Biblically Optimistic and Gospel-Based
"For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." (Luke 21:22)
Posted on 01/14/2011 5:57:52 PM PST by topcat54
Evangelical book catalogs promote books such as Planet Earth: The Final Chapter, The Great Escape, and the Left Behind series. Bumper stickers warn us that the vehicle’s occupants may disappear at any moment. It is clear that there is a preoccupation with the idea of a secret rapture. Perhaps this has become more pronounced recently due to the expectation of a new millennium and the fears regarding potential Y2K problems. Perhaps psychologically people are especially receptive to the idea of an imminent, secret rapture at the present time. Additionally, many Christians are not aware that any other position relative to the second coming of Jesus Christ exists. Even in Reformed circles there are numerous people reading these books. Many of these people are unaware that this viewpoint conflicts with Scripture and Reformed Theology.
(Excerpt) Read more at reformed.org ...
A bit dated by accurate. Recall all the hype about Jesus' soon return back in the months leading up to Y2K.
"For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." (Luke 21:22)
It’s not that they think the rapture will happen.
It’s that they are worried that it won’t.
“as in the days of Noah......” the ark was a type of the Church ( the Body of Christ ) and all that are to be saved are in the ark. all the animals represent all nations and tongues to be brought in. lots of false teaching out there, especially the “pre-trib rapture”
A lot of US churches teach a version of the rapture that leads many suburbanites to believe that they will go straight from their air-conditioned houses or their air-conditioned SUVs to heaven.
There are persecuted Christian groups in other parts of the planet who have been looking for an imminent rescue for a century or more....
The stealing away will only come when all is fulfilled, and I believe most of us who remain will have been severely tested and refined by fire.
Only those who are willing to lay down their lives for their faith will find life.
I’ll read this later. Still amazed so many buy into text out of context that is a pretext.
Irenaeus tells us John wrote Revelation in the mid 90sAD which totally destroys the view of those that say all prophecy was fulfilled by 70AD. Irenaeus studied under Pollycarp who was John’s desciple. Yet they scoff at those of us who understand prophecy.
In The Rapture, we believers will be gathered up to meet with Christ "in the clouds." Christ does not return to earth at the point in thine of The Rapture. He brings us, The Church, His Bride, to Heaven to prepare for The Wedding Feast and ceremony.
At His Second Coming, He does battle with the Ancient Foe, casting him for a thousand years into The Pit, where he will be sealed for Christ's Millennial Reign as King over all believers on an Earth made new and perfect again.
That will be Our Lord's Secong Coming, according to an accurate reading of The Bible.
There are those whose faith is not in God's word, but instead are faithful to a man-made teaching of The Word. God's Holy Spirit does not "translate" for these lost, and they are thus deceived. Christ, hanging on the cross, said to the villain next to Him: "Truthfully I say to you, Today you will be with me in Paradise; your faith has saved you."
Jesus didn't tell him, "My Father picked you, but not that guy hanging next to you." The reason why Jesus didn't say that is because that wasn't what happened. This man elected to have faith in Jesus. He did no "work", he merely had faith in Christ, that Jesus was who He claimed to be. That's all it takes.
Calvinism is a lie, and it deceives and makes haughty and pious many who think themselves "specially selected" by God. God knew who would have faith before they were born, but that doesn't alter that these saints had faith, and that it is this faith which sets them apart, and makes them holy.
"For God so loves the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that all who believe in Him might never perish, but have life everlasting." John, 3:16
I know that your scales are firmly in place, for God has predicted even this, and there is no way I can remove them. God alone can do this. I will not change your mind, but I still owe you The Truth.
I'm truly sorry for you.
:-|
1. The article's hogwash has no foundation.
2. The article purports to talk about a major END TIMES phenomenon called THE RAPTURE from Thessalonians and essentially trashes one perspective on the Rapture. A major reason such theological cluelessness trashes the Rapture is that they trash the whole notion of the END TIMES BEING CURRENTLY, IN OUR ERA.
2.1 I don't know HOW OR WHEN "THE RAPTURE" will occur. I only know it's Biblical and WILL OCCUR in these END TIMES at some point. 3. I undercut the whole foundational premise of the Original Post by asserting that the END TIMES OBVIOUSLY IS RUNNING CURRENTLY IN OUR ERA. I encourage you to wake up.
4. A lot of idiotic questions, pontifications, issues are no longer worth my bother. I have grown weary of that level of discourse.
5. The truths about current realities are too obvious. Folks still groveling around at such a huge level of ignorance don't deserve to have a lot of those points responded to because the points fly in the face of too many solid facts and are too absurd to be worth a gnat's burp's worth of time and energy.
6. ANYONE WITH THE BRAZENNESS TO MAKE MY ALMIGHTY GOD FATHER-SON-SPIRIT OUT TO BE A LIAR ABOUT HIS EVERLASTING PROMISES TO THE BLOOD CHILDREN OF JACOB can expect to persistently earn my fiercest responses. I have not the least bit of an apology about that. I'm actually muting and "TONING DOWN" already, what I'd prefer to say--THAT'S WARRANTED to be said in response to such demonized hogwash from hell.
7. It is NOT a small thing to seduce the unwitting into the notion that ALMIGHTY GOD is NOT faithful regarding HIS EVERLASTING PROMISES.
8. You are welcome to think of me and feel toward me however you think God would approve of you doing. My task is to be a watchman on the wall, not win a popularity contest.
9. I will say again--I don't need to deal with the petty silliness of the points in the article because I trash the whole foundation the article is propped up on.
10. I hope to post shortly another bit of documentation showing quite startlingly starkly how WRONG the REPLACEMENTARIAN, PRETERIST/A-MIL/POST-MIL/RUN-OF-THE-MIL theological perspective of such willfully blind constructions are.
INDEED.
THX.
So are you basically saying that salvation is by works, it kind of sounds like your saying that to keep your salvation you most lay down your life for God, and if you don't then you will lose your salvation. What if a Christian fails the test, what if......it's sounds like works oriented christianity to me.
Scripture for this analogy? Since when did the Bible state anywhere that ark was a type of the church?
If the Rapture doesn’t happen pre-trib, there’s no point in it.
The tribulation is God’s judgment on an unbelieving wold. Since believers are well, believers, they have already been judged and declared innocent. There’s no point in leaving believers to suffer the wrath of God that He’s going to pour out on this planet.
Some way to treat the Bride of Christ.
Much agree.
I’m just not dogmatic about it.
You know, we can’t be. Personally, I think the best reading is pre-trib and I hope it’s right and I’d LOVE to be around for it, but if I’m not, I’m not.
My believing that it’s pre-trib isn’t going to make it so. If it’s mid-trib or post-trib, that’s what it’s going to be.
We read Scripture, come to the best conclusion we can about it, and let God do what he’s going to do. If we’re wrong, we’re wrong. There’s nothing anyone can do about it other than live our lives in such a manner that whenever it comes and whatever happens, we’re ready.
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