I support the biblical view of a "rapture" , but not in the timing that you expect. To believe that it shall take place at any time now, defies an important scriptural reference, that warns us to not be deceived.
It is in found in 2Thes. 2:3- KJV.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (the Lord's physical return from Heaven) shall not come, EXCEPT there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;"
The Lord was "ON" Earth.
The Lord shall "RETURN
TO Earth.
The
RAPTURE "IS NOT" about the Lord Returning
TOEARTH".
The RAPTURE IS EXPRESSLY about the Lord DESCENDING FROM HEAVEN
TO the Clouds.
1 Thes 4
[
16] For
the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the deadin Christ shall rise first:
[
17] Then
we which are alive and remain shall be
CAUGHT UP together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
DESCENT ---> Lord Leaving Heaven
Lord descends from Heaven TO the Clouds.
RAPTURE ----> MEANS "CAUGHT UP".
Physically DEAD in Christ, rise UP to the Lord.
Physically ALIVE in Christ, rise UP to the Lord.
Unfortunately, there is MUCH deception going on with the "secret rapture" theory.
AGREE, that those who DO NOT BELIEVE,
1 Thes 4:16, 1 Thes 4:17 ....
HAVE STARTED...Their own THEORIES of what THEY CALL....a "Secret Rapture".
I Believe the Scriptures.
I Believe the Scripture REVEALS The Lord will CALL UP to Him....His Church.
I do NOT BELIEVE there is ANYTHING "SECRET" about what Scripture Reveals.
Not because a "rapture" is not a fact, but rather there is a land slide of error, that has been fabricated and misconstrued, in order to support it.
Disagree. Would rather say, Those WHO do NOT agree, DO the Fabricating...(begining with ie. "Secret Rapture"...) when there is nothing "SECRET" about the Church being "Caught Up" to the Lord IN the Clouds.
First and foremost, please notice the word "except" .
The KJV does not use the word "until" , mainly because by the Holy Spirit, we are to know that even Jesus does not know when He shall return, only the Father. So then, by the use of the word "except" , a sense of time cannot be applied, whereas the word "until" does imply time.
Timing IS NOT RELEVANT, "TO"
The Dead "IN" Christ.
The Alive "IN" Christ.
nor does Timing CHANGE THE FACTS.
The Lord SHALL descend To the Clouds and CALL UP TO HIM....
The Dead "IN" Christ.
The Alive "IN" Christ.
The Timing IS ONLY RELEVANT....
TO ALL OTHERS...."NOT IN Christ"...
Because the DAY He SHALL descend and call up to Him, HIS CHURCH, is "secret".
The DAY is SECRET.
THe EVENT of the RAPTURE IS NOT SECRET.
In the comparison between "except there be a falling away" , and "until there be a falling away", the word "except" allows for an event to first take place, prior to the Lord's return.
However, the word "until" denotes time, and does not allow for an event to first take place, prior to the Lord's return.
Except....Until....is not the highlight.
The Lord descending to the Clouds.
The Lord calling UP to the CLouds His Church
So what is the " event" in 2Thes. 2:3, that FIRST must take place, before the Lord returns?
Ans. "A falling away" from faith!
The beseeching, The Urgent asking, The imploring,......OF THE Apostle "TO" the Thesoloniean People...."TO WHAT"??????
Wait around and be caught "IN" the false teachings of Christ....????
OR BE PREPARED, "IN" CHRIST, and "MISS OUT ON".........The False Preaching of Christ and being SUBJECTED TO THE "SON OF PERDITION" ?
2Thes.2
[
1] Now we
beseech you,brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
[
2] That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
[
3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for
that day (the Lords RETURN "TO" Earth) shall not come, except there come a
falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Do YOU want TO BE ON EARTH....
Before the Lord Returns "TO" Earth?
Full WELL KNOWING...
There shall BE "ONLY" False Prophets.
There WILL BE "falling away" from Belief?
There WILL BE the Anti-Christ revealed?
"FALLING AWAY"....FROM WHAT?
Not Christ...!!!!
A man "IN" Christ CAN NOT "FALL AWAY" From Christ....
A man "IN" Christ "IS KEPT IN CHRIST"
"BY" the INTERNAL POWER OF THE INTERNAL HOLY SPIRIT.
However a MAN WHO "BELIEVES" "IN" God...
YOU KNOW......LIKE "JEWS"....most Certainly CAN FALL AWAY.....and HAVE HISTORICALLY Proved, that FACT!
In Luke 18:8, Jesus says a very important fact about His return and "faith" .
"I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"
Uh huh. YES, when the "Son of man cometh"....."TO EARTH"....there WILL BE...
Multitudes OF "JEWS" (primarily) Dead Bodies....
"IN CHRST".
Because "LIVING" men "already "IN" Christ.....were scurrying about the EARTH...??
(During times when men were Rejecting God and following the man of perdition and Preaching Christ Jesus TO THE JEWS )??
NO!
There WILL Be a FALLING AWAY (again) of JEWS....During the man of Perdition's Revealing....AS THE WORLD WILL BE IN UTTER CHAOS...(IF YOU CONSIDER...the millions of men "IN" Christ, having been RAISED UP to the Lord, in the Clouds)...
Pilots gone...planes crashing.
Vehicle drivers gone....cars crashing
Plumbers gone...water spraying
Electricians gone...communications disturbed
Emergency Responders gone...whoops
Injuries, Fear, Looting, Killing...world wide
Men IN Christ, have a MISSION NOW, while ALIVE IN THEIR FLESH...BEFORE THEY ARE CALLED UP to Meet the Lord in the Clouds.
THE FALLING AWAY....IS CAUSED by the CHAOS....PEOPLE are IN "DESPAIR"...
Homes destroyed...
Food shortages...
Water contaminated...
Communications with loved ones CUT OFF.
But NO WORRIES....the man of perdition IS ON SCENE.....With a "grand" speech of....
"PEACE and SAFETY"..."mankinds SAVIOR"!!
And NO WORRIES...the leaders of the Nations, (hid in their BUNKERS, with food, water, hot lines of express communications with other leaders)....WILL AGREE, the "man of perdition"....with his eloquent SPEECH and GRAND plan of "PEACE and SAFETY"..."IS" suitable TO "RULE" over "ALL" the Nations...
The "PEOPLE" of the Nations, MAKING such an AGREEMENT? Like a tallied VOTE? No. The Leading...."REPRESENTATIVES" of the "NATIONS"... WILL "AGREE" per a "TREATLY" process....
It is apparent that "faith" is the determining factor, and not "time", of WHY Jesus shall return.
No doubt FAITH IS a FACTOR.
FAITH-FULLNESS.."IN" Christ, IS a FACTOR...
FOR a man TO BE, Caught UP to the Lord in the Clouds....BEFORE Being SUBJECTED to the 'man of perdition".
FAITH-FULLNESS...."IN" GOD, "IN" CHRIST
"IS" a FACTOR...
FOR "GODS PEOPLE"...."ISRAEL" (not the nation....) PEOPLE, who believe IN GOD, to be KEPT IN BELIEF.....AND....ACCEPT the Christ Messiah ... JESUS.
CONTINUED...