Subject: RAPTURE |
Bible Note: 'For the following reasons, this passage in Titus [2:13] cannot support the notion that there are two comings (parousia) of Christ: one for the saints, the "blessed hope" and one for the world, "the appearing of the glory of... Christ Jesus." '1. In Greek grammar, there is a rule known as Granville Sharp's rule, which says in simplified form that if two nouns of the same case are connected by the conjunction 'and' and if the definite article (the) is used preceding the first of the nouns and is not (necessarily) repeated before the second noun, the latter always relates to the same person or event described by the first noun as identical or at least similar. 'By using Grandville Sharp's rule in Titus 2:13, we see that the "and" joins "the blessed hope" and "the appearing of our ... Savior, Christ Jesus". The meaning of the conjunction "and" may be translated "even" or "also". It is therefore to be understood that the two phrases are equal in relationship. In other words, they are not two completely different time and event references, rather, they are both speaking of an event that has a common referent or focal point. 'A literal translation of Titus 2:13 would then be: '"...while we wait for the blessed hope even [the] glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," '2. In I Peter 1:13, Peter writes: "...fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Peter understood that the believer realizes his "blessed hope" at the revelation of Jesus. It is interesting that Peter, who surely would have known if there was to be both a time period and a different focus or objective between the Rapture and the Revelation of Christ, did not even hint at such a difference. Rather, he simply says that the hope of the believer is to be realized "at the revelation of Jesus Christ". The conclusion one reaches based on this verse is that the blessed hope of the believer takes place at the same time as the revelation of Christ, the time when Christ comes to rescue the righteous (the rapture) and pour out His wrath on the wicked (the revelation, as per the pretrib definition). 'To use Titus 2:13 as a Scriptural base for establishing a pretribulation Rapture is a weak argument at best. Not only is the Rapture, separated from "the revelation of Jesus Christ", not the intention of the passage, it cannot be hermeneutically substantiated by any other verse in all the New Testament...' ____________________ 'Two more reasons are given in the article at the following website: www.solagroup.org/articles/ faqs/faq_0011.html |