The Rapture / an essay

Freerepublic | 6/12/2014 | Self

[MHGinTN]

There is coming soon a stupendous supernatural event. Some will die because of the chaos it causes. Some will cry out to God because of what it causes them to realize. It really is coming upon the Earth, soon.

In 1217 AD a German Rabbi of great devotion, Rabbi Judah ben Samuel, was given a vision from Elijah regarding the city of Jerusalem. It went something like the following, expressed in Jubilee periods of 50 years, not actual Jubilees but periods of fifty year increments.

Six Jubilees from 1217 AD and Jerusalem will come under rule by the Turks. [In 1517 The Ottomans took Jerusalem.] Eight Jubilees will the Ottomans hold Jerusalem and then give it up to be a no man's land for one Jubilee. [In 1917 during part of the first World War campaign, the British General Allenby flew a British bi-plane over the city. Turks misunderstood the name Allenby to be a messenger of Allah and fled from the city; Allenby had sent word to the Crown that he would not fire on God's Holy city. British occupiers posted signs all around Jerusalem and in the Gaza to restrain Arabs from wandering into mine fields and free fire zones or arguing over tribal claims. Those signs read simply 'No Man's Land'.] Elijah went on to tell the Rabbi that at the end of that Jubilee Israel would once again have possession of Jerusalem, for one more Jubilee. [One of the outcomes of the 1967 Six Days War was that Israel took possession of Jerusalem rather than it being under UN controls.] At the end of Israel's Jubilee period, the Jews would make a seven year compact with someone, declaring Peace and Safety, but the one with whom they made treaty would violate the treaty midway in the seven years period, and that Jerusalem would be no more.

The Bible gives specific instructions regarding the End Times. The period is called the Tribulation, and it is seven years in length, hallmarked by The Wrath of God upon men and the Earth. It is also expressly shown as a period in which God will deal with Israel as His focus, to make an end to sin (Daniel 9). The end of this seven years has The Lord returning to set foot on the Earth, to make-over the planet and establish a one-thousand year reign of Peace and God's presence with the Earth and mankind.

One can read about the prophecies for Israel in Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and throughout Paul's writings in the new Testament and John's Revelation. Tribulation is a period when life on Earth will become rapidly, and with increasing ferocity, unbearable. But The Bride of Christ will not be here for the wrath poured out upon the planet and the followers of the antichrist who will be running amok for seven years. This little essay is a short message on The Rapture, offered it to friends because God has 'laid it on my heart' to speak and write of it since it is imminent and Christians as well as wannabees need to make ready for what is coming quickly.

The English word 'rapture' is derived from Jerome's Latin word, 'rapio' used to translate the Koine Greek word 'harpazo' (pronounced harpadzo) used in the New testament most pointedly in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. But this passage in the Letter to the Thessalonians is not the only place it is used. It is also found in the Septuagint rendering of the Old Testament, a compiled Greek translation nearly three hundred years before Jesus came. Jesus quoted from the Septuagint.

Rapture is for the living. There are at least seven places in the Bible where a 'rapture' happens. I'll list them but not detail them here: Enoch walked with God and was not; Elijah was taken away in a firy chariot; Isaiah was taken to the throne room of God, but returned with a message; Jesus ascended into Heaven in Acts 1; Paul was taken twice to Heaven as he says in 1 Corinthians 12; the Church will be taken to the Father's House, 1 Thessalonians 4; the two witnesses during the Tribulation will be resurrected then raptured into Heaven; Philip was raptured to the Gaza from the Judean wilderness where he was instructed to go to evangelize the Ethiopian.

There are many voices now rising to discuss or deny The Rapture of The Church, The Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ. What is important is to be a believer in Christ as Savior and Lord. That is absolute Justification of the unrighteous by His Righteousness. Those who are His will be raptured before the Tribulation begins.

How long the Rapture before Israel's signing of the treaty with the antichrist is anyone's guess. The Bible gives not one hint to it that I have found. But if 2017 is the year the treaty is signed, we have less than three years until the seven years of Tribulation begin. The Church will be snatched away in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51-53), because believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit earnest of our inheritance, and the Holy Spirit is the restrainer of lawlessness. The Restrainer will be taken out of the way (2Thess2:7) in order that the man of Sin can emerge. We are given a foreshadowing in Ezekiel, when the Glory of The Lord had to depart the Temple before the Babylonian armies could take Jerusalem. Interestingly, Ezekiel (Ez 10&11) witnessed the Glory departing from a vantage point on the Mount of Olives.

