The idea of a rapture, a mass disappearing of people, is a grand satanic deception. One of the major deceptions of the end times, leading to the false prophet. Using special technology the evil doers plan to kill millions at once and will want the remaining public to believe the 'rapture' has happened.
Very interesting indeed. Never heard it.
It's true that the rapture is not a 'great disappearance' of Christians from the earth, and yet is a widely taught and popularized lie.
However, there are problems with your theory of the great AC using it for his own purposes:
1. The rapture does lead to the open display of the AC as God, but not to the rise of the AC.
2. It's that AC beast that is already persecuting the saints, before the Lord comes to resurrect them to Himself in the air.
3. His miracle of calling fire down from heaven to destroy His enemies, is in the sight of men. Not a disappearance from their sight.
4. And of course, since the Lord's coming and rapture of His church is in fact visible to all eyes on earth, then they can hardly be decieved about the saints disappearing from their sight.
Rev 11:11
And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
5. And finally, the last great AC beast will gather his national leaders to Armageddon, to fight the Lamb and His saints in the air. They will be in seen in the air, and coming with clouds to battle.
Neither the rapture of His saints, nor their coming to fight with the beast and nations on earth, is invisible, but is visibly seen by all on earth. Therefore, no great disappearance rapture, nor the so-called secret 2nd coming of the Lord to earth, can be believed at that time.
Both the secret 2nd coming and rapture are simply false prophecies by decieved Bible readers, that has gained widescreen popularity on the earth. While in fact, writing a book with the visible facts of prophecy is much more awesome. But then, the Bible with Revelation is already written...
The real question is why should anyone want to believe the false prophecy of a hidden 2nd coming and rapture of the church.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 does not say we are taken to heaven, it says we meet the Lord in the clouds, in the air. In Revelation 19:14 the phrase 'which were' is an added in phrase denoted by italics in many Bibles.
Correct. Another question is why believe the lie, that the Lord and His resurrected saints go back to heaven, rather than remaining on earth to rule all nations for a thousand years.
"The armies in the sky followed Him on white horses....." Is how it should read.
Well done. 'Which were' certainly is added by translation, and not necessary, unless heaven of the heavens is confirmed in the verse. Which it is not.
This is where context is important: The heaven is opened, and the Lord is seen coming, which we know from Rev 1 is with clouds. Therefore, the sky is better when speaking of following armies and events. We can add Rev 4 where John is certainly still on earth at Patmos, when he sees heaven's door opened. Therefore, the events in Rev 4 are from earth, followed by things seen in heaven, and the events in Rev 19 are from heaven, followed by things seen in the sky.
Rev 1:7
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
'Which were' in heaven is not false, since they followed Him from heaven, but grammatically and contextually less specific.
Rev 19:11
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:14
And the armies in the sky followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Good observation, thanks.
How do they get up in the sky? In the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.
Well, here you have a twofold problem. First, the context of the twinkling of the eye, is the resurrection and changing of the mortal bodies to immortality on earth:
1Co 15:51
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.
Their ascension into the air to be gathered by angels and meet with the Lord, is not part of the twinkling event. If it were, then there certainly would be a great disappearance event: In one moment, they are on earth, and the next moment they disappear into the air...
Even as the resurrected Lord ascended from the earth in to heaven with a cloud, seen by His disciples, so shall His resurrected saints ascend from the earth into the sky, and seen by all.
Rev 11:11
And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.