As the "Rapture" will apparently do away with all the sinners.....?

Question

and the sinners are judged by howed they lived according to the 10 Commandments in the Old Testament....then what exactly, was the point of Jesus? Don't tell me he died for our sins, because if you break one of the old commandments you'll be toast. And don't say you have to repent, because you could repent in the OT and be OK as well.

So really, what was the point?

Randall my dear....you would rather be judged by all 600 commandments then? Didn't you already prove my point?

btw by what other means, exactly, will people be judged?

People - think about what you're saying! How else will god know the "True christians" if they don't follow the commandments?? Doesn't that mean that the ones who don't make the cut are judged by how they followed them?

Answer 1

I think the new religion came first and the theology followed.


Religions involving gods dying and coming back were popular around the Mediterranean in those days. Osiris-Dionysis cults emphasized the teachings more than the god, so when they reached a new place, they'd start a new cult with a local flavor deity. It's possible (likely) that Jesus got that treatment, since the eucharist (eating his body and blood to have eternal life) was a big part of those celebrations.

Of course, Jesus was "Judaized" a bit, adding some hints of the old animal sacrifices (because the Old Testament god liked the smell of burning goats--really!) and some story parallels to Moses in the Gospels.

The religion's popularizer, St. Paul, was the one who came up with most of the theology, but Paul lived long after Jesus.


I still think Jesus was a historical person, a rabbi with some interesting (if not original) teachings, but I think that's where some of the miracle stories came from, and the theology probably came after that.


Besides, it's theology. Do you expect it to make sense?

Answer 2

Actually, I don't believe in the Rapture. Even it it does exist, it's not meant to do away with sinners. It was supposed to remove all TRUE Christians from the world until the third coming. I don't believe in a third coming, only a second.

No one is judged by how they live according to 10 Commandments or any laws. Only by their *true*relationship with God which is why many so called Christians won't be with God anyway. No one knows if their relationship with God is really real. They only assume. I try my best, but who knows? I might be wrong in the way I'm conducting this relationship.

What's the point of Jesus? To show us how to have the right relationship with God without having the blood sacrifices of the OT.

Answer 3

I'm not sure you have it right. The rapture takes all true believers, and leaves those who reject God (rejecting Satan is not the same as accepting God) and those who were really just "make-believers" behind. Out of curiosity, could you list the scripture in the new testament that says they will be judged by the ten commandments? I'm just curious because if you look through the old testament, there were actually a total of about 600 commandments, but not all as well known as Mose's. Email me from my profile page with the scripture please.

Thanks
Randall

Answer 4

Wrong again. The sinners will not all be done away with until more than 1000 years after the Rapture.The point of Jesus was that if you accept him as Lord and savior,if you're alive ,you'll be caught up and changed to immortality.If you're dead you will be resurrected to eternal immortality.If you aren't "saved" you will have to endure the 7 year Tribulation but you can still turn to Him.Chances are ,if you do,you will be executed by the Anti-Christ's forces,but if you are ,you are instantly in heaven ,alive forever.If you make it through ,then the angels will gather you up to heaven.Jesus will only smash his enemies and that is not everyone left.The "earth dwellers" will then have to accept Jesus so when they die,they will go to heaven.People will marry have kids and as Isaiah says a child that is 100 will be considered young,the lion will lie down with the lamb etc.Jesus will rule on earth and representaves of the nations will have to pay omage to Him every year.There will still be sin on earth just from our Adamic natures.Satan gets out of jail after the 1000 years and still leads people asray again but God deals more harshly now.He annialates Satan and his forces this time.Then the dead unsaved are resurrected and are judged.No one gets off this time.

Answer 5

The rapture leaves unbelivers including nominal Christians. Together they go into tribulation and, after that, the visible return of Christ.

I gather from your questions that you missed the Protestant Reformation. Old Testament -- The just shall live by the law pending the New. Those in the New are justified by faith in Jesus Chirst; the only man ever to keep the law on earth.

Having this faith in our hearts provides us with a nature which desires to conform to the law in love. It is the love we see in the life of Christ; from the beginning of time until the present hour. In this revelation, we experience that love in our hearts today in 2007.

In the Old Testament it was instruction and conformity to the law and God showing His presence in overt power. Today it is Christ in us. We are being cloned to His image. We no longer strive to keep commandments; but rather we die daily so that His life can reign in us. God's great power, somewhat hidden from view.

