Last example. In post 301 you wrote
QUOTE: "He who restrains must be take out of the way then the antichrist is revealed.", which is a paraphrase of 2 Thess 2:7-8. We completely agree on the plain meaning of this passage. (celebrate the little things, eh?)
However, at this point, we diverge. The scripture say, in 1 Thess 2:1-3:
1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,
2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.
3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
The simple reading of this passage causes the reader to conclude the following:
1. These 3 verses concern the coming of the Lord, and our gathering to him
2. It is written to the Brothers and Sisters
3. 1 Thess 1.1 confirms it is written to "To the church of the Thessalonians"
4. Thus, the brothers and sisters are the Church at Thessalonica
5. Most christians believe any NT passage written to a single church is applicable to all churches, for we are the universal body of Christ
6. Verse 2 equate Jesus' coming with the "Day of the Lord"
7. Verse 3 plainly states "...that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed"
I conclude this is referring to the rapture of the saints based on the plain reading of the passage. Thus, a precondition of the rapture is the revelation of the main of lawlessness. Therefors, the rapture is not imminent.
You conclude that is CANNOT be the church, because dispensational pre-trib theory asserts that the church in long gone before the antichrist is revealed.
This is the simplest statement of our differences. I choose the plain reading of scripture, you choose a clarification based on other premises.
We both must deal with Pauls admonition in verse 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way....
>> “Thus, a precondition of the rapture is the revelation of the man of lawlessness. Therefore, the rapture is not imminent.” <<
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One of the most important messages for our time!
Without it hearts may fail, and faith wax cold.
Jim may I ask which Bible version you used in the previous post? Jumping in late...from your posts I gather you see the translation of the church at mid trib?
ES from your comments you see a post trib translation of the church?