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The Not So Secret Rapture
reformed.org ^ | W. Fred Rice

Posted on 01/14/2011 5:57:52 PM PST by topcat54

Evangelical book catalogs promote books such as Planet Earth: The Final Chapter, The Great Escape, and the Left Behind series. Bumper stickers warn us that the vehicle’s occupants may disappear at any moment. It is clear that there is a preoccupation with the idea of a secret rapture. Perhaps this has become more pronounced recently due to the expectation of a new millennium and the fears regarding potential Y2K problems. Perhaps psychologically people are especially receptive to the idea of an imminent, secret rapture at the present time. Additionally, many Christians are not aware that any other position relative to the second coming of Jesus Christ exists. Even in Reformed circles there are numerous people reading these books. Many of these people are unaware that this viewpoint conflicts with Scripture and Reformed Theology.

(Excerpt) Read more at reformed.org ...


TOPICS: Theology
KEYWORDS: crusades; endtimes; eschatology; rapture
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To: TSgt
Actually, this The job of the flock is to follow The Good shepherd, Christ, to focus on Him, not on the sub-shepherds who have not one level of the ability of The Shepherd. is the Catholic way, thank you.

What about your group?
1,301 posted on 01/20/2011 6:50:15 AM PST by Cronos (Bobby Jindal 2012)
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To: Religion Moderator; metmom

Another case of metmom calling a fellow FReeper a liar. This is finessing, just like her case above.


1,302 posted on 01/20/2011 6:52:06 AM PST by Cronos (Bobby Jindal 2012)
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To: metmom

Catholics badgering you for your church affiliation is stealth as those asking for Obamas birth certificate! ;)


1,303 posted on 01/20/2011 6:53:03 AM PST by caww
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To: boatbums

Ok, boatbums, here’s another one to show you what reason inquisition tactics are — by a non-Christian to boot.


1,304 posted on 01/20/2011 6:56:25 AM PST by Cronos (Bobby Jindal 2012)
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To: Cronos

I didn’t call you a liar. It was more of a statement that I don’t believe statistics handed out to me because they can be manipulated to mean anything. Statistics are meaningless.

I recommended a book that is very instructive regarding the reliability of statistics so that you don’t think that they really mean anything.

I do see how you could have interpreted it that way, but that was not the intent. If the post gets pulled, it gets pulled.

You should read the book anyway so you don’t get mislead by statistics again.


1,305 posted on 01/20/2011 6:56:25 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Cronos

What about it?


1,306 posted on 01/20/2011 7:00:17 AM PST by TSgt (Colonel Allen West & Michele Bachman - 2012 POTUS Dream Team Ticket!)
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To: topcat54; cinciella; Dr. Eckleburg

That is heavy stuff, tc. I never read Christ meeting Abraham in that way. It does seem to make sense right now, but I would value reading cinciella counter-statement.


1,307 posted on 01/20/2011 7:00:50 AM PST by Cronos (Bobby Jindal 2012)
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Comment #1,308 Removed by Moderator

To: caww; Judith Anne; metmom
hardly badgering for Metmom's non-Christian group affiliation. It's certain that any group that does not affirm what's in the Nicene Creed is not Christian.

however, in line with what you had asked and metmom screeched about -- we gave you the numbers talking about 0.53% or less of priests who have done these heinuous things and asked why blame the 99.5% of others. Then we pointed out that Protestant pastors have a similar or higher rate and that of secular professions is also higher.

Finally, I asked you what is the comparison to your (or indeed to any other Protestant group)Christian group's prosecution of your pastors that have been accused of molestation. It's a fair comparison.

here we have 99.5% being stained for the allegations against 0.5%, so what is the conviction rate in your Christian group and in metmom's non-Christian group?
1,309 posted on 01/20/2011 7:06:07 AM PST by Cronos (Bobby Jindal 2012)
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To: Religion Moderator; metmom

RM — again, a case of finessing the rules. The poster in question sends an email to another freeper’s post saying “How to Lie with Statistics “. That’s a direct personal attack.


1,310 posted on 01/20/2011 7:07:22 AM PST by Cronos (Bobby Jindal 2012)
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To: Religion Moderator; metmom

And, if you note, these unwarranted personal attacks by metmom came after I got fed up of attempting to have a conversation and moved on to a sane conv with caww and tc and quix. Met’s posts disrupt conversation on threads


1,311 posted on 01/20/2011 7:13:01 AM PST by Cronos (Bobby Jindal 2012)
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To: Judith Anne

“Is your church obeying God’s word? That would be a first, and probably make news! Tell us what church, so we can all go there and see!”

