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Thanks, I try to do just that.
Joh 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Joh 11:12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Joh 11:13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
Joh 11:14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Joh 11:15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
Joh 11:16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
Joh 11:17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.
Joh 11:18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
Joh 11:19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
Joh 11:20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
Joh 11:21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
Joh 11:22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
Joh 11:23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
Joh 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Joh 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
Joh 11:28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
Joh 11:29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.
Joh 11:30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.
Joh 11:31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.
Joh 11:32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
Joh 11:33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
Joh 11:34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
Joh 11:35 Jesus wept.
Joh 11:36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
Joh 11:37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
Joh 11:38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
Joh 11:39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
Joh 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
Joh 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
Joh 11:42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
Joh 11:44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
Joh 11:45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
In this case, Lazarus was literally dead, for 4 days. When Christ said he slept, that is a well known figure of speech that means dead.
So with the maiden, they said she was dead and Christ said no she's sleeping.
With Lazarus, they said he was dead and Christ said he was sleeping but meant he was dead: Howbeit Jesus spake of his death, Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead..
So, same words used but the meaning is different in each example.
But it doesn't sound consistent, though. The way I see it, it seems all too clear that there are two witnesses in Scripture saying the same thing.
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I am aware Scripture as a whole does so, but this seems like one of the many teachings or truths taught by Jesus which is taught by repeating it. Two times Jesus talks of sleep in relation to death and they each mean something different? I just don't see that as being consistent in the way Jesus taught. But see what you will. Granted, I just re-read the passage and I can see it from your perspective as being true. It is possible. But I think Jesus was trying to make a point spiritually two times concerning death and sleep. For what is the spiritual relationship between the two passages of Lazarus and the young girl in relation to sleep and death?A word like sleep has two meanings. Dead or literal sleep. One example was sleeping, the other was death.
Just read them, it's right there in black and white.
But Jesus illustrates spiritual truth by way of real world examples. There used to be a Temple that God had the Israelites build. This is a parallel of the Heavenly Temple. In other words, it would be like traveling to another dimension (where things may appear different) and making an assumption about that dimension based on the limited information that you were given by the short time that you were there. For example: If you seen the skies were green when you arrived, you might assume the skies are always green in that dimension when they could change in color at a later time. The point is that we do not know ALL of what happens in the after-life. For me, I see two places in Scripture where it gives us a clue so as to understand that NOBODY is allowed to tell us about paradise or hades. It's because once you cross over. That's it. Yes, I believe everyone will be conscious in the after-life at some point. But I am just not sure it is immediate, though. I am given bread crumbs from Jesus in two places that "sleep" is a type of physical death where the spirit has not crossed over whereby they would later be conscious about the land of the dead.
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Althought I don't agree with the detail of your theory i agree the bible is ambiguous when talking about what happens when we die. There are the words spoken to the thief on the cross saying "Today you will be with me in paradise" or Paul's words saying that to be absent from the body means to be present with Christ which suggest more of an immediate entrance into heaven. But as I have mentioned before the bible is primarily about instruction for this life and it has only left a foretaste of the next.
Heaven and earth will pass away and hades will be thrown into the lake of fire so these places we commonly think of with the afterlife are only temporary. In Christ's return dead believers resurrect from the ground and meet Christ in the clouds. So if we are in heaven with Christ why do we have to meet him from ground to sky after the resurrection? after this a great battle occurs and we all live on earth again during the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth, then after that heaven and earth passes away and a new heaven and new earth comes where heaven is the city of Jerusalem on earth.
There are lots of details but in terms of where we go after our last breath it simply is not clear. I believe in Paul's words that we will be present with Christ but certainly modern health seems to give rise to a window of overlap between this life and the next. The bible isn't that focused in teaching us this so I'm not too worried about it.
I am aware Scripture as a whole does so, but this seems like one of the many teachings or truths taught by Jesus which is taught by repeating it. Two times Jesus talks of sleep in relation to death and they each mean something different? I just don't see that as being consistent in the way Jesus taught. But see what you will. Granted, I just re-read the passage and I can see it from your perspective as being true. It is possible. But I think Jesus was trying to make a point spiritually two times concerning death and sleep. For what is the spiritual relationship between the two passages of Lazarus and the young girl in relation to sleep and death?
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Here is the actual timeline of events.
#1. Pre-Trib Rapture takes place
(This involves the saints in Abraham's Bosom and the saints alive on Earth).
