Posted on 07/27/2016 8:46:41 PM PDT by NRx
By Fr. Anthony M. Coniaris
In this brief article, Fr. Anthony expresses with clarity the truth of the false teaching known as the Rapture and how much it distorts the teachings of the Lord in the Holy Scriptures.
As I was driving one day I encountered a bumper sticker admonishing me:
WARNING! In the event of Rapture, this car will be driverless.
The strange belief in the Rapture teaches that some day (sooner rather than later), without warning, born-again Christians will begin to float up from the freeway, abandoned vehicles careening wildly. There will be airliners in the sky suddenly with no one at the controls! Presumably, God is removing these favored ones from earth to spare them the tribulation of the Anti-Christ which the rest of us will have to endure.
Unfortunately the Rapture has been promoted widely by the Left Behind series of books that have sold over 70 million copies.
The Rapture represents a radical misinterpretation of Scripture. I remember watching Sixty Minutesa year ago and was appalled to hear the announcer say that the Rapture is an unmistakenly Christian doctrine. It is not!
It is a serious distortion of Scripture.
It is astonishing that a belief so contrary to Scripture and the tradition of the Church could be propagated by so-called Christians.
According to the Bible and according to the belief not only of Orthodox Christians but also of the Roman Catholic and most Protestant mainline churches, the true Rapture will not be secret; it will be the great and very visible Second Coming of Jesus at the end of the world. That is the one and only Rapture. It will not be a separate, secret event but one that every eye shall see (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
The word rapture is not found in Scripture but hearkens to 1 Thess. 4:17 where St. Paul says that when the Lord comes again
we who are alive shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
This being caught up in the cloudsarpagisometha in Greek, is translated by some as raptured. The word itself is not found in Orthodox theology.
The notion of a rapture in which Christ comes unseen to take believers away secretly, and only later comes back again for everyone else publiclythis whole teaching is quite novel. It was almost unheard of until John Nelson Darby formulated it in the 1800s as part of a new approach to the Bible, sometimes called dispensationalism.
The purpose of the Rapture is to protect the elect from the tribulations of the end times. Yet Jesus said nothing about sparing anyone from tribulation. In fact, He said,
In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
Nowhere did Jesus ever say that He would return secretly to rapture the elect. Rather, He promised to be with His elect in all tribulations.
Lo, I am with you always. I will never leave you or forsake you.
He even had something good to say about being persecuted:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:10).
Those who espouse the Rapture claim that Matthew 24:40-41 refers clearly to the rapture of the just,
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
The entire passage, however, refers to Christs second coming where He will judge the living and the dead and separate the just from the unjust.
Darby taught as dogma that when the Scriptures reveal that the Lord will reign on earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4), this figure is to be taken literally, rather than as a symbol for eternity as we believe. The Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431 condemned as heresy this teaching which is called chialiasmos (millenianism or 1000 years).
In fact, the Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787 A.D.) in which the essential truths of the Christian faith were defined never mention a rapture. Yet evangelical Christians and Pentecostals keep using obscure passages of the book of Revelation which purport to give a detailed timetable of what will happen at the end of the world, despite the fact that Jesus Himself warned that no man knows either the day or the hour when the Son of Man shall return.
A major problem with the Rapture is that it ends up teaching not two but three comings of Jesusfirst His birth in Bethlehem; second, His secret coming to snatch away (rapture) the born-again; and third, His coming at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead and to reign in glory. Yet only two not three comings of Christ are mentioned in the Bible. We have the clearest definition of this in the Nicene Creed when we confess that
the Lord Jesus Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. His Kingdom will have no end . I expect the resurrection of the dead. And the life of the ages to come.
There is no mention of a Rapture.
As already stated, most Christians, Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Protestants do not believe in the Rapture. In fact, one Protestant pastor, John L. Bray, summarized magnificently what we Orthodox and most other Christians believe about the Rapture when he wrote these remarkable words,
Though many believe and teach this Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory, they erroneously do so, because neither Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, nor any of the other writers of the Bible taught this. Nor did the early church fathers, nor any others for many hundreds of years . Did you know that NONE of this was ever taught prior to 1812, and that all forms of Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching were developed since that date? . If I were to preach something, or believe something, supposedly from the Bible, but cannot find that ANYONE ELSE before 1812 ever believed it or taught it, I would seriously question that it is based on the Bible.
Thus the Rapture is foreign to the Bible and to the living tradition of the Church. It is what we call a heresy, a false teaching. False teachings, such as this, happen when peoplelike John Darbybelieve that they have the right to interpret the Scriptures individually apart from the Living Body of Christthe Churchwhere the Spirit of Truth abides and leads us to all truth.
I can think of no better words to conclude than those of Jesus when He speaks of the one and only Rapture, the Second Coming:
Be on guard. Be alert! You do not know when that time will come keep watch if he comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch! (Mark 13:32-37).
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
>> “This eliminates every person ever born, except for those of us who were given the FREE GIFT of salvation in the church age.” <<
Nonsense!
Yeshua declared the Pharisees to be the least righteous people on Earth. His entire Earthly ministry was dedicated to demolishing Phariseeism, and their litany of false added commandments.
Each of Yeshua’s miracles was done to demolish one of the Pharisees’ Takanot. If you fail to grasp that very basic point, you will never understand a word that Yeshua uttered.
The Pharisees were the precursor model for the nicolaitans that would create “christianity” in the mid 4th century to replace Yeshua’s Netzerim.
The "Church Age" is a false age that is nowhere to be found in Yehova's word.
There is no "church," it is a mistranslation that should be "assembly," which began with Adam, and will continue to the Last Trump.
