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Though I was raised believing in it, the concept has fallen out of favor lately.
Plus, I recently learned the whole idea is only about 100 or so years old.
The scholars I've been reading/watching don't give it credence.
Most people don't understand it Sand, it is a scriptural teaching however. The Bible tells us that 144k persons since the new covenant went into force have been selected to leave this earth to reside in heaven to be Kings and Priests in God's Kingdom. Most of those have died, and we believe that shortly after Jesus was enthroned as King that the first resurrection occurred Rev 20:6, and although invisible to us they went to heaven, the rest of the account is found in 1 Thes 4 beginning in 13 which covers those resurrected already in that first resurrection, and those who die after that resurrection but before the return of Jesus, and then finally those who will be what has come to be called the "rapture" which is the remainder of those holy ones will rise to meet the Lord in the air upon his return. It will only be the remainder of those chosen ones.
Though I was raised believing in it, the concept has fallen out of favor lately.
Plus, I recently learned the whole idea is only about 100 or so years old. The scholars I've been reading/watching don't give it credence.
the word doesn't appear in the bible. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, says “rapture” refers to “the church being united with Christ at his second coming.” Many in Christendom believe, according to this teaching, that Christians will be bodily caught up from the earth. they believe that Jesus will come and get them. and that ALL eyes will see him. (Matt. 24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory). see also ,(Matt. 24:30) which speaks of... (“the sign of the Son of man” will appear in heaven and that Jesus will come “on the clouds of heaven”). these expressions refers to invisibility, not literally see Jesus. there will be MANY going to Heaven, but it won't be as the false teaching of the "raptures" indicates. also flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom. So those who will be taken to heaven will first need to be (“changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, during the last trumpet”). and they won't be floating up to Heaven as shown from many sources, they will just disappear. plus ALL Righteous won't go to Heaven. MANY will live on a renewed Earth. peace
I think that the doctrines relating to “the rapture” is based on a misunderstanding of what is being “raptured”
It never made sense to me about individuals being raptured physically to heaven, and dead individuals being raised from literal graves
8'and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolicallyb0 is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.'
this text gave me the first hint that action is happening within human consciousness.
The rapture of the church is quite biblical regardless of how much it has fallen out of favor with scholarship. It was not invented by Darby who simply recognized it in the bible. You have to understand the following.
The English term 'rapture' comes from the Latin word 'rapiemur' which is the Latin translation of the Greek word 'ἁρπάζω/harpazó in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. It means to be caught up or snatched away.
The event we call the rapture is what Paul was referring to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in which he refers to us being caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Paul doesn't say that we remain in the air. The idea is that once having been caught up in the air we then go to heaven until the end of the Tribulation at which time we will return with Jesus to the earth.
So to say that the rapture is unbiblical is to ignore Paul's statement of being ''caught up.'' To be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and to be with him always is the rapture.
Now go to Revelation and you can see that the church is mentioned before the Tribulation and after the Tribulation where it is called the bride of Christ, but the church is not mentioned during the period that the Tribulation is taking place, inferring that the church is not on the earth during the Tribulation.
Seems to me the key is ' the living who survive will be caught up '
Jesus was ' caught up' (Acts 1:9 ) when resurrected Jesus ascended to heaven.
So, those called to heavenly life ( Luke 22:28-30; Daniel 7:18 the saints or holy ones ) don't spend time ' sleeping in death ' as the rest of humanity - John 11:11-14; Psalm 115:17; Isaiah 38:18; Ecclesiastes 9:5
So, those who are saints/holy ones upon dying are 'changed....' and receive their heavenly reward - Rev. 2:10; 5:9-10; 20:6
They are the ones who have that first or earlier resurrection mentioned at Rev. 20:6
The majority of mankind have that later or future resurrection as mentioned at Acts 24:15.
..........But a passage which has been identified as a parallel rapture passage is John 14:1-3.
If you are interested the details are provided in the link below. Note the parallels between John 14:1-3 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in the side-by-side diagram and draw your own conclusion...............
Jesus spoke of two (2) groups of followers: the 'little flock' (smaller) and his 'other sheep' (larger).- Luke 12:32; John 10:16.
At John 14 Jesus is speaking to those called to be saints or holy ones like those of Daniel 7:18.
The ' smaller ' would be like the people mentioned at Luke 22:28-29 and Daniel 7:18 the saints or holy ones.
The ' larger ' group would be the humble meek who will inherit the Earth.- Psalm 37:9-11; Matthew 5:5.
Instead of rapture, Isaiah 26:20 places the larger group of people in safety right here on Earth.
