What is it with people believing the 'Rapture'?

Question

I mean it is just WRONG. The doctrine of the Rapture is not mentioned in any Christian writings, of which we have knowledge, until after the year 1830 A.D. Whether the early writers were Greek or Latin, Armenian or Coptic, Syrian or Ethiopian, English or German, orthodox or heretic, no one mentioned a syllable about it.

How can people buy into this? Not one orthodox mainstream Christian denomination holds this to be truth.

Answer 1

It's a term used to describe events in Revelations. It was coined by 15 year old Margaret MacDonald in 1830 and used as a sound bite by a New Age minister in 1860.

It is quite popular with New Age religions such as Apostiolics and Pentacostals.

The term, however, does not appear in the traditional Bible directly.

For me the terms is too fluffy and sounds like how girls describe falling in love or how druggies describe the trip they get on substances. It's also used as a term by scuba divers to describe the bends (Rapture of the Deep).

If I'm going to use a New Age terms, I'd chose BEAM UP. God's going to BEAM US UP.

Answer 2

There are Christians all over the world that understands the
term rapture, the term rapture is not a doctrine within itself
there is a doctrine that Jesus teaches that when he comes to take his bride out of this world, He will come as a thief in the night, He will snatch away his bride.
I hope this will shed light on the word Rapture, just because you don't believe does not mean it's not true,seek and you will find the answer you are looking for.

Answer 3

some quite spectacular prophecies have come real, yet i do no longer think any of them got here from Howard camping out. i do no longer think of there is reason for concern. i do no longer bear in innovations the acceptable date, however an identical ingredient befell back interior the 1800's. Farmers did no longer hardship to plant vegetation, and persons have been having intercourse interior the streets because of the fact they believed the top replaced into close to. It have been given so undesirable that Joseph Smith, the prophet, testified interior the call of Christ that he (Christ) does no longer come that year. it may seem stupid to us, yet thousands believed the recognize a preacher, while they could desire to have believed the recognize the prophet. Joseph Smith prophesied that the celebrities could fall from heaven interior 40 days. that quite did take place on the fortieth day - November thirteenth, 1833 - the night sky replaced into bright with thousands of thousands of falling stars. human beings stayed up all night and watched in amazement. In medical phrases, the earth crossed the orbit of a comet. Atheists could purely say he have been given fortunate, yet Joseph replaced into often "fortunate" in that way. He had many prophecies that got here real to the letter. He advised Orin Porter Rockwell, the federal marshal and gunfighter, that he could in no way be shot, and he in no way replaced into. He advised Dr. Richards that the day could come while bullets could rain down on him like hail, yet he could go through lots as a hollow in his outfits; Joseph replaced into precise on the two counts. He envisioned the civil conflict, and that the north and south could call on different international locations for help, and that the treaties between international locations could deliver approximately a international conflict - all of which occured. He envisioned that Jackson County could be devastated, that the only ingredient left status may be the chimneys. The Union armies observed to that. He envisioned the fall down of the U. S. government. This prophesy replaced into a minimum of in part fulfilled because of the fact the U. S. replaced into ruled by using Whigs on the time. They misplaced power and in no way gained yet another election. The civil conflict could have been approximately slavery to those interior the North, besides the undeniable fact that it replaced into greater approximately freedom to those interior the South. They feared that the U. S. government had already won too lots power over community affairs. With the renounce of the South, "those u . s ." grew to become "the USA of a".

Answer 4

Maybe the rapture has already happened. Two people were taken up, a bag lady from Detroit and some guy from a village in the South of England. Nobody else noticed ha ha!!

Answer 5

You suggest that no mainstream Christian denomination holds it to be true... I guess that depends on your definition of mainstream christian denomination. There are alot of baptist groups who believe in the rapture. There are also orthodox Pentecostal groups who believe in the rapture. Personally, I can make a good argument that there will be a rapture. But I can also give an argument that there won't be a rapture. The point is... we can't know for sure. What we can be certain of is that Jesus is returning for a group of people who love and serve him. The timing of that for me isn't a big deal... but being ready whenever that happens is a big deal.

Answer 6

The Rapture truth is found in Christian literature, namely the Scriptures. It is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 as well as 1 Corinthians 15:51 (not all will die--therefore some will meet the Lord while they are alive). Post-Biblical literature such as you mentioned is not as authoritative as Scripture.

Answer 7

Really? What do these words mean then?