Now, now. You remember that we can’t ask for personal information.

After all, in a country of 350,000,000+ people, 30,00 incorporated town and cities, 19,429 municipal governments, and over 450,000 churches - - -

having them answer their discrete beliefs will pinpoint the location of their comfy chair in their den.

*and the authority for their beliefs.


1,312 posted on 01/20/2011 7:13:07 AM PST by OpusatFR
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To: Religion Moderator; metmom

And, if you note, these unwarranted personal attacks by metmom came after I got fed up of attempting to have a conversation and moved on to a sane conv with caww and tc and quix. Met’s posts disrupt conversation on threads


1,313 posted on 01/20/2011 7:13:12 AM PST by Cronos (Bobby Jindal 2012)
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To: Cronos

The point you are trying to make is not relevant to why the church is not using the authority they claim to rid the church of these Priests...now.

Further, statistics are not revelant...it’s the fact the church is not acting with the authority God has given them to move strongly against these Priests and to protect children.

The laity needs to be united and standing against this in full view of the worlds audiance...there are few....the Priest...again few...they are all protecting the church and this on the very backs of children who are still in danger from these Priests.


1,314 posted on 01/20/2011 7:13:25 AM PST by caww
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To: Cronos

Personally, as horrific as their sins are . . .

all our hearts are deceitfully wicked ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE.

None of us better be wishing damnation on anyone who’s potentially repentant because none of us can afford to reap damnation for our own sins of whatever degree or type.

Demonized politicians and other leaders who VERY OVERTLY AND EMPHATICALLY ARE UNREPENTANT AND WHO LEAD FOLLOWERS DOWN THE YELLOW BRICK PATH TO HELL DESERVE WHATEVER CONDEMNATION THEY EARN PUBLICLY AND OTHERWISE.

However, even there, we would do well to leave open some possibility of REPENTANCE in most cases.

Otherwise, we are insulting the Blood of Christ. HIS BLOOD IS SUFFICIENT.

I’m not speaking of the unpardonable sin of blaspheming against Holy Spirit. However, everything else short of that is potentially repentable. And, personally, I wouldn’t want anyone to suffer eternity apart from God, in hell. I just wouldn’t. All mortals begin created in God’s image. I’d rather see them all repent and be redeemed.


1,315 posted on 01/20/2011 7:13:44 AM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Cronos; Lee N. Field
Why does the rapture have to be "secret"? Does it have to be secret? Is it even possible for this to be secret? Come on, wouldn't people notice if a large number of folks just disappeared? Isn't a secret contrary to I Thessalonians 4:16?

One would think so, and there may be some disagreement among various factions within dispensationalism as to who witnesses what, but generally the idea is that Christ is only visible to the Church at the rapture. The rest of the world witnesses nothing, except that the person standing next to them suddenly vanishes. Like a magic trick. At least this is the way it is often depicted in the pop dispie literature.

Now, if you read 1 Thess. 4 more critically, you’ll see this is a rather noisy event. By way of trumpets and shouts, Christ is announcing His coming to the world. If the pre-trib rapture were true, and this is it, then those Left Behind® will witness a tremendous event that could trigger massive conversions.

So the event is kept secret in that sense. In neo-classic dispensational thought, the second coming is the noisy event, while the rapture is more low key.

more frivolously -- why does the anti-Christ have to be Romanian? I gotta tell my Romanian friends about this, they're already tickled pink by the stories made about their national hero Vlad Țepeș

That is nowhere in the Bible. It pure speculation on the part of the Left Behind crowd.

1,316 posted on 01/20/2011 7:14:14 AM PST by topcat54 ("Dispensationalism -- an error of Biblical proportions.")
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To: Cronos

Nonsense.

Sounds like someone is looking for an excuse to scream “Liar!”

With skin that thin, an RC’s organs would be falling out.


1,317 posted on 01/20/2011 7:21:01 AM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Cronos

I didn’t send anyone any email.

Why are you accusing me of that?


1,318 posted on 01/20/2011 7:21:10 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Cronos; topcat54

I encourage you to give it a rest.

We all understand you may well have less affection for metmom than TopCat54 has for me.


1,319 posted on 01/20/2011 7:22:07 AM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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To: Cronos; metmom

I encourage you to give it a rest.

We all understand you may well have less affection for metmom than TopCat54 has for me.


1,320 posted on 01/20/2011 7:22:28 AM PST by Quix (Times are a changin' INSURE you have believed in your heart & confessed Jesus as Lord Come NtheFlesh)
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