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Pre-Trib Rapture Evidence: Top 10



1. The rapture is plainly taught in Scripture.  Believers will be physically removed from the earth according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.  As soon as I hear someone say, "the rapture is not in the Bible," I know they've already lost the argument.  If you think 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is just allegory then there is nothing further to discuss.  If we can't agree on the basic meaning of words then we are not going to agree on anything.  The passage says Believers will be "caught up" from the earth and will meet the Lord in the sky.  Some even go so far as to argue that the word "rapture" is not in the Bible.  I'm utterly dumbfounded by that argument, which is the logical equivalent of saying there is no God because the word Yahweh is not in the Bible.  The word Yahweh is in the Bible - in the original Hebrew, just as the word rapture (specifically rapturo) is in the Latin Bible.  In the original Greek passage of 1 Thessalonians 4, the rapture is called the harpazo.  It's the exact same thing and silly word games and semantic-twisting will never change that fact.




2. Constant expectancy (a.k.a. imminency).  The early Church was well aware of the many events that had to transpire during the final years before Jesus returned to Israel.  The Apostles were intimately aware of these details because Jesus had shared the knowledge with them in His Olivet Discourse.  They knew that an antichrist (called the "man of lawlessness") would arise, the Temple would be rebuilt, and several years of great tribulation would ensue.  Yet the consistent sense of New Testament Scripture is that early Believers lived with a constant sense of expectancy for the Lord's imminent appearing.  Mid-trib, pre-wrath, and post-trib proponents handle these "imminency" Scriptures in a variety of creative ways, but I have never been presented with a satisfactory argument.  Only the pre-trib doctrine interprets the many Scriptures that describe an imminent appearing of Christ with their prima facie meaning.  More about this here.




3. Believers are going to Heaven.  Jesus told His disciples in John 14:2-3 that He was leaving them, but would come back and take them to be with Him in His Father's house (see also Hebrews 12:22-24).  This promise is as clear as day.  We know where Jesus went - He went to His Father's house in Heaven and sat down at His right hand.  The prophecy in Hosea 5:15 makes this even more clear.  While this promise doesn't necessarily rule out mid-trib or pre-wrath views, it does rule out many if not most post-trib theories.




4. The pre-trib rapture is built on promises.  Pre-tribbers are often mocked as being proponents of "easy-escapism", but the mockery doesn't change what the Bible plainly says in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Luke 21:36, and Revelation 3:10.  Believers escape before the Time of Jacob's Trouble.




5. The Church is conspicuously absent from Revelation chapters 5 through 19.  The Book of Revelation is primarily about the events transpiring during the Tribulation and the Church is not mentioned one time between chapters 5 and 19.  Even more, Revelation 4:1 is a type or shadow of the rapture where the Apostle John is "caught up" to Heaven at the sound of a trumpet.  The 24 elders, which most biblical scholars consider to be a picture of the glorified Church in Heaven, are already present in Heaven in chapter 4 and from Heaven John and the elders are able to witness the Tribulation events occurring "below" on earth.  The only allusion to the Church in these chapters is found in Revelation 12, specifically Revelation 12:5, where a male child that represents the corporate Church is raptured to Heaven before Israel (the woman) enters into Tribulation.




6. Consistency in symbolism.  Noah and his family escape before the Flood comes.  As a matter of fact, God commanded Noah and his family to enter the ark seven days before the Flood came (Genesis 7:1-10) just as the Church will escape seven years before God's wrath is fully poured out.  Similarly, Lot and his family escaped from Sodom before the city was destroyed.  Furthermore, it wasn't just happenstance that Noah and Lot escaped before judgment - in Genesis 18:22-33 we learn that the reason they escaped beforehand was because God's very character was at stake.

Also, Joseph was a "type" of the Church and he was removed from his land and ended up in Egypt where he became royalty just as the Church will be raptured from this lowly earth and enthroned in Heaven (Revelation 3:21, 4:4).  Then the land of Israel underwent seven years of terrible famine while Joseph was tucked safely away in palaces of splendor.  A foreshadowing of the Time of Jacob's Trouble if there ever was one since Jacob himself, and his other sons, were suffering in the famine.

Another example was the Prophet Daniel who had been elevated to a high position in Babylon when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were a shadow of Israel being protected during the Tribulation while Daniel was a shadow of the Church, which will be far away from harm.  Though later, Daniel himself becomes a shadow of Israel when he is protected in the midst of the den of lions.

Additionally, Jewish wedding customs at the time of Christ were a perfect parallel to the pre-tribulational rapture: the groom came and "purchased" his bride, making a binding, unbreakable agreement to return for her, he then went away to prepare a place for her in his father's house, and then around one year later returned for her with a "shout".  The groom and the bride went into the bridal chamber in the father's house where they remained hidden away for seven days while wedding guests celebrated outside.




7. The "departure" of the Church.  2 Thessalonians 2:3 contains the smoking gun: the Greek word apostasia here simply means "departure" rather than "falling away".  The first English Bibles all translated this word as "departure" as did some of the earliest Bibles such as the Latin Vulgate.  The context in the passage (gathering of the Church, removal of the restrainer, and revealing of the antichrist) in addition to the use of a definite article in verse 3, make this Scripture almost certainly a description of the rapture of the Church.  While translating apostasia as "departure" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is not necessary to believe in a pre-trib rapture and some pre-tribbers think the rapture is not mentioned in verse 3, if apostasia does refer to the rapture in this verse then on the basis of this passage alone, mid-trib, pre-wrath, and post-trib theories would be completely disproven.  J.D. Farag recently expressed some doubt about this, but I think he needs to study this out on his own.  I've read the various rebuttals to the 2 Thessalonians 2:3 rapture argument, such as those presented by Robert Gundry, and none of them seem particularly convincing.  You can read more about this here, here, and here.

