Many people have been misled by a pseudo-rapture or variant rapture theory which does not hold water. When Christ returns, He returns just as He went to heaven (Acts 1:9-10). He went up in a cloud, once; He will return in the clouds of heaven � once � not twice. He marries the church when He returns to the earth, after He is upon the earth, before God�s throne (at His footstool � the earth).
Remember, the presence of the Father is EVERYWHERE (Psalm 139). The man who did not have on a wedding garment does not refer to some spirit being, fallen angel, or demon, but to a human being who did not qualify to be part of the marriage of the Lamb. The wedding garment is righteousness � �fine linen which is the righteousness of the saints� (Rev.19:8). This man was not obedient to God so He did not qualify, as he did not have on righteous garments � garments which typify righteousness, which is obedience (Psalm 119:172; I John 3:4). He had apparently not truly, in his heart, accepted Christ as His one true Saviour, and had not given himself to Him in total, abject surrender, to obey Him � to say, �I do� � to make the full �marriage commitment�!
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He tried to enter the sheepfold by a �different door� (John 10:1-10). This individual may have �thought� he was a true Christian, but he will be cast in outer darkness � together with the wicked hypocrites (Matt.22:13). He will not enter the kingdom of God. He is like the ones Christ mentioned in Matthew 7 who say �Lord, Lord,� but don�t DO God�s will in their lives (Matt.7:21).
Let�s really understand this! The �secret rapture� theory espoused by Tim LaHaye and many �Christians,� today, is a serious and fatal error. It will likely cause immense multitudes to be unprepared for the diabolical reign of the Beast, or the Antichrist! They assume they will be taken up to heaven before the Great Tribulation, but God promises no such thing! They will be completely, utterly unprepared for the great travail and suffering that will come upon them!
Joseph Goode and other teachers claim that Christ will take His church up to heaven for a period of seven years. While there, the marriage feast will occur in heaven. The saints then will have to watch the horrible agony of the people �left behind� on the earth! They will have to see the poor Jewish Messianic believers go through savage hell on earth.
Is this what God really intends?
Others claim that the Messiah returns to take His flock up to heaven after 3 � years of the seven-year tribulation period have passed. Still others say the saints are taken to heaven for only a few months, and then return with the Messiah to this earth.
All these theories are DEAD WRONG! The �secret rapture� is a serious deception of Satan the devil, to destroy God�s people by misleading them into a totally false sense of security!
When Christ returns, it will be a loud, shining, shattering, incredible event. The archangel will blow a loud trumpet. Paul wrote, �Listen! I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the LAST trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed� (I Cor.15:51-52, NRSV).
When the Messiah returns, there will be a mighty shout � the thundering voice of an archangel � which will shake up the nations (I Thess.4:16). It will be heard worldwide, and at that point the dead in Christ will rise, and the living saints will be changed and given a glorious new body, and rise to meet Him in the sky as He returns to earth.
When the Messiah comes, and the saints are resurrected, and meet Him in the air, it will be accompanied by THUNDER! And the nations will �SEE the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with POWER and GREAT GLORY. And he will send out his angels with a LOUD TRUMPET CALL, and they will gather his elect, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other� (Matt.24:30-31, NRSV).
The saints will be with Him as He sets His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zech.14:4), �in that day� � that very day. Not 3 � or 7 years later! He will come in �clouds of heaven with power and great glory� (Matt.24:30), and �every eye shall SEE him� (Rev.1:7).
Does that sound like a �secret� coming? The only thing �secret� about it will be its TIMING! No one will know the �day or the hour� (Matt.24:36). In that sense, His coming will be like a thief � totally unexpected by the vast majority of people (v.42-44).
The Second Coming will not be a silent, clandestine, secretive, invisible event, with people �disappearing� suddenly from wherever they are, as rapturists proclaim. Such a theory is in denial of the plain scriptures. Such a hope is a false hope, a satanic delusion, a deception of the devil who seeks to entrap and seduce God�s people into a false sense of security. They will stumble unwatchful and heedless into the Jaws of Great Tribulation.
In studying about the Second Coming since the mid 1970's, I have looked at all the possible ways in can play out. The rapture at the end of the triblation has always had big problems. First off, if the rapture happens at the end then there will be nobody to populate the 1,000 year kingdom of Christ on earth. There won't be children born, even though that happens in the 1,000 years, because the changed believers won't be having children. The unbelievers who survive the trib. will be removed from the earth. Jesus will not be coming as thief in the night because it is easy to count 1290 days from the Abomination of desolation in the Temple until the end.
Also, the idea of a pre-trib raptue goes WAY back. Here is what one Christian's take on it was:
Epharaem the Syrian said, in 373 AD, "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."
Notice that this was said in 373 AD.
We can also argue that the Bible does not say that he Church will go throught the tribulation. It is just people rounding up their verses and taking a stand.
