Posted on 10/14/2024 8:55:47 AM PDT by Cronos
A. Overview of Pseudo-Ephraem:
1. Here is the full text of both the Latin and Syraic versions of Pseudo-Ephraem.
2. As you will see, Pseudo-Ephraem teaches that Christians escape tribulation by death not rapture!
3. Rapture advocates use "Pseudo-Ephraem" as an example of rapture doctrine that was believed and taught in 375 AD. Such a use of Pseudo-Ephraem is wrong, unscholarly and desperate. But this desperation is because Pseudo-Ephraem is the only example they can find before 1830 of Rapture doctrine. Of course, Pseudo-Ephraem DOES NOT teach rapture or anything even close to it.
4. The purpose of this section of the outline is to refute the claim by those who believe the rapture doctrine was taught before John Nelson Darby (born 18 November 1800, died 29 April 1882) who is singlehandedly responsible for influencing all the cults 19th century cults with their rapture theology and endless date setting that persists even to the present day.
5. Pseudo-Ephraem is a forgery: There was a Christian named Ephrem or Ephraim who died in 373 AD. Pseudo-Ephraem is an 8th century or later pseudepigrapha falsely claiming to be written by the real Ephrem or Ephraim who had been dead for 400 years.
6. There are several texts of Pseudo-Ephraem but the two most important texts are the Syriac and the Latin texts. These two texts are almost as different in content as they are in the language they were written.
7. The Syriac text of Pseudo-Ephraem describes the Islamic invasion so this text cannot be earlier than about 700 AD: "The progeny of Hagar, the handmaid of Sarah; Who hold fast to the covenant with Abraham, The husband of Sarah and Hagar. Set in motion, he (Ishmael) comes in the name of the ram, The herald of the Son of Destruction. (Syraic text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
8. The Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem quotes and relies upon the Pseudo-Methodius which also heavily documents the Islamic invasion that started in 622 AD. So here we have one pseudepigrapha (Pseudo-Ephraem) that relies upon another pseudepigrapha (Pseudo-Methodius) apocalypse Methodius of Olympus who died in 311 AD. In other words, one fraud is quoting from another.
B. The Syraic text of Pseudo-Ephraem does not teach Rapture theology since the saints suffer and die during the tribulation:
1. "Nation will rise up against nation, And kingdom against kingdom. Lawlessness will be sovereign on earth And the defiled will pursue after the saints. People will openly apostatize And augment the left side; The righteous ones will suffer indignities From those who belong to the side of the sinners." (Syraic text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
2. Here we have death as an escape for the persecution, saints suffering and the devil on earth with Christians during tribulation. "Pronouncing the good fortune of the deceased Who had avoided the calamity: 'Blessed are you for you were borne away (to the grave) And hence you escaped from the afflictions! But as for us, woe is us! For when we die, Vultures will serve as escort for us!' And if the days of that time were not shortened, The elect would never survive The calamities and afflictions. For Our Lord revealed (and) disclosed to us In his Gospel when He said: 'Those days will be shortened For the sake of the elect and the saints.' And when he has harassed the whole of creation [including Christians], (When) the Son of Destruction (has bent it) to his will, Enoch and Elijah will be sent That they might persuade the Evil One. With a gentle question The saints will come before him, In order to expose the Son of Destruction Before the assemblies surrounding him: 'If you are indeed God, Tell us what we ask of you: Where is the place that you have hidden The elders Elijah and Enoch?' The Evil One will respond and say To the saints at that time...." (Syraic text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
3. Christians are killed by the devil during the tribulation: "Then the Evil One will become enraged With the saints at that time; He will draw his terrible sword And sever the necks of the righteous ones." (Syraic text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
4. Pseudo-Ephraem concludes with the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked at the same time just like the standard doctrine of the second coming that has been taught for 2000 years. "The good will go forth into the Kingdom, And the bad will remain in Gehenna; The righteous will fly up to the height, And the sinners will burn in fire." (Syraic text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
C. The Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem does not teach Rapture theology since the saints suffer and die during the tribulation:
1. "In those days [during the tribulation] people shall not be buried, neither Christian, nor heretic, neither Jew, nor pagan, because of fear and dread there is not one who buries them; because all people, while they are fleeing, ignore them." (Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
2. "Then, when this inevitability has overwhelmed all people, just and unjust, the just, so that they may be found good by their Lord; and indeed the unjust, so that they may be damned forever with their author the Devil" (Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
3. The Latin Pseudo-Ephraem teaches the resurrection of Christians at the second coming when the devil will be destroyed, not the rapture: "Arise, O sleeping ones, arise, meet Christ, because his hour of judgment has come! Then Christ shall come and the enemy shall be thrown into confusion, and the Lord shall destroy him by the spirit of his mouth. And he shall be bound and shall be plunged into the abyss of everlasting fire alive with his father Satan; and all people, who do his wishes, shall perish with him forever; but the righteous ones shall inherit everlasting life with the Lord forever and ever." (Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
D. The Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem does not teach Rapture theology in the "prize passage":
1. This is the one sentence that Rapture advocates say teaches the rapture. In fact we learn from the Syriac text that these saints escape the tribulation by death not rapture! "For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins." (Latin text of Pseudo-Ephraem)
2. Pseudo-Ephraem teaches that Christians escape tribulation by death not rapture!
Saints escape tribulation by death not rapture: | |
Latin Pseudo-Ephraem | Syraic Pseudo-Ephraem |
"For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins." | "Pronouncing the good fortune of the deceased Who had avoided the calamity: 'Blessed are you for you were borne away (to the grave) And hence you escaped from the afflictions! |
Conclusion:
1. Pseudo-Ephraem does not teach the Rapture. Instead it clearly teaches that Christians will experience the tribulation and that they can escape it by death, not rapture.
