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Maranatha!
The word rapture itself is nowhere to be found in the Bible, but the promise behind it is.
I believe there will only be one rapture and there win’t be anything secret about it. The verses used to support a secret rapture seems to suggest that we don’t know who is saved and who is not. That part is a secret.
God invented the “rapture” AKA “The Great Catching Up” as described in detail in scripture (for example, 1 Cor. 15:51-51 and 1 Thess. 4:15-18).
I try to add “AKA the great catching up” to the term “rapture” because of our legalistic modern-day Pharisee friends who have trouble seeing the forest for the trees.
The rapture is the soon-coming operation of our loving and merciful God that will save us from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9), the teaching of which is meant to comfort his children (1 Thess. 3:2, 4;18, 5:11; 2 Thess. 2:17).
The doctrine of the secret rapture is an invention and comes from new covenant theology of dispensationalism. This new covenant theology came about to get rid of the Sabbath. So they talked themselves out of the 10 commandments, they are confused on anti Christ, they are looking at Israel, they think the temple will be rebuilt, they think they are so special they will be secretly whisked away before the time of trouble......
It’s a doctrine for wimps. They want the crown without the cross. God didn’t rapture anyone out of the time of trouble....he went through it with them. Huss burned at the stake, millions of maryters murdered by the church of the dark ages, John the baptist beheaded, Isaiah cut in half, Peter hung upside down, Paul beheaded, millions of Christians today being burned to death, killed, tortured......
And this wimply doctrine says......oh, God is going to rapture you before the time of trouble. Yeah....right. Jesus himself said those days will be shortened for the sake of the elect. If the elect are already in heaven...why shorten the days?
Evangelical churches in North America are so deceived by this doctrine that no Protestant Reformer ever taught. And they believed in the 10 commandments too. They kept the wrong day but in the righy way and God honored that.
Now with this New Covenant twist, that’s all old and jewish...everything is Jewish with today’s evangelical as it concerns the Old Testament. They have pretty much tossed the only Bible Jesus ever had. the only Bible Paul ever had the only Bible the apostles ever had the only Bible the early church ever had.....
And that’s why you can’t tell a christian from a non Christian today....pretty much the same.
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our assembling unto him, That ye be not suddenly moved from your mind, nor troubled neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as it were from us, as though the day of Christ were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that the man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition, Which is an adversary, and exalteth himself against all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he doeth sit as God in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
JD Farag preached a sermon about that passage, and how in the Geneva Bible it doesn't say "falling away," but "a departing."
The Matthew's Bible says the same thing:
We beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in that we shall assemble unto him, that ye be not suddenly moved from your mind, and be not troubled, neither by spirit, neither by words, nor yet by letter, which should seem to come from us, as though the day of Christ were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for the Lord cometh not, except there come a departing first, and that that sinful man be opened, the son of perdition which is an adversary, and is exalted above all that is called god, or that is worshipped: so that he shall sit in the temple of god, and shew himself as god. Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
The Myles Coverdale Bible, developed from Tyndales work, says the same thing also:
We beseke you brethren by the commynge of or LORDE Iesus Christ, and in that we shal assemble vnto him, that ye be not sodenly moued fro youre mynde, and be not troubled, nether by sprete, nether by wordes, ner yet by letter, which shulde seme to be sent from vs, as though ye daye of Christ were at hande. Let noman disceaue you by eny meanes. For the LORDE commeth not, excepte the departynge come first, and that that Man of synne be opened, euen the sonne of perdicion, which is an aduersary, and is exalted aboue all yt is called God or Gods seruyce, so that he sytteth as God in the temple of God, and boasteth himselfe to be God. Remembre ye not, that whan I was yet with you, I tolde you these thinges?
Man I love the old English. Bottom line, there is direct biblical inference to the Rapture. We just have to look back at translations that weren't corrupted by the religious system of the time. And as much as I hate to say, and only because the King James is the longest running translation out there still widely used, earlier translations, in many spots, were more accurate.
There is also a book/pamphlet entitled "The Falling Away - Spiritual Departure or Physical Rapture?" by Dr. Andy Woods that can better explain this premise than I can. It's a good read.
Matt 24: 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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. 31 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.
When? “immediately after” .... what? “the Tribulation”
what happens? ... Jesus comes in the clouds of the heavens with power and great glory, and the trumpet sounds and ALL his elect are gathered unto the Lord. Jesus returning and his elect being caught to him in the clouds are one great event.
In the end, it doesn’t matter to me if it is pre, mid, or post Great Tribulation.
I know my eternal home is with my Savior.
The only concern I do have is that the faith of those whose faith in Christ is premised on a deliverance from tribulation or the Great Tribulation may fail when tested, and they fall away from faith. (Of course, if they do fall away, did they ever have salvation anyway? I don’t know…)
In the end, it doesn’t matter to me if it is pre, mid, or post Great Tribulation.
I know my eternal home is with my Savior.
The only concern I do have is that the faith of those whose faith in Christ is premised on a deliverance from tribulation or the Great Tribulation may fail when tested, and they fall away from faith. (Of course, if they do fall away, did they ever have salvation anyway? I don’t know…)