As much as our government has been infiltrated by the enemy, so has the church. Maybe even moreso.
This is a dangerous doctrine. IT IS NOT FROM SCRIPTURE.
I do realize some big lofty names in the bible scholar community are big time rapturists. Moody - for example. But I've been on a quest for a week or so to find anyone of them making solid arguments with actual scriptural foundation to support the dubious claims of the rapture doctrine - and they just simply cannot support it in the scripture.
If you want me to explain further I'll be happy to. But what you should do is go to the bible and find where it makes any claim that Christians will be removed from earth BEFORE or in the middle of the tribulations described in prophecy.
The oft cited verses in Mathew are literally right after Jesus warns you not to be deceived and explains how not to be deceived by knowing the signs of the season of His return. In Luke he even says that "two men will be lying in one bed, one will be taken the other left behind." I don't know why there are two dudes in one bed but I want the rapturist to question why someone sleeping in bed would be raptured (I notice many claiming that you must be alert and watching at the special time).
In Thesolonians 4: Paul clearly teaches that the dead in Christ will be resurrected before the beloved verse about we who are alive at the time going to meet Jesus in the air. I don't have a problem with that - just don't misunderstand that the dead in Christ go "FIRST".
In Rev 20 - Jesus gives us more clarity and explains that in the "First resurrection" people who refused the mark of the beast unto death would rise in that "First resurrection" too.
The rapture doctrine is dangerous for our generation. We appear to be appointed for this time, please do not be deceived.
Agreed. What Jesus said, when they asked him, was that after the tribulation of those days, his angels would gather his elect from the four winds. The Greek word for rapture has always been there in the text but it never meant what was invented in the 1830s, the idea that one secret cult claiming the name would escape and then the rest of the world would be destroyed; and that's not what Ephraim the Syrian believed either. We will be "caught up" together with the resurrected dead to meet the Lord in the air. So to be clear it appears you mean the pretrib/midtrib doctrine is the danger.
Jesus also carefully taught about the Wheat and the Tares. Rapturists totally ignore this parable. If anyone goes 'poof' first its the tares.
Pre-trib/mid-trib "secret" rapture doctrine was popularized by Scofield Bible and its voluminous margin notes. This is what some teenagers regaled me with in high school. Then all the "left behinders" will suffer the wrath of Anti-Christ, but if they manage to refuse the "mark of the beast" they get a "second chance" to "get saved." However, the Anti-Christ will chop off their heads. The Second Advent comes 3 1/2 to 7 years later. According to the scheme.
Do you know who the elect are? Do you know the difference between the bride of Christ and the bride of God? Are you aware of the different Gospel that is preached in the Tribulation opposed to the one that has been preached to us? Are you aware that the New Testament does not begin at Matthew chapter 1 but rather at the death of Christ? If you do not know how to "rightly divide the word of truth" then you will incorrectly apply many things to yourself that are not to be applied doctrinally and if you don't apply doctrine correctly then you open yourself up to be attacked by the Devil.
"rightly divide the word of truth" This is a V.P.W teaching..... In his Power for Abundant Living class.
"rightly dividing the word of truth" is straight from 2 TImothy 2:15 bruh that's what the quotations are for.
V.P.W really stressed this in his class, that is something I will always remember. But, that was so long ago I don't remember if he gave the source or not in the class materials.....
Are you defending rapture doctrine? If so, can you address the issues that I raised? Tell me, does the rapture happen before the first resurrection?
No, the first resurrection happened nearly 2000 years ago when Christ and other saints arose. And address what issue? The wheat and the tares? He was talking to Jews not gentiles.
Ah. Ok I'm familiar with this angle. Doesn't work. Who is Paul talking about rising first? Who is taking part in the first resurrection in Rev 20? That clearly includes people who are killed for refusing the mark of the beast.