the rapture

[Christina]

Now let me explain a little about l Thess. Paul started the church at Thessalonia when the church was only a couple weeks old Paul had to Fleethe area leaving the new found church on its own. During this vulnerable time a false teaching arose among these new Christians that the Lord had already returned.Thus knowing that they would be gathered to the lord and changed at the lords return they thought this would be imminent. They were of course mistaken as the Lord had not returned. When Paul heard of this false teaching among the young church he immediately penned ll Thess. to correct them. It is for this reason we can not use the verses in l Thess. 4 to prove a rapture doctrine. They are the misunderstanding of this new church. 2 Thessalonians 2Thess2:1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, Thess 2:2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.2:3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. The lord will not come till after Satan(antichrist,lawless one) 2:4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (This is ambomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel)2:5 Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 2:6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper timeSatan/Antichrist that man of Sin that lawless one will return first before the Coming of our Lord.

 

[Christina]

Historical account of ThessaloniansThe first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians is also the first letter the apostle wrote. It was written to a struggling, yet vigorous church that was only a few months old, made up of Christians who had just come to Christ under Paul's ministry. This is a delightfully revealing letter, showing the heart of the apostle toward these new Christians, and also showing the struggles that were present in the early church. We sometimes get very distorted conceptions of these early Christians; there's a tendency to regard them as always triumphant, always waging the battle with vigor, and always winning great victories in Christ's name. But they also had very severe problems, some of which are reflected in this letter. It was written about 50 A.D., and may well be the first part of our New Testament to be written. Most scholars feel that the gospels were written about this same time or shortly afterward, though some hold that the gospel of Matthew, and perhaps of Mark, appeared about 43 or 45 A.D. At any rate, this letter is at least one of the earliest Christian writings. The account of Paul's founding of this church is recorded in the seventeenth chapter of Acts. After he and Silas were thrown into prison in Philippi because of their preaching of the Gospel, an earthquake shook down the prison doors and freed the prisoners. Paul was then freed by the Roman magistrates, and he left Philippi and went to Thessalonica. Many of the places where Paul preached have crumbled into ruin, but Thessalonica is still a thriving, bustling metropolis. It was then the capital of Macedonia, but it is now in Greece proper, and is called Thessalonike. From the account in Acts, we learn that Paul had only been there about three weeks when persecution began and he had to leave the city for his own safety. He went down to Athens and from there he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to see how these Christians were doing. He was very disturbed about them; he felt that perhaps the persecution they were undergoing would drive them from their faith. He went on to Corinth where he founded a church after several months of difficult labor. After some time, Timothy returned to him at Corinth, bringing word of how the Thessalonians were doing, and of some of the problems they were facing. As we read this little letter through, we can recognize them as the kind of problems that we also face. For one thing, wherever the Apostle Paul went, he was hounded by a group of Jews who spread the rumor that because he was not one of the original twelve, he was not a genuine apostle. This was not only a problem for Paul, but also for the Thessalonians. Furthermore, the pagans of Thessalonica were severely persecuting the Christians -- threatening them, and taking away their property -- so these early Christians, perhaps only three or four weeks old in the Lord, were called upon to endure hard things for the cause of Christ. In that city, as in all the Greek cities, sexual promiscuity was common -- was even regarded as a religious right -- and to live a life of chastity was to be regarded as a freak. Therefore, as is the case today, there was great pressure upon these new Christians to fall into line with the common sex practices of their day. Then the major problem of this church was that the second coming of Jesus Christ was greatly misunderstood. The apostle had evidently told them something, but they were confused about this, which produced another grave problem. Some of them were expecting Christ to come back so imminently that they had actually stopped working and were waiting for him to come. Since they weren't earning a living, somebody had to take care of them, and they were leeches on the rest of the congregation. Also, there were tensions developing between the congregation and the church leaders which needed some admonition to settle, and finally, there were those who were somewhat indifferent to the Holy Spirit's work among them, and to the truth of God as it was being proclaimed in the Scriptures. This is when Paul writes his second letter it was very impairitive to Paul to correct this teachings about the timing of the Coming of the Lord

 

[Christina]

