Most Sensible Teaching Of The Rapture

The Most Sensible Teaching You'll Ever Hear on the Rapture

For this we are saying to you by the word of the Lord, that we, the living, who are surviving to the presence of the Lord, should by no means outstrip those who are put to repose, for the Lord Himself will be descending from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the Chief Messenger, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall be rising first. Thereupon we, the living who are surviving, shall at the same time be snatched away together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall we always be together with the Lord. So that, console one another with these words."

1 Corinthians 15:51-53

Lo! A secret to you am I telling! We all, indeed, shall not be put to repose, yet we all shall be changed, in an instant, in the twinkle of an eye, at the last trump. For He will be trumpeting, and the dead will be roused incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality."

It is spiritually fashionable among some "believers" today to disbelieve these plain passages of Scripture. This is due in part to the three-ringed circus Christianity has made of these passages.

I agree that it is well to run from every teaching of the Christian religion. This religion has so consistently twisted and misapplied God's Word that it (the religion) has become a yardstick of truth. It works like this: If the Christian church teaches it, it must be wrong. To arrive at truth, one simply lists Christian doctrines, then believes the opposite.

This is a fine starting point, but it can be taken too far. Christian teaching, as a whole, is wrong, but amid the wreckage remain shards of truth that require careful salvaging.

The Christian religion states that all who believe in Jesus Christ will fly away to heaven at "the rapture." This will amount to about ten million people, more if the rapture occurs on Christmas or Easter.

Imagine the chaos. Should a Christian person be piloting a jetliner during the rapture, his sudden absence will bode poorly for all unchurched passengers. With any luck, the co-pilot will be a backslidden Christian who will assume the pilot's vacated seat and land the plane safely. No one will thank God, however, for they will all be heathens.

No need to imagine any of this, for Christian movie producers have already enacted such scenes and reproduced the trauma on film. See the shock. Feel the pain. Watch the puzzled faces at Rand McNally as mapmakers begin asking one another, "Hey! What happened to Colorado Springs?"

This is why I don't believe in the rapture. But I do believe in the snatching away.

It means what it says

I believe the passages I quoted on the previous page. I believe that Jesus Christ will descend from heaven, for that's what 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, clearly says He will do. I believe that the dead in Christ will be rising first. I believe that those who are alive at that time will be snatched away. This is the Scriptural term: "snatched away." These people will be snatched away, then, not raptured. (Looking up these words in the dictionary, I find them to mean: "snatched away").

I believe that these people will rise (which means "to go up") to meet the Lord in the air (which is what we breathe), in clouds (which are "masses of visible vapor").

The passage is plain enough. What is to keep mature believers from believing it?

Three things. Because of what the Christian religion has done with this passage, many serious-minded saints simply cannot swallow a literal rendering. Secondly, along this same line, some saints equate "literal" with "unspiritual."

Thus, these serious-minded people constantly seek secret, allegorical meanings to plain, literal passages.

For instance, even though clouds are often found in the air, and the same word, "nephele", is used by Jesus in Luke 12:54 to describe what produces a rainstorm, these allegory-minded believers take the clouds of 1 Thessalonians to be clouds of saints. Hm. These do produce rainstorms on occasion, but only during church picnics.

Only once in the New Testament is "nephele "used figuratively. In Hebrews 12:1, we read of a cloud of witnesses. But a rule of Scriptural interpretation (for those who care for rules) is: literal if possible. As the saints of 1 Thessalonians are rising to meet the Lord in the air, a literal rendering of "nephele " is not only possible, but probable.

Now tell me. How is this not spiritual?

The cloud that led Israel in the wilderness, though physical, was as spiritual as could be. It was spiritual, not in its molecular structure, but in that God employed it for His purposes. This cloud served as a divine guidepost. The clouds of 1 Thessalonians? These hide heavenly doings from the gaze of earthlings. It is as spiritual as can be.

As for rising in the air to meet the Lord, the dead rising first, and the saints always being together with the Lord, I have not been initiated into the "secret, allegorical meanings" of these phrases. Neither have I any idea how one could be disappointed in the literal rendering, or be desirous of a more spiritual chain of events than those listed. You just can't please some people, I guess.

