Posted on 07/26/2015 8:55:19 AM PDT by MHGinTN
Here is yet more information, for those who miss the Rapture and are here after the event. This is for people, not any particular congregation of people. Please, think about it ...
...”The ‘rapture’ is NOT the second coming of Christ. He will not come down to earth at that time. The ‘catching away’ will be just as Paul described it; “..to meet the Lord in the air..”
People get that confused alot I’ve found.....that’s why so many argue against the rapture...they do not “see” it is not the second coming ...which come later...it’s our rescue, as his beloved, from what is to come....as he says...
” I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth”....Rev 3.
Don’t engage...take the high road...
I would suggest you stick to the scripture, my friend, not that it will help you either, but history is the last place you should be going to try and prove a pretrib rapture.
There is a mountain of evidence for a singular second coming (post-trib) in the ECF...and you know it. But you dishonestly brush them off with the back of your hand.
The bogus Pseudo-Ephraem being guide, these others you cite, except for the Shepherd of Hermes, are just as bogus.
Go to this link:
http://answersinrevelation.org/on_antichrist.pd
For just a few excerpts from the ECF on this...including the Shepherd of Hermes.
Speaking of which, from the Shepherd:
“Happy ye who endure the great tribulation that is coming on, and happy they who shall not deny their own life. For the Lord hath sworn by His Son, that those who denied their Lord have abandoned their life in despair, for even now these are to deny Him in the days that are coming.”
I am not going to get into a poop sling with you, so you can stop trying to insult me into some game you want to play.
For any who would like to study the issues more fully: http://www.pre-trib.org/articles
Also Paul in Thessolonians said, comfort one another with these words. How could going through the tribulation be a comfort?
Those that cannot see a pretrib rapture are making the same mistake the Israelites made in the first century. They only saw one coming of the Messiah, not two. Christ’s first coming as the Suffering Servant is very different than His coming in glory to rule the nations. Because they did not see the two comings, they missed the arrival of the Messiah - they were looking for the coming in Glory and missed out altogether, and were judged for it
The Church will also be wrong if they do not see 2 more comings of Christ. One in the air for His people, and the other to earth on the Mount of Olives to establish His rule of the nations. There will be a lot of surprised saints in the rapture. Fortunately this is not a salvation issue, but if one is not looking for the rapture, I think they are missing out on a lot of joy and anticipation that God wants us to have, and instead replacing it with the dread of the tribulation.
Maranatha
You foist these unknown dudes(Pseudo-Ephraem, etc.) on everybody for your proof, while saying zero about well known writers like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Cyprian, etc., from the ECF - I call your hand on it, while pointing FReepers to a site with actual quotes from the ECF, and you call it insults and games?
I’m very satisfied in heart, mind and soul regarding the rapture...that assurance does not come from men as you likely know. His assurance always brings “comfort” when seeking His truth on a matter.
Some very large church organizations are convinced they will indeed go thru the Tribulation...many even stash food banks etc. for that time.....others aren’t concerned for the false assurances they have that God will provide....they cannot see their doom.
As you say it is not a salvation issue....some will be indeed be surprised to go...others who thought they’d be going will find themselves left behind....the assurance of our salvation only comes from God IMO....it cannot be found in church membership or a Pastor or teacher.
dead link...want to try again
Now we beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him. 2. The ye be not soon shaken in mine, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3. Ler no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. 4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself that he is God. 5...........11.And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.
Those people who have heard the gospel and rejected the call of the Holy Spirit will be sent strong delusion to believe the lie of the Antichrist.
The Revelation of Jesus deals with the Jews and Israel. As Paul said, "Hath God forgotten His people? God forbid, for I too, am an Israelite. But they are blind in part for a season until the time of the Genitiles be fulfilled."
Who cares WHEN the rapture will happen?
Why get into a spitting contest over something that is not critical to one’s salvation?
Whoever is wrong is wrong and whoever is right is right and there’s nothing to brag on in either case.
By the way, for whatever reason I see the link didn’t work on my post 103. Here’s the website it came from:
http://answersinrevelation.org/
For anybody interested, click on the the icon with the ECF fellow on it, click on his “rapture” icon also, it has a lot of good arguments against the pretrib rapture.
I wasn’t talking to you.
Praying that God would open the eyes and ears of His children in this regard (no secret rapture), would indeed bring about a great revival, yes?
Having my ears tickled would drive me batty. So the rest of this post is for pre-tribbers...
Personally I look at it logically, and recently realized with Occam’s Razor (after trying to figure out the bogus theories of the rapture). The dead in Christ rise first. Which is what unnerved the Thessalonians when someone said the resurrection had already occurred. So I always quote 2 Thessalonians 2:3&4 and Rev 20:4-6.
The beast declares himself God to the world before the resurrection and in Revelation, there are two resurrections. One for those who die for their faith during the tribulation, “This is the first resurrection,” and one at the end of the universe, “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.” The rest of the dead include all others who died before and after the tribulation.
Sweet, simple, and the Truth which cuts like a two-edged sword. Maranatha!
Once more, with feeling:
God will not send ANY believer the strong delusion so that they will believe the lie. Period, end of item. There is no “Whoops, they tricked me and I took the mark so God has to damn me now” moment coming for any gospel believer. Our eyes are open and we see.
If your scenario happens, they’ll be disappointed perhaps but because they know and love the truth as it is in Jesus, they’ll be victorious in Him even if their head ends up on, the chopping block.
Rapture teaching never has pretended that believers aren’t called to suffer martyrdom. It does insist that believers aren’t appointed to suffer God’s end times wrath. Sounds reasonable to me, but don’t quote me (I’m not as settled on end times events as some).
Truth.
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