There is no New Covenant, but a renewed covenant with his ancient assembly, renewed in the perfect sacrifice to which his believing assembly looked forward for millennia.
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Aren't we all!
"Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned;
and I will go still further and say, take this revelation, or any other revelation that the Lord has given,
and deny it in your feelings, and I promise that you will be damned.
Brigham Young - JoD 3:266 (July 14, 1855)
Oh?
I think you Mormons without a valid TR will get a RUDE awakening when you find out you'll be in 'heaven' with the likes of ME for Eternity!
HEAVEN-The Mormon church teaches there are three levels of heaven (three "degrees of glory"):
SALVATION: A word that Mormons qualify in one of three ways: unconditional or general salvation is simply resurrection from the dead, granted to all through Christ's atonement; conditional or individual salvation involves entering the celestial kingdom through works of Mormonism; full salvation means exaltation to become a God as a result of temple ceremonies and other works. The word 'salvation' can have a two-fold meaning: a) forgiveness of sins and b) universal resurrection:
The Mormons have several different levels of "salvation".
Does anyone else think it strange that Mormons here on FR do NOT seem to want to discuss the MORMON theological attributes that make it so much better than the corrupted Christianity that America is based upon?
Hey Nana!
Provenance or not???
Hey Nana!
Provenance or not???
Now Elsie dear whyya havta goindo that for ???
No, they would not, and if that is the characteristic fruit of their faith then it is not the faith that is counted for righteousness, (cf. Rm. 4:5,6) and renders one accepted in the Beloved, (Eph. 1:6) but a vain faith which will not save them. Biblical saving faith is that which trusts in the risen Lord Jesus to save them on His account, by His sinless shed blood, and not their own merits. (Ps. 34:18; Rm. 3:10-5:1; Titus 3:5; Eph. 2:8,9) But such faith effects characteristic obedience, with "things that accompany salvation," (Heb. 6:9) including repentance when convicted of not obeying God, while such as those who impenitently refuse to provide for their own have denied the faith. (1Tim. 5:8)
But the problem is that your "you have to become Christ like in this life" statement infers that one must attain to a state of perfection of character in order to enter Heaven, which is the damnable error of Rome with its purgatory to attain such. For while works justify faith as being salvific, and which faith is rewarded. (Heb. 10:35) yet holy character and works are not the actual cause of justification, though such are a necessary fruit if faith is to be considered true and salvific. We do not try to be Godly in order to be saved, but trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to save us, and He works in and thru us with fruits of the Spirit.
The Beatitudes describe the character of saving faith, but do not teach that unfailing conformity to them is required for salvation, nor any others standard for practical perfection. Certainly the Heaven-bound contrite criminal on the cross did not attain to this state, nor did the Heaven-bound apostle Paul. (Phil. 3:10) But which perfection he sought after, though he professed that he was already saved. (Phil. 1:23)
For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. (Philippians 1:23-24)
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. (Philippians 3:14-15)
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth, and not gentile sinners, 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by doing what the Law requires, but rather by the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah. We, too, have believed in the Messiah Jesus so that we might be justified by the faithfulness of the Messiah and not by doing what the Law requires, for no human being will be justified by doing what the Law requires. 17 Now if we, while trying to be justified by the Messiah, have been found to be sinners, does that mean that the Messiah is serving the interests of sin? Of course not! 18 For if I rebuild something that I tore down, I demonstrate that I am a wrongdoer. 19 For through the Law I died to the Law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with the Messiah. 20 I no longer live, but the Messiah lives in me, and the life that I am now living in this body I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not misapply Gods grace, for if righteousness comes about by doing what the Law requires, then the Messiah died for nothing.3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who put you under a spell? Was not Jesus the Messiah clearly portrayed before your very eyes as having been crucified? 2 I want to learn only one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the actions of the Law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? Having started out with the Spirit, are you now ending up with the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so much for nothing? (If it really was for nothing!) 5 Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do the actions of the Law or because you believe what you heard? 6 In the same way, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
10 Certainly all who depend on the actions of the Law are under a curse. For it is written, A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the Book of the Law! 11 Now it is obvious that no one is justified in the sight of God by the Law, because The righteous will live by faith. 12 But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, The person who keeps the commandments will have life in them. 13 The Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree! 14 This happened in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the gentiles through the Messiah Jesus, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
You could do with reading some of Paul’s letter, too.
What the Galatians heard was Torah.
As Peter wrote, many are lost by wresting with Paul’s words; do not let that happen to you.
The Galatians had been led away from Torah and into the Pharisees’ false ‘oral’ law.
Following the pharisees was a common problem all around the Mediterranean.
The pastors of most churches today are pharisees of a sort, preaching a man made religion called christianity, rather than the faith that Yeshua’s netzerim followed.
You are ... lost, directly contradicting The Bible, The Word of God. Just read what Paul wrote. Get Rood out of your head.
Your comment demonstrates that you have no concept of what the word "grace" even means.
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. (Romans 11:6)
Luke 22:20
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
Jeremiah 31:31
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Hebrews 8:8
For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Hebrews 8:13
In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Hebrews 12:24
And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
By God's Grace, Amen!
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No The word of Yehova is in perfect agreement with what I posted.
The word “new” is in every case a mistranslation, which is upheld by the context in which it is used.
Yeshua confirmed the covenant in his blood that was foretold by Jeremiah, which covenant was ancient.
Also the covenant was with the two houses of Israel who are the assembly, not with an imaginary church. Jeremiah establishes this fact well.
It has to be understood that all of our translated Bibles had to please the nobility of the time at which they were produced, all of whom wanted a church under their control rather than Yehova’s assembly.
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