The Rapture is a real event spoken of first by Jesus in the Upper Room (John14), prophesied in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, Revelation 3:10 and 4:1, and 2 Thessalonians 2:3. It is hinted at in the Old Testament and we see a foreshadowing, of Enoch taken away before the flood. The Rapture of The Church -the believers in Christ as Savior- is not the Second Coming detailed in the Olivet Discourse Jesus gave to James, John, Andrew, and Peter (Matthew 24, Mark 13; Luke 21). The Rapture is Christ returning in the Air not setting foot on Earth, to take to Himself The Church, which will return with Him in the Second Coming. The Rapture removes His Church before God's wrath falls upon humankind, while the Second Coming is Jesus coming as the warrior fulfilling promises to Israel, and Revelation cites those Raptured will be coming with Christ in the Second Coming.

Jesus opened the mystery of the Church Age teaching His faithful disciples (Judas had left to betray Him) that He was going away to prepare a place then come to take them there. In the Church Age there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile. The Tribulation is God dealing with Israel, and Jews evangelizing the world in opposition to the antichrist, the false prophet, and satan.

Salvation preached by the Jews (144,000 will be chosen by God to evangelize during the Tribulation) necessitates the Church be gone because there is no distinction between Gentile and Jew in the Church Age. Rapture ends the Church Age where God's Holy Spirit indwells believers, so they are born from above then raised up in the way that they should go (John3, Jesus speaking with Nicodemus, then Proverbs in raising up a child in the way that they should go).

To any who remain behind after the Rapture, call upon the Lord and you will be saved, spiritually. The world-wide chaos that will ensue following perhaps hundreds of millions suddenly disappearing from machines in motion will be horrendous. In this chaos people will gladly embrace a 'man of sin' to set things in order.

[Elsie]

Tradition (big "T") in the Catholic Church isn't some amorphous, changing set of beliefs.

---

My Prayer to Our Mother Mary

Hail and praise be unto thee, Mary, whom God Almighty has exalted above all of his other servants!!

God has entrusted us unto your care and graciously grants any request that you make of Him on our behalf, if it is in accordance with His Divine Will.

Our hearts burn with zeal as we honor you, Our Mother.

We love you as a child loves a mother and you love us as mother loves her children.

Please guide us, your little ones, to our Eternal and Almighty Father God through our prayers and through your love for us.

Many in this world may slander and degrade you while still claiming to exalt God, please forgive them and pray for them for they may dishearten your devoted children.

May we be made worthy of the promises of Christ through your prayers.

You love us so freely and we are so unworthy of it.

You love us because God and Christ loved us first.

Mary, Mother, I love you.

Amen.

 

 

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[Elsie]

Tradition (big "T") in the Catholic Church isn't some amorphous, changing set of beliefs.

---

My Prayer to Our Mother Mary

Hail and praise be unto thee, Mary, whom God Almighty has exalted above all of his other servants!!

God has entrusted us unto your care and graciously grants any request that you make of Him on our behalf, if it is in accordance with His Divine Will.

Our hearts burn with zeal as we honor you, Our Mother.

We love you as a child loves a mother and you love us as mother loves her children.

Please guide us, your little ones, to our Eternal and Almighty Father God through our prayers and through your love for us.

Many in this world may slander and degrade you while still claiming to exalt God, please forgive them and pray for them for they may dishearten your devoted children.

May we be made worthy of the promises of Christ through your prayers.

You love us so freely and we are so unworthy of it.

You love us because God and Christ loved us first.

Mary, Mother, I love you.

Amen.

 

 

- Foundation Marypages - 

Our foundation has the objective to develop, expand and maintain the Marypages website to promote the Roman Catholic belief and especially the Devotion of Our Blessed Mother, Mary.
With your financial support you will make this possible.
Marypages can only survive with your help!
You can become a donator of our foundation by donating at least 20 Euro per year. We will then offer you:

• Our Newsletter (1 time a year)

• A Miraculous Medal with explanation of its design

If your donation is 50 Euro or higher, then you will also receive a beautiful light blue rosary from Lourdes. In the rosary is a little holy water from the source in Lourdes.

Any extra income generated will be donated to compassionate projects with a Catholic basis. We are registered at the Chamber of Commerce Flevoland under number 39100629.

To make a donation, please click the button below.
God bless you.

 

 

 

[Cap'n Crunch]

Just trying to help. ;)

[metmom]

So what?

[alexander_busek]

God has entrusted us unto your care and graciously grants any request that you make of Him on our behalf, if it is in accordance with His Divine Will.

Always read the fine print!

