The Rapture (Jesus, Earth, churches, Revelation, experience)

[fromthe heart]

Ronald...1Cor.15:52 to me is a verse that shows that even though our mortal body will die, death will have no sting over one that is saved because their spirit will leave the earthly body at the instant we die and go to be with the Lord...that no earthly body will ever see the kindom of Heaven...only our spiritual body will.

Matt.24:31 Is after Tribulation where those that are saved through Tribulation will be taken up...this is also where most learnthat if you aren't saved when the Son of man comes you could be travelling as retrorich mentioned and one will be taken and the other will not. Matthew 24:40&41

May is correct that the word 'Rapture' is NOT the word used...the words used are 'be caught up together' as Scott said the word rapture came from the Latin word 'rapiemur' which means rapture which means caught up.

May refered to 2 Sam.22:10 and Micah 1:3 in the same sense as 1 Thes.4:16...I disagree on this point because I view 2 Sam.22:10and Micah 1:3 as God's deliverence at the point of time in the Bible where they then were and Not the second coming. I thnk this was the deliverence of that time.

I don't believe that the rapture will be prior to Tribulation because I've always questioned this point and tried to see how this was to be so...but I know there was a place that the church I grew up in had said pointed to this...I just don't know just where this was. I know my Mom believes we will be caught up prior to Trib. as do most of those I had attended church with....I'm sort of a doubting Thomas until someone can tell me for sure point blank without question on this. I think there is a reference that as Scotts article points out that there are references to all...Pre, Mid, and Post...If I were to know for sure then I would believe it will be one or the other...until then I will be prepared for the time no matter when the time will be to include post Tribulation.

I'm glad this was asked...perhaps in some way we can find out why there are these preceptions.

[anders]

SOGFPP,

Interesting link. It began with an erroneous assumption, though:

Are you Pre, Mid, or Post? If you don’t know how to answer that question, you’re probably a Catholic. Most Fundamentalists and Evangelicals know that these words are shorthand for pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation. The terms all refer to when the rapture is supposed to occur.

I was an evangelical Lutheran Christian from birth until past 50, and I never heard of anything resembling Rapture or Tribulation. I probably assumed that Doomsday would come suddenly and in one go (but never gave the process much thought). I went on reading the linked webpage anyway. The least unkind thing I can say is that to me, the theory appears ridiculous as well as unfounded in the Bible. Anyway, the article added to my education, I saved a copy, and it might come in useful some day, "under some bizarre circumstances", to quote Tom Lehrer.

I am not by definition distrustful of RC material. For example, I rather often use http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/, I have bought The New Jerome Biblical commentary, and I foundBrown (ed.), An Introduction to the New Testament, to be one of the best NT intros that I've seen.

[hopper]

Originally Posted by Lightkeeper

Will it happen or is it an inner process we go through?

In reply to the OP, I am a conservative Christian from a Reformed and Presbyterian background who believes in a literal bodily rapture at Christ's literal bodily 2nd coming to Earth for his chosen people. A great number of conservative Presbyterians would consider themselves amillennial like a great number of Roman Catholics, considering these references in the Christian Scriptures to be fundamentally figurative and spiritual. I take a more literal and premil-posttrib position, which would mean Christ will literally and bodily return for his chosen ones after a period of unprecidented tribulation on the Earth. I believe the Church will have to go through this Tribulation, but will be protected and spared through it, much as the Children of Israel were in the Plagues of Egypt.
One of the better resources I've found on the issue is Robert G. Clouse's book, The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views, where Clouse acts as editor for main proponents of each of the four dominant millennial positions. I favor the position espoused by George Eldon Ladd, who also wrote, The Blessed Hope, and The Gospel of the Kingdom, and The Presence of the Future. IMHO these are the most logical, consistent, and systematic interpretaions of what is found in the Christian Scriptures, though other views certainly have their merits.

-the hopper

[may]

Originally Posted by fromthe heart

o

May refered to 2 Sam.22:10 and Micah 1:3 in the same sense as 1 Thes.4:16...I disagree on this point because I view 2 Sam.22:10and Micah 1:3 as God's deliverence at the point of time in the Bible where they then were and Not the second coming. I thnk this was the deliverence of that time.

i.

Yes, you are correct, the scriptures i mentioned refer to another time period ,i was just making the point that it says god will decend, he didnt come down at that time but he directed his attention down,the same way that jesus will.

[t3gah]

Originally Posted by retrorich

I saw a car with a sign that read: "When the Rapture occurs, this car will be without a driver." (Or words to that effect.)

I remember reading about that somewhere and all I could think of was... why would God kill all those innocent people with those driverless cars to start off something so beautiful as the coming of his Kingdom?

[Ceridwen018]

Isn't it supposed to be terrible and horrifying, not beautiful? Also, aren't those people supposed to be Jews and atheists, not innocent?

[retrorich]

Originally Posted by Ceridwen018

Isn't it supposed to be terrible and horrifying, not beautiful? Also, aren't those people supposed to be Jews and atheists, not innocent?

Jews and atheists, not innocent.