A real door opener

Thirdly, many believers fail to distinguish the body of Christ from the bride of the Lambkin. That is, they do not appreciate the different destinies of Israel saints and proselytes (Israel "wannabees")-who embrace the evangel of the Circumcision-and the mix of Jews and Greeks who embrace Paul's evangel of the Uncircumcision (see Galatians 2:7). Without this key, many doors just won't open. One of them is the door to the glory of 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4.

Not all living people who believe in Jesus when He descends from heaven will be snatched from Earth's tribulation to meet Him in the air. (If the number of those who embrace the evangel of Paul today is any indication of how many will embrace it then, the number will be very small and the event very quiet; the vast majority of believers today are Circumcision believers. So forget, if you can, the pilotless jetliner scenario of page 2). Scripture clearly states (in Revelation, chapter 7) that there are to be a hundred forty-four thousand out of Israel, sealed on their foreheads, whom God will preserve through (not out of) the day of indignation. Concurrently, a "vast throng" (Revelation 7:9) of saints will have attained martyrdom, precluding any possibility of them being snatched from harm's way.

Now, if one assumes the saints of Revelation, chapter 7 to be the same saints of 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, one "must spiritualize away" the clear teaching of 1 Thessalonians, to make it fit the clear teaching of Revelation.

May the reader of these lines now realize that these two passages are not meant to fit, but are rather describing the distinct destinies of two distinct peoples, or groups of believers. Israel is to become "a kingdom and a priesthood for God," and "they shall be reigning on the earth" (Revelation 5:10). This is the "bride company," the "kingdom saints," the "overcomers," whatever you want to call them. Those of Christ's body, however, shall be "displaying the transcendent riches of His grace among the celestials" (Ephesians 2:6-7). This is a different realm altogether.

Everything should now make sense. The saints of Christ's body are snatched away in the air and transferred to the realm of their ministry. It's practical. Kingdom saints who live through the day of indignation remain on the earth, for Earth becomes their place of business for the eon. Doesn't this make sense? Isn't it practical?

Yeah. And it's spiritual as heck, too.

All Things Copyright (c) 2001-2010 by Martin Zender, All Rights Reserved

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Satanism Will There Be Golf In Heaven Will We Play Sports In

Good news for some of you - you can definitely play golf in heaven! In fact, Heavenly Jerusalem has one of the best golf courses in the universe, and there are many others spread out across the expanse. It's not just holy ghosts, people who have passed over and crossed over to Christ, who love the popular sport on earth but many holy angels also enjoy playing as well. Most of the female spirits in Heaven do not care for the game. Like all things in creation, there is diversity for everyone. Another favorite game is pool or snooker because of the 8 symbolizing infinity - representing our Creator. It's slightly different in the boards design, but the concept of the game is basically the same.

It is not all work and no play. Everyone in the holy family gets time-off for rest and recreation from their duties. Just to give you an idea, fresh holy angelic guards coming in on an eight day cycle per each section of the Azmon Barrier from planet pole to pole. Not a single game of wholesome recreation originated by mankind or Satan. Everything good you have was borrowed from the spirit realm. Does anyone honestly believe Satan or mankind could come up with an original idea on their own besides rebellion? Satan is the biggest copycat in this reality.

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Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen And Yet Have Believed

Q. I firmly hold and believe that pre-trib is both correct and the only accurate biblical position for the rapture. However, I have a hard time coming to terms with believers after the rapture experiencing God's wrath along with the world. I know they are tribulation saints but am I missing something?

A. Put into the perspective of the entire Bible, the Church is the only group who will be removed from the time and place of judgment rather than having to endure it. Neither those believers before the Church (Old Testament saints) nor those who come after the church (Tribulation saints) have been given such a blessing.

So it's not that Tribulation saints are somehow inferior to the Church, it's that those in the Church have been promised a special blessing that God never offered to any other group either in the past or in the future.

