Posted on 06/19/2017 10:24:21 PM PDT by righttackle44
If and when the Rapture of the Church occurs and Christians are spirited off the face of the earth to Heaven, how will the secular governments and media explain the phenomenon? Millions of people will suddenly be gone from the societies and populations of the earth. Many who thought or said that they were Christians, will still be here.
No born-again Christians will be here.
The Billy Graham article is cited to provide information.
” most Christians I know want to live out their lives - undisturbed -in this world and absolutely DO NOT want a rapture, although they will say otherwise.”
True, BUT..... nothing wrong with that. We are here. We will remain here until natural death or the coming of Christ. No one, not even Jesus, knows when that will be. Until then we will be available to do His will, “whatever it is” (4 Him song).
While some are called to be missionaries others are not. MOST are not. We slog our way through life here on earth doing our best to be like Him and FAILING every day.
Thank God, for your grace! Thank God, for your love! Thank God for blessings here in this fallen world.
We await the glorious time that we will be swept into your presence, but until then we must live our lives here on earth where you put us. Praising Your name and defending the faith.
Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t Irenaeus a disciple of Polycarp who knew and studied under the very John, himself?
It seems like when you say Irenaus the Christian world should listen. Far more gravitas than Augustine in 386 AD
That’s the impression I have of the esteem with which Irenaeus is held in the Roman Catholic world, but apparently not. Go figure.
How does the rapture disadvantage the priesthood? It always boils down to gold-plating the priesthood.
Go back and reread what I posted.
I never said anything about a secret rapture.
My postings are, for those who argue, there is no rapture, or that the word rapture doesn’t appear in the Bible. The word rapture IS in the Bible, just not in the English Bible. And the rapture is specifically mentioned in 1 Thess. All that’s left to discuss is the timing.
That all sounds good, but those affections are set on earthly things. Yeah, I’m available Lord, but I’ve got lots of other things to do first. And please don’t come before the World Series this year.
Jesus Christ is OUTSIDE the last of the 7 churches. Outside the well-to-do Laodecea. Read His message to them.
If the Calvinists are right, then only about twelve people will go missing. So not really a big news day.
Odd caricature.
Anyway, B. B. Warfield, who had heap big Calvinist mana, diagreed: Are They Few That Shall Be Saved.
Where is the word “rapture” in the Bible? I haven’t seen it. LOL!
Of course, they'll tell you about the use of "rapturo" in the Latin Vulgate. Which misses the point entirely.
The resurrection of the dead, on the last day, is in the bible. Their nick-of-time pretribulational transporter beam rescue outa here, not so much.
Good riddens? I can see the headlines, “Entire Trump Base Vanishes.” Hillary says she had nothing to do with it. It’s the Russians.
You read stuff written by an Iron Age man who thought that the earth was flat and the sun revolved around the earth? Isn’t that just stupid?
Exactly right!
>>When the Beast is finally able to “make war” against them, overcome them, and kill them, the Bible does not tell us specifically how they die. You can be sure it will not be pleasant! Yet, after lying dead in the street for three and one-half days, they are obviously resurrected, and will be given eternal life! Are these two great prophets “Laodicean”?
Are they “left behind” when the saints are “raptured,” or the so-called “Philadelphia era” goes to a “place of safety”?<<
(1) Yes, the Beast destroys the two witnesses but you have no license to guess how. It might be by a bullet or decaptitation or some other way. Who knows? It is not important to speculate about it either.
(2) Are the two prophets Laodecean? No, friend, they are part of the Jewish remnant which turns to the Lord during the 70th Week.
(3) Were they left behind during the Rapture? Obviously not. However, there is nothing indicating that they or the 144,000 had a saving faith in Christ PRIOR to the Rapture.
No, God does not choose the spiritually WEAK, the lukewarm, to be His martyrs! <<<
Wrong again. Lots of spiritually weak believers are martyred. Check out (and DONATE) to Barnabas Aid and Voice of the Martyrs. You’ll find lots of new Christians persecuted and dying for their faith.
You are way off the mark here, buddy. Just throwing an evil ad hominem attack on believers who believe in the Word, in John 14, 2 Thess 2, in Rev 5 thru 19, in Daniel 9.
>>There are three different Greek words which are used relative to Christ’s return to this earth.
They are:
(1) parousia, as already defined;
(2) epiphaneia, or, the “Epiphany,” the Advent (arrival) of Christ, meaning “a manifestation, appearing, brightness,”
and, (3) apokalupsis, meaning “disclosure, appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation.”
Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 are the focus of that :Coming” .
But “Rapture” is NOT in the Bible. <<
Wrong again.
From Bible.org:
The Greek word from this term “rapture” is derived appears in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, translated “caught up.” The Latin translation of this verse used the word rapturo. The Greek word it translates is harpazo, which means to snatch or take away. Elsewhere it is used to describe how the Spirit caught up Philip near Gaza and brought him to Caesarea (Acts 8:39) and to describe Paul’s experience of being caught up into the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2-4). Thus there can be no doubt that the word is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 to indicate the actual removal of people from earth to heaven.
You have it all wrong about the Russians.
It's a Jewish plot.
"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."
This has to do with Barron.
He's the last Trump...
;)
(Do I really need a sarcasm tag?)
Russians.
Isaiah 40:22 The prophet knew the world was round. No, I’m not stupid, Albert.
Irenaeus places the tribulation afterwards himself, so I guess he invented this pretribulational transporter?
I am trying to understand the logic here. Why would Christians not want a rapture? I can’t say that the 3.5 or 7 years they would miss would really be ‘living’... It would be considered ‘surviving’, at best.
AND the gullible actually believe it...BECAUSE they WANT TO.
They'll believe it then, again...BECAUSE they WANT TO
My friend, even Satan and his minions "believe" in Christ. Even they know without a doubt that Christ is real. But they chose to NOT follow or surrender to Him.
I think the verse you quoted must be taken in context with the entire scripture. In that Acts 16 verse, Paul was answering the jailer who asks how he can be saved. It was a quick, general answer, but both Paul and Jesus Himself went on to tell us more details. Merely "Believing" is a works-based action. Saying, "I believe, thus I am saved", is self-centered rather than God centered. Thinking that we only have to "believe" and we can then stop sinning and live a Godly life al on our own strength is where many of those that will miss the Rapture have gone wrong. We must surrender our will to God so that His Holy Spirit can teach us to stop sinning. I do have faith that if one truly "believes" in a sense that he/she believes that ALL that Jesus taught is true and right, then the surrendering part will naturally happen. If you truly love Jesus more than yourself, then how can you not surrender your whole self to Him .... this is why we call the "Church" the Bride of Christ. I am not judging what is in your heart or what is your relationship with the Lord. I just wanted to say all this in case any readers were confused by the only believing part.
I've been saying this for years!
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