared for the possibility of living through the Great Tribulation. Who knows, we may die during the wars, plagues or from being persecuted, but ultimately we should keep the faith and we will be rewarded.

However, if there is a Tribulation:
I believe the young, those under the age of accountability (13) will be saved. They are still innocent. Certainly, babies will be taken up. However, that is just my opinion.

As for the elderly, they had a lifetime to live for the Lord. This isn’t an f-them. Think about a person like Hillary Clinton or the other aged liberals who openly mock Christianity. There is still time for them right now, but it is running out. Their hearts appear harden. The World will be in complete upheaval.

Also, during the Tribulation there will be 144,000 Witnesses spreading the Word, and many will be saved and will refuse to worship the Anti-Christ to the point that they will become martyrs.

[castlegreyskull]

144,000 Witnesses. They are the second look.

[jimbug]

That’s nice. But Paul did not write in Latin. He was not a native of Italy and Greek was the almost universal language of educated men in those days.

Paul didn't write in Latin, but the Catholics did--specifically to hide the liberating truth of God's Word from the masses so they could be enslaved by the hierarchical priestcraft and mysticism of the early Catholic Church.

An attack on God's Word--coming from a Catholic 'father' is really ironic considering the history of the Catholic Church.

Read Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotionals and you will get a flavor of how the Catholic church was perceived in 19th Century England. Spurgeon regularly referred to them as 'Papists".

[castlegreyskull]

If a homosexual wants to be saved and know the truth, he will listen. Many Christians will be quick to point out the obvious that a homosexual is an abomination and that they should immediately forsake their homosexual tendency. However, many Christians committed sexual sin among many other sins, so they should remember that whenever they witness to someone.

I will also say, that if the person wants to be argumentative and get into a theologic debate as to the existence of God, then it might be best to end the discussion. Many liberals or non-believers do this one.

[castlegreyskull]

There will be 144,000 Witnesses saving souls like never before.