The mainstream belief about the rapture is that a large group of Christians will physically, and all at the same time, disappear and be lifted up to the higher atmosphere to meet the lord literally in the sky.
I will endeavor to show that this is false using scriptural support, and then I'd like to share with you what I believe is the true interpretation. Please let me know what you think about my argument thanks. I'm trying to get good feedbacks.
From my readings of verses concerning the rapture I will infer that this mainstream belief most likely originated out of interpretations of the following 2 verses:
Matthew 24:40 "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
1 Thessalonians 4:17 "17Then 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."
If we look at the first verse in context we will be able to quickly see that it is not referring to the rapture, but to something very different. The point of confusion is the word "taken", let's see what Jesus meant by "taken". Backtracking 3 verses "37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and TOOK them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Therefore we need not guess for the meaning of the verb to take, Jesus gave us the meaning, he used it in verse 39 to describe being destroyed, being "taken by the grim reaper" if you will, by the flood. In the same way, the Great Tribulation will be such that two men will be the the field working, one will just fall dead (probably out of fatigue) and the other is left to clean up the corpse.
As for the second verse in Thessalonians, I will demonstrate that Paul was not being literal with the words "clouds" and "air", because, putting science/common sense aside (there's virtually nothing up there), scripture does not allow us the possibility of 'being with the lord FOREVER' in the literal air/sky/atmosphere.
Isaiah 65:
"17For, behold, I create new heavens and a new EARTH: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 19And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.20There shall be no more thence an INFANT of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. 21And they shall BUILD HOUSES, and inhabit them; and they shall plant VINEYARDS, and eat the FRUIT of them. 22They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not PLANT, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands...25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD."
From this passage we see clearly that our eternal abode is of a very Earthly nature. Not only did the Lord use the word EARTH, he said we will give birth to infants, he said we will build houses, we will plant vineyards, eat fruits, wolves and lambs shall feed together, and the lion shall eat STRAW, and finally we see the image of a "holy MOUNTAIN", a moutain is clearly something very Earthly.
Isaiah 35:10
"and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."
Jeremiah 31:12
"They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more."
According to the above 2 verses our eternal abode is on Mount Zion, there will be olives, grain, wine, and flocks of animals there, this is not somewhere in the sky. Our eternal abode is on Mount Zion, which over a period of 1000 years will grow into the New Jerusalem: Daniel 2:35 "...But the rock [mount zion] that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. [New Jerusalem]"
So since we cannot be two places at once physically, we cannot both be in the sky for eternity and also be on mount zion/new jerusalem for eternity, it must be true that the sky and cloud Paul referred to did not literally mean the physical atmosphere.
This is what I think it means. It is symbolism for a holy place, a spiritual plane. Remember God lives in Heaven, God is also omnipresent, therefore Heaven must also be omnipresent. When we become fully one with the Holy Spirit, we become one with God, and we thus live in Heaven (spiritually speaking), then everything we do in the physical 3D reality comes "out of heaven". Therefore this is how Paul is also right, how we can both be in the sky/cloud/heaven forever (spiritually) and also be on Mount Zion forever (physically).
The understanding that the rapture does not mean to be lifted up out of the tribulation and into the sky by the Lord is crucial, because now we need to be responsible; before it was like ok all I need to do is to read the bible, pray, be a very good christian, and God will come for me when the time comes, there's nothing physical that I must do.
Now a very key problem faces us that we need to deal with which before with the vanishing theory we could turn our backs to, and that is what happens when the mark of the beast is instituted?
Revelations 13: "15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark...."
What will you do when the mark of the beast is instituted? How will you get food or water or shelter when you can't buy or sell?
"as in the days of Noah so shall the last days be"
In the days of Noah there was an Ark that provided safety for God's people, now we as God's people, as present day Noah, must also prepare an Ark. The church must prepare.
And here lies the true meaning of the rapture.
Jeremiah 4:6
"Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction.”
Isaiah 35:10
"and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."
Jeremiah 50:5
"They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten."
Isaiah 66:8
"Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children."
The NEW ZION is the new Ark! Going to Zion IS the rapture! It is where the returned Jesus himself will be!