(Saints are taken up to be with Christ physically in Heaven).
#2. 7 Year Tribulation.
#3. Near the End of the Tribulation: A second Rapture of the Elect on the Earth takes place so as to return with Christ.
#4. Christ returns to destroy those remaining nations who have refused to repent.
#5. Earth and it's atmosphere will be purified by fire - This is sort of like the global flood but more extreme (For not even the crust will remain the same - For no pepsi cans or glass bottles and other trash will remain in the soil so as to be found in the upcoming Millennium).
#7. At the end of the 1,000 year reign, satan is loosed so as to tempt the remaining nations.
#8. The Judgment.
(Whereby the wicked will be cast into the Lake of Fire - where they will immediately or shortly erased from all existence).
#9. A New Earth and Heavens appear.
#10. The city of New Jerusalem come down from out of the Old Heaven and lands on the New Earth.
#11. The old heavens and Earth passes away and is no more.
#12. The remaining saints in Heaven will be resurrected physically or bodily so as to live and reign with Christ on the Eternal New Earth.
There is going to be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. The Bible is very clear on this.
Sorry but my last post already debunked that theory.
The Pre-Trib Rapture is the only view where you have the most to lose by not believing in it.
It is also the view that is backed up by Scripture in many places.
The Post Trib view is easily refuted by the fact that the Scriptures say we are not appointed unto Wrath.
Revelation 6:17 KJV begins the Wrath and Revelation 15:1 KJV tells us that the vials or bowl judgments (Which are after the Trumpet Judgments) are the seven last plagues & the return of Christ which concludes the wrath of God.
And 1 Thessalonians 5:9 KJV says we are not appointed unto wrath.
Short Version:
There are some interesting things to notice that are different about the Rapture (i.e. The Appearing) and the Second Coming.
At the rapture, only those who are looking for him will see him:
Now contrast that with the second coming to the earth
• Revelation 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.
At the rapture, Jesus comes FOR His church :
• 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord
However, at the second coming (after the tribulation period) , Christ comes WITH His saints.
• Jude 1:14
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints
• Revelation 19:14
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean
At the rapture, the LORD calls His church up to a wedding/marriage
• Matthew 25:10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
But at the second coming to earth, He is returning from a wedding
• Luke 12:36
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
No, believing in it might cause one to worship the Antichrist. If he comes and claims to be Jesus and does a miracle to make people think they have been raptured then causing the Apostasy is quite easy.
ewq1938 said:We aren't appointed for God's wrath but we are appointed for the wrath of Satan, Rev 12.
Here is the rub, though. If we shall be caught up together to meet the Lord in the clouds and forever be with Him, it paints a picture of being in His Kingdom forever with Him (i.e. first heaven, and then the Eternal New Earth for all eternity); And it does not paint a picture of us returning back to this sinful world here. For 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says, "and so shall we ever be with the Lord."1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Here is the rub, though. If we shall be caught up together to meet the Lord in the clouds and forever be with Him, it paints a picture of being in His Kingdom forever with Him (i.e. first heaven, and then the Eternal New Earth for all eternity); And it does not paint a picture of us returning back to this sinful world here.
Also, here are some other Clues Concerning the Rapture:
• John 14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
• Isaiah 26:20 NLT
Go home, my people, and lock your doors! Hide yourselves for a little while until the LORD’s anger has passed.
"And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, "Wherever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together.""
In other words, there are two "Catching ups" or two "Raptures."
The first one is saying the saint will be with Him where He is (i.e. to join the Lord in Heaven).
The second one says the saints remaining alive during that time will be taken up so as to join the Lord in battle to fight at Armageddon.
While that is an intriguing theory, true believers will know that Jesus will return in the clouds where every eye will see Him. For the same way He left, is the same way in which He will return.
But the problem with yoru view is that you are not watching and looking for Jesus, though.
This is dangerous because Jesus told us to watch and be ready for we know not what hour he comes. But in your view, you are not watching and looking for his return because you have to wait to see the Judgment seals pass first.
So when the seals are broken (and if you survive), then you can watch and be ready. But now? That is not likely. You really can't do that.
It sounds like you believe in a Post Trib Rapture, is that correct?
I am going to simplify this for you. Jesus commands us to,
"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."
Jesus also commands us to be ready when He said,
"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh"
Well, this cannot be true for you if you are expecting the Lord to come in an hour you are expecting - which is after the Judgment seals have passed (Which should be easy for anyone to spot).
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