Post by Cindy on Jul 28, 2015 9:08:10 GMT -5
As I've continued studying the minor prophets, I've realized that there's yet another way the rapture could happen. We are so very used to seeing how the fiction books and movies portray it, that we often forget that there's nothing about people becoming invisible and floating up into the sky in the Bible. We often just accept that's how it will happen. But the Bible doesn't say that. Those who participate in the rapture could very well be quite visible to the rest of the people left on earth, as I showed in another article, along with other things that I don't think are scriptural about the way the movies present it. I realized though, that there's yet another way it could happen.
The other way it "could" happen from the perspective of those left behind, is that all the believers and children could simply appear to suddenly die. Personally, I don't think it will happen this way, but there's nothing that would absolutely "prove" that it wouldn't either. The best I can come up with are some scriptures that make me think it will happen with us being visible to those who are left behind as I spoke of in the other article.
What bothers me however is that so many people have been told that when the rapture happens, it will look like a lot of people have suddenly disappeared, that if it happens any other way, those left behind could be confused enough so that they wouldn't recognize the rapture for what it was. So much has been distributed in the forms of books, pamphlets, movies, tracts, letters, notes, CD's, and videos, that the "great lie" could well be what we ourselves have told them! Since realizing this a couple of days ago, I've been telling everyone I know about this, so that they will recognize the rapture no matter what form it takes. I most certainly don't want to be one of those misleading people to think that scripture itself says that we must all suddenly disappear!
I'm writing this article for the same reason. It shows me once again, how very careful we must be about making sure that what we understand and believe, and what we share with others about God's Word is scriptural and not just what we think. While there's certainly nothing wrong with stating that we do or don't think it will happen in such and such a way, we shouldn't go so far as to say that scripture says that it must happen in a certain way unless in fact that's true. In the case of the rapture, that's not true. We're not told anything more then that we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye. We are not told what that change will look like to those left behind. Personally, I think there's a great deal of evidence to show that it will happen in the way I described in the article, Will the Rapture be Invisible? However, since I'm not God, I also realize that we just might be invisible to those left behind, or that we could even appear to have all suddenly died. There could even be yet another way it could occur, even though we may not have thought of it yet.
While the rapture will happen the way God intends no matter what we think, it's very important that we let unbelievers know about this so they won't be misled if it doesn't happen the way most think it will. It's going to be confusing enough for them when they find other "Christians" left behind, and people that everyone thinks of as practically saints, so we don't want to add this confusion to that as well. We have to remember too that they aren't going to be thinking all that rationally right after the rapture. They're going to be terrified and grieving no matter what form it takes. So we need to be very clear with them about the forms it could take and let them know too that there could even be ways we haven't thought of, so that no matter how it happen, they'll recognize it for what it is, and hopefully be saved.
The other way it "could" happen from the perspective of those left behind, is that all the believers and children could simply appear to suddenly die. Personally, I don't think it will happen this way, but there's nothing that would absolutely "prove" that it wouldn't either. The best I can come up with are some scriptures that make me think it will happen with us being visible to those who are left behind as I spoke of in the other article.
What bothers me however is that so many people have been told that when the rapture happens, it will look like a lot of people have suddenly disappeared, that if it happens any other way, those left behind could be confused enough so that they wouldn't recognize the rapture for what it was. So much has been distributed in the forms of books, pamphlets, movies, tracts, letters, notes, CD's, and videos, that the "great lie" could well be what we ourselves have told them! Since realizing this a couple of days ago, I've been telling everyone I know about this, so that they will recognize the rapture no matter what form it takes. I most certainly don't want to be one of those misleading people to think that scripture itself says that we must all suddenly disappear!
I'm writing this article for the same reason. It shows me once again, how very careful we must be about making sure that what we understand and believe, and what we share with others about God's Word is scriptural and not just what we think. While there's certainly nothing wrong with stating that we do or don't think it will happen in such and such a way, we shouldn't go so far as to say that scripture says that it must happen in a certain way unless in fact that's true. In the case of the rapture, that's not true. We're not told anything more then that we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye. We are not told what that change will look like to those left behind. Personally, I think there's a great deal of evidence to show that it will happen in the way I described in the article, Will the Rapture be Invisible? However, since I'm not God, I also realize that we just might be invisible to those left behind, or that we could even appear to have all suddenly died. There could even be yet another way it could occur, even though we may not have thought of it yet.
While the rapture will happen the way God intends no matter what we think, it's very important that we let unbelievers know about this so they won't be misled if it doesn't happen the way most think it will. It's going to be confusing enough for them when they find other "Christians" left behind, and people that everyone thinks of as practically saints, so we don't want to add this confusion to that as well. We have to remember too that they aren't going to be thinking all that rationally right after the rapture. They're going to be terrified and grieving no matter what form it takes. So we need to be very clear with them about the forms it could take and let them know too that there could even be ways we haven't thought of, so that no matter how it happen, they'll recognize it for what it is, and hopefully be saved.