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Many scholars are no longer convinced on pre-millennial timing; could we have jumped to conclusions?
The rapture is not clearly taught in the Bible and because of this, it's easy to jump to a mistaken conclusion. For example, Christ says that "when He comes and knocks," we should "open to Him immediately." Luke 12:36. If you have been taught to believe in a rapture, it may be easy to think that's what Christ means here. But several points don't fit rapture teaching. Why would Christ say, "Have your loins girded, have your lights burning" if He were going to rapture us, even from sleep? We don't need to sleep with our clothes or lights on. This is about something else.
1. When Christ said, “One shall be taken, and the other left” (Matthew 24:39-40), He wasn't talking about a rapture. Luke gives more details. The disciples asked, "Where, Lord? And He said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered.” (Luke 17:37). With this additional information, it suggests that those who are taken are not raptured to heaven; they become the dinner for vultures. "One shall be taken and the other left" should not be understood as a rapture.
2. The rapture is contrary to God’s way of dealing throughout history. History supports that “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom.” Acts 14:22. Our belief that it won’t happen to us is based on a few texts that can be explained to mean something else. Everyone in history lived through trouble and died, except for Enoch and Elijah (discussed below).
3.
Christ said, “As it was in the days of Noah” (Luke 17:26). Noah wasn’t
raptured; he came through the storm.
4. Elijah was raptured, but Christ never said the end would be like Elijah for us. Elijah was raptured only after he confronted fthe alse worship of Baal. Our confrontation will be with Antichrist confront when the United Nations mandates everyone to be marked or implanted for identity purposes, but this will be contrary to the Bible, Revelation 13:16,17; 14:9,10.
5.
“As it was in the days of Lot,” Luke 17:28. Lot
wasn’t raptured, he was told to flee, and Christ told us to flee because there
would be great tribulation, Matthew 24:15-21; Mark 13:14-20.
6. Everyone else in history
has faced trouble and death. “Now all these things
happened unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our admonition, upon
whom the ends of the world are come,” 1Corinthians 10:11.
7. Re
the world, Christ said to understand Daniel
which shows no rapture. Daniel and his friends faced a series of life
and death situations. 8.
Christ was in the furnace
with the three Hebrews. “Beloved, think
it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you,” 1 Peter 4:12. God will be with us through
the trials. 9.
“Broad is the way, that leads to destruction.” Matthew
7:13. Millions of rapture books sold like “Left Behind” suggest a broad following that does not fit well with
the Bible’s teaching that “we must through much tribulation enter into the
kingdom of God,” Acts 14:22. 10.
“By their fruits ye shall know them.” The fruit of rapture teaching is a lack of Bible
study in Revelation, thinking “we won’t be around.” But Revelation is the
only book that Christ promises a blessing for reading and "keeping those
things that are written therein." Revelation 1:3. Revelation uses symbols and imagery
that we can decode from other parts of Scripture if we study and become familiar
with the Bible.
11. We would feel
like second class citizens in heaven if we were raptured from trouble and lukewarm materialism (Revelation 3:17) if we did not have the opportunity to face trouble manfully as did Daniel, Peter or Paul.12. Rather than rapturing "lukewarm...miserable" Christians (Rev 3:17), we should expect "the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple...But who may abide the day of his coming...for he is like a refiner's fire," Malachi 3:1,2. If we are faithful through this refining process (trumpet plagues of Revelation 8,9, the mark of the New World Order (Revelation 13:16,17) and the 7 vials that fall on those who receive that mark (Revelation 14:9,10; Rev 16) we will be ready to meet Christ when He comes visibly ("every eye shall see Him, Rev 1:7, Revelation 19:11).
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