[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Very long, but very good.

[xmission]

I studied this very intensely about a dozen years back. I found that if you answer three questions with what is written, you can come to only one conclusion about the tribulation.

1 Who rises first.

2 When do they rise.

3 When is the last trumpet.

[gost2]

I didn’t go there but I’m assuming “pre-trib.org” must be a rapture believing site.

For those who are interested, the scriptural proofs that there is no such thing as an early ‘rapture’ removing Christians from the earth prior or during the Tribulation are monumentally stronger than the thin and actualy UNscriptural arguments for such a phenomenon.

This site has some of the best biblical scholarship I have ever found:

http://www.biblestudying.net/index.html

Here is their take on the fallacy of a pre-tribulation ‘Rapture’ written by an associate of theirs they agree with 100%. If you read this material and you still believe in a ‘Rapture’ .... then biblical exegesis means not much at all to you.

http://www.geocities.com/~lasttrumpet/index.html

[Manfred the Wonder Dawg]

From a post I made on another thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2043099/posts?page=2#2

Historic Reformed view on this topic:

The Coming of the Lord
http://www.pbministries.org/Eschatology/brown/brown_01.htm

The Secret Rapture?
http://www.pbministries.org/Eschatology/miscellaneous/fletcher_01.htm

The Rapture of the Saints
http://www.pbministries.org/Newsletter/2000/Jan/butt01_01.htm

[Arkinsaw]

It's good, but you can become obsessed with literalism.

The Bible is the greatest artistic work of all time. It contains definite literal statements, rules, requirements, and explanations. But it also contains word pictures, stories, allegories, poems, songs, genealogies, proverbs and sayings. God is not prohibited from using any literary devices. He can even use parables to make large complicated spiritual and theological concepts into something that a six year old, or an ignorant peasant, can fully understand. Quite amazing actually.

In general, literalism is correct, but there is no greater artist than God and "not literal" does not equal "not true". Jesus' parables were not to be taken as literal, but yet are true.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Hey, check it out! The postmils are out, pretending like they’re spiritual Rambos, even though they can’t read the manual for the M-60 correctly!

[Don Corleone]

12-21-12

[Cacique]

btt

[GOP Poet]

Very interesting stuff. A lot to digest. I still have a lot more to read. Thank you for posting.

[sasportas]

On something as critical to eschatology as the millennial, it is wise to checkout the early church fathers. They lived in closer proximity to the Apostolic church of the first century than we, some 1900 yrs or so closer.

I think it safe to say that an eschatological belief without historical verification in the early years of Christianity should be discarded.

I have examined these writings, I find abundant evidence of Premillennial belief. Not only so, but concerning the timing of the rapture, they held to what we call today “post-trib.” They were Post-trib Premillennialists, in other words.

It is clear to me that such eschatological views as Preterism, Postmill, and Dispensationalism (with its pretrib rapture), are innovations.