A Second account from another sourceSome history of ThessoloniansThis is the situation that the fledgling Christian congregation in Thessolonica found itself in. As the story unfold in the seventeenth chapter of Acts, Paul had come to Thessolonica after he was freed from prison in Philipi by an earthquake. He spent about three weeks in Thessolonica before persecution of his new converts to Christianity got so bad that he had to leave the city for his own safety. He sent Timothy back from Corinth and when Timothy returned to tell of the trials that the Thessolonians were going through, Paul felt moved to write them his first pastoral letter, part of what we now call the epistles (after the Greek word for "letter") . He intended to bolster their faith in the face of great persecution. The Thessolonians had to keep struggling just to stay in place. They were new Christians; many of them were Greek converts, who did not have the benefit of a strong scriptural knowledge held by many of the Jewish converts. They were in a city filled with sin and immoral practices, and were trying to conform their lives to their status as new men and women in Jesus Christ. The temptations were very strong, but they were learning how to draw on their faith to enable them to resist. In this letter, Paul starts by telling the members of this congregation just how he feels about them, and how he views their relationship with God. In the last half of the letter, he gives them some very practical advice about how to live in a society that does not share their values. It is under these circumstances of new and struggling christians that a false doctrine slips into their mists. When Paul gets this report he quickly pens his second letter. To correcttheir misunderstandings.

 

[n2thelight]

Thanks KrissI was going to respond,but you covered it all just fine,I would like to add the meaning of mansions mentioned in John 14John 14:2 "In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."Have you ever heard Christians say before, "I have a mansion in the sky"? Friend, that is not what "mansions" is talking about here, however it is even more beautiful then those thoughts of a large house in the sky. Let's take the word "mansions" as written in the Greek text. "Mansions" is "mone", # 3438 in the Strong's Greek dictionary, and pronounced, "mon-ay' ". It means a place to rest and abide where there is no trouble. Friend, this resting place is in Christ and the Father, that is the resting.

 

[Christina]

The one taken are the ones that follow after Antichrist that think he is Christthis is one of the dangers rapture can cause making Christians believe the first one coming will rapture them away.We are to stay working in the field (world) tell the last trumpIf your in a physical bodies Christ is not here.

 

[Jordan]

(6742705)
I have to disagree only with that part where Christ returns only on the sound of the last trumpet. What I think the last trumpet signals is the end of all life on earth period not the return of Christ. Because of the descriptions in Mat and Luke that I listed in other posts also deal with the return of Christ but that does not signal the end of all life only a 50% lose of all life on Earth.God bless
Last trumpet = Second coming of Christ...Second Coming of Christ = the Lord's Daythe Lord's Day = Millinium (1000 human years with Christ which = to 1 God Day.)So when it says Second Coming, it means Second coming, He is going to return only once. Not going to come in this so called pre-trib rapture and then the real coming...That is an absub thought.P.S. The AntiChrist comes on the sixth trumpet

 

[Christina]

(6742705;14636)
I have to disagree only with that part where Christ returns only on the sound of the last trumpet. What I think the last trumpet signals is the end of all life on earth period not the return of Christ. Because of the descriptions in Mat and Luke that I listed in other posts also deal with the return of Christ but that does not signal the end of all life only a 50% lose of all life on Earth.God bless
The Seventh Trumpet 15The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." 16And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying: This is a simple matter of common sense and not making Gods word more difficult than it is we are told of 7 trumpets 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 what number is the last one ?? What does it say happens at the last 7th trump??God is not the author of confusion period. This is the last the seventh and Gods trump. It is written to us so that a child could understand.cor. Tell us we are instantly changed at this trump(7th,last Gods) The verses you are quoting are merely the signs of what will be happening on earth at the time of End leading up to the seventh trump. The trumps are the actual actions put into motion. There is no evidence of any coming of Christ before the last and seventh trump No bible scholar No rapture minister No living person has ever found evidence in the bible for a pre-trib rapture so even the fact you think you see some makes you misunderstanding something. I will say again NO evidence has EVER BEEN FOUND BY ANYONE in the Bible NONE this is strickley a mans teaching.