2. Pseudo-Ephraem is a fraudulent and unreliable document that falsely claims to be written by Ephraem who died in the 4th century, when in fact it was clearly written AFTER the 8th century. It may have been written much later!
3.
Damn Skippy!
That’s because the Rapture is just another heresy.
I’m not so sure what you’re claiming is true.
However, Jesus says “A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:28–29).
King James version (of the same verses): 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
If the evil dead rise at the same time to be judged, how can this be before the Tribulation?
I know the various letters from the Apostles says the dead and alive will rise at a trumpet and don't mention the evil people, but Jesus Himself says the evil will be part of it.
Is this a different rising that Jesus is speaking of? Are there two; one before and one after His triumph?
Read the Pseudo-Ephraem yourself and draw your own conclusions.
Have you read it yourself?
What about the words spoken by Jesus, the Messiah, Himself? Is Paul contradicting him, or did Paul leave something out?
John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
BOTH passages speak of the second advent as unmistakably obvious. There is nothing secret about lightning, cries of command, angel calls or trumpets
The word St. Paul uses for meeting the Lord "in the air" is aer the Greek word for atmosphere
This SAME word is used in Ephesians 2:2
And you [a]were dead [b]in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the [c]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.yet no one would claim that, because of this word, Satan wouldn't influence people on the earth
A consistent rapturist reading of this wod here would mean that only airplane passengers are influenced by Satan's power
NO, when Christ returns to the earth's atmosphere, He has returned to earth
Rapturists trying to point to the "coming in the clouds" -- but this ignores the symbol of divinity in the clouds
The Bible uses three Greek words interchangeably
Rapturists think that there is a different usage for each, but that is false - parousia is not used just for some fake "rapture" and the others for the 2nd coming
Paul doesn't mention this 19th century rapture idea as occuring before the appearance of the antichrist and before the second coming is simple: it never entered into his mind that anyone would believe Christ would rapture His Church before the final Eschaton
In the apocalypse, that is referred to as the battle with Gog and Magog, Christians will participate in that confrontation because there will be no secret rapture before it. Our comfort rests in Him who will emerge from that confrontation as the Victor.
THAT is the reassurance Paul offers, not the promise of an escape from the great Tribulation.
I often think of the copts beheaded by the IslamicState in Libya - they had a chance to recant their faith, but they did not -- they endured to the end and they will be rewarded for their faith.
pray that we all would do the same if it comes to that
If you did not have other believers to rail against you would have nothing to say. Your mark for the cross is empty.
Interesting source website for your article Cronos!
Will you be posting these riveting articles from that site as well...
....................
False doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church
1. The Roman Catholic church examined Is the Roman Catholic church the original one true church?
2. Introduction and overview to Roman Catholicism: Start here
3. Irrefutable questions that Roman Catholics can’t answer
4. The Catholic church did not give the world the Bible by her authority!
5. The apostate doctrine of Roman Catholic papal infallibility
6. Extra-Biblical oral apostolic tradition does not exist today
7. Sola Scriptura: Using the Bible only to the exclusion of oral church tradition
8. The unbiblical apostate organization of the Roman Catholic church
9. Massive list of Roman Catholic False doctrines
10. The apocrypha is not inspired
11. Tradition wars: The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches make the identical claim of apostolic succession, yet are so different they are not even in communion!
12. Mariolatry: The worship and adoration of the Virgin Mary
13. Doctrinal evolution: Roman Catholic doctrinal flip flops
Oh, there will be a rapture, it just occurs at the second coming of Christ.
Why do you put stock in a writing which is so apocryphal as to not even appear in the apocrypha?
One way or another, Jesus is coming for me.
I prefer it to be swift and painless, but His will be done.
No, that chapter from 1 Thessalonians you first quoted doesn’t mention the evil dead—just believer dead (Dead in Christ).
Surely there is a difference?
The words of Jesus simply seem the correct version.
So, I’ve tried to be “rapture ready,” as some say. I rented a tuxedo for the occasion.
How do I prepare for Pseudo-Ephraem last days? Lots of pseudo-ephedrine? Don’t want to catch a cold!
That said, this is an informative post. Thanks.
Amen! The rapture is absolutely real!
well, in my humble opinion, we should live every day as Jesus said we should - trying to emulate Jesus and trying to be sinless, faithful and enduring to the end.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.