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To: discipler

The "torture by Christians" that he mentions is a total misunderstanding of the the Apocolypse. Like many heathens he thinks Christians CAUSE the end-times. Whereas, most Christians hold that God does the causing, and the majority of Christians hold that the Church will be lifted out before the Apocolypse even happens.


8 posted on 07/12/2006 4:43:58 AM PDT by 9999lakes
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To: 9999lakes

Actually, no. The majority of Christians never believed in a pre-tribulation rapture, nor, indeed do the majority of Christians today.

The 'pre-tribulation rapture' is an error of Scriptural interpretation which first arose among some small protestant sects in the 19th century. No Christian before that believed it, and no Orthodox, Latin, Coptic, Armenian, Assyrian, Anglican, Lutheran, or Calvinist (whether Presbyterian or Congregationalist) Christian who actually believes the teachings of his or her confession believes it today.

Go back and read the passage in which St. Paul describes the believers who are alive meeting the Lord in the air. It is plainly a description of an event coincident with the general resurrection, and thus after all of this world's history, including whatever horrors actualize St. John's prophecies in his Apocalypse. I would go so far as to suggest the 'pre-tribulation rapture' is a heresy promulgated by the Evil One to lead the faithful astray: those who hold it will reason 'we haven't been raptured, so this can't be the Anti-Christ,' and will be easy prey.


22 posted on 07/12/2006 5:31:40 AM PDT by The_Reader_David (And when they behead your own people in the wars which are to come, then you will know. . .)
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To: 9999lakes
I always liked Larry Wall's explanation of the term:

"People get scared when they hear the word Apocalypse, but here I mean it in the good sense: a Revealing. An Apocalypse is supposed to reveal good news to good people. (And if it also happens to reveal bad news to bad people, so be it. Just don't be bad.)"

24 posted on 07/12/2006 5:36:55 AM PDT by mpoulin
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