When I went to church, I never learned or heard about the rapture or the antichrist. Do all Christians believe these things will happen/people will show up on Earth? Is it only certain groups of Christians? Or did I completely space out during Sunday School?
2007-02-17 14:55:29 · 33 answers · asked by KS 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No. This is a reflection of a Pre-millenialist theology that emerged primarily in the 19th century. The rise of fundamentalism, which has a large pre-millenialist contingent, has led to a rise in belief in (or at least publicity for) Armageddon-based eschatology.
Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, and most main-stream protestant churches don't base any of their theology on this prophecy.
Personally, I think anyone who feels they must pay attention to such things is displaying a lot of insecurity. We all must learn to live with the unknown. Trying to figure things out about the unknown future robs you of figuring things out about your present.
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2007-02-17 14:58:10 · answer #1 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
The word rapture is never really mentioned in the Bible....I was raised Catholic and then became a Christian (evangelical) and now I am just a Christian....lol....Growing up I didn't hear alot about the rapture or the anti Christ but I did hear about them....It wasn't really until I was "saved" that I began to really hear about the rapture and the anti Christ....
It is believed that we are living in the times that the anti Christ will appear, which along with that will come the rapture...
It is believed that if it is the time for the antiChrist to make his entrance then we will soon see the return of our lord and savour Jesus Christ...Now here is the thing Islam also believes that their God will return soon to...it is believed that he will rule for seven years...Christians believe that the anti christ will reign for seven years and then Jesus will return and send the anti Christ into the pits of hell...So both religions are calling for a return...The point being both religions are believing in a return, which is the reason you hear about it more often these days...It is more of a priority, to spread the word of the second coming....as for Sunday school it is a fairly complicated and scary topic for little ones so it really isn't mentioned much.....
2007-02-17 15:50:43 · answer #2 · answered by beans 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The term "rapture" is not found in the Bible, it comes from the Latin translation and it refers to believers being "caught up" to be with Jesus when He returns. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 Paul wrote about this event in the process of reassuring the believers in that church that their friends and relatives who had already passed away wouldn't be separated from them for all eternity but that they would be resurrected first and all of them would be with Jesus.
THE Anti-Christ as oppossed to the many anti-Christs that John writes about in 1 John 2:18 is the shadowy figure who is supposed to be deceiving most of the world during the great tribulation just prior to the return of Christ.
Both of these issues have taken on a sort of fadish popularity in recent years as people debate about whether or not the church will go through the tribulation, who might be THE anti-Chist, etc.
So, while both of these things are in the Bible, they are not really essential doctrines for salvation or for living our daily Christian lives. Some Christians who are out of the main stream of excepted theological understanding say there is no rapture or they disagree about what the term "anti-Christ" really means. But for the most part Christians who have studied the Bible all believe in them. I doubt that you missed hearing them in Sunday School because they are issues that interest eschatology (end times) fans more than people who are trying to convey the basic truths of the Bible to students.
2007-02-17 15:26:53 · answer #3 · answered by Martin S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All fundamentalists (look at your Church doctrinal statements) believe these things but not all talk about it as much as others do. I believe in the rapture - pre-trib - meaning I believe it will occur before the Tribulation period of Revelation, but there are those who believe in Mid-Trib and even Post-Trib for the timing of the rapture of the Church. Christ will literally return to earth at the end of the Tribulation period and have a real, literal government upon this earth that lasts a literal 1,000 years. And when it says that the earth is renovated by fire - I believe it means it literally. Most of these things are not strongly emphasized in Sunday School to younger kids - they usually reserve in-depth study for Adults.
2007-02-17 15:11:29 · answer #4 · answered by wd 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. All Christians do not believe in the coming of the Antichrist, or the rapture of the church-- as in a future event.
There are names describing different groups of believers.
Preterist, Historicist, Futurist, and Spiritualist. You are also going to hear other names. There is a book that describes these beliefs. Revelation: Four Views.
2007-02-17 15:01:07 · answer #5 · answered by Christian Sinner 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
First Acts 1:7 really needs to be read here.
As for the information regarding the end times found in the New Testament, it is for us to know but not to control. Too much attention has been place on the end times and little on what we are suppose to be doing. In short, keep the faith.
Christians believe in the Christian bible to some extend. Some more than others. If you miss the discussions in Sunday school, there is always the book.
2007-02-17 15:02:07 · answer #6 · answered by J. 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You were probably right on in Sunday school. Many Christian Churches do not teach these things. The rapture is unscriptural and the antichrist is everything and everyone who is against Christ--even some who claim to be Christian!! He will say to them, "I never knew you."
2007-02-17 16:42:38 · answer #7 · answered by Sparkle1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some groups of Christians choose not to emphasize it as much, but if they all believe in the Bible, then yes, they do believe it.
Many of the more "radical" televangelists believe that these things are happening now, or will happen in the next few years. The general belief, though, is that since only God knows when it will happen, we should just go about our lives, believing in Him, and not worrying about when the rapture might happen.
After all, if we truly believe, we should have nothing to worry about, right?
2007-02-17 15:00:23 · answer #8 · answered by Tim P. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do your own search on Darbyism from the 1800's. The Rapture is his invention. NO-ONE bought into that mumbo-jumbo prior to that. It is NOT biblical....but a twisting of what the bible says.
Then again, fundy groups did not exist prior to then, either!
The Book of Revelation is not a foreshadowing for our future. Catholics, Orthodox, Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans, Episcopalians and other mainline Protestant churches believe that the warnings in Revelation are about the persecutions that happened from 90 A.D. on.
2007-02-17 15:25:13 · answer #9 · answered by The Carmelite 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when you say all christians, those who are Christ like believe they will be caught up (rapture) to meet the Lord in the sky when He return and yes there's a such thing as antichrist(against Christ) as written in the bible there are some among us now. to know more about the rapture read 1Thessalonians 4:13-18
2007-02-17 15:10:58 · answer #10 · answered by 2much 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
born agains do...they really don't focus on the good aspects of Christianity. just the negative...and they are totally obessed about the rapture and "saving" themselves. As if that will help when the sun goes super nova 500 million years from now *shrug* Hence, in the bible where it says the earth will end in fire...its quite true it will...a very long time from now...who knows if the human race will even be around by then? Maybe we'll become extinct like the dinosaurs or something
2007-02-17 15:00:43 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