Posted on 07/07/2007 11:28:58 PM PDT by PRePublic
This is not to say that JWs do not have other, more serious issues of error than finding the European Common market, nuclear bombs, chemical warfare andCobra Helicopter gunships in Revelation. In fact, while dispensationalists believe stupid and unbiblical things, they do not believe soul destroying and damning things like denying the deity of Christ and the reality of the spiritual rebirth.
Not a shred of biblical evidence for this scenario. None. A complete fiction sprung full blown from a charismatic milkmaid worshiping in the flock of a defrocked heretic (Edward Irving) in the early 1800s. Margaret McDonald (the milkmaid in question) had a "vision" where she opined that 1800 years of understanding of Christ's return was WRONG and that there would be a two stage coming of Jesus. First a "secret" coming and then later the big deal.
John Nelson Darby, founder of the "all of Christendom is apostate except us" sect called "Plymouth Brethren" glommed onto this "revelation," as it fit into his radical disjunction between Israel and the Church (old and new testaments),
Dispensationists have only two scriptures they point to for a "rapture" and neither teach any such thing. The "biggie" is of course an unbiblical notion that I Thessalonians 4:13-17 refers to a "secret rapture." It does not. The position of the church for 1800 years previous has been that this is the final, once for all coming of Jesus for final judgment. It is certainly not "evidence" for the doctrine.
The ONLY other scripture one may even suggest for a "rapture" is some weird extrapolation of a "come up here" command in Revelation (11:2) to symbolic figures (which for a variety of reasons should not refer to a "pretribulational rapture"). Again, neither of these verses are biblical evidence for such a doctrine. The best that can be said for them is that they can be hammered into a dispensational chart....., if you already have the chart.
If you don't come to the bible committed to such a doctrine, you will not find it in the bible. There is simply zip, zero, zilch NADA evidence for such teaching from the Bible itself.
I do hope and pray that God will bring wisdom maturity and aid us in repentance by exposing us to our persecuted brothers in the third world. In many ways they are our "elder brothers" even though the resources for biblical teaching are not nearly so extensive. Happy sabbath to ya.
Islam isn’t at war with Christianity. They have declared war on everyone who doesn’t follow the rantings of the meglomaniac insane pedofile known as Mohammed.
It’s a holocaust. The left and the media won’t report on it, because they FAVOR IT.
As one who also dreams of being fruitful, I concur. It seems we can forward God's program by small and relatively painless obedience now, or out of the crucible of enormous suffering later. The cry of my heart is for grace to be obedient, now.
Cute, Christians in disputed areas are only ripe for the slaughter, the Mohammedians have proven time and again what they do to unarmed Christians when they are riled.
Praise the Lord and Pass the ammunition.
Feel better now?
Hmmmm. Someone needs to send this to new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Ultimately, the complete destruction of Islamic oilfields and hence their wealth will be necessary.
I agree with you, and I do know how China is brutal & oppressing in all aspects, however the Islamic force is the only “religion” or cult that is THE enemy of religious freedom, whereas China is more about power hunger.
That observation & historical look was very interesting.
As Islamic Mullah: Abu Hamza said a: "non Muslim is a COW, you can "do" with it whatever you want".
Your post is typical worldview of the Roman Catholic Church. Your worldview based on interpreting the events of the world through Amillennialist spectacles.
While I am no fan of Hal Lindsey and company, and the Dispensationalist pretrib rapture, I’ll give the dispys this, they are, to their credit, Premillennialists...which is more than I can say for you Catholics.
I believe the NT teaches a rapture, a “catching up” to meet the descending Christ at his second coming/resurrection - a bodily resurrection, see 1 Thess. 4:15-18. Rapture is the Latin equivalent to the Greek word for “caught up” in verse 17. However, I believe it takes place at the last day, the last day of this age. A singular post-trib rapture, second coming, and bodily resurrection, in other words.
While the boys at Dallas Theological Seminary are in error, their error is not nearly as serious as yours. In the name of an Amillennial interpretation of Rev. 20, the mediaeval leadership of the RCC viewing themselves ruling with Christ in a spiritualized 1000 years, the millennial, hundreds of thousands of Protestants were persecuted and burned at the stake. Their interpretation of the millennial reign gave them the authority to do it.
None of this, at least, can be laid at the feet of the Dispensationalists.
"...you will be subject to persecution, and death all in My name." I hate when these kind of predictions come true...then again, about everything else He said has come true...
5.56mm
Great post.
We are in agreement on this point, along with the vast majority of Christians of all ages. The notion of "coming 1.5," a half-@$$ed semi-demi-hemi physical coming 7 years before the main event, is the weird and indefensible novelty advanced by dispensationalism.
bttt
It’s a holocaust. The left and the media won’t report on it, because they FAVOR IT.
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