Ezekiel prophesied that Damascus would be completely obliterated. For a while, I thought that this would happen due to Obama's Junior Varsity Team, but we thwarted them.
Yes, Ezekiel and Isaiah 17 iirc. Damascus gets destroyed, Russia and/or Iran retaliate. God miraculously thwarts their counter attack, Rapture happens simultaneously. Then the Antichrist (possibly someone from Turkey) signs a covenant with Israel so that the Temple can be rebuilt, kicking off the Tribulation.
Except from what I have studied and have learned from teachers, the rapture is the same as the resurrection. There shall be only one second coming of Christ, not a part A and a part B. Never before have Christians been spared tribulation, not at the hands of Muslims, nor communists, nor any other enemies of God.
The Rapture is the same as the resurrection, but not the same as the Second Coming of Christ. In the Rapture, we go to meet Christ in the air, Christ doesn’t come down to earth until the end of the Tribulation. That is the Second Coming.
It is true that Christians won’t escape tribulation in this world, but The Tribulation is a different Beast entirely (pun intended). It is described in the OT as the Day of God’s Wrath and the time of Jacob’s Trouble. In the Tribulation, God will accomplish two things: pouring out His wrath on a wicked world, and drawing Israel back to Himself. The church, as the bride of Christ, has no need to go through the wrath of God since Christ has already endured that for us. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will take place during the Tribulation. To complete the marriage analogy, it would be somewhat weird for the groom to make his bride suffer his wrath before wedding her.
More verses suggesting a pre Trib Rapture:
Luke 21:35-36
Matthew 24:36-51
1 Thessalonians 1:10
2 Thessalonians 1:6-8
Revelation 3:10
See also the example of Lot; God brought Lot out before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, as Abraham correctly pointed out that God will not destroy the righteous with the wicked.
I just read Matthew 24 in its entirety, not only starting from verse 36. Verse 9 clearly states that Christians will be delivered into tribulation and killed. It is possible that all of this has transpired over many long centuries, as we have seen many false prophets already. Mohammad, Joseph Smith, the Watchtower/JW people (forget the name), 7th Dayers, and of course Moonies, whom are quite the focus of the media here in Japan since PM Abe's assassination last summer.
I suppose one could argue that the tribulation has been underway for the past 2000 years already, kicked off with the likes of Saul, who God revealed himself to and joined the disciples.
A church my family attended during my junior high/high school days did a study in which the pastor essentially said that the Tribulation has already been going on for quite a while already, meaning that when Jesus comes back, it will essentially be a post-Tribulation rapture and ressurrection, in which the remaining faithful plus those whom have already passed away will be reunited together at once.
Matthew 24: 17 talks about needing to flee, and woe be to pregnant or nursing mothers. It doesn't look like we'll be taken to Heaven without having to go through a lot of pain and suffering. Verse 21 talks of such great tribulation, verse 30 speaks of Christ's return, and then later in 36 it speaks of people being taken away. I'm looking at this as a linear progression and not cherry-picking.
I'm not being argumentative, but just wanting to seek enlightenment. Do you have a rebuttal? I would appreciate your input. Thanks.
I grew up believing that the rapture comes before the tribulation. Those who accepted the Mark of the Beast are left after the rapture, and then they have a chance to accept Christ, but have to go through the tribulation and suffer as Christ did to earn their place in heaven.
At least that’s what I understood from those Revelation Bible studies.
But it is apparent I need to get back into study instead of relying on what I think I was taught. Thanks to all for the references.
Ezekiel prophesied that Damascus would be completely obliterated. For a while, I thought that this would happen due to Obama's Junior Varsity Team, but we thwarted them.
Yes, Ezekiel and Isaiah 17 iirc. Damascus gets destroyed, Russia and/or Iran retaliate. God miraculously thwarts their counter attack, Rapture happens simultaneously. Then the Antichrist (possibly someone from Turkey) signs a covenant with Israel so that the Temple can be rebuilt, kicking off the Tribulation.
Except from what I have studied and have learned from teachers, the rapture is the same as the resurrection. There shall be only one second coming of Christ, not a part A and a part B. Never before have Christians been spared tribulation, not at the hands of Muslims, nor communists, nor any other enemies of God.
The Rapture is the same as the resurrection, but not the same as the Second Coming of Christ. In the Rapture, we go to meet Christ in the air, Christ doesn’t come down to earth until the end of the Tribulation. That is the Second Coming.
It is true that Christians won’t escape tribulation in this world, but The Tribulation is a different Beast entirely (pun intended). It is described in the OT as the Day of God’s Wrath and the time of Jacob’s Trouble. In the Tribulation, God will accomplish two things: pouring out His wrath on a wicked world, and drawing Israel back to Himself. The church, as the bride of Christ, has no need to go through the wrath of God since Christ has already endured that for us. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will take place during the Tribulation. To complete the marriage analogy, it would be somewhat weird for the groom to make his bride suffer his wrath before wedding her.
More verses suggesting a pre Trib Rapture:
Luke 21:35-36 Matthew 24:36-51 1 Thessalonians 1:10 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 Revelation 3:10
See also the example of Lot; God brought Lot out before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, as Abraham correctly pointed out that God will not destroy the righteous with the wicked.
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing.
I just read Matthew 24 in its entirety, not only starting from verse 36. Verse 9 clearly states that Christians will be delivered into tribulation and killed. It is possible that all of this has transpired over many long centuries, as we have seen many false prophets already. Mohammad, Joseph Smith, the Watchtower/JW people (forget the name), 7th Dayers, and of course Moonies, whom are quite the focus of the media here in Japan since PM Abe's assassination last summer.
I suppose one could argue that the tribulation has been underway for the past 2000 years already, kicked off with the likes of Saul, who God revealed himself to and joined the disciples.
A church my family attended during my junior high/high school days did a study in which the pastor essentially said that the Tribulation has already been going on for quite a while already, meaning that when Jesus comes back, it will essentially be a post-Tribulation rapture and ressurrection, in which the remaining faithful plus those whom have already passed away will be reunited together at once.
Matthew 24: 17 talks about needing to flee, and woe be to pregnant or nursing mothers. It doesn't look like we'll be taken to Heaven without having to go through a lot of pain and suffering. Verse 21 talks of such great tribulation, verse 30 speaks of Christ's return, and then later in 36 it speaks of people being taken away. I'm looking at this as a linear progression and not cherry-picking.
I'm not being argumentative, but just wanting to seek enlightenment. Do you have a rebuttal? I would appreciate your input. Thanks.
I grew up believing that the rapture comes before the tribulation. Those who accepted the Mark of the Beast are left after the rapture, and then they have a chance to accept Christ, but have to go through the tribulation and suffer as Christ did to earn their place in heaven.
At least that’s what I understood from those Revelation Bible studies.
But it is apparent I need to get back into study instead of relying on what I think I was taught. Thanks to all for the references.