Where is this new Zion? lets agree that it is not in the Middle East, because clearly here God says it will be a place to flee to during the Great tribulation and the Middle East will be a place to free away from during that time. Revelations 12: "14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach"
During the Apostle John's time, when he wrote these words, Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa have all been discovered, are all on the map, the only place that's not on the map, the place that can rightfully be called the wilderness, is the Americas. This is further supported by the part of the verse that says the woman [the real Christians] will be "given wings of a great eagle", the cover picture of an American passport is "a great eagle"! Also the United States is the country right now with the greatest porportion of Christians, the Americans will not allow the mark of the beast to be instituted in their country. It will mostly affect Europe, Asia, and Africa.
So then how is this Zion going to come about?
Revelations 21: "2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, PREPARED AS A BRIDE beautifully dressed for her husband."
Who is the Husband in this case? I hope we can all agree that this means the returned Jesus Christ. It says clearly that this HOly City must be "PREPARED",but by whom? Well definitely not by Jesus physically beacuse he is the husband. In the Jewish tradition preparation of the wedding feast is the responsibility of the bride and her family, so here's the answer--Christians would have to prepare it. Ofcourse we're talking about Christians who have become fully matured and one with the spirit so that everything that comes out of the work of their hands comes out of "heaven" (the meaning of heaven per our discussion above). THe work will be inspired by God, but it will physically be done by Christians.
Not only do some Christians have to prepare Zion, Christian churches need to prepare other methods of supporting its members for when the time comes when the Mark of the Beast is instututed and they cannot buy or sell (because Zion alone, at least initially, will not be able to support 2 billion people). This can be in the form of buying land and planting crops, making clothes, miking cows, making honey, and other business work.
Jesus actually explained very plainly that this needs to be done. Matthew 24 verse 45 and onwards: "whosoever is the faithful and wise servant whom the lord put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food AT THE PROPER TIME? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns." The faithful and wise servant are the elders of the church. Jesus before that described how horrid the tribulation will be, and then he said he put some servants in charge of making this tribulation less painful for his christians.
What happens when these leaders of the church fail to provide for their members for the tribulation? I think Jesus explained that very plainly too.
"48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Anyway if there's a will there's a way. The problem right now many people are living in the false belief that God will come and lift them out of the path of the hurricane that's coming, so they can't, or won't, even respond to what's clearly coming. so that's why I feel a big burden in sharing what I think is the truth so that more people can know about it and respond to it.
Appreciate any input, corrections, and instructions, thanks =]
I will endeavor to show that this is false using scriptural support, and then I'd like to share with you what I believe is the true interpretation. Please let me know what you think about my argument thanks. I'm trying to get good feedbacks.
From my readings of verses concerning the rapture I will infer that this mainstream belief most likely originated out of interpretations of the following 2 verses:
Matthew 24:40 "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
1 Thessalonians 4:17 "17Then 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."
If we look at the first verse in context we will be able to quickly see that it is not referring to the rapture, but to something very different. The point of confusion is the word "taken", let's see what Jesus meant by "taken". Backtracking 3 verses "37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and TOOK them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Therefore we need not guess for the meaning of the verb to take, Jesus gave us the meaning, he used it in verse 39 to describe being destroyed, being "taken by the grim reaper" if you will, by the flood. In the same way, the Great Tribulation will be such that two men will be the the field working, one will just fall dead (probably out of fatigue) and the other is left to clean up the corpse.
As for the second verse in Thessalonians, I will demonstrate that Paul was not being literal with the words "clouds" and "air", because, putting science/common sense aside (there's virtually nothing up there), scripture does not allow us the possibility of 'being with the lord FOREVER' in the literal air/sky/atmosphere.
Isaiah 65:
"17For, behold, I create new heavens and a new EARTH: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 19And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.20There shall be no more thence an INFANT of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. 21And they shall BUILD HOUSES, and inhabit them; and they shall plant VINEYARDS, and eat the FRUIT of them. 22They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not PLANT, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands...25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD."
From this passage we see clearly that our eternal abode is of a very Earthly nature. Not only did the Lord use the word EARTH, he said we will give birth to infants, he said we will build houses, we will plant vineyards, eat fruits, wolves and lambs shall feed together, and the lion shall eat STRAW, and finally we see the image of a "holy MOUNTAIN", a moutain is clearly something very Earthly.
Isaiah 35:10
"and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."
Jeremiah 31:12
"They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more."