I hope you see a little of the difference as your question is valid; unless you consider that Jesus completes the law for us, and even took on its curse of death.

Repenting in the Old Testament required a bloody sacrifice which was good for one year at a time; and did not create a conscience free of guilt. Those temple sacrifices pointed to the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The sacrifice of Christ was once for all and results by faith in the creation of a new heart and spirit. In this clean temple, God can once again dwell with us as it was in the beginning.

The Old Testament is following rules; which no one has managed to this day. The New Testament is separation from this world; and living one on one with a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

Answer 6

You could repent in the Old Testament, but you wouldn't have been completely okay. Animal sacrifices could not fully pay for sin. The blood of animals covered up the sin. The blood of Christ washes the sin completely away. Before Jesus's death and resurrection, everyone went to hell. There were two parts of hell back then. One was known as Sheol and the other was Abraham's bosom, which was a paradise for those kind of faithful to the old covenant (David was there too, and he was a murderer and adulterer, Moses was a murderer, etc.; all of them repented) and put their faith in the coming Messiah, except that the inhabitants were still separated from God (Luke 16:19-31). His sacrifice was the ultimate sacrifice to end all sacrifices. This is why we Christians don't kill animals anymore. The sacrificial requirements of the Law were all fulfilled in Jesus Christ's death. Also, sin and death reigned over all the inhabitants of earth from Adam to Moses and beyond that because the Jews were under Mosaic Law. Those who don't know the Law are not accountable to it, but we do have a conscience which we are accountable to (Romans 1:18-23). When Jesus died on the cross, He took back the dominion that death and Satan had over the world, so that we don't have to live under Satan's control anymore. The ransom for our salvation was fully paid and we are now under grace, rather than the law (Romans 5:14-21). Of course, this being under grace instead of law and not under Satan's control only applies to those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Those who haven't are still under Satan's sway and will be judged by the law (Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 2:12-16; 3:19, etc.).

Jesus also bore our griefs (Isaiah 53:4). He paid for our peace and our healing (Isaiah 53:5). He made us free too, although we have an obligation to walk the way He wants us to, in order to remain free. When we sin, it puts us in bondage (Galatians 5:1). This is part of the reason God hates sin. When Jesus rose again, He proved to the world that He had won the victory over sin and death, once and for all. For those who follow Him, we get to share in His victory (Romans 5:14-21). For those who don't, they willingly opted out of this victory so they will be subject to the law of sin and death. Death in the Bible also means lack of fellowship with God (Genesis 3:1-8; Romans 6:23) which is hell, both here and beyond the grave, though hell beyond the grave is far more extreme than hell on earth.

This is pretty deep teaching and I don't expect you to understand all of it, but in time if you really did want to know and aren't just picking on Christians like so many do on Yahoo Answers, then God will show you as you seek Him. You seek Him by reading the Bible, prayer, and worship. You can also test to see if He answers prayer, and stuff like that. If your heart is in the right place, meaning you really do want to follow the true God, whoever that might be (because obviously you don't believe in Christ yet so you don't know and you're seeking the truth), then God will cater to you so that you do find Him. He hides a little to see if we'll seek but He wants to be found. Hope you find Him. God bless.

Answer 7

the rapture is taking the believers home, as for the 10 commandments you realize just how many people had broken the 10? and it is still going on today, daily they are broken, but the ones who has broken and wants forgiveness they can have it all they have to do is ask. I have broken them some of them anyways many times but I know in my heart God has forgiven me..They are toast only if they don't ask for forgiveness.Jesus came and lived here on earth, people rejected Him and He and went to the cross and when He id He took our sins away, He died for yours and mine and everyone else's sins, it is up to us to accept that he did die for us, excepting Him into our lives and living for God..Changing our ways..or letting God change then.When Jesus went to the Cross for us it wasn't a waste of time of what He did, though many may think it is, it wasn't..There is a reason and that is us, its up to us to decide..

Answer 8

Here's the point according to the Bible............romans 3:9

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 13 "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

Answer 9

In the OT people lived the law to the letter of the law, without forgiveness, without mercy. They had become dead in the law. Jesus did not come to change the law but to bring life to the law, forgiveness and mercy. Jesus also added another commandment: Love one another.

Answer 10

Study the rapture, Jesus and the 10 commandments again, and get back to us