You have a bible to read. Why not read it yourself? But do take off those preconceived glasses.
Do you see how silly the previous writer was, thinking the verse in Mat. 24 was the rapture? If there was every a "man made" doctrine, it would be calling that verse in Matt 24 the rapture of the church. And you think that makes sense - the rapture gathering from HEAVEN?
I don't care what "THEY" call it. What does the BIBLE call it? In 1 Thes. 4, Paul calls it a COMING. "we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep."
But when is this coming? Read the next chapter and find out. It is certainly not the Rev 19 coming. You have a serious problem with proper exegesis.
If you wish to tribulate, go ahead, but God will CERTAINLY hold you responsible if your false teaching causes someone to be left behind, and they give in to the mark. Jesus is coming pretrib for the Bride of Christ, whether you believe it or not. I wonder what you will be doing when you know you have been left behind? And you know it was because you would not rightly divide the word of Truth. I sure would not wish to be in your shoes.
Do you realize the character our God would have to have, to fulfill your theories? Certainly, SATAN wishes for all to be left behind, because he is convinced that many saints will take the mark, and be doomed forever. But you are putting this kind of character onto our God! What kind of God do you think we serve? It is NOT his wish that any one of His church get put into a position of losing their head or taking the mark to save it. It is ONLY THE DEVIL that delights in putting that kind of pressure on people. And you think our God has that kind of character? You simply amaze me.
Coop
Dear Coop, In Revelation, St. John writes, "These things must shortly come to pass."
Well, it has been 2000 years, and if these things John wrote about did not shortly come to pass when John was writing about them around 64 AD it, the Book of Revelation, doesn't make much sense. But if Revelation is a prophecy of the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 AD, and if St. John was writing from Patmos sometime before 70 AD, in the 60s AD, then the whole book begins to make some sense. If John was being persecuted by Nero, and Nero is the beast of Revelation 13:18, Revelation can be understood. To make most of the book in OUR FUTURE makes LITTLE SENSE if St. John was NOT LYING when he wrote, "THE TIME IS AT HAND", and the things he was prophesying must "shortly come to pass", that is, they came to pass and were fulfilled in John's own times, NOT IN OUR OWN DAYS. You have not proven the Book of Revelation was meant to be fulfilled TODAY or TOMORROW. IT IS YOUR ASSUMPTION. Nothing in the text itself demands or justifies that view. It is your presupposition. In Erie PA Scott R. Harrington
May I suggest, when this is all over with, that you take this complaint to Jesus. You should know that "shortly" to a God that is from everlasting to everlasting may mean something different to Him than to you? Who knows how many thouands, or millions, or billions of earth-years He waited after creating the universe to create Adam.
Certainly it does make sense, if you consider that shortly to God may mean 2000 years. After all, one day is as a thousand, and a thousand as one to Him. He lives outside the dimension of time. However, chew on this for a while: some of the old sages of Israel believe that Adam was given a 6000 year lease on this planet, to correspond to the 6 days of creation. And the 7th day of creation corresponds to the 1000 years of rest during Jesus' millennial kingdom.
You will find it VERY HARD to prove that Revelation was not written about 95 AD, where church history has it. And, in fact, nothing in the book really fits what happened in 70 AD.
Next, you will find it EXTREMELY difficult to find the events of the 7 trumpets, and the 7 vials somewhere in history. When you compare the amazing accuracy of the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, and how Jesus fulfilled them, why would you suppose these prophecies then would be so "sloppy?" I just won't believe it. I think we are now between the 5th and 6th seal, waiting on the rapture of the church, which will be the trigger for the Day of the Lord and the 70th week. And when it begins to unfold, it will be VERY CLOSE to what is written, just as the prophecies concerning the Messiah were.
Coop