Originally posted by carlaimpinge
...The gathering of the body of Christ is connected with the REVELATION of the son of perdition, NOT his destruction...
Again, I believe the gathering is at the destruction of the son of perdition because he is destroyed by Jesus' coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8), and we are gathered at Jesus' coming (2 Thessalonians 2:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, Matthew 24:29-31), and there's no 3rd coming. We Christians will still be on the earth during the Antichrists rule (Revelation 13:7-10, 14:12-13).
Originally posted by carlaimpinge
...The body of Christ is gathered NOT AFTER the abomination of desolation, but at the revelation of the son of perdition...
Note again that Jesus doesn't say that we'll be raptured at the abomination of desolation, but that we'll need to flee to the mountains when we see it (Matthew 24:15-16), and that the tribulation will be shortened precisely because we Christians will still be here (Matthew 24:21-31).
Note again that Paul doesn't say that we'll be raptured at the abomination of desolation, but that Jesus' coming (parousia) to gather us together must "destroy" the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8). I don't believe Paul taught a 3rd coming (parousia) of Jesus.
Note that Revelation doesn't say that we'll be raptured at the abomination of desolation, but that we Christians must go through the reign of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:7-10, 14:12-13, 15:2, 20:4).
My concern is that if some mistakenly believe that Jesus promised to rapture us at the abomination of desolation, and then he doesn't, and then month after month continues to pass by without any rapture, some may begin to wonder if the Antichrist's and Satan's claims to be more powerful than Jesus might really be true, that they've somehow thwarted the rapture. But if we go into the tribulation believing that we must wait 1,335 days after the abomination of desolation for Jesus to rapture us (Daniel 12:11-12), then we'll be prepared to endure to the very end without our faith being shaken.
Originally posted by carlaimpinge
...The gospel of the kingdom...
Didn't both Jesus and Paul preach the gospel of the kingdom?
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33).
"That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom" (1 Thessalonians 2:12).
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
"Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 15:50).
"The kingdom of God is... righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17).
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom" (Colossians 1:13).
"I [Paul] have gone preaching the kingdom of God" (Acts 20:25).
"Paul... received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God" (Acts 28:30-31).
"We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
"That ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God" (2 Thessalonians 1:5).
"Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8).
And isn't the gospel of the kingdom also for the Gentiles? "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14); "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15); "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matthew 21:43); "I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you" (Romans 10:19); "Through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy" (Romans 11:11).
Originally posted by carlaimpinge
...The death, burial, and resurrection was not included in the kingdom gospel...
Note that the apostles preached the cross and the resurrection:
Jesus: "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28); "And [Jesus] said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations" (Luke 24:46-47).
John: "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7); "Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Revelation 1:5); "For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Revelation 5:9); "Washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14); "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 12:11).
Peter: "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole... Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:10, 12); "Through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ... his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:2-3); "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Paul: "I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Originally posted by carlaimpinge
...I believe in the UNITY of the message of grace...
So do I. Isn't the gospel of grace the only gospel of Christ? "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ" (Galatians 1:6-7).
Didn't Peter preach the gospel of grace? "Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe... We believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they" (Acts 15:7, 11); "Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come" (1 Peter 1:10); "This is the true grace of God wherein ye stand" (1 Peter 5:12); "Through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied" (1 Peter 1:2); "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10); "The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus" (1 Peter 5:10).
Didn't the Apostle John preach the gospel of grace? "Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:16-17); "Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love" (2 John 1:3); "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (Revelation 22:21).
Didn't Jude preach the gospel of grace? "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 1:4).
Didn't the writer to the Hebrews preach the gospel of grace? "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16); "For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace" (Hebrews 13:9).
Didn't James preach the gospel of grace? "He giveth more grace" (James 4:6).
Indeed weren't all of the apostles under great grace? "With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:33).
Hasn't God always given grace? "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Genesis 6:8); "The LORD said unto Moses... thou hast found grace in my sight" (Exodus 33:17); "Found grace in the wilderness; even Israel" (Jeremiah 31:2); "Grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God" (Ezra 9:8); "He giveth grace" (Proverbs 3:34).
"In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee" (Isaiah 49:8); "Receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee" (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).