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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Pre-Tribulation Rapture | NT general Archive 1 | gbennett76 | 94712 | ||
The rapture theory is contradicted by the following biblical facts: Christ’s return will not be invisible; rather, it will be universally manifest. For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen from phaino, to shine even unto the west; so houtos, in this manner shall be the coming parousia of the Son of Man Mt. 24:27. As those early disciples beheld theaomai, to see, look at Christ’s departure to heaven, so in like manner tropos, in the same way will he come again (Acts 1:11). The Lord’s coming will involve a revelation apokalupsis, to uncover of his being (2 Thes. 1:7), because at that time Christ will be “manifested” phaneroo .. a term which, when employed in the passive voice (as in 1 Jn. 2:28), means to show or reveal oneself, be revealed, appear to someone (Arndt Gingrich, Greek Lexicon, Chicago: University of Chicago, 1967, p. 860). Moreover, as Jesus was visible during his first “appearing” epiphaneia on earth (2 Tim. 1:10), so will he be visible when he appears at his second coming (1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Tit. 2:13). Finally, of his coming it is said that Jesus shall “appear” horao, “become visible” a second time (Heb. 9:28). If the advocates of the rapture theory are correct, the Lord will not appear until his third coming! Christ’s coming will not be inaudible; rather, scripture indicates that the Second Advent will be accompanied by considerable sound phenomena. The Lord will descend from heaven with a “a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God” (1 Thes. 4:16). This has been called the noisiest verse in the Bible. Too, when Jesus comes again, “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise” (2 Pet. 3:10). That hardly accords with the notion that the return of the Lord will be a silent, secret event. The truth of the matter is, the rapture theory is relatively recent. The idea appears to be traceable to a Pentecostal movement of the early 1800’s .. founded by Edward Irving (1792-1834). A recent writer says: “The idea of a two-stage coming of Christ first came to a Scottish lass, Miss Margaret Macdonald of Port Glasgow, Scotland, while she was in a prophetic’ trance” (Robert Brinsmead, Present Truth, September, 1974, p. 28). Brinsmead quotes from a book, published in 1861, by Dr. Robert Norton, a member of the Irvingite group. This volume, titled The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets: In the Catholic Apostolic Church (p. 15), as quoted by Brinsmead, reads as follows: Marvelous light was shed upon Scripture, and especially on the doctrine of the second Advent, by the revived spirit of prophecy. In the following account by Miss M.M..., of an evening during which the power of the Holy Ghost rested upon her for several successive hours, in mingled prophecy and vision, we have an instance; for here we first see the distinction between that final stage of the Lord’s coming, when every eye shall see Him, and His prior appearing in glory to them that look for Him. George Murray, in his excellent volume, Millennial Studies, has also quoted the renown Greek scholar, S.P. Tregelles, who, in 1864, wrote: “I am not aware that there was any definite teaching that there should be a Secret Rapture of the Church at a secret coming until this was given forth as an utterance in Mr. Irving’s church from what was then received as being the voice of the Spirit” (op. cit., p. 138). The rapture theory thus rests upon the same sort of bogus “revelations” as Shakerism (founder Ann Lee had visions and claimed to speak in seventy-two languages), Seventh-Day Adventistism (Ellen White thought she took a trip to heaven), and Christian Science (Mary Baker Eddy’s revelations told her there is no death). The dispensational dogma, with all its peculiar elements (including the notion of a secret rapture), is at variance with the teaching of the Bible, and careful students of Holy Writ will reject it. |
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2 | Pre-Tribulation Rapture | NT general Archive 1 | gbennett76 | 94718 | ||
Tribulation Trah Part 1 Many Protestants have copied a medieval Catholic idea, and decided that there is a big gap between the rapture and the coming of Christ. They call this gap "The Great Tribulation" and use it as a dumping site for all the "Great Apostasy" scriptures they do not like. It is true that there will be terrible tribulations before the Second Coming. But this should not be confused with the 1260 year period spoken of in Daniel and Revelation, during which the church would be "in the hand of" Satan. The Rapture and the Second Coming: When Christ comes again, the faithful will raise in the air to meet him, and then He will descend to earth, fulfilling all the various prophecies. This rising into the air, where surviving believers meet with resurrected saints, is called the "rapture." Sounds Simple – Why make it complicated? The common Protestant view adds something called "The Great Tribulation." What is it, and why was it added? The Origins of the Theory: The idea of a Great Tribulation, lasting either seven or three and a half years, can be traced to the Spanish Jesuit, Ribera. He was writing in the year 1591. This was when the Protestants had begun to realise that the 1260 "days" of prophecy referred to the church in the dark ages. The Catholic church did not like this being pointed out. So Ribera invented the idea of a final tribulation yet to come. But as the centuries have passed, it became clear that the Protestants were no better than the Catholics, and the rise of Protestantism did not usher in the Second Coming. So gradually Protestants have adopted the convenient Catholic fiction of "the tribulation" being in the future. Fairbairn's Bible Dictionary (London: Blackie and Son, 1866), under the topic "Revelation", notes the two major advantages of this theory to any false church: First, it is "holding that the whole interval of historic time between the ascension of Christ and the appearance of antichrist is passed over in prophecy." In other words, God has ignored the first 2000 years of church history! Second, "It has the convenient advantage of not admitting of being tested in actual history." The whole purpose of the false "last days tribulation" doctrine is to make us ignore a) the prophecies of the great Apostasy, and b) the last 2000 years, which fulfilled those prophecies. The finishing touches to the "last days tribulation" theory, concerning a separate rapture and a seven year duration (with the 1260 "days" as