I believe it's due to the fact that only the Church has been asked to believe solely by faith. Both other groups have/will be shown ample evidence that God is who He claims to be. Jesus said, "Because you have seen me you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (JOHN 20:29).

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Saint Augustine Explains St Paul On The Manifestation Of Antichrist

St Augustine, City of God

Understand XX

Chapter 19. - Because the Apostle Paul Wrote to the Thessalonians Very nearly the Expression of Antichrist Which Shall Move the Day of the Lady

I see that I have to disregard many of the statements of the gospels and epistles about this concluding sensitivity, that this body may not become unlawfully long; but I can on no appraise disregard what the Apostle Paul says, in idiom to the Thessalonians, "We require you, brethren, by the coming of our Lady Jesus Christ,"etc.

No one can disbelieve that he wrote this of Antichrist and of the day of sensitivity, which he here and there in calls the day of the Lady, nor that he affirmed that this day necessitate not come unless he in advance came who is called the runaway -apostate, to wit, from the Lady God. And if this may place be assumed of all the profane, how much second of him? But it is debatable in what temple he shall sit, whether in that contamination of the temple which was built by Solomon, or in the Church; for the apostle would not wail the temple of any idol or demon the temple of God. And on this appraise some storeroom that in this transfer Antichrist channel not the prince himself alone, but his whole sum, that is, the hide away of men who hit it off to him, end-to-end with him their prince; and they too storeroom that we necessitate engender a feeling of the Greek second redress were we to read, not "in the temple of God," but "for" or "as the temple of God," as if he himself were the temple of God, the Clerical.

As a consequence as for the words, "And now ye know what withholdeth," i.e., ye know what hindrance or accomplish of restraint give to is, "that he strength be revealed in his own time;" they verify that he was averse to make an clear discharge, to the same degree he assumed that they knew. And subsequently we who stand not their knowledge wish and are not brainy even with labors to understand what the apostle referred to, extremely as his meaning is made slow second obscure by what he adds. For what does he mean by "For the mystery of decadence doth ahead of work: completely he who now holdeth, let him bump until he be besotted out of the way: and afterward shall the vile be revealed?" I honestly agree I do not know what he channel. I force despite the fact that rear such conjectures as I stand heard or read.

Dependable storeroom that the Apostle Paul referred to the Roman development, and that he was averse to use dialect second clear, lest he necessitate incur the calumnious charge of wishing ill to the development which it was hoped would be eternal; so that in saying, "For the mystery of decadence doth ahead of work," he alluded to Nero, whose endeavors ahead of seemed to be as the endeavors of Antichrist. And in consequence some form that he shall fit once more and be Antichrist. Others, once more, form that he is not even dead, but that he was invisible that he strength be presumed to stand been killed, and that he now lives in facade in the vitality of that extraordinarily age which he had reached once upon a time he was whispered to stand perished, and force stick until he is revealed in his own time and restored to his voters.

But I disturb that men can be so plucky in their conjectures. Unmoving, it is not numb to power that these words of the apostle, "Impartial he who now holdeth, let him bump until he be besotted out of the way," adopt to the Roman development, as if it were assumed, "Impartial he who now reigneth, let him power until he be besotted out of the way. And afterward shall the vile be revealed:" no one reservations that this channel Antichrist. But others storeroom that the words, "Ye know what withholdeth," and "The mystery of decadence worketh," adopt completely to the vile and the hypocrites who are in the Clerical, until they range a subject so engorge as to give Antichrist with a engorge variety, and that this is the mystery of decadence, to the same degree it seems hidden; too that the apostle is exhorting the keen fanatically to bump the responsibility they bump once upon a time he says, "Impartial he who now holdeth, let him bump until he be besotted out of the way," that is, until the mystery of decadence which now is latent departs from the Clerical. For they form that it is to this extraordinarily mystery John alludes once upon a time in his communiqu he says, "Minute children, it is the concluding time: and as ye stand heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are give to many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the concluding time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no disbelieve stand continued with us."

"As so therefore give to went out from the Clerical many heretics, whom John calls "many antichrists," at that time former to the end, and which John calls "the concluding time," so in the end they shall go out who do not belong to Christ, but to that concluding Antichrist, and afterward he shall be revealed."

