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NASB | Matthew 24:39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 24:39 and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be [unexpected judgment]. [Gen 6:5-8; 7:6-24] |
Subject: left during flood,left second coming |
Bible Note: Greetings Barry! Thank you for your response! 1 Thess. 4:16-17 is 'hands-down' the most popular verse when it comes to eschatology! This verse tells me that the church will be raptured, and it will not be "left behind." If God is going to have a 'rapturing' of souls at all, then there has to be a very good reason why He is taking souls off of the earth in such quantity! The reason that I have found is that He will do this to spare the church from His wrath that He will pour out onto the world. However, it is clear to me that 1 Thess. 4:16-17 is speaking of 'The Day of the Lord' (which is also known as The Second Coming of Jesus Christ). The very verse that precedes 1 Thess. 4:16-17 (verse 15), is clearly speaking about the "..coming of the Lord..". Also, the very next verses that follow 1 Thess. 4:16-17 (1 Thess. 5:1-11), speak about and describe 'The Day of the Lord', which is the Day when Christ makes His return to earth. The Second Coming of Christ will come like a "thief in the night." (Matthew 24:36-37,43) In no way was the ascension of Christ something that was "quiet." (Acts 1:9-11) You will have to find Scripture to back up your assertion that the ascension of Christ was "quiet." The whole meaning of the illustration of Christ's coming as a "thief in the night" is that Christ will come at a time that nobody can forecast or expect! It is something that will happen instantly, or in a "twinkling of an eye"! We must be ready for it, since there will be no 'clue' given to us until He comes in all His majesty and glory! We must be ready for His return. The Second Coming of Christ will be like a "thief in the night" AND Christ will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! There was no "quietness" about His ascension, and there will be no "quiet" rapture or "quiet" Second Coming. Such a position cannot be supported by Scripture. If you believe that the Rapture and Christ's Second Coming are two different or separate events, then you are clearly proven wrong by Scripture in 1 Thess. 4:16-17, where it states "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." Therefore, the Rapture MUST take place at the Second Coming of Christ. You see, there can only be ONE Second Coming. There will not be a Second Coming, and then another Second Coming. The Second Coming of Christ will occur only once. Those who are left on earth after the Rapture are positioned to endure God's wrath, since He will come to take and conquer the armies of Satan at the Battle of Armageddon. The coming of Christ in 'Great power and Great Glory' happens at the SAME time that the church is raptured from the earth. There is no "secret" rapture, and there is only one Second Coming of Christ. As for your commentary on Revelation 4:1-2, through chapters 4, 5 and through 18, you can check it against my interpretation of the same passages in Revelation, which is found at http://www.revelationcommentary.org which I am sure that you will find most interesting. :-) I appreciate your thoughts on the discussion! Feel free to respond to anything that I have shared with you here. However, if you disagree, then I specifically ask that you would provide Scripture for some solid support. Your Brother in Christ, Makarios |