Having been saved in a Pentecostal church in 1980, and then over the years having been in the Assemblies of God the Pre-trib Rapture "theory" was treated as fact, yet when I read my Bible I could never find it in the scriptures.
I also remember being bombarded with Matthew 24:37-42, and told that this means we will be taken out, and the wicked will be left to go through the tribulation. This was not what I was reading and seeing by the Holy Spirit.
As it is written, that Jesus said:
But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN be.
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark
And knew not until the flood came, and "TOOK" them all away; so shall also THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN be.
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be "taken", and the other left.
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be "taken", and the other left.
"Watch" therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come
Matthew 24:37-42
Let me ask you this question, who were the ones "Taken"?
Noah and his family, or the wicked?
In the English language “Taken” is a form of the word “Took" and the flood of Noah’s day “Took” the wicked away, not Noah and his family, they were kept by the provision of God upon the earth.
Then there are these scriptures in that same context..
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he "LOOKETH" not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
And shall CUT HIM ASUNDER, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
So it does not say in verse 51, "And he shall be "left behind" to go through the Great tribulation." ?
It also says, if you will read Verse 47, which is addressing the faithful servants that when the Lord comes, He will make him ruler over all his goods.
As it is written that Jesus said:
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Matthew 24:47
If one is gone in a "Rapture" why would one have any goods to rule over? This is obviously addressing the saints who remain on the earth, and are alive at the return of Christ, and who are going to enter into the Thousand year reign on this earth.
Then I came upon scriptures like Matthew 13:30 that reinforced that at the time of the end when Jesus returns, it will be the wicked who are “Taken” first and bound into bundles to be burned, and the righteous left on the earth.
As it is written:
Let both grow together until THE HARVEST: and in "the time of HARVEST" I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together "first the tares", and bind them in bundles "to burn them": but gather the wheat into my barn Matthew 13:30
As we can clearly see here, the children of the kingdom are still here, on the earth, growing along side the children of the devil, they have not been “Raptured” out, they are growing together until the time of the end.
Then there is Matthew 13: 38-43..which shows even more clearly, as Jesus interprets scripture, that there is one second coming, one separation, one Harvest. Then we the children of God shall shine in His Kingdom, on this earth.
As it is written, that Jesus said:
The field is the world; "the good seed" are "the children of the kingdom"; but "the tares" are "the children of the wicked one"
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; "the HARVEST is the end of the world"; and the reapers are the angels
As therefore the tares are gathered and BURNED in the FIRE; so shall it be in the END of this world
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity
And shall cast them into a FURNACE of FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13:38-43
This coincides with the following scriptures in Revelation...
As it is written;
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. Revelation 14:15-16
Now I ask you if the "Pre-trib Rapture" has already taken place and the dead in Christ have already been resurrected, then how can you have yet another separation of the wheat and the tares, if the Church has already been removed?
Many of the pre-trib "Rapture theory" folks used to also say, that "He who letteth" in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 refers to the Holy Spirit, and when the "church" is "taken" in the "Rapture", the Holy Spirit leaves as well."
If that were true, how would the so called "left behind" bunch be saved, and how on earth would they have the strength, without the infilling of the Holy Spirit, to withstand the tribulation, let alone give their lives for Christ?
My concern is that those who have been taught a pre-trib rapture and who find themselves in the midst of the Great tribulation, will loose their faith in Jesus, thinking the Bible to be untrue, and buy what ever the Anti-Christ tries to sell them.
In the day, that Christ returns for His own, to resurrect them, to prepare them for all eternity, there is coming a Thousand year reign with our Lord on earth.
All deceased saints of all time shall be resurrected to receive their glorified bodies, and we which are alive and remain unto the second coming of Christ will be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the "Last" Trump...
As it is written:
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I show 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.
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!
1 Corinthians 15:50-55
Jesus will bring the souls of the dead in Christ with Him when He returns, and He will unite their bodies and souls, as the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall be changed.
Ever notice how all Christians want to go to Heaven, but no one want to have to die to get there?
As it is written
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.
Hebrews 1:27-28
So it doesn't say those who are LOOKING for Him will be TAKEN out and spared the Great Tribulation, it says they will see SALVATION, because there is only ONE Second Coming.
Do you know how fast the twinkling of an eye is? Well it has been scientifically measured to be one two hundredths of a second. God does a quick work in the end.
As it is written:
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be MADE ALIVE.
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; *afterward THEY THAT ARE CHRIST'S AT HIS COMING.
*Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
*The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1 Corinthians 15:22-26
There are still many more scriptures to cover on this subject so again please bear with me there will be a part 3 & 4.
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