However that being said. All raptures taking place after the start of the tribulation have the problem of going against Jesus saying that his return would be a secret.
As to the trumpet. Many pre-trib rapture fans predict that he rapture will happen at the end of the Jewish Feast of the Trumpets. They say this because during this time short blasts of trumpets are blown. At the end a long trumpet blast is blown. This last trump is traditionally connected with the ressurrection of the dead. Also, the last trump of the rapture is the trumpet of God and not the trumpet of an angel as in the trumpets in Rev.
I suggest going to raptureready.com for more reading on the subject. Remember, the pre-trib rature idea goes way, way back.
When the Great Tribulation is about to descend like a shroud upon all the earth, where will God�s true saints go? Although the Scriptures do not pinpoint an exact location, they do speak clearly on this subject.
We read in Revelation, �So when the dragon [Satan] saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman [the church of God] was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time. Then from the mouth of the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from its mouth. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus� (Rev.12:13-17, NRSV).
The woman will be protected IN A WILDERNESS region from the ravages of the devil! But not all will be protected. Only those who qualify to escape the horrible things which are shortly going to come to pass, will do so � those who are praying, studying, preparing, keeping vigilant and alert. Those who are not doing so will be caught in the trap � seized in the maelstrom � and will suffer the full wrath and fury of that old dragon, the devil and Satan!
This protection will last for �a time, times, and half a time� � that is, three and one half years (compare verse 14 with verse 6 � 3 � times equals 1260 days, which makes a �time� equal to a Biblical prophetic �year�).
God says, in Isaiah�s prophecy, �Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; HIDE YOURSELVES for a little while until the wrath is past. For the LORD comes out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no longer cover its slain� (Isaiah 26:20-21). The word for �chamber� is cheder and means, �apartment, secret chamber, parlor,� from a primitive root chadar, meaning �to enclose,� as a room or an inner chamber.
David wrote, �One thing I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. For he will HIDE me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will CONCEAL me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock� (Psalm 27:4-5).
The Coming of the Lord!
What will happen after the Tribulation?
�Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: AND THEN shall appear the sign of the Son of man [Jesus Christ] in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING IN THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together HIS ELECT from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other� (Matthew 24:29-3 1).
Notice the proper sequence � First, Great Tribulation! Next, heavenly signs! Afterwards, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ � Yeshua Ha Moshiach!
What could be clearer, more plain, than that? Yeshua makes it perfectly plain, so simple a child can understand it. He said the heavenly signs would occur �immediately after� the great tribulation of those days, not before. And Christ Himself would return AFTER the heavenly signs, and therefore also AFTER the tribulation!
Notice, too, that when this occurs, Yeshua will send his angels to �GATHER TOGETHER HIS ELECT� (verse 31).
Who are his �elect�? Let�s let the Bible interpret this for us.
Peter spoke of Christians as being God�s elect. He began his first epistle, �Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ELECT according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ� (I Peter 1: 1-2).
Christ said to His disciples, �And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bares long with them?� (Luke 18:7).
Paul wrote, �Who shall bring a charge against God�s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us� (Rom.8:33-34).
Paul declared, �Therefore, as the ELECT of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering� (Col.3:12).
Paul also spoke of �the faith of God�s elect� (Titus 1:1). Peter warns us, however, �Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure� (I Pet.1:10).
The whole thing sounds like the stuff bad B movies are made from. LOL. Don't get mad, I believed it at first, too.
The main scripture quoted for this says that we will be caught up in the air with Christ. The word translated as air here is translated as Holy Spirit elsewhere. It is literally breath of life. So all it is saying is that we will be in our Spirit Bodies when Christ returns, which we already know from other passages.
The pretrib rapture originated on a farm with a sick woman in 1830. Margerette MacDonald, I believe, but don't hold me to that, I am going on memory here.
There are no rapture verses that hold up to a close word study in the original language. Many newer translations seem to unmistakably speak of one, but none of the older ones do.
The Anti-Christ will show himself, claim to be Jesus, while telling you, go get your family and I will rapture you all up with me. Guess where his wagon goes.
That woman with the dream was not alive in 373 AD.
When Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he used the word "rapturo." This is the Latin word for the Greek word "harpazo." Going from Greek to English, we get "to be caught up."
Remember, Rev. is not linear. The scene with the woman and child goes back to the birth of Christ. This passage is dealing with the Jews. The Jews are the main target of Satan in the book of Rev. The fact that people are dying right and left is okay with him. Nowhere does God exchange the Church for the Jews. Reading Rev. shows that he is still concerned with bringing then around to see that Jesus is the Messiah. If the true Church was in the Tribulation period, there wouldn't be a need for the 144,000 and the two witnesses.
Greek to English. Many times when the Bible is translated from the Greek or the Hebrew, we get what the translator liked. In Rev chapter 20 we read about the "first" resurrection. However reading through the Bible we find that this isn't the first ressurection. Others have come back to life before this. The Greek word that was translated "first" here can also be translated as: best, first importance, foremost, leading and a few other uses. Looking at previous resurrections and looking at this ressurection as compared to the other, we find that this is the "best," "the foremost," of the resurrections.
