Thanks for the comment/question re Pre-Trib rapture! Sorry, slow getting to it. It's spiritual trench warfare roundabout these days. Taking arrows, forging on however, praise God!
I know all about the controversies and questions about it ("Pre-Trib Rapture"). For me, it always seemed a bit too optimistic. Sound fantastic and wonderful and fitting for a merciful, attentive, involved, true-to-His-Word GOD. . . . But also something so sudden and miraculous (the likes of which we haven't seen in quite a while) that I've had my doubts. BUT have reserved judgment until I knew more (studied the scriptures, learned more from Spirit-led scholars etc).
No doubt, there HAVE been many miraculous, "other-worldly" events God has sprung before, so it was never out of the question to me. I certainly do hope for it. The Tribulation will be excruciating. As bad as things are now, it is nothing compared to what The Book Of Revelation, Matthew et al related prophesies! The wrath and judgment, verdict, reckoning of The Lord--The Day Of The Lord . . . will indeed (as is written) strike the deepest trauma and fear in those who blatantly rejected, hated His loving sacrifice. Those who thought they were not being seen, known--who lustily reveled in sin and rebellion, of their own desire, will find out just what it means when The Righteous Judge arrives to settle all accounts, for it is "a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" . . . and they will desperate call on the "mountains and rocks" (bunkers?) to hide them from "the face of God and the wrath of the Lamb"!
Anyway yes . . . so after studying The Word and listening to and observing those who I find properly and seriously and honest in THEIR scholarly "dividing" of The Word, I strongly, and must lean toward what I believe The Word reveals. . . .
I shall quote the following, and I dare say, it is quite difficult to disagree with this reasoning, as it is simply based in The Book and properly "rightly dividing" of The Word (2 Timothy 2:15):
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"'Who are Christ's at His coming that will be resurrected in the largest part of the resurrection harvest?' Remember from the Old Testament economy we had the firstfruits--the sampling--that's Christ and those who came out of he graves after He came out in Matthew Chapter 27. Then we have the main harvest, which is the Church resurrection and includes the Rapture. . . .
"1 Corinthians 15:23: 'But every man in his own order (or his own company) Christ the firstfruits; afterward, they that are Christ's at His coming.'
". . . .Paul is writing about Christ's coming for the Body of Christ. 'The Rapture of the Church', two completely different that are separated by 7 years. Remember, all the Old Testament promises and programs never considered the out-called of the Church. It was never in there because God had kept it secret.
"So all the Old Testament prophecies spoke of the coming of Christ to be their King, and they would have to go through the Tribulation and then they could have the King and the Kingdom. You can find that in Psalm Chapter 2, Joel Chapter 2, and Zechariah Chapter 14. They all speak of this kind of a Biblical timeline.
"However, Israel rejected the King back at the Cross and the Tribulation did not come in, they did not get the Kingdom. So instead, after having crucified their Messiah, and Peter does not succeed in turning Israel into repentance (Acts 2:38) God then brings forth the Apostle Paul . . . the calling out the Body of Christ primarily from the Gentiles.
"And since it has nothing to do with the Old Testament program or Tribulation, which is also tied to the Old Testament and primarily for the Jew, then we maintain that the Body of Christ is insulated from God's dealings with Israel either before or after the Cross, and so, consequently this is why (the Rapture is taught.)
"The Body of Christ has to be off the scene before God can pick up dealing with Israel again. Always remember, if we could just take the Church out, then we can place the Tribulation back with the Old Testament economy of the Second Coming of the Messiah, the Tribulation, the King, and the Kingdom.
"However, when Israel rejected it, God went to Paul and the calling out of the Body of Christ, and it has to be raptured and then He will yet bring in the Tribulation to Israel.
"Now we know there is no time element, we can never say that in five years He's coming . . . but we do know that He's coming, and we do know that He's coming the moment the Body of Christ is complete. When the last person is saved, and the Body is complete then Christ will come for the Church."
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"Q's & A's From The Bible" L.F.
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