*R*A*P*T*U*R*E* coming soon to a Galaxy near you. In fact to YOUR very Star System, 3rd rock from the Sun... are you ready?
What if... (and PLEASE don't 'write me off as a heretic' either now for posing this query ), but… what if there is NO Rapture? Note, I am not asking 'what if there's NO Second Coming', as that is very much a CRUCIAL doctrine of Biblical Christianity. (for a quick review of 11 Exegetical, Key or CORE Tenets of the Christian Faith, please see my Blog on “Spirited Discussions, Rebukes, Swords and Clubs” from Da Bauz’s Take) As in, if there's NO 'Second Coming', well then there's really NO Christianity, because that is a very large part of what 'the hope in glory' is all about...
So now, back to the specific question: "what if there is NO Rapture?" I have spent most of the past 30 years studying, to one degree or another, the soon return of Christ Jesus, our SAVIOUR. Personally, I have also always tended to be a "pre-Tribulation" thinker; although through the years I have heard many great sermons, and read several very inspiring books, postulating mid-Tribulation and post-Tribulation, as well as pre-trib arguments. All of which I may add, are very well substantiated with scripture, in CONTEXT.
Then a few months ago, someone suggested to me that I try re-reading any and all of the various passages used by millions of Christians to support any one of the three (3) - pre, mid & post - Raptures noted above, but read them without the biases of someone else’s "interpretation(s)”. That's a TALL order. 30 years of walking with the Lord, and well 50 years of believing in a 'pre-trib Rapture', makes for a hard bias to let go of! By the way, he is a personal and trusted friend in Christ.
Nonetheless I have been trying; ergo I am posting the query for your pondering.
Another individual very recently presented the argument to me, based upon Luke 17:26 (I'll use the KJV for the purposes of posting here) “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man”, and that person’s perspective is this: Noah and his family were "left behind" and "saved", while the wretched evil sinners were all whisked (*raptured*) away. See also Matthew 24:37 (AMP).
Of course when I contemplate the "... [just] as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the time of the Son of Man." Luke 17:26 AMP, I envision eight (8) people, four couples, being Noah & his wife, and his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth and their respective wives, being whisked (raptured) away in the Ark, leaving behind the earth and its wicked inhabitants to perish in the Judgment of God (Christ).
Song by Larry Norman, covered by DC Talk – “I Wish We'd All Been Ready” [Live]
Let me expand on this “pre-Tribulation” Rapture perspective, as I know many who read this hold to “mid-Trib” and / or “post-Trib”, and evidently even NO-Rapture, Rapture ideologies. Here's a *challenging* perspective on the subject of The Rapture for you all:
The man of sin, son of perdition (man of lawlessness?), whoever *he* in fact is, he is being *RESTRAINED*
according to 2 Thessalonians 2:6 & 7. (AMP)
"...restrained only until he who restrains is taken out of the way." 2 Thessalonians 2:7 (AMP)...
So the question becomes one of "who" is restraining this "man of lawlessness"? It is commonly believed (and this includes my personal belief) that He who restrains the *lawless* one is none other than the Holy Ghost.
If the son of perdition CANNOT be REVEALED until after the *restrainer* (He who restrains) has been taken away, and the *restrainer* is the Holy Ghost... this leaves the Christians in a strange spot. WHY a strange spot, might you ask... well, I glad that you did ask!
You see, Jesus / Yeshua promised that He would 'give us the Holy Ghost to abide with us always (forever) “...shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;...” John 14:16 KJV
Thus, if God (Christ) pulls the Holy Ghost to "un-restrain" the lawless one, Christ has GOT to take me (and the rest of the Church, His Bride) with . . . And that my friends IS GREAT news!
Before I say one more word, I'll simply say this: The *RAPTURE* is, in my humble opinion, NOT an essential / central / or core doctrine or belief within the faith, therefore pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib... are all secondary issues.
Next, just for thought provocation, consider if you will Revelation 3:10 (NIV) – “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” As with any and ALL textual references, (biblical or otherwise) PLEASE read in context of course.