Yes, I have read all those explanations and hundreds more, but I am a firm believer in what the Bible actually says.
Are we to put on the armour of God to fly away from problems? It is armour for battle, not a birdsuit to escape.
Those looking to "fly away" will. It just will not be with who they think.
Just remember that you will not meet Christ in your flesh body.
The Bible says Jesus will by no means return until the man of sin is exposed. That means not only has he been here first, but has been exposed.
I believe that the document you are speaking of is rhe one that was proven faked by a late 19th century Theologian. It is unusual that it be brought up,most know of the history.
Sorry but the Pre-Trib Rapture was an idea never discussed prior to the very late 1700s AD. The quote you gave is not a good quote. It comes from "Pseudo Epharaem" and it is not a complete and proper quote. It was actually misquoted or worse a revisionism was done to make it appear he said it when in fact he said quite the contrary. Here is a decent link to demonstrate and expose the deceit of those who will stop at nothing to prove their position.
http://www.tribwatch.com/davemac.htm
That site is by Dave MacPherson who is the worlds leading expert on origins of Rapture theories.
Excerpt: In the July/Sep., 1995 BIBLIOTHECA SACRA, Dallas Seminary's journal, Thomas Ice and his co-author Timothy Demy pulled off one of the worst revisionisms of P-E ever: when summarizing Section 10 they carefully deleted what P-E included between "trumpet" and "judgment" (deleted the distinctive I Thess. 4 aspects in that posttrib setting), giving unsuspecting readers this utterly misleading condensation: "A trumpet will sound, calling forth the dead to judgment."
Mike, I am very familiar with the Church Fathers and none of them ever talked about a Pre-Trib Rapture. The unaminous consensus of those who talked about this topic were all Post-Trib. You would do well to study them for yourself as you will learn what they really taught. You can download their complete works for free if you have the "E-Sword" bible program. You can also do word searches in their writings.
Here are a couple of samples of the most Orthodox Church Fathers.
Justin Martyr: (AD. 110-165) Dialog with Trypho, CX
"[T]wo advents of Christ have been announced: the one, in which He is set forth as suffering, inglorious, dishonored, and crucified; but the other, in which He shall come from heaven with glory, when the man of apostasy, who speaks strange things against the Most High, shall venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth against us the Christians, ... Now it is evident that no one can terrify or subdue us who have believed in Jesus over all the world. For it is plain that, though beheaded, and crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other kinds of torture, we do not give up our confession; but the more such things happen, the more do others and in larger numbers become faithful, and worshippers of God through the name of Jesus."
Irenaeus: Against Heresies V, XXXV, 1 (AD. 120-202) Disciple of John the Apostle
"In a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord's disciples what shall happen in the last times, and concerning the ten kings who shall then arise, ... These have one mind, and give their strength and power to the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, because He is the Lord of lords, and King of kings. ...And they shall lay Babylon waste, and burn her with fire, and shall give their kingdom to the beast, and put the church to flight. After that they shall be destroyed by the coming of our Lord."
You can also go here. My Pastor has done extensive research in this area and also personally knows Dave MacPherson.
http://www.oasischristianchurch.org/air/018.pdf
Also here is an expose he did on Grant Jeffries.
In his 1992 book �Apocalypse,� Grant Jeffrey made the astounding claim that some Early Church writers taught an imminent pretribulation rapture. He then selectively quoted several early Christian authors in an attempt to bolster his claim. For many years, posttribulationist authors have quoted these very same authors to illustrate that the early Christians were posttribulationists! Other pretribulationist authors and
scholars have acknowledged that the early Christians were entirely posttribulationists. Grant Jeffrey is the first to my knowledge to make the outrageous claim that the Early
Church Fathers taught an imminent pretribulation rapture.
Jeffrey's revisionist technique was to selectively quote short excerpts that allow him to apply a pretribulation "spin," while omitting sentences in the immediate context that show belief in a posttribulation rapture/resurrection. In chapter four, Jeffrey stated the following. http://www.oasischristianchurch.org/air/Jeffrey.pdf
By the way Mike. I am still waiting for you to respond to my post I wrote to you before.
"Many people have been misled by a pseudo-rapture or variant rapture theory which does not hold water. When Christ returns, He returns just as He went to heaven (Acts 1:9-10). He went up in a cloud, once; He will return in the clouds of heaven � once � not twice. He marries the church when He returns to the earth, after He is upon the earth, before God�s throne (at His footstool � the earth)."
How do you reconcile that ONE RETURN with the account of Jesus coming/returning to earth upon a white horse clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and followed by armies that are in heaven, as written in Rev 19:3? He surely didn't ascend to heaven on a white horse accompanied by armies.