Regards,

[MHGinTN]

There’s always someone *disengage Litella imagery*

[MHGinTN]

The part that is going to blow the minds of those ‘in attendance’ is the resurrecting of all those who have died in Christ. THEN the transformation will change all the 4D people into multi-dimensional people! THAT is going to be astonishing to the onlookers. The 4D volume will suddenly disappear from 4D spacetime, into higher dimensional quality!

[MHGinTN]

Can I direct you to a Bible on line, or would like for me to send you one? Want large print or regular? Is English your native language, or can we get you a Bible translated into a different language? Would you like to peruse the World English Bible, which is a superior English translation from the original Greek texts using the earliest available manuscripts?

[MHGinTN]

Thank you for your post. I sure hope folks read it all. But then, some are already showing they didn’t even read the little essay post for this thread, but that didn’t stop them from casting it aside.

[MHGinTN]

Kerping

[MHGinTN]

Would you be less upset if I had added that Catholics can think of it as ‘tradition’ in the Jewish faith system?

[Elsie]

Gee; thanks!

[Syncro]

Kerping up with the Kerpdashians?

I mean, thanks for the ping...

[SkyPilot]

It is clear from Scripture that the Rapture (or snatching away) is going to happen. This is also clearly an event that is seperate from the Second Coming that occurs at the very end of the Great Tribulation.

If you don't believe in the Rapture, then you don't believe that God's Word says what it means. If that is the case, people who think like that have a lot more problems than they realize. Titus 2: 11-14 tells us the Rapture is our "blessed hope." Satan, hates the concept of the pre-Tribulation Rapture, and wishes to steal our hope. This hope helps to motivate us to live holy lives, and spread the good news. (1 Thessalonians 3:12,13, 5:23; 1 John 3:1-3, Colossians 3:1-4, 1 Corinthians 1:7-8, 15:51-58; Jude 24).

Among professed believing Christians, there is disagreement about when it will occur (pre, mid, or post Tribulation).

While there are many reasons to legitimately argue for a pre-Tribulation Rapture, one of the strongest facts is the concept of Immanency.

Jesus can come at any time. The Bible tells us that two will be in the field, one will be taken, one left. The Rapture is a sign-less, imminent event.

A mid-Tribulation or post-Tribulation theory holder must reject Scripture itself on this notion. For if we believe that a mid-Tribulation or post-Tribulation is the truth, then we must believe the Bible is lying to us about how many days it will be once the abomination of desolation is set up in the Temple and when Christ returns.

"From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days."

Daniel 12:11

So if I was a post or end Tribulation Rapture believer, then I could have a stop watch and exactly tell you when Christ will return. Was Jesus then lying when He said he would come as "a thief in the night"?

Of course not!!

Jesus will come first for the Church, and then the Tribulation lasts 7 years, and then Jesus returns and His believers with him at the end of the Tribulation.

I don't know why, when confronted with this, and other facts from the Bible, that people hold on to a mid, end, or post-Tribulation Rapture.

I have my own theory. They think they are going to "earn" some points in heaven by being persecuted, and they also somehow "enjoy" telling other people how much they are going to suffer.

That may sound harsh, but after many discussions, it is the only one that makes any sense to me.

[MHGinTN]

Wow! You put a lot of work into that post. Thank you! You have added a goodly portion for thought, too. Including the Bible passage locations is a big help, too, for those who sincerely want to learn more.

[Cap'n Crunch]

haha.. so much for FRee speech eh?

[caww]

Ezekial 10:18...reads....”Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple ‘and stopped’ above the cherubim. (He had ‘stopped” at the threashold prior)
While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. ‘they stopped’ at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them....

God did not leave suddenly...but in increments where He pauses... as if saying to the people...can you see I’m leaving...are you watching...you still have time to repent.....Let this warn sinners to seek the Lord while he may be found.

We can see today that within the church and in our nation His Spirit seems to be leaving where it’s not welcomed and being replaced with “other” things that are counterfeit...same with our nation because it’s turned it’s back from God.

We are STILL blessed far more then we deserve, but I don’t think this is going to continue much longer for there is much evidences more are turning to “something” else and in fact fighting against God......thus the church and this nation continues to lose it’s power and influence.

[MHGinTN]

Beautifully offered. Thank you.

[MHGinTN]

pingalingaling (not using kerping anymore, after what a friendly Freeper showed me about that morphed term!)

[caww]

I tend to lean toward a Pre-tribulation position, including the Rapture. Though I understand why others might think differently it does seem when you follow through their position it comes up wanting every time....they are forced to “Spiritualize” certain scriptures to “fit” their position rather then let scripture speak clearly as it does.