So mixed, afterward, are the hypothetical explanations of the obscure words of the apostle. That which give to is no disbelieve he assumed is this, that Christ force not come to bash quick and dead unless Antichrist, His enemy, in advance come to seduce individuals who are dead in soul; little their seduction is a emulsion of God's secret sensitivity ahead of voted for. For, as it is assumed "HIS Vision SHALL BE One time THE Working OF SATAN, With ALL Influence, AND Program, AND Untrue WONDERS, AND With ALL SEDUCTION OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IN THEM THAT Dissolve." For afterward shall Satan be loosed, and by channel of that Antichrist shall work with all power in a treacherous in spite of this a balloon posture.

It is cheaply questioned whether these works are called "signs and treacherous wonders" to the same degree he is to renovate men's basis by traitorous appearances, or to the same degree the gear he does, in spite of this they be true prodigies, shall be a lie to individuals who shall power that such gear may perhaps be done completely by God, spirit ignorant of the devil's power, and extremely of such unexampled power as he shall afterward for the in advance time put forth. For once upon a time he crush from illusion as fire, and at a bump into swept not in from the holy Job his several home-produced and his excessive flocks, and afterward as a typhoon swift upon and smote the file and killed his children, these were not deceitful appearances, and yet they were the works of Satan to whom God had inclined this power. Why they are called signs and treacherous wonders, we shall afterward be second ecological to know once upon a time the time itself arrives. But doesn't matter what be the rationale of the name, THEY SHALL BE SUCH Program AND WONDERS AS SHALL SEDUCE Populace WHO SHALL Value TO BE SEDUCED, "The same as THEY Traditional NOT THE Belief OF THE Truth THAT THEY Dilution BE SAVED." Neither did the apostle reluctance to go on to say, "For this accomplish God shall send upon them the working of mix-up that they necessitate power a lie." For God shall send, to the same degree God shall qualify the devil to do these gear, the set aside spirit by His own composed sensitivity, in spite of this the operate of them is in pursuance of the devil's unrighteous and sinister practice, "THAT THEY ALL Dilution BE JUDGED WHO Said NOT THE Truth, BUT HAD Delight IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS." Appropriately, spirit judged, they shall be seduced, and, spirit seduced, they shall be judged. But, spirit judged, they shall be seduced by individuals sneakily composed and place secret judgments of God, with which He has never ceased to bash equally the in advance sin of the sound creatures; and, spirit seduced, they shall be judged in that concluding and manifest sensitivity administered by Jesus Christ, who was Himself most unjustly judged and shall most place bash.

Phil 3 20 Our Citizenship Is In Heaven

(Phil 3, 20) Our citizenship is in heaven

[20] But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

(CCC 1003) United with Christ by Baptism, believers already truly participate in the heavenly life of the risen Christ, but this life remains "hidden with Christ in God" (Col 3:3; cf. Phil 3:20). The Father has already "raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus"(Eph 2:6). Nourished with his body in the Eucharist, we already belong to the Body of Christ. When we rise on the last day we "also will appear with him in glory" (Col 3:4). (CCC 2796) When the Church prays "our Father who art in heaven," she is professing that we are the People of God, already seated "with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" and "hidden with Christ in God" (Eph 2:6; Col 3:3); yet at the same time, "here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly dwelling" (2 Cor 5:2; cf. Phil 3:20; Heb 13:14). [Christians] are in the flesh, but do not live according to the flesh. They spend their lives on earth, but are citizens of heaven (Ad Diognetum 5: PG 2, 1173). (CCC 999) How? Christ is raised with his own body: "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself" (Lk 24:39); but he did not return to an earthly life. So, in him, "all of them will rise again with their own bodies which they now bear," but Christ "will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body," into a "spiritual body" (Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 801; Phil 3:21; 2 Cor 15:44): But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" You foolish man! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body which is to be, but a bare kernel.... What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.... The dead will be raised imperishable... For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality (1 Cor 15:35-37, 42, 52, 53).

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