2 Thessalonians 2 has another strong bit of evidence for the pre-trib rapture, which can be found in verses 6-7.  We learn quite clearly that the man of lawlessness (the antichrist) cannot be revealed until a certain restrainer is removed.  Most commentaries regard the restrainer to be the Holy Spirit working in and through the Church.  The removal of the restrainer necessitates a pre-tribulational rapture.




8. It upholds a proper dispensational understanding of Scripture.  Jesus was sent "only to the lost sheep of Israel", yet when His own people rejected Him, God turned His attention to the Gentiles - primarily through Paul, Barnabas, and company, but also through the Apostles themselves.  Daniel's 70 weeks of years, a period set by God to redeem Israel, paused at the end of the 69th week when Jesus was crucified.  This pause is commonly called the Church Age or the Age of Grace and it won't end until the 70th week begins (see Acts 15:12-16).  This 70th week serves two primary purposes: first, the national salvation of Israel (Romans 11:26), and second, a cataclysmic global judgment on the Gentile nations.  The Church is not in view anywhere in Daniel's 70th week.  Even more - the Tribulation is called the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7).


9. The pre-trib rapture was not invented in the 19th century.  Nearly as silly as arguing that the rapture is not in the Bible, is arguing that the pre-trib rapture was invented in the 19th century.  Detractors have often attributed the pre-trib rapture's origins to a supposed vision from one Margaret MacDonald in 1830, yet MacDonald never described a pre-trib rapture.

Additionally, it is well known among Bible scholars that whether wrong or right, pre-trib beliefs go back at least to the 18th century, and likely to the early Church.  You can read more about this here, here, and here.


10. The woman in labor seals the deal.  The discovery of a literal astronomical alignment that fits with what is described in Revelation 12 has personally ended the debate for me.  Once we discovered that Revelation 12 should be taken for what it plainly says rather than allegorized and that it describes an actual, future event, the passage suddenly unlocked the meaning of a whole host of Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments that refer to a "woman in labor" as the primary symbol of the beginning of the Tribulation (see Isaiah 13:6-13, Isaiah 26:17-21, Isaiah 66:7-11, Jeremiah 30:4-11, Jeremiah 49:23-27, Micah 5:3, Matthew 24:8, Mark 13:8, and 1 Thessalonians 5:3).  The woman represents Israel and the child in Revelation 12:5 appears to be a symbol of the Church and this particular child is said to be "raptured" to Heaven.  The timing of this child's birth and rapture?  Before the woman goes into labor (Isaiah 66:7-8).




This is by no means an exhaustive list, as there are many other reasons, but these are some of the particular points I find the most convincing.



Post A Comment

62 comments:

  1. Dear Gary, thank you especially for the point #7 'smoking gun' of 2Thess2 which was also new to me not long ago! Regarding #9 pre-trib was not 'invented' in the 19th century but indeed #2 imminency was. I just learned from Br. Steve Sewell in his latest video about a US (!!) Niagara Bible Conference in 1878 where 'imminency' was defined (and in the following spread the earth and teachings of men). So indeed thank you guys from America for another teaching error LOL ;-) Perhaps this information might be helpful for anybody? Thank you again for all that good food on this page here, be richly blessed in Jesus' name!

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    1. Doesn't seem like a teaching error, but more about defining what a word meant... I think with everything going on now, it is taking on a new meaning... 'Any time now...' Things like Rev 12 are 'Turbo charging immanency' as one person put it... Unless we are just completely misunderstanding things... but there is more than just Rev 12 going on right?

      In previous generations, death and the rapture were both seen as things that were imminent. Either could happen at anytime, and in death I believe it is possible that someone's awareness of time stops and they are taken forward to the resurrection/rapture immediately. As far as someone who dies is concerned, the Rapture is the next thing they experience. This possibly explains near death experiences, though I won't say that with certainty... The Lord knows what is happening there...

      Just another reason to hope the Lord Jesus Christ returns very soon... To set things right.

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    2. Kris

      A big reso8nding yes to your question is more going on than just the Rev 12 sign.

      Israel is back a fulfillment of Matthew 24. The 6 day war was a fulfillment of Psalms 83. The world stage, specifically Russia and Iran are aligned against Israel for the first time in preparation for the battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39.

      These are just a few of the many signs that tell us the stage is set and the time is on us.

      God has chosen in the last few years to reveal the meaning of Revelation 12 as a warning and an encouragement.

      Blessings,
      Greg

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    3. Annabel
      I know I am a bit late on this thread, but I want to say that I agree with you 100%.
      The Geneva Bible 1599 has in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 : Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that nab of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition.

      the departing is from one place to another. like going from New York City to London.
      People need to look into the older Text and Languages instead of what is corrupt and what is not.
      Thank you for the Time
      In His Matchless Grace

      Sanky

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    4. TYPO nab of sin should be man of sin.

      thanks

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  2. Sorry Gary I forgot to post the Steve Sewell video URL https://youtu.be/Lhvshi461xg the bible conference is quoted at around minute 14:00 - Blessings!

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  3. hmmm, not convinced about point 7...seems Acts 21:21 is clearly referring to a forsaking, with an almost identical root word to that in 2 Thess...both from apostasia.

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  4. Good review of some salient points.

    Oh, speaking of Joseph. In Genesis 41:45, Joseph takes a Gentile (Egyptian) bride at the same time he is exalted to his position of authority, and prior to the coming seven years of famine that engulf the region--a famine one purpose of which is to bring Joseph's brothers to a place of repentance and ultimate reconciliation.

    It's also interesting that Joseph takes his Gentile bride before the *seven years of plenty* that precede the seven years of famine, and I have never hit on a fully satisfactory way of working that fact into the end-time scenario.