Finally, I hear and read a lot about the comparison to the days of Noah. “As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:37 (AMP) see also Luke 17:26 KJV
So, what about Noah's day?
39 And they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away--so will be the coming of the Son of Man.(A)” Matthew 24:38 & 39...
They were eating, drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, babies being birthed... RIGHT UP UNTIL THE VERY DAY...
Now I've heard some say, many in fact say... God doesn't take His *chosen* people away from or out of harm's way. He gives them strength to endure, push though and arrive on the ‘other side’. Well in Noah's day, He (God / Christ) gave people loads of warning to repent or PERISH. The invitation was OPEN to ALL who heard the message to "enter the Ark
Eight people heeded said warnings, “And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.” Genesis 7:7 (AMP) and accepted the invitation which led to Salvation. This of course begs the following two (2) questions:
A) Were the people of this earth who perished in the Flood of Noah's day left behind? Or
B) Were those who perished somehow whisked (raptured) away?
B) Were those who perished somehow whisked (raptured) away?
Very recently I've had a few people make just that claim. “B” that God (Christ) left behind His *remnant* (Noah and his family) and effectively *raptured* away the evil wicked people of the earth.
Personally, to me it looks much more like “A”, wherein the people of this earth who perished in the Flood of Noah's day were left behind. Whereas, Noah, his wife and their sons and daughters-in-law (eight in total) were WHISKED (*Raptured*) away from the earth's normal environment (normal for human habitation), and the evil wicked one's who rejected God's (Christ's) promises were "left behind" to perish in the FLOOD.
Yep, me thinks God's Word does very much in fact teach N' support the thesis that the Church WILL BE GATHERED UP (Raptured away) before the Man of Lawlessness is revealed. . .
Nonetheless, I am left pondering – “What if there is NO Rapture”? It seems many are fascinated, enamoured even, with the word "Rapture". And interpretations appear to be many and varied, about precisely WHAT “Raptured” really even means!... You see folks, depending on how we look at any one or a series of any of the various ENGLISH Interpretations *** / Translations *** of God's (Christ's) Holy Word, we can see various and varied implied differences in single passages.
No matter what, I am ready for His (Jesus Christ’s / Yeshua Hamashiach’s) soon coming RETURN! Whether it be by way of a pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib (Rapture) or NO Rapture, one thing is for certain: “Christ WILL come again!”
Would you like to know the one true God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua Hamashiach? Please read on.
“Know Jesus, know peace whereas no Jesus, no peace”
How does one get to “know” Jesus? Simple, invite Him into your heart, as Jesus says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” [Revelations 3:20 NIV] How can we be assured that this Jesus stuff means anything, anything at all? Well because the Bible tells us so, as the Apostle Paul wrote:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10 NIV]
And for those of you who say to me, I can’t be bothered reading the Bible, “it’s confusing” or “it’s a waste of my time”, may I draw your attention to what the Bible says about wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” [Proverbs 9:10 NIV]
If nothing else, PLEASE read two chapters from the Bible – (don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if you’re reading this, you can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV) John 3 and John 14!
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
And John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Well that’s it, that’s Da Bauz’s Take on, The Rapture (within this context at least) – this 23rd day of March 2012 © 2012, All Rights Reserved. wr (Da Bauz, Christian Zionist “creationist” too)
*** RE: “Interpretations *** / Translations *** of God's (Christ's) Holy Word” Like it or not folks, every single rendering of the Word of God / Holy Bible in the English language is to some extent an interpretation. An interpretation by a human being (albeit a very scholarly and skilled one or set of scholars), and as such there are subtle nuances, variances and differences in many of the “non-essential” transliterations, passage-to-passage, between the numerous English versions available. That said, the KEY message of the Holy Bible, God’s (Christ’s) Holy Word from Genesis through Revelations remains intact and unchanged from the original texts, and is every bit as powerful and relevant to this very day, as when first penned.
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