Kind of like when the Israelites in Egypt were in safety when the 10th plague passed by.
The great crowd of ' other sheep ' will come through the Great Tribulation of Revelation 7:14,9.
They are the ' sheep ' at Jesus' Glory Time found at Matthew 25:31-33,37.
The ' little flock' are resurrected ( don't spend time sleeping in death ) but at death are immediately resurrected to Heaven.
The majority of dead mankind have a later resurrection, a happy-and-healthy physical resurrection.
That is why Acts 24:15 uses the 'future tense' that there ' is going to be ' a resurrection.....
Those resurrected to Heavenly life, the little flock ' ( Revelation 20:6; 2:10; 5:9-10 ) have two jobs to do.
That is why Jesus provides a heavenly abode for the 'little flock'.
The two (2) heavenly jobs are to take care of mankind's greatest needs here on Earth:
1) They will serve mankind living on Earth as 'kings' taking care of governmental responsibilities towards people of Earth.
2) They will take care of spiritual duties as ' priests ' serving mankind on Earth.
Eh. We have too much to do - or should be doing - on a day-to-day basis to be pondering or fantasizing about the "rapture". And there's that scripture along the lines of "Don't worry about tomorrow. Today has enough to bother with" (heavy paraphrasing), which is saying the same thing.
People have made a full-time study of all things vague and controversial. Games of prediction and prophesy which only add up to idle foolishness.
You have a point Thoreau, and I regret it is this way. But we are not allowed to discuss the real issues we should be discussing here because they can be twisted to a political agenda. When I first came on this forum, I had hoped we'd be discussing helping the poor, clothing, feeding, housing the needy; welcoming the refugees, all the deeds Jesus instructed us to do.
Taking care of the earth as was our first mandate; are we doing that? Should we talk about it?
No we can't. Because now everything I just listed has become political hot topics instead of
"Mere Christianity" and our mandate for living.
So here we are, talking about the outer-circle subjects not vital to salvation or Christian living. It's really too bad.
You have a point Thoreau, and I regret it is this way. But we are not allowed to discuss the real issues we should be discussing here because they can be twisted to a political agenda. When I first came on this forum, I had hoped we'd be discussing helping the poor, clothing, feeding, housing the needy; welcoming the refugees, all the deeds Jesus instructed us to do.
Taking care of the earth as was our first mandate; are we doing that? Should we talk about it?
No we can't. Because now everything I just listed has become political hot topics instead of
"Mere Christianity" and our mandate for living.
So here we are, talking about the outer-circle subjects not vital to salvation or Christian living. It's really too bad.
There is nothing political about you or your church community "helping the poor, clothing, feeding, housing the needy; welcoming the refugees", etc. When it becomes political is when you advocate forcing others to do those things your way and according to your interpretations by using the power of the state.
Though I was raised believing in it, the concept has fallen out of favor lately.
Plus, I recently learned the whole idea is only about 100 or so years old.
The scholars I've been reading/watching don't give it credence.
The pre-trib rapture will happen when the last Gentile is saved into the "body of Christ" a time known only to God. People thinking they know the timing of the rapture are to be ignored. The rapture is primarily a time when all those in the "body" will receive their glorified bodies fit for heaven. Those saved by grace have no part in the Tribulation as it is a time of punishment for Israel. During the 7 years (3 1/2 and 3 1/2) those saved into the family of Jesus will be celebrating in heaven.
Obviously collaterall damage will be huge and worldwide, with most of the population on earth being decimated. There wlll be millions saved out of the Trib refusing to take the mark of the beast, they will be greeted in heaven by all those who went up earlier in the rapturre.
The pre-trib rapture will happen when the last Gentile is saved into the "body of Christ" a time known only to God. People thinking they know the timing of the rapture are to be ignored. The rapture is primarily a time when all those in the "body" will receive their glorified bodies fit for heaven. Those saved by grace have no part in the Tribulation as it is a time of punishment for Israel. During the 7 years (3 1/2 and 3 1/2) those saved into the family of Jesus will be celebrating in heaven.
Obviously collaterall damage will be huge and worldwide, with most of the population on earth being decimated. There wlll be millions saved out of the Trib refusing to take the mark of the beast, they will be greeted in heaven by all those who went up earlier in the rapturre.
There is nothing political about you or your church community "helping the poor, clothing, feeding, housing the needy; welcoming the refugees", etc. When it becomes political is when you advocate forcing others to do those things your way and according to your interpretations by using the power of the state.
Yep
There are things that are above and beyond the Christian paygrade
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