    Of course, I hope it means the Rapture will occur seven years earlier than we thought, but that's probably wishful thinking. =8)

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  5. The sense of the word "apostasia" also implies a removal from one place to another. For the completion of the Great Sign of Rev. 12 to be properly understood, the identity of The a woman as "Israel" is a "Great" error. The Woman of Rev. 12 is the Holy Spirit -Ruach, Lady Wisdom of Proverbs fame. The Barren Woman whose seed Satan hates and makes war against from the beginning of God's creation in the Garden of Eden, is The Tree of Life in the Garden, and in Proverbs, whom Lady Wisdom claims to be, and The Spirit of Truth. She calls all mankind to listen to Her, so they will not perish and says all who love Her love life, and all who hate Her love death (which is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - to reject Her call to repentance). This Glorious Woman, clothed with Heaven's Jewelry of sun, moon, and stars is about to give birth to the body of believers in Her Son Jesus Christ (Jesus WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT). Can a man give birth? Of course not, and Israel is referred to as "he" in scripture, and is composed of human beings. Is a large group of believers (Israel, composed of people) going to give birth to another large group of believers (The Manchild)? Of course not. People giving birth to people? No, but The Woman, the Holy Spirit, pictured in all Her glory as the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, is about to be utterly victorious over the Dragon, Satan, when She brings forth Her children to Heaven. ""He maketh the Barren woman to keep house and to be a joyful mother of her children." (Psalm 113). Type and shadow of the Holy Spirit







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    1. The Holy Spirit is NOT female.
      https://www.gotquestions.org/Holy-Spirit-gender.html

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    2. Do you think that God in Three Persons, with three distinct personalities, is all masculine? Does not Genesis say "Let us make man (meaning mankind) in our image - male AND FEMALE, He created them, reflecting the image of God as three Persons, with a female included in the Godhead? Are not ALL names for the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament of feminine gender? Regarding the New Testament, does not Vines Expository Dictionary say regarding the word Spirit "the noun Pneuma, in Greek, while the corresponding word in Aramaic, the language in which Our Lord spoke, is feminine"? So, Our Lord Jesus said the Spirit was feminine. Period. So, if both Old and New Testament, in the original language, says the Spirit is feminine, then the Spirit is feminine. Who is man to change what God has said. Why do you think God hates homosexuality? Because it defiles the image of God, Who is family. Marriage between a man and woman reflects the image of God. Jesus is our brother, and we have been adopted into this glorious, wonderful family of God. I regret that this offends you, but please research this with an open heart and not so dogmatically. The announcement of the Supreme Court legalizing gay marriage was the Abomination of Desolation on God's end-time calendar and now the Great American Solar Eclipse, dividing America, announces God's decision - the handwriting is on the wall. Judgement awaits soon. When the Supreme Court told God that He is wrong and they are right concerning marriage, there is nothing man can do worse, as far as God is concerned, to challenge God. But our Heavenly mother, Heavenly "Jerusalem", is "the mother of us all, and will bring us safely home in September. Maranatha.

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  6. .......so, The Holy Spirit, Ruach, as our Heavenly mother, completes our understanding of the Godhead, which God has said in His word that we can understand the Godhead from the things that are made, from the things that we see in our own lives and the world around us, what a wonderful God He is. We have a Father in Heaven, we have a heavenly mother who has travailed in birth for each and every one of us, giving us a new birth, with even a part of His very own nature, and we have a Saviour, our brother Jesus. What more could we possibly ask for in God. We are His Family!

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    1. So the heavenly mother impregnated a woman (Mary) to give birth to Jesus?

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    3. This is not "Mary worship", which is a totally false doctrine of the Catholic Church; but, in fact, the. Holy Spirit being female disproves that abominable teaching. The Holy Spirit revealed this truth to me in 1990. I am now 791/2 yrs old. I believe this was hidden by God for the purpose of focusing on Jesus Christ as Savior and the gospel going out into all the world, but now that the Rev. 12 Great Sign is in the heavens, since we are in the fullness of time and time is very short, the Holy Spirit deserves all the glory for all her travail in birthing Her children - the Church. As the Star of Bethlehem portrayed a Divine Person in it, Jesus the Messiah, so, too, this sign must portray a Divine Person - and that Person is. The Holy Spirit. Also, your referring to the Holy Spirit in the scriptures as male - how do you arrive at that conclusion when you look up ALL the names identifying the Spirit in the original Hebrew and Aramaic, both Old and New Testament - they are ALL feminine nouns. A noun is a person, a place, or a thing. The Holy Spirit has a name -Ruach, a feminine name. Since this true, all these female references - are we, in our unopened minds, to believe that The Holy Spirit is something other than what is clearly defined in scripture and display the same nature as fallen man when the Woman Adam (God called their name, the woman and the man Adam) lost her God-given equality with her husband and became subservient to man that awful day in the Garden of Eden. Adam, her husband, called her Eve, the mother of all living, and the Holy Spirit, the Tree of Life whom God wanted them to eat of "her fruit" (the fruit of the Holy Spirit, whom Wisdom in Proverbs, who is the Holy Spirit, claims She has this fruit to give, and Her gifts that She will "pour out" on all those who love Her, and deny to Her the glory and honor that She deserves in these times. God forbid, let us not have a male-chauvanistic, woman under my feet, attitude towards this Divine Revelation. This is the Word of God and I will walk in the light of it. The Holy Spirit does not force anyone to love Her, but when "you look to Her daily" (every morning in prayer) She promises that "when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet" and you will "dwell safely" and evil will not touch you. Maranatha,



