In a practical way, how does believing in the rapture preclude me from ministering to the poor?
I can think and act at the same time.
‘In a practical way, how does believing in the rapture preclude me from ministering to the poor?’
A careful reading of Matthew 25:33ff reveals it’s not just the poor whom we must care for with an agape kind of love. Not everyone in prison is poor. Certainly not every sick person is poor. The rich get sick too.
The division of people according to those who will spend eternity with God and those who are eternally lost is not principally about caring for the poor. Rather, it’s about how we treat anyone and everyone who crosses our path. Do we exercise agape toward them and care for their needs, or do we ignore their needs despite Jesus’ direct command?
Jesus said if we love Him we will keep His commands. Formerly we were taught to love others as we love ourselves. But Jesus gave us a new commandment:
John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
How does this tie into the doctrine of the secret rapture? Again, I can only speak from experience. What I have seen is people getting so caught up in the doctrine of the secret rapture that they do not treat people who disagree with them very well at all. I.e.: proving the truth of the secret rapture becomes more important than treating others with kindness, gentleness and patience—all direct commands. Rather, rudeness is often seen as justified, since the person at the other end of the argument is stubbornly resisting ‘the truth.’
Here is another direct command. In your opinion, is it possible to argue with a person who denies the secret rapture while at the same time regarding that person as more important than yourself?
Philippians 2:3
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;