half of that), were added by Darby in or around the year 1830. What is the Alleged Sequence of Events? A friend (a pre-tribulation rapture believer) described the popular Protestant approach to this as follows: "According to pre-trib belief, the sequence of events is: 1) rapture 2) Antichrist signs seven year peace covenant 3) 3 1/2 years into the seven year period, the Antichrist is killed and comes back to life, admittedly this is a counterfeit resurrection 4) at the end of the seven years Jesus returns to planet earth – known as His second coming, defeats the Antichrist and armies of the world" The truth is alot more simpler: 1) rapture and Second Coming. The phrase "antichrist" and "tribulation" are more general descriptions. These things have already started – and had started in some degree even in New Testament times. These trials will eventually build up to the battle of Armageddon and the fall of Babylon. They are completed by the Second Coming – with the rapture happening at pretty much the same time. It All Hinges on the Great Tribulation Theory: If the 'Great Tribulation' theory is correct, then all the apostasy scriptures have not yet been fulfilled. So the traditional Christians would be right. There was no apostasy, and no need for a restoration. But if the 'Great Tribulation' theory is false, then the scriptures clearly teach that there was a Great Apostasy, lasting 1260 years, which ended in the year 1830. |
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3 | Pre-Tribulation Rapture | NT general Archive 1 | gbennett76 | 94719 | ||
Tribulation Trash Part 2 So: is there to be a 'Great Tribulation' lasting seven years (or three and a half years, 1260 days) immediately before Jesus returns? The 'Great Tribulation' – True or False? The Problem for Protestants: The term 'Great Tribulation' is used by Protestants to refer to a period that ends when Christ comes again (it ends when He appears in Jerusalem to put an end to the battle of Armageddon). But here we have a problem. The 'Great Tribulation' is a certain fixed period – e.g. seven years. Since the Great Trib is so much worse than anything that has gone before, and so distinct that we can measure its length precisely, any informed Christian should be able to spot when it begins. Then, since it has a fixed length, the informed Christian would be able to predict the date of its end, and thus predict the date of the Second Coming. Yet Jesus told us (Matthew 24:36) that no-one will know this time. So the 'Great Tribulation' cannot end at the Second Coming, as Protestants teach, because it would allow us to know something even Jesus did not know – the date of the Second Coming. The Solution? A Pre-trib Rapture: BUT WAIT! There is a way round this problem. Evangelical Protestants now teach that we cannot predict the date of the Second Coming, because all faithful Christians will be raptured into heaven BEFORE the 'Great Tribulation.' This is known as the 'Pre-Trib Rapture.' (Actually, this does not solve the problem, because many of the lukewarm Christians who are not raptured will nevertheless know about the prophecies, and they will then be able to predict the Second Coming. But let us look at the scriptures anyway.) Is the Pre-trib Rapture Biblical? What do we know about the rapture? 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 is the key text: "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 dead in Christ shall rise first: 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." So: what can we expect at the rapture? Jesus comes in the clouds There is the sound of a trumpet Jesus descends from heaven Everyone knows about it (if a trumpet sounds and all the faithful Christians rise into the air and disappear, someone is going to notice! – see also Revelation 1:7, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him." ) The elect are gathered through the air. There is only one other place in the Bible that we read of this event in such detail: in Matthew chapter 24 (and in its parallel passages in Mark and Luke). Matthew 24:30-31 states: "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Once again we have all the elements: Jesus comes in the clouds There is the sound of a trumpet Jesus descends from heaven Everyone knows about it. The elect are gathered through the air. (Some would argue that "four winds" does not mean the air, but if you look at every other time the word "wind" – "anemosis" – is used in the New Testament, it always refers to wind in the sense of air.) Why go to the trouble of showing that these passages refer to the same event? Because it destroys the whole pre-trib rapture theory. The previous verses in Matthew make it clear that the rapture happens AFTER all the events that Protestants lump together as 'The Great Tribulation.' Matthew 24:29-31 states: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." |
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4 | Pre-Tribulation Rapture | NT general Archive 1 | gbennett76 | 94720 | ||
Trib Trash Part 3 It is worth quoting the key verses in several Bible translations, to drive home the point: Matthew 24:29 is the Link Between the Tribulation and the Rapture: King James: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..." New King James: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..." American Standard: "But immediately after the tribulation of those days..." Living Bible: "Immediately after the persecution of those days..." New International: "Immediately after the distress of those days..." Revised Standard: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..." Simple English: "Soon after the trouble of those times..." Mark 13:24 Contains the Same Teaching: King James: "But in those days, after that tribulation..." New King James: "But in those days, after that tribulation..." American Standard: "But in those days, after that tribulation..." Living Bible: "After the tribulation ends..." New International: "But in those days, following that distress..." Revised Standard: "But in those days, after that tribulation..." Simple English: "After the trouble of those times..." So, the rapture and Second Coming come AFTER the tribulation. The pre-trib rapture theory is therefore false, or on very shaky ground indeed. The alternatives – the 'mid-trib' and 'post trib' raptures – contradict the "no-one knows the day or the hour" statement. Conclusion: none of the Protestant 'Great Tribulation' theories are biblical. The 'Great Tribulation' scriptures actually refer to the Great Apostasy, when the Christian church was "in the hand of" the little horn for 1260 years.This ended in 1830 |
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