      but known. To




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  7. IN A MOMENT

    What if there is a literal connection between 1 Corinthians 15:52 and the photochemical reaction that takes place in the eye and the timing of the Event called the Rapture?
    1 Corinthians 15:52 King James Version (KJV): “In a moment, (Strongs Grk #823 atomos) in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”. Strongs Grk #823 atomos: 1.that cannot be cut in two, or divided, indivisible. A. of a moment of time
    Since the language used is concerning eye sight, I had read several years ago, Michael Behe’s book Darwin’s Black Box, in which he spells out the details of what needs to take place for vision to take place in the human body: 'Initially photons interact with 11-cis-retinal molecules, which reconfigure to trans-retinal in picoseconds…”
    That is a very, very very short period of time! It is equal to 1/10>-12 or 0.000000000001 seconds. Light traveling at 186,000 miles/sec, will travel the width of a human hair in a “few picoseconds”.
    Paul is trying to tell us in an “atomos”. A moment of time that cannot be divided. Of course today there are methods to measure that short a period of time, but back then, at the writing of the Scripture they did not have methods of measuring “picoseconds”, so Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit used that word to define the quickness of the event. Is that also why the word harpazo is used for this event, which means “to violently remove”?...just an interesting thought.

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    1. Blows me away,...i LOVE it! truly awesome* tony/vt Shalom brother

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    2. Also the Jews consider the blink of an eye the crown part of the sun when it goes behind the horizon to when the sun disappears. So the time it takes the last bit of sunlight to hit your eyes is the blink.

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  8. No, that's not the Incarnation at all. The word of God says that the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and the Most High overshadowed her. Therefore that divinely fertilized egg was put in the womb of Mary and the Word became flesh. The word says that Jesus is the only BEGOTTEN Son of God. What does the word "begotten" mean. Therefore there was a Union between The Most High (God the Father) and the Holy Spirit, since a Holy God cannot possibly have any reproductive union with a flesh and blood human such as Mary. So, as we live in a world where we can now understand aging like this happening, such as being a Surrogate Mother, so too, was the Virgin Mary, in agreeing to the will of God, as announced by the Angel Gabriel, agreed to this and the Holy, Perfect, Sinless Divine embryo was planted in 'Mary's virgin womb and produced the human body of Jesus. Thus, Jesus is true God (sinless in Divine Essence, as is the Most High and the Holy Spirit) and true man. HEre in the Incarnation, we have the Trinity involved, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As the blood of the mother does not mix with the blood of the baby in her womb, Jesus was born with the sinless nature of God, which the humanity of Mary never touched. Mary is the mother of the true man part of Jesus that produced his human body, but the Holy Spirit is the Mother of the Divine Essence of Jesus.

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    1. The Holy Spirit being female makes sense in some ways and my natural inclination would be to say, "Yes, the Holy Spirit is female", but I have to agree with traditional biblical scholarship on this. There are certain Scriptures in the NT whose Greek construction requires understanding the Holy Spirit to be male because the authors (John and Paul in particular) appear to intentionally break the rules of Greek grammar to identify the Holy Spirit as male.

      If you Google the gender of the Holy Spirit you are likely to come across all kinds of things, but you have to be careful what you're looking at and what the sources are. Few of them present actual Hebrew/Greek scholarship and instead focus on faulty arguments. You'll see these three arguments repeated:

      1. Ruach/Ruah in the OT ("spirit") is always grammatically feminine.
      2. Pneuma in the NT ("spirit") is grammatically neuter.
      3. Aramaic/Syriac always referred to "spirit" as grammatically feminine.
      4. Some early Christian traditions referred to the Holy Spirit as "she".

      At first glance that would seem to be pretty convincing evidence, but it doesn't hold up to scholarship. For starters Hebrew and Greek are gender-based languages, so all nouns have grammatical gender, but a noun's grammatical (as opposed to natural) gender has no bearing on a thing's actual gender - this is very basic exegetical knowledge and eliminates #1 and #2 as evidence. Gender has to be deduced from other evidence.

      Regarding #3 - no Scriptures that reference the Holy Spirit were originally written in Aramaic or Syriac, so it doesn't matter how those languages translate.

      Regarding #4 - all those early Church sources that supposed a feminine Holy Spirit were either Gnostic or non-Orthodox (like Origen who seemed to reject an eternal Trinity). not good sources to use.

      The Bible itself is our only source and it very clearly refers to the Holy Spirit as "He", "Him", "Himself", "His", etc.

      https://www.compellingtruth.org/Holy-Spirit-gender.html
      http://www.geocities.ws/Athens/Forum/8318/s-b1.html

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    2. quite interesting, i'm definitely impressed but i still persist in wondering... tony/vt Shalom brother

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    3. You said,"...The word says that Jesus is the only BEGOTTEN Son of God. What does the word "begotten" mean. Therefore there was a Union between The Most High (God the Father) and the Holy Spirit, since a Holy God cannot possibly have any reproductive union with a flesh and blood human such as Mary..."

      Well, you are aware that Angels had sex with humans in Genesis?!? They gave birth to what was called 'The Nephilim' (There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:4 KJV)

      So, to say God can't . . . or won't . . . have sex with human-kind, for whatever reason, is spiritually inaccurate!

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  9. Sorry, the word "aging" should read "an implantation in a womb with an unrelated embryo"

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  10. Therefore, Mary is not the mother of God.

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    1. Carol,

      Jesus is often called "the Son of David" in the Bible. He is the Son of David through Mary who is a direct descendant of David! (Also, it might be just theory but I've heard it so that allegedly the father is the one who passes the sin nature to the child.) As for now, we can’t see and understand fully all the things of God because of our limited (and sinful) human mind, please be careful!

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    3. p.s. In Genesis the Messiah is referenced as "the seed of the woman" Who will crash the evil serpent's head! (If memory serves me right this is the very first reference of the Messiah in the Bible, very significant.) The seed of the woman is the human egg without the mention of the human sperm (seed of a man) which could be again a strong hint of the “supernatural” conception of Jesus.