According to the above 2 verses our eternal abode is on Mount Zion, there will be olives, grain, wine, and flocks of animals there, this is not somewhere in the sky. Our eternal abode is on Mount Zion, which over a period of 1000 years will grow into the New Jerusalem: Daniel 2:35 "...But the rock [mount zion] that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. [New Jerusalem]"
So since we cannot be two places at once physically, we cannot both be in the sky for eternity and also be on mount zion/new jerusalem for eternity, it must be true that the sky and cloud Paul referred to did not literally mean the physical atmosphere.
This is what I think it means. It is symbolism for a holy place, a spiritual plane. Remember God lives in Heaven, God is also omnipresent, therefore Heaven must also be omnipresent. When we become fully one with the Holy Spirit, we become one with God, and we thus live in Heaven (spiritually speaking), then everything we do in the physical 3D reality comes "out of heaven". Therefore this is how Paul is also right, how we can both be in the sky/cloud/heaven forever (spiritually) and also be on Mount Zion forever (physically).
The understanding that the rapture does not mean to be lifted up out of the tribulation and into the sky by the Lord is crucial, because now we need to be responsible; before it was like ok all I need to do is to read the bible, pray, be a very good christian, and God will come for me when the time comes, there's nothing physical that I must do.
Now a very key problem faces us that we need to deal with which before with the vanishing theory we could turn our backs to, and that is what happens when the mark of the beast is instituted?
Revelations 13: "15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark...."
What will you do when the mark of the beast is instituted? How will you get food or water or shelter when you can't buy or sell?
"as in the days of Noah so shall the last days be"
In the days of Noah there was an Ark that provided safety for God's people, now we as God's people, as present day Noah, must also prepare an Ark. The church must prepare.
And here lies the true meaning of the rapture.
Jeremiah 4:6
"Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction.”
Isaiah 35:10
"and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."
Jeremiah 50:5
"They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten."
Isaiah 66:8
"Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children."
The NEW ZION is the new Ark! Going to Zion IS the rapture! It is where the returned Jesus himself will be!
Where is this new Zion? lets agree that it is not in the Middle East, because clearly here God says it will be a place to flee to during the Great tribulation and the Middle East will be a place to free away from during that time. Revelations 12: "14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach"
During the Apostle John's time, when he wrote these words, Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa have all been discovered, are all on the map, the only place that's not on the map, the place that can rightfully be called the wilderness, is the Americas. This is further supported by the part of the verse that says the woman [the real Christians] will be "given wings of a great eagle", the cover picture of an American passport is "a great eagle"! Also the United States is the country right now with the greatest porportion of Christians, the Americans will not allow the mark of the beast to be instituted in their country. It will mostly affect Europe, Asia, and Africa.
So then how is this Zion going to come about?
Revelations 21: "2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, PREPARED AS A BRIDE beautifully dressed for her husband."
Who is the Husband in this case? I hope we can all agree that this means the returned Jesus Christ. It says clearly that this HOly City must be "PREPARED",but by whom? Well definitely not by Jesus physically beacuse he is the husband. In the Jewish tradition preparation of the wedding feast is the responsibility of the bride and her family, so here's the answer--Christians would have to prepare it. Ofcourse we're talking about Christians who have become fully matured and one with the spirit so that everything that comes out of the work of their hands comes out of "heaven" (the meaning of heaven per our discussion above). THe work will be inspired by God, but it will physically be done by Christians.
Not only do some Christians have to prepare Zion, Christian churches need to prepare other methods of supporting its members for when the time comes when the Mark of the Beast is instututed and they cannot buy or sell (because Zion alone, at least initially, will not be able to support 2 billion people). This can be in the form of buying land and planting crops, making clothes, miking cows, making honey, and other business work.
Jesus actually explained very plainly that this needs to be done. Matthew 24 verse 45 and onwards: "whosoever is the faithful and wise servant whom the lord put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food AT THE PROPER TIME? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns." The faithful and wise servant are the elders of the church. Jesus before that described how horrid the tribulation will be, and then he said he put some servants in charge of making this tribulation less painful for his christians.
What happens when these leaders of the church fail to provide for their members for the tribulation? I think Jesus explained that very plainly too.
"48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Anyway if there's a will there's a way. The problem right now many people are living in the false belief that God will come and lift them out of the path of the hurricane that's coming, so they can't, or won't, even respond to what's clearly coming. so that's why I feel a big burden in sharing what I think is the truth so that more people can know about it and respond to it.
Appreciate any input, corrections, and instructions, thanks =]
