Rapture, Revelation, and the End Times - Conscious Evolution TV

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What robin-bobin Does the Bible Say About the End Times? 81rapture is a “mystery revealed” and thus somewhat hidden. Hewrites: “Eleven mysteries revealed in the New Testament werenot known to Old Testament saints. They were not given tomake Christianity mysterious, but to reveal things that hadnever before been announced. That is what Paul explains to usin 1 Corinthians 2: 7–10: ‘We speak the wisdom of God in amystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before theages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew. ...but God has revealed them to us.’ The greatest of these mysteries,in my opinion, is the rapture of the saints.” 12 Thus, inLaHaye’s view, the rapture is taught in the Bible, but in a somewhathidden way, as a mystery revealed to those who canproperly understand the appropriate biblical passages.The three major New Testament passages on which TimLaHaye and many others base their argument for a rapture areJohn 14:1–3, 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, and 1 Corinthians15:51–53. Here are the texts:Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also inme. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If itwere not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a placefor you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will comeagain and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there youmay be also. (John 14:1–3, NRSV) 13For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with thearchangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, willdescend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Thenwe who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the cloudstogether with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will bewith the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, NRSV)Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we willall be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the lasttrumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raisedimperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable bodymust put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put onimmortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51–53, NRSV)Many persons who read these passages might say, “I don’t see arapture here. I see a promise of resurrection for the faithfulrobin-bobin
82robin-bobin Rapture, Revelation, and the End Timeswhen Christ returns, but is that the same as people mysteriouslydisappearing while others continue their normal lives?”Premillennial dispensationalists (including LaHaye and Jenkins)believe in a chronology such as: (1) a rapture, in which trueChristians are taken up to heaven; (2) a seven-year period of difficultiescalled the “tribulation” for all of the people whoremain on earth; and (3) the glorious appearing of Jesus todefeat evil and initiate a thousand-year reign on earth called the“millennium.” As discussed elsewhere in this book, some otherpersons who believe in a rapture place it in the middle or at theend of a period of tribulation, instead of before it. The questionis, do the “three main Rapture passages” (LaHaye’s phrase)really teach that kind of complicated scenario? 14 Don’t they simplydescribe a resurrection at the time of Jesus’ second coming?For example, the noted biblical scholar N. T. Wright, a memberof the evangelical wing of the Anglican church and nowbishop of Durham, discusses the description of Christ’s comingthat Paul provides in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17. He argues thatPaul was using a mixed metaphor when describing Jesus’ returnto earth, adding: “Few in the U.K. hold the belief . . . that therewill be a literal ‘rapture” in which believers will be snatched upto heaven, leaving empty cars crashing on freeways.” 15 Hisremark illustrates that widespread acceptance of a rapture maybe culturally limited to North America.Gary DeMar, author of an extensive biblical critique of TimLaHaye’s theology, also is convinced that there is no rapture inthe Bible. He asserts: “LaHaye takes Bible passages that refer tothe general resurrection and applies them to a pretrib [pretribulation]rapture of the church. The resurrection of the dead, notthe rapture of the church, is the hope of the church.” 16 Referringfurther to the issue of biblical support, Demar says: “There is nosingle verse or group of verses that specifically describes any ofthese . . . Rapture positions. In terms of pretribulationsim, sincethat’s the Rapture position advocated by LaHaye, we shouldexpect to find at least one verse that describes Jesus coming forHis church to take Christians to heaven prior to a seven-yearperiod of tribulation, and then Jesus returning with His churchrobin-bobin
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198robin-bobinDiscussion Questions2
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202robin-bobinGlossarythe end times
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208robin-bobinAnnotated Bibliograph
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218robin-bobinIndexmillennium, 48-9
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Rapture, Revelation, and the End Times - Conscious Evolution TV

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