 

[Christina]

My misunderstanding about rapture sorry.In the days of Noah (Noe) the Sons of God (fallen Angels ) were mating with women and the off spring were giants.This is an abomination to God it is what the giving and taking of marriage means. As it was then (in the days of Noe)it will be again. Luke is telling you this will happen again when Satan gets kicked out of heaven. (Luke 10:18 ~~ "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."It has already happened twice that these fallen Angels mated with womanonce before the flood and once after. It was the reason for the flood (the second influx was smaller.)Luke 17:26 "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.""Noe" is the "Noah" of Genesis 6 that prepared the ark for the great flood. Stop and think for a moment how things were in the days of Noah, just before the flood. Lets look at Genesis 6.Genesis 6:1 "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,"After the offspring of Adam started to multiply, daughters were born to them. Remember from Genesis 3:15 that God prophesied of the coming Messiah, that would be born to the lineage of Eve. That Christ would be crucified at the hand of Satan's children, the Kenites, and through the crucifixion Christ would crush the head of Satan.Genesis 6:2 "That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." When the sons of God, those fallen angels that followed Satan, saw that these daughters of men that they were beautiful, They came to earth to marry them and have children by them. Remember that this is the example of how it would be on the earth just before the time Jesus returns at the seventh trump.Genesis 6:3 "And the Lord said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."Mankind prior to this time had lived to be over 900 years old, and God is going to shorten man's life span to one hundred twenty years old.Genesis 6:4 "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."The word "children" has been added here, for they were not as we think of children. They were "nephil" called "the giants"; meaning "a bully or tyrant that were renoun for their strength". They were a mixture between the fallen angels and flesh from the daughters of men. Jesus is telling us that this will happen again before His return. After the flood these angels which kept not their first estate in the heavenly dimension of space and time, but entered into the realm of flesh man, were bound with ever lasting chains for the end times.Jude 6: "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."Sure they are in their chains now, however Revelation 9:1 tells us that God is going to give Satan the keys or authority to release these fallen angels and they will return to earth to deceive men. Revelation 12:7-9 documents that they will be coming to earth, and they are ones "that will sting like a scorpion that striketh a man", when they arrive. This is as it was in the days of Noah, and Jesus is warning us that in a short time in our generation, it shall happen again.Genesis 6:5 "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."So remember that this is the example that Jesus gave us in Luke 17:26 as how it would be at the time of His coming.Genesis 6:9 "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."The word "perfect" as it is used here is "tamin", "without blemish as to breed or pedigree." This is not being spiritual but is a reference to Noah's blood line. The entire world had mixed with these wicked offspring of the fallen angels, except for Noah and his family.Luke 17:27 "They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."Satan was trying to destroy the womb of the daughter's of Adam, for that is the blood line that the promised Messiah would come through. Satan was trying to stop that prophecy that would take place.After you read this I recommend reading the Book of Enoch for a better understanding of these fallen angels Enoch callsthe watchers. [url="http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/boe004.htm]http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/boe004.htm[/url]

 

[verzanumi24]

(Ihsan Petros;14435)
Is there any signs for the rapture? or the signs in the bibles related to the appearing of the LORD jesus??as i know, there is no signs for the rapture, but if we see the shadow of the sings of the tribulation which will happen after the rapture, so how close we are to our hope.
The rapture is nothing but a false doctrine.

 

[Jordan]

(verzanumi24)
The rapture is nothing but a false doctrine.
:amen: AND :blessyou:

 

[verzanumi24]

(Ihsan Petros;14493)
thank you for your comment, i suggest to read these booksthe MacArthur Bible commentary by John MacArthur pages ( 1757- 1578)the Mackintosh Treasury by C.H. Mackintosh pages ( 853 - 863)God bless you all
If you believe in the rapture, do you regard other books more than God's inspired word? It is the Bible we must quote, to prove our point, and not some other book......anyone can write a book, then clame it's God's revelation. These books that you mentioned, might be written by sincere men, but if they teach and believe in the rapture, as I understand it, they are still in error. My friend, you are not obligated to believe anyone's word, if it conflicts with the Bible, no matter who is might be....even if it's your Church.