purgedconscience, Your problem is not understanding that at the rapture, Jesus does not return to the earth. Believers that have died in Christ rise first and then those in Christ that are alive and remain are caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: 1Thess.4:17
You're the one with the problems, plural, not me.
First of all, how in the world does this portion of scripture allegedly teach a pre-trib rapture? Is Paul here describing the same trumpet blast that he described in I Corinthians chapter 15? If so, then that is
the last trump with no future trumpets to sound after it and it perfectly coincides with the events described in Revelation in relation to the 7th or last trumpet sounding.
Furthermore, where does this passage say that those who
meet the Lord in the air are allegedly then going to heaven with Him? That's a bunch of non-Biblical nonsense. Paul told us exactly for what purpose the saints are going to receive their glorified bodies:
I Corinthians chapter 15 verses 50 thru 55
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, 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.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
According to Paul, the saints receive their glorified bodies at
the last trump because f
lesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. In other words, the saints need glorified bodies in order to be able to inherit God's kingdom. Where then is God's kingdom? In heaven or on earth? Jesus taught us to pray,
Thy kingdom come, but you and others have us going to it instead of it coming to us. In other words, you've got the whole thing backwards.
Also, this whole
Jesus doesn't return to earth thing is total nonsense as well. Oh, I know that the false teachers seek to make a distinction between Christ's
parousia and
epiphaneia as if they're somehow two distinct events, but they're not. In fact, they both describe the second and only remaining coming of the Lord:
2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 8
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
The Greek word translated here as
brightness is
epiphaneia and the Greek word translated here as
coming is
parousia. In other words, both Greek words are used to describe the same exact event so don't let the false teachers deceive you into believing otherwise.
By the way, where are these saints who are
meeting Jesus in the air going according to your theology? To heaven, I assume, but for what purpose? Don't tell me. Let me guess. To partake in
the marriage supper of the Lamb, right? Well, first of all,
the marriage supper of the Lamb takes place right here on earth and for another thing what about the saints who allegedly get saved during the tribulation while everybody else is allegedly throwing down with Jesus? Don't they get to partake in
the marriage supper of the Lamb too or do they just get some leftovers in doggy bags?
Allow me to reason with you for a moment:
Paul said
to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, right? Well, that would mean then that when Paul left his body about 2000 years ago that his spirit and soul went to be with the Lord in heaven, right? If Paul's spirit and soul have been with Christ in heaven for approximately 2000 years, then why would he suddenly need a glorified body which he would receive according to your theology at this trumpet blast from I Thessalonians chapter 4 to allegedly return back to heaven with? In other words, he's been in heaven without a glorified body for approximately 2000 years already, so why would he suddenly need a glorified body there? It's nonsense. As Paul taught and as I already cited from I Corinthians chapter 15, the saints need glorified bodies in order to
inherit the kingdom of God and said kingdom is coming to this earth at Christ's return.
The pre-trib rapture lie fails miserably at every turn. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Feast of Passover by becoming our Passover Lamb on that calendar day, He perfectly fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits by rising from the dead as
the firstfruits of them that slept on that calendar day, He perfectly fulfilled the Feast of Pentecost by pouring out the Holy Ghost on that calendar day and He'll undoubtedly perfectly fulfill the Feast of Trumpets by returning with
the great sound of a trumpet on that calendar day. He'll gather together His saints once and not twice. The Bible only speaks of two comings of the Lord, but you and others would have us to believe that there are actually three:
Hebrews chapter 9 verses 27 and 28
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