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  11. Great Article, show how does the 2,300 year prophecy of Daniel come into play? 70 weeks prophecy, considering this was doctrine of SDA's to end in year 1844 AD (Investigative Judgement) as pointed out in point 8 above.

    Hence claiming that this is where the Rapture theorists get there arguments from 69 weeks.

    I was listening to this 2,300 day prophecy on a local sermon where preacher said "Jews as a nation are not any longer, but only individually" due to stoning to Stephen in Book of Acts to date. Gospel of Christ came to us gentiles, because of Jews rejection.

    Thanks.

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    1. God is very clear in the Bible that the nation of Israel will never cease to exist before Him and in the center of most of the end-times prophecies of the Bible is Israel back in the land by God's hand! God will make it being acknowledged by all the nations of the world as with Israel that He was the One who brought them back! (Check out Ezekiel's 39th chapter for example). The modern state of Israel is the real nation of Israel and we are all on the cusp of a new dispensation in which the nation of Israel will turn back to the Lord (even during and) at the end of the Tribulation period (the believing remnant of the Jews).

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  12. Greg,

    Psalm 83 has NOT occurred yet. The nations listed in that war exist still today. However, they will not exist anymore by the time of Gog and Magog arrive.



    Carol,

    Where in the Bible may I find that the Holy Spirit is referred to as the 'Heavenly Mother'? God made women as companions for men. Because He says 'male and female' does not make God androgynous. Careful, that is Gnosticism you are tilting towards. God certainly IS ONLY male.




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  13. The key to when we will meet Christ in the air (those that remain) is the resurrection. Because the "dead in Christ" must rise first, we need to focus on when the resurrection is to take place. That is The Key. Interestingly, the writer of Hebrews names six elementary teachings and one of those six is "the resurrection of the dead." (Hebrews 6:1-2) You will not find "rapture" listed among the six basic teachings! Why?...because the resurrection is the key. And when is the resurrection?

    The Revelation of Jesus Christ given to Him by the Father to show His bond-servants what is to take place tells us "this is the first resurrection." (Revelation 20:5)...And when is the 'first resurrection"?...when Christ returns as we read in the previous verse (Revelation 20:4)

    Then Jesus tells us three times that the resurrection is on the last day!..."All that He has given Me....(I) will raise up on the last day" (John 6:39) Then take time to read John 6:40 and John 6:44, where Jesus repeats again and again the same thing "I will raise (My people) on the last day." We must not allow ourselves to be deceived.

    To say the "church (assembly) is not mentioned in Revelation 5-19 seems somewhat deceiving to me. The church, as you apparently must be aware, is indeed mentioned at the end of the Revelation(s)! Jesus makes it very clear that everything that has just been revealed is a testimony "for the churches" (Revelation 22:16) So, the Revelation of Jesus begins with saying this is for His bond-servants (church) and they must not only read and hear but obey these things. And then He ends with warning these things are for the churches (plural!)...So Revelation begins and ends with Jesus saying all this is for the churches! How do we have the audacity to think He took this message from the Father and revealed it to us, not anyone else, and we will teach it is not for us after a certain chapter, when clearly it begins for the church and the "bright morning star" ends saying for the churches?

    We make the huge mistake of thinking "wrath" is the "tribulation"...You want to know what "wrath" we are being spared from?....Read Revelation 20:11-14.

    The great sign of Revelation 12 is showing His people that He does indeed have a key to open a door no man can open or shut but Him alone (Revelation 12:7) That key is to Petra. That key will open a door and one will be called and one will be left.

    There are many more verses to show clearly that His plan of escape is not a rapture. I cannot take the time to show without any doubt that He will protect us if we are led by His Spirit. Obedience and endurance are key. The book of 2 Esdras 13:21-24 has a very interesting quote worth reading.

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    1. Not according to 1 Thessalonians 5!

      1 Thessalonians 5:1-11:

      "The Day of the Lord

      But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

      Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing."

      What is the context of this part of Scripture? The Day of the Lord. What did the Apostle Paul say in that context? "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us..." (1 Thess 5:9)

      Did God save us from His eternal wrath which is the second death in the lake of fire? Yes, He did!

      Did God also save us from His wrath that will come upon this Earth during the 70th week? Yes, He did!

      These 2 Biblical truths aren't exclusive of each other.

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    3. p.s.: For confirmation that the time of God's wrath is also related to the tribulation period:

      Revelation 11:18, "The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small-- and for destroying those who destroy the earth."

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    4. p.s. 2. : I was thinking on 1 Thess 5:9 and I felt the need to add that I might be wrong in my interpretation and this verse might be solely in the context of God's eternal wrath. However, I still have the opinion that the Lord saved us from "the eternal wrath" and He'll save us from the tribulation period too.

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    5. Then you have no choice but to teach there are two resurrections. At the return of Christ in Revelation 20, we read that the dead in Christ are raised and "this is the first resurrection." (Revelation 20:5) Then Christ Himself says three times in John chapter 6 that He will raise us "on the last day" However, you are teaching a "rapture" will occur before Christ returns and thus a resurrection has to take place before the "first resurrection" in Revelation 20! This has no scriptural foundation.

      In referencing 1 Thessalonians 5:4 we need to pay attention to what Paul is actually saying here...he makes it clear that since we are "sons of light" "that day should (not) overtake us like a thief." Paul is saying that we will not be caught in a trap (Greek meaning of "overtake") if we are alert. Therefore, we must be here when the trap is "sprung."

      "We" like to point to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 as "proof" that the "rapture" takes place before the day of the Lord. A careful reading of these verses does not say that at all, and further proof is actually found in what Paul writes in the previous chapter! Paul writes "in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure"...."that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God"..."and to give relief to you who are afflicted,..when the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire." In reading 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, Paul makes it clear that those who are alive will find "relief" when the Lord returns with "His mighty angels." And this is exactly what Matthew 25:31 states...

      Matthew chapter 24 goes from "the beginning of birth pangs" into "THEN they will deliver you to tribulation." And "many will fall away." There cannot be found in the very words of Christ Himself, something between "birth pangs" and "tribulation" but the word "then." What part of "But the one who endures to the end" is hard to understand?

      Jesus prayed "I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one." (John 17:15)....that prayer included us as well (John 17:20)




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    6. so entirely interesting/captivating!, tony/vt Blessings...

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    7. Dear Anon who believes so that there will be no rapture,

      The thing is that because of years of study and years of learning about God’s character and about His relationship with the Church, I’m quite convinced about the rapture. I see you are also adamant on your position. Therefore we could continue in an endless debate which I wouldn’t like to do. Nevertheless, I’d like to add some final things that came to my mind. One is the studies about the ancient Jewish wedding customs that are paralleling the rapture; they are worth to be checked. The other one is my favorite Bible teacher’s studies on the rapture, extensive studies absolutely based on scripture. https://gracethrufaith.com/?s=rapture Finally, I think we won’t have to wait too long to find out how things will turn out for the Church. (Probably in the next few years.)

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    8. Nora...Please note that I do indeed believe we will meet Christ in the air (rapture) "those that remain"...Jesus plainly says this in Matthew 24:30-31. However, when this happens, it will be at His returning to rule from Jerusalem (Ezekiel 43:1-7). It is also clear from the words of Paul, that the "dead in Christ shall rise first" then "we who are alive and remain" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). So, as the scriptures clearly state, there must be a resurrection before a rapture. And, once more, the "first resurrection" is at the return of Christ (Revelation 20:4-5). In order to teach there is a rapture before Christ returns, one must create a resurrection that is not mentioned in scripture. It is really as simple as that. Follow the resurrection and you will discover the "rapture."

      Take a few moments to study 1 Corinthians 15:20-24. Here we read that Christ has been raised from the dead as "the first fruits of those who sleep", and then "those who are Christ's at His coming." Once more, we have scriptural testimony that the dead in Christ will be raised "at His coming"...."then He will reign until He has put all enemies under His feet." Clearly, this is another witness to when the resurrection will take place.

      So, what is His true, scriptural plan for His people? I am glad this site has taken a solid stand for the great sign of Revelation 12. It is indeed a great sign (warning) of an appointed time. That appointed time is clearly laid out in chapter 12. It is when Satan/devil/dragon is going to finally be cast out of heaven forever, and "woe to the earth and the sea" (Because) "the devil has come down to you".
      This, my brothers and sisters, is the beginning of what many call the tribulation.

      Notice that once he is cast out of heaven down to earth, he is no longer called Satan (adversary) or devil (accuser) but he is only called dragon! And what does dragon mean?...."to see", "seeing one", "able to spot prey in any hiding place." It is no coincidence that we have learned about how extensive the surveillance in America of American citizens has become. It is only going to get worse! Why? Because the dragon, the one who sees (watches) is about to come down to earth.

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  14. .......not "even his brothers" believed in him.

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  15. The "seed of the woman" in the Garden of Eden in Genesis comes from The Tree of Life. There are dual meanings and types and shadows of events, referring to the Messiah crushing the head of the serpent, yes - but the Original Woman with the Holy and uncorruptible seed who Satan makes war against is the Holy Spirit, who is also called Wisdom in Proverbs. Lady Wisdom, who is a person and not a concept, makes many claims and one of them is that she is The Tree of Life and the Spirit of Truth. The Bible always explains elsewhere in Scripture the meaning of seemingly hidden and mysterious names and terms (here a little, there a little). The Woman Wisdom is the same woman as the Tree of Life, the Spirit of Truth, the One who conceived the Messiah, the "Dove" that Noah sent out of the ark to "renew the earth", the Dove who descended on Jesus and who brought him into the wilderness, the One who was in the wilderness with the Israelites, the original Proverbs 31 "Perfect" woman, of which all others are a carbon copy of, but She is the Original One. Lady Wisdom, the Holy Spirit, talks about keeping her laws and commandments. She claims to have always existed, and been alongside the Creator God the Father, from the beginning, before the earth was, from everlasting she was there. She can be sinned against and grieved and that sin results in eternal death. She is the help-meet of the Father ( reflecting on earth the role of the wife to her husband). She spends all her time convicting men of their sins and if they do so, she will pour out her Spirit on them. She has gifts to give and fruit. She will plant a crown of glory on the head of all her children. She has built a house on 7 pillars, which represent the 7 churches. She has counsel and sound knowledge. Her fruit is better than gold (which refers to the fruit of the Holy Spirit). Whoever finds her finds life (because she is the Tree of Life). Wisdom (Chokmah, Chokmoth) and Spirit (Ruach). If, in listening to the voice of Lady Wisdom, our Counselor, our Helper, our Standby, our Teacher, our Strengthener and it doesn't witness to your spirit that this the same Holy Spirit you know and love, may I suggest you pray and fast and ask God the truth of this. she is the Consort to the throne of our Heavenly Father. She is the Revelation 12 Woman, the ".Woman From Above". Maranatha!





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    1. Sophia is worshiped as a goddess of wisdom by gnostics and pagans today, including Wiccan spirituality. Books relating to the contemporary pagan worship of the goddess Sophia include: Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom, by Caitlin Matthews. Helena Blavatsky, the founder of Theosophy, described in her essay, What is Theosophy? the wisdom doctrine, and said that "Wisdom" was "an emanation of the Divine principle" typified by "...some goddesses -- as the Gnostic Sophia.

      The Israelites were condemned for worshiping the "Queen of Heaven" whose consort was the King of Heaven. (Jeremiah 7:18) Paul dealt with goddess worship in Ephesus and the Temples of Diana or Artemis were prevalent. Wherever there is a goddess, there is temple prostitution.

      The gospel of Luke lists the genealogy of Christ through His mother, Mary. This is listed because He was physically conceived and birthed through the flesh of Mary. If Jesus was not physically, genetically connected to Mary, then He could not be a true son of David, not be in the true lineage of David...thus, He could not qualify to be the Messiah.

      The "Son of Man" is the most favored description Christ used of Himself. The second century teacher, Irenaeus, wrote extensively about Gnosticism and the false goddess worship of the Gnostics.

      Earth is not our mother, and the Queen of Heaven is ISIS. To teach this old Egyptian heresy is nothing but Christian mysticism. It is idolatrous and unbiblical.

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    2. "The gospel of Luke lists the genealogy of Christ through His mother, Mary. This is listed because He was physically conceived and birthed through the flesh of Mary. If Jesus was not physically, genetically connected to Mary, then He could not be a true son of David, not be in the true lineage of David...thus, He could not qualify to be the Messiah."

      Exactly one of my points! Please take it into consideration that Jesus had to become human to be our kinsman Redeemer!

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    3. it bears witness to ''some thing'' in me for sure, truly, without a doubt! it makes me think of my mom for starters and my grandmas and all wonderful women everywhere, seriously...those who nuture, Praise God! tony /vt Shalom all....

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  16. With the topic of the Ten virgins, the NBA finals is quite prophetic. You have golden state warriors (golden state makes me think of new Jerusalem.) so in other words (the heaven bound saints "warriors") are being separated in the United States (Cleve-land) from the lukewarm (cavaliers). To be cavalier is to be unconcerned and most of the church is unconcerned of these signs. They are the. 5 who are unprepared of course we are to test all things but this crossed my mind.

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  17. These are some older books you may be interested in if you are searching.

    Zola Levitt had some wonderful videos, I think some may still be on youtube. His ministry that the children have taken over since his death, still carries a few booklets, The 7 Feast of Israel and A Christian Love Story that are very informative.

    Another book, Forbidden Knowledge: Or is it by D. A. Miller is also full of information.

    Another is, En Route To Global Occupation by Gary Kah.

    Nana
    Titus 2:13

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  18. Yes. For me the Revelation 12 sign seals the deal. The other thing I would point to is that the 144,000 Jews are clearly Jews on earth in the last days (See Revelation 7). and they are also called Firstfruits in Revelation 14. So how are they firstfruits. The only explanation that makes sense is that they are the first Jews saved after the rapture. I used to wonder about the fact that it is very very very clear that followers of Jesus are killed and suffer in the tribulation period (Revelation 12-13). But I have been convinced. This Revelation 12 sign along with I Thessalonians 5. I saw the light.

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  19. I stand amazed at the Presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how He could love me a sinner condemned unclean. How Marvelous. How Wonderful! and my song shall ever be....is my Saviors love for me. Thank you Jesus. I love You. Joes 2:16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

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  20. Gary,

    Not sure if you check comments on older posts, but I have a question regarding this post...

    I've always been taught that the Pre-Trib rapture is not biblical, and I hadn't spent much time looking into it. But last year God changed my life and showed me what it means to really FOLLOW Jesus, not just claim to be a Christian and go about my life. Since then, I've been learning a LOT, and He consistently teaches me new things when I ask Him. Very recently, He led me to your site, where I've learned a lot, and as I'm seeing the argument for a Pre-Trib rapture, I'm becoming more and more convinced.

    However, I'm a bit confused about your point #7 that apostasia means "departure" and not "falling away". I'm no Greek scholar, but when I looked the word up on BibleHub, it doesn't say "departure" at all. It says "defection", "apostasy", "revolt", "falling away". http://biblehub.com/greek/646.htm

    Can you explain how that word can be defined as "departure", and why it should be read that way? I'm growing more convinced by this argument, and getting more and more excited for Sep 23/24, but since you called this point the "smoking gun", I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing.

    Thanks! And God bless! I love all you're doing! Keep it up! And let's meet up in heaven sometime and have a coffee... or milk? Not sure what we'll be drinking, but let's hang sometime! :)

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    1. Forgot to update my name. My name is Josh.

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    2. Hey Josh, it will be great to meet you "up there". Yes - let's grab some heavenly coffee - I hear it is some good stuff. (:

      My take on 2 Thess. 2 is that a pre-trib rapture fits the context and pattern regardless of how one interprets v. 3 (see 2 Thess. 2:2, 6-7), but if you translate apostasia as "departure", a pre-trib rapture becomes unquestionable truth.

      Strong's Concordance is a really useful tool, but it isn't the best for in-depth word studies. It generally borrows meaning straight from the KJV, and the KJV translates apostasia as "falling away". My understanding is that the KJV was the first translation to do this, and in fact the first English translations, as well as the Latin Vulgate, all translated apostasia as "departure" (discessio in Latin).

      From a literal perspective the word means "to stand away from" and I think HELPS Word-studies and some other lexicons bear this out. There is a scholarly agreement that apostasia once meant just "departure" in the Greek, but there is debate surrounding what it meant at the time Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians.

      Translating the word as "departure" has three strong pieces of evidence going for it in 2 Thessalonians:

      1. The context. Paul is writing to Christians about their "being gathered together to [Christ]" (2 Thess. 2:1 - i.e., the rapture). They were afraid the Day of the LORD had already come and they were living in it (2 Thess. 2:2). Paul is writing to calm their fears by telling them the gathering hasn't happened yet.

      2. The pattern. 2 Thess. 2:6-7 explains that the lawless one (the antichrist) will not be revealed until the Restrainer is removed. The pattern then is 1. something removed, 2. antichrist revealed. Translating apostasia as "departure" explains this perfectly, whereas translating it "falling away" or "apostasy" breaks the pattern of thought Paul is using. The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit-indwelt Church (the male child of Rev. 12:5). "He" is removed, which allows the antichrist to be revealed.

      3. The definite article 'hē' before apostasia tells the reader Paul has something very specific in mind. There have always been spiritual defections and it would be difficult to define a future defection in such explicit terms. However, THE departure would clearly be the rapture.

      Hope this helps. There are three articles on the subject that I linked to in the above article under #7.

      In Christ,
      Gary

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  21. Problem n1.If people see a massive Rapture of Millions, How the hell in The world the nations will attack Israel knowing Yahuah Elohim is real?How Israel Judah, will not recognize Yahusha as messiah if he came for the bride?It makes ZERO sense. We will be facing Tribulation but We will be untouched as Israel was Untouched during The Exodus of Egypt, as Noah was Untouched of the Waters.Not a chance to see how a MASSIVE Rapture will be possible without Making The universe to acknowledge of The Existence of TAHUAH.

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  22. Hi everyone, what if everybody got it wrong? Would you believe me if I told you that there is a pre, mid, & post rapture?

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    3. Why not a rapture everydays? All those that just die...

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  23. "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2Te 2:11-12)

    Now we can see this happening in the "church". The false gospel lie is everywhere, and many people are deceived. The OSAS (eternal security) lie, the hyper-grace (liberty to sin) lie, the watered down false gospel (no death, no judgment, no hell), the pre-tribulation rapture fable...

    In other words, they believe in this LIE: "You can enjoy the world, and sin as much as you like, because of your eternal security, and you have a free air ticket to heaven on the pre-tribulation flight".

    Many people believe this lie and are so excited about it that they jump in the air, play demonic rock music scratching electric guitars, beating on drums and yelling into microphones in their dens of thieves they call "churches".

    "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." (Rev 2:4-5)

    they left their first love, the love of God, for the love of money, and they didn't repent, so God has removed the Holy Spirit out of these church, and because the place has become spiritually empty, demonic spirits have invaded these "churches" that now "is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." (Rev 18:2)

    True believer have already obeyed the God's command to "come out of her" (out of these Babylon churches) to avoid judgment (Rev 18:4) and remain at home, like Nathanel (who was said by Jesus as being "without guile") remained under a fig tree instead of going to the temple were Jesus overthrew the tables saying that they have made the house of prayer a den of thieves.

    That's the true meaning of why Jesus said about Nathanael that he was "without guile", that none of these wolves in sheep's clothing deceiver in today's "churches" will tell you:

    As the guile was in the temple and not under the fig tree, NOW THE GUILE IS IN THE "CHURCH", THE TRUE BELIEVERS THAT REMAIN AT HOME HAVE NO GUILE!

    He that hath an ear, let him hear!

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  24. "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2Te 2:11-12)

    Now we can see this happening in the "church". The false gospel lie is everywhere, and many people are deceived. The OSAS (eternal security) lie, the hyper-grace (liberty to sin) lie, the watered down false gospel (no death, no judgment, no hell), the pre-tribulation rapture fable...

    In other words, they believe in this LIE: "You can enjoy the world, and sin as much as you like, because of your eternal security, and you have a free air ticket to heaven on the pre-tribulation flight".

    Many people believe this LIE and are so excited about it that they jump in the air,play demonic rock music scratching electric guitars, beating on drums and yelling into microphones in their dens of thieves they call "churches".

    "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." (Rev 2:4-5)

    they left their first love, the love of God for the love of money, and they didn't repent, so God has removed the Holy Spirit out of these church, and because the place has become spiritually empty, demonic spirits have invaded these "churches" that now "is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." (Rev 18:2)

    True believer have already obeyed the God's command to "come out of her" (out of these Babylon churches) to avoid judgment (Rev 18:4) and remain at home, like Nathanel (who was said by Jesus as being "without guile") remained under a fig tree instead of going to the temple were Jesus overthrew the tables saying that they have made the house of prayer a den of thieves.

    That's the true meaning of why Jesus said about Nathanael that he was "without guile", that none of these wolves in sheep's clothing deceiver in today's "churches" will tell you:

    As the guile was in the temple and not under the fig tree, NOW THE GUILE IS IN THE "CHURCH", THE TRUE BELIEVERS THAT REMAIN AT HOME HAVE NO GUILE!

    He that hath an ear, let him hear!

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  25. After looking closely and asking questions while
    reading there is no reason for the dead rising, except one!
    The rapture is the removal of the body of christ.

    1 Thessalonians 3:13
    1 Thessalonians 4:14-15
    1 Corinthians 15:51-52
    2 Corinthians 5:6-9
    John 14:3

    Most people think that the "rapture" is a simultaneous event of the "dead rising" and the the "alive remaining", being caught up together which makes no sense at all when put it into proper perspective.

    ? who are the dead rising.
    ? why are the dead rising.
    ? And for what purpose.

    The Jewish covenant has to resume.
    And the Christian covenant has to end,
    before that happens.

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  26. Hi Gary I'm quite new here and really appreciate the deep work you've put in this. I am aware that some mid-trib believers are saying that because of the Thessalonians verse on "the last TRUMP", they think we have to be raptured up at literally the Revelations "last trumpet blast" but I read somewhere that those two words are actually different...do you have anything on that? I cannot recall where I saw this so I'm asking you guys. Thanks so much.
    -Believer in South Korea

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