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."
I Thessalonians 4:13-5:3

"I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?" '
I Corinthians 15:50-55

Answer 8

Pastor Billy says: interesting thing about the word Rapture is it comes from Latin and of course the people who uphold the Rapture theology most common today are those same individuals which deny the Latin language and enjoy telling everyone they should only use the KJV bible which comes only from the "original" Greek and Hebrew.... Not.

Rapture theology like the one taught by the Left Behind series of books and the dispensationalist Evangelical Protestant movement, Plymouth Brethren etc is just not authentic Christianity.

additional notes: I've heard the arguments of Ephraim the Syrian supporting Evangelical Protestant style endtimes rapture whew. the interesting thing about this proof is ... it entirely goes against the premise of typical rapture enthusiasts as "bible alone". Lets assume the ancient writer Ephraim did support the interpretation of Left Behind rapture enthusiasts do you think Ephraim's additional extra biblical writing on
Mary's sinless nature or on the praying to saints would also be accepted as true Christian belief?

here are some quotes from Ephraim the Syrian

You alone and your Mother are more beautiful than any others, for there is no blemish in you nor any stains upon your Mother. Who of my children can compare in beauty to these? (Nisibene Hymns27:8 [A.D. 361]).

Remember me, you heirs of God, you brethren of Christ; supplicate the Savior earnestly for me, that I may be freed through Christ from him that fights against me day by day (The Fear at the End of Life [A.D. 370]).

You victorious martyrs who endured torments gladly for the sake of the God and Savior, you who have boldness of speech toward the Lord himself, you saints, intercede for us who are timid and sinful men, full of sloth, that the grace of Christ may come upon us, and enlighten the hearts of all of us that so we may love him (Commentary on Mark [A.D. 370]).

If Ephraim is really saying what you claim he is are you willing to agree to all his writing? Sorry Suzanne we must agree to disagree on the interpretation of Rapture and on Ephraim's understanding

Answer 9

Sister, you've been mislead by folks who didn't teach you the entire truth. Most Protestant denominations teach the Rapture, although not all agree in a pre-tribulational Rapture; some believe in a mid-tribulational Rapture, while others teach a Rapture at the end of the Tribulation, but before Jesus' return.

Further, it's absolutely incorrect that the Rapture isn't mentioned by the Church until 1830. Here are a few very early references to it:

1. "The Shepard of Hermas," written in the early Second Century, reads, in part:

"You have escaped from great tribulation on account of your faith, and because you did not doubt in the presence of such a beast. Go, therefore, and tell the elect of the Lord His mighty deeds, and say to them that this beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. If then ye prepare yourselves, and repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart be pure and spotless, and ye spend the rest of the days of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly."

2. A preacher known in Christian literature as "Pseudo-Ephraem" gave an incredible speech titled "Sermon on The Last Times, The Antichrist, and The End of the World," which was written some time between the fourth and sixth century. In part, the sermon reads:

"Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms all the world? . . . For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."

3. While Catholics today do not believe in the Rapture, many early Catholics did believe. Very few of their writings survive today because of a documented effort by the Catholic Church to destroy them all. However, at least one important reference survives: a student of Brother Dolcino wrote in 1304:

"Again, (Dolcino believed and preached and taught), that within those three years Dolcino himself and his followers will preach the coming of the Antichrist. And that the Antichrist was coming into this world within the bounds of the said three and a half years; and after he had come, then he (Dolcino) and his followers would be transferred into Paradise, in which are Enoch and Elijah. And in this way they will be preserved unharmed from the persecution of Antichrist. And that then Enoch and Elijah themselves would descend on the earth for the purpose of preaching [against] Antichrist. Then they would be killed by him or by his servants, and thus Antichrist would reign for a long time."

4. Peter Jurieu in his book "Approaching Deliverance of the Church" (1687) taught that Christ would come in the air to rapture the saints and return to heaven before the battle of Armageddon. He spoke of a secret Rapture prior to His coming in glory and judgment at Armageddon. Philip Doddridge's "Commentary on the New Testament" (1738) and John Gill's "Commentary on the New Testament" (1748) BOTH use the term rapture and speak of it as imminent. It is clear that these men believed that this coming will precede Christ's descent to the earth and the time of judgment. The purpose was to preserve believers from the time of judgment. James Macknight (1763) and Thomas Scott (1792) taught that the righteous will be carried to heaven, where they will be secure until the time of judgment is over.

I assure you, there are more references than I've quoted above. But most importantly, there are numerous Scriptural passages that support this teaching. I urge you to look into this matter more fully.

Answer 10

It could be at the second coming some believe that Jesus will come in the middle of Tribulation

for the elects sake the time will be shortened